I was featured in the Issue 2 of Around zine. :) Around is a homeschooling mini magazine that instead of being comprised of practical and scholarly homeschooling resources, actually focuses more on eclectic issues and ideas that make up the daily lives of homeschooling families.


Laura from Around zine asked to interview me and then she sent me some interview questions. Click to enlarge and then you'll probably have to zoom in a bit to see the article.

I just purchased a new soap cutter and got it in the mail a couple of days ago. This is from Anhoki on Etsy. This will cut 12 bars - or 9, or 8, or 6, or 4, or 3 depending upon where you put the combo cutter/divider. With the larger surface area, I should be able to swirl and combine colors a bit better. I can still use my other mold for bars of one color or for bars that the colors don't actually have to blend. I'll be experimenting with my new mold in the next few days. :)

Today, I got something in the mail that I ordered over the last week. Wonderful metal stamps from Melita at an Etsy shop called, Print Letterpress. I ordered a small one with the intention of stamping my thank you notes, but she assured me that the depth of the stamp would mean that I'd also be able to use it for stamping my soaps. She quickly came up with a design for me based on my specifications, and worked with me to get it right. The entire process took less than a day with back and forth communication to get the design right. Plus, I thought I'd use the one stamp for both letters and soap, but she actually included a larger stamp that I could use as my soap stamp! I can't wait to try these out.



Thanks, Melita!

I've hit a landmark number.

According to Etsy...

"30 users call Feral Moon a favorite."

Joy!

I'm very excited about my second official Etsy order. Four soaps went out this morning. I also included some samples of both my Bar None Goat's Milk soap and my Rosemary Orange Goat's Milk soap and also a wooden soap tray.

Well I finally made my first sale on Etsy. Although my shop lists 19 other people on Etsy labeling Feral Moon a favorite, I haven't had one nibble until a few days ago. On the same day I had one person asking a product question and one person asking if I'd consider doing a trade. Well nothing came of the product question but the trade went through.

Trades are a normal thing that occurs on Etsy. It's a professional courtesy and a way of marketing yourself and getting your name out there. People will often look at other shops and items and if they have something of a similar value to offer, they'll ask for a trade. It's up to the individual shop owners if they're open for trades or not. I decided to be open for now and see how it goes.

My trade was for one bar of soap. The person asked if they could either have a coffee or an oatmeal bar. I chose the oatmeal. In return, I'd get a homeschooling magazine that they self publish. I also threw in a hand crochet heart (since Valentine's Day is coming up) that I made myself.

And we're live.

feralmoon.etsy.com

Only a few items up as of yet. But that's how to order from now on. Etsy is a really cool place! What I'm going to do is remove the listings from this blog as I put them up on Etsy. So if anyone wants anything that is still listed here (not being on Etsy yet), let me know and I'll make a special reserved listing over on Etsy just for the items wanted.

I didn't state this in my Etsy policy section, but obviously payment and delivery methods can be worked around with family and friends. I realize that some people don't have PayPal accounts, however, they're very easy to get and it's a very safe way of making online transactions. So basically, if I know you, I'll obviously accept a check from you. And if you're local, well then obviously I don't need to ship things out to you. :)

feralmoon.etsy.com

Go check it out. :)

It's been a very long time since I've made any blog or product updates so here goes.

I've recently created an account on Etsy. Here's what Etsy is. Etsy.com is an online marketplace for artists and crafters to sell their works. Officially, it is "Your place to buy and sell all things handmade." Etsy is a venue, not a retailer; it is collection of independent shops, each run by a different artisan.

There are thousands of independent shops on Etsy. It's a great way for small, independenly run home businesses to conduct sales and trade. And there are some really neat items out there!

There are three restrictions for those marketing on Etsy:

1. You can only sell goods handmade by you.
2. You can sell commercial and handmade crafting supplies.
3. You can only sell vintage items - things that are 20 years or older with vintage appeal.

1. Anything that doesn't fit in one of the three categories above.
2. Handmade goods created by someone else.
3. Illegal or prohibited items.