This Just In!

Friday, June 26. 2009

What to buy a Diva

I'm not so high maintenance anymore, I have way too much makeup, too many clothes, ok - not enough shoes or purses... but ultimately, my wishlist is pretty simple....

1. a new ipod - ok lost mine in 2007!
2. a new camera -also lost in 2007!
3. travel $. Gosh I spend a lot of money on travel. Travel paraphaenilia too - passport holder? a mini kit of stuff I always need...?
4. flowers...framed pictures....
5. A new flat iron? Haven't really replaced mine with a good quality one since it broke.
6. happily ever after

ok and stuff like the harry potter dvds, stargate dvds, sappy movie dvds.... maybe twilight, I might get into it yet...purses, maybe....shoes....This diva has gone from HM to happy - so it isn't so much in the stuff, just in the happy....

Wishing you happiness, love and light

The Diva

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Monday, August 4. 2008

Stila, Stila and More Stila!!

The long weekend is just about over! We had a great weekend with
both some work and some fun - ok...maybe a little more work than fun
but we still managed to get some R&R.

We're excited -
tomorrow we're getting our STILA shipment in! This is what you can
look for on the website within the next day or two:

STILA Moist Lip Tint
STILA Lip Pots
STILA Lip Shine Gloss
STILA Eye Concealer

Happy Monday!

-The Sophisticate

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Friday, August 1. 2008

Moistureblend Foundation, Studiofix Sticks and More MAC Cosmetics!

Wow! What a week! We've been working hard setting up the store and adding product! The website is LIVE - we're soooo excited. To top it all off, we received new product today!

Here's a list of what we got:

Moistureblend Foundation
Studiofix Sticks
Blush
Pigment Charms
Plushlash Mascara

These items have already been added to the store! We were too excited to wait - we had to open the box and list them all! (I've already started a list of all the items I want - it's getting so long!)

Keep your eyes out - we're getting more product within the next week!

-The Sophisticate

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Friday, July 4. 2008

Fair Trade Labor Practices & African Sculptures from Kenya and Tanzania

Out of Africa - We've all seen the movie or atleast heard of Tarzan & Jane...But how do you know what you're getting, what it's made of and how to understand if it's a fairly made product.

I hope this guide helps you understand how to better add to your collection and how to help the developing
countries of Eastern Africa break their cycles of poverty - even if it is one little step at a time.

My family spent a lot of time over the last few generations trading in the African "Curio" business...or what is known Outside of Africa as "Carvings" and "Sculptures."

In Canada and the US, I see these same Carvings and Sculptures sell for tens and hundreds of dollars, and am often amazed at the poor quality and wood used in them. In 2007, having spent several days with sculptors and carvers learning their trade, and bringing over many of their wares, I wanted to share some of my knowledge with you. I'm planning another trip to the villages of Kenya next year, so custom requests are not out of the question They make some gorgeous larger pieces and we can always request a wood, color, size or animal

WOOD:
Most Carvings made in Kenya and Tanzania are made from Mehrubani -
this wood, does not translate into an english tree, but is known for it's healing properties and is thought to cure or heal 40 different illnesses. The leaves from it are dried and mixed with water and then
drank. It's quite gross in taste, I think, but used for things like blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc. Having a sculpted wood piece from this wood is considered a good omen. Mehrubani is often stained red, yellow, painted and spotted to show the colors of Zebras, Cheetahs, and Giraffes. It's light, durable and transports well. Many of our carvings are made from this lovely and versatile light weight wood. Mehrubani is used in sustainable farming, is inexpensive for the carvers to procure.

Many Carvings are made from Ebony. Ebony
is a dense and hard wood and carvings from this wood are particularly heavy and black. Ebony is less grainy and much smoother. Ebony has a lot of historical influence and can be found anywhere from Egyptian jewelery to musical instruments. Most often in African carvings, you will see these in Rhinoceri, Panthers and Elephants.

Teak
is rare in East Africa, and with any other wood we are able to procure and our carvers then to try, they delight in molding it to new shapes and animals. A Curio carver is an artisan of the true kind - one who delights in his or her work, a generational carver and as such, he or she will try moulding anything into a one piece miracle - it's a good time to mention that almost all carvings are made from one piece of wood - unless they have detatchable bits like spears and shields.

CARVERS:
The
Carvers and Sculptors we are working with are local Kenyan and Tanzanian carvers who work in small groups and spend their days learning from master carvers. These individuals spend years perfecting
their crafts. Some of them are multi-generational carvers and begin carving as young as age 3. These are individuals from the Masaii and Kikuyu tribes. It's really important to me, that they are paid fairly,
so when we were down there negotiating, we were specifically ensuring there were no middlemen and that the money was given to the carvers directly, at fair labor prices. When you are buying your precious
piece, please take into consideration the impact of poaching, child labor, and international labor practices - to ensure we are helping build a better world
ANIMALS:
The carvers can make just about anything as long as they have seen it with their own eyes. Wildebeast, Elephants, Rhinocerous, Hippopotamous, Lions, Cheetahs, Panthers, Giraffes, Zebras, Crocodiles, Ostriches, and Turtles are not uncommon, nor are jewelry made from Camel bone. Keychains are made from wood as well as camel bone and animals that need tusks or other accents are normally accented with camel bone (instead of ivory). - This gives them a really nice and "alive" feeling - even though they are not.
Building one world, one step at a time,
-The Diva
Visit our Selection of Carvings by clicking on this link

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Thursday, July 3. 2008

The eBay Store & New Products!

So our journey begins with the arrival of new products and the relaunch of our Fantasy Finds eBay Store. Please feel free to visit the Fantasy Finds eBay Store - and if you see anything you like, bid or Buy it Now!

eBay is going through lots of changes though and we can't put up everything we have in stock - so until our shopping cart is up and running, we have put up pictures of all our inventory (well all that is photographed) in our Fantasy Finds Gallery. With prices. If there is anything you are interested in, please let us know and we can either do an in person sale or invoice you on the site of your choice or yes, set up a custom auction for you.

Currently in stock we have

-MAC Foundations

-MAC Lipsticks, Semi Mat, Mattene, Slimshine, Frosts, Cremes, Bullets, etc

-MAC Pigment

-MAC Blushes

-MAC Color base

-Anna Sui Tester Lipsticks - these are overstock and never got used as testers, but the packaging is slightly different and the tester label needs to get peeled off. If you're ok with that, the retail is 8.99 instead of over 40.00 as Anna Sui tends to run. I can say that honestly as I had to budget to buy my ONE Anna Sui lipstick and nailpolish that I covet and use sparingly! But at this price, who can beat it?!

Also online we now have available our full line of Fair Trade Kenyan and Tanzanian Sculptures made by Masaii and Kikuyu carvers.

-Animals ranging in size from keychain to Coffee Table sculptures, also known as curios. These are made from Camel bone, Ebony, Teak, Mehrubani and other woods. Animals include Cheetahs, Lions, Panthers, Giraffes, Crocodiles, Tortoise, Zebras, Elephants, Ostritches and more

-Sculptures of Masaii Tribal Men and Women, sold as individuals or Male and Female Warrior pairs, with Beadwork, Spears, Shields, carrying Water Gourds and wearing Khangas and Sheaths.

I think that's all I have to update on for today! The Sophisticate is mass uploading pictures and I know I have to work on taking more... here's what's coming soon - Pictures of our full Scrapbooking line, Sandylion and 3-D stickers, Greek Pottery & Perfumes, Kundan, 925 silver, 10k and 14k gold Jewelry!

From my Fantasy Finds to Yours!

-The Diva