interview with Crunchy Betty

I was an instant fan of Leslie’s website Crunchy Betty when I came across her blog while navigating my way through the SITS girls web portal. Her site is relatively new but her following is gathering steam like you wouldn’t believe.

As an entrepreneur that never gets to leave the house, a mom of a super busy 3.5 year old I was desperate for some pampering DIY things I could do in my “spare” time. HA! Look, I made a funny. Enter Crunchy Betty.

The Queen of Crunchistry even managed to get me to put food on my face, snap a picture, and let her post it on her site. Super.

1. How did you come up with the idea for Crunchy Betty?

You know those DIY recipes for beauty that are scattered throughout so many women’s magazines? I’ve always been completely addicted to them! And I used to have a little “diary” (before they were called blogs) online way back in the day. One day, as I was pouring something – who knows what – over my hair, I thought, “I wish I still kept my diary. I’d LOVE to share this.” And the idea was born.

Crunchy Betty was named out of a desire to mesh two seemingly contrasting ideas – “crunchy” natural hippie-ish-ness and “betty” as in a beautiful girl. I didn’t feel like the two things were mutually exclusive. And truly, I think that a woman’s ability to make her own beauty supplies, her ability to create a conscious life out of natural products, is one of the sexiest things she can do. It’s in us, y’know? That innate instinct to create. Plus, it’s extremely eco-conscious, frugal, and so ridiculously fun!

2. If you were stranded on a deserted island and you could only have one of your delicious at-home beauty recipes with you, what would it be?

Ha. This is the question that tripped me up the most. There are so many things I would be sad to do without! I guess, if I were on a deserted island, I probably wouldn’t need homemade dishwashing detergent or laundry detergent … or anything household at all. I’d say one of my deodorant recipes, but if there’s no one else around to smell me, then … nah. I think I’d have to go with the Mocha-Frappuccino mask. Not only is it my favorite, but it would mean I had coffee AND cocoa powder on the island. Sounds like a great way to be stranded.
{Dawn’s note: ooh, slick.}

3. What’s the best money you’ve ever spent?

Another toughie! I’m pretty frugal and conscious about my purchases, so when I think about it hard, most of the things I buy are the best money I’ve spent. But last year as Christmas was coming, I wanted to make thoughtful gifts, and I was really starting to solidify the idea for the blog. It made sense to go all out on essential oils. I bought $200 worth of essential oils in a month. It has, by far, been some of the most useful money I’ve spent. Some of the oils, I rarely use, but I’m so happy to have them when I do want them. And would you believe that since November of last year – with as many dang oils as I DO use – I’ve only needed to restock one bottle? Those things last forever!

4. What are your creative habits? What inspires you to be … well, you?

You know those people who would say “yoga” or “being one with nature” or something like that? I’m not one of them. For as crunchy as I am, I’ve hardly touched those sorts of aspects of myself yet, but I fall in and out of meditation practice often. Photography is my new-found love, really. I bought my Canon dSLR about a year and a half ago, and I’m always amazed at how easy it is to slide into that “creative zone” where the entire world falls away while I’m taking pictures. Sadly, that doesn’t apply to when I’m taking pictures for the blog. I’m usually thinking about so many other things, I’m lucky if the pictures are even in focus! So I would say, right now, photography is my biggest inspiration. But music will always be my longest lasting. Sit me down in front of someone’s well-stocked iTunes library, and I’ll be entranced for hours. I’m also really obsessive about finding new indie bands. Once I hear a song I love, I’ll tell everyone about it – five times – until they agree that they listened to it and love it, too. And I challenge you to a rousing round of karaoke. I do a mean All That Jazz. It’s on.

And if photography is my new inspiration, music is my longest lasting, books will forever and always be the rock under all of it. I’m fascinated with the written word and how it fits together so intimately with imagination. If I could be one thing in my life, it would be an accomplished writer. I’m afraid I have a way to go there.

5. Gimmie some of your favourites. Books, people, internet hangouts: whatever comes to mind.

A few of my favorite fiction books: Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins. Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. And the book that probably changed my life the most: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. But the books I turn to most when I’m trying to come up with beauty recipes are Organic Body Care Recipes by Stephanie Tourles and Ageless Natural Beauty by Sally Freeman (just to name two).

My favorite sites online are just so vast and varied! Care2.com is one of the best places to find information about green living, but I just recently found GreenWala, and I LOVE their very human and easy approach to going green. There are so many hilarious “mom” blogs out there, I couldn’t name just one, but I will say that Lori at In Pursuit of Martha Points has me snorting with laughter with almost every one of her posts. And when I’m not laughing, I’m thinking. She’s really good at getting you to do both. I also greatly adore Saving Naturally and Mnmlist and visit them on a daily basis.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention music just a little bit. Here’s the album I bet no one has heard of, but everyone will love: 1972 by Josh Rouse. It just makes you feel sooooo good.

6. Every once in awhile there’s an idea that you slap yourself on the forehead and think: why the hell didn’t I think of that. Where do you wish you had beat someone to the punch?

To be honest, that happens every day in blogging! There’s such a learning curve that goes to it, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve happened upon somebody’s awesome idea or design and thought, “Genius! That should be mine!” But, y’know, I did some ghostwriting for a client that focused on spirituality and inspiration, and he always used to tell me, “Leslie, there’s nothing new under the sun. Everything that can be, has already been. We all draw inspiration from other people’s ideas – and when you do that, you need to make sure you’re doing it authentically, and make it all your own.” I try to keep that in mind, as I go along. But I think the one thing that he didn’t mention was how important it is to credit the people who did inspire you. I try to do that as much as I can, and as much as my scatterbrained memory will allow.

7. Any last thoughts?

After a lot of pondering, I’ve started to believe that what got us into this chemically-filled mess is the idea from way back in the ’40s and ’50s that you can have “Better Living Through Chemistry.” As I was going through the new blog design (which you HAVE to check out … it’s adorable) and thinking about how it’s vintage inspired, which runs a little askance of my message, I realized that where we’re at now is “Better Living Through Crunchistry.” So that’s my new mantra.

And that’s what you’ll find on Crunchy Betty – Better Living Through Crunchistry. Not to mention, a LOT of food on your face.

So, please, stop by. Try a few things out. Let me know how it goes!

You can visit CrunchBetty.com for all the recipes. And I LOVE to give quick tips and helpful links throughout the week on Twitter at @crunchybetty.

Be sure to say hello! And get ready to get crunchy!

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