best laid plans and all....

Second shop has been put aside for now as cash is needed, so some of that stock will be listed soon. This is up now, I wish I could figure out how to photograph it better as it's really pretty damn swell.

Measures 30 x 40 and is hand and machine quilted and hand tied. It has an organic bamboo/cotton batting which was lovely to work with and I would be happy to use nothing else.
Fabric is 100 percent cotton, threads are cotton and silk and it's quilted in place and then tied with silk floss.

Circles are wool felt.

Fall Sale

Use coupon code "Fallsale" for 15% off anything in my AF store. They even made a widget to use! See far right.

Opinions, please.

Since may of you are buyers, I thought this would be a good place to ask. How would you feel if you got a postcard from my shop for a discount as a Holiday Thank you? Good for a year? This would only go out to people who have already purchased and it's a real postcard,lol, not a virtual one.

Artfire rocks again!

First the Kiosk and now Coupon Codes and Gift Certificates! You can even make your own coupon code. For instance instead of number52323928392 I have a Thankyou! coupon for 10% off next purchase.

Pretty freaking awesome.

Vicky/Vicki?

From Fringe Pop

Still no word from Vicki/Vicky. Sent this morning:

Dear Vicki/Vicky,

Still no word from you! Heavens to Betsy! I do hope you are well or as well can be given your urgent and dire circumstances. The gist of which remain unknown, other than being urgent and dire.

I decided authorities be damned! I will send you the money! This morning I went and took some of my jewels out of the safety deposit box. I thought $2000 was such a paltry sum, I realised you must have meant $20,000. After all how far will $2000 get a girl these days? I must spend that much on cocktails at the club weekly!

I'm afraid I was so agitated I lost your address, please, please respond Vicky/Vicky with the proper address to which to send this $20,000 and I promise to do so post haste!

I will be here, waiting by the computer, cash in hand. Please, I'm terribly concerned about someone I've never met before, do get in touch!!!

Uh....ok.

So I got a Twitter account Goatmountainart (no room for the S) and no I have no frickin idea what I'm supposed to do. But, uh, it's there. But since you are here, I'm not seeing the investment potential.

It was all like 'Hey, you can invite these people!' and I'm all like 'No, I feel spammy!'. So well, I'm on Twitter.

I feel underwhelmed.

Ok, so now my FB is linked to my blog and Twitter. Dude, I'm getting that 'Borg' feeling.

Three New Soaps

Luxe (think champagne on a very expensive beach)

Chocolate Gingerbread

Victoria's Secret Divine Angel

Cheap ads

I got two large car magnets for my Element, from Vista Print. If you search for a coupon code you can go through the link and get them for 50% off. I paid $32 with standard shipping and the got here within the week. Which I thought was outstanding.

They are 17 x 11. I bought the small but they looked out of proportion. I think the small would be fine on a car. So I went and ordered the large. Much better.

I also got a decal for the back window from Letter Express It and was thrilled with the product, price and service (and the clever name). They send two so it's not this nerve wracking what if I screw this one up sort of thing.

Now, will I get sales. Too soon to see. But I have seen a couple people writing the decal add down behind me in traffic. Yesterday this guy on a scooter pulled up to me at a red light and asked me to roll down my passenger side window. I thought maybe he was an Element person, but he wanted to know what I sold on E.

Of course this did not go over well with Kinley who determined he was a threat and went all Cujo on him. Which is cool, I'd prefer he do that to strange men who approach my car then not. The guy was a little flattered to be considered so dangerous, it all worked out.

The car magnets have the E addy with the AF addy underneath. I'm considering removing the E addy decal and replacing it with my blog addy and that would direct traffic to both shops. Plus I think 'blogspot' is easier to remember than Etsy.

In fact, I'm going to order that now. I almost think sending folks to my blog would be better and more people would be curious to see what the link led too. I'll let you know how it works out.

Sample Cards

Gift Card

I wanted to give an example of the gift cards I'm selling with purchases. So I made a couple. What I'll do is insert a page with your message that can be removed and the card kept or reused, or whatever.

I make them up as we go along, so anything you have in mind, I'll listen. These two I have on hand as they are demos. They are $2.65 and will be wrapped in tissue paper and tied with a ribbon before being tucked in with your purchase. The cards are professionally printed on glossy card stock.

Dear Vicky,

As sent:

Dear Vicky,

This sounds serious! I dropped everything, canceled my liver transplant for the afternoon, after all they can wait one more day, right? Then I went and notified the FBI and Interpol. I'm greatly afeared you may have become entangled in the white slavery trade. Didn't I tell you that 'Hostess' ad looked dodgy? Interpol told me NOT to send any money as that just makes them bolder. In the event that they do send one of your fingers as proof, I will promise to put it on ice and sew it back on myself. I'll even waive my fee.

Hang in there Vicky help is surely on the way.

New Soaps

Lemon Balm

Mermaid

Yeah, Vicki, sure...

So I get this email from Vicki marked 'Urgent' right? Normally I delete these but sometimes they turn out to be a customer who REALLY needs something shipped. SO here is the body of the email. I mean, what? Is anyone so loaded they'd go "Well I have no idea who this person is, but, she's in TROUBLE! I must send $2000 straight away!"

Are there really so many Vicki's with well to do friends, leading dangerous lifestyles on an International level that the odds of contacting someone who would go "Oh, Vicki, crap, hold on girl!" make this worthwhile?

Then I got the one below the first. I'm sure it's only a matter of hours before Vicki is in an even more urgent, and urgent and terrible and urgent situation. Sorry, Vicki, not only are we broke, but we aren't stupid.

How are you doing Today?and How is work over your end?Sorry that i have to inconvinience you at this moment.I'm in England, and in need of your urgent assistance. Please i want you to lend me about ($2,000.00) today to enable me to complete my activities here. I will reimburse you as soon as I return.i will explain details when i return home.Send it through Western Union or Money Gram with this information.
Receiver: vicky rumsey
Location: 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP, United Kingdom.
Regards
Vicki


How are you doing Today?and How is work over your end?sorry that i have to inconvinience you at this moment.I am in some terrilbe situation and i am really going to need your urgent help.i am presently stranded in kent (uk) and i need you to help me out of here fast.i do not have access to any thing for now except my email and have also got limited access to the internet.
i will be waiting for your response.
Regards
Vicky

Etsy, can you hear me?

Ok, so Artfire came out with this awesome Facebook app. I'm not really a FB or MS type of person, all those friends sitting there looking at me, waiting for me to respond in some fashion. Or not, that's just how I feel.

I mean I know blog followers (waves) are here to read so I can deal with that. But I feel like I have to acknowledge 'friends' on FB and it just makes me stressed,lol. I get way too invested in the whole thing.

But check this out Goat Mountain Arts you can shop without ever leaving FB, how cool is that? PLUS it's on it's stand alone business page. So if you have a personal page you aren't mucking it all up with stuff your personal people would rather not wade through.

Etsy has something sorta (not really) like this with the Etsy mini but it only goes to your personal page. That's why when the FB option on E was launched is went over like a lead balloon. AT the time we were told it couldn't be done but once again, AF ups the ante.

Come on Etsy, I'm rooting for ya but it's starting to feel like you aren't even interested in getting out on the field much less playing the game. If AF can do store wide sales, coupons nd now this, well? You have MILLIONS of dollars and Accel backing you, what gives?

This is just one aspect of how Artfire is kicking Etsy's ass while Etsy seems to not notice, although those of us who care are poking it in the shoulder over and over yelling 'Hey, look out!!'

No, I don't understand it either. And for weeks, you can't use the E gets more traffic justification either. I may have high views and low sales on AF but well. On E it's low views and lower sales.

SO, come on Etsy, I'd be thrilled to put my E shop on the great Pod Plain that is FB. AF has managed to do it and in the process lifted the morale of hundreds of sellers. I have to be honest, E, these days all I do is sort of shake my head and walk off rather than trying to figure out what sort of dysfunction seems to be steering you these days.

While at the same time wondering if speaking out means it's just a matter of time before my shop is shut down. I'm not kidding, I'm writing this post and thinking "Should I do this? I just got car door magnets with both the E and AF address, what if I get shut down? Can I afford to speak my mind?"

It's not a good feeling. We have been willing to use Etsy Hacks, fcol, and all sorts of archaic site 'features' just to stay true to you. Where is that commitment to us?

Momma needs a car payment..

Artfire Only Sale Everything 15% Off Now Until September 14.

Why Artfire only? Because Etsy CANNOT do a store wide sale and then I have to refund everyone the difference and hey, that's just stupid to do if I don't have to. So, I have to pay off the Element. You don't want the boy to have to walk to school in the snow with newspaper wrapped about his feet, do you?

I'm also happy to keep any Christmas gifts here and ship for Christmas. In other words, buy now, I'll ship later. I'll be listing new soap all week so stay tuned. By Friday all the new stuff should be listed which leaves two full weeks to pick and choose.

**Prices at the Artfire store already reflect the sale. There is no further adjustment at checkout.**

Four New Soaps

Black Orchid

Sweet Yellow Pear

Orange Ginger

Indian Summer

Several will be going up this week, so if any of these tickle your fancy, hold off until Friday when they are all done in case you see something you just GOTTA have.

Reality Check

Last year 32,772 dogs were euthanized in VA alone. This is a site that will give you the stats by state or county. Next time you need to prove to someone that it's really not 'that big of a deal'.

http://www.virginia.gov/vdacs_ar/cgi-bin/Vdacs_search.cgi if there is one for VA chances are there is one for your state. VA isn't even one of the highest.

In case you missed it.

The Nitty Gritty on the Ugli.

Bear with me.

I'm supposed to have pics and what not up today. But, you see, every year around this time a Magical Season happens. Mother's everywhere refer to it as 'A Return to Sanity'. Yes, the end of Summer and the blessed, blessed beginning of the school year.

Don't get me wrong, I love hanging with the boy and days of whatever. But right about this time is well, you know in the movies where the guy has been in the desert for so long "Water...water." and over that last dune is an oasis?

It's like that.

Well, with a lot of prep work. But still, that day after Labor Day Mother's everywhere breath a collective sigh and go home and sit on the couch just staring at nothing for as long as humanely possible.

So if things on the blog seem a bit lagging, be patient. I'm on the cusp of total exhaustion and impending relief. And know that soon, soon, all will be well.

Funny Face

This is coming along slowly because when it's bazillion degrees wool strips don't seem so appealing.

But it is coming along. It's also a lot bigger than I anticipated. That happens to me a lot, something about lack of planning.

You can see that little green end in the last pic sticking up. That will be cut level along with a hundreds of others I always miss.

SALE ENDS FRIDAY!

Sale ends Friday! I have about ten more sale bundles available.

Buy five get six!

Then it's up on Etsy along with a couple new soaps, like Lemon Balm. Soooo nice.

Top Secret Blog Follower Pre Sale

Wow, what a crazy few days. Made some amazing soaps. Most of the time I only really like a few enough to go 'Hey, man, I'd buy that!' (they all smell good, I'm just pretty scent specific) but this time it's pretty outstanding across the board.

Super Secret Sale link. I have 25 buy five get one free packages available. Any five, not just these listed.

Here's a few to recap:

Black Orchid

"Top notes of ginger, black pepper, and ylang ylang blossom, leading to a spicy floral middle of gardenia, jasmine, orchid, and clove bud. As with all deep, intense fragrances, the bottom notes are key: patchouli, amber, balsam, vanilla, musk, and sandalwood provide a sweet, smooth, mysterious finish."

This scent is wow. It's wonderful coupled with the Black Pepper soap. It's very film noir mysterious. I'm not usually a fan of the floral, but this one is quite complex. Not so much FLORAL as a watery sort of floral with a fantastic musky base.

Black Pepper

Top notes of black pepper and lemon lead to a spicy-floral middle of cumin, coriander, ginger, jasmine, and violet leaf, all atop a sweet, deep, long-lasting base of oakmoss, musk, and amber. In other words, flat out sexy suave in a Fellini black and white sort of way. The thing about this soap is I can't describe it in a way that conveys the appeal of it. It doesn't smell like lemon and pepper, for one thing, I mean, those notes are there but not THERE. It just smells really, really sexy.


Bodice Ripper

Not your tea rose. This is a heaving bosom Bulgarian rose with a musk base that slightly evil romance novel heroines apply lavishly to their sultry breasts. Think Robber Bride, not Rescued Virgin.

Yep, this one is something. It's the 'Texas' of all the new scents.

Dark Forest

Spicy pine needles combined with rich, intense oakmoss, white violets, cedarwood, and patchouli essential oil. A rich musk-vanilla accord adds sweetness and staying power. I love this soap because it's more Brother's Grimm then Goldilocks.

This did very well and stood up nicely through out the process. It's one you keep smelling trying to figure out just what 'it' is that makes you want to keep smelling.


Tiny Bubbles

Smells like ice cold Sprite poured over crushed ice. No, really. This is a tried and true favorite. One of the few scents I make sure to have on hand all year.

Ginger Orange

This would be the one soap I'd have to pick, if I had to pick one. It's a sweet orange, not bitter so it smells very creamy with enough ginger to add a bit of a kick. It's also a very pretty color.

Grapefruit Ginger

Great morning or hot afternoon soap. Tart without being bitter smelling.

Clean Slate

The Hang Over soap. Or when I was much much younger this would have been a great "Ew, I made out with THAT guy last night?!" cleanser. Now, it just gets me going in the morning so I can stay awake and drive the boy to school.

Rosemary, mint, eucalyptus and citrus. This soap means business.

Mandarin Martini

This is a nice, sophisticated orange. Very clean and simple without any sugary Fanta thing going on.

Mangosteen and Acai

I know, it's sounds like a Frankenberry. I'm usually not so into the berry scents but this one is very clean and has a bit of snap to it. Tart smelling. Reminds me of how a pomegranate tastes. Yes, tastes.

Indian Summer

Love, love, love this one. This is the only scent I've used that manages to smell like apples and sun and Fall without that reeking potpourri smell. No 'Country Kitchen' here, this really smells like the End of Summer were you able to bottle that up. And since we have, well, here it is.

Divine

"Victoria's Secret Dream Angels Divine copy is the perfect blend of soapy and sexy. Top notes of roses, water hyacinth, jasmine, dewy violet, and cyclamen lead to a warm body of florals, musks,and wood accords."

That's a total cut and paste there folks. Honestly, I'm not a fan of Victoria or her Secrets. The whole things reminds me of a pretty girl who is trying too hard and has become a parody of herself.

That being said, there's not a hint of desperation bordering on skank here. This is actually quite a lovely, discreet scent.

Luxe

"A clean, citrusy, unisex ocean blend that mingles water and fruit notes with woods and sexy musk. Notes of crushed petitgrain, tarragon, mandarin, grapefruit, and clementine move into a floral heart of yellow freesia, rose, and jasmine. A deep finish of white musk, patchouli, sandalwood, and ocean moss provides a lasting character."

Yeah, I know, another cut and paste. And yeah, it's the first I've ever heard of 'ocean moss' BUT this is one of a very few fragrances I have felt no need to fiddle with. In fact, I seriously considered making a spray because I'd like everything to smell like this, all the time.

Do you recall those commercials for Chanel (maybe?) perfume? The one where the impossibly glamorous woman is lounging by the pool and a airplane flies overhead? She's wearing this white one piece and is tan but not like, scary tan, like I'm filthy rich and impossibly glamorous tan.

This has that fantastic sort of 'spa' edge, the whole swimming pool full of champagne thing.

Sweet Yellow Pear

Let's bring it back down to earth a bit, shall we? Not really anything to elaborate on here. I omitted the vanilla and what you have is a very juicy smelling soap. With blackberry seeds.

Normally I'd say something like it's a scrubby soap or whatever but honestly, I'm not convinced scrubby soaps do a whole lot more than just look really cool. Which this does. It also smells really tasty.




Now, I think that's all of them. But I'm here upstairs and they are downstairs so it's all together possible I've omitted one or two. Friday I will list them with pics on Etsy and Artfire.

Why am I telling you about them then? Well because this is the super secret blog followers pre list sale, of course. I only make about sixteen at a time. All are ready to ship, some would do best with a bit of drying time. You can use them, of course, but allowing them to sit out for a bit and firm up will make them last longer.

The pre listing listing is up on Artfire. Just order the quantity and send along a note of scents. After Wednesday they'll be up on Etsy. Plus (but wait there's more!) buy five and get one free!

Super Secret Sale link. I have 25 buy five get one free packages available. Any five, not just these listed.

Monday, Monday...

I'll be back Monday with new things to list and new tales to tell. My shop IS open, so feel free to purchase like mad should the feeling strike you.

Hey, we made the FP!

By we, I guess I mean, well, the towels and myself. Not the Royal We, that's on the other blog. Anyhow, my towels made it onto Etsy's Front page. Aided no doubt, by the beigeness of it all, but still pretty cool.

I'm running the buy four get one free until the end of this month.

New Sampler Sets

Sampler Sets

Four to Five ounces of ONE of the following groups:

Fruity/Sugar

Floral

Ocean/Wood

Musky/Unisex

This is a nice way to try out a scent. Makes great guest and travel soap as well.

All will come labeled and wrapped individually. It usually comes out to three or four sample soaps.

Black Orchid, Bodice Ripper, Dark Forest, etc.

Black Orchid

"Top notes of ginger, black pepper, and ylang blossom, leading to a spicy floral middle of gardenia, jasmine, orchid, and clove bud. As with all deep, intense fragrances, the bottom notes are key: patchouli, amber, balsam, vanilla, musk, and sandalwood provide a sweet, smooth, mysterious finish."

New soap for fall/winter depending on cure time. Sounds knock out swooning gorgeous, no?

Bodice Ripper

Not your tea rose. This is a heaving bosom Bulgarian rose with a musk base that slightly evil romance novel heroines apply lavishly to their sultry breasts. Think Robber Bride, notRescued Virgin.

Dark Forest

Spicy pine needles combined with rich, intense oakmoss, white violets, cedarwood, and patchouli essential oil. A rich musk-vanilla accord adds sweetness and staying power. I love this soap because it's more Brother's Grimm then Goldilocks.

Burlesque

Wow, I was so pleased with this soap. It has a sandalwood and amber base with a honey vanilla middle and just a hint of Bulgarian rose. I liked it so much I even wrote the fragrance recipe down.

Tiny Bubbles

Smells like ice cold Sprite poured over crushed ice. No, really.

So that's just some of what it around the corner. I did a custom order I'm quite pleased with. One of those things that seemed like it would be easy but scent being the fickle thing it is, was quite a challenge. Oh, look for a black pepper, spicy, floral musky soap, I'm still tweaking it but it will be incredible if I can pull it off.

I only make one or two batches, each batch has about 16 soaps. So I do accept pre orders as they can be snapped up pretty fast.

*UPDATE*

There are a couple of options, one is to allow me to email you when they are about to be ready (contact me at goatmountainarts@aol.com) or pre paying now. The soaps take a couple months to get to where I like it to be. But, with custom orders, since people are usually bit chomping I send it out after a month and suggest they unwrap the soap and set it out to keep drying.

Reason being the more moisture that evaporates the harder the bar and the longer is lasts but I can get a little obsessive. Most people just want to use soap and aren't afflicted with the fascination of water to oil ratio. Of course the soap is ready to use a few days after it's taken out of the mold, I just prefer to let it set up.

This is my long winded way of saying I'm starting them next week and they can ship in a month, so Mid to late September if you are really wanting to get your hands on them. But they won't go up for sale to the general public until October or later depending on the weather.

Coconut

Made by me, I added coconut milk and real coconut, which, you know, has no other purpose then to look cool. The coconut, that is, the coconut milk makes it a very rich bar. It took forever to find a coconut oil that didn't smell like Banana Boat tanning oil.

Fighting the Good Fight

http://amazingartisans.blogspot.com/

Solidarity

Kinley and Lida showing support for Baxter by passing out. Actually, they let Baxter have Gabriel's bed or Lida did, really, Kinley is almost always on mine. That's a queen, btw, gives you an idea of dog size.

Baxter Update

Baxter came downstairs and ate a little boiled chicken, in small pieces. He looks better, his tail is curled. He has that Akita tail so it's pretty easy to read when he's not happy. I've learned tail uncurled is a big watch out sign for lots of stuff.

So I'll keep an eye on him tomorrow and we'll take it from there. Baxter is the dog that gets these random dire things, like the toenail bed infection *gets on soapbox*

If you ever notice your dog licking it's paw and see that the area where our cuticle would be, is swollen, get to the Vet right away. ER vet if it's night time. Like us, that cuticle is the wall that keeps infection out. I caught Baxter's right away and it was scary, the vet said it was unlikely to get better and needed heavy duty meds, soaking and at one point an injection in the site (that was awful).

Usually what happens is the nail is removed, if not caught in time, the toe, then the leg and if it gets into to the bone the dog goes septic and it kills the dog due to massive organ failure. I know, from an infected nail bed.

We were blessed in that because I got him in within a few hours, (it went from fine to swollen really fast) and he got heavy duty antibiotics ($$$) and was willing to let me soak his foot, plus the injection, he recovered. He had to go back every two days to insure it was healing. The vet was surprised and we were all very relieved.

There are a lot of dog ailments that I am comfortable treating to a degree (we feed raw and vaccinate at a minimum and avoid antibiotics unless really needed) and if I hadn't remembered the random trivia from hair school (no joke) I might have waited to see with this as well. We big dog owners know all about and fear bloat more than anything, I never would have expected something like this. Baxter is the first dog Dr. Schrader saw that did recover with all his pieces and he's been a vet for a long time.

So, add to bloat and eye injury, any swelling where the claw goes into the toe and do NOT delay.

*off soapbox*

Anyway, I'm always a bit more concerned about Baxter because while he is 'just weird' as my vet says, he worries me more than the others. But, so far so good. Thank you for the kind words and thoughts.

Baxter

This is Baxter. Baxter is my heart dog. He made me look like a Rockstar at all our classes, is always on the job and always very serious. Except when he does the shoe thing which is pick up a shoe and look at me. The I have to chase him around pretending I really want the shoe.

Then I tell him to 'Drop it.' and he gets a treat.

Baxter has been sick since yesterday, so right now he is where all my energy is. I think he'll be ok, but he's been moving like an old dog on and off for awhile and he's only three and a half. Yesterday he starting vomiting and he looks a little better today but won't eat.

I'll take him in if he doesn't perk up, as much as he ever does, soon. Right now he's sleeping. I don't really want to talk about it anymore because I'll get upset. So, anyhow. Think good thoughts.

I'll update you tomorrow.

New Soap Wicked

Musky,intoxicating floral. Top notes of black currant and marigold give way to a floral bouquet of rose and jasmine. The drydown combines woody violet, sandalwood, and musk.

You ever see that Lifetime channel movie 'Poison Ivy'? You know with the 14 year old Drew Barrymore who befriends the plain timid girl and like whacks the Mom and seduces the Father? Or maybe the Mom is already, dead, I don't know.

She has this black leather jacket and heavy metal perm and red, red lipstick. And she just exudes sex and youth and power. A force to be reckoned with. Yeah, this soap is pretty much there.

ps. I know some of the Secret Garden oils out there just smell nasty, this one is top shelf, promise.