4 Ways To Make Your Down Time Count

For many of us, the only ME time we get on a daily basis is in the shower.  Okay, then - let's pledge to make that a sacred time.


How can we do this?  We all know how lovely scents enhance our mood.  So choose soaps and lotions that make you happy, and maybe even make you want to linger just a little longer in your sacred place!


It's also important to choose soaps and lotions with natural ingredients, to keep your skin healthy and moisturized.


I love great-smelling, great-feeling soaps and lotions.  I never receive enough of them as gifts, and because the really good ones are a little more expensive, I don't often treat myself.  Well, along with you, I'm pledging to change that right now.


I used to hang out at the soap shops in the U District and Pike Place Market when I was a college student.  It was a little indulgence I enjoyed very much.  I kept hoping such a shop would open in Edmonds, but it doesn't appear to be in Edmonds' future. 


So, I decided to take advantage of the numerous artisan soap and lotion makers right here at home, and create a Personal Spa section right in the gallery!  Check out the offerings from these four artisans, dedicated to making healthy, nourishing, delicious-smelling soaps and lotions for you!


1.  Beautiful Soap - made by Linda and Patrice.  These two made a batch of soap in their kitchen just for fun.  Their friends loved it so much, they moved it up a notch and started selling it in small amounts.  Friends of friends loved it too, and so it grew.  Their belief is, "We think that we create a beautiful product that everyone can enjoy. We truly love making our soap and conscientiously try to improve our soap with each new fragrance and color that we add to our shelves."

Offerings from Beautiful Soap

Beautiful soap is 100% glycerin, which attracts moisture from the air to your skin!  Plus, it's coconut base makes LOTS of bubbles.  Each curl is hand-carved, too.  Lots of care goes into each and every bar.  I have a cucumber-melon fragrance on the bathroom sink, and it is lasting much longer than I expected.  Plus, it makes the whole bathroom smell quite wonderful.


2.  Body Systems. This company invites you to "embrace natural skin care and transport yourself to a true tropical experience.  We source ingredients from all over the world to create the most beneficiel and natural products for our skin and the environment.  We never test on animals and use fair traded and organic ingredients whenever possible."

Group of Bath Gels from Body Systems

The soft, heavenly scents from Body Systems will transport you, and make your skin feel fantastic.  They are very pure, as well as concentrated.  In the Butter Lotion, notice that water isn't even one of the ingredients.  Check your lotions at home and it's first on the list!  That means these are very concentrated, and thus last a very long time.  It also means they are more expensive - but you're not just paying for scented water.


We currently have the Bath Gel, Butter Lotion, and a very fun Bath Confetti that makes for the most amazing bubble bath!


3. Pearl and Daisy. With a firm commitment to purity, Rebecca Taylor spends lots of time getting the right combination of ingredients together for the best possible product.  She says, "pure essential oils are blended to provide aromatherapy benefits and a glorious scent.  Minerals and organic botanicals are added to nourish the skin and provide natural color.  You won't find any synthetic fragrance, artificial color, phthalates, synthetic parabens, sodium laurel sulphate, or petrochemicals in any of our soaps or body care products.  Not even a little bit."

Offerings from Pearl & Daisy

We have the bar soap and bath salts available individually.  In the gift box, you'll also find their solid lotion, which is super intense and moisturizing for your hands.  I use it at night because it takes a while to soak in.  It's not greasy enough to make my sheets greasy, but by morning, my hands feel just great.  And that's pretty nice for someone nearing 50!


4. Good Earth Soap Company - by Tracy and Michael.  Tracy and Michael love nature and the goodness of the earth.  That's the inspiration behind their products, and here's their promise to you:  "Good Earth products are created with only the finest ingredients. Each batch is made with its own unique blend of aromatherapy grade essential oils and organic herbs. Handcrafted in small batches to refresh and invigorate your soul. The simplicity of the ingredients we use aids in their ability to heal and revitalize your skin. The reason our products are so good for you is because they are created from natural butters, oils and waxes. It is our hope you will find our products are of the highest quality, Made from the Goodness of the Earth."

Bar soaps by Good Earth

 We currently have the bar soaps, as well as the soy lotion and a fabulous lip balm!  A perfect gift is to get one of each for someone.


We have testers of the lotions, and you can smell the soaps for yourself.  Stop by to play and see which scent makes your heart soar.  That's the one for you!


And make this the gift you give all your best pals this year - because it's also the gift of Down Time for them!

Manya Vee

www.ManyaVeeSelects.com

Visit us today!

Manya Vee Selects

409 Main St

Edmonds, WA  98020

425-776-3778

Hours: Daily 11 - 6, Sunday & Tuesday noon - 4

Be The Best Gift-Giver On The Planet - Part 2

We talked about gifts for the home or office before.  Now it's time to turn our hand to personal gifts - gifts of jewelry, accessories or clothing.  

Here are three tips that can help you get outside your own personal taste and focus on the person receiving your gift.

1.  What is your friend's style?  Is she conservatively tailored?  A northwest jeans and fleece gal? A jeans with tops and jackets that enjoy drape and flow?  A bohemian style with lots of movement and color?  Knowing the answer to this question can also help narrow down the options drastically.

Simple T-shirt and khakis, small earrings,
no necklace, only a watch.
She's also wearing warm tones - brown and tan

2. what is your friend's favorite color(s)?  This question often stumps people, so start paying attention now.  If you're not sure, just close your eyes and see the person in your head.  What color clothing do you see most often on her?  When you think of her, do you see blue-purple-aqua?  Or brown-orange-moss?  One of those means she prefers cool colors, and the other warm.    Maybe she's an all-black-all-the-time person.  These important clues will help narrow down a gift choice in the jewelry or accessory category quickly.

Flowing clothes, a bit Bohemian.
Can't tell in this picture, but she loves colorful, long, fun earrings.
There's a big, wide bracelet too.
Also notice the colors - pinks and purples, so in the cool tones.

3. What pieces of jewelry and/or accessories have you seen her wear?  Not everyone enjoys necklaces, for example.  I have several customers who were given a necklace by their children, and it is the only necklace they will wear.  This rules out necklaces for this pal!  Alternatively, she may enjoy earrings.  Okay, what kind of earrings?  Short ones with bright colors?  Long dangly ones?  All silver?  If she wears bracelets, notice if she prefers the stiff, cuff type, or a more flexible chain or beaded type.  

A more tailored look on the right - button up shirt and jacket.
Hair pulled back and - oh no! - no earrings!
But and lovely, simple, feminine necklace looks perfect.
The pretty blue means she wears cool tones.

And of course, we must consider a scarf.  A scarf can turn a simple top and pants into an outfit with a simple twist of the wrist!  If you have seen her wear scarves at all, not only do we have a wide variety of scarves, but we also have an entire shelf devoted to scarf toys!  

And in the post just before this, there are three great ideas on how to wear your scarves more fashionably and with greater versatility.  There's even a video of me showing our favorite way to tie scarves!

And here's me, in my comfortable, drapey, sexy clothes.
Also I like jewelry to be pretty showy, too, so I've got on some big earrings, necklace and bracelet here.

These three simple tips will make your gift selection process so much more effective, and give you much more confidence in your choices.  It's all a simple matter of paying attention, which is rather fun anyway.  So take a few minutes to think about those with upcoming birthdays, or those on your holiday gift list, and make them very happy this year!

Manya Vee

www.ManyaVeeSelects.com

Visit us today!

Manya Vee Selects

409 Main St

Edmonds, WA  98020

425-776-3778

Hours: Daily 11 - 6, Sunday & Tuesday noon - 4

3 Scarf Ideas to Spiff Up Your Wardrobe

I bet each and every woman reading this post has several scarves stuck way back in a drawer somewhere that she never wears.  We seem particularly challenged in figuring out how to wear the darned things!

Learn this tying
technique by watching the
video below

If any of you have visited Paris, you know that every neck is adorned with a lovely scarf - no outfit is complete without one.


Let's try a few easy tricks with long narrow scarves in particular, and you'll be getting compliments on your new look in a jiffy!


First - stop wearing scarves like everyone else in the Northwest - doubled in half, then put around your neck and both ends through the loop.  It's ubiquitous.  That can translate to "boring."




Instead, try this nifty trick for an entirely new look that starts the same basic way.

Next, here are some simple and inexpensive tools to maximize your scarf potential.

The Grip

THE GRIP is the invention of Everett artist Dieter Moenig.  A simple plastic ring that looks suspiciously like a life saver, this $4 item comes in an array of colors, and totally transforms your scarf.

Wrap the scarf around your shoulders like a shawl.  Grab a little piece from each inside edge, at solar plexus level.  Make little pointy-dudes with the edges (yes, that's the technical jargon), and put them through the center of the grip.  Pull until it's nice and snug.


Wear it right in front, or pull it off to the side for an assymetrical look.

Scarf with Grip

Three notKnots

THE NOT-KNOT is another invention of Deiter's.  These stainless steel pieces are cut with a water jet, leaving the inside super smooth, thus avoiding any edges to catch and tear your scarf.  Available in two sizes and lots of shapes.  Small is $24, large is $28.  The small size works on light-weight, delicate scarves while the larger can handle thicker scarves.

Simply weave the scarf in and then out, and presto!  Your scarf is more like a piece of jewelry!

Those three notKnots in use

So get those scarves out of the drawer and start wearing them!  It's cheaper than a new outfit, and will have compliments coming your way all day long!  They are also an excellent gift idea for your pals who wear scarves frequently.  What a nice surprise for them.

Manya Vee

www.ManyaVeeSelects.com

Visit us today!

Manya Vee Selects

409 Main St

Edmonds, WA  98020

425-776-3778

Hours: Daily 11 - 6, Sunday & Tuesday noon - 4