Don't Leave Home WIthout...

If you're packing for holidays, don't forget to bring something for "life's little accidents"! Even just a minor scrape can ruin a holiday. Fable Natural's Mini-Travel Kit is a must. It includes tiny jars of Lavender Balm to soothe chapped skin (including lips), treat burns, cuts, sores, bites; Tea Tree Balm for blemishes, sores, athlete's foot, infections; Arnica Balm for bruises, sprains, muscles aches and sores; and Spruce Balm for cold and flu symptoms. Nothing spoils a trip like tired feet and chapped skin! The kit comes with instructions and suggested use. Get yours here! Only $6!

Also makes a lovely hostess gift or gifts for frequent travelers.

Have Yourself a Victorian Christmas

Victorian-style wreath by Corner Crafters

Last night I caught BBC's Victorian Farm Christmas. I was really looking forward to it, but didn't know when it was on, so I was happy to catch most of it while channel sufing.

I have to say, I love Christmas time in England. There's something about that old-time feeling that you get in England, adding on top of that Christmas and you have happy days. Still many of the Christmas traditions that came about in the Victorian age are still upheld in the UK, such as, Christmas crackers, Christmas pudding, and mince pies (I know where to get the best ones, I miss those so much!).

So if you are longing for the simpler times of how Christmas was spent, check out the BBC site with facts about Christmas traditions and downloadable instructions for crafts! (isn't this just the best part?)

Fable: My Natural Beauty Story

When I was a young girl, my dad would take to me the mall and my favorite shop was The Body Shop. I has a small allowance from my parents and so most of it was spent there. I would be quite excited when a new catalog came out (there was no online shopping yet!), and I would read them cover to cover. What I liked about them was their ethical-conscious approach to marketing their products, and their naturalness, or at least I thought it was anyways.

In mt mid-twenties, I moved to England. I got a job managing a natural beauty boutique in Brighton (coincidentally, the town where the first original Body Shop was!). We sold brands like Dr. Hauschka and Weleda.  This is where I learned what real natural beauty was. And I was hooked! It is simply the most beautiful products I had ever come across. I learned so much from working there, from managing a shop business to products and ingredients. I loved all the predicts we sold, but I was always looking for new product lines to fill in gaps we had in our ranges. Often times, there would be customers coming in asking for products that didn't exist. I was always looking for natural equivalents/alternatives to what was available in the market.

However, after about a year, I was laid off, the recession in England had kicked in and they could no longer afford its management staff. A while after, I moved back to Canada, not knowing what I would do next.

My love for natural beauty continued. I decided that it was time for me to put all those product ideas I had floating in my head to reality. I wanted the most soothing of lip balm, creamiest of cleansing milk, fragrant of bubble bath, AND all natural, not a drop of synthetic chemical (no parabens, no SLS, no EDTA, no polysorbate, etc). And this is how Fable natural Products came to be-- from a mere desire to exemplify the best of what natural beauty has to offer to the world.  This year, I opened my online shop and its product range continues to grow.

Justed added: Lavender Soap

I love Lavender. I love the scent, I love the color, I love the plant itself and its use as a herb for soothing the mind, body, and soul.

Lavender has long been used the ritual of bathing and washing. It is found that the ancient Romans infused Lavender the bath water of the bath houses.

I just added this Lavender heart-shaped soap to my collection of naturally scented soaps. This one is infused with a hint of Labdanum to sweeten the scent of Lavender.  Just $8! Check it out here.

One of my favorite things to do is looking at fashion illustration. I once aspired to become one professionally, but other ambitions came my way. I was very pleased when this came through my inbox today:

Fashion Illustration: Visual Poetry

January 20 - February 25, 2011

gallery hanahou

611 Broadway, Suite 730, NYC

galleryhanahou.com

Curated by renowned artist, fashion illustrator, and educator Bil Donovan, "Fashion Illustration: Visual Poetry" brings together 14 of the most talented and innovative artists working in fashion illustration today for an exhibition that showcases the possibilities of the genre to complement, respond to, and sometimes transcend fashion. 

The pieces in the exhibition represent artists from a number of different countries and a broad spectrum of styles. Taken together, their client lists cover every perspective of fashion, from small labels to large retailers and all manner of media. 

Featuring works from

Bil Donovan

Carlos Aponte

Cecilia Carlstedt

Daniel Egneus

David Downton

Eveline Tarunadjaja

Jeffrey Fulvimari

John Jay Cabuay

Laura Laine

Samantha Hahn

Sara Singh

Stina Persson

Tina Berning

Tobie Giddio

New Packaging and Formula for Fable Natural Sheer Color

I used to love all the lip sheers, lip stains, lip tints, until one day I found out... they were full of parabens, propylene glycol, synthetic preservatives and other possible toxins that would be absorbed right through my skin, if I wasn't already eating it! Then I started to explore the idea of how to get the sheer color effect in a product using only natural ingredients. After trying out many ways, I've found that the best  was using mineral color in a lipstick (I tried other ways like a lip balm in a little jar, but the formula didn't stay on long).

So here is the new, longer lasting version of Fable Natural Sheer Color in Rose, with new packaging in a retractable lip stick case for easy application. It is made from organic Coconut oil to nourish lips, Cocoa Butter to soften lips, and a splash of pure mineral color to add sheer color to lips while giving a plumping effect (when the light hits the micro mineral particles, the lips appear fuller). No unpleasant after-taste, just beautiful, natural-looking lips! Just $10! Check it out here.

New & Improved- Fable Natural Lip Care

It is the season for lip balm. Chapped lips are no fun. Stock up on a good natural lip balm to keep your lips kiss-ably soft this winter. Fable Natural is a brand personally formulated by yours truly. In the past, I have tried a lot of different lip balms and most have an icky after taste. Lip Balm by Fable Natural is made from pure organic Coconut oil and Shea Butter, with soothing Calendula extract to immediately soothe cracked lips. I've been told many times over by customers that this is the best lip balm they have ever tried. I have to say I agree!

Recently, I reformulated the lip balm to improve upon its texture, to make it easier to glide it on to lips in cold weather, and to make it stay on for longer wear. I've always added the Lip Care Stick, which is the same great new formula in a retractable lip stuck case. Both are $8 each, makes a great gift or treat for yourself. Check them out here.

Cocoon Loop Scaf in KSH

Got a single skein of Rowan Kid SIlk Haze (KSH) lying around and not sure what to do with it? Might I suggest the Cocoon Loop Scarf that only takes one skein! I, like many experienced knitters love Kid Silk Haze, but having found it a bit challenging to work with at times, a bit too expensive to buy too much of it for a project. But we love the colors and the beautiful texture of the yarn! So have buy one hoping to figure what to do it with it one day. I've knit this design several times over and have not gotten sick of it! It's very addictive, yet very simple and easy to learn.

To get this pattern, go here and download it from Ravelry.

And the added bonus is that it knits up so quickly, it can be done as a last minute gift! That loved one receiving it will be absolutely impressed and astonished that you made this for them.

Martha Stewart Crafts 50% off Coupon!

I love the Martha Stewart Crafts line, especially the craft punches and cutting tools. They look elegant and effectively designed. I just had to share when I got this in my inbox. Until Dec. 24, 2010, you can get 50% off any one regular priced item from her line at Michaels across Canada and US! Just go here to download the coupon.