Shopping Is Therapeutic

I'm a shopaholic. I could be happy, sad, angry, or mad, but mostly bored. Of course I'm on Etsy when I get this strong desire to buy something. I decide to browse the Shop Local feature-you know where you view all the shops of the sellers who live in your city or state. There are a lot of sellers in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. I am a huge jewelry lover, especially silver. I've always worn silver because here in DC, gold was (and in some cases still is) the ultimate status symbol when I was a teenager and young adult. If you wore gold, then you were the sh*t. Being the non-conformist that I am, I chose to wear silver to not only go against the grain, but to make a statement: I AM A LEADER, NOT A FOLLOWER!

To wrap this little story up, I bought this fab ring at Beads In The Belfry. She's having a sale-25% off-til 6 am Sunday for all you night owls. I will wear this swirly delight on my right pointer finger. I'm going to point at everyone now just to show off my ring. There's also another fab seller whose in DC, CeCe St. Croix. She makes really lovely silver hammered jewelry. I favorited both of these artists of course. Well, I'm going to continue looking for interesting finds and feature them here. If you have something interesting you'd like to showcase, let me know. I love bragging about things I love!

Etsy Splurges Or Lack Thereof

I usually end the week with my roundup of what I found on Etsy, but this week-nada! I have really been in a funk creatively, and I have not been in the buying mood. I can't believe I said that! I think Daylight's Savings is messing with my mind. I particularly don't need an extra hour of sunlight. I am a creature of the night. If I could independently support myself with my crafts, I'd be up creating all night and sleeping all day.

I have not yet revealed the outcome of the SoapQuick project because I'm a little nervous, and I am feverishly trying to come up with some new products. Easter is around the corner, and I am in the lab cooking up something that I hope will turn out half-way decent. I hope to make that reveal by the middle of the week.

Speaking of Etsy, I did make my bi-weekly purchase from Noel Delights. I have not yet received my earrings and necklace from Loose Wire Studios. I convoed her, and she's been ill, so I'll give it another week. My gripe is, as a business person, if you know you are having some difficulties fulfilling an order, wouldn't you contact your client personally before they contact you? I do not know the extent of her illness, but I'm just saying......

Etsy Splurges Saturday

It's Saturday, and I have not splurged yet. I am combing the hundreds of Etsy stores for something inspiring that I want to buy but right now I'm feeling "Do I really want that?" Do you ever feel like that? You see something really cute, and you say "Oh, that is really darling, but do I really want or need that for that matter?" Anyway, let's get to the good stuff. I have not yet received my earrings and necklace from loosewirestudio. I think it may be time for a convo. It's been a week today. Sorry, sister, I'm not trying to put you on blast, I'm just anxious, that's all. I'm sure it will arrive shortly.

I have, however, received my Lemon Bars from Noel Delights. Let me tell you: Christie does not dissapoint!!!! I swear I'm going to gain 20 pounds by summer if I keep buying her stuff, but I'm hooked! When my package arrived, it was carefully packaged, on ice, nonetheless. Of course I tore into everything, to get to the goods. Imagine my pure delight when I opened the container and found 6 ample sized squares of lemon-y goodness. Each one is drizzled in white chocolate and calling me: "Patrice, eat me." Yes, as the picture will show, there are only 5 bars left. These bars pack a powerful tart/sweet punch. They are so decadent that a few bites will really satisfy you, but if you're a pig like me, then you'll eat the whole bar. No, Christie is not on my payroll (although I wish I could afford to). I just love baked goods, and she is the bomb!!!

Etsy Love

Today marks the start of a new series at Bubs and Flames. I call it Etsy Splurges. If you're a lover of anything handmade or handcrafted, and you haven't heard of Etsy, HELLO!!!! Have you been in a coma for the last few years? Yes, I have my own Etsy shop called The Decadent Flame, but if you've been reading my blog, you'd know that cuz I shamelessly plug it every chance I get. Today's post isn't just about me, but about my love of handmade, original, one-of-a-kind creations. There are so many talented people in the world, and I'm sure only a fraction of them are on Etsy. I'm trying to get my friend Shawn who does these really ornate, swirly-type drawings to list his stuff on Etsy, but he's dragging his ass. As a starving artist, I love this forum because it only costs $.20 to list each item you sell. That's 1/5 of a dollar, and it's great exposure for your wares.

I am not only a seller on Etsy, I'm also a client. I love combing the different categories for unique and original finds. I buy something off Etsy at least once a week. What I like as a buyer is the shipping is really cheap. For example, I bought a pair of silver hammered earrings and a pendant from this fabulous shop, loosewirestudio, and I only paid like $2 for the shipping. You can't beat that! I also bought some Lemon Bars from Noel Delights. Let me tell you-this woman can bake her ass off! I'm such a pig. Anyone who knows me, knows this. I was a little skeptical about ordering food from a person I know nothing about, but last week, I ordered these ginormous Chunky Clusters (which she must be sold out of because I don't see it on her page). They were filled with raisins, chocolate, and peanuts. Oh-my-goodness! Each bite was like a multi-orgasmic experience. Hey, I'm a chocolate connoisseur, and I am not exaggerating. Pick some up today.

Some of my other finds were a 3-pack of flower petal hair pins from Katinkapinka. She's fabulous, and I look fabulous wearing them. I also picked up a jar of soap balls from CherryBlossomCo. They're made with pure cocoa butter, but they're not scented. I was a little put off by that when I got them, but my disappointed turned to pure surprise when I lathered up. These little balls pack a powerful, sudsy punch, and they're moisturizing. Check me out in my Katinkapinka and my Boondie posing with the soap balls. Tune in next Sunday when I show off my new purchases and reveal my latest purchase.