Parlais-vouz francais?

After 14 long years, years, I finally returned to visit gay Paris again! My dear BF had a business trip planned and asked me to join him. After all, it was going to be Valentine's Day. What could be more romantic? Most days he spent in meetings while I toured and shopped the city streets of Versailles. We stayed right around the corner from the beautiful Chateax de Versailles where King Loius XIV once resided. What an amazing place covered with gold. The day I decided to visit the gardens, it snowed!


On Valentine's Day there was a stunningly colorful sidewalk craft fair offering everything from flowers to body products to my favorite 'vin chaud'! How could I pass on a cup of spicy hot wine? After dinner we hopped on a train and dashed off to the Eiffel Tower. It was getting late and unfortunately the upper most level was closed. But the mid level was still mighty high! And cold, but well worth it! Next time I will have to go back when it is warmer.

We also visited the Arc de Triumphe and Champs E'lysee, the Sacre Ceour at Monmartre, and the Louvre Museum.

1021 Sales And Counting!!!

I would love to say that was the current stat for Sunset Soaps! But it's actually how many sales there have been in the last 143 days in a wonderful chat thread in Etsy called 'Second Chance BNS'. I just recently joined this group and I absolutely love it!

What in the world is a BNS you ask? BNS = Buy-N-Sell. It's your opportunity to makes sales and friends on Etsy! The rules are simple. To join, "make a purchase from any of the shops on today's list and you'll be put on tomorrow's list for 24 hours. This is called the Second Chance BNS for a reason: If you don't have a sale the first 24 hours on the list, your shop will be put on the list the next day."

Currently, there are 53 shops participating in **this thread**. So many talented shops to choose from. The more you shop, the longer you stay on the list. And you get sales and make new friends too! What could be better than that?! Just take a look at some of the wonderful products to choose from below!

Pay It Forward

When I first joined Etsy, I was really surprised and thankful for how supportive and thoughtful everyone was. I went into the critique forum for some helpful advice on my new shop, and not one but two members immediately bought up all of my items. I was stunned, I had 7 sales in one night, my FIRST 7 sales! I was so touched that I had this brilliant idea to return the favor to another member. Since I had been so lucky I wanted to make a purchase and send some love to an unsuspecting seller, and have the momentum continue. I planned it all out and write a new thread topic called Pay It Forward. I was surprised no one responded. DUH! Little did I know the Pay It Forward (PIF) concept already existed at Etsy!

Some members choose to offer their products for free and call it a PIF! Sometimes they might ask you pay 20 cents for the listing fee and a small amount to cover the shipping fee. If you purchase this item, in return you list a PIF in your shop, and so on. I really wanted to get involved in this so last week I decided to grab a PIF. I received two pink glass bead bracelets from DeNovo. And now it's my turn. I am offering two of my rose soaps, any fragrance, as a PIF in my shop. I hope someone is able to find them and enjoy and of course keep the positive energy flowing! You can *find the details here* in my shop.

I'm Just A Girl!

I'm just a girl, a grown woman that still loves pink! I don't know why, but I am just drawn to it. I went through my favorite list on Etsy and couldn't help but notice everything looked the same! For example, take a look at all these earrings I hearted. Aren't they all adorable? How am I supposed to choose which one to buy myself?!?! I already have a pink bracelet on the way, now I need a pair of earrings, don't I? :)

Pretty in Pink

Oooooh ooooh that smell.....

It's time to place another order at Brambleberry for fragrance oils. There are so many to choose from, this is a very difficult task. They all sound so yummy that I tend to think with my tastebuds when creating my wish list. But what do shoppers really want to smell like when they shower? Give me a hand and help me narrow down my selection. Please, thanks!

Read a full description of each fragrance below.


1) White Magnolia - This floral fragrance has some supporting notes of Lily of the Valley and Freesia, as well as some intriguing fruity notes of grapefruit and plum.

2) Beach Breezes - A light Ocean-type scent. It has top notes of Bergamot and Cyclamen (a flower with a "white" scent), middle notes of Lilac, Jasmine and Lily of the Valley and rounds down to the mellow notes of Cedarwood, Sandalwood and Musk.

3) Coconut Lemongrass - A mix of zesty lemongrass and fruity pineapple. With middle notes of lily of the valley and peach to temper the citrus, the blend ends beautifully in a smooth finish of coconut and sandalwood.

4) Cucumber Melon - Juicy and ripe, and not too sweet.

5) Grapefruit Lily - Clean fresh grapefruit with lily. This is a wonderful refreshing scent.

6) Soapy Clean - A clean, unisex scent that smells just like fresh laundry.It's a wonderful neutral fragrance that smells like you've just taken shower and are all squeaky clean.

7) Ginger Fish - This fragrance is all sparkly with top notes of Lime and Lemon, followed by a heart of Ginger, generic fruit notes and a dry down of Musk. Like a really citrus gingerale drink. It's fresh, it's happy, and hip.