La Diva Bella's Inner Goddess Blog

On being a damsel in distress

2006-07-20T08:08:00.000-05:00

Recently I needed someone to help me pick up some huge bags of lye (lye, or sodium hydroxide, is what we use to make soap...if you need further explanation see my other post: http://divabella-innergoddess.blogspot.com/2006/07/one-where-i-answer-oft-asked-question.html). So, being the Diva I am, I asked for help.

Lil Sis--who spent most of her early years dressed as a boy (even shunning the top of her 2 piece swimsuit before she developed up there to be more like her best pal Andy) and, who is, by her own admission, strong but still very feminine--came to my rescue!

After picking up the 250 pounds of lye (in separate bags, darlings...she's strong, but not the Hulk!), she called my celly and left me a message that consisted of a simple paraphrase from the fabulous 90's movie "Clueless":

"For someone totally clueless, you sure have that damsel-in-distress thing going on!"

And, you know, she's right.

I guess I do know how to be the damsel in distress. Well, let's face it, I've been in a lot of distress, darlings!

But, I think what she really meant--correct me if I'm wrong, Lil Sis--is I know how to ask for what I want.

I didn't always know how to do this, but I did learn it fairly early on and, believe me, it has been a huge benefit in my career and probably the reason why I became known as a Diva in the first place!

Now don't get me wrong, poodles, asking for what you want in a clear and friendly way does not make you a Diva; it simply is the proper way to get what you need.

Unfortunately, to the untrained, women who ask for what they want are Divas (or other nasty names!).
I guess, according to the neanderthals still roaming the Earth these days, we're just suppose to shut up and take what we get and be happy about it. To quote "Clueless" again: "As if!"

No, asking for what you want is absolutely necessary in life, darlings, and makes you a true Diva Extraordinairre!

Taking some much needed direction from the bunnies on my socks

2006-07-19T22:38:00.000-05:00

Divas!

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who sometimes feels a little lost or dejected by the idiots that swirl around us every day. And, if you are like me, you're always (always!) getting mired down by these losers!

I don't know about you, but in my former life, I really took what these losers said to heart.
In fact, when people offered me some "constructive criticism", I truly believed everything they said:
"You're too this...you're too that!"

Oh, it would send me to the pity pot more times than I can remember.

I'd be like: "Boohoo! You don't like me! It must be me! I have to change!" And I would try and try again to be something I wasn't all for the sake of "getting along" or "fitting in".

Well, you know what? I think I've found the solution to the idiots and their big mouths, darlings! Let me explain.

A few weeks ago I went into Kohl's on a quest for some new socks. (Now I know what you are thinking and let me assure you, I will indeed get back to the idiots that swirl about you...promise!)

Anyway, I had realized that most all of my socks were just tired and ugly. Most of them were mismatched, but that it didn't seem to matter, because I always seemed to buy white ones anyway.

Yup, boring ol' white bootie socks. Formerly paired with boring ol' Keds canvas sneakers, they became my feet's summer wardrobe for going on the last 20 years or so. Nothing risque...nothing that could cause a scene or an uproar...just blah, blah bland.

Now, as an aside, last year I "graduated" into these awesome new slip-on Skecher sneakers, which worked great as my feet swelled into little water balloons during the end of my pregnancy. The Skechers brought me into the current decade and I felt a little more trendy, but still they were always, always worn with boring ol' white socks.

Actually, by the looks of them, most of my socks were a little more like a light grey. But boring, nonetheless. I think my rationalization was that they were easy to pair when doing laundry...or something like that.

Anyway, back to my story....

So I'm nosing around Kohl's and I happen to end up in the "Clearance" area. (Kohl's, by the way, has a weird way of doing clearance so that you never actually know what you are going to end up paying for an item until they ring you up. Annoying? Why, yes, actually...very.)

Since I'm always on the prowl for a good deal, I happened upon a few pairs of socks in the 70% off area. Unfortunately, these socks weren't white at all, but colorful and...dare I say...fun!

Actually these socks had a cute little bunny--who I later found out from my teenage niece is called "Happy Bunny"-- that had nasty but funny little sayings on them.

Now, if you know me at all, I'm not one to make changes very quickly or effortlessly. But, since I am no longer in a situation where I am scrutinized by everyone around me (read: no longer employed by that awful, oppressive and cultish company down the street), I decided to take a chance and buy the socks.

Right, I know, I'm a loser! I mean, who really thinks about these things? Ah, well, leave it to me! :)

However, a weird thing happened when I started to wear them.

Every once is a while I'd look down at my feet and read the nasty little saying on that Happy Bunny's face and gather just enough confidence to go on when faced with one of those idiot people or situations (See! I told you I'd get back to the idiots!).

I'd smile and know that even if I couldn't SAY: "It's all about me!", my socks could. And, well, I could find some degree of comfort in that.

It was then I realized that I was finally getting the confidence boost I've been searching for....all in a little pair of socks! Lame, I know, but it WORKED!

I could now just glance down and remember a few of my choice confidence boosters....and the cool thing...the coolest thing!...was I was actually starting to believe them! Huh! Take that you mysogynistic know-it-alls!

If you aren't aware of Happy Bunny's sayings, here are just a few of my favs:

"It's not your fault. But I'm blaming you anyway!"
Or how about: "Cute but psycho. Things even out."
Or even: "I'm not mean. You're just a sissy!"
And: "Look how nice I am not laughing at you."
And my all time favorite: "Hurray for boys with money!"

And then there's Happy Bunny's cohorts chiming in with pearls of wisdom like:
"Boys are strong. Bury them deep!",
"It's funny how dumb you are!" and
"Look. The world needs drama queens."

So, divas, if you sometimes forget who it is REALLY all about, I think I would hop on over to your nearest Kohl's and pick up some of these socks.

They've really done wonders for me...only wish I found them sooner....maybe I wouldn't have taken the abuse as long as I did!

But, as it is, they've probably cut my therapy time in half! Wahoo! That's progress!

Just my not-so-humble opinion, darlings!

Toodles, poodles!

We spend the day next to the Doggie Kissing Booth!

2006-07-17T13:57:00.000-05:00

Well, folks,They can't all be winners!

This past Saturday, Darling Sis and I decided at the last minute to attend the Cocheco Valley (NH) Humane Society's Festival day.

I had to really twist Sis' arm to go, because it was an early setup and it was up past Portsmouth...plus it was going to be depressingly humid beyond belief. I preyed on her love of dogs to get her to go and, in a wink, we were there!

We arrived pretty excited and raring to go, until we found out that MDH forgot to put the tent in the Diva Mobile! ARGH!!!!!!!!!!! Men!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Need I say any more, lovies?

Well, there was just no way we were going to be able to sit out all day in an open field under the beating sun.... with all kinds of product that could melt....and me with my "vapours".
We thought that was the end of that one.

However, Laura--the new special events coordinator for CVHS--said we could use the tent space she had open. Aha! What a great solution!

Yes, it was away from the other crafters, but it was under a blessed group of trees that delivered relief from the sun!

But....little did we know we would be sharing tent space with a bunch of smooching canines! Yes, puckering pooches!

Ah, yes, the allure of the Doggie Kissing Booth!

It drove them by the herds....away! Ha! Just kidding.

Honestly, I love my dogs and most dogs in general, but would anyone really want to pay a buck to be given a big, VERY wet kiss by an oaf of a Newfie (sweet and lovable, yes!) on a boiling hot day?

Apparently, in New Hampshire, yes.
Yes, it seems they love to be kissed by dogs in New Hampshire.
And they will gladly fork out the money to do so.
(As an aside, I jokingly said to Darling Sis: "Now I know why we don't do more shows in NH!" Really, just kidding, nothing against folks from New Hampshire!)

So, basically we spent the day watching people kiss overheated pooches all day.

Oh, well, at least it was for a good cause!

Better luck next week at the Bow St. Fair in Portsmouth, NH.

If you haven't been up to the Bow Street Fair, you should definitely make plans to attend. Very nice location--right near the water and Strawberry Banke, too--but be forewarned, the parking sucks! (Take some advice from a Diva who knows first hand: Don't chance it, park in the garage! Those meter maids are brutal! They even mark your tires!! Tricky, tricky!)

Alas, I don't think there will be a Doggie Kissing Booth at Bow Street, though!
Too refined for that in Portsmouth, I guess.

So, if you didn't make it last weekend, I think you've missed your chance for a while....unless, of course, pooches pucker up all the time in New Hampshire. The world may never know!

Spas and health food! Not just for the rich and famous!

2006-07-14T18:45:00.000-05:00

Hi Divas!

Hope this finds you well. I'm not sure if I told you, but this Diva spent a few days last week in Florida visiting the Safety Harbor Spa & Resort for some much needed R&R.

The Safety Harbor Spa (http://www.safetyharborspa.com) is one of the top 10 spa destinations in the U.S., mostly because it is famous for its "healing waters" that come from a huge aquifer deep below the Florida earth. This water is filled with minerals and was considered by explorer Hernando de Soto to be "the fountain of youth". The water has been used for over 500 years for its healing powers and is now used in all areas of the hotel and spa, including the pools, steam room and bathing water. It is delicious and I would defy anyone who says they can't tell the difference between it and the purified waters currently on the market.

Anyway, the Spa has an enormous fitness center, too. In fact my room overlooked the many tennis courts located right alongside the beautiful Tampa Bay.

While I was there I had a few spa treatments and just relaxed, darlings! Actually I took a 2 hour bath the first night (with La Diva Bella product, of course)! I can't remember the last time I took such a relaxing bath! I sat by the pool, too, and took a steam in the lovely steam room. Aside from a necessary trip to the cell phone store for a charger (duh! Forgot mine!), I just relaxed, enjoyed the tropical and relaxing setting, and finally got a chance to think!

Thinking is something you don't really have time to do when you have an extremely active (and probably genius level) 9 month old boy! (Did I mention I left the Babe with family for three days!)
It took a while, but I finally remembered who I was before Baby O dropped into our lives. I remembered why I loved to travel, too.

In my other life, I got to travel a lot; I've seen most of the U.S. because of my other jobs, which is at least one thing to be thankful for! In fact, I think I've been to almost all of the 48 contiguous states, so far, which is so much fun and such an eye-opening experience, too. In addition to seeing exciting new places and meeting lots of new people, travel is, for me at least, an awesome time to think and reconnect with my hopes and dreams.

Why? Well, think about it, aside from hospitals (which can have yucky karma), airplanes are the only place you can't be interrupted by phones or email or distracted by the news or the internet. And though you can't really stretch out and relax, you can pop some Enya on your iPod and journal or doodle to your heart's content. So, I've always taken this time to get caught up on "my life". In fact, I think I would recommend flying over sitting in a cemetery (which I've heard is good, too), when it comes to making huge life-altering decisions. Ask yourselves, when was the last time you just sat and thought about your life? For me, at least, it had been nearly 2 years and I am just so grateful for the brief but enlightening time I got to spend away from my life to think about where I was going.

Now, please understand, I don't always follow through on on all my dreams and goals, but I do manage to make a few important changes that really do effect my life.

During this trip I realized I needed to take better care of myself in *all* aspects of my life. This means getting the sleep my body needs and craves (hard to do with O waking at least twice a night), making showering and grooming a priority, setting up boundaries with family members that tend to unknowingly trounce all over me, and to eat right.

Now, eating right is a HUGE issue for me, because I have always found great comfort in food...especially in trying times, like the last 2 years! Unfortunately, I am finding out that getting comfort from food is not always a good thing. I become worried about carbs, calories, fiber and protein! This becomes such an obsession, that my usual M.O. is to stop eating because I just don't know what to eat!

But, this time--ah! this time!--I decided to do something I think I can finally stick with! I have decided that I will follow in the footsteps of the rich and famous and replace refined foods with whole foods. The key word here is replace! Not eliminate...no, not eliminate, can't do that! Instead, I have replaced white flour with whole grains, butter with olive oil and milk with soymilk. And let me tell you, I feel great!

Actually I should say I *felt* great until last night.

Last night, I didn't plan for dinner and was feeling stressed, so I rationalized: "Hey! I can splurge once in a while!". So I ate a big ol' sub on a giant white flour roll with cheese and processed meats, to boot! Then I topped the whole thing off with a big glass of skim milk (not soy) and some gingersnap cookies (white sugar, white flour).

And, let me tell you, was I ever sorry!

In the middle of the night I had the most horrific stomach pains, forcing me to spend time in the "Ladies" for a while (not going to be any more explicit) . Then, the next day, I felt like I had been drugged AND hit over the head with a shovel. I slept ALL day! And it wasn't even restful sleep! I'm still feeling woozy! What a nightmare!

Well, as they say around here: "Light dawns on Marblehead!" I now realize that even though I might love or crave foods like cookies and milk, they just aren't good for me. I'm probably allergic to them, actually, and if I want to continue to feel good, I just can't eat like that any more. So, I'm back to my whole foods regimen and so thankful for the learning experience!

So, in summation darlings, you might want to consider yourself rich and famous for a few days and head on down to the Safety Harbor Spa (or any other, for that matter), so you can learn that you are a very valuable person and worth taking good care of! It's a lesson I don't think I will soon forget myself!

Ciao for now, sweeties!

The one where I answer the oft asked question: "How did you become a soapmaker?"

2006-07-01T19:05:00.000-05:00

I guess people could call me an all-around sensitive person.

Ever since I was a little kid, I've been prone to enormous heartbreaks and letdowns, true.
But, I also suffered on the outside, too. Actually for as long as I can remember, I have suffered from what I'll call "sensitive skin syndrome".

Unfortunately, I think my folks missed part of the hippie generation, because I was never introduced to "all things natural" including natural soaps when I was a kid. Don't get me wrong. We still wore outrageous tasselled suede vests and bell bottoms...but that was about it.

Growing up I showered with what everyone else did. Ivory, Safeguard, Dove, and yes, even, Dial.
Dial was my dad's favorite. I think because it lasted so damn long and he is, after all, a dyed-in-the-wool frugal New Englander.

But my very sensitive skin paid dearly for it.

Actually, I remember taking a bath in with Mr. Bubble (the bath soap, not the guy!) and breaking out in red itchy spots all over. I also remember not being allowed to go swimming due to a potential case of impetigo, which lead me to cry--no, wail!--all day while watching the other kids swim. Truly awful!

Hives, spots, rashes, eczema...you name it, I had it.

But that's not what turned me on to making and using natural soaps. It just made me itch a lot and my face break out, too. I just thought I'd have to live with being an inside-and-out sensitive human being for the rest of my life.

Well, long story short: I grew up, graduated high school, went to college, became a responsible adult and got a job, 2 dogs, a house, a mortgage and lots of stress.

Lots and lots and lots of stress. It became so bad that I tried everything to relieve it...yoga, meditation, Buddhism, New Age music, massage, counseling, and--here's the link--aromatherapy.
They helped, but none actually helped get rid of the problem (that came later when I finally made some good life decisions).

The aromatherapy is what got me hooked on collecting essential oils....and that led to....soapmaking!

So how did I link soapmaking with essential oils? Actually, when I think about it, I'm not entirely sure just how I put two and two together. I guess I was just looking for a vehicle for my newly acquired essential oils when I happened upon an article about using them in soapmaking.

My first reaction was somewhat typical, I think. I remember saying to myself "People actually make soap?!?".

To me (and probably most every other American), people don't make soap, *companies* do.
Soap was just something you buy at the store. Like toilet paper or aluminum foil. Who is going to make their own toilet paper? I mean, why go through the trouble of making it, when it is already made for you, right?

But, alas, since I've always been a clever and somewhat frugal girl and persistence being one of my best virtues, I thought I would give it a whirl. So, I bought a book on soapmaking....not the best one, just the cheapest (not recommended).

Looking back, learning from a book (especially a not-so-good one) was probably *not* the best way to get into soapmaking. But books being my faithful friends, I ventured out on this limb with the instructions given to me.

One thing I found out quickly was it was difficult to find all the ingredients I needed to make soap.

First off, you need lye (potassium hydroxide) to make soap, which--back then was difficult to find in local stores--and now is impossible to get at a grocery store (they have taken the only brand off the market--Red Devil Lye--due to some very naughty people using it to make drugs!).

Plus lye is dangerous. Dangerous, but essential, in making soap. People often ask me if you can make soap without lye and the short answer is "no". The long answer is lye creates a chemical reaction between the two main ingredients--water and oils--which allows them to bind together. Without lye, oil won't mix with water, right? So, no lye, no binding...means no soap. Lye is what "makes soap, soap".

Water was easy enough to find (we always have used distilled), but the oils were not. Also, as a devoted animal lover, I was truly turned off at the thought of using tallow to make soap. Tallow, which is basically rendered animal fat, is a primary ingredient in many homemade soaps, because its cheap and makes a really hard bar of soap. But the idea of washing with animal grease or even vegetable shortening seemed sort of gross to me and, frankly, I didn't want to contribute to the whole beef controversy. Not gonna do the "Oprah thing".

So, off I went to the health food store to fetch a few different kinds of veggie oils.
First, off I was in for a surprise when I saw how much even small quantities of the stuff cost! For my first batches, I chose to use three different oils because they were easiest to find: coconut, olive and sunflower. In retrospect, using 3 types of oils was "keeping it simple"--a tough thing for me to do--but probably not the best combination for a really good end product. By the way, now that we've perfected the process, we use 7 different types of oil in our basic bar; each oil lends its own characteristic to the soap, making a truly luxurious bar indeed.

My first attempts at soapmaking were suspect, to say the least. I made three batches to start with--sort of aggressive, true, but that is my nature, right? I remember the soaps well: Rosemary Mint, Tea Tree & Bentonite Clay and then something akin to an Oatmeal.

Since I didn't have soap molds, I poured the batches into cardboard containers, then insulated them and let them set up before unmolding them and cutting them. Without a good cutter and a plan, cutting soap is not too easy and my finished bars ended up being in all sorts of shapes and sized. But persist I did (seeing a trend here?) and allowed the soap to dry its 4 weeks before I could use it. Waiting 4 weeks was hard, but when it finally came I was so proud of myself I think I took two showers a day for the first week!

Now since the first attempts at making soap were not too pretty--odd shapes and different smells, too--I had a really hard time getting people--even family members to try it. Some took the bars dutifully, but I'm not sure if they ever used it.

One not-so-very-nice person (actually he is a super critical person who will remain nameless) said a bar of my Tea Tree & Bentonite Clay soap smelled like a musty old basement! I was insulted, but definitely not prepared to give up. (By the way--you know who you are...shame on you! Shame on you for not believing in me! Obviously, you were very, very wrong!)

Of the three batches, the Rosemary Mint was the first real success! It was cool and refreshing and actually lathered and made me feel clean without leaving me with that "stripped" feeling. And, surprise!, my skin didn't itch all over anymore, so I didn't have to use oodles of body lotion to replace the drying effect of washing! One slight problem with the RM..it was, um, too tingly so you needed to be careful where you used it, if you get my drift.

As an aside, the Oatmeal soap totally bombed and was disgustingly ugly (even I wouldn't use it!), so I later ended up calling it Ugly Soap and sold it as "Guaranteed to wash off the ugly!" Marketing ploy, yes, but it did sell out at the first church fair in a flash!

Bouyed by the relative success, I was hooked at the idea that I would never, ever have to buy soap again from a store again. Hurrah! And, thankfully, no more "sensitive skin" either! It was then when I got truly hooked on handmade--not commercial--soaps and have never, ever used another bar of that crap again.

Now, 5 years later, La Diva Bella carries more than 50 kinds of soap. All still made the "old fashioned" way, but also poured into standardized molds, so that we make sure you always get a nice full bar of our great soap.

So, there's my story. Hope you liked it. I wanted to talk about why commercial soaps are so bad for you, but I think I'll save that one for later. Enough for today!

Summertime! And the livin' AIN'T easy!

2006-07-01T17:53:00.000-05:00

Hello darlings!
How ARE you????????
Have you missed me???? I hope not too, too much.

If you thought I'd gone off and taken a nice soothing vacation by the beach, you would have been wrong, lovies.

Summertime is a very busy time for La Diva Bella. Lots of shows, first of all. And those can be fun, of course, because we get to meet all our Div-otees, but they can also be very draining, too.

All of our summer shows are out-of-doors, which means battling the elements.

And, let me tell you, we've battled our share of elements including: sprinkles, showers, sheets of rain, high winds, thunder & lightning, some hail and searing sun...you know, heatwaves!!!!

Lots of heatwaves--with oppressive temps that make some of our products melt and make me weak in the knees.

Seriously! If you know me well, you know that not only do I hate to sweat (its rather unladylike in my not-so-humble opinion), but it actually makes me ill!

Illness complete with fainting spells and dizzyness, which forces me to sit on my Queen Bee Chair with my feet up drinking copious amounts of lemonade (yes, I am a lemonade girl...lemon, by the way, is awesome for your skin!) while watching Darling Sis work her butt off.

Well, maybe adding a comment or three while fanning myself.

Soooo...there I am...just as helpless as a fly in a spider web, lovies!

Whoa is me...or is it Who is I....well, you know what I mean! Whoa, whoa!

Are you concerned, darlings? You should be! :)

This illness happens to me frequently during the summer, which is probably why Darling Sis has no more butt left. (Really, it's true...flat as a pancake...not her front now, we're talking about her BEE-hind...all the Sistas have rather round but shapely "fronts", me included!)

I believe my malady to be some form of the good ol' fashioned vapours.

Or maybe some stylish new illness (which won't become fashionable until I've suffered with it for a long, long time. Again, "Oh, whoa is me!").

Whatever it is, it's just awful, awful, awful! But I will continue to suffer with it not-so-quietly.

By the way, even though I sweat (everyone does), I never smell. That's too masculine for me or YOU, sweeties.

I use La Diva Bella's NEW and completely ALL natural deodorant (now in 2 scents--herbal and citrus!) You've really got to try it!
Here's where you can find the citrus one on the site: http://www.ladivabella.com/product_info.php/products_id/463.
Darling Sis hasn't put the new herbal one on yet...got to get on her about that!

Not to get off on a tangent, but if you are at ALL concerned about breast cancer, you should really and truly consider using an aluminum-free deodorant, ladies!

Aluminum stops the sweat, true, but is just not healthy and *may* cause breast cancer. You can read about it at WebMD here: http://www.webmd.com/content/article/79/96226.htm).

If it says "antiperspirant" anywhere on the container, it has aluminum...so check your brand.

If I were you, I'd throw that commercial stuff out, just to be safe, darlings.

Anyway.....summertime also means filling lots and lots of teeny, tiny little hotel bottles with our awesome body lotion and shampoo. And then there's the wrapping of hundreds of little guest soaps! This year we (I say we, but I really mean Darling Sis) will probably wrap upwards of 4,000 of our little soaps...and she makes the corners oh-so-neat...it's worth a trip to The Kennebunk Inn just to see them! (http://www.thekennebunkinn.com)

So, in closing, summertime for La Diva Bella ain't anywhere near easy...
The fish might be jumping and the cotton might be high, but we are still working our butts off here. Now if we could only figure out a way to work off our fronts, too!

Talk to you later, Divas!

My MIA explanation...again....sorry

2006-05-30T10:30:00.000-05:00

Hello Divas!

Oops, I did it again...I disappeared for a little while, for which I am very, very sorry!

Quick explanation:
In addition to getting our new vehicle and trying to figure out all the knobs and stuff last week, we had a number of personal sagas unfold last week that took up most of my time and made me feel a wee bit yucky about myself.

I won't go into details with you all, but suffice to say it was a trying time for these Divas (and it still is not over)!

That's why I was so thankful that we had such a wonderful Memorial Day weekend at the Newburyport Arts, Flowers & All that Jazz! festival. Once again we met tons of new people who were very supportive of our efforts and also truly excited about our products! We sold a lot of stuff, too, which is always nice!

Lots of stuff to make this and next week before our next show (in Beverly), so I can't talk long, but wanted to thank you all that have been so supportive and genuine with us! It really is nice to know we are doing something right! :)

Talk again, soon, darlings!

Here comes the La Diva Bella Caravan!

2006-05-22T11:28:00.000-05:00

Well, lovies, I've got great news!

We're getting a new vehicle for La Diva Bella!

A brand new Dodge Grand Caravan SXT with all the fun features, too! And plenty of room for all our new stuff and Little O, of course!

We get to pick it up today--after a bunch of red tape hurdles, mind you--from Herb Chambers Dodge on 114 in Peabody.

Herb Chambers folks were very nice to us--especially after the run-around we got from a competing dealership on the South Shore--and they didn't insult our intelligence either! Our salesman Richard--who will probably never read this--now calls himself Diva Richard. How funny is that?

It was tough getting this new vehicle. We were told to "Come on down!" and we did...a long ride for us...but we didn't find what we were promised ahead of time and then they seemed to think cuz we were girls (and not DIVAS!) they could pull one over on us.

Well, hello!!!! No dice!

Divas rule and we got exactly what we were looking for at a great price right here on the good ol' (soggy) North Shore.

The North Shore rocks! Ha ha! Sorry South Shore, but it's true. Just kidding...a little.

So, wahoo! Let's hear it for the Divas!

As they say in New Orleans, "Laissez les Bon Temps rouler!", which means "Let the good times roll!" (pun intended).

Got to go pick up the new Diva-mobile! Luv ya all!

Rainfall & flooding update in good ol' Peabody, MA USA

2006-05-15T10:53:00.000-05:00

Well, darlings, the big news is the rain and flooding here in Peabody.

Peabody almost NEVER makes the news. I've lived here most of my life, so I know.

So now we are on national teevee and folks "from away" are going: "Where the heck is PEA-BOD-EE"? And we are going: "Duh! It's PEE-BUDDY" Haha. Reminds me of the Gold Bond Powder commercial they tried to do years ago when they named all the local cities but got them wrong. Remember? "Joe from HA-VER-HILL uses Gold Bond" (It's Hav-rill!)

We just do that to mess with the minds of people "from away".

Let me give you a tiny bit of advice if you ever come to New England--maybe to Peabody now that we are famous--NONE of the cities and towns are pronounced as they appear.

Don't even try.

We'll just snicker at you while we tell you the correct pronounciation...thinking: "It's SO obvious "Danvers" is pronounced DAN-VAHS! And it's RE-VE-YAH (Revere). You must be a blockhead! Ha ha...you are from away!"

Anyway, I digress. Downtown Peabody is completely underwater and they have blocked off almost all major roads in our area, including Route 1, 114, Lowell St., Main St., etc.

MDH didn't go to work today--though I think he could have made it--just lazy, I think. DIT LeeLee--who is back again--couldn't go to school at PVMHS because they put elderly folks from the former High-school-turned-elderly-housing up there.

Wondering if they'll get some ideas while they are there?

I can see it now:
"We, the Senior Citizens of Peabody, are tired of living in the OLD high school--where many of us actually went to school. We want new scenery! It's depressing to think we graduated and had lives and then ended up back at high school! The food isn't even better!
Therefore we are taking over this newer high school for our permanent residence!
Try and stop us! We have walkers and canes!"

heehee...just kidding...seniors are pretty mild mannered in Peabody....I think.

Anyway, it's back to the mad flop-house here. At least until they open the roads again.
Baby terrorizing the dogs in his walker, everyone hanging around doing nothing and me just wanting my old peace and quiet back.

I'll just go off and quietly have a nervous breakdown in the closet.
At least until some laundry or dishes need doing....

Peabody: The Big Easy of the Northeast?

2006-05-14T12:37:00.000-05:00

Well, Dear Ones-

We've been having rain. Actually as I write, we are still getting rain.

Lots of rain.

They said almost 12 inches when its done. We've only had 20 gallons in the workshop so far.

Our quiet little city is on the national and local news.

Peabody!

Could we be The Big Easy of the Northeast?

Actually--it's no where near as fun as Nawlins here--Peabody is NOT a destination city by any means, my friends. But it still is fun to see us on the news--even though it is for a bad thing.

Tune in later to find out what happens.

Where have I been?

2006-05-14T08:29:00.000-05:00

Hello Dear Ones,

I'm so sorry for not posting all week. It's been a very busy time for us here at La Diva Bella and also for me personally. Plus my network decided to fail half way thru the week, which didn't help! But all is fixed and I hope all is forgiven.

I know in my last post I promised to write you about MayFair in Cambridge's Harvard Square. We had a fantastic time, but WOW was it ever exhausting. Not knowing what the crowds would be like, but hearing it may attract some 100k people, Tre & I decided to rent a cargo van to bring all of our stuff in.

Good thing we did! It was packed and we sold out of many things. It was a different crowd than we are used to--much more earthy and hip--so we sold many of the more natural things as well as lots of the earthy scents such as patchouli, sandalwood and lavender.

No surprise that we sold out of our new All Natural Citrus Deodorant (http://www.ladivabella.com/product_info.php/products_id/463), but we also ran out of Tropical Pumice Foot Scrub (http://www.ladivabella.com/product_info.php/products_id/465) and sold lots of our massage melts, too (http://www.ladivabella.com/product_info.php/cPath/61/products_id/383).

I guess the folks in Cambridge really know how to treat themselves right!

It was fun to just meet new people, too and to see such a great mixed group of faces and races. I don't get out of the house much these days and it is always nice to meet new, non-judgemental people, don't cha think?

Even though MayFair was only from 12-6pm, we were gone ALL day. We left at 7am and didn't get the van back to the rental company until 9pm at night! It was sort of fun driving in the van, but also kinda bumpy, too. What barely fit in the Jeep, fit into the van PLUS loads more inventory, thus making us think we should maybe upgrade if we are going to keep up this fair schedule. And considering we have a busy year ahead (see fair schedule here: http://www.ladivabella.com/fairs.php), it might be a great idea.

Besides I really want to get rid of my other car--too many bad memories from the Evil Empire! We're thinking of replacing it with one of those Sto-n-Go Grand Caravans, so we can make room for Little O when we need to. But that would officially make me a soccer mom, which I've been trying to avoid! Oh, well, what are we gonna do?

This week also had many visitors to the "compound" including one of Nettie's friends who is currently canvasing Boston giving out samples of Wrigley's new Cool Watermelon gum, which seems to be getting quite the buzz on the net without his giant Watermelon Costume and sort-of-odd Watermelon bags.

But, I must say, the gum is pretty awesome. It actually never seems to lose its flavor. Unfortunately though it seems addictive. I chomped on my piece for like 6 hours and I am not a gum chewer. Finally my jaw became so stiff, I had to throw it out. Maybe they should have called it the Everlasting Gobstopper Cool Watermelon Gum...from Wrigleys...naw! Too long!

This week we saw the return of our new helper M (name masked to protect privacy) and we got lots of stuff done with her help, for sure! She's actually turning out to be quite a task master--sort of like Tre--which is good for me and my sometimes waning motivation. Made oodles of stuff to replace all the things we sold at MayFair and started to get ready for our summertime schedule with The Kennebunk Inn (a way cool Inn in the heart of Kennebunk that we have been providing with soaps, lotions and shampoos for some time now: http://www.thekennebunkinn.com/).

They get so busy in the summer that we send them stuff every week. It's a blast though, except when it comes to wrapping all those little bars of soap. Thank God for Sisters!

Our dear little DIT (Diva-In-Training) Leanne also packed up again and went to Mount Pleasantville. For those who don't know her, Leanne is our 14 (going on 35) year old niece that sometimes lives with us and sometimes doesn't. Everyone was sad to see her go. Okay, maybe not everyone...well, maybe just her cat, Oreo Cookie Man, the bulimic cat (It's true! This cat has an eating disorder!). Now Little O can have his room back, because it was looking decidely teenager-ish with clothes strewn about, etc.

Actually, she left some stuff here.
She tends to do that.

But not as bad as her mother, who has literally bushel baskets full of dirty clothes in our upstairs. Diva Nettie and DIT Leanne usually leave and then their stuff follows them eventually (and I do mean eventually). I think Sara Lee has stuff left there since February. (Actually, I believe they consider themselves celebrities, with different houses all around the world. Ok, maybe not the world. maybe just Peabody.)
Gotta love 'em!

And then...just when things quieted down...we took in another cat (temporarily)! So we are up to 4 cats, 2 dogs, 1 baby (ok, 2 babies if you count MDH) and me!

So, anyway, that's where I've been all week. My life is a soap opera...or as Nettie says: "They make movies about people like us!"

Sorry if you missed me! I promise to be more diligent with my writing next week!

Take care!

What is a Diva?

2006-05-04T20:03:00.000-05:00

Hello, Darlings!

Since I started this blog, I've had a lot of folks ask me or talk to me about the meaning of the title "Diva" and why we chose to name our company "La Diva Bella".

The simple answer is we are just "calling it what it is", but I will elaborate (as usual).

Our heritage (from our father's side) is Italian and we are darn proud of that. And, we've always been keen on the name Bella, which of course means "beautiful".

But, "Diva"? Isn't that derogatory or something? Doesn't it essentially mean "witchy" (with the "b")?

Well, no. (Or as I like to say: "Yeah.....no.") Actually Diva--in Italian or Latin--means "Goddess". So putting it all together we've got "The Beautiful Goddess", which we absolutely just loved.

But there was a deeper meaning to the name choice, too.

Remember when the words "gay" or "dyke" were not used to in polite conversation?

I do. It just wasn't right to address people tht way.

But then a curious thing happened, all the folks that were being called "gay" and "dyke" in a negative way decided to embrace the moniker (fancy word for name) and make it their own. Sort of reverse psychology in a very positive way, right?

Well, that's sort of what happened to us.

For a long time, I was called a Diva every time I wanted to do something original, creative or just off-the-beaten-path. It was meant as a slur on my originality, I know. But once I actually thought about it, I realized that I really didn't think it was an insult at all. In fact, upon searching the meaning, I realized that a Goddess was something I really wanted to emulate--possibly even be. So, I decided to embrace the name and everything changed from there!

First off, I wasn't ticked off by being called a Diva anymore and I actually started to thank people who called me that which pissed them off...haha!).

Then I started looking for the word Diva in everything. I got a key change that said Diva on it and a bag that said: "Do me over, Diva!", too. I became proud of the name and took it back for us, darlings!

And since I do truly believe there are goddesses in all women--and I mean EVERY woman--we also incorporated the slogan: "Because Inside Every Woman is a Goddess!"

Honestly, at first, some people were sort of shocked. And some didn't want to be called a Diva. "Oh, no, not me. Maybe you, but not me." But with every passing day, we've added more and more Diva Devotees on our side. A revolution has begun!

So it's time to ask yourself. Are you treating yourself like the Goddess you are, Diva?

Do you put up with inferior or derogatory behavior from others because they don't really understand your divine nature?

It's time to embrace the title and start acting "as if", ladies.

Act "as if" you really ARE a Diva, and you know what? Pretty soon everyone else will start treating you the same way. And before you know it, you'll be proud to wear the title and maybe even have to insist on it in conversation. (Hey...look at one of my all-time idols, Queen Latifah. At some point she declared herself royalty and now she is!)

Try it and let me know what transpires, darlings!

Have a wonderful weekend! Hope to see you!

My apologies?

2006-04-30T08:11:00.000-05:00

Hello Divas!
Good Sunday morning to you all! We had a busy day yesterday at the fair, met some great people and sold some great product, too.

Tre & I noticed that we may be getting too "big" for these smaller fairs--and I don't mean our waist-sizes though Tre did make a nasty comment about my underwear, which I won't go into here--and we should probably make the final transition to the larger fairs this year.

This is sort of sad, but obviously positive, too. Sad because the small church fairs is where we got our start and met some of our best customers. But positive because it means our plan to grow our company is working. We keep saying: "This year is going to be the year!" and I really believe it, too.

Last year I was a wreck (because of various personal issues) and SO very sick from the pregnancy, that it was all I could do to even attend the fairs. Tre held it together on her own. Goddess bless her! I think I slept most of the year away!

But this year is quite a bit different. Even though I've still got issues (when will I not have issues??) and am trying to keep up with a 7 month old, I've been able to at least help Tre in some of this year's plans. We've got a very busy schedule going and we've managed to acquire so many new wholesale accounts already. Plus we have a new eBay store (check it out: http://stores.ebay.com/La-Diva-Bella-LLC) . All in all, we've gotten off to a great start and everything is looking like this will definitely be OUR YEAR!

Anyway....Darling Sis said in my last post that I was ranting, so I thought I'd apologize a little. I sometimes get so darn fired up about something that I do get on my pulpit and I trust you know that this is my opinion only. Plus "opinions are like....." and all that.

Sis said: "Keep the focus on the company and the product!", so that's what I will do (at least most of the time).

The really good thing about working with people that understand you is they don't hold mistakes against you like others do. For example, Tre & I got to bickering yesterday about something stupid and I had to stop and think: "Ya know, I would never be able to do this at a REAL JOB!" And, the fortunate thing, all was forgiven in just a few minutes (even though Darling Sis DOES repeat herself when she is trying to make a point). LOL..had to sneak that in there. Forgive me, Tre.

Anyway, today is more or less a rest day for us. I've got a baby shower to attend and Tre is taking some much needed rest. However we do have a BIG week coming up, which includes Diva Day on Saturday at the Crows Corner Gift Shoppe and the MayFair Celebration in downtown Harvard Square (a huge event and our first outdoor one this year)on Sunday.

Two VERY different events in the same weekend! So, depending on if you like small, intimate affairs (Diva Day) or huge, hoards of people times--we've got it going on next week. Whew, good thing we are flexible (even if some people have accused us otherwise! Was that a rant? So sorry!)

Moving on.... Please visit us and MAKE sure you tell me (I'm the younger one) that you enjoy my blog. Obviously, I need the encouragement! :)

Have a restful day, Darling Divas!

Pickle Pot 2

2006-04-28T07:59:00.000-05:00

Good morning, darlings!

Just a quick note to let you know that the meeting with Jeff at the The Pickle Pot went wonderfully! She's a fan now--a genuine Diva Devotee--and we will be sending over a boatload of wonderful stuff for them next week. So make sure you check it out! The gallery is so ecclectic and Jeff even has a lending library in the back, which I think is WAY cool!

Jeff and I seem like kindred spirits, for sure. She used to be caught up in all that corporate shit, too, and now she's "sticking it to the man" by running her own community-enhancing store. Goddess bless her! She has a lot to offer, for sure!

Darlings, I have been living on Boston's North Shore all my life (with only a few years away for school, of course) and I know my way around, believe me. But it just seems like now I beginning to see just how special this place is.

Yes, it can be very beautiful and historic and interesting...but the most exciting thing is that it is full of independent thinking, full-of-life and creative people, just like me! I can't believe I tried to fit myself into such a cookie-cutter life for so long. What was I thinking?

The folks I used to hang with had "lives so small" they "thought they'd seen it all" (Michelle Shocked). I feel so sorry for them, Divas! I'm so elated when I hear that one has broken free from the mold.

The other night I heard of two more of my favorite people that have made a true leap of faith from that faithless, judgemental company on the hill (un-named, but you could figure it out easily). My praises go to those people--they are my heros!

I know how hard it is to leave somewhere on which you have spent so much of your blood, sweat and tears, but believe me they don't care about it. They don't give it a second thought!

They think "everyone is replaceable" or "no one is indispensible" and frankly, girlfriends, that is just a big ol' pile of stinky bull. Let them go hit little balls with tiny sticks and relish in the fact that they have loads of money! They are missing out on the true meaning of life and the real riches that this world has to offer. Can I get an "Amen!", Sisters?

Ok, well, off my soap box for a now. Wanted to tell you that I am feeling so empowered and happy about this year. Last year was so awful, I thought I would die. But, darlings, this year---this year is going to be THE YEAR OF THE DIVA COMEBACK. Hey, why not? Mariah Carey did it, didn't she? And, based on her appearance on Ellen, she's not exactly the brightest bulb on the ferris wheel. So, why not me, eh? Right! Why NOT me! I'm ready and I'm able and most of all I DESERVE it.

Think about your lives, Divas? Have you been pushed down and made to feel wrong, bad, ugly, dumb, inadequate or not worthy? It's time to pull yourself up by your pantyhose and start thinking completely differently, babies! You ARE right, wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, completely adequate and totally worthy! If you EVER doubt this, you need to listen to the wonderful lyrics of Bette Midler's song "I'm Beautiful" over and over and over again until you get it. If you've never heard this one, here are the lyrics for you to study and learn!

Goddess Bless you with Everything you need, Divas!

I'm Beautiful by Bette Midler
That's it, baby! When you got it, flaunt it, flaunt it!
This is the Divine Miss M and I'm here to share with you some rare and stimulating insight into my cosmic fabulosity.
It's really very simple. I simply believe with all my heart:"I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful, dammit!
I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful, dammit!
I'm beautiful, so beautiful, I'm beautiful, dammit!
I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful, dammit!"

Go away, little girl," they used to say.
"Hey, you're too fat, baby, you can't play."
"Hold on, miss thing, what you trying to do? You know you're too wack to be in our school."
Too wack, too smart, too fast, too fine,too loud, too tough, too too divine.
I said you don't belong. You don't belong.
Too loud, too big, too much to bear,too bold, too brash, too prone to swear.
I heard that song for much too long.

Ain't this my sun? Ain't this my moon?Ain't this my world to be who I choose?
Ain't this my song? Ain't this my movie?Ain't this my world? I know I can do it.
I'm not too short, I'm not too tall,I'm not too big, I'm not too small.
Ooh, don't lemme start lovin' myself!
Ooh, don't lemme start lovin' myself!
I'm not too white, I'm not too black,I'm not too this, I'm not too that.
Ooh, don't lemme start lovin' myself!
Ooh, don't lemme start lovin' myself!
I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful, dammit!
I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful, dammit!

It's time to call it what it is.
Don't play the naming game.
Become what you were born to be and be it unashamed.
"Go away, little boy," I can hear them say,"Everybody on the block says they think you're gay.
Hold on, my friend, do you think we're blind?Take a look at yourself. You're not our kind."

Too black, too white, too short, too tall,too big, too green, too red, too small.I said you don't belong. You don't belong.
Too black, too white, too short, too tall,too blue, too green, too red, too small.
I heard that song for much to long.
Ain't this my sun? Ain't this my moon?Ain't this my world to be who I choose?
Ain't this my song? Ain't this my movie?Ain't this my world? I know I can do it.

People always ask me,"Miss M, how did you get so far on so little?" Shut up!
Well, I woke up one morning,flossed my teeth and decided,
"Damn, I'm fierce!"
(You look good!) You can be just like me! (A goddess?) Yeah!

Don't just pussy foot around and sit on your assets.
Unleash your ferocity upon an unsuspecting world.
Rise up and repeat after me: "I'm beautiful!"I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful!Can you say that?
I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful!I don't hear you!I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful!Louder!
I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful, I'm beautiful!

Hey!That's it, baby, when you got it, flaunt it, flaunt it!Aaaaaah!

Ain't this my sun? My sun! Ain't this my moon? My moon!Ain't this my world to be who I choose?
Ain't this our song? Ain't this our song?Ain't this our movie? Ain't this our movie?Ain't this our world to be who we choose?
I'm not too short, I'm not too tall,I'm not too big, I'm not too small.
Ooh, don't lemme start lovin' myself!
Ooh, don't lemme start lovin' myself!I'm not too white, I'm not too black,I'm not too this, I'm not too that.
Ooh, don't lemme start lovin' myself!
Ooh, don't lemme start lovin' myself!

I'm beautiful, dammit!

Oh my Goddess, Divas!

2006-04-27T20:19:00.000-05:00

Oh my Goddess!!!!!
Divas!!!!

You absolutely need to try out the Vitality Wellness Spa (www.vitalitywellnessspa.com) in Reading! It was SUCH a fabulous experience I wanted to pull up a bed and move in! And, dare I say it, the treatments were better than SEX! (Yes, even really good sex!)

Getting ahead of myself. Ok, well, remember when I told you my darling sisters gave me a spa night for my 40th B-day? Well, we--the Three Lee Sisters--went last night and we had the entire beautiful place to ourselves for almost 5 hours. And now, I can finally say, I know exactly what it was like to be Cleopatra and have everyone waiting on you hand and foot.

Darling Sara Lee (Tre) had her feet--her literal "achilles heel"--worked on until they no longer ached, which is practically impossible for her.

Little Sis had her first facial and then splurged for a pedicure, too. She looked very relaxed (the wine might have helped!)

I, darlings, had THE WORKS and that means THE WORKS!

First, Miss Cassie gave me a phenomenal massage that just made me melt. Then I spent some time with my new best friend--this massage chair called the Marvelous Migun--heaven! After a little sustenance (provided by the Green Tomato--which I always call the Purple Pepper--in Reading), I was off for my facial complete with Pumpkin Enzymes. Heaven! Then an ultra relaxing pedicure and manicure complete with the most attractive copper foot basins filled with darling little river rocks--no Rubbermaid containers, there, let me tell you!

What a night! Miss Christina--the owner of Vitality Wellness Spa--was the most gracious hostess and we vowed to be back at least once a week when we make our first million (which we are hoping to do any day now)!

But seriously, as I was getting my massage I was thinking to myself, "Why don't I do this more often?" (Like every day!) "Why am I so critical of my body?" And it really made me think!

Divas, getting a massage is such a terrific way to tell your body that while you might not be happy with all of its parts, you are still one with it. You accept it for what it is and you thank it for carrying your spirit around all day every day.
In a sense, it is like honoring your body.
And, frankly girls, we just don't do that enough!

If you want to try out the Spa, you should take advantage of a very special event they are having on SATURDAY called the "Dress for Success" Event.

Drive on over to their place (but make sure to bring some gently worn spring/summer women's biz clothes for your donation!) and you'll be treated to a day full of wonderful fun and enjoyment. La Diva Bella has even donated a few items for their Goodie Bags that we think you'll love!

And, although we won't be able to attend (we have a show at the Holy Trinity UM Church in Danvers that day), we will be there in spirit with you!

If you do go (and you better, darlings!), PLEASE tell Christina that we said "hi!"
We are so lucky to have met her and we just think she is a Goddess Extraordinaire!

I've got so much to tell you--including my wonderful meeting with Jeff at the Pickle Pot complete with one of those "its a very small world" happenings. But, alas, I've run out of steam for tonight. It's tough keeping up with a 7 month old!

Tomorrow then? Same place? Ok, great!

Nighty-night, Divas!

Exciting new product!

2006-04-25T21:51:00.000-05:00

Hi all-

Just have a few minutes after a very LONG day to tell you about a brand new and exciting product we've just added to our line. It's called EyesCream and it is fabulous!

We developed it using two of my all-time favorite ingredients--shea butter and jojoba oil. Jojoba oil is actually not an oil, but a wax, and is well known as the vegetable oil that most resembles our natural sebum (oil).

Before adding the jojoba to the cream base, we infused it with both calendula and elder flowers. Calendula--known as pot marigold--imparts skin softening properties to the oil. Elder flower was used during the Victorian Era as a skin whitening and softening botanical.
And shea butter--as you probably know--is one of the most fabulous finds for the skin. It softens, soothes, increases flexibility and circulation, and deeply moisturizes, too.

All this in a terrific cream so thick you'll think it is Ice Cream (hence the name). And what a price...you can't get stuff like this at any of the big body shops for under $25. And we're selling it for only $7 for a 1/2 an ounce!

You should check it out--Here's the link on our site: http://www.ladivabella.com/product_info.php/products_id/468
You won't be disappointed, Bellas!

OK...got to run...you take good care of your wonderful selves, Divas!

La Diva Bella meets Basket Hideaway 2

2006-04-22T10:07:00.000-05:00

Hi again, Divas!
Darling Sis---Sara Lee--figured out how to resize the photos for the Basket HideAway, so I'm going to try to post them now. Aren't they cute?

La Diva Bella meets Basket HideAway!

2006-04-22T09:09:00.000-05:00

Hi Divas!
Great news! We met with the folks from Basket HideAway on Washington Street (in Peabody) and decided to put some of our products in their new store! Linda--the owner--made a beautiful display of the products. You should go in and check it out. She sent pix so I will post them later when I figure out how to resize them! :)

Basket HideAway is a really cute store filled with lots of great gift ideas. A rare find in Peabody! They also have all kinds of teas and coffees---even the specialty ones!--for you to enjoy.

If you stop by, make sure you told them you heard about them thru the Divas!

Ciao for now, Bellas!

Our friends

2006-04-09T08:35:00.000-05:00

We meet such nice people at shows--both customers and other vendors, too. At this show (Castleberry in Wilmington at the Shriners Auditorium) we are right along side our friends from the Thanksgiving Show: Nancy and Chuck from Country Door crafts.

They make the most unique silk floral arrangements and I've been eyeing this beautiful fuschia water lily vase they have. Maybe darling sister will buy it for my birthday next week! Hint, hint!

Nancy & Chuck (a mother/son team) also have Corgis--a boy and a girl named Tipper and Lacey--so we spent yesterday chit chatting about how awesome they were and that they are the ONLY type of dogs to have even though they do shed SO much!

Last week I had Gus & Gwen groomed at Petsmart and got the Sweet Treat upgrade which included MARSHMALLOW SCENTED conditioner and cologne. So, not only did they look like those little Peeps they smelled like them, too!

This weekend's show has been a little slow, but it is hard to judge spring shows. We are happy just to be here and show off our new products.

The most popular new soaps this year are Honeysuckle and Lilac, which have sold out each day. Plus the 3 pack of body butters are doing well. And, why not? You get three different and fun scents in a cute vinyl bag--Orange Sherbert, Island Time and Mango Papaya--for just $14.
Yummy! http://www.ladivabella.com/product_info.php/cPath/51/products_id/464

Plus the Citrus Deodorant made a big splash! http://www.ladivabella.com/product_info.php/products_id/463

I'll write more later...I've got to go out the the Jeep for some more catalogs, which look very nice by the way. If you haven't received yours yet, send us an email and we'll get one right out to you! info@ladivabella.com

Ciao Bellas!