{Artist Spotlight} Sasha's Hand Poured & The Immaculate Beard

Sasha’s booth is full of self care and dynamite holiday gifts, so we know you’ll be pumped to find Sasha's Hand Poured and The Immaculate Beard joining us again for the 2019 Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash. We connected for a quick Q&A just for y’all …

What are you most looking forward to for the Jingle Bash?
Personally I always love shopping our fellow vendors and making new friends at the Bash!!! The shoppers are so enthusiastic for the handmade movement, it always encourages me to keep on doing what I do!!

Is your shop offering anything new, special or different at the Bash?
I introduced Bubble Bath Bombs to the line this fall and am excited to share them at the Bash!

What is your favorite part of prepping for an upcoming show?
Definitely the new product offerings! So fun to experiment and bring the winners to the show!

What makes this event special for you?
The friendships we have made over the years at this event are priceless!! Shoppers and vendors both.

Is there a story behind your business name?
True to the name, every item we make is mixed, poured, packaged, and labeled by hand!!

What is a typical day of work like for you?
Coffee, wake up kids, breakfast, start schoolwork (I homeschool 3 boys!), out to workspace to start checking off the list. I try to always have a plan for the next day waiting when I get out to the workspace.

What is your professional background and how did it lead you to the creative work you are pursuing now?
I have an educational background in chemistry and mathematics which led to working in education and educational software. So basically unrelated except chemistry makes me want to make things so I can feel like a chemist! HA!

How would you describe your shop?
I have Sasha’s HandPoured, which is a handmade line of fun, great smelling bath, body, & home fragrance goods. Then there is the men’s line, The Immaculate Beard, which is intended to help the bearded, AND clean shaven look, smell and feel their very best. My motto is LOOK GOOD, SMELL GOOD, FEEL GOOD!

What do you enjoy most about working with your team?
Learning and sharing experiences. The pros are so willing to help and the new ones are eager to learn!

What do you find the most challenging about your work?
Time management.

Do you have any tips for finding work/life balance?
I wish I did. HA! I do try to have certain times and days totally off limits for working in the workspace. But every fall I break all my own rules. It is a work in progress for me!

Shop from dozens of artists offering unique handmade wares at the Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on November 9. From original art, home goods, and artisanal soaps to local jewelry designers, leather workers and so much more! Check out the event on Facebook here. And find out how to shop the Bash like a pro here. We’ll see y’all at the Bash! 

{Artist Spotlight} Our Interview with Dustin and Karen of Bearded Buffalo Co.

Dustin and Karen are so excited to be part of the Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash, sponsored by Etsy, on November 10 at Fashion Industry Gallery in Dallas. We are excited too! Bearded Buffalo Co. is releasing a new limited-edition scent for their beard balm and oil at the Bash. 

Bearded Buffalo Co. is a veteran-owned and operated company. The use natural ingredients and make their products in the USA. These two both work full time and go to school full time in addition to running Bearded Buffalo. We caught up with them recently for quick interview. 

Is your shop offering anything new or special at the Bash?

The weekend of the Jingle Bash is kind of the perfect storm of events for us. November 10th is also the Marine Corps birthday and the following day is Veterans Day. Both our owners are veterans and one served in the Marine Corps which makes this pretty significant. We see this as the perfect time to release a new and limited-edition scent of beard balm and oil. We’re calling it “Yeti,” and it will be a great scent for the winter!

What do you most enjoy about working with your team?

We currently have a two-man team. My wife and I. We started this company together after only a few months of dating. It was a scary thing to do, but somewhere in the back of our minds we must have known it would all work out. The trials we faced starting a business together helped us learn a lot about each other and laid a good foundation for our marriage. 

Is there a story behind your shop name? 

We see our business, including all of our oil and balm scent names as a homage to great men. Men who have had a hand not only in building our country, but also men who have influenced us in our personal lives. One of these great men being Karen’s grandfather. He was part Native American, loved nature and had an affinity for buffalo. 

What do you find most challenging about your work?

The most challenging thing about our work is creating new product. We want to provide our customers with awesome products, and we don’t release anything we are not supremely proud of. This takes research, formulating, time, testing and usually more formulating. Though daunting at times, it’s worth it when our customers tell us how much they love our products or what a difference our products have made for them. 

Shop from over 100 artists offering unique handmade wares at the Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on November 10. From original art, home goods, and artisanal soaps to local jewelry designers, leather workers and so much more! Check out the event on Facebook here. And find out how to shop the Bash like a pro here. We’ll see y’all at the Bash!