Item of the Day: Japanese Flat Lace Chainmail Bracelet

Today's Item: Japanese Flat Lace Chainmail Bracelet

Made locally in Tacoma by "Alkimea" artist Amanda Plank. This stainless steel bracelet measures 6.5 inches long.

Price: $40

Item of the Day: Fused Glass Box

Fused Glass Heart Curio Box

Today's item: Fused Glass Box.

"From Humble Beginnings", a husband wife duo from Tacoma, created this wonderful fused glass curio box just in time for Valentine's Day. With a mirrored bottom and hinged top it is a perfect place to store little tokens of your love. We have three in the store right now, two in pink and one is this beautiful scarlet.

Price: $24

For more information about Pip & Lola's find us on Facebook or visit us in person at Freighthouse Square!

Mask of the Pheonix

 So, here at Pip and Lola's we love the variety of handcraft vendors that are here at the store.  In honor of the season we wanted to start off our vendor introduction with a local artist by the name of Christina Hughes.



Christina came into mask making through her experience within theatre. In college, she studied costume design at Western Washington University. Now she plies this trade at a variety of local theatres making costumes for shows that are produced in the area.  She currently studies non-profit management at the UW Tacoma and works as a union stagehand.

Mask making is a great way for Christina to let off some creative steam. They are also a way to craft something both beautiful and practical.

 All of her masks are made of leather and are designed to be worn instead of just hanging on a wall and looking pretty.  However, they do make wonderful decorations as well.  No matter what purpose you decide upon, we are sure that you will love the look and feel of these wonderful creations.

When was the last time YOU were at the Freighthosue Square?

Okay, for those of you who have not been inundated with our Facebook posts or who have not read previous posts here on the blog and thus do not know all the fun and exciting news, Pip & Lola's Everything Homemade has a retail location!

It all started out in July with a soft opening and about ten local artists in a 600 square foot space. It has now been two months for us here at the Freighthouse Square.  In that time we have added another 20 local artists to our list of vendors and another 600 square feet.  Our number of types of soaps that we have made now numbers 80. We have NO SELF CONTROL!

As the holiday season approaches we are hoping to remind people that Freighthouse Square is still alive and kicking! There is a growing variety of stores here and you are sure to find most of the items you need for all your gift giving (even if the gift is for yourself). From handcrafts to computer repair; resale clothing to chainmail jewelry, lingerie to candles, convenience items to art; and bibles to bakery items you can find just about anything you want. The question we have for you is, "When is the last time you were at the Freighthouse Square?" Don't you think it's time to come and see what is happening in your own back yard?

There is a monthly craft fair that also takes place in the Rainier Room down on the east end of the building. Every second Saturday of the month the craft fair takes place. Come on down and help it grow by either shopping or being a vendor.

 

So, that all being said we invite you to come to the store and see what is going on! Remember, if you like us on Facebook and then come to the store and tell us you can get a free tiny soap as a thank you!

Until then, stay sudsy and keep it clean!

Introducing: Orange You Glad (For The Lakewood Playhouse)

Holy bars of lathering goodness, Batman! It's a new soap!


Today I have the pleasure of introducing a new soap for Pip & Lola's Everything Homemade. It is the newest of our fundraising soaps: Orange You Glad (For The Lakewood Playhouse).

The Orange You Glad is made with one of our favorite oil blends (our Back to Basics soap) and includes rubbed sage along with orange and dalmatian sage essential oils. This combination of scents gives the soap a sweet citrus note with hints of the sage's earthiness behind it. Orange oil has been used to enhance moods, alleviate depression and  promote a general feeling of well-being, while the ancient Romans believed sage to strengthen the senses and heighten memory. (This could all be said of good theatre as well.)

This newest soap is currently on display at our storefront and will also soon be available at the Lakewood Playhouse! As mentioned earlier, this is one of our fundraising soaps. This means a portion of each sale goes directly to the playhouse to help them continue producing quality theatre here in the Pacific Northwest.

Orange You Glad (For The Lakewood Playhouse)

For more information on The Lakewood Playhouse visit their webpage to find out more about this amazing theatre which is now entering their 74th season. Feel like becoming a direct contributor? They are also accepting contributions for their funding here.

Thanks for taking the time to read this today! Please feel free to ask questions, give responses, or even make suggestions. We love feedback!

Introducing: Philip, The Queen's Rogue

As has been said many times at the farmer's markets where we show our soap, we don't make "pretty" soap in the way of many other soapers. Instead we make soaps that are very purposeful.

Philip, The Queen's Rogue is a moisturizing hand/body bar that we find to be one of our most popular. We find it difficult to keep this one on hand as it tends to go quickly. But don't worry, if it's not around when you stop by there is sure to be a new batch curing and on it's way.

Now, being moisturizing is a good enough purpose for most soaps, as so many handmade soaps can be a little drying.  (Note: we tend to "superfat" our soaps to ensure they are moisturizing.) However, Philip has a more ancient purpose. Legend has it that during the times of a bubonic plague outbreak over five centuries ago a blend of essential oils were used to ward off the disease. The blend? Cinnamon, clove, lemon, eucalyptus, and rosemary.

 Now, we all know how "truthful" legends are, so we take the story with a grain of salt. However, all five essential oils have been reported to have medicinal properties, but honestly, we just love the combination of all the oils together. So, even if the legendary oil blend did not help save the thieves, at least we know they all met their end smelling wonderful. (And by "wonderful" we mean something reminiscent of a warm spice cake.)

Introducing: Get The Crud Out!

No, we're not telling you to go away. Rather, today starts the beginning of our Soap Introductions! Once or twice a week we will be talking about the soaps you can find at Pip & Lola's Everything Homemade. Today I have chosen our oily skin facial soap, Get the Crud Out!

We make this soap with tea tree and lavender essential oils, both of which are natural antibacterials.  This is paired with both oatmeal and two types of clay.

Apart from the obvious exfoliating quality of ground oatmeal, it has also been cited as being effective for relieving dryness and inflammation, including rashes and eczema, and for helping your skin maintain moisture.

Kaolin Clay and French Green Clay finish out the soap and add the ability to absorb the excess oils from the skin. The Kaolin clay is reported to help stimulate circulation and gently exfoliate, while the French Green Clay is absorbent and helps tighten cleansed pores.

One note: This is not a soap for those with very dry skin. For some people this will be a daily use soap. For others it may become part of an every-other day routine.