Author Archives: Pure Grace

DIY Hair Mask made with 3 natural ingredients…

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The Happier Homemaker Hair Mask

Photo courtesy of the Happier Homemaker

As I mentioned a few weeks ago one of the projects I want to tackle this summer was trying some natural recipes that M. GRACE and I find interesting and hopefully you do as well.  The first tutorial we posted about was the DIY Eyelash Growing Serum from Whipped Green Girl.  Today we are intrigued with the 3 Ingredient Moisturizing DIY Hair Mask from The Happier Homemaker.

I love the personal reason Melissa from The Happier Homemaker mentions for her need to develop this recipe because I too love my hot iron.  Plus she’s right about the wonders and benefits of coconut oil.  This recipe is fantastic because it needs only 3 ingredients and I like things to be as simple as possible.Pure GRACE Soap Hair Mask

M. GRACE (8) and I made this recipe per the directions.  Actually she did all the mixing including cracking the egg.  She added the coconut oil to the bowl first, then the avocado and mashed them together.  Finally she added the egg and mixed again.  I began to work the mask into M. GRACE’s hair.  Melissa mentioned the coconut oil will warm up in your hands and traditionally this does happen for me but since the egg and avocado were both straight out of the fridge I was having trouble getting the oil to warm and mix into the rest of it.  M. GRACE has pretty short hair for a girl so I worked plenty of mask into her hair and sent her to go look at herself in the mirror.  I wanted to try the mask as well and there was plenty left but first I warmed it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and it was long enough to begin the melting of the coconut oil.  I was able to smooth out the oil and really incorporate it into the mask mixture better than before and it made the process much easier for me.  I had enough mask left to do my whole head of above the shoulder but thick hair.

M. GRACE and I enjoyed wearing this mask for about 15 minutes and then rinsed it out.  She was most thrilled that the water came out green.  Our hair felt great and looked shiny, fuller and softer.  We will probably try this treatment again possibly once every 2 weeks like The Happier Homemaker recommends.  We would definitely recommend this mask to our readers.

If you end up trying this recipe we would love to hear about your experience in the comments.

Opening Day at the Farmer’s Market…

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Pure GRACE Soap Detergent and MoreOpening day at the Downtown Farmer’s Market was fantastic!  The weather could not have been any more wonderful; sunshine with a slight breeze, just perfect weather for outdoor shopping.  With 30 plus vendors at our local Market there is much to see and do and this year marks the tenth year of the Market’s existence.  Pure GRACE Soap Masculine Soaps

We spent alot of time this year thinking about how we would like to change around our booth setup to make it more visually appealing to our customers as well as showcase some of our new products.  As you might know we carry a very vintage vibe and flair to everything we do so it was only fitting to work with some fantastic vintage pieces – our favorite 1950’s Maytag Pink Washer is always a must, we also brought back our big white sink for sugar scrub demos.  We added a large old wooden board ladder for soap display and the coolest blue Samsonite piece of luggage which currently houses our masculine line of soaps.

Pure GRACE Soap ScrubsThe bath bombs continue to be one of our best sellers and therefore earned themselves placement at the front of the booth on our favorite shabby chic white table which we purchased from one of our retail locations last year.  We added breezy natural curtains to the booth and a cool large weave rug.  We love our new booth and based on the feedback from our customers, they do too!  Pure GRACE Soap Bath Bombs

Some of our newer products include our all natural powder deodorant which is available in 4 scents – unscented, peppermint, lavender and cedar.  It is a deodorant powder, not an antiperspirant which means it will not inhibit the ability to sweat but it will allow you to smell clean and fresh.  The powder can be applied via a makeup type brush or with fingertips.  A little goes a long way and we are happy to offer a natural alternative that not only works well but does not contain any questionable or harmful ingredients.

Pure GRACE Soap Scrubs and Seasonal SoapsWe also have added a felted wool soap bar kit which has been extremely popular with our customers.  It includes all the supplies and directions needed to make 1 bar of felted wool soap and comes with the bar of soap of your choice.  Its a great gift for the crafty person or for someone who is hard to buy for.  Many of our customers buy the kit to work on with their kids or grand kids.

Finally we had to make room for our seasonal soaps.  Currently we are offering 4 new scents for Spring/Summer.  They include coconut, margarita, honey almond with oats and lilac made with goats milk.  The hands down favorite is the lilac and we are working like crazy to keep it in stock!

We hope to see you soon at the Downtown Terre Haute Farmers Market.

DIY Eyelash Growing Serum…a natural recipe

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Whipped Green Girl Eyelash Growing SerumOne of the projects I want to work on this summer is to begin to provide to you, our readers and clients, some educational tutorials for natural beauty products.  My goal is to choose recipes that are simple and contain basic ingredients most of us either have or can get easily.  And, of course, recipes and tutorials that do not contain chemicals or questionable ingredients.  M. GRACE and I will try to make as many of these as possible and add our thoughts and experience.Whipped Green Girl Eyelash Growing Serum Tubes

The first recipe I want to highlight is one originally posted by Angie at Whipped Green Girl.  Angie teaches us how to make our own Eyelash Growing Serum.  Now I must be honest…a few years ago I actually purchased the name brand of this product that was at the time celebrity endorsed by the beautiful Brooke Shields.  I remember it being more than the $100 dollars Angie mentions.  While it did work well for the time I used it as soon as I stopped using it my eyelashes went right back to their normal length.  And, while I did enjoy the extra length and darker color of the lashes I did wonder exactly what I was applying to the top of my eyelid.

Whipped Green Girl Pure GRACE Soap ContestWhipped Green Girl has posted a very simple recipe to make this product at home along with practical advice and tips.  I love how she details the benefits of each individual oil and includes a link to purchase the possibly hard to find empty mascara tube.  Check out Whipped Green Girl’s tutorial here.  I have yet to try this recipe but if any of you do I would love to hear about your experience in the comments.

Why you are over there check out the review and contest she is offering in conjunction with us.  You could win a goodie bag of soaps and lip chap!

Hobnob Market, Danville, IL…

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DSCN2802smallSo how excited were we to be accepted into the juried show Hobnob Market earlier this year?  Super excited!  Hobnob Market is based out of Danville, IL which is about an hour drive from where we are located in Terre Haute, IN.  Holly and Scott Snelling were our amazing hosts for this one of a kind, cool as can be vintage marketplace.  They currently offer 3 markets each year, two are in Danville, IL and one in Effingham, IL.  We are happy to be participating in all three this year!DSCN2766small

Marketed as “Not your Grandma’s Antique Show”, the first marketplace took place this past weekend at Kennekuk County Park near Danville.  Us along with roughly 150 other vendors gathered our wares under large tents.  We had one thing in common – our love of all things vintage!

This show is amazing and if DSCN2736smallyou get a chance to come see it I would highly recommend it.  Anything and everything you have ever wanted and things you have never even dreamt of are here.  I’m pretty sure I could live here…forever.  But I had to pull myself together.  I was a vendor after all, I was there for selling not buying…. Don’t worry, I found some time for buying when my husband wasn’t looking.  But back to selling.

DSCN2748We met some of the most incredible people at Hobnob.  Both vendors and clients alike; everyone was so happy to be there and in the moment.  Friday night hosts the “Fresh Picked Party”.  Its a special VIP sort of night consisting mostly of girlfriends and wine.  Did I mention wine?  I didn’t have the chance to try it myself but my clients said it was fabulous.  Everyone shows up in their party attire and gets first pick of the market.  The next morning the market reopens for a full day of fun and shopping.  We saw more husbands and families on Saturday but still everyone was so happy to be there.  Although the weather was soggy and rainy on Friday night, Saturday was a real treat and just perfect!DSCN2732

We had so much fun at this show.  We really got a chance to step up our booth setup and work with some larger display pieces we normally don’t carry out to shows.  We enjoyed talking with people from multiple states who came in town exclusively for this show.  The other vendors made us feel like we were part of their family, they were incredibly welcoming and helpful.  All in all it was a wonderful experience and we literally can not wait for the next market which is this September 11 and 12.  For more information on Hobnob Market check out their website here.

It’s our One Year Anniversary…

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June 14 2014Happy Anniversary to us!  It’s been a whole year since M. GRACE asked to be part of our local Farmer’s Market and we developed Pure GRACE Soap.  Our first show was exactly one year ago today and it was the Herb Faire, a fantastic show we had shopped for years before ever thinking we would be vendors at it.  That year we had wonderful weather and a happy M. GRACE standing at the front of our tent asking people if they would like to smell her soap.  She was a natural, speaking with new customers and telling them about the products we had been working so hard on.  She won them over that day with her sweet smile and young entrepreneurial skills but whats been more exciting is that they continue to come back week after week and month after month seeking us out at different shows and online for our all natural products.  Who knew a simple request from a then 7 year old girl and a mom who would want to encourage her daughter to live out her dreams and learn some life lessons along the way would turn into a real company that is (if we do say so ourselves…) doing some pretty cool things!

So a HUGE thanks to all of our customers and clients who have supported us every step of the way.  We could not do it without you.  You HAVE made a difference in our lives.  And we LOVE you all!  Keep a close eye on us to see what this year brings.

Resident Business of the Month Article…

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Southern Deming LivingWe were honored to be including in the local magazine, Southern Deming Living, as the resident business of the month this month.  The article in its entirely can be found below:

Pure GRACE Soap
Written by Julie Manson

Over a year ago my daughter Madeleine asked if we could participate in the Terre Haute Farmers Market. Madeleine had spent a lot of Saturday mornings at the Market getting fruits and vegetables (and cupcakes) with her dad while I was home with our infant son. My husband Tom always made the trip to the Market fun, including a yummy father daughter breakfast from Clabber Girl or Square Donuts after getting supplies. While considering Madeleine’s request, she told me how she thought the vendors seemed to have such a good time and genuinely enjoyed being at the Market. She liked having conversations with them, learning about how they grow their produce and why they made the decisions they did about selling their wares. I knew then that opening a booth at the Market would not only provide Madeleine and me with a great opportunity for some one on one time (she was feeling the stresses of a new baby brother), but it would allow me to teach her life lessons that she couldn’t get from a book and fulfil her wish to sell “something” at the Market. So I agreed, we’d open a shop, and with that, Pure GRACE Soap was born.

It didn’t take us long to figure out what we wanted to make and sell at the Market. Like a lot of other kids, Madeleine had dry, chapped lips in the winter months. It had gotten so bad that winter that I had taken her to our dermatologist in Indy and she had prescribed three different prescriptions to get the issue under control. Once I saw the list of ingredients, mostly chemical words I could not pronounce nor understand, I said no way, there has to be a better solution. Luckily there was. Coincidently a friend had made our family some all-natural lip balm for a Christmas present and after trying it and seeing it heal Madeleine’s lips seemingly overnight we knew our direction.

We have always been a rather “green” family. We compost, we try to eat as organically as possible. We have gardened on and off. I tossed the plastic years ago in exchange for glass. I made my own baby food when it wasn’t on many others radar and have been crafty on and off for years. I began researching soap and other body products and quickly put together a rough idea of what our Farmers Market booth would be – soaps, scrubs, salts, lotions, lip chaps, detergents and wool dryer balls. At the core it would be products we believed in – products Tom and I would feel comfortable using on our kids and products which were all natural, homemade and made in small batch. Many recipes and test batches later Madeleine, who goes by M. GRACE for business purposes for Pure GRACE Soap, and I were ready to setup at our first show.

Our first show was the Herb Faire at Fairbanks Park last May 2014. It was a wonderful experience! We met so many amazing customers who were interested in all natural skin care and bath and body options just like us. Madeleine would stand at the entrance of our booth and invite them to smell her soap as they walked by. It was pretty hard to resist a sweet girl asking you to smell soap and eventually they would come in to the booth to see what else we had for sale. The Farmers Market season began in June and it was great to see Madeleine enjoying her request to be part of it. She was even featured in a newspaper article during the opening weekend which was a highlight for her.

Since the Herb Faire and Farmers Market we have released dozens of new soaps. Our product line and customer base has grown larger than either of us ever could have imagined. We have added moisturizing bath bombs, facial sugar scrubs in addition to body sugar scrubs, a complete line of men’s soaps and spa soaps made exclusively with essential oils and skin benefiting clays. We have a new activated charcoal facial soap bar coming out soon along with two types of shampoo bars which are great for travel. Our dryer balls have somewhat of a cult following – they are an no static all-natural alternative for removing chemically laden dryer sheets and fabric softener from your laundry routine.

Through this experience Madeleine has learned more than I ever anticipated she would. She has learned to step outside of her comfort zone and approach (friendly) strangers, she can speak extensively about our products. She has helped to develop many of the recipes and scents. She provides her insight as to what pictures to place on the website and social media. She has real thoughts about what makes a product worth a certain price and what quality really means. I am glad she came up with the request to be part of the Farmers Market, we have both enjoyed seeing Pure GRACE Soap grow and develop.

You can find us at area craft and art shows throughout the year along with the indoor and outdoor Downtown Terre Haute Farmers Market. Our online store and a listing of our retail locations can be found on our website at www.pureGRACEsoap.com. We ship worldwide and routinely take custom orders.

This May is not only our one year anniversary of being in business but also our first Hobnob Marketplace show of the season. We will be launching our Spring/Summer line of soaps at this show and the Herb Faire (Mother’s Day weekend). We will be featuring special promotions and have lots of Mother’s Day gifts ready for gift giving. The outdoor Farmers Market begins again the first Saturday in June and you can expect to see some great Father’s Day gift ideas from us including Bacon Soap, Beer Soap and the launch of our Beard Line including beard oils and waxes and our new Men’s Shaving Line of soaps.

We’d love to have you keep up to date with what we are doing on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pureGRACEsoap and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PureGRACESoap. You can contact us anytime at info@pureGRACEsoap.com.

PINK of Terre Haute Fashion Show…

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Pink of Terre Haute Fashion Show

Photo courtesy of Modern Charm

Who hasn’t been touched by cancer?  I think most of us have been whether it was us, or someone in our immediate family, friends circle or just someone we see once in awhile.  If you haven’t been touched in one way or another by this terrible disease you are very lucky.  Personally, we have had too many friends and family members fighting hard against various forms of this monster.  We pray for them, we fight for them and we rejoice in their victories, small and large.

When we heard about a fashion show in our town of Terre Haute, IN that supported breast cancer we knew we wanted to be part of it.  PINK is a non-profit organization born out of the unmet needs of patients, families, and caregivers of Wabash Valley residents touched by breast cancer.  They hold only a few events each yearPink April 2015 and the fashion show is one of the best ones.  Held in the gorgeous Indiana Theatre this fashion show is top notch.  I could go on about the clothes, food, drinks and VIP treatment but my favorite part of the evening was the models.  They were all woman who were going through current treatment or survivors, and boy were they gorgeous, inside and out!

There was so much love and support surrounding this event and we were thrilled to take part in it.  We enjoyed talking to lots of lovely ladies about our products and giving advice to them for skin issues they are having due to treatment.  We wish them all of the best and look forward to seeing them again next year.  Keep up the good work PINK!

Earth Days 2015…

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Article April 2015We had the privilege of vendoring at two Earth Day events this month.  The first was midweek at Indiana State University and the second was the following Saturday at Saint Mary of the Woods College, White Violet Center for Eco-Justice.  We really enjoyed both of these events.  The weather was spectacular each day and there was a comfortable, happy feel in the air.

We decided to demo how to felt a bar of soap at our first Earth Day celebration.  The process is not difficult and one we really enjoy.  Jessica, our assistant, was on hand with me (Julie) at the show.  She took care of helping customers with their purchases while I demonstrated the felting process and answered questions about it.  We had several thousand students and visitors come thru during the time we were set up, it was great to meet and talk to so many new people.spring 2015

The process of wet felting wool onto a bar of soap will actually make the bar of soap inside last longer than a traditional bar of soap.  When the wool gets wet it does not feel rough or scratchy, rather it softens up and provides a gentle exfoliation.  Using a wool felted bar of soap feels much like using a washcloth and soap all in one.

Indiana State University sent out a press release on our demonstration plans and we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves on the front page of Valley Life the Sunday before the event.  It prompted us to make several wool felted soap kits so our clients could make their own bars at home.  They were a success and everyone seemed to like them with a few customers even sending us pictures of the bars they made at home.  The kits come with all the supplies needed to make one bar of felted soap along with directions and your choice of bar of soap.

Although we did not do any demo at the following event at Saint Mary’s we did have a great time connecting with our customers one on one.  The pace of that show was a little slower and just perfect for visiting and catching up.  The campus at Saint Mary’s is old, well maintained and stunningly beautiful, if you ever find yourself in the area I would highly recommend you take a few minutes to relax, recharge and reconnect with the Earth there.

 

Evening of Art and Wine…and Soap in the Bathrooms…

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Evening of Art and Wine

Photo courtesy of Terre Haute Women’s Club

We were delighted when the Terre Haute Women’s Club asked us to participate in the annual “Evening of Art and Wine” event benefiting the Shoe Bus.  The event, originally established in 1972, was born out of a need to distribute shoes to Vigo County School Corporation students in financial need.  During that same year a local auto dealer donated a van to the Club and it became known as the “Shoe Bus”.

The event is April 18, 2015 and open to the public; tickets are available online.  The event, held at Hulman Center, continues to grow in size and includes local wines and appetizers for the evening.  Support a fantastic charity while visiting with friends, viewing and purchasing some of the local artwork.

While you are there make sure to stop by the bathrooms to freshen up!  You will find an assortment of our soaps in both the men’s and woman’s restrooms for your use.  We are happy to help this organization in any way possible.