My First Treasury

I just created my very first treasury on Etsy! I want to get back into the "Treasury Tuesday" routine that I started and abandoned shortly after. It is fitting to start it back up with my own curated treasury list! I've been meaning to put together my own treasuries since I joined Etsy but never gave myself the time to try it. Perhaps I was a little intimidated by the sheer number of gorgeous treasuries out there. I want to make another one now! There are just so many gorgeous and unique (not to mention handmade) items on Etsy. I could loose myself for days just looking around on there.

Organizational Boot Camp and Holiday Preparedness

Day two of my little organizational and preparedness week here at Wylde Ivy is going well. I had some ideas to improve the work flow in my shop and office that I've been meaning to implement forever. My husband's work schedule has changed, drastically, which as thrown a wrench into a well oiled family schedule. I knew it was going to be hard getting used to a new routine, especially when we really liked the second shift hours that he was working. Second shift usually stinks, but for us right now, it worked. His new schedule eats into my shop time even more. I was cramming so much work into an already shortened work week (shortened by choice so I could spend time with my girls). On the bright side I get to spend even more time with the girls now. It is just going to take some time to get a handle on our new routine. Hopefully the changes I'm making now will allow me to be more efficient in both production and packing.

I have a ton of new soaps ready to go. I have almost all of them trimmed and packaged. I do have a few brand new soaps that I have to come up with names for, take pictures, do label design. More on those when I nail down names. Hopefully tomorrow I can post the full list.

In the meantime, here's a little peek of a brand new soap. Can anyone guess what scent it is? I'll give you a hint....it is a scent from my current scent list. Leave me a comment below with your guess. Please just guess once here on the blog, but you can make an additional guesses on my facebook page and via twitter! I'll throw all the correct guesses into a drawing and the winner will receive a coupon for a free bar (of you choice) with your next order. I'll come back on the 26th to announce the scent.

Finding my footing and making some decisions....

This post was a long time in the making. Seriously, I stopped and restarted this thing at least seven times.

Lately, I've been feeling a bit lost...sort of off balance. I've been trying to find my footing for quite some time. It seems that Wylde Ivy took off without me and I'm just constantly running to keep up. It is time for me to finally make some decisions.

Ok, I don't want to scare anyone. Don't worry, Wylde Ivy isn't going anywhere! I love Wylde Ivy. I love my job. I love all of you. I love all of my little scent creations. I just feel like it is time to regroup a little. There has been this little nagging thing inside of me that has been growing bigger and louder lately and I think it is pushing me to shake things up a little bit.

I tend to loose my focus easily, especially when I am busy. I sit and look at the business and wonder how it all happened. My line got too big too fast (even though I did cut it drastically after I returned from my maternity leave). Somehow things are getting a little out of my control again.

First order of business is to downsize my scent offering a bit more. I feel overwhelmed, honestly. Keeping track of everything that needs to be instock, all those bottle staring down at me from the shelves...it is intimidating. I hate cutting scents. I am way to over analytical when it comes to decision making for starters. I also have this huge fear of cutting someone's beloved scent. It is time though. It is necessary.

I am very proud to use small businesses for most of my supplies. I'm happy to support fellow sole proprietorship businesses, family owned operations, and just love the ideals of small business workings. This had one very clear disadvantage however. Over the last few years I have lost quite a few of my suppliers when they closed or cut products from their offerings. In my scent library right now, I have at least a dozen scents (probably more) that have numbered days as I can no longer get a scent note that I used in the blend. This has stressed me out more then you can imagine. I pined over it, worried about it. Then one day I realized how much I love creating.

When I worked on Indigo Moon for the first ever customer commissioned scent, I was so happy. I live for creating scents. I love the creativity, the challenge, the whole process really. There are quite a few scents in my currant catalog that have been with me from the very start. I think it is time to let some of the old Wylde Ivy go so that I can be free to move on. Change is good. I have to keep telling myself that. I have always had both a love and a fear of change.

I want Wylde Ivy to be fresh and new. I love creating collections like my Water Collection from this past spring or my Monsters in Love collection from last Halloween. The It's my Party perfumes were particularly fun to create.

If I am removing a scent that you simply can't live without (don't worry, I've been there myself many times) don't panic just yet. When I cut a scent, I still keep the formula. I have many, many scents from Wylde Ivy past. I just lock them away in their own room so I don't have to feel them looking at me. If the components of the blend are available to me (sadly more and more are not), I can make it for you. All you have to do is ask.

So, I am adding more scents to the cut list. Other scents will be added to a seasonal rotation list. I have a few scents that I know I want to bring back next spring and I have indicated them. There are others that I'm thinking about but I don't want to commit just yet. I want to keep my options open. These scent will be available on my website as usual until through October 31st. After that date, they will be removed and will only be available by special request as long as my supply lasts.

African Vanilla Bean
Azure
Bamboo Leaves
Banana Cake
Blackberry Cotton Candy
Black Raspberry Crush
Black Tea Jasmine
Creamy Coconut (seasonal)
Crush
Crystal Amber
Dragonfly Blue
Dreaming of Violets
Floating Lily
Forgotten Rose
Island Beauty (seasonal)
Juicy
Lemon-tine
Love Puff
Love for Fluff
Muse
Pale Vanilla
Petals
PomAcai
Queen Bee
She Sells Sea Shells (seasonal)
Sweet Cairo
Sweet Cream
Sweet Earth
Sweet Haze
Sweetgrass
Tahitian Vanilla Cream
Teak
Wood Nymph

Also, the Body Mist will also be going away (on the 31st as well) for the winter so I can bring back the Solid Scrub Bars....yay!

So now I can breathe a little easier and get back to doing what I love to do...create!

Fall & Winter 2010 Scents Sneak Peek

Ok, I've been working on these names and descriptions for days (not straight through of coarse, the little girls are keeping me quite busy these days!). I finally have something slightly cohesive so I'm giving you a sneak peek here. All of the scent notes are final, I may still change some wording for the descriptions as I keep editing here. I'm just excited to share! My darn allergies got so severe that they actually put me a few weeks behind schedule with this release. So, without further ado...


The Pale Moon
Dark and sweet and alluring all in one. A cool, sweet, misty scent that part gourmand and part sensuality.
Notes of bourbon vanilla, shimmering musk, a faint essence of jasmine, vanilla orchid, English lavender, and soft blonde woods.

Pumpkin Masquerade
The pumpkins here are a little black at heart. Sweet October pumpkins with a dark twist of dry earth, black pepper, spiced vanilla, and warm musk.
Notes of pumpkin, vanilla, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, cedar, patchouli, and jasmine.

Ginger & Brulee
A captivating scent of spiced gingerbread, warm caramelized sugar, rich custard, and rare Indian sandalwood. So unique and addictive you just have to keep going back for more.

Raven’s Keep
Spicy and dark, a companion to the ever popular Raven scent.
Notes of smoldering black pepper, dry woods, smoked vanilla pods, dried jasmine and black currant, hints of crushed pomegranate and ancient myrrh and Tonka bean

Autumn’s Promise
A dry, earthy fragrance that has a unique uplift of bergamot and citrus, like the warm amber days of September. This fragrance starts off dry and sharp calming down to a rich, warm vanilla wood scent with just a touch of brown sugar and amber.
Notes of dry leaves, wood smoked breeze, amber, vanilla, musk, sandalwood, lemon leaf, bergamot, white florals.

Gingered Vanille
For those cold nights, warm and comforting spiced milk with ginger, caramelized sugar, bourbon vanilla, tiare petals, dry cedar wood.

Woodland Cider
Fresh pressed apples, cider spices, aged oak, dry amber, rustic wildflower honey, and whips of late autumn blooms.

The Monsters in Love Collection will be returning as well, with two new lovesick badies to add to the mix.

She Deviled
She had a very good job once. She was a shoulder angel. You know those tiny voices that whisper to you when you are stuck between choosing right and wrong? There is always a good voice cheering you on telling you what you need to hear and there is always the sinister little bad voice planting those dark little seeds telling you want you want to hear. Don’t laugh, it is a real job…and a highly respectable position at that. She was a good shoulder angel and she loved it. She was great at it. She prided herself on having over an 85% success rate in all of her centuries of employment. She’d whispered to literally 1000s of men and women, even children. She was given some of the most difficult cases. She was always professional always polite and never, ever did she let herself get attached to her clients. Never, until that last one.

She fell hard for him. To this day she doesn’t know quite what it was. Perhaps his deep slightly raspy voice, or the way he smelled after a shower, or the way her ran his fingers through his hair when he was in deep thought. She found herself completely defenseless with him and completely obsessed. She could not leave him even after she had been given her reassignments and ultimately her unceremonious discharge from duties.

She stayed with him, desperately trying to win his love. If only she could make him see her. Her obsession turned into resentment. She began to see that she’d never had him the way that she wanted him. Now, she works pro bono whispering into the ears of women giving them the tiny little pushes they need to get themselves noticed. So if you ever feel just slightly devilish, it just may be you own personal she devil on your shoulder.

She Deviled is fiery and rich. This is the color of red, invoking visions of red leather boots, smoldering black lined eyes, and a confidant smirk.
Notes of cinnamon leaf, dried black currants, wood smoke, dying embers, aged vanilla, blackened cedar, and amber resin



A Little Lighter the Usual
She was happy once, very happy. Newly married to the love of her life, happiness and a world of possibilities lay ahead of them. They say that you never know what you have until it is gone but this was never the case with her and her love. They cherished each other, lived for each other. The lay in the dark just talking for hours about nothing and everything.

They had given their entire selves to each other…but life has a funny way of rushing on without when you are so absorbed in love. So it seemed that they lost their happiness quickly as well. They now passed each other, two ships in the night, seeming to never speak a word. In his eyes where she once found warmth and passion now only lay emptiness and regret. Even the air around them seemed heavier. At times it was hard for her to catch her breath. It was as if she was moving against an invisible tide, like being caught in a waking dream. She’d see him sitting quietly in deep contemplation and she would so desperately want to speak to him, to say anything, but the words just never seemed to come. She’d want to reach for him but something always made her keep her distance. He never even looked at her anymore. His eyes would drift in her direction at times, but it was as if he just didn’t see her.

She so desperately needed to know what came between them, how things changed so drastically. She struggled to remember anything, any tiny detail but it was just so hard to think. The only images her mind could conjure were of the driving rain on the windshield that black night, a blur of light and sound, and finally the image of her bare feet dripping water onto cold cement of the porch as she sat alone on the creaking swing waiting for him to open the door. Perhaps it was only her who had changed. She did feel strange these days, not quite herself…almost a little lighter then usual. If she could just somehow find her way back to him she knew they could be happy again.

A haunting and sheer fragrance, both beautiful and a little sad.
Soft notes of white musk, vanilla orchid, raw vanilla beans, tonka bean, bergamot, vanilla infused sugar, lily of the valley, and wet blackberries

Also look for a few of the winter scents from last year to be re-released. Thank you all for your patience while I drug this out for far too long! Stay tuned for information on the collections release. I'm hoping to have everything up on my site by Wednesday (possibly tomorrow if I turn into Super Woman), then into my Etsy shop a few days later.

The Pier

Because summer is now officially over...


Farewell to the sea, farewell to summer. Until next year my old friends.

Treasury Tuesday

I've gotten so far behind on sharing the gorgeous treasuries that I've been lucky enough to be included in that I'm going to do my best to get all caught up. Warning, this will be a LONG post....long but beautiful!

For those that may not be Etsy savvy, Treasuries are beautiful collections of Etsy wares that members curate around a certain theme or color scheme. It is just a fun way to share all the beautiful, unique, and wonderful handmade goodies that can be found on Etsy. If you are very new to Etsy, you can check out the Help section for answers to all of your questions (and possibly set up your own account to buy and sell!). Support Handmade!

Mares Eat Oats and Does Eat Oats and Little Lambs Eat Ivy
Oh that title brings back the childhood memories! I love this treasury curated by Shabdkmaui

Oh My Sweet Darlin Happiness
A gorgeous, graceful, and fresh treasury by StudioSeventyFive, Oh My Sweet Darlin Happiness does indeed make me happy.

Pure Zen
This treasury, Pure Zen, is the picturesque embodiment of my fragrance Modern Zen! I'm so excited that capturingcreativity featured it in her treasury!

Like Butter
Smooth, creamy, and lavish, Like Butter makes me want to sit down and make up a batch of homemade butter (yes I have made butter!). Another wonderful treasury, this one curated by ArtbyAmarose


Fashionably Late
For a vintage/steampunk/Alice themed treasury, you have Fashionably Late curated by lilianasterfield


Orange and Yellow Autumn Ideas
Orange you glad? I am...more of my favorite colors! Orange and Yellow Autumn Ideas certainly sums it up. A fun treasury by GarbogeKnits

Football Widow
Football Widow is a fun treasury by megmcd423. I love the four seperate lines of colors...very cool!

It's Springtime Down Under!
...and that is the sound of my heart shattering into a million pieces. Oh spring, how I'll miss you while we are buried in feet of snow here in PA. Does anyone in Australia want a roommate until about mid April? I can cook...and I smell good! It's Springtime Down Under! is an ode to the newly budding spring season for our friends who "come from a land down under" (yeah, try not to get that song stuck in your head cause I know I'll be singing it all night now). A stunning treasury by jackiedretroboutique


Olive You
Green, green, and more green...the beauty of olive! Curated by bombshellbettiesvint. If you love the color green, of the olive variety, be sure to check out Olive You!

Autumn Romance
I love the bold colors of Autumn Romance. Fall in love this fall with this treasury by thesedefineme.

Quite Contemplation
I love the subtly and minimal style of Quiet Contemplation. It was curated by PianoBenchDesigns.

Autumn Crave
The trees of Pennslyvania are starting to look like the colors of Autumn Crave. In another week or two, we'll be living in a wash of golden ambers and firey reds. Sudsysoapscents very first treausry!


Memories of the Pacific
I've never been to the pacific, but the vintagy feel of Memories of the Pacific remind me of the old beach towns here on the east coast like Cape May, Atlantic City, and Coney Island. So full of history, you can almost hear the sounds of summer past. Gorgeous treasury by ScrappyLlama


My Darling Clementine
Here we go with more of my favorite color, orange. Ah it makes me happy! My Darling Clementine, curated by tjscorner!

Goodnight Moon
Goodnight Moon, I can't help but think of the children's book of the same name...a favorite in this house and dear to me. The first treasury by WillowMetals, and a gorgeous one at that!

Saffron : Amber : Citrine
Well the title pretty much says it all, saffron : amber : citrine is all about the earthy jewel tones of autumn. Beautiful treasury curated by apt3design
Leaves of Grass
Right from the warm rich colors of autumn, to the cool greens of spring. Leaves of grass is a gorgeous treasury designed by blackcatcraft

What Makes it so Fresh
I love this collection. What makes it so fresh is vintage and refreshing at the same time. A lovely treasury by efiwarsh

I Feel Accomplished

I feel like I made some good progress today. I spend almost the entire day tapping away on my keyboard and clicking pictures but I managed to list and restock all of the new soaps that were ready today. There were twelve of them! I also spent a good deal of time taking new pictures for my soap listings. I still have many, many photos to update but the progress feels good!

My favorite soap at the moment, Make Mine a Mocha. It just smells SO good. It gives me cravings. Seriously.

To see all of the new items that I added today, check out my What's New page.

Soap Restocks

I really let my soap inventory get depleted this time. I went on a soap making rampage a few weeks ago and they are almost ready! I have more batches planned, stay tuned for details.

restocks from the main line
Black Tea Jasmine
Violetta
Sweet Oat

Seasonal Soaps returning
Woodland Orchard
Sweet Alpine
Yuletide
Make Mine a Mocha

restocks from the Spa Line
Monoi Aloe Spa Soap
Carrot and Honey Spa Soap

and a brand new, yet to be named spicy little gem

Raffle Winners!

Here it is...finally.... the master list of raffle winners. I am so sorry that it took me this long to get the list posted. It actually got quite confusing trying to match up usernames and what venue the entry came from (twitter, facebook, etsy, etc). It took forever and I just plain ran out of time before leaving on vacation. When I got back my first priority was getting all the orders received shipped out as quickly as possible.

All winners were notified privately last week. Please check through the list however and if you were not notified please, please, contact me. Thanks again everyone for the fun time and for your orders during the sale!


Commission a Scent
Paladin2
eeyorelf

$50 Gift Certificates
Ashley K
ilegue1

$25 Gift Certificates
iheartmyboys
patriciajmason
AvasAveenue
AnnetteTheresa
RastasGirl
purplejetta

It's My Party Perfume
KarmaLushie
AvasAvenue

Perfume Oil Sampler
JenAdkins
patriciajmason
caitlinhorrez
lauriecarolina

Mini Mister Set
CrowningElements
hotpinkheels
Jill Alice M.
JLee96

Goodie Bag
sparkles2385
Stef Rovtar

Free Shipping
tsavorite40
Yonijoni
eskimokissz
sugar58
JLee96
dolphinmama2
mebythedeepbluesea
fairmadianknits
loki238
lisabrightblessings

Slight Ammendment to the Raffle Entries

Ok, I forgot that when an item sells on Etsy, the heart count gets reset to zero. I've been knocking myself out trying to record all the items hearts that are coming in but now I'm worried that I'll miss some when an item sells (especially if it is during the night).

I really want to keep this fair and fun for everyone. I've decided to turn it into a heart bingo game of sorts. I am going to give out a set of prizes especially for the folks who heart the individual items in my shop. Here is what is up for grabs from the Heart Bingo Game:
1 - Commission a Scent Prize
1 - $25 Gift Certificate to my shop
5 - Free Shipping coupons
1 - Goodie Bag in your choice of Fall or Summer
1 - It's my Party Limited Edition Perfume in your choice of Good Girl or Bad Girl
1 - Perfume Oil Sample Set
1 - Mini Perfume Mister Set

Here is how it works. I will randomly draw a prize, then I will randomly draw a product from my shop. Out of the hearts that were given during the Birthday Sale for that product, I will randomly choose a winner. This will go on at random times during the next three days. That is a lot of randomness, huh?

I hope you like this new game! I'll keep everyone updated on the winnings and drawings via facebook, twitter, and my blog!

It's a Birthday Party!

Did you know that my Etsy shop turns 2 years old this month? That is exciting! I can't believe it has been that long already. I've had so much fun the past two years and I'm looking forward to the fun new goodies I can share in the next year. I think a Etsy shop wide sale is in order! Are you new to Etsy? Click here to find out more about shopping on Etsy. One word of caution however, Etsy is addicting!

Now is the perfect time to stock up on your summer favorites. Many scents will be retiring next month to get ready for the season change and the fall and winter scents. See my post below for information on the scents that will be retiring.

Ok, back to business...celebration business! Every product in my Etsy shop is on special and there will also be a fun raffle and special prizes! There is also TWO new scents inspired by, you guessed it, birthdays!

The Sale begins Monday, July 26th at noon EST and ends Wednesday, July 28th at midnight EST.



Two New scents to commemorate my Etsy birthday.
Both scents are inspired by birthday girls, but one is a good birthday girl and the other is a bad birthday girl (everyone is allowed to be a little bad on their birthday).

It's My Party, Good Girl Edition
The good birthday girl is all sweet and charming. She glistens and sparkles and radiates pure joy. She's the embodiment of picture perfect in every picture ever taken of her, her smile practically glistens. Expect her to throw her own huge parties with people traveling from four states away to share her day. She loves the attention, she adores the primping, and she lives for this once a year day of her own.
Notes of: Pure white vanilla frosting, a touch of sweet cream, rainbow colored sugar crystals, blackberries and currants, a dash of citrus and sticky candy, with a base of sugar musk.

It's My Party, Bad Girl Edition
The Bad Birthday Girl isn't above an occasional tantrum and pout. She loathes her birthday and the attention it brings. No cards or flowers and please, please, no surprises. Do not even think about picking up a camera. She'd much rather forget her birthday all together...however, strangely enough, she will not refuse the larger then life gourmet cupcake you have offered her. Just don't expect her to share.
Notes of: Decedent vanilla cake smothered in light white icing, aged amber tinged with a touch of wood smoke , freshly stripped madagasgar vanilla beans, dewy orchids, crushed pomegranate seeds, and a hint of pink pepper

Limited Edition It's My Party Perfumes
No birthday party would be complete if at least one thing didn't go over the top. My two new It's My Birthday Perfumes are going all out with brand new and limited edition packaging! These bottles are gorgeous...no stunning...no amazing. Well you choose whichever adjective you think is best! Heavy square glass with a chic modern retro bulb mister top, pink damask artwork covering the back of the bottle, genuine pink and black crystals adorning the inside...this bottle is fit for a birthday girl! I'm in love.


Birthday Celebration Specials

Every item in my Etsy shop is on special. The Birthday Celebration starts Monday, July 26th at noon EST and I'll be partying until Wednesday, July 28th at midnight EST. This party is a big deal. Please allow me some extra time to make and process order and to replenish supplies if need be. The turnaround time for Birthday Celebration orders may be up to three weeks. If for any reason I cannot complete your order in this time frame, I will contact you.

Also, I'm going to do my best to stock up my shop but I don't want to overstock. If you'd like to purchase something and it is currently sold, please convo me. I will get it listed ASAP or set up a custom listing for you. My products are made to order with the exception of my soaps. Soap stock is limited and I cannot list any soaps from my main website that aren't already listed in my Etsy shop due to supply limitations.

The Specials!

Buy 2 Get 1 Free
Buy 2 Get 1 Free on one ounce Perfumes, Men's Cologne, Body Butter Creams, Sugared Body Polishes, Hemp and Green Tea Lotions, Silken Body Oils (4 ounce bottles) and Silken Body Mists!

Buy 4 Get 1 Free
Buy 4 Get 1 Free on Perfume Oils, Silken Body Oils (2 ounce bottles), and Handmade Soap


*Important Terms and Conditions*

• Your free item(s) must be of equal or lesser value then purchased items.
• Yes, you may mix and match products!
• Please check out with your purchased items and then leave me a note in the "Note to Seller" letting me know which free items you would like. Don't forget to let me know the scent.
• Please note that failure to follow in the "equal or lesser" condition will delay your order processing.
• All orders must be paid for by the end of the Birthday Sale to be eligible for the sale prices/free items. Unpaid orders will be canceled at the end of the sale.
• Please allow up to three weeks for your sale order to be completed due to heavy order volume.
  

Sample Sale
Sample packs are $2.00 off

Free It's My Party Perfume Samples
All orders over $35 get two free Mini Perfume Misters, one in each of the new It's My Party scents (that way you can be free to be whatever kind of birthday you choose!) If you'd prefer to sample two other scents in my shop, just let me know!

Free Goodie Bags
Orders over $100 get a free Goodie Bag valued at over $25 and filled to the brim with Wylde Ivy mini size Lotions, Creams, Oils, Mists, and Soaps! The goodie bags come in your choice of fragrance collections, Summer and Fall.

The Summer Collection Bag contains:
Wylde Summer Mini Perfume Mister (2.5ml)
She Sells Sea Shells Silken Body Mist (1oz)
Island Beauty Body Butter Cream (2oz)
Bronzed Silken Body Oil (1oz)
Dragonfly Blue Sugared Body Polish (2oz)
PomAcai Hemp and Green Tea Loti0n (2oz)
Creamy Coconut Soap Slice (1oz)

The Fall Collection Bag contains:
Raven Mini Perfume Mister (2.5ml)
I Heart Patchouli Silken Body Mist (1oz)
Black Vanilla Body Butter Cream (2oz)
Sweet Cairo Silken Body Oil (1oz)
Vintage Honey Sugared Body Polish (2oz)
In the Shadows Hemp and Green Tea Loti0n (2oz)
Little Shop in Salem Soap Slice (1oz)

(substitutions my be made depending on stock availability)

Order More, Get More!
Orders over $175 get both Goodie Bags and orders over $200 get both Goodie Bags and a bottle of It's My Party perfume (your choice of Good Girl or Bad Girl) in the limited edition bottle!

It's Raffle Time Again!

I love doing these raffles. For every $10 you spend during my Birthday Celebration you get 1 entry. I will draw the raffle winners August 9th and notify all winners via Etsy convo, facebook, or Twitter depending on where the winner was drawn from. I'll post the winners on my blog as well.

How to Get Additional Raffle Entries from July 26 - 28th:

• Get 1 Entry for every every shop heart you give me on Etsy during the birthday Celebration
  
• Get 1 Entry when you submit a post on my Wall on facebook telling me about your favorite Wylde Ivy scent or product. If you are new to Wylde Ivy, just tell me what you are most excited to try (you will get one entry for posting on my wall)
• Get 1 Entry for each photo you post of your Wylde Ivy stash to my facebook.
• Tweet about Wylde Ivy on Twitter
  

Raffle Prizes:

• 1 - Commission a Scent (my favorite prize of all!) Please see the end of this post for more information about this fun prize)
• 1 - $50 Gift Certificate to either my Etsy shop or my main shop (your choice)
  
• 3 - $25 Gift Certificate to either my Etsy shop or my main shop (your choice)
• 1 - Free It's My Party Perfume (in your choice of Good or Bad) in the Limited Edition Bottle ($35.00 value)
• 2 - Free Perfume Oil Sample Set ($15.00 value)
• 2 - Free Perfume Mini Mister Set ($17.00)
• 1 - Free Goodie Bag (in your choice of Summer or Fall) ($25.00 value)
• 5 - Free shipping coupons on US orders or $10 off of international orders

Double the Raffle Prizes?

I'm getting really close to 1000 sales in my Etsy shop! If I can hit 1,000 sales during my Birthday Celebration, I'll double the raffle prizes! That's right, DOUBLE the raffle winners!

Commission a Scent Prize
The Commission a Scent prize will make me your scent slave! That's right, you dream up the scent and I make it happen. Do you want Coconut Covered Chocolate Cake? Done! How about Patchouli Jasmine Rose Musk? Done! Grass Covered Cupcakes on a Bed of Old Leather? Um, I'm shuddering at that one but your wish will be my command!

Not only do you have full creative control over the fragrance, you also get to name it as well. You will receive three products of your choice in your scent creation. I will then make your new scent creation available to purchase in my shop.

Some of the rules and fine print for the Commission a Scent Prize:
If the winner resides outside of the United Sates, they will be responsible for shipping charges. Please give me up to 45 days to complete your scent in the event that I must source new fragrances.

Heart Bingo Game!
I had to change one of the ways of entering my raffle so I turned it into a mini game all on its own. Check out the new game, Heart Bingo

The Cut List and Retiring Scents

It's time again...the dreaded "Cut List". I hate retiring scents and I always put it off for far too long. As much as I hate deeming scents retirees, I love creating new scents even more. So to keep the room that I need to add to my collection, older scents and seasonal scents have to be retired. After all, it is almost time for the Fall and Winter line to make a reappearance!

I have already started on the new fall line and I definitely need to make some room around there. Here is the start of my tentative scent retirees. These scent will be available (while supplies last) through August. Keep an eye out here for any changes or amendments to this list. Some of these scents are being retired due to supply shortages but most scents will be back for the spring and summer in 2011.

• Aerial (sold out)
• Black Cat (sold out)
• Bloom
• Blueberry Crumb Cake
• Chocolate Fatale
• Coconut Island Castaway
• Daydreamer
• Electric Berry
• Frozen Coconut
• HoneyBee Good!
• He Loves Me Not (sold out)
• Ice Princess
• Iced Mango
• I Heart Coconut
• Lime Margarita
• OlivaBella
• Pink Bikini
• Pink Strawberry Citrus
• Pink Chiffon
• Shine
• Sparkling Clementine
• Sticky
• Sugar Cake
• Sun Tea
• Tahitian Vanilla Creme
• Violet Sun
• Yellow Bikini

Forget me not....

I was working on taking pictures of perfumes and soaps for new listings in my Etsy shop. I found myself outside of my shop (I blame my short attention span) watching my fish. The Forget Me Nots have almost completely filled the small stream leading into my pond. There are hundreds of tiny blue flowers. It is so beautiful.

On My Windowsill

Playing Catch Up

Life is just zooming right along these days and I'm jogging behind, picking up stray pieces and doing my best to keep up and keep my mind. Somedays I'm more successful at this then others.

It is hot here...very, very hot. Monday the thermometers read 104 and Tuesday they creeped up to 107. I didn't even bother looking yesterday. That is hot enought to keep me and the girls hiding inside. So I'm letting the girls devestate their playroom and veg in front to the tv watching their favorite movies like Shrek, Toy Story, and Bolt. I'm using the inside time to do a little catch up on my laptop.

Here are some pieces form last week....

My Starling Perfume was featured on the Etsy blog a few days ago in a wonderful little article called Etsy Finds:Hot Date.



If you have some time you should definitely hop over there and check out the article. It is an adorable collection of Etsy finds perfect for every imaginable dating senerio. I particularly love the Carnival Joy Ride collection. You can find Starling featured under the Picnic Time collection.

My products were also featured in two new treasuries in the last week! The first is a super fun mix of, well pretty much all facets of Etsy. There are earrings, my Body Butter Creams, paintings, clouds, an orange stuffed lizard, and even a squirrel named Mabel! Life would be so much more fun if more things included a squirrel named Mabel. This treasury, curated bycooliewelryJR, pretty much showcases the fun of Etsy for me. A place where you can find anything and everything, handmade and vintage. Check out Tomatos, lizards, and Mabel.



The second is a jewel green infused treasury called Fresh as Cut Grass and curated by polkadotsmoonbeams. It features an array of items in all shades of green and inspired by grass. I love seeing my Green Grass perfume surrounded by such gorgeous fresh summery items!



Back in May, during my big birthday sale, I held a special raffle for prizes. One of the grand prizes was a Commission a Scent where the winner was able to give me the specs of their dream fragrance and I would create an entire product collection in their scent. Not only was the winner able to completely dream up the fragrance, they also were able to name it and choose the label artwork. So here it is, the first ever Wylde Ivy Commissioned scent...Indigo Moon.



Indigo Moon, dreamed into being by a Wylde Ivy customer, is sugared plums, soft red currants, sweet cream apples, vanilla drenched musk, and sheer white amber. The waning crescent moon hangs delicately in the ink blue sky as a 1000 glistening jeweled stars pierce the indigo night. I loved working on this project and I love the way the scent turned out. Look for this scent to hit my website in a few days.

The Sea

I'm spending a little time today editing photos from our beach trip earlier this month.

Treasuries Galore!

Wow! I am so honored to be a part of such beautiful treasuries on Etsy! It is beyond exciting to see my perfumes featured alongside such gorgeous and creative works of art!

Lost Tales of Sweet Summer Days is a gorgeous treasury curated by KomisCouture and is filled with beautiful cool subduded island blues and spring greens. My newest perfume She Sells Sea Shells, looks fantastic nestled among this eclectic mix of beachy goods.


You know, I absolutely love bird imagery, especially those consisting of crows and ravens. I am super excited to have my Raven perfume part of OctopusStoneWorks treasury titled Quoth the raven "Nevermore!" - under $25. I would like one of each of the items listed in this treasury! This totally gets me in the mood for fall (I know, I know...it isn't even July 4th yet) but there is something so magical about the fall here in the northeast.


Ah, back onto summer! Fall holds a special place in my heart, but I'm not ready to let go of summer yet! I'm planning on squeezing every last drop of warm sunshiney goodness out of the season as I can. This is what I need to get me through a dark and rainy Thursday, bright tropical colors with a laid back beach attitiude! Amberike packed up a neat and tidy package of summer with her Summer is a Comi'n treasury. I think my Wylde Summer perfume is quite happy here!



Just take a look at the colors here! This treasury makes me want to repaint my entire house (and of coarse accessorize with each and every item in this treasury when I am finished)! Mrooart's Juice of the Solstice Fruits is filled to the brim with bright and happy goods including my new Iced Mango perfume.



I love the title of this one as well as the imagery. It started with Ozone is a breathtaking treasury curated by sacredsuds and makes me long for the cool and gentle rain of spring (as opposed to the hot, humid, downpours we are having today). I'm so happy my brand new In the Rain perfume has been included here!




There is something charming about summer. Don't you just love that title and don't you just love the picks for this treasury? I know I do! Quaint and darling and warm, tracelements put together a wonderful treasury and best of all, my Sun Tea perfume was included!


Ok, a little bit late on posting this one. The treasury has expired so I can't link it, but you can still enjoy the photo of the collection and maybe even get some gift ideas for that special man in your life. There is always birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and just plan old "your special" to me kind of gifts, right? HeapeEnterprises did an amazing job putting together this treasury full of gift ideas for men (because we all know they can be hard to shop for). My men's Cologne makes a great gift!

New Scents and New Products!

I just finished updating my site with all the new scents and new products! Wow, it was a lot of work. It took me two days to get it all finished. There was a ton to add to the site!

First of all there are now 18 new scents. Yep, you read that right, 18. At the last minute, I included Black Raspberry Crush scent in the Summer lineup. After I posted the preview of the soaps I got quite a few emails asking for this scent in bath and body and perfume products. I don't know why I didn't think of that myself! It is such a fresh, fantastic scent. You can view all of the new scents and their descriptions on my Scents page.

In addition to the new Black Raspberry Crush soap, I restocked 10 others. You can check my What's New page to see a complete list.

There is an all new product just for summer, Silken Body Mists! I love body sprays in the summer, they are so refreshing and cooling. My new Silken Body Mist is a smooth and light burst of fragrance perfect for that quick pick me up or for layering on top of your favorite soaps, lotions, body oils, or perfumes.

The Silken Body Oils are now available in a cute little 2 ounce size in addition to the 4oz! They are great for travel, tossing in your beach bag, or for collecting all of your favorite Wylde Ivy scents!

For a special treat for the rest of June, you can get a free Silken Body Mist with your order over $50! In addition to that, get two more full size products of your choice with orders over $100! Don't forget about the special $5.00 flat rate shipping as well! Be sure to stop by my News and Specials page to see all the details of the special.

The free gifts offer is good for my Etsy shop as well! Just let me know in the comments section which scent you'd like for your Body Mist or, if you qualify for the two additional free products, in the comments section when you check out. No coupon code is needed, you don't even have to worry about adding extra product to your shopping cart. Just leave me a note and I'll take care of you!

The Smell of Fresh Cut Grass Etsy Treasury

Graysparrow gorgeous green filled Etsy treasury entitled The Smell of Fresh Cut Grass features my Green Grass perfume amongst it's pure grassy goodness! Green is such a happy color.

and it's back to business as usual....

Here I a back in the shop after a fantastic little mini beach vacation. While it feels good to slide back into our farmiliar routine around here, I can't help missing the sound of the ocean in my ears and the warm sand underfoot. I shall miss you ocean, until we meet again in August!

This week I'll be spending time getting caught up on orders and emails. After they are all taken care of, then I'll be preparing the new summer scents for a tentative release next week. I still have to do all the label designing for all 17 scents! That is going to be a job in itself! Luckily I refreshed and inspired from my beach trip last week!

I have just restocked the Summer Collection 2010 Samplers in both my Etsy shop as well as my main shop so if you missed them last week now is your chance to grab them.

If all goes well, I'll be stocking the shops next week with the new scents as well as a pretty big soap restock! I'm going to wait until the new scents are ready to be listed so I can do everything in one big update. Stay tuned for the official date. Right now I'm aiming for a June 15th release date.

The following soaps will be ready to go for the release:
Sandcastles
Electric Berry
Pure Butter Spa Soap
Rhassoul Glow Spa Soap
Sparkling Clementine
Fairy Lily
Creamy Coconut
Little Shop in Salem
Coconut Milk Castile
Chamomile Oatmeal Castile
Black Raspberry Burst

The Summer 2010 Collection Sneak Peek & Sample Pack

They are ready! They are here! Well…sort of. The newest Wylde Ivy scents are ready to be released and I will start stocking them in my Etsy shop and my Wylde Ivy shop as soon as I return from vacation and ship out the orders that I receive while I am away. The tentative release date is June 14th.

Want to get your hands on them right now? I made up a few sample packs with each and every scent from the Summer 2010 collection. They are ready to ship now and they ship for free! These perfume oil sample vials are the perfect way to test out the fragrances and choose your favorites before ordering the full sized perfumes…or even scrubs, body oils, soaps, and more! The fruit blends are particularly good in Sugar Scrubs.
There is a wide range of scents included in the Summer 2010 collection and some scents are very different for Wylde Ivy. For the first time ever, I’ve done a water inspired collection! There are also a few great summer essential scents, some ripe bursting fruits, and some mysterious and sultry picks as well. I have even included two brand new men’s/unisex scents!

You will get 17 Perfume Oil Sample Vials for $25.00. These samples will be shipped free (within the United States) via first class mail. International shipping is available for just $2.00 through my Etsy shop. Hurry, sample packs are limited as is my time in my shop. I am leaving on vacation on Monday, so I’ll need to receive your order by Sunday at midnight EST in order for me to ship them before I leave. Please note that if you are ordering other items along with the samples, your samples will ship separately and before your other items. The cutoff time for ordering other items from my shop has passed and I simply won’t have time to make any new products before going away. These sample packs are already put together and ready to go out the door.

The Water Collection:
Cool, haunting, and elusive scents inspired by fresh cool waters and hues of jewel toned blues and greens.

Floating Lilies
The scent of demure little lilies floating gently on the surface of still waters, sprinkled by the morning mist and warmed in the yellow midmorning sun.
Notes of: Water Lily, deep forest fern, spring rain, fresh ozone, African violet leaves, white amber, sheer musk.

Dragonfly Blue
A cool ethereal scent of rain over pale moonflowers.
Notes of: summer rain, moonflowers, musk, ozone, dry moss.

Raindancer
There is a vision of a dark haired woman in blue, catching the raindrops in her upturned palms as she turns round and round. Graceful and carefree.
Notes of: lily, gardenia, meringue, ambered musk, vanilla, lily of the valley, summer rain, jasmine, sandalwood, and sweet wood musk.

In the Rain
She turned to look at me and then her eyes fell back to the window. “Sometimes” she said, “I hear laughter in the rain and it makes me happy for that one small moment.”
Notes: Pale blue water, crisp ozone, dewy spring greens, lemon laced white musk.

Bronzed
A sultry and steamy scent for those balmy summer nights. This is a stylish fragrance, perfect for when you need a grown up summer scent.
Notes of: warm amber, aged tonka beans, sweet vanilla patchouli, white musk, wild jasmine, verbena, and a touch of dry moss.

She Sells Sea Shells
Reminiscent of Wylde Summer, another “summer in a bottle” scent. The smell of beach towels dried in the salty ocean air, six layers of suntan lotion on your skin, coconut scented after sun lotion, and the way all the scents linger so closely to your skin in the heavy humid summer air.
Notes of: coconut, crushed vanilla beans, coconut milk, orange blossom, tuberose, aloe vera, and white musk.

Sweet Haze
Warm, delicate, and very uplifting like the morning mist burning off with the warm mid morning sun. Notes of: bergamot, succulent mandarin, sweet jasmine petals, wild blackberry, blood orange, light amber, woody musk

Bamboo Leaves
A gorgeous green blend of bamboo, white tea, and watercress with underlying hints of orchid petals and cedar. This fragrance is so fresh and beautiful, you will feel exhilarated with it is surrounding you!

Dreaming of Violets
A haunting blend of violets, summer blackberries, juicy clemetines, and white lilies all wrapped up in a base of soft musk and sweet delicate woods.

Sweet Cairo
A heavy, rich, and exotic Egyptian musk blended with sweet honey and just a hint of cardamom.

Vintage Honey
Imagine honey as a color…the color of sepia toned photographs, antique linen, and faded love letters. A sweet honey blended with dry grounding notes for a haunting and rare scent.
Notes of musk laced clover honey, milky vanilla, cardamom, dried baby’s breath, warm jasmine, ancient amber, dry woods, and creamy patchouli


Modern Zen
An inspiring, fresh, and modern blend of cedar and dewy bamboo with hints of citrus peel, ginger, and ozone.

Iced Mango
A scent from Wylde Ivy past! Juicy, fresh Mangos mingle with bits of Papaya and sliced Strawberry with just a hint of iced Coconut Milk drizzled on top. This cool, mouthwatering fruit blend will having you thinking hammocks, palm trees, and tropical fruit smoothies by the water!

PomAcai
Fruit purity at it’s best, this is a fruit lovers dream come true. PomAcai is a simple fruity berry blend highlighted with sparkling citrus.
Notes of: ripe acai berry, crushed pomegranate seeds, red plum, blood orange, and lemon zest

Sparkling Clementine
A fresh, juicy, mouthwatering citrus. This is a bright Clementine with just a touch of a champagne twist.

Unisex:
Triple W
I’ve been obsessed with creating a leather based scent since I included the leather note in my limited edition Halloween perfumes last fall. This is it, the one that just makes me close my eyes and smell deep.
Aged leather, a touch of dry earth, amber, cedar, dark musk, tonka bean, oakmoss, and vetiver…perfection.

Umber
A deep rich blend of sweet oak moss, sandalwood, and patchouli. Sexy and intriguing, a perfect understated fragrance for a man of few words or for a woman with a dark side.
Notes of: Oakmoss, sandalwood, patchouli, lemon, basil, and juniper.

These sample sets may be purchased in my main shop Wylde Ivy Shop or in my Etsy Shop

A little bit of pretty...

I thought I'd share a little bit of pretty with you today. My daughter Maya loves flowers. She has to pick them everywhere we go.

Get Free Gifts!

Get a free 4 ounce Silken Body Oil (a $12.00 value) with your order over $50.00!

Simply add at least $50 worth of merchandise to your shopping cart, then go pick out your choice of Silken Body Oil and add it to your cart. The discount will be automatically applied to your shopping cart.

Is your order over $100 (before shipping charges and after any discounts)? If so, you can pick two more free full size products of your choice! You just have to let me know in the comments box when you checkout what products and scents you would like(my shopping cart doesn't like to play nice when giving away multiple freebies).

Offer expires May 31, 2010. Gift certificate purchases, sales tax, and shipping costs do not count towards your merchandise total.

Get Free Gifts on Etsy Too!
I'm giving away a free Body Oil to orders over $50.00 on Etsy too as well as the extra two products for orders over $100! Just order at least $50 worth of merchandise and then let me know in the comments section which scent you would like for your Silken Body Oil or if you qualify, the other two products that you would like. There is no coupon needed on Etsy and you don't even have to worry about putting the free gifts into your shopping cart, just write me a note with what you would like and I'll take care of you!

A Major Restock and a Mini Vacation....

So my soap room is bare...very, very, bare. I've been making more soaps and have almost 10 batches curing now. If all goes to plan for the rest of the week, I'll have 6 more batches made and curing. I'll have a list of finished soaps with their "ready date" at the end of the week.

I am taking a quick, last minute vacation to the beach with my girls, my mom, and my sister. It is a little girl's retreat! Actually, my husband just doesn't have enough vacation time to waste right now since he has to save it for our family vacation at the end of the summer. Wylde Ivy will be closed from May 31st through June 6th. The website will be open to accept your order and I'll get working on them right away when I return on the 7th. The last day to place your order and have it shipped before I leave will be Friday May 28th.

Birthday Sale Raffle Winners!

I'd like to thank everyone again for the great sale! Here are the winning raffle numbers. I will be contacting each winner via email with their gift certificates/coupon codes/instructions either late tonight or early tomorrow morning as I am finishing up making shampoos today. I just wanted to get the winners posted for everyone because I know that you were all excited!

$100.00 Gift Certificate - Ticket Number 8794513 - Jill S. Ohio
$25.00 Gift Certificate - Ticket Number 8794540 - Rebecca H. Pennsylvania
$25.00 Gift Certificate - Ticket Number 8794706 - Laura D. Massachusetts
Free Shipping Coupon - Ticket Number 8794518 - Peggy Y. New Jersey
Free Shipping Coupon - Ticket Number 8794569 - Vanessa S. Indiana
Free Shipping Coupon - Ticket Number 8794593 - Lyly B. California
Free Shipping Coupon - Ticket Number 8794485 - Amy H. Georgia
Free Shipping Coupon - Ticket Number 8794515 - Wendy S. California
25% Off Coupon - Ticket Number 8794684 - Colleen M. New York
25% Off Coupon - Ticket Number 8794536 - Alyssa B. New York
25% Off Coupon - Ticket Number 8794671 - Patti S. California
25% Off Coupon - Ticket Number 879460 - Lorie B. Texas
25% Off Coupon - Ticket Number 8794714 - Kaytlin D. California
Comission a Scent - Ticket Number 8794758 - Georgia W. Montana

Thanks again everyone for the birthday wishes!

It's a Birthday Sale!

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Sale Day to you!

Yes, it is that time of year again. My birthday is getting close. I am celebrating my 32nd birthday on May 5th...Cinco de Mayo! This year I am hosting my birthday sale a little early and, as a blog reader, you get early admission!

In addition to the storewide sale and flat rate shipping offer, I am also have a Wylde Raffle! One lucky person will win a $100 gift certificate to my shop and another will get to design their very own scent! Keep reading for a list of all the goodies up for grabs.

Now onto the good stuff....

Early Admission to the Sale!
As a blog reader, you get early access to the store-wide sale. The official public sale runs Monday
May 3rd and Tuesday May 4th 2010. You get access to the sale four days early!

Use code BLOGBDAY32 when you checkout to take 32% off your merchendise total. The coupon
code will be valid from now until May 3rd when the public sale starts and then the entire store will be automatically marked down.

Wylde Ivy Shop

The Sale is on Etsy Too!
For all you Etsy aficionados out there, I'll be hosting my birthday celebration in my Etsy shop as well!

Prices will be marked down by 32%, there is no need for a coupon code. You also will be able to collect raffle tickets for your orders too!

The Etsy sale starts tomorrow...marking down all of those listings is going to be a project!
Wylde Ivy Etsy Shop

The Sale Fine Print

This will be a very busy sale. Please allow me up to three weeks to complete your order. If your order will take longer then the specified turnaorund time I will contact you.

Some quanitites of products are limited. In the event I sell out of a scent or product it will be removed from your order and you will be refunded. If you wish to be notified in the event of an out of stock product, please let me know in the comments section when placing your order. I will then email you and await further instructions (ie subsititution, order cancelation, etc).

It's a Raffle, Wylde Style
It's raffle time again! Get your tickets, there will be some awesome prizes. How do you get your tickets? It's easy, you get 1 ticket for every $10 you spend in merchandise on my website during the sale period (April 29 - May 4th).

I will randomly draw (ok, ok, I'll let my two year old twins draw the tickets because the think it is a riot) the winning tickets on May 21st. Winners will be notified by email and the winning tickent numbers will be posted on my website.

Onto the prizes:
1 - $100 gift certificate to Wylde Ivy
2 - $25 gift certificates to Wylde Ivy
5 - free shipping coupons
5 - 25% off coupons
1 - Comission a Scent

The Commission a Scent prize will make me your scent slave! That's right, you dream up the scent and I make it happen. Do you want Coconut Covered Chocolate Cake? Done! How about Patchouli Jasmine Rose Musk? Done! Grass Covered Cupcakes on a Bed of Old Leather? Um, I'm
shuddering at that one but your wish will be my command!

Not only do you have full creative control over the fragrance, you also get to name it as well. You will receive an entire product collection in your scent creation (a 1oz Perfume, 1/3oz Perfume Oil, 5oz Body Butter Cream, 7oz Hemp and Green Tea Lotion, 4oz Silken Body Oil, 11oz Sugared Body Scrub). I will then make your new scent creation available to purchase in my shop.

Some of the rules and fine print for the Commission a Scent Prize:
If the winner resides outside of the United Sates, they will be responsible for shipping charges. Please give me up to 45 days to complete your scent in the event that I must source new fragrances.

Put on Your Party Hats...

someone has a birthday coming up...me! That's right, it is almost time for a Birthday Party Sale!

Just make sure that you either follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or subscribe to my newsletter. All of my followers will get a head start on the sale festivities!

Stay tuned for details.

A Few More Treasuries

Wylde Ivy Perfumes were featured in three treasuries the past few days.

Colorful Rain, a beautiful treasury curated by MayaSweetPapaya, is a fun treasury full of bright colors and pretty girly things. Sticky Perfume was included with this great mix of items.





Sexy Weekend is a hot little treasury organized by ponie featuring He Loves Me Not Perfume. I love this treasury! It is vintage, feminine, and just a little bit naughty...three things that I think everyone woman needs a little of in their lives.
Girls, Let's Go on Vacation which was organized by zuzusworld, could not have come at a better time for me! I've been daydreaming about the ocean, remembering our vacation last year where my twin girls saw the ocean for the first time and obsessing about our next trip to the beach at the end of the summer. Is it too early to start packing? Wylde Summer Perfume has been featured with this amazing group of items for your inner vagabond.