The Handmade Beauty Connection
December 19, 2005

New Member!

Essential Wonder Bath Works | Monique Toegan | Georgia
* quality skin care products, using the finest natural ingredients available, chosen especially for their skin softening and healing qualities

HBN Members On The Move!

HBN Member Burgundy Shank of Burgundy Soaps is pleased to announce her new soapmaking e-book, "Simple Soapmaking."

Learn more about our members and their exciting activities by visiting their Web sites through HBN's Online Member Directory, now with 4 ways to search: (1) by state/country; (2) by member business name; (3) by keyword search; or (4) using our new alphabetical listings.

"I received my handmade beauty magazine and let me tell you, it is SO cool. I am so excited for it!!!" Colleen Miller, Greenridge Herbals

I can only imagine that you must be too tired of hearing me scream about the Premier Issue of our Magazine! I understand, so I am going to stop doing that, and start gearing up for the next issue! That's right, this is only the beginning and I'm so glad to have you along for the ride. Our new issues will feature:

(1) an in depth article on various preservatives, with interviews with experts and experienced manufacturers who have been there, done that;
(2) an interview with an HBN member who is doing very well by doing very good;
(3) a trademark law primer so you can learn about how to choose and legally protect your business name and product brand names;
(4) tours of HBN member retail stores; and
(5) more of course!

The cover and layout is being designed as we speak. Please support our magazine sponsors!

Editor's Note: I can hardly believe it's just 6 days until Christmas! That means we all have an unconscionably limited amount of time to prepare for a special celebration to mark whatever the holiday season means to you -- not to mention bake all the cookies, ice all the cakes, light all the candles, read all the spiritual tomes, trim all the trees, polish all the shoes, get all the hair and nails done and buy all the presents. I celebrate the birth of Christ and since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, it's going to be a double joy to go to church next Sunday morning. But until then, I still have a lot of shopping, baking and "doing" to do! For everyone who might be in the same boat, whatever holiday you celebrate this time of your, I unleashed HBN's features writer on HBN's member directory to find some members who are pulling out all the stops to help you get your shopping done in the (St.) Nick of time! Of course don't forget my 2005 Holiday Gift Guide! But whether you shop from the Guide or this list, or both, skip the malls and get your last minute shopping done in your favorite comfy slippers while you sip a cup of tea. HBN members have created some specials with you in mind. Some guarantee shipping before Christmas, others have specials good only until Christmas and a few guarantee specials until the end of December. Be sure to double check websites for revised shipping and inventory details.

Bare Faces Mineral Cosmetics - 25% off is for all orders $50 or more through Dec. 22. Products include Glimmer powders you can put on your shoulders as well as face. A 10 gm jar is $10.50. Also, they have a special on lippie styx with names like cranberry delight, $7.50 each.

Fairies Kiss - Free upgraded shipping on all orders over $25 until Christmas Day. Beautifully made soap like Trade Winds Coconut, Hippy Chick and Heavenly Flower.

Heartland Soaps – Free shipping on USA orders of $75 or more. Along with many personal products, they offer pottery, like the 6 x 6 pot, that shows a red cardinal with background of almond-colored on the bottom with green/blue crystal around middle and top.

HellaGood Products - Order by today and get guaranteed express Christmas delivery. "Ripe For The Picking" gift boxes include products like body scrubs, body wash, in "flavors" like Milk Goddess, Let Them Eat Cake and Coconut Fever. Prices start at $26.

Klean Bath & Body – Free shipping on orders $50 or more. One gift is a German chocolate cake body polish, priced starting at 9.50. It’s described as sugar polish with coconut, like diving in a warm chocolate fudge brownie. OMG!

Ladies Blend – Free shipping on orders of $100 or more. Products include fragrance mist, priced at 11.60 for 2 ounces with scents like Candy Cane, Caramel Brownie, Cranberry and Hot Cocoa. There’s also an oatmeal facial wash for $18.50.

Leah’s Natural – Free shipping orders of $75 or more. Their holiday gift sets include Pouty Palette, a stocking stuffer for teens with 10 tubes of luscious lipstick & gloss – for $12. They also offer Make your own lip gloss kits, particularly for young girls, at $20 a kit.

Luisa New York – Free shipping orders of $60. Their gift sets like “The West Village" for $33.75 include sugar scrub bath sets and two handcrafted soap bars. They also carry goat milk soaps like milk and honey and olive oil soaps with names like Clouds and Green Tea.

Wild Woozle Soap - Free ground shipping through Christmas Eve on orders of $50 or more. Try their anti-stress gift collection at $38, with lavender lotion and shower gel and a “blessed out” travel candle. If you have any pregnant friends, consider the Pregnancy Great Expectations gift set that includes soap and a candle.

SPECIAL PRICES - again, double check the website to make sure any shipping deadlines have not passed!

Absolutely Organic - Handcrafted soap and matching lotion set, $10.00 each. Buy five, get one free through December 31. Peppermint, Spearmint, Lavender, Orange-Lemon Lime.

Aquarius Aromatherapy & Soap - Scented pillow sets, a three pack, for 50% off, with scents like Misted Ice, Christmas Hearth and Cranberry. They also offer festive holiday gel candles, red or green, for $2.50, 25% off.

Arcadia Aromatics - Stress Relief Olive & Honey body lotion, $12 for 8 ounces, and made with virgin olive oil and New Zealand Manuka honey.

Fairies Kiss - "Grab Bag" of $15 worth of goodies for $6, for those stocking stuffers with a mystery twist!

Harmonious Gardens – Pampering gift packages starting at $33. Products include hand lotion, soy wax candle, body wash and bath fizz.

Horizon Wellness Center - Lots of organics -- gift baskets that include mists, fizzy bath bombs, breezy salt body lotion from pure essential oils like peppermint, lemon and cedar wood, $49.95

Hydra Soap - Holiday soaps like Presents Galore, Let It Snow and Snow Globe for $6 for 4 ounce bars. If you live in the San Francisco area, you can visit their flagship store and see the 7 foot tall tub that’s 15 feet long!!!

Mandrake Apothecary – A real perfumer! Dusk perfume containing cardamom and nutmeg at 1/4 ounce for $2 or one dram, $13. Their Dawn perfume, same price, includes lime, mandarin, grapefruit and jasmine.

African Shea Butter Company - Shea butter products of course, like $10 each or 3 for $28 in flavors like Lavender, Frankincense and Myrrh and Madagascar Vanilla. With an order of three, you get a free bar of African black soap.

Venus Bee - “Love Oil” made from pink roses steeped in organic olive oil, with essential oils of Patchouli and Ylang Ylang, packed in amber glass for $10.00.

Of course HBN members offer so many choices year-round! Be sure to browse the member directory often to find the perfect gift to give (or keep)!! Feel like you'd rather cook than shop! Whip up some of these chocolate truffles and wrap them up pretty for a gift that for some surpasses all others - the gift of chocolate!

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 1/3 cups confectioner’s sugar
½ cup cocoa
¼ cup heavy or whipping cream
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

Blending Procedure

Step 1. Cream butter in large mixing bowl.

Step 2. Combine confectioner’s sugar and the cocoa and then add alternately with cream and vanilla to butter. Blend well. Chill until firm.

Step 3. Shape small amount of mixture around a desired center (pecans, walnuts, whole almonds or after-dinner mints). Drop into a decadent coating like cocoa powder, coconut, sugar crystals, crushed nuts, confectioner's sugar, candy coated chocolate pieces, melted chocolate, crushed peppermint pieces and coat well.

Note: At our house, we fancy them up by placing them in miniature paper muffin or candy cups. I recently took these along with some white chocolate truffles to my office. Not a whiff of powdered sugar or piece of nut was left when my co-worker hounds were done!