Fridays is for scrubbin

I love bath and body products. No, not love...mild obsession? That's closer to the truth. I can have a stack of five awesome soaps at home, but if i pass by a place that has delicious handmade soaps i HAVE to buy one.

And I cannot wait to get my hands on everything from LusciousNaturals.


Ylang and lavender luscious vegan soap




Vegan clay face masque





NJ Etsian Cassidy handcrafts these yummy items with an eye for the environment. She says:
"My central philosophy is simple: Your skin is the largest organ you have, what goes on your body goes in your body. I believe in the use of pure, natural, organic, fair-trade, sustainable, and local ingredients. I try to incorporate as many of those attributes as possible for each ingredient I choose. I believe in living an ecoconscious life--and I bring that right into my business--from sustainable ingredients, to buying locally, using recycled paper, and recycling packing materials.

I advocate being an informed consumer, and I strive to add to that body of knowledge (through blog posting, being part of forum discussions on b&b, sharing information with my customers, etc.). Above all, customer service is my highest priority... even in this uber-quick internet world, its no less important than it ever was before. Love your body, naturally!" She has a contract with www.maxandzane.com and is planning to pitch to Whole Foods soon.

In addition to these lovely body products, Cassidy has another store on etsy, Digital Mayhem, which hosts her handprinted photography and ACEO cards.

Original, Hand Printed--Church Series, Image No.1

Cassidy can be found IRL some weekends at the Brooklyn Indie Mart and upcoming Craft Attack! Also look for her at October's Handmade Faire in Medford, NJ, and check out her blog at www.digitalmayhemdesign.blogspot.com

I says to myself, "this Thursday is in need of a Secret Cave!!"

And wouldn't you know it, NJ etsian Kerstin delivered!!

Her shop is www.chimera.etsy.com, and she features not only hand-spun yarn and hand-dyed roving, but also creates these detailed needle-felted playmats that are each a little masterpiece. I've always been obsessed with tiny things. As a child, the smaller the toy, the better (i miss Charmkins) so these gorgeous playmats appeal to the side of me that is currently resisting having kids just so i have an excuse to get an elaborate dollhouse. Now, if you're not much into caves or camping, check this out...



Aliens have never been so CUTE!!

I've dabbled in many areas of handcrafting, but the world of fiber arts is kind of mysterious to me. I grew up in Yorktown, VA, and if you live in the Historic Triangle you can't graduate high school without carding wool at some living history site or other. but... spinning your own yarn? Tres impressive.

Check out www.chimera.etsy.com, she also has handmade stitch markers, uber-stylish knitting bags,


as well as mounds and mounds of fluffy roving and handcrafted yarn that makes me want to learn how to knit. Check out her blog here: http://www.freewebs.com/dragonflyducky/myblog.htm

And don't forget to visit the NJ etsy street team blog for more New Jersey goodness!
http://www.etsynj.blogspot.com/

True story

Kelly: We had breakfast for dinner. I made an egg strata.

Me: Was it an Eric Egg strata?

hotcha, whoopee!

Featuring Madebymelissa!

Visiting Madebymelissa's virtual store on etsy is like walking into a real-life gift shop. She resides in Dumont, NJ, and her store is stocked with handmade jewelry, kitchy little magnets, unusual crocheted items, even vintage jewelry... including hard-to-find clip earrings! She has over 100 items for sale on her etsy site www.madebymelissa.etsy.com so something is sure to catch your eye. Some of my faves:

Crocheted facial pads/makeup removers


"These facial scrubbies were crocheted with 100% 4 ply white cotton yarn. They are just under 3 inches wide and are perfect for removing eye make-up and face washing. They are soft and luxurious and provide gentle exfoliation. Stop throwing away your money on cotton balls and grab a set of these!"...a steal at $2.50! How clever.

Bottlecap Magnets:

These super cute bottle cap magnets will remind you of the important things in life - Live, laugh, love and when all else fails - SHOP!!

"These are perfect for office file cabinets, lockers and of course refrigerators."


Blue Dragonfly Ribbon Necklace




"This cute little dragonfly has 4 shades of blue going up his body and cute pale green eyes. He is slightly over an inch tall and about an inch and a half wide from wing to wing. He is hanging on two 18 inch long ribbons - one in light blue and one in royal blue - they compliment his lovely blue body perfectly!! The necklace secures with a silver plated lobster claw clasp."

Check out her vintage section too, for some great finds!

http://madebymelissa.etsy.com
http://madebymelissa.blogspot.com




I've just joined the Etsy NJ street team, and I'm looking forward to featuring local etsians. Please let me know if you have a NJ favorite you'd like to see featured here! www.etsynj.blogspot.com

i heart the crap out of wall decals!!!

How well they come off... and whether they go back on again... seems to vary. but these giant graphics for your home are SO FANTASTIC! Here's a couple of my faves.




http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_3&listing_id=13786274

Bird in Birdcage Vinyl Wall Decals Stickers Art Graphics $25 from Singlestonestudios



http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_5&listing_id=13778033

from sodeco, a delicate hippo $55





http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_11&listing_id=13497066

from oneupdesigns, asian bloom wall graphic $28


LOVE this stuff!

In the local art vein... NYC folks, you simply MUST see this show!

Prince Trevor Amongst the Elephants by award-winning playwright Duncan Pflaster has one more performance in the Midtown International Theater Festival. It is not to be missed.

Twelve powerhouse actors take the stage to tell a twisted fairy tale full of surprises. You will laugh, you will cover your mouth in surprise, you will nod your head and say, "oh, that's so true."

Eric C. Bailey*, Chris C. Cariker, Patricia Comstock, Jon Crefeld, Keith Patrick Dunn*, Carlos Rafael Fernandez, Paula Galloway, Clara Barton Green, Jason Alan Griffin*, Kelly Nichols, Luke Strandquist, and Jess Cassidy White (* denotes membership in Actors Equity Association) come together as a seamless ensemble to tell a story full of "crude profanity, full-frontal nudity, and iambic pentameter; may not be suitable for all audiences." Oh, there's giant elephant heads, too. I made them.

The final performance is Saturday, August 2nd, 9:30pm at the June Havoc Theater in Midtown Manhattan, June Havoc Theater (312 West 36th Street). BUY TICKETS at TicketCentral.com or call 212-279-4200.

For the complete lowdow, a VIDEO CLIP, and Duncan Pflaster's official website, visit http://www.duncanpflaster.com/trevor.php

Local Art

I just recently moved to Jersey City Heights, and before that I lived in Hoboken for three years. I discover new things about the arts scene in north jersey every day, and it's totally inspiring to see so much going on that you can really only call 'cutting-edge'. And not sarcastically, as in "The scene in Williamsburg is totally 'cutting edge'." It's kind of exciting to be able to use the term in earnest.

Roland Ramos is big on the scene out here. We met through Art House and DeBaun Auditorium functions, two influential theater companies in Jersey City and Hoboken (respectively). Roland, along with his girlfriend Judy Nunez, are constantly surrounded by talent. It seems that wherever they go, art happens.

Roland's recent undertaking is the curation of an art exhibit at the Monroe Center for the Arts in Hoboken (720 Monroe Street) entitled "POLITrix: Art to Reflect the Current Political Climate," with co-curator Amy Bauer. Husband Don and I went to visit the gallery this past Friday night, and as we were there early, we had the run of the place. I love smart art, and this gallery was brimming with it.

There had been a monologue performance scheduled that night, but due to some mysterious incident outside the gallery, the performance of Red Tape Monologues was canceled although the art gallery was still open. As Don and I were adding our own embellishments to two paintings that had a bucket of crayons in front of them, and an invite to help finish them, another patron flagged us down.

As it happened, one of the performance artists, Some Woman, was there to visit the gallery. A small group of us coerced her to perform despite the actual show's cancellation. We piled onto some comfy chairs, and Some Woman delivered a sassy, enlightened monologue full of commentary on modern government. Art On Demand.

Roland is also in a reggae band, a talented musician and freestyler. He also hosts art and performance gatherings at the venue 4th and Jackson in Hoboken, showing off the movers and shakers of the art scene in north Jersey.

To find out a little more about him, check out his blog Artifactions. Pictures of the opening night party, and much of the artwork from POLITrix, can be found here.