Featured Artist: JoAnn Ouellet of Au Naturelle on Etsy

I'm thrilled to introduce you to the work of JoAnn Ouellet of Au Naturelle on Etsy.

It's a funny thing how I locate various artists.  In this case, JoAnn purchased a custom length of the lovely ivory vintage French ribbon I sell at Bumbershoot Supplies (a special 1940's ribbon, and it has been on the front page of Etsy, too). I loved the name, Au Naturelle, I wondered what she was up to with all that ribbon, and so I was enticed to visit JoAnn's shop.

I am so glad I did.  I was completely captivated.  I still am.  Plus, I purchased some of her products, so I can attest to her work from the perspective of a fellow mixed media artist and as a customer (excellent customer service and quick shipping, by the way!).

JoAnn makes fine soaps and body products from pure ingredients, with additions from her organic herb garden.  I purchased the lavender soap, one of my favorite fragrances.  JoAnn's is absolute heaven.  This generously sized, beautifully sudsing bar feels great on your skin and smells just like the lavender in my front garden.  It came shrink wrapped, and then wrapped in gorgeous, thick, hand made paper that I'll find a use for. It is shown in the very first photo.  I also received an olive oil loofah bar, which has a luxuriant, creamy feel.  Plus I tried the lavender ointment, which is really soothing. My skin loves it.

It's hard to imagine it getting any better than this, but it does. JoAnn offers a selection of hand stamped ribbon, muslin bags, and cards and tags, for beautifully coordinated packaging.  This is absolutely wonderful because I could (and did) purchase not only the soap, but the presentation materials.  Having these items all in the same shop gave me some great ideas for future holiday gifts, and I felt really supported in my efforts to bring together a gift that was elevated to something special. JoAnn made it really easy and efficient for me to come up with a truly lovely and luxurious artisan gift at a very reasonable price.

I hope you will enjoy a visit to Au Naturelle.  If you do, tell JoAnn I sent you :)