Baking!

Winter is great for baking. It makes the kitchen smell warm and cozy. I used to do all the baking in the family, but my pre teen daughter has taken over that chore, and with great excitement. As I type this, she has a batch of magic cookie bars in the oven. I can hardly wait!

But don't fret if you don't have a baker in the family. I have just listed some delicious soaps over in the shop that will cure your craving for freshly baked goods. The sugar cookie is wonderful, but the chocolate truffle is absolutely to die for! And you don't have to feel guilty if you indulge, these decadent treats are completely calorie free!

I just heard the oven timer go off, so I am headed downstairs for some sweet treats!

Pictures of shop

Today I took a few pictures of the shop. Keep in mind that I am not a photographer, so the pics are not great. We're adding new items daily, so the shop will change often. We will be adding more candles very soon. We will also be adding floral and herbal wreaths and swags within the next few months.

Why people buy handmade

I found this posted in the Etsy forums today, and really thought it made the point well. It was posted by CozyCat, who sells beautiful Pashmina scarves. Her blog is here.

8 Reasons You Should Buy Handmade Products over Commercial Products

1. Handmade products are unique. Do you really want the same scarf, mug, earrings, necklace or other item that 20,000 other people have? Of course not! Handmade items are always unique, even if they are the same type of product because they are not made by machines they are crafted by human beings so each piece will have its’ own unique characteristics.

2. Handmade items have personality. Life is not about being blah. Life is about expressing yourself and to do that your things need to have as much personality as you do. If you are happy with buying mass produced items that have no personality off a shelf at Wal Mart think about what that says about you. Don’t you want to express some personality?

3. Handmade items are special. When you get a gift don’t you feel a little bit more loved when someone gives you a handmade gift? Everyone loves getting handmade gifts or wearing something that was made just for them.

4. Handmade items last longer. Because they are made from high quality materials and handcrafted by trained artists items that are handmade last longer than low quality imported mass produced items.

5. Handmade goods are high quality. If you are a person who values the quality of an item more than the price then you already know that handmade items are far superior to mass produced items. While a mass produced item may be cheaper initially is it really cheaper when the item needs to be replaced a month later? When quality matters, go handmade!

6. Handmade items are not made by children in sweatshops in Third World countries making 10 cents a day. Experienced and trained craftspeople make each handmade item. So while you might pay a few dollars more for a handmade item it’s because you are paying for quality materials, years of experience, artistic talent, and well-honed craftsmanship. Isn’t that worth paying for?

7. When you buy handmade you are supporting traditional arts and crafts techniques that have passed down through generations. In today’s high tech world the old arts and crafts traditions are being replaced by mass production but when you buy handmade you are saying that you prefer your items to be high quality pieces of art instead of mass produced trinkets.

8. When you buy handmade you are supporting local and small businesses. By paying artists and craftspeople for their goods you are supporting them and all the businesses that they do business with. If you are a person who believes in supporting your community economically then buying from local artists is a great way to support your community and make sure that your money goes to support local businesses.

Keep these things in mind the next time you see a scarf, a bracelet, some great handmade soap or other item and think,” I could get that for half price at Wal Mart.”!

Thank you for this reminder, CozyCat!

Victorian Christmas

I have always thought that the Victoiran era and Christmas go hand in hand. Queen Victoria is credited with making the Christmas Tree a fashionable tradition in England. Everyone admired her Christmas tree, and since ordinary people wanted to be like the Queen, they too brought in trees to decorate.

My favorite Victorian mail order store has long been Victorian Trading Company. So you can imagine my delight when I found out they are local, and have a store that is just a short drive from me. The store is beautiful, everything you would imagine it to be. It is just like walking through the pages of their gorgeous catalog.

Their Christmas items are lovely. I am very fond of this, and last year we had a lot of fun with these.

All these old fashioned pretties inspired me to make these cameo soaps. Right now I have them listed in Dreama and Blackberry musk fragrances, but I will be listing many more this week. They look stunning in your guest bathroom, and the fragrance is wonderful.

Have a beautiful Monday!

We just put out some lovely teas at the shop. Today we sampled Jamaican Rum Royale, and it was a huge hit with the customers! We have over a dozen different types of tea, so stop in and have a cup with us. If you have never been to our adorable little shop, we are located at 4126 Pennsylvania Ave in the Westport District of Kansas City. We are in the Westport Marketplace next to Californios Restaurant.

We're starting to get items posted to our Etsy shop. Eventually we hope to have our entire line posted. Taking good pictures that represent our products well and do them the justice they deserve has been a challenge, as neither of us have been trained in photography. But we're pushing through, and doing some reading and research along the way. If you have any great photography tips, we would love to hear them!

Have a cozy evening! Kansas City is under a blanket of snow right now, which I find lovely. It is a great night for cuddling up under a blanket with a good book and a sweetheart. I'm going to find mine now.

Now open!

Sage and Daisy is now open in the Westport district of Kansas City! We are located at 4126 Pennsylvania Avenue, next to Californios. Sage and Daisy carries a full line of luscious handmade soaps, gourmet bath and body products, our famous whipped shea butter, and all of your old favorites from our market booth. We have also added a Home Fragrance line, including incense, candles, tart melts, dipped bears, sachets, and lavender products. Stop in and say hi!