Tuesday, May 6, 2014


Well, there are towels drying on my clothesline, my windows are open to a beautiful breeze, many of the greenhouse seedlings are big enough to plant, the garden is mostly in, and the days are getting close to 80 degrees, so I know that May is finally here, and summer is really on it's way! While we are enjoying the May flowers, and looking forward to those barefoot June days, I wanted to let you know a little about what is going on here at Beautiful Earth Ideas!

 . . .a THANK-YOU!

First, a big "Thank You!" to those who came and saw us at "Spring Thing 2014"! We had a beautiful day with lots of sunshine, and it was great to see so many faces and meet new friends! It is my hope to be at a few local farmer's markets this summer, so if you missed us, just hang tight, and hopefully there will be another opportunity to come out and see us soon!


and GIFT BASKETS!


  Second, Beautiful Earth is now offering Customized Gift Baskets to anyone local. These can include the soaps of your choice, a soap dish and/or salve. Perfect for birthdays, Mother's Day, or any special day, these baskets are great fun to make, and pretty to look at. Here are the basics and prices for each basket:

1. Small basket: 2 soaps of your choice + 1 soap dish =$22.00

2. Medium Basket: 2 soaps of your choice + 1 soap dish +
                                                               1 Triple-C Salve  = $26.00           

3. Large Basket: 3 soaps of your choice + 1 soap dish +
                                 1 Triple-C Salve = $30.00

4. Sampler Basket: 8 half size (2 oz.) soaps, (one of each variety) +
                                    1 Soap Dish = $35.00

**Interested? Send me an email at beautifulearthideas@gmail.com and we will get started at finding the basket that is right for your needs!

Monday, April 7, 2014

The Newest News from Beautiful Earth. . .

SPRING!!!
 I am always so happy when there are finally daffodils blooming in the garden and seedlings growing in the greenhouse. There is something about spring air that rejuvenates the heart, and I am looking forward to all the new opportunities spring is bringing our way. Here are just a few of them-


On the Road. . .
You can come see us! This coming Saturday, April 12th, Beautiful Earth Ideas will have a table set up at "Spring Thing", a family friendly fundraiser at Roanoke Valley Christian School in Roanoke, VA. Come see our soap and salve for yourself, and check out our various handmade gifts that are not available on-line! We would love to chat with you! A whole host of other family friendly activities await you, so come join the fun and visit us Saturday! It all starts at 9am! See you there!


"RUGGED" 
is our newest soap to be added to the list! A woodsy clean scent with spice undertones, it was designed especially for men, and will have a permanent place on our shelf!


. . .a New Recipe. . .
I am always working on ways to improve our soap, and "rugged" will be the first soap available to you that uses a new recipe! We have not changed the oils that we use, just the ratios that we are using them in, and the result is a slightly harder bar with even more lather! We are very pleased, and think you will be too! In the future, all the batches of soap that I make will have the new oil porportions in them, but you can try it now with "Rugged"!




and "ROSES"!
Due to its high popularity, we have decided that our "Rose" soap will now be a regular on our soap list! It has a lovely floral scent, and it will be available permanently beginning the first of May!


Thanks for catching up with us! Now- go enjoy that beautiful spring air!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Soap Dishes!

SOAP DISHES!! 

SOooo. . .Maybe not everyone gets excited over soap dishes, but when I found these wooden soap dishes handmade in the US, I was very tickled!! They are really beautiful! Perfect for your natural soaps, they allow the water to drain away enabling your bar to last as long as possible! We are very happy to make these available now to YOU at $4.00 each! OR, from now until April 15th, buy 5 bars of soap and get one free! (one free per customer)




Interested? Email me your order at beautifulearthideas@gmail.com!

Friday, February 7, 2014

Salve, Misconceptions, and Miracles?!



SALVE!. . .I'm a little slow this month, but very happy to be able to say that Triple-C salve is now ready for you all! This little bit of herbal goodness comes in a 2 oz. tin, for $5.00. With the continuous cold weather this year, the salve in our home has been in fairly high demand. Chapped lips, dry, cracking hands, and chapped cheeks have benefited from it's use as well as the normal cuts and scrapes. We look forward to sharing it now with you! Order it anytime- send us an email or call- and we will be happy to get some to you! If you haven't already, check out our salve page to learn about the herbal ingredients and potential benefits of Triple-C salve!


**Also, Rose soap is now on sale for Valentine's Day while supplies last! Let it fill your home with it's heavenly scent!



And don't let the winter blues and sickies bog you down with a bunch of. . .

Misconceptions!. . .
Natural cold and flu remedies now adorn the shelves of drug stores, grocery stores, and even Walmart. I am sure you've seen them. Maybe you've tried them. And maybe you have already given up on them because, like I hear from so many people this time of year, "They just don't work for me." The truth is, natural medicine and holistic healing DO work. Many times the problem is our own misconceptions. While it is true that there are products out there labeled "natural" that are not really what they claim, and may not have any positive benefit to your health, there are many readily available products which could be of  great benefit to you or anyone else. Problem is, we expect a little bit of magic. Pop one pill, watch the symptoms disappear, and then go on our merry way. If we are honest, we want total relief, and we want it now! But natural medicine and healing aren't a drug. They are a way of life. A philosophy even. They are time and effort, and even work (dare I say it!) They are sometimes inconvenient and time consuming, and therein lies the basis of the line I so often hear. "But it just doesn't work for me." True, if you need Vitamin D, zinc probably won't work, and if you need to jump start your bodies immune system with an activating herb, a cup of calming chamomile tea probably won't do what you hoped. The great news is that something WILL work. By "work" I don't mean that your symptoms will disappear in six hours and not return. That drug-induced misconception keeps many people from pursuing natural health. Natural healing works WITH the body. It works at the source, and not just covers the symptoms. Look instead for things like shortened stages of illness, somewhat milder symptoms, a clearer mind, renewed energy or the ability to sleep peacefully and rest well. These are signs that your body is healing. It will take some research on your part. It may take more than one try. Natural medicine has to be used more frequently and for longer periods. So I just encourage you. Try again. Be willing to learn. Get some good books ( a list of some good ones is at the end of this blog!) , and spend some time these winter evenings continuing your own education. Thankfully we are never too old to learn, and never to old to try new things. And sometimes it seems that natural medicine does more then just heal, sometimes it seems to even hold a few

Miracles?!. . . .
A few years ago I co-taught a nutrition class beside a man who had been sent home to die with stage 4 lung cancer. Only 20 years later he wasn't dead. He was teaching a class with me. I know if you asked him, he would say that it took work. That it took faith in God, time, effort, and for a while, all the energy he had. But in the end it paid off. God blessed, and he was healed. I have even experienced this myself. After the birth of my third child, food intolerances that I had developed unknowingly were causing me crazy thyroid issues, among other things. My thyroid was working way too fast. I was underweight, undernourished, and my heart-rate was sky-high most of the time. After spending time in the hospital, going through a few tests and talking with several doctors, it became clear there was nothing wrong with my thyroid, and none of them really knew what was going on. Rather than take medicine we weren't sure would even work, just to keep the symptoms at bay, I began to research. After a good bit of time, effort, and trial and error, I found an herb that worked. Only one, but it did what was necessary. It slowed my body down, and calmed my heart enough to allow me time to figure out what the real problem was. When I was able to pin-point and remove the problem foods, the thyroid difficulties and rapid heart rate went away and stayed away. Six years later, I am still getting better. Still gaining ground, and regaining health. But I am also ever-so-thankful. For a God that I believe gave wisdom, and the One herb I needed. That I tried, and stuck with it. That it worked and is still working.

So, look up. Get up, even. Try again, maybe. I think you may just find that it can work for you, too.


Here are a few places to start:
Simple and easy ones. . .
The ABC Herbal, by Steven H. Horne
No More Antibiotics, by Dr. Mary Ann Block
Herbs for Common Ailments, by Anne McIntyre
A little more thorough. . .
Mommy Diagnostics, by Shonda Parker
What You Don't Know May be Killing You, by Don Colbert, M.D.
The Green Pharmacy, by James A. Duke, Phd.
Detailed and reference material . .
Let's Eat Right to Keep Fit, by Adelle Davis
Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by James Balch, M.D. and Phyllis Balch, C.N.C.
Prescription for Herbal Healing, by Phyllis Balch C.N.C.
Natural Remedies Encyclopedia, by Vance Ferrell and Harold N. Cherne, M.D.

and there are sooooo many more! Happy Reading!

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

2014

Happy New Year
from all of us here at Beautiful Earth!

I love the idea of a NEW year. It's fresh and clean and so full of possibilities! Here are some great things to look forward to in 2014 here at Beautiful Earth:


*Green thinking! Return 5 (or more) soap bags for 15% off your next order!
         Because we value this earth we live on, it is our goal to package our products as earth-friendly as we can! To help keep costs down we are offering a 15% discount off your next order when you return 5 or more soap bags. Starting January 1st, save your soap bags and save money!





*Some "Roses" for your Valentine! Our natural goat-milk soap will be available in a beautiful Rose scent at the beginning of February and go as long as supplies last! Plan now to shower your Valentine with some of our fragrant "Roses"!






*Triple C Salve!  Our 1st salve will be available February 1st! It will come in a 2 oz. container, perfect for your purse, pocket, car, or cupboard! Check out our salve page to read about it's benefits, and see how it can help your family live naturally in 2014!

Friday, November 29, 2013

Christmas. . . .and Dandelions.


Well, excitement abounds at Beautiful Earth today! Today, because of the graciousness of a friend, I was able to ride down the road and pick up a box of sticker labels with our new logo on them! They are beautiful, and I am so thankful. We spent some of the afternoon packing orders, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself! On top of that, it is officially the first day of the Christmas season in our house - definitely my favorite time of year!
While we were sticking labels on tags earlier, the thought crossed my mind that maybe I should take the time to let you all in on my reasons for the choice of flower on our logo. It's a dandelion, and to many people that bright yellow face represents a weed. A nuisance. Something to be pulled up and thrown away. But if you take the time to look, a dandelion could become one of your most cherished yard ornaments. It happens to be an amazing herb. An edible plant from the roots to the blossoms, the dandelion is high in iron, potassium and vitamins, and even contains more carotene than carrots (ounce for ounce)! The leaves are a potent diuretic, and the root acts as a blood purifier, with the ability to aid both the kidneys and the liver in removing toxins from the body. Dandelions have been used all through history for such things as anemia, osteoporosis, gall bladder issues, irritable bowel syndrome, appetite tonics, fluid retention, constipation and indigestion to name a few. Personally, dandelion tea is one of my favorite remedies for those days when I am just feeling "bleh", or having issues with digestion. It clears my mind, and increases my energy. To many of us, the idea that a dandelion could, in fact, be a wonderful form of nutrition or medicine seems odd, to say the least, which is why I felt it the perfect flower for our logo. Beautiful earth. Turning something simple into something amazing.
And all this stuff about dandelions seems to go perfectly today with my excitement about Christmas. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of a baby. Jesus. It seems like such a simple thing, and entirely unimportant, and yet it was to be the amazing way that we could have a relationship with the God who made us. Wonderful, isn't it? Totally worth celebrating in my opinion! I hope that as you enjoy this Christmas season, you can take the time to remember it's true meaning. . . .and dandelions. Merry Christmas from Beautiful Earth!

Friday, September 27, 2013

What's in a Name

Welcome to Beautiful Earth Ideas! Thank you for being a part of the beginning of my long-awaited journey toward a place that will offer you unique, superior quality products from all natural sources.

Beautiful Earth Ideas was born out of my desire to help people by sharing with them my love for all things natural. This earth we live on was created to be a beautiful place, with so many amazing things for us to enjoy. Useful things. Beautiful things. Healing things.With thousands of readily available, pre-fabricated items already on the store shelves, the difficulty often lies in transforming our available natural resources into an attractive and useable form.  My vision and goal for Beautiful Earth is that it would enable you, and many others, access to a variety of these attractive, useable and effective natural products. While I am beginning with goat's milk soaps and herbal salves, I look forward to adding other products in the future, with a commitment to using only ingredients and materials that are naturally sourced, creating healthy, high quality products for you to enjoy. In essence, to be able to offer you a small piece of our beautiful earth!