This Saturday, May 11th, the 3rd Annual “Spring Thing” is back! This year’s show, sponsored by the DC Craft Mafia, will feature over 40 local, indie and alternative artists. Included are Baltimore’s own, Nikdapooh Designs, Design by Night, Jill Popowich Designs, Becca & Mars, Beeps’ Peeps, Block Party Press, Jennyjen42, Open Eyes Press, The Littlest Bean and Jersey Girl Designs.

If you’re in the area, come support Baltimore artists and find a fantastic selection of Mother’s Day gifts! For more information visit http://www.craftmafiadc.com/

AND

In other exciting news (for me), Becca & Mars will be closed for vacation between Saturday May 11th through Monday May 20th.  I will learning about natural products in Spain!  Well…I’ll be in Spain, eating and drinking and exploring!  So if you have any upcoming requests, please contact me quickly.

Happy Mother’s Day this weekend!

After a grueling winter with sickness, I’ve been working on our new Refresh line.  At the end of last year, we added Refresh Aromatherapy Blend and now we have launched the new Refresh Vapor Balm.

This natural breathing aid uses essential oils to help with congestion from cold, flu, sinusitis or allergies. It’s also made with moisturizing ingredients like Shea butter to ease the chapping that comes with blowing and wiping.

It comes in small .5oz container – a little goes a long way.  And also, it’s convenient to carry in a purse and handy to have year round.

You just rub thin layer on your chest and/or throat and dab under nostrils to clear sinus congestion.

We use the following essential oils:

*Eucalyptus – antibacterial, antiviral, decongestant

*Lavender – antihistamine, antiseptic and antimicrobial

*Peppermint – benefits the respiratory system, helps open nasal passages

We’re proud that this product is Petroleum free, unlike many ‘over the counter’ brands. Petroleum jelly is a byproduct of oil drilling – not something I want to absorb into my skin!

Refresh Vapor Balm retails for $8.50.  May you have a happy and allergy free Spring!

Being outside and playing with my daughter, long walks, cloud watching on beautiful days

Color coming back into the world as the gray melts away and people begin to emerge again.

And here are some of my favorite Etsy items to get you in the mood as well.

Beautiful watercolor 8×10 painting

by Jellybeans from Ontario, CN

I love these modern porcelain planters

from Revisions Design

Speaking of spring, it’s around this time that people change their scents to something lighter and more springy.  So we’re putting some of the Winter Night line on sale!  FREE SHIPPING on some fabulous products while supplies last:

Winter Night Bath Oil, Aromatherapy Blend and Sugar Scrub Gift Set

Finally, I’ll leave you with a song of the day, maybe the most classic Wilco song, Jesus Etc., done acoustically by Jeff Tweedy

Violets are blue

It’s time to think about Valentine’s Day

Come on, you know you want to...

It may be a cheesy holiday to some, but people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day to show their love for one another. In the U.S., we have cards, dinners, flowers and chocolates. But, here are a few Valentine’s Day traditions from different countries:

Aishite imasu* – JAPAN

In Japan, it is only the women who give presents (mainly chocolates) to men. Japanese women are usually too shy to express their love. (Though that might not be true nowadays.) Therefore, Valentine’s Day was thought to be a great opportunity to let women express their feelings.

Ti amo* – ITALY

A tradition in Italy’s Valentine’s Day history was the notion that the first man a girl sees on Valentine’s Day would be the man (or look like the man) she would marry within a year. Unmarried girls would wake up extra early to sit by their window to look for men who walked by.

While the candy tradition in the United States usually consists of some sort of heart-shaped box of assorted candies, the traditional candy gift for Valentine’s Day in Italy is a chocolate-covered hazelnut called a Baci Perugina. The candy is accompanied with a small piece of paper that contains romantic poems in four different language.

Jeg elsker dig* – DENMARK

People of Denmark referred to Valentine’s Day cards as “lover’s cards” and they were once made from transparent material that reflected a picture of a lover bestowing a gift to his or her significant other when it was held up to the light. Instead of the red roses many Americans associate with Valentine’s Day, Danish people give white flowers that they call “snowdrops.” People used to give pressed white flowers to their Valentines, but these days they have switched to bouquets.

However you celebrate…with romance, with black hearts, or out with the girls,  Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

Valentine's Day Sugar and Spice 2-Piece Bath and Body Sampler Set

*I love you

** PSST…Take 20% off all Becca & Mars items through Friday February 8th.  Coupon Code is: MYVALENTINE

Cooking:

One thing we might try this year is “spatchcocking” the turkey.  Spatchcocking, or butterflying, is the fastest and easiest way to cook a turkey with juicy meat and a crisp skin.  It can save hours!

Here is a recipe from the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/543/45-Minute-Roast-Turkey.html

Just make sure you know how to cut through the backbone. Below you’ll find a Spatchcock How-To Guide from Serious Eats (www.seriouseats.com)

How to Spatchcock A Turkey

Etiquette:

Bringing a small token hostess gift is also good manners, especially if you’re staying for the whole holiday weekend.  Frequent recommendations are consumables the entire family can enjoy,  or you could also bring a nice item for the home. We often bring Hand Candy Sugar Scrubs as gifts in fall scents like Orange Clove or Cinnamon Vanilla.

Here’s hoping for a delicious relaxing Thanksgiving for you and yours.

Best,

Erica

A picture of my daughter Ally, then aged 3, very grumpy at her preschool Thanksgiving concert.

My number #1 new love is Reviva Labs Vitamin K Cream

Vitamin K is fantastic for fading bruises, under eye circles and redness. Yep, that’s me.  It feels so cool and good going on my skin.  The texture is amazing and I can definitely see results.

Next is my very own Live Clear Astringent.  I spend a lot of time outside, and yuck, Baltimore is HUMID!  Live Clear feels so cool and refreshing.  It gets the dirt and oil off my face, neck, chest and back.  And that makes me happy because I’m a clean freak!

If I’m stressed, my skin looks dull and splotchy. Also, I literally have “thin skin” so it loves vitamins.  Avalon Organics Vitamin C Renewal Facial Serum helps reactivate cellular renewal and promote collagen production while evening skin tone. It has a nice texture and citrus scent as well. You can use it morning and evening after cleansing.

Finally, after your skin is nice and healthy (don’t forget to moisturize even though it’s summer).  Here’s a bronzer that is a must-have in my make-up collection,  Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder. I’ve never found one better than this. As they say on their Web Site, it has become a cult product.  It leaves a natural looking tan and even has a moisturizing formula.  It’s perfect for a summer daytime look!

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Hello I’m Ally the Becca in Becca and Mars, I may only be 7 years old but a kids’ point of view can be stronger than an adults’. Me and my friends say that hand candy are one of our favorite snacks, we like Peppermint Vanilla and Orange Clove the most, but we’d eat any of them except Sugar and Spice and Orange Ylang Ylang. In scents we’d recommend: Lemon Creamsicle, Peppermint Vanilla, Dirty Cinnamon and Orange Creamsicle. So remember taste some Becca and Mars, and use our recommended hand candies. Use Becca and Mars it’s what the kids want. Good day – Ally.

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Here are pictures of Ally, some Hand Candy and our cats Lulu and Lola.

Ally, Lulu and Hand Candy Scrub

Ally, Lola and Hand Candy Scrub

Upcoming Shows:

4/22: The Highlandtown Wine Festival, 1 – 6 p.m. at Our Lady of Pompei Convent Garden (3600 Claremont St.) Baltimore, MD.  Food, drink, crafts, music and lots of wine! http://www.highlandtown.com/highlandtown/web.nsf/0/C0213A3F9AC33BD185256FC400583D6D?opendocument

4/23: GBMC Earth Day Celebration, 10 – 2pm at GBMC Hospital in Towson, MD.

4/28: Baltimore Vegfest, 11 – 3pm at the UMBC campus in Baltimore, MD.  Vegfest is a free event celebrating healthy, sustainable, and compassionate eating.  http://www.thehumaneleague.com/BaltimoreVegFest/index.htm

5/5 and 5/12: Fenton Street Market in Silver Spring from 10:00 – 4:00.  It’s back!  After a close call, Fenton St. Market is back this year in downtown Silver Spring. Enjoy all the artists and crafts and the adjoining Farmer’s Market.  http://www.fentonstreetmarket.com/

New Product Now Available:

We’ve had a lot of requests for this one:

This lip scrub is made with beeswax, sugar, sweet almond oil and tangerine essential oil .
Use anytime your lips are flaky or feeling dry. A must for dark or matte lipstick wearers!

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All right folks,  until we meet again!  (Hopefully at one of our shows if you’re in the Baltimore/DC area!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Just a quick blogging drive-by to let you that we still have some Holiday Hand Candy Sugar Scrub Sets…so we’ve put them on sale!

Get them while they last!  Prices marked down online!

3-Piece Scrub Set, Orange Clove, Peppermint Vanilla, Winter Night

2-Piece Scrub Set, Orange Clove and Peppermint Vanilla

 Cheers!

Erica and Steff