Rew Elliott Style: In The Details : Groomsman Shaving Sets

Rew Elliott Style: In The Details : Groomsman Shaving Sets: Finding the perfect gift for your groom or his groomsman can certainly be a challenge. But I think you'll agree, after a visit to Dirty Deed...

Thanks to Rew Elliot Style for posting about our grooms sets!

The Journey Continues

Did you know it takes a lot of effort to buy a building. Lemme tell you, it does. I think its a widely known "secret" that Justin and I have been looking at expanding Dirty Deeds for awhile now at the same time as making an impact in the local art community. I have these grand lofty goals of owning a multi-use space where we can have our boutique/studio space, as well as room for other artists and small business owners. In this space I have ample room for an art gallery for local talent and touring artists. Not so far off is a performance space for live theatre, music and special events.

Sounds great right? I thought so too.

Do you realize there are things such as money, zoning boards, fire marshals, codes, permits, blue prints, designers, builders, quotes, estimates, did I mention money?...needed to pull something off like that? Well yeah, some of those are no brainers, but even then its not simple.

Justin and I have scoured our town and close communities just searching to find that one perfect building that we can invest our life into transforming. Its exciting at times, stressful and above all an adventure.

At some point this will happen, even if it ends up by the time Im 60. Ill be one fabulously happy 60 year old with our dream business/building.

Ill keep everyone posted about our progress, pitfalls, and triumphs to hopefully encourage those who have the entrepreneurial spirit within them.

For now, I leave you with my pinterest, Inspiration board.

Heather & Justin Married {Lubbock Wedding Photographer}

Heather & Justin Married {Lubbock Wedding Photographer}

Dirty Deeds got MARRIED!

Well all this talk and planning, we finally did it. Oct 1, 2011. Ive now been basking in the after glow of bridal bliss and easy peasy family blending. Its pretty cool to have such a great life. Working together with your best friend, raising a family together and planning for the future. Its been a pretty fabulous ride and every day I wake up and thank God for pretty much making my life rock.

Ill also be posting some pretty cool how tos on some of my design aspects for it truly was a handmade wedding. From my centerpieces, decorations, boutineirs and hair pieces...it was such a great time and I will cherish all the memories spent with family and friends.

Its gonna be a great year.

Dirty News

So much is going on for our little soap shop, sometimes I cant even fathom how far we have come in such a short amount of time. Our fans/friends are pretty much the coolest people in the world and we wouldnt be any where without you guys.

Onto the cool news.

Channel 5 is doing a feature story on us for their Locally Owned slot. Its a relatively new program so Im excited that we were picked to be one of the first few they have used.

Upside, they are going to shoot us making soap, talk about working for yourself and owning your own business as well as filming at our local farmers market. The Downtown Art Market. SOOOO EXCITED.

The bad news is, they are coming to our house. As in a real live camera crews inside our house. This means a full out heavy duty spring cleaning. Even the top of our fridge got a good once over. Its a little nerve wracking having strangers with cameras come into your home let me tell ya.

However, I have decided that some of the things I love most about working from home is the fact that my son's highchair is 2 feet from my desk. I step over toys to get to my work table, and silly songs is occasionally playing in the background.

This is our life, and I LOVE it. I wouldnt change what we are doing for the world, so Im pretty a-ok sharing that with people. This is our business, our family and being at home with them is what makes it so wonderful.

So as long as you dont mind a little baby clutter, our soaps are the best ever. :)

The Art of the Manly Shave

Well you knew it was coming. Our Manly Shave sets are one of our most popular products. So its high time we share a bit about why we think its been such a hit, and why you should be shaving like James Bond.

There is a huge arsenal of reasons why men should be using the Classic Wet Shave, least of which is that its just plain cool.

1. Economics. Lets start right here, because money is always at the forefront of most decisions. especially when we are dealing with things we need to be able to use on a daily basis. For a minimal start up, a mug/dish, a starter boar brush, shave soap and safety razor...you can have the beginnings of something that will last your entire life. Soaps can cost anywhere from 4-7 bucks and can last the equivalent of about 3 cans of shave foam. Replacement blades for your safety razor can be purchased at most drug stores or grocery stores, because they are simply double sided razors. You can find packs of 10 for about $4.95 making them only .45 a piece. You can imagine our shock after Justin has been purchasing decent replacement blades for a lot more than that for something similar to the Gillete, or Turbo Fusion Mach 9 something or another.

It just made financial sense for us.


2. Handsome face. Who doesn't like a good, handsome face. I know I personally do. Im all about good skin, smooth, and soft. It definitely helps when your getting in close. Handmade shave soaps are specifically designed to be better for your skin. They dont have harsh detergents, additives, preservatives that dry out and cause skin irritation. They are simply loaded with natural moisturizers like shea butter, oils, and clay to help the razor glide across the skin. Not to mention they smell so much more incredible than anything that could come in a can.

3. Good for the Planet. So maybe this isnt on the forefront of your mind while you are trimming your manly quoffe. Thats ok, but I tell you, its just one of those added bonus's you get to tag on while you are getting the best shave a man can get. Traditional wet shaving uses less waste than shaving with cartridge razors. All you are throwing away is one double sided razor, and the lather that is going down the sink. Unlike today’s razor cartridges, a double edged blade can also easily be recycled. Not to mention it just looks cooler on your sink than a can.


4. You get to be a badass. Classic wet shaving just makes you feel manly. There is no other way around it. From your great grandfather, presidents, assassins, Steve McQueen's, and every other cooler than most men...you will feel awesome using the tools of the trade to maximize your testosterone.

Downtown Art Market

This past Saturday, Justin and I got to spend time at one of our favorite places. The Tornado Gallery in Downtown Lubbock. Every second Saturday of the month, they open their doors to local artis
ts, vendors and farmers in the Downtown Art Market (DAM for short). The mix of artists, friends and patrons comes alive and there is always something new to discover.

For instance the fabulous gourd lady herself, Melissa Jones had some of the most intricate and amazing natural woodwork and painted gourds I have ever seen. Not to mention some of her designs are award winning, OOAK pieces of art, that truly are affordable for your home. I even picked up a gourd drum for my father this past Christmas.




Another artist I have gotten the pleasure of getting to know is Krystal with ReMain Eco Design & Consulting. She has some of the most amazing natural, renewable sculptures and design pieces. She uses recyclable material, such as bicycles, driftwood, and farm tools to create her works of art. Its pretty amazing to come across her lighting fixtures and could totally see us outfitting our new home with her unique designs.






Now there is no denying I am pretty much in love with all of Courtney Roper's designs. I got pretty much everyone in my family something from her lovely store "The Dapple Apple" even Justin some fingerless gloves for when we do our open markets. They are steel gray and are very smexy. I love her jewelry designs which always seem to show a piece of her. They are lovely and you should never leave the DAM without stopping by her booth and taking a look at all the new lovelies.

One last mention for the night...
If you havent checked out the new Sandstorm Glassworks in person you are truly missing out on the hottest thing in Lubbock. Sandstorm not only has amazing glass work for your home such as beautiful vases, and wine bottle stoppers....but they also offer workshops on glass blowing. They allow you to come into their studio and make something unique, creative and you. One of these days Justin and I will do their "date" night and make some new memories of our own.

It's a Brides Life.

Its been a bit of stretch since our last post, but I wanted to share with you an exciting event that I attended with some my favorite ladies. My bridesmaid crew and I attended the very huge, very exciting Lubbock Bridal Expo this past Sunday and I had such an amazing time. There were so many vendors there from venues, to cake decorators, to limos, flowers, entertainment...pretty much everything you could imagine under one roof.

It got lots of new ideas flowing through my head, as well as cementing a few I already had. I know I will want a Fall wedding, with lots of rich chocolate browns, deep reds, and bright orange, with hints of fern and ivy green. Im just way too excited about all the possibilities and am trying to find a way to plan all my DIY projects.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the event.

Courtney Roper from the always brilliant Dapple Apple, who just happens to be one of my fabulous bridesmaids and I totally got business minded while we there too, just thinking of all the ways you could incorporate a way for Brides to see us an viable options for their wedding day. Jewelry, and hand knitted lace gloves, soapy bridal favors and grooms \gifts, and all kinds of special details to help others make their days special.

A few days later Justin and I remembered we have some absolutely fabulous vintage Ben Seibel mugs and decided to put a set together for grooms or groomsmen gifts. I was over all pretty happy with the pairing, and it was just in time for our brand new Badger bristle brushes.

Im totally excited about the possibilities for this years spring and bridal season and am already planning on how to make next years even cooler.

New Years Dirty Goals

A new year is about to begin. I hear lots of people talking about resolutions and promises they are making to themselves on what they want the new year to bring. I figure business can have New Years Resolutions or "Goals" too.

Here is my list for the New Year for Dirty Deeds Soaps...

1. Use our blog. We have had it here for awhile. I want to learn to play with it more, adapt it, design it, utilize it as a way to communicate with other small business's, fans, and just a place to let people know whats going on with us.

2. Definitely want to expand our product line. The goal is to start carrying liquid soaps, sugar/salt scrubs, bathroom and kitchen inspired art/decor. Im pretty excited about this in fact.

3. Bring in some more "business" partners. Id love to incorporate some of my best friends and the most creative people I know, for possible natural mineral make up, and more ceramic offerings such as soap dishes and accessories.

4. Find better ways to communicate with our patrons, fans, and friends.

I think that about sums up our goals for the coming year. Hope you reach your goals, and follow your heart.

Merry Christmas from Dirty Deeds Soaps!

What an amazing holiday season this has been for Dirty Deeds. I cant believe all of the amazing things that have happened to us. If you would have told me back in October when we started this that we would have done all that we had...I would have laughed in your face. No really. I know what its like to help build a business, brand your identity and get people in your door. For years I have worked the non profit sector with Art Galleries, Charitable Groups, and been on the board of a local community theatre. Ive seen both ends so its pretty cool to see us come so far in such a short amount of time and I cant wait to see what the future holds for us.

Awesome Things this Christmas....

Dirty Deeds Soaps was featured on the Front Page of Etsy twice. Once for our Starter Wooden Shave set... as well as our Bridal Shower Favors....I was just ecstatic to see this happen for us, even more so on a personal level. Yes its our business, name, products but its also a photo that someone deemed cool enough to share. The photos themselves have become a creative outlet for me and makes me giddy too see other people using them as well.

The other amazing thing that happened for Dirty Deeds was, well...I have been working with my business partner Justin since the beginning, and we have quickly watched it grow into something amazing, just as we have watched our family grow. We are now officially engaged as of Christmas Eve and are just over flowing with emotions, support and love. I know for a fact I would not be able to do any of this without my life partner, love, and constant source of brainstorming, support, and firm ground. We both bring something to table, and we both help make not only our business but our lives better for knowing one another.

Heres to another great year, and we hope this finds you surrounded by those that love and nourish you. Have a great new years everyone.

How to have your own Dirty Deeds

1. Our House. If you are local, call, make an appointment to come over and smell you favorite soaps and take them home with you that day. 806-281-9972

2. Our website. Money Order, Check, or PayPal. Register with our site, fill your cart and we will ship where ever you are (even special international rates)

http://www.dirtydeedsoap.com/

3. Our Etsy site. If you enjoy shopping on Etsy, go check us out. Money Order, Check or PayPal and we ship as soon as payment is made.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/DirtyDeedsSoaps

4. Local Fairs and Markets - Periodically you can find us at local art markets, fairs and festivals so you can smell and pick your favorites right there.

5. Lastly, send us an email at info@dirtydeedsoap.com We can make arrangements via email to have your order processed and shipped.

Thanks everyone for your support and cant wait to see where this takes us.

P.S. We just shipped our first etsy/out of state order today and it was awesome!

Undirty Uses for Soap

As they say cleanliness is next to Godliness....but did you know that soap can help you do more than wash away "dirty deeds"?

We have looked up some of the most common, unusual, fun, and/or helpful uses for soap. Bet you didn't know you can fish, catch fleas, change a light bulb and deodorize your car with a simple bar of soap.

1. Deodorizer- I have always collected various room spray fragrances and candles to help make my house smell good (most of the time to distract from its disarray :) However many of these products contain a variety of hazardous and unwanted chemicals that we spray into the air. Instead, take soap slivers or entire bars of soap to deodorize your home, car, closet, etc.. Just wrap the soap in an old piece of stocking and place where desired. An instant clean smell, without all the chemicals polluting the air you breathe.

2. Unscrew a broken light bulb - Yep, no more annoying how many "____" does it take to change a light bulb jokes. Anytime you have a broken light bulb that is still screwed in to the socket, just turn off the power and insert the corner of a dry bar of soap into the socket. With a few turns, the bulb will unscrew.

3. Lubricant - Soap can help cantankerous drawers, windows, hinges, or screws. Rub a bar of soap on your drawer glides and the bottoms of the sides to ease sticky drawers. For windows, rub the soap on the sliding elements. If you have a project and the screws are a little hard to get in, try rubbing the tips with soap to make them easier to screw in.

4. Flea Trap - Keep your pets, get rid of the feas. Mix a little soap into a bowl of water. Place the bowl under a dim light before you go to bed. You will find the dead fleas floating when you wake up. Much less toxic and expensive than flea spray or powder.

5. Pin Cushion - Love this one, useful and keeps your sewingsewiing area smelling great. Wrap a bar of soap in a bit of cloth and use it as a pincushion. Again, the soap will act as a lubricant, making them easier to insert into fabric.

6. Loosen Stuck Zippers - Just rub a little down your zipper and it will get it moving again.

7. Mark a Hem - Another sewing helpmate, if you run out of chalk just use a sliver or bar of soap make your lines and then they wash right out.

8. Soot prevention - If you’re planning a cook out using a cast iron pot, rub a bar of soap over the bottom of the pot before you set it over the open flame. The soap will make for easy cleanup, as the soap will prevent the soot from accumulating.

9. Pest Repellant -A bar of strong smelling soap, like Irish Spring, will keep deer, raccoon, possums, etc.. out of the garden. They absolutely hate the smell of Irish Spring soap

10. Dirty fingernail prevention - Before you do your next gardening project, scrape your fingernails over a bar of soap. The resulting soap accumulation will keep dirt from getting under your fingernails and will wash away at clean up.

11. Bug bites - Rub the bites with a dampened bar of soap for instant itch relief. It also helps keep the bites clean.

12. Fish Bait - For example, Ivory soap can be used as fish bait. You boil it down and allow it to sit and re-harden. This is just to prevent it from crumbling when you put it on the hook. If you are careful and gentle, you can just cut a chunk of the bar and ease it onto the hook. This is a technique used for years. I just recently saw an episode of Hooked on the Discovery channel where tribes were still predominantly using soap to fish for catfish.

Sources

Readers Digest
http://www.rd.com/home-garden/8-superb-uses-for-soap/article24016.html

Mrs. FIXIT
http://mrsfixit.com/fixits/FixitDetails.asp?id=518

Gomestic
http://gomestic.com/home/top-ten-unusual-uses-for-soap/

Bridal Shower Favors Handmade Soap

$80

A Dirty Deed Day

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Well here we are. Our own little blog on the intraweb and a new store that is treating us well. We opened a little over a month ago, while taking about 3-4 months learning, preparing, and getting our soaps ready for the outside world.

Here we plan on posting photos, updates, words of wisdom, words that have a little less wisdom, and just plain fun about crafting, soaping, art, markets, and having an indie business.

We hope you enjoy learning more about us and feel free to comment and talk about your own experience in living and loving your art.

Dirty Blog

Dirty Deeds Soaps & Bath Accessories Blog is now open!