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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Another Blooming Rose Joins Our Team Leaders!

Etsy Natural Healers Guild member Jackie of GloryBeHerbals is our newest addition to the team leaders of the guild! We are so very happy to have her join us in helping the guild be the best we can be! I would like to share with you all an item from her shop that conveys just how amazingly beautiful each and every talented guild member is...like a blooming rose!

"Pure Rose Essential Oil" by GloryBeHerbals

Below is a team treasury featuring several members of the Etsy Natural Healers Guild created by the gorgeous blooming rose Team Leader (and my beautiful twin sister) Andrea of Storybook Artifact! This guild member treasury is titled "Roses Bloom Before Frost".
Thank your Andrea for featuring one of my newest shop listings, my "Vintage 60's Honeysuckle Pink Newport Stripes Scarf" in this enchantingly romantic team treasury!!! By the way team members, "honeysuckle pink" is one of the hot color trends of the season...it is mentioned in this month's Etsy Merchandising Desk on the Etsy Blog...you might just want to feature this popular color in your next team treasury like Andrea of Storybook Artifact did in this team treasury, to increase your chances of getting your team treasury on Etsy FRONT PAGE!!! ;-)
This blog article was created by the Team Captain of the Etsy Natural Healers Guild Jessica of Eco-Friendly Freckles.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Essential Oils for the Holidays

Fall has arrived and I will soon have to abandon my garden and retreat indoors until Spring.  Now that it's getting dark earlier and earlier I am so grateful to have aromatherapy to carry me through. 

Aromatherapy fascinates me.  Everyone knows how smells can trigger memories of family gatherings but there is so much more to it.  When we smell cinnamon, nutmeg, or clove our first thoughts are pumpkin pies and Thanksgiving.  But these essential oils do so much more for us.  They are warming, mental stimulating and strong anti-microbials.  Perfect for the Fall and Winter when it's dark longer, colder outside and we are all couped up together during cold and flu season.  I probably protect myself even more than I realize just because I spend more time blending and diffusing oils just to keep my spirits up.

The oils I like this time of year are the warming spices-coriander, nutmeg (use sparingly), cinnamon, clove, ginger, allspice and cardamom;   little citrus like bergamot or orange;  Christmas tree smells like juniper, cypress, rosemary, pine, fir, spruce, cedarwoods;  medatative oils like frankincense, myrrh and sandalwood; peppermint always make me think of candy canes and of course a little cocoa absolute, because chocolate is always good!

I diffuse these oils pretty constantly when we have friends and family over.  It creates a warm, inviting atmosphere and has the added bonus of stimulating appetites.  You've been cooking all day so you want these people to eat, right?

Other oils to consider for the Holidays could include coffee and vanilla absolute, and since I'm Italian by marriage I also use Basil!

This article was contributed by Jackie Alberti of Glory Be Herbals.  To find products for natural healing log into etsy and search "healguild"

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Lady's Luncheon Luxuries and GIVEAWAY!!!

Ever once in a while, ladies need to take time to confide in their friends, indulge in satisfyingly sweet treats, and delight themselves with the luxurious lovely embellishments that bring smiles to our faces and remind us of our fun femininity! Below several Etsy Natural Healers Guild member feminine frills are featured that will assist the wholehearted hostess in putting together a desirable lady's luncheon; be it a bridal shower, birthday party, or maybe just for a spot of tea with the dashing dames!

But FIRST! I would like to announce that a dear friend of mine Cinderella of Cinderella Chats is hosting a BLOG GIVEAWAY for a gorgeously girly handcrafted table cloth!!!
To enter to win this adorable handmade tablecloth there are two requirements:

- Become a follower of the Cinderella Chats Blog.

-...And tell Cinderella why you would like to have the tablecloth in the comments section of her blog post.

Entries must be submitted by midnight September 30, 2011 and you may only enter one submission. The WINNER will be posted by 6pm on October 1, 2011.

"Lady Grimalkin Tea - Organic Tonic for Women" by Etsy Natural Healers Guild Member Bittersweet Apothecary

"Vintage Lefton China Roses Lady Fingers Vase" by Etsy Natural Healers Guild Leader Storybook Artifact

"Linen Water - Organic Vanilla Lime Static Remover Spritzer" by Etsy Natural Healers Guild Member Mistical AcScents

"Vintage 40's Art Deco Florentine Silver Plate Ice Tea or Dessert Spoons (Set of 6)" by Etsy Natural Healers Guild Team Captain Eco-Friendly Freckles

"Muslin Herb Tea Bags (Set of 5)" by Etsy Natural Healers Guild Member Dreamweaver Shop

"Rosebud Beeswax Candles (Set of 2)" by Etsy Natural Healers Guild Member Dragon's Den


"Ecofriendly Aroma Spray Concentrates" by Etsy Natural Healers Guild Member Glory Be Herbals

This blog post was contributed by Etsy Natural Healers Guild Team Captain Jessica of Eco-Friendly Freckles.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Support Team Leader to WIN Challenge!!!


Trees are FULL of knowledge...They bless us with the wonderful plants and fruits of HEALTH AND HEALING!!!

Please Click and Comment on my sister's (Team Leader Andrea of Storybook Artifact) treasury titled "Tree of Knowledge"...this treasury of hers is entered into a treasury challenge...and I want her to WIN!!! Her treasury needs views! Thank you guild members...You are WONDERFUL!!!

www.etsy.com/treasury/MTI2MzgxMjd8NjMyNDk4Mzc3/tree-of-knowledge

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Naturally Rise and Shine



Here is just a small collection of "healguild" goodies that may perk you mornings or at least your spirits. ;-)  Featured above is a decoupage art canister from team captain Eco-Friendly Freckles titled Sunshine on a Rainy Day.



Featured here^ is a tea blend by TempestsTemptations called A Cup of Sunshine Tea.
 


And featured lastly, here is a luxurious bath scrub by UpstateHerbWorks: an Every Body Polish with Bolivian Salt Scrub called Awake.



This blog post is a contribution from team leader Andrea of Storybook Artifact. :-)



Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Etsy Natural Healers Guild Members Unite!

The Etsy Natural Healers Guild is full of guild members with a passion for natural healing. As team captain, I am very proud to be leading such a diverse group of natural healers. I would like to announce that I will be discontinuing the weekly treasury challenge; this may not be a permanent decision; however for now, I would like the team to focus on creating just ONE required guild member treasury per month and post the link to your treasuries in a discussion thread for that month's required team treasuries. I am the winner for this week's treasury challenge so I figured that now is a good time to announce the challenge's discontinuation.

I would like to also add that we are in need of team blog authors, if you are interested please contact me via convo or in the team discussions. Our team blog authors can write about subjects in natural healing, share recipes, or discuss anything that you feel is suitable or of interest to the Etsy Natural Healers Guild! Being a team blog author is also great promotion for your Etsy shop...at the bottom of each of your blog articles please write "This blog article was contributed by" and then list your name and shop name, and link to your Etsy shop! All of our team blog articles automatically get published to our Team Facebook Page...so that means even more promotion for your Etsy shop and the Etsy Natural Healers Guild!

Please let's all share our ideas and aspirations for the team on the team page in the discussions forum. I want to see our guild become the best it can be with supportive team effort.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Time to Vote for Your Favorite Healers Guild Challenge Treasury!


It's TIME TO VOTE for the winning Etsy Natural Healers Guild Challenge Treasury for the week! The winner will be featured in all of the challenge treasuries for next week!!! The featured winner of last week featured in this week's challenge was Cynimue! Here are the three finalists for the week:

1. "Peaches and Cream" by Storybook Artifact
3."Cat Woman's Cushion and Cream" by Eco-Friendly Freckles

You can place your vote in the poll on the right-hand side bar of this team blog. Thank you everyone for your participation in this week's challenge...we have had some beautiful participating treasuries in this week's team treasury challenge! It has been a lot of fun! The finalists in the poll are the three "most popular" treasuries (with the most views and lots of "hotness").

This blog post was contributed by Jessica of Eco-Friendly Freckles; Team Captain of the Etsy Natural Healers Guild!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Weekly Team Treasury Challenge #9


It's time to announce the winner of the Etsy Natural Healers Guild Treasury Challenge! Drum roll please....It's guild member Cynimue with her charming challenge treasury "Childhood Memories: Tea Parties and Lemonade Stands". Now on to the next treasury challenge hosted by the Etsy Natural Healers Guild!
*_ Remember, everyone participating in this week's treasury challenge must feature one of Cynimue's beautiful shop items anywhere in the first 3 rows (NOT as an alternate in the fourth row) of your treasury.

This week's treasury theme is "CREAM", and remember that it can mean anything to you so have fun and express yourself within your challenge treasury!

The Etsy Natural Healers Guild Weekly Treasury Challenge is open to EVERYONE and not just team members so feel free to join us! You do NOT have to belong to the team, to participate or win the challenge! The Winner of the Challenge will have their shop items included in every treasury for next week's team challenge!

On Sundays we will all get to vote for the best challenge treasury in a poll that will be featured on the right-hand side of the team blog; there will be three participating treasuries to choose from (these will be the most popular of all of the treasuries in the challenge or the treasuries with the most views).

You have until Sunday, August 14th at midnight...

Challenge Requirements:

1. Include an item from this week's featured shop (Cynimue) anywhere in the first 3 rows (NOT as an alternate in the fourth row).

2. Do NOT include any of your own items, or more than one item from the same shop.

3. In addition to the featured shop item, your treasury must contain at least SIX items from Etsy Natural Healers Guild members. These "team-related" items can be placed anywhere in the treasury. For a list of team members, click here ... or you can also find them by searching the our team tag "healguild" in Etsy.

4. Tag your Treasury "healguild" and"healguildchallenge9" (the number "9" without any spaces). If your treasury isn't tagged correctly and doesn't show up in the treasury search results by the judging deadline, it may not be judged. In case their are difficulties finding your treasury by searching the treasury tag, please also leave a link to your treasury in the comments of this blog post. Highly recommended! There is also a thread on the Etsy Natural Healers Guild team page where you can post a link to your entry challenge treasury. All of these things really help others find your treasury more easily.

6. Include a link to this blog post in your Treasury description (or in the first comment). This is very IMPORTANT! This is what helps get the word out about our Challenge! If you're not sure what to say, feel free to copy and paste this:

This is an Etsy Natural Healers Guild Treasury Challenge entry! Anyone can play!
Find out how to participate: http://etsynaturalhealersguild.blogspot.com/

Recommendations:

1. Follow this blog!

2. If you have items in your shop that are health conscious, made of non-toxic materials, or are healing in any sort of way, please feel free to join the Etsy Natural Healers Guild Team! We'd love to have you!

3. Message the shops featured in your Treasury, letting them know about the Treasury and the challenge!

4. Promote your treasury and the challenge! Tweet, Facebook, and share with friends.

5. Use themes from Etsy's August Merchandising Desk to increase your chances of getting a Front Page Treasury!

6. Support other participants! Click, comment, and share other "healguildchallenge" treasuries.

Important Notes: Only shops that abide by Etsy's Rules & Regulations are eligible to win. Past winners are eligible to win again.

This challenge ends (you must submit your completed challenge treasuries by) Sunday, August 14th at midnight.

We will vote for the winner from the three most popular challenge treasuries on Monday, August 15th.

The winner of the challenge will be announced and the next challenge will begin on Wednesday, August 17th
.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Discover Your Inner Child - Time to Vote for the Weekly Treasury Challenge Winner!

I absolutely adore this photograph of a "Girl That Looks Like a Shrunken Witch" by TaraReneArt. It brings back memories of myself as a young girl playing in the old creek behind my childhood home. :-) I love reminiscing about those fun-filled days full of imagination and adventure! Share something about your childhood here in the comments of this blog post if you would like!

It's TIME TO VOTE for the winning Etsy Natural Healers Guild Challenge Treasury for the week! The winner will be featured in all of the challenge treasuries for next week!!! The featured winner of last week featured in this week's challenge was NouveauTique! Here are the three finalists for the week:

1. "Childhood Memories: Tea Parties and Lemonade Stands" by Cynimue
2. "Childlike Empress" by Storybook Artifact
3. "Feel Like a Child in a Wicked Garden" by Eco-Friendly Freckles

You can place your vote in the poll on the right-hand side bar of this team blog. Thank you everyone for your participation in this week's challenge...we have had some beautiful participating treasuries in this week's team treasury challenge! It has been a lot of fun! The three finalists in the poll are the three "most popular" treasuries (with the most views and lots of "hotness").

This blog post was contributed by Jessica of Eco-Friendly Freckles; Team Captain of the Etsy Natural Healers Guild!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Weekly Team Treasury Challenge #8

"Vintage Rose and Gold Tone Cage Locket Necklace" by NouveauTique

My apologizes for this late treasury challenge post!...Nonetheless, it's time to announce the winnerof the Etsy Natural Healers Guild Treasury Challenge! Drum roll....It's NouveauTique
with her delightful challenge treasury "Dance Through Dreams". Now on to the next treasury challenge hosted by the Etsy Natural Healers Guild!*_ Remember, everyone participating in this week's treasury challenge must feature one of NouveauTique's beautiful shop items anywhere in the first 3 rows (NOT as an alternate in the fourth row) of your treasury.

This week's treasury theme is "CHILD", and remember that it can mean anything to you so have fun and express yourself within your challenge treasury!

The Etsy Natural Healers Guild Weekly Treasury Challenge is open to EVERYONE and not just team members so feel free to join us! You do NOT have to belong to the team, to participate or win the challenge! The Winner of the Challenge will have their shop items included in every treasury for next week's team challenge!

On Sundays we will all get to vote for the best challenge treasury in a poll that will be featured on the right-hand side of the team blog; there will be three participating treasuries to choose from (these will be the most popular of all of the treasuries in the challenge or the treasuries with the most views).

You have until Sunday, July 24th at midnight...

Challenge Requirements:

1. Include an item from this week's featured shop (NouveauTique) anywhere in the first 3 rows (NOT as an alternate in the fourth row).

2. Do NOT include any of your own items, or more than one item from the same shop.

3. In addition to the featured shop item, your treasury must contain at least SIX items from Etsy Natural Healers Guild members. These "team-related" items can be placed anywhere in the treasury. For a list of team members, click here ... or you can also find them by searching the our team tag "healguild" in Etsy.

4. Tag your Treasury "healguild" and"healguildchallenge8" (the number "5" without any spaces). If your treasury isn't tagged correctly and doesn't show up in the treasury search results by the judging deadline, it may not be judged. In case their are difficulties finding your treasury by searching the treasury tag, please also leave a link to your treasury in the comments of this blog post. Highly recommended! There is also a thread on the Natural Healers Guild team page where you can post a link to your entry challenge treasury. All of these things really help others find your treasury more easily.

6. Include a link to this blog post in your Treasury description (or in the first comment). This is very IMPORTANT! This is what helps get the word out about our Challenge! If you're not sure what to say, feel free to copy and paste this:

This is an Etsy Natural Healers Guild Treasury Challenge entry! Anyone can play!
Find out how to participate: http://etsynaturalhealersguild.blogspot.com/

Recommendations:

1. Follow this blog!

2. If you have items in your shop that are health conscious, made of non-toxic materials, or are healing in any sort of way, please feel free to join the Etsy Natural Healers Guild Team! We'd love to have you!

3. Message the shops featured in your Treasury, letting them know about the Treasury and the challenge!

4. Promote your treasury and the challenge! Tweet, Facebook, and share with friends.

5. Use themes from Etsy's August Merchandising Desk to increase your chances of getting a Front Page Treasury!

6. Support other participants! Click, comment, and share other "healguildchallenge" treasuries.

Important Notes: Only shops that abide by Etsy's Rules & Regulations are eligible to win. Past winners are eligible to win again.

This challenge ends (you must submit your completed challenge treasuries by) Sunday, August 7th at midnight.

We will vote for the winner from the three most popular challenge treasuries on Monday, August 8th.

The winner of the challenge will be announced and the next challenge will begin on Wednesday, August 10th.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Mother Nature's Dance: Time to Vote for Your Favorite Healers Guild Challenge Treasury!

"Original Watercolor Illustration - Mother Earth" by Adelaida

It's TIME TO VOTE for the winning Etsy Natural Healers Guild Challenge Treasury for the week! The winner will be featured in all of the challenge treasuries for next week!!! Here are the finalists for the week:

1. "Dance Through Dreams" by NouveauTique
2. "Dance Away Your Worries" by Eco-Friendly Freckles

You can place your vote in the poll on the right-hand side bar of this team blog. Thank you everyone for your participation in this week's challenge...we have had some beautiful participating treasuries in this week's team treasury challenge! It has been a lot of fun! The three finalists in the poll are the three "most popular" treasuries (with the most views and lots of "hotness").

This blog post was contributed by Jessica of Eco-Friendly Freckles; the new team captain of the Etsy Natural Healers Guild!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

What's NOT in Mother Nature's Cup of Tea: The Dangers of Artificial Sweeteners (Aspartame, Splenda & Truvia) and Natural, Healthy Alternatives

The breathtakingly beautiful handcrafted teapot featured above is a one-of-a-kind creation from the Etsy shop Adrien Art.

Scientific research has shown that artificial sweeteners like Aspartame, Splenda, and Truvia are very hazardous to our health. Aspartame, the common zero calorie synthetic sweetner, in diet sodas, sports drinks, flavored waters & teas, nearly ALL chewing gum (and I am not just talking about the "diet" ones), children's drinks, etc...is discovered to be a dangerous neurotoxin; and scientific evidence suggests that it may lead to neurological disorders like Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis. With my mother and twin sister both having Multiple Sclerosis (MS), I am very cautious about this synthetic ingredient. Although, my sister (who has MS yet is in very healthy shape right now) and I avoid Aspartame completely; our mother at the youthful age of 48, however, is completely paralyzed from the neck down and is living in a nursing home where she has been living for 12 years because of the debilitating effects Multiple Sclerosis has had on her body. Now, what is the one thing that our mother has been consuming daily for all of this time? Aspartame; in her diet soda and in the form of "Sweeten Low" in her iced tea...everyday. Now, I am not saying that Aspartame caused her disease, I just have a sense of concerned intuition about the safety of this ingredient. My mother strongly opposes leaving Aspartame out of her diet because she "loves it" and refuses to believe that it could be harmful to her body. I personally think that she is physically addicted to Aspartame.

There is a very informative documentary that I think everyone should watch called "Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World" that talks about the effects of Aspartame by doctors, scientists, and victims of this very common additive in our food supply. I strongly advise that everyone sit down and watch this film and show it to your friends and family. Here is a link to the full film:

Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World


Now, I know that many people believe that Splenda is a healthy sugar substitute; however it is over-processed and thus transformed into a chlorocarbon, with a molecular structure closely resembling chlorine-based DDT, the banned pesticide. Please look at this article on the Women to Women Website and these short video clips by Dr. Mercola about the dangers of Splenda:

"Sugar Substitutes and the Potential Danger of Splenda" by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP

"Scientific Basis for Splenda Toxicity" by Dr. Mercola

"Is Splenda Really As Safe As They Say It Is" by Dr. Mercola

Unfortunately "Truvia" is now being advertised as a "healthy and natural" alternative to sugar; however, like Splenda, it too is overly-processed and has posed concern to scientists and doctors about it's safety. Please check out these links about the health concerns of "Truvia"...and please do your own research:

"Truvia: New Low Calorie Sweetener (Toxin)"

"Truvia Side Effects"

You may now be asking..."What is the answer to the sugar substitute madness?!" Well, there are several NATURAL and HEALTHY choices out there for you to try. First of all, local, all-natural honey is a great and very medicinal sugar alternative (I even use honey in baking); pure maple syrup and molasses are also natural, healthy choices.


Stevia products that you can find at your local health food stores are extracts from the Stevia plant and are very healthy for you. These places shouldn't carry Truvia I assure you...I know because I work at Akins Natural Foods Market and we don't carry it. Also, something that my husband Joe and I love to use is the actual Stevia leaf; we make our own herbal tea blends and add just a few pinches of Stevia leaf to our herbal tea blend (our favorite right now is Sassafras, Sarsaparilla, Licorice, Peppermint, Star Anise, Stevia leaf, and a hint of Cinnamon...mmm, divine)! You can find Stevia Leaf in this charming herb shop from fellow guild member of the Etsy Natural Healers Guild: Mistical Acscents. Here is their link to their Stevia Leaf listing:

"Stevia ORGANIC Natural Sweetener"Now, there is also another healthy and natural sugar substitute that I am very curious about...coconut sugar! Please check out this fascinating article about Coconut Sugar from Natural News:

"Coconut Sugar: Enjoy the New Star Among Low Glycemic Sweeteners"

My husband, Joe and I actually buy this delicious and surprisingly NUTRITIOUS (naturally contains trace minerals) Coconut Sugar by Natural News!!!

This blog article was contributed by Etsy Natural Healers Guild Team Captain Jessica of Eco-Friendly Freckles.