Shopping From Home This Holiday Season

Some Beauty Mixed With Whimsy

Today I wanted to share with you some great Indie products you can buy online that will not only dress up a wardrobe or make you feel pretty, but will also bring whimsy to your life and feel "Oh so clean and soft" at the same time.

As we approach the final days of the shopping season for the holidays, many of us get frazzled and tired from fighting traffic and crowded lines in stores.

So now you can stay in the comfort of your warm home and shop online for some truly lovely things that have struck my fancy and hope you come to love them as much as I have.

The Beautiful

I just love the beautiful creations of The Bead Dreamer. Her jewelry is exemplary with charming touches and elements which stir fond memories of an era since past.

The Artist Charlene Sevier

From childhood, I loved to make things with my hands and fell in love with beads very early on. Growing up, not have accessibility to craft or bead stores; I would treasure every little item I could get my hands on - a spare button, a bit of broken jewelry, a few beads. I used sewing thread and needles because it was all I had. And I loved it.

Today, that same passion and sense of discovery exists in my work. I strive to make jewelry that is unique, good design, high-quality and a joy for the wearer. Wherever I travel, I search for unusual beads and materials to incorporate into my designs. I find inspiration in the world around me, whether it be the shape of a leaf, a door or window with architectural interest, or the color of the sky at a particular moment.

I hope each Bead Dreamer customer enjoys the originality, quality, and artistry I work to lovingly place into each and every piece.

Necklaces

The handcrafted exquisite nature of each piece will provide a uniqueness you cannot find any place else. Accent your outfits with artisan necklaces from the Bead Dreamer. You will simply love the crystals, gemstones, gorgeous glass, wood, pearls, and other wonderful materials she uses in every piece she makes.

One of the pieces I find beautiful is the Angela Necklace.

The focal point of this necklace is a beautiful handmade ceramic donut. It’s colors are accented by gemstone beads – natural tiger’s eye long ovals, and blue tiger’s eye faceted tubes, and bits of turquoise. Two patterned sterling silver ovals and a dash of dark blue crystals complete the color story.

• Necklace is 23 inches long
• Pendant adds another one and ½ inches
• Closes with a sterling silver lobster style clasp
• Your handcrafted gemstone and ceramic necklace will arrive carefully packed in a Bead Dreamer jewelry box
• In stock. Usually ships within 1-2 business days

Bracelets

Whether your style is classic, artistic, ethnic, eclectic, or modern, there's a Bead Dreamer handcrafted bracelet to suit every style.

Another piece which stirs memories from my childhood is the Judith Bracelet.

This was a style my Grandma wore when she would dress up for an outing and always left it lying on her vanity for me to play with for hours during dress up. Elegance and luxury this bracelet defines for me.

Three beautiful strands of beads in pink, blush, and brown tones are held together by brass flower components in this handcrafted bracelet. The beads are glass, fresh water pearls, and glass pearls.

• Bracelet is 7 inches long
• Additional links extend up to 8 ¼ inches if needed
• Closes with a gold-plated spring ring clasp
• Your bracelet will arrive carefully packed in a Bead Dreamer jewelry box
• In stock. Usually ships within 1-2 business days

Earrings

Bead Dreamer earrings - fabulous colors, choices, and designs. Always handcrafted, always unique. The perfect treat for you or a gift.

No outfit or look is complete without a pair of earrings. Nia Earrings bring a casual elegance with sophistication to any woman wanting to keep it simple.

Really sweet and really special – that’s how she feels about these earrings. The brown beads with black spots are made of horn. She got a strand of them in Asheville, NC and have just loved adding them to her creations. It will be a sad day when they run out…

She accented them with handmade sterling silver bead caps with little leaf designs stamped into them. Shiny black glass and a super long piece of wire that swirls around the earrings add interest. Only handmade earwires would do.

• Earrings are one and 5/8 inches long
• ready to add an interesting touch to your look
• Your earrings will arrive carefully packed in a Bead Dreamer jewelry box
• In stock. Usually ships within 1-2 business days

Don't Wait

Clearly if these are designs which intrigue you, then it appears on some select items, time may be of the essence to get a piece of her lovely jewelry for yourself. Truly inspiring and surprisingly affordable elegance one can enjoy throughout the year.

The Whimsy And Clean

Another Creative Indie and one that I shared before in a review is Sarva Soaps. These are truly my favorite soaps and I just purchased another round for myself and bought gifts for family and friends. Make fantastic stocking stuffers also. The aromas will certainly tantalize the senses as they waft from the stocking or from under the tree.

The Artist Michelle Gilbert

Here at Sarva, we offer you something very special:

• Unparalleled artistic design; we are proud of our nationally-recognized and award-winning soaps!
• Intelligent, careful formulation, using the finest nature has to offer.
• Compassionate choices; we use sustainably and ethically harvested raw materials wherever possible. Our soaps are all vegetarian friendly, and most are vegan friendly.
• Experience and knowledge. You and your skin benefit from our soapmaker's formal training in clinical aromatherapy and herbalism.
• Aromatherapy-based, custom-blended essential oils to bring you a therapeutic, rejuvenating experience. We do not use synthetic fragrances.
• Nature's own true colors; we use spices, clays, botanicals, and other natural materials to pigment our soaps. We do not use synthetic pigments, including mineral oxides.
• Old-world craftsmanship; all of our soaps are entirely handcrafted in small batches to maintain their integrity, level of detail, and uniqueness.
• A completely biodegradable product; what rinses down the drain won't harm our environment.
• 100% postconsumer recycled packaging, all fully recyclable on your end.

Research has shown that our brains respond to natural scents in measurable ways: the functioning of our immune system actually improves, leading to a greater sense of well-being and resiliency. We aim to create soaps that not only provide you sensory pleasure, but also strengthen your spirit.

Sarva soaps are lovingly crafted by one single artisanal soapmaker, using an uncommon level of attention, skill, and care. We are among very few companies who provide a completely natural product, and we are frequently recognized for our use of strictly natural colorants to create such artistic soaps.

Please enjoy Sarva soap. We are proud to offer a beautiful bar of truly natural soap to enhance the most mundane of daily rituals and bring joy to your life.

Soapy Artisan Delight

My Faves are from her Spa Line and they include Sweet Dreams and Purity.

Sweet Dreams is just heavenly and is a fantastic mood elevator in the shower.

Mmmmmm... smells like a cup of your favorite cozy, comforting herbal tea. And so wonderful to use! Shea butter and Mowrah butter create an incredibly mild bar. Essences of Litsea and Lavender combine with a rich Chamomile infusion to produce a truly comforting and soothing floral-herbal-sweet bathing experience with just a soft hint of cheery Citrus. Great for bedtime use!

Or in my opinion helps make me feel great in starting my day. Truly balances out my senses! It is also my hubby's favorite as well.

Ingredients: Olive oil, palm kernel oil, distilled water, sodium hydroxide, coconut oil, avocado oil, shea butter, castor oil, mowrah butter; essential oils; ground and whole chamomile and calendula flowers.

Purity for soothing softness and gentle cleansing. The lather is divine and creamy.

A true castille soap is 100% olive oil. The results are nothing short of beautiful... a long-lasting, incredibly mild and gentle soap with a lovely buttercream color. The downside? A very un-fabulous lather. But wait until you try our version!

Sarva has crafted a castille with a difference. Purity is still 95% grade A olive oil. However, a touch of castor oil has been added, which provides you with a wonderfully rich, creamy lather. Still just as gentle and pure, but now as wonderful to use as it is to look at. Purity will pamper even the most sensitive skin, and is safe for baby. Customers tell us that Purity's creamy, satiny lather is excellent for shaving.

Ingredients: Grade A olive oil, distilled water, sodium hydroxide, castor oil.

From her Gallery of Soaps I am trying a new selection, Citron.

I loved the design of the Citron soap for creativity and the aroma it possesses. It reminds me of Lemon Meringue Pie.

People love bath and body products that smell like food. I mean, loooove. And we get our share of requests for all-natural soaps that look--and smell--like your favorite desserts.

Nature's a trickster, though. Know that wonderfully, sinfully sweet fruit-scented bath goodie you just bought? Yep, you guessed it. There's no such thing as sugar essential oil. Or strawberry essential oil. Or cherry... or watermelon... or apple...

But take heart! We have sparkling, cheerful citrus essential oils, and even a few others that blend nicely with citrus, and we offer you this lemony, happy soap. Having a real downer of a day? Wash it away!

While our Citron soap won't smell sweet and sugary like a synthetic fragrance, it's a great way to appreciate the true voice of nature. This bar's scent has a distinct warm depth, more than you'd expect from just good old lemon. Citron is beautifully handcrafted to resemble fine pastry, colored with natural yellow clay and the only naturally-occurring mineral oxide pigment, titanium dioxide. Of course, we couldn't resist topping it off with poppy seeds...

Ingredients: Olive oil, palm kernel oil, distilled water, coconut oil, safflower oil, sodium hydroxide, sweet almond oil, castor oil; essential oils; yellow kaolin clay; titanium dioxide, poppy seeds.

Of Course There Is Also Us

Don't forget, Mineral Makeup and Skincare products make great gifts and stocking stuffers and you will be giving the gift of skin health.

We sold out of our Grecian Secret Body Souffle last year and it also comes in 4 aromas, 3 of which are made with essential oil blends.

Unscented
Fresh Citrus
Exotic Ambiance
Garden Essence

Christmas is almost here, and what a better way to finish out the year with some last minute ideas, and you don't even have to leave the comfort of your home. Also remember, you simply can't find these types of gifts in stores, another great reason for Indie shopping for the truly unique and innovative experience.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays