Featured: The Dapper Owl (+ Sale Coupon!)

This week's feature is of vegan friendly soap-maker, Alex, from The Dapper Owl! I received some of her soaps from a trade and they smell soooo good (not to mention they work very well and make my hands feel sooooo smooth :) I love the colors and shapes she comes up with, and wouldn't hesitate to display them in the guest bathroom or give them as gifts.

Set of 4 Dinosaur Soaps

Name: Alexandra
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Website: DapperOwl.blogspot.com
Shop: TheDapperOwl.etsy.com
Blog: fyeahcrafting.tumblr.com [crafting] OR iseegodinbirds.tumblr.com [personal]

My stash! I got a lot of goodies from her. They all look so professional and come shrink-wrapped. She even sent me a few extras.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I’m a twenty year old full time college student who's a part time crafter. I started making soap and other bath products about a year ago for friends and family, and they encouraged me to open up my etsy shop. I've loved making things since I was little, and it was just a natural progression into every day life for me.

Set of Six Babushka Dolls

How would you describe your work/shop? Who would stop by?
It’s fun and I try to keep great products stocked that I think everyone would enjoy. A lot of it is whimsical stuff that I happen upon and say, “Hey, that would make a really cute soap!” That’s how I got the idea for my babushka dolls and robot soaps. I think that there’s a variety of people that would stop by. I felt like a lot of other shops catered to just people who were shopping for themselves. A lot of my bath products can be given as gifts too. My shaving soap is a great gift for a guy who has sensitive skin and the surprise soaps are a great way to motivate kids to wash their hands more.

Oatmeal Milk and Honey Heart Tarts

What keeps you motivated?
Right now, I’m trying to get a place at my local farmer’s market. All of the proceeds from my shop are going towards buying a tent right now. I’ve been saving up for a while, but I’m really close to being able to get one! I’m so excited to bring The Dapper Owl products to the people of the Las Vegas area. I'm also happy that I get to introduce people to what I like to call 'eco happy' products. I despise animal testing and nasty chemicals, so I'm happy to be able to bring positive products to people all over the world.

Autumn Leaves

What is your most cherished handmade possession?
Every year my boyfriend and I have made handmade Valentine’s Day cards for each other. I work at a card store part time, and I really hate seeing the over the counter ones. I know it sounds cheesy, but those cards are definitely my favorite.

Set of Six Robot Soaps

Do you have any advice for those who are new to handmade/crafting?
DON’T GIVE UP!! It took a long time for business to start picking up in my shop. You just have to keep your head up and know that your products are awesome- they just haven’t been discovered yet!

Olde Fashioned Shaving Soap

Tell us who one of your favorite sellers is on Etsy.
Shameless promotion time! I LOVE your shop. Love it. The necklace that I received from you is darling. (Aww thanks - from Petite Hermine :) I don’t think there’s been a day that I haven’t worn it in the past week. I also love Orglamix’s shop. She has a lot of natural make ups that are perfect for my skin.

Surprise Soaps

Is there anything I haven't asked that you'd like to share?
I have a huge sale going on in my shop right now. I'm doing a lot of Spring Cleaning so that I can bring new products in. There's soaps for as low as $2.20. All of the shipping in my shop is set to $5.20 because that's the smallest flat rate box they make. It's the best way to protect the soaps during shipping, but if there's ever a time that I can use a bubble mailer, I'll refund the difference in shipping via paypal.

I also have some soaps up to help out the people and animals affected by the tsunami in Japan. 80% of the proceeds are going towards their choice of organizations. (The two soaps below)

Help Japan- Rising Sun Soap

Help Japan- Sakura Blossom Soap

More soaps, don't forget to check out her shop too!

Lovely Lavender Bar Cut Soap

Vegan Friendly Bath Salts

COUPON CODE:

Use the code 'HITHERE' for 10% off in my shop. That is good on sale items too!

Thanks Alex for your generosity towards those who need help in Japan and for sharing your soaps with us!