IT only takes ONCE

Last night while watching the news at home my family received some very sad news. One of the students at our High School was killed early Sunday morning. Yes it was raining and the roads were slick BUT that was not the cause of the accident.....
DRINKING was the cause. As we sat and listened several times to the news report, Marty Kassy and her boyfriend Jose and I discussed how it only takes one time for you to get into a car with someone who is drinking. Only takes one time for your wonderful beautiful life to end.

Kimberly Martinez 16 was a sophomore at our High School. She was just starting life. In fact she had just left a friend's Quinceañera party (celebration of when a girl becomes a women in our Hispanic and Catholic traditions) when her life ended. Was she drinking? NO and neither was her boyfriend BUT the driver of the car had been drinking.
YOU can read more about this sad story http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/tv/stories/DN-teendead_13met.ART.State.Edition1.4a79eef.html

This just brings us to rememeber and remind our children each and every time they go out that it is never, ever a good thing to get behind the wheel if you have been drinking or get into a car with someone who has been drinking. I know we have told Kassy and her friends they can always call us. We will come and get them. NO Questions asked! NO shouting or anyone getting into trouble.

As we are reaching that time of the year where our High Schools hold proms, colleges hold formals we need to be especially mindful of the dangers out there on the roads. Watch not only the kids in your car but remember the person in the car behind you...next to you... accross the medium might be drinking and driving. YOU have to watch out for them too.

As parents we worry everytime out child goes out. I worry everytime my husband is out DJing as wedding late at night. Not because he might have a drink but because of all the others who are out driving around after the clubs close. I know my girls are 18 and 21 and they are both "adults" but I will always worry about them. Sadly I admit that I drove drunk many times in my 20s and I am very lucky God was watching after me.

So please especially at this time of the year remind your children (no matter what age) that you will always be only a phone call away. You will pick them up and take everyone safely home. Remind them it only takes ONCE.

New Shweet Potato Dolls are in the House

WOW this has been a wild week. First I fracture my right wrist last Thursday ( week before) then this week I get to drink this wonderful vanilla "shake" and get an IV of idoine while I get my "inards" catscaned. Let's pray that the catscan shows why the pain is still there.

Meanwhile here at the Ramirez place we learned Kassy has to re-take the SAT and get a MUCH better score so she can get into her college of choice. Now I took the ACT MANY, MANY years ago and would just have her take the ACT but the next test is mid June and to late for FALL admissions. So mom heads off to Borders and gets books to study for the SAT. So dyslexic mom with headaches is studing the SAT books with my beautiful but dyslexic 18 year old. It does get the mind moving that is for sure. It also shows me how little I know or retained from WAY back in my high school and UU days.

In between me reading and working with Kassy I have been finishing up a couple new Shweet Potato Dolls ...yes one handed. Got some help stuffing the dolls and just gently used the "right"
hand to sew. I would go nuttz if i could not sew. Wanna see them???
They are based on Carm's graphics with her permission of course.
I'll show you a link to the graphic in case you want one or two of her graphics for yourself.
It's number 203 at the bottom of the page http://tiny.cc/SQeIT


I still need to work up the snowgal but it is so hard to do when it is in the 90s outside.

I feel in love with this graphic set the first time I saw it. What is spring and summer without butterflies. I remember when the girls were little they worked in the garden with their grandpa, (the one who went to heaven in July) and they loved the "Flutterbyes".
So Here are my Flutterbyes
Carm's Flutters number 124 http://tiny.cc/6gViq



Now as soon as Marty gets home I am off to deliver some Bunnies to some very special kids.
Ya'll have a wonderful and Happy Easter Sunday. Thanks for all your prayers. We need them so keep them coming!
Sandi

We have a WINNER!

Congrats to LIZ with Craft from My Heart! You are the lucky winner of one of my Faux Chocolate Bunnies! I will email ya for your mailing address!

Safe Team Soap Challenge

OH MY GOODNESS! How i wish one could smell through the computer......... YOU know like a scratch and sniff! Someone will invent a sniffer for the computer and make a million bucks! I would be first in line to buy one.
YOU simply must come by the Safe Team Blog and check out the Soap Challenge.http://etsysafeteam.blogspot.com/2009/03/safe-team-spring-challenge.html
The challenge was to pick a country and create a soap that represents that country. Just looking at the soaps and reading the descriptions one can simply imagine the wonderful scents.
While you are there make sure to vote on your favorite scent. I believe a prize will be given out to one of the comments.

The Safe Team is a group on etsy (the handmade,vintage and supply site).
The Soap Artisan Friends of Etsy (SAFE) team (formerly CYA team) is a group of soapmakers committed to excellence and best manufacturing practices on etsy. We are open to soapers of all levels, from the hobbyist to the well-established seller, including those who create other bath & body products such as lotions, balms, butters and sprays. We continually strive to perfect our craft and educate ourselves and others about the best practices a soaper must follow both to remain in compliance with FDA laws and to ensure quality products.

We are a team that takes great pride in our craft – as it is a blend of both science and art.We are also friends. As such, we value and insist upon respect to all members. We are a world-wide group and run the spectrum of beliefs, cultures, and political leanings, so opinions and personalities will differ ... this is expected and respected. We ask that everyone is treated with courtesy and kindness.

You can find out weekly ramblings in the Etsy Forums here http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6107931
And our blog
http://www.etsysafeteam.blogspot.com/

One other wonderful and free thing that the Safe Team does is hold a weekly chat in etsy vitual labs about different aspects on soaping and our businesses.

This weeks VSS is ..............
It's the Virtual Soap Symposium! Mondays in April at Etsy's Virtual Labs at 5 pm (EST). Everything you wanted to know about bath and body products but didn't know you were supposed to ask!This week, April 6th: Anne-Marie Faiola of Brambleberry will talk about melt-and-pour soap for us - what it is, why it works, how it is different than CP, additives such as herbs, GRAS, fragrances, Essential Oils, labeling, and claims!

ALL the info on this week's VSS and how to get to it is listed on our blog. Hope to see ya there!

First Monday Specials from Team Etsy Tx and US

Well it is the First Monday of the Month and Sassy Soaps n Such is once again joining our fellow Texas artists on Etsy by running a First Monday Special in our Etsy Shoppe.We are actually running 2 specials and just in time for Easter. Order Monday and NO SHIPPING COST in the USA on all our DOLLS and Ornies! Not only that we Added 10 NEW Shweet Potato Dolls and 5 New 'Puter Pets. 'Puter Pets are small dolls that are the perfect size to sit a top your monitor and bring a smile to your face. We will be added several more 'Puter Pets tomorrow and also couple more dolls.


You can find our shoppe at
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5155740



ALSO all our soaps are Buy one get one free. YOUR free soap will be the same soap you order. So you are getting 2 for the price of 1. Our Easter Egg Soaps are perfect for those baskets and hunts.

Now wanted to share with you where you can find all the specials from our Team Etsy Texas!Here is the link to the etsy promo thread for APRIL’s First Monday Sale: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6107580

We'd love to see what you think about our specials.

SPECIAL BLOG DRAWING! REMEMBER IF YOU COMMENT ON OUR BLOG YOU WILL GET YOUR NAME IN THE HAT TO WIN ONE OF OUR FAUX CHOCOLATE BUNNIES. DRAWING IS TUESDAY MORNING!MENTION OUR ETSY SPECIALS ON YOUR BLOG AND LET ME KNOW TO GET YOUR NAME IN THE HAT TWICE.



TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR ETSY SPECIALS AND GET YOUR NAME IN THE HAT FOR EVERY PURCHASE YOU MAKE.... LOTS OF WAYS TO WIN ONE OF OUR BUNNIES!

HAVE a great Monday and we'll see YOU at the Handmade place......Etsy.

Remember look for Sassysoapsnsuch under username or just click on this link and away you gohttp://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5155740

Bunnies Bunnies and More Shweet Bunnies

I am so in love with Carm with Shweet Potato Designs's graphics. I just look at one of her creations and hit the sewing machine. Carm you are just so inspiring. http://tiny.cc/nARc3
I wanted to share with you these cute Raggedy Annie Bunnies. Each one is created using the same pattern that I am working on writting up right now. They look different because of the fabrics I used and one I sewed the legs on differently.
One of the dolls is on eBay right now and I just listed this little jewel on etsy
http://tiny.cc/MlMzW

Here she is in a Shabby Chic Look (on ebay) http://tiny.cc/XL1Qr

And she even stains up nice for that extreme primitive look too. She is listed in my Lemon Poppy Seeds Shoppe. http://tiny.cc/19XFf


I have one more I am working on right now and can't wait to show her off...AN Easter Homespun Annie.

Remember all comments on my blog go into the hat for a drawing for one of my Faux Chocolate Bunnies!

No Fooling New items in Poppy Shop and on eBay

Well it is April 1 so you know what that means! No not Aprils Fools Day it is Time for new creations in Lemon Poppy Seeds Marketplace and also New Launch for Age*Before*Beauty on eBay. Don't worry I'll make sure you get links to both places so you can hop down the bunny trail!

Lemon Poppy Seeds Marketplace is packed full of extreme prims and folks art styled dolls and more. You can also find patterns and scented items too. Just click on the logo to find the members list ( and there are a lot of us) and remember to keep scrolling to the bottom of the page to find the patterns and scent shoppes.

Just wanted to share 2 of my new Poppy Offerings this month just in time for Spring.
This extreme primitive Bunny and Carrot doll is based on a graphic from Shweet Potato Designs http://tiny.cc/AYfPV that I took and made into an extreme bunny doll.

http://www.lemonpoppyseeds.com/shoppes/psalwayscrafty2/
Or maybe you like wonderful scented room display. This lamb smells so yummy and comes with the dried moss and lavender stems shown,


Now another design based on Shweet Potato Designs was just listed on eBay for our Age*Before*Beauty Ribbons and Rosed group launch. You can find all the AB4B launch items April 1 and 2 by typing in AB4B RR in the eBay search box. This is just one of about 5 I have to get listed on eBay in the next 2 Days......... Bunny Hugs http://tiny.cc/f1uqE


We'd love to have you follow our blogs too. This one of course but we also have blogs for Lemon Poppy Seeds called Xtremeprim you can find it at http://www.xtremeprim.blogspot.com/.
Age*Before*Beauty has their own blog where you can sign up to win drawings each month
http://www.beauties4bloggin.blogspot.com/

Hope to see you in our Marketplace and at our eBay Launch! Come back here and post a comment on what you liked best AND you might be the lucky winner of one of our Faux Chocolate Bunnies. Mention OUR giveaway on your blog and let me know to get your name into the hat a more than once.


Til Later have a great April Fools Day!