Who is Diana's Gift Shop

Here is a page of real quotes from real customers about Diana's handmade products :

http://dianascraft-antiqueshop.4t.com/Whatcustomerssay.html

I make and sell hand-sewn eye masks/eye pillows, neck pillows, travel pillows, decorative room scenting pillows, sachets for closet/drawer/car - even shoes, and I use real herbs and flowers inside for the scent.

I also make all natural goat milk soaps, lip balms, "Rescue my Skin" balm/salve and perfumes... too.

I make my own infused oils to get the scent for my perfumes and soaps.
I use my own flowers - I dry them and then infuse them into expellor pressed (NOT solvent extracted) safflower oil.
I am starting to use golden jojoba in my perfumes (less safflower oil) as it has a much longer shelf-life.
It is very expensive so I am hoping I can keep my prices low, but I'm not sure.
* I do have to order organic vanilla beans/coffee/jasmine... as I cannot grow them myself here in Ohio.
This way, I get to have lilac scented products among other scents that are all natural.
Lilacs (as well as jasmine...) do not give up its essential oils in the conventional manner. and I will NOT use a fragrance oil/absolute/concrete... as these are either all fake - or - as in the case of absolutes and concretes - the scent is real, but the method of extraction is using hexane or some other chemical that I want to avoid.
This is why I make all-natural products - so I can AVOID using most chemicals in my life.
I do use some pure naturally obtained essential oils too when needed.

It takes anywhere from 4 weeks to 4-5 months (if not more) to get my all-natural infused oils and it takes a LOT of flowers and many - many - many hours of labor in the harvesting and de-stemming work, but it is worth it because I know there are no chemicals in my products.

My friends and family like to tease me that they could survive by eating my all-natural products if they had to - LOL
Now, I do NOT recommend that - LOL - but I do use all natural ingredients and I do not use anything harmful in them.
In fact, now that I think about it, I suppose that if I were to be on an island with no provisions except my handbag - I would eat my lip balms, perfumes, and "Rescue My Skin" balm/salve... as at least I would be getting some value from them and I know they wont hurt me.
Probably wouldn't taste very good - LOL - but probably better than a boxed dinner or a fast food burger as far as health - LOL

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Each of my sewn items is unique as my handmade items are just that - hand done from start to finish - hand-cut, hand-sewn and hand stuffed.
Even most of the herbs and flowers were hand harvested from my own organic gardens.

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WHY do I do all of this work ?

I believe that if something is worth doing at all, it is worth doing the best that I can.
And - I want my family, friends and customers to know that they are important to me and therefore - I want my products to be special.

My family and friends deserve the best that I can offer and so do my customers.

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A word of warning though, since my perfumes and soaps and my hand stitched items take a while to make, don't wait too long to order what you want because when it is gone - I may not make more of the same and if I do - I mostly use my homegrown herbs/flowers... and may not have any dried ready to use and may have to wait until next year to have more.
Also, in the case of my sewn items, many times I use vintage fabrics and cannot get anymore of that fabric.

I hope this little module helps to explain my All Natural/Organic/Environmentally friendly mission.

Organically Yours,

Diana

I was invited to set up a booth for my all natural handmade products.

The event is called "Girls Night Out"

Here is a little information from my invitation:

Mill creek metro parks website for garden photos and directions

Girls Night Out
Fellows Riverside Garden

It's that time of year when our bulbs begin to poke their heads out of the dirt and snow. It won't be long until flowers will be blooming and everyone is in awe. As Mother Nature plans her grand show, we at Fellows Riverside Garden are planning ours. We will host another Girls Night Out event for this May following our smash success last year.
Girls Night Out 2009 will be held on May 28th from 5:30 - 9:00 pm....
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I am so honored to be asked to set up at this event.
I work very hard at promoting organic gardening and natural living so this will be a wonderful opportunity.

I sell online mostly now as there is such a demand for all natural products, but if someone calls and wants to stop by - I can schedule an appointment for them on a Monday or a Wednesday between 11am - 4pm.
I LOVE having visitors, I just want to make sure I don't have the place torn up too badly.
When I am working on my formulations or doing inventory, it can be very messy as I have my containers of herbs and flowers... all over the place for easy access.
Or, if I am out working in my gardens, I can be a mess myself - LOL

My perfumes and my "Rescue My Skin" balms have gotten very popular and because I make them in small batches and by hand, I am making them quite often - but I don't mind as I demand quality.
I also sell quite a bit of my hand-sewn items too. I make them all from scratch so they take time too.

I have happy to have been asked to showcase my items at
"Girls night Out" at Fellows' Riverside Gardens at Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, Ohio on May 28th this year (2009).
They are focusing on natural health and wellness and they thought my products would be perfect.- Wow, I have to get busy making a bunch of things.

I will be sharing a booth with my daughter who designs one-of-a-kind jewelry and crocheted hats with a vintage flair. Her line of products is called Vintagely Contagious.
Her items will be perfect for this event too as she stresses recycling by finding great uses for vintage buttons, beads, and other findings. She even makes many of her clasps by hand instead of buying the readymade ones.

UPDATE: We had a good time and met some great folks - even sold several of my bigger items too !
I will do it again next year if I can.

I have been working on my soaps and have them curing all over on just about every flat surface.

Next, I need to make some extra perfumes, lip balms, bath salt teas, my "Rescue My Skin" balm, my "Save My Skin" balm - my newest balm, and I want to put toether a few gift baskets in case anyone wants one already done up.

Then, when I get a second or two, I need to take some really good photos of my products.
I am getting a new look for my online store soon and I want to use photos of some of my products in the design.
I also want to have better photos on my product pages.

Yikes, I am still looking for that 30 hour day so I can try to catch up on everything I need and want to do.

Okay, sing it with me:
"Oh where oh where does all the time go - oh where oh where does it go... ?"

I am not a doctor, so, by law, I cannot give out medical advice.

You, the consumer, have to make up your own mind based on your own research and/or the advice of a medical professional.

I cannot make any therapeutic claims about my products when asked "What should I use for ..."
My products are not intended to cure ailments.

A doctor, pharmacist, or chiropractor may give natural recommendations if asked.

Also, research the use of herbs, butters, oils, goat milk, resins... .
* Don't forget to consider any possible allergies or medicine interactions.

Then, try my balms, soaps and bath teas... to see what YOU think.

Here is my online store link in case you decide to try anything I have and see for yourself what you like best.

Organically Yours,
Diana

http://OrganicGiftsByDiana.mybisi.com

Here is a little blurb about my handmade all natural perfumes with photos :

http://organicgiftsbydiana.blogspot.com/2009/04/love-perfume-but-not-chemicals-find-all.html

Diana's soap shop aka travel trailer will get a workout this Fall - or maybe earlier if we have some cool days and the time.
My oldest daughter wants to learn to make soap, so we will be making good use of my 24' travel trailer that I bought last Fall (2008)

My hands are not that strong anymore so I have been buying fresh soap and then rebatching it with my homegrown herbs and flowers along with organic herbs/flowers... that I bought.

Since she wants to make soap now, we can have our own fresh soap and I will rebatch much of that by adding herbs/flowers...
The plain soap will just be cut, wrapped and labeled after it cures and dries.
However, Rebatching is the best way to retain the scents and other properties of the botanicals... as the lye and the heat of making the soap would destroy most of it in the process of making the soap.

... you'll automatically be making a donation to my daughter's eating, clothing and college fund.

Doesn't that feel good?

The photo is of her and I collecting for our local MDA Lock-Up where I "Went to jail" for MDA and had to raise my bail by fundraising.