Purple Christmas Tree!

Lumberjack and I finally took a break from working long enough to get our little Christmas tree out of storage and got it all put up. ♥

I came home to this tree all set up back when I had my studio apartment during college. People are always telling me now that I have a bigger house I should buy a purple tree that is more proportional to the house and maybe someday I will but right now I'm still in love with this one. Lumberjack bought and decorated it for me when we first started dating back in college and to me it symbolizes a lot!
 
 
There are a lot of people in the world and even in my life who just plain think my monochromatic way of thinking is freaking weird. 
 
I have dated a lot of guys over the years that just didn't get...me, not just the purple thing but a lot of stuff. Especially since I don't live in the city anymore! (Luckily I have become a "local character" in my small Adirondack lake town. I'm that girl with the big purple hair that is always lugging a ton of packages down main street to the post office!) 

Maybe it's just me being a gushy sap because it's the holidays but to me this micro purple tree symbolizes the fact that I found this awesome beardy lumberjack that doesn't "put up" with certain things about me but rather encourages all things that make me happy. 

We have been dating for a few years, did the whole college sweethearts♥ thing but we did separate for a bit back in the beginning of the year because after college we were going completely different directions in life.
While we were apart, I ended up dating a guy who although he also had a turbo charged Subaru and street bike like me, he wasn't feeling the purple life, my colored hair and weave and he really didn't get my soap artisan/flower grower & floral designer career. Even though there was some good chemistry, he was constantly trying to change me or put me down for the things I enjoyed that he thought were strange. It was so stifling! 

Thankfully I got out of that suburban hell and went back to mountain life and converted an old boat storage barn into my very own small home and now that my lumberjack and I have found a way to blend our life paths together. I appreciate his acceptance/understanding/encouraging/ laid back ways a billion times more than I did in the past. ♥ 

On a lighter note we now have a kitty in the house. Some jackwagon of a person left a box of kittens on our farm (this happens a lot in the country) but thanks to social media I got them all good homes within days. Well...except for this little girl. I felt so bad that I gave all her brothers and sisters away and she had no one to take her. So even though we already have our Subie Pup, some hamsters, a bunny and some glo fish (purple duhh) I reluctantly added this silly girl in the mix also. I have never been into cats but we have gotten very attached to her. Now I just have to work on getting the dog and her to get along and keep her away from the hamster cage. le sigh, more things to do around here. 

Sidenote: The purple tree came from a craft store and the ornaments are from target, all purchased years ago but I know they have similar styles at Walmart, Target and Jo Ann Fabrics right now if you decide you need a boss purple tree in your life as well! 

Have a lovely day! 

Lav. ♥ 

Late Night Randoms

Sailor Moon pendant! I'm in love!! ♥ So happy it's finally here! 

If I wear a sparkly mini skirt to work will I get in trouble?? Nope! Perk of owning an indie business: I can wear what I want and it stays between the soaps and I...and you of course. wink wink! 

Have a lovely evening! 

Lav. Alden

Small Business Saturday & Cyber Monday Sale!

Greetings Lovelies! I had so much fun giving all my awesome customers a soapy sale on Black Friday that I have decided to get keep the sale going all weekend long and all the way till Midnight Cyber Monday! I will be staying close to my shop all weekend to answer any questions or take custom orders (those also get the sale price♥) 

 

Also all weekend long at different times throughout the weekend I will be creating some amazing flash sales on selected soaps! 

Why buy handmade soaps for the holidays?? 
♥ Supporting Indie & Handmade 
♥ Awesome Stalking Stuffers 
♥ Great Hostess Gifts 
♥ Looks Festive by the sink at parties. (Who needs boring & chemical filled chain store soap. Umm Yuck!)
♥ Unique & affordable Gifts 
♥ Can get a custom blended scent if your looking for that extra thoughtful present
♥ Get some for yourself! : ) Combined shipping is a great deal! 

Okay, now that I got the soapy business out of the way. I am gushing over the mega Black Friday haul I scored! I did a little in person shopping at Target to get gifts and such but then I did the real dirty work on my laptop from the comfort of my bed. I cleaned house at Modcloth, American Eagle, Forever 21, Delias, Romwe & Footnotes. I also went down to my favorite local dress boutique in Saratoga Springs called the Saratoga Sundress Company and got some super cute dresses all 50% off! The ultimate BFriday win was getting a glittery long-sleeved dress that was originally $90.00 for twelve bucks!! Got a lot of amazing pieces for my monochomatic wardrobe. ♥ I can't wait for my orders to get here! 

Did you get any amazing deals anywhere this weekend? I'd love to hear about it. I'm crazy for these online sales! 

Have a lovely day! 

Lav. Alden ♥  

Hustlin in the Studio!

Finally we are getting some real Adirondacks snow around here! I can't play run around and chase the falling flakes till later though, le sigh le sigh. I have lots of soaps to make today.

I have created over 15 new cute soaps for the shop. They are all packaged, and they have all had their little photo shoots but I have had zero time to list them in the shop because it has been so crazy filling wholesale & favor orders. Also people buying in bulk for stalking stuffers keeps me recreating the holidays soaps, but who's complaining??? Not me!! : ) 


Studio Stats: 

Currently Creating - 60 Elderberry Wine soaps. Which will be used as casting favors for a play called Spamalot. This is a really cool order because the awesome lady who ordered them requested a custom label that reads "You mother was a hamster & your father smelled of elderberries." Hilarious! I love that line. 

Beats - Surround sound is currently blaring Azealia Banks 212. We share a love of long colored hurrr & mermaids. 

Consuming - Fueled by Monster Energy Original! Lumberjack jokes he is gonna buy me a Monster fridge for the studio. I think that would be awesome. Then I could pretend like Monster Energy sponsored my artistry. Hey it could happen. 

Wearing - Rocking a lacy dress from the mothership ( forever 21 ) & some shoes that my boyfriend Jeffrey Campbell made just for me! All. Purple. Duh. 

Dreams - Snowboarding is on my mind with all these awesome flakes coming down. Hope I get to ride some powder this year, since last year not so much. The mix of the adrenaline when I'm snowboarding & listening to nature-scapes downloaded to my ipod from soundcloud really makes for some zen times for moi. Cosmic experience. 

Plans - I have made a deal if I get all these orders made and at least half of my new soaps listed in my shop I can go out for thirsty Thursday with my lady clan later tonight. So I guess I gotta quit blogging and get back to work! : ) 

Have a lovely day! 

Lav. ♥ 

Happy Halloween!

Fairyhoe!

♥ Lav. 

Frankenstorm!

Well my tiny lake town is getting bombarded by hurricane Sandy. I imagine that the power will be going out any minute. My Subie pup & I are gonna cuddle in bed till the lumberjack gets home. Since I can't send any of my soap orders, I am making a list of all the supplies I need to reorder for my studio. I have been getting a lot of wholesale orders lately so I'm pretty much wiped out!

I hope all of you fellow northeasterners stay safe during the storm! 

♥ Lav

Cut Flowers of the Farm this week

So harvesting last weeks load of cut flowers for my farmers markets was beyond awesome with all the crazy colors and textures going on in the fields. My late crop of zinnias is finally popping up and my euphoria! 
 
 
I had a date planned with the Lumberjack on Saturday and I thought I had gotten all the harvesting done the day before but after taking a walk with Subie around the farm I discovered a whole new harvest of flowers had popped up! 
 
 
Knowing that I had my big Sunday market the next day I quickly ran back to the farm house and filled the buckets with water and began cutting like a mad woman in the field. Normally I have my two summer helpers with me for harvest but I attempted to do it all by myself and as quick as possible. 
 
I totally lost track of time and when the Lumberjack finally got home from doing woodsy work I had only gotten a quarter of the harvest finished. I thought he was going to be mad but he just grabbed an extra pair of clippers from the truck and started cutting with me, even though he had been working all day! He is the most perfect man that ever lived. 
 
By the time we were done it was nine o'clock at night and pitch black so that squashed our plans of the Boardwalk for dinner on Lake George. I was happy I got an extra harvest in but sad that I had missed a chance to spend sometime together off the farm, so just as I was saying we could just stay in and cuddle on the couch he told me to go throw a dress on. He surprised me with a late night dennys date. ♥ 
 
It was a wonderful Saturday. Harvesting in the evening as the sun goes down with the crickets chirping and the air turning cooler with the most adorable beardy man in the world was amazing. 
 
Those Persian carpets were a huge hit on Sunday. I sold every single stem. People just love those crazy colors. 
 
I noticed a rouge sunflower popping up in a field I haven't used in two years that we decided to use this season. As we were weeding out bed plots at the start of the season one of the girls who works for me in the summer thought it was a weed and almost pulled it out! I told her to leave it be and weed around it. It will probably be in bloom next week. Funny how this is an annual sunflower that spent two years dormant in the ground even though its not supposed to make it through our rough Adirondack winters. 

The button zinnias finally decided to show up this season. A little bit late but still cute and they make the cutest little mini bouquets! 
It was a beautiful color filled week! 

Have a lovely day!

Lav. A 

Happy Shark Week!

Hope you had an amazing shark week! 

I will admit after the Olympics were over and I had no more soccer to watch I felt a bit lost, but then my amazing Lumberjack reminded me that shark week was next and I instantly cheered up! That Lumberjack always has a way of doing that.
 
While shopping forever 21's flash sale today I spotted this purple shark hoody and knew I had to add it to my monochromatic wardrobe! So perfect. Def goes with the theme of the week. NOM!  : ) 
 
I also ordered a bunch of purple basics so can't wait for that package to get here. I am on the lookout for cute little frilly ankle socks, purple of course. I am having the hardest time finding any so I will probably just have to buy some white ones and dye them. 

Well I am off to experiment with scents to try and create some special request shea butter soaps for some awesome people! 

Have a lovely sharky day! 

Lav. A

30 Lists September Edition

My hello kitty strawberry scented journal and I are very pumped for #30 Lists September Edition. I participated in one of last years editions but I was so busy with college I totally forgot to post them. So for now until September comes I will be sharing last years just so they are documented. 

I need to go buy a new pack of purple ink pens and stickers! 

Have a Lovely day! 

Lav. A

Bow Tights!

Ok...I will admit. I did go a little purple crazy while shopping today. I know I have problems resisting cute purple garments but I don't care. 

There were so many things I justified getting for my wardrobe today! I came home with tons of purple cuteness from target and forever 21. 

Fall tights def necessary! Purple plaid shirts for fall? Yup. New long sleeved purple floral dress? Didn't even have to debate buying that. Cute cardigans and sweaters? I will need those with school coming up. New purple leather purse... ok that I didn't need but it's so soft! 

I was only originally supposed to get cellophane wraps from the craft store for the new soaps I created over the weekend. The mall is right next to it though! Of course I am going to go in. This time of year hits my bank account hard with all the purple swag that starts becoming available. : ) Not my fault. In fairness I did manage to get the cellophane.

Have a lovely day! 

Lav. A

Flower Love!

 
I have been working in flower shops since I was 13 and then I went to trade school and then college for floral design. In that time I have designed in many of different containers and vases. Golden urns and Simon Pierce glass bowls worth thousands of dollars and yet nothing makes my heart sing quite like a mason jar full of posies! 
 
I have been harvesting all day and getting ready to sell all my beauties at various farmers markets and I figured I would keep some for myself. I usually wind up selling all of my bouquet jars and then I have nothing for my own little house. That might be a good problem to have though, since it means my flowers have fans! 
 
Look at that Dahlia! Very Sexy! ♥ 
   
I threw it together in about two minutes but I love how it turned out. I am very famous on this farm for my fast bouquet assembly skills. My girls who are helping me for the summer keep saying they are going to record me one of these days. Maybe it should be an olympic sport...Hey it could happen! If Speed Walk Racing is a sport then extreme bouquet production can be one too. : ) 

  This Bouquet Features: 
♥ White + Purple Lisianthus 
♥ Blue Ageratum 
♥ White Zinnias 
♥ English Lavender 
♥ White Dahlias 

I didn't put any greens into this one. I put mint in my small bouquets this time of year but I just didn't think this little bundle needed any. I am very happy with those Lisianthus. Thanks to my new spiffy high tunnel I have been able to produce a great crop of them all July and August!

Got any flowers in your house this week? If you don't you should stop by your local farmers market and grab some! 

Have a Lovely day! ♥ 

Lav. A

Summer Wind Down Goals

This summer has been flying by! It's not over yet but... according to my filo-fax school starts  up again in a few weeks which means my summer will be coming to an end. I love summer but honestly I'm happy to see it go. This particular summer was rather drama filled for me. I had to say good bye to someone that had been very important to me for a very long time because when it came down to it we just didn't want the same things. Simple yet hurtful. I feel like fall will be a clean slate. Plus I just love the crunchy leaves and everything pumpkin flavored!!

So I have made a list of some goals to keep me on track as the summer comes to a close!  



♥ - Get back into the motion of Hoop Dancing! Hooping just makes me so happy and relaxed. Since leaving college for the summer I had not done a lot of it due to the fact I was working like crazy and I didn't have the same ladies I hoop with during the year. This is one of the things I had stopped doing because I got caught up in another persons life and had no time for little things like this that I did for myself. I have been hoop dancing about four days a week lately and it feels so good! 



♥ - Drink more polar water. At school I lived off polar water and that was all. I loved all of the flavors, variety is a wonderful thing! Well sadly during the summer I developed a bad habit of drinking lots of Mountain Dew and Monster. I know it's terrible for you, but I had been living in a house where those were the only options. Now I am in my own little house and the only bubbly beverage in my fridge are many polar waters! 

♥ - Get prepared for school! I have been slacking in the paper work department for school. I have four classes this fall semester and since this is a new school for me, I need to get it all figured out. Even though I am going to school for my third degree I am still terrified of going to a new school and having to start all over again to make friends. With all the purple I wear and my hair people either really love me or they just wanna stay away from me. Should be...fun. Sigh. 

♥ - Keep Training for Soccer! With school starting up that means my favorite sport in the whole world starts also. I usually play at my college but since my new school doesn't have a women's soccer team (which is totally lame since there is a mens team) I joined a sports center in my area that has an adults womens league. Whats cool about playing there is that once fall turns to winter they have indoor sports fields so we can play all winter. Sounds like a blast and that means less time I have to spend at the gym in the winter. : ) 
 

♥ - Add to my Fall Purple Wardrobe. It has been very hard not to go crazy lately with over buying with all the adorable purple fall garments that are coming out in the stores. I will def be buying a lot though. Especially this purple plaid shirt I spotted at Target yesterday! So cute! 



♥ - Prepare for Holiday business. Last but probably the most important thing I need to do is get ready for the holidays. This includes preparing my fall and holiday bath & body line, cleaning up the flower farm for winter, harvest honey from my bee hives, process and can a lot of delicata squash (yummy!!!), Make all kinds of products for my winter farmers markets such as Maple Sponge candy and fudge, holiday farm baskets, basically maple overload. 

Fall is my favorite season and I can't wait for it to arrive but for now with the few weeks left I am going to enjoy the flowers, hike, go on some bike trail rides, enjoy my motorcycle like crazy till it snows and I am forced to put it away, attend the fair, cherish flip flops, go out on the lake and have a few more crazy nights with my ladies! (we still have crazy nights in the winter) 

Is there anything you have to do before the summer ends? 

Have a lovely day! 

Lav. A

Origins of my Indie Company

People ask me all the time at craft shows where my bath and body name Sweet Neon comes from, so I thought I would answer this huge mystery! : ) 

 

I actually got the first inspiration from the very pretty cut flower Neon Amazon. They are so bright and pretty! I grow all the colors this flower comes in on my farm. I especially love the bright pink and purple varieties. They are such an amazing cut flower and I don't think they get a lot of mention in the floral industry.

I know the Dianthus family as a whole gets used quite often but I dont actually see this really awesome variety in floral shops very often. This is probably why I sell so much of it at the farmers market in the summer. hehehe 

   

I also loved working all the pretty fragrances for bath and body products just like I love experiencing the natural sweetness of all the cut flowers I grow every year. 

So sweet scents and neon amazon flowers turned into...

 SWEET + NEON = SWEET NEON BATH & BODY !! ♥ 

♥

Yayyyyyyyyyyyyy! Just like that I had this new awesome obsession that I could become married to. I love love love growing flowers on my farm of course, but the long winters of the Adirondacks left me with a very large time of the year where I didn't have to be creative. One can only snowboard and hoop dance indoors for so long before feeling the pull of the need to make things! So something that was once a hobby turned into a very big professional goal. 

Have a lovely day! ♥ 

Lav. A  

Soap Studio Inspiration - Cherry Limeade

I'm all about that Cherry Limeade from Minute Maid Juice and even more excited they created a low calorie version that still tastes good! I prefer it over orange juice in the A.M. since I find orange juice to be a little to much acid for me first thing in morning. Plus I feel it tastes better since it's what I use to chase my organic apple cider shot at 7 a.m. (Soccer season is starting soon and I eat some weird things to prepare.) 
 
Not only do I adore the taste but I also love the scent. So I decided to mix my own fragrance blend so I could make a whole line of products with it! Soooo Yummy! 

♥

Cherry Lime Shea Butter Soap is now appearing in my shop. It has def climbed into my top ten favorite scents I have ever created. I have been using it during my evening showers all week. Very nice to end the day with after working in the gardens all day! 

♥

Have a lovely evening! 

Lav A. 

Olympic Victory Bouquets

Greetings and Happy Monday! I am sitting in my air conditioned living room today listing my new soaps on my etsy shop while watching the Olympic Women's Soccer Semi Round. Cheering on the U.S. team! 

I realized I haven't done any flower related posts lately so I decided to highlight the Olympic medal bouquets that are given out to the champions.

♥

The bouquets for the 2012 Olympic games include four varieties of Roses divided by English Lavender, Rosemary and Mint. I also feel like I have spotted some of the bouquets being presented through out the games to also have a little bit of Ornamental Wheat in them but I'm not sure. Anyways, this design is def very English indeed! 

Over the course of the 2012 Olympics over 4,000 victory bouquets will be presented!! Holy cow, that's alotta posies! 

These bouquets were designed by the one and only UK Florist, Jane Packer. I'm sure the legend of a florist who passed away last year is very proud to represent British Floral Design for all the world to see during these games. It's on my bucket list to attend one of her design schools someday. 

A simple yet classic design and since they had to create so many of them a grouping bouquet is a good choice since it helps in replicating so many of them quickly. I love that they included Jane Packer's signature printed ribbon. Very pretty! 

Okay, back to yelling the the big screen in my living room during soccer! 

Have a lovey day everyone! 

Lav. A.