Interview with DivineCanine PART 1

Well we are HUGE pet lovers and we love our animal to death. So what could be a better way to show your babies you love with some healthy pet treats! We here at the Muddy Moose give two paws way up for the treats from DivineCanine (http://www.divinecanine.etsy.com/)!

Our pooches can't get enough of 'em!

Both of our cuties are pound rescues. The smaller one is Daisy and she is about 11 years old. The BIG one is Stella and she is about 2 1/2 years old. We just adopted her about a month ago. They are posing waiting for their treats!

So we decided what a better way to get to know the person behind the shop than with and interview!


***TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF. My name is Jessica and I am 38. I have a husband and one son, Christian who is 7 and has (ASD) Asperger’s syndrome. I love cooking, baking, gardening, and pets. I went totally blind about 8 years ago, and I’m still trying to figure out how to do the stuff that sighted people like to do!

***HOW DID YOU GET INTO MAKING DOG AND KITTY TREATS? I have a graduate degree in blind rehabilitation teaching, and I taught up until the time my son turned three.I was a home mom for the last 5 years and decided that when my son went to school full time I needed something to do that was productive. I love cooking, but can’t afford the commercial kitchen required for catering and baking. I love pets and cook for them (as well as my human family members) and looked into the ins and outs of owning a pet bakery, then decided it sounded like too much fun to pass up!

***IS THIS YOUR FULL TIME JOB? Yes, I guess you could say that…and taking care of my home and family.

***HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT WITH DEVELOPING YOUR RECIPES? I read a lot about pet nutrition and what human food is ok or beneficial for them to eat in moderation. I also talk with my vet quite frequently about views on pet treats, foods, and nutrition. Then, I make batch after batch of treats until I feel I’ve got the right one…my dog Scarlet is starting to get quite the belly because she loves to eat my “oopses” and experiments that I don’t end up selling to the public.

***HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR LIFE/JOB/ETSY/FAMILY? Hehehe. I’m trying to figure this one out. I’ve noticed that I was spending too much time blogging, chatting, forums, anything out there to promote myself…and realized that the house and rest of my family were starting to fade into the distance…not good. So, I’m working on a business plan to help me decide how much time a day to spend on work, how much time on the computer, etc. I do most of my baking at night after hubby and child go to bed…I do my best baking at night for some reason.

Be sure to read the second part of the interview for her tips for sucess and building up you business and some of her up and coming new products! And stop by and pick up some treats for you pooches or kitty...they will thank you!!

Need an inexpensive Spa Treatment?

Our skin is the largest organ of our body. It is highly absorbent....so it just goes to reason that everything you put on your skin is absorbed by it. With that in mind...you should consider following this simple rule of thumb when choosing your cosmetics and beauty products: if you wouldn't eat it, don't put it on your skin! Choose only products that use only fresh, high quality ingredients, not the cheapest.

With current state of affairs, we are all hard pressed for cash so I though I would share with you some inexpensive spa treatments you can create from products right out of you own kitchen. Here are two of my favorites:

Chocolate Facial Mask
This decadent mask is actually an excellent moisturizer -- it leaves your skin baby soft. Recommended for normal skin.
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3 tbsp. heavy cream
2 tsp. cottage cheese
¼ cup honey
3 tsp. oatmeal
Mix all ingredients together (a bullet blender is ideal) and smooth onto face. Relax for ten 10 minutes, then wash off with warm water.

This is also another cool one:

Strip it Off! Pore Cleaning Strips
This recipe makes a pore cleaning "strip" which works just like those sold in popular drugstores.
1 T Knox unflavored gelatin
1-1/2 T milk
Mix two ingredients and microwave for 10 seconds to slightly warm. Using a clean cosmetic brush, apply to nose and chin area. Avoid delicate eye area. Rinse brush immediately. Allow mixture on nose and chin to dry for 10-15 minutes. Mixture will dry quite stiff and form a "stiff film." Peel off the film and stare at all the little porcupine quills that used to be in your nose pores (one of the chief entertainment factors with B'Strips!).

For more great recipes visit http://www.spaindex.com/

Share with us, do you have a great home beauty tip...post it here!

Vegan-Friendly......you betcha!

Finally after quite some time and stressing over formula after formula.....our vegan line has finally launched! For right now we only have two products available for sale. You can find them under the current lip butter and lotion bar listings, but they will soon have their own category. And our vegan lemongrass soap is currently on the curing rack. It will be released in the next week or so. It is 100% all natural, using essential oil and natural colorants.

For right now we have vegan lip butter. We have taken our regular lip butter recipe and replaced the beeswax with a blend of carnuaba wax and candellila wax. Both are plant derivatives. We have taken an all natural approach with this line of lip butters. Right down to the flavoring we chose. No colorants. 100% all natural goodness! Sweet Berries is currently for sale, but be on the lookout for Lemonade and Vanilla Mint.

For our lotion bar, we did the same thing, replaced the beeswax with an all natural plant derived wax blend of canuaba and candellila. Our current scent selection is called Milton's Beehive....it is a knockoff of that famous Burt fellow's scent. I cannot attest to its authenticity, as I have never smelled the real deal. More scents coming soon!

Congratulations to the WINNERS!!

Congrats to Angie and Christian, the winners of CYAteam Valentine Giveaway.

Christian can be found at www.nightmareanthology.etsy.com he does awesome artwork....
and He also has a blog at http://nightmareanthology.blogspot.com/

Angie can be found at http://angiesraggedypatch.blogspot.com/
Angie also makes some the cutest little dolls!
You can find them on her website at http://www.angiesraggedypatch.com/raggedies.html

VALENTINE'S DAY GIVEAWAY!!

Hello! As I'm sure many of you know.....Valentine's Day is just around the corner! And in honor of that fine day, my fellow soapers and I are having a giveaway. Just visit our team site for all the details and to sign up! No need to be a member of etsy of sign up...so go...now! And tell all your friends about it too! There are two baskets to be given away chock full of awesome soaps, lotions and who knows what else!

http://cyateam.blogspot.com/

This is a Blog-In....copy, paste and pass it along!

It is a Blog-in. Help pass it a long.

As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.

Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.

The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too.How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students:Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all.Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector:Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy:Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy:Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.

f you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbeshttp://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Lawhttp://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react.

Valentine Items!!

Wow, if I keep this record up....I'll have about 12 whole blogs by the end of the year!! I vow to be a better blogger from now on! I need to get on the ball and line up some featured etsians and informative articles!

Ok, so I haven't been a total slacker! I have my full valentine line listed and sales have been slow, but from what I have heard, they have been slow all around. The first product that I am very excited about is the Massage Candle (aka Body Candle). These are simply luxurious! They leave your skin soooooo soft and smooth! They are fill with lots of skin loving oils and butters...they are awesome! I have two varieties.....one that is all natural, made with essential oils (lavender and pure relaxation blend and also unscented available) and then I have a rich heavenly vanilla....I have searched for the perfect vanilla....some that I have found are too sweet smelling...this scent I have found is perfect not too sweet and heavy tones of vanilla. It is pure bliss. I also have red hot cinnamon...it smell just like the candies and then black raspberry vanilla(a BBW scent). You don't have to have someone around to give you a massage....you can use these to just pamper yourself. Give your parched, itchy, dry skin the love it deserves! These massage candles contain soy wax, cocoa butter, shea butter and avocado oil.

Never heard of a massage candle and don't know how to use one?? Well.....it's soooo simple!!

1. Remove the cover and light the candle.
2. All candle to melt until a sufficient amount has melted.
3. EXTINGUISH FLAME.....IMPORTANT SAFETY STEP!!
4. Pour melted candle into the palm of your hand.
5. Apply directly to your skin and massage away!! The oils will readily absorb into your skin, but allow you a enough time to give a generous massage!!

Need a sexy gift basket...just contact me and I can put one together for you for that special weekend of romance!

Be sure to check back for more valentine items featured and other talented etsians!

15% OFF ALL VALENTINE ITEMS!! MENTION CODE: 15BLOGGER in notes to seller!