Focus

Well high production for us, there is only so much soap we can make with both of us working full-time outside of our business but ~meh~.

So in our high production time I'm making, making, making soap. And now since we've decided to do a luxury line of soaps that has opened up some new doors as well. We are less limited by cost of supplies, granted we are still limited. We're not going to use sandalwood essential oil (that is around $1700 a pound) and pass that cost on to our customers. But we are putting a bit more goodies into the soaps, and into the scents.

I made a soap we are calling Focus, it has a blend of sage, rosemary, tangerine, lemongrass, basil and cinnamon leaf essential oils. The soap isn't quite cured yet, but I grabbed a guest size bar and brought it to work and put it in the bathroom. I keep using it throughout the day and I cannot quit smelling my hands. I love it!

Lemon Parfait in SOAP!!

We've had request after request for our Lemon Parfait scent to be in soap. The problem has always been since there's a titch of vanilla in that marvelous scent it turns the soap brown. Who wants to bathe with a brown soap that's scented with our awesome Lemon Parfait!?! Okay I know a lot of our customers wouldn't care since they love that scent so much, but now we've been able to correct the problem. I made the soap last night so it hasn't even been cut yet, but so far so good.

There's this wonderful vanilla stabilizer from Bitter Creek that I purchased, I tried it in a couple of things before I poured some of our heavenly Lemon Parfait scent into it and possibly wasted it. So far it's a beautiful yellow color that I was shooting for. And it smells DIVINE!

So for all of you that have been chomping at the bit for your favorite scent to be in soap, the wait is almost over. As soon as the soap is cured it will be introduced to our website. This soap will be put into our all new luxury line of soaps.

The luxury line will cost a bit more, but WOW is the recipe worth it. All of them will have not only a little silk, but GOBS of silk. The lather from these babies is out of this world and they feel like silk using them.

Look out for our promotional sale on Lemon Parfait luxury soap it will last a month from the date of introduction 20% off that soap - you can't go wrong!

Don't drive to Canada with a sword in your back seat

I read something earlier that made me remember this silly incident. I live on the border of the US and Canada, sometimes I go to Canada for my job. My now hubby and I were planning our renaissance/fantasy wedding 4 years ago and the first thing my hubby bought for himself for the wedding was his sword. He was so excited about it, he had the day off and brought it to my office to show it off. I had to leave work early that day because my son had a dentist's appointment. So instead of fiancé and I taking separate cars from my office we decided all three of us would go to the dentist, so we left my car at work, but put the sword in the back seat of my car.

That evening I had to run to Canada so fiancé gave me a ride to my office after dinner to fetch my car and go to Canada. I went through Canadian customs just fine, ran my errand and had a long wait at US customs to get back home. Got to the border guard, he was very gruff with me, he was a bit of a jerk to be honest. Then told me I had to go inside because they were going to inspect my car. I'd never had my car inspected before! So I went inside and about a half hour later a much nicer female border guard came and gave me my keys. She said everything was fine, but I gotta ask ~ why do you have sword in your back seat?? OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO my, I'd forgotten all about that sword being there - I'm just happy they didn't take it .

Here's some pics from our wedding














My handsome husband, notice his sword :grin:

eCommercing - what to do?

I've been putting this off for a while. I've got to find a way to brush up our actual website. Currently we are relying more on Etsy (and I'm checking out ArtFire) to bring in new customers, so the website is sitting around for repeat customers that have bought from us in person.

Right now the website is set up with Domain Direct, it's okay - but the store and the website are separate. I don't like that at all. Plus not only are they separate but I cannot get a template for both, there's templates for a website and completely different templates for the store. So the store looks like it's a completely different site.

I'm looking into other ways of doing this now. Currently I'm looking at Mal's eCommerce since I know someone that has it and she's happy with it. I know there's others out there, I just need to find them, then check them out and compare.

Considering both hubby and I work full-time outside of our business we need something that is simple and relatively painless. Some day we'd love for the business to be able to support at least one of us, but right now the business is on the side. Someday...

If anyone that owns an eCommerce site reads this, I'd love to hear what you use and what your opinions are.

Amazingly awesome Etsy finds

Every time I'm looking for something on Etsy, I head over to esmarts first. They are a great group of sellers that are out there to Pay It Forward. They have various causes as the need arises. Currently a fellow Etsian had her computer stolen, so all proceeds made at esmarts are going to replace her computer so she can then continue to have her Etsy store.

This beautiful bracelet/anklet is one of the wonderful creations you can find there.























And who, pray tell - doesn't need a fairy door!?! This little bugger was found at NothingButWood's store.





















I've always admired bittystarr's papercut art. Isn't "I want you" just amazing!?!

MMMMMMMMMMMMM Ocean (Finally)

I've been hesitant to try this new soap recipe I devised. I wasn't sure if it was perfect, I am trying to create the perfect soap - but of course I'm sure there will always be something I can do better. So I'll never feel I have the perfect soap

I finally gave in and made it, I've been dying to try it, and still am :smile: I call it Ocean, it is a dupe of Yankee Candle's Ocean Water from From Nature With Love. I have the Yankee Candle scent in a car freshener in my car, I really like both the original and the dupe, though the dupe smells a bit different - it does smell very clean and refreshing.


Here's a picture of it when I just got done mixing it, it's still in the pot (the colored portion anyway).




Here's the beautiful colored portion of the soap once I poured it in the mold. Don't mind the color difference, I forgot the flash.


For the uncolored top potion I pulled out 3 cups of soap before I colored, or with the ten pounds of soap I made that is roughly 3 pounds of soap I pulled out. Here's the lovely uncolored portion poured on top.


Here it is after I attacked it with my silicone whisk.


Here is the beautiful log o' soap after it sat in the mold for about 12 hours, just before we cut it. Isn't it gorgeous!?! Or am I just really odd to think that soap is so pretty?


And for the close-up just before cutting.


Such a pretty blue. Now for March 1 to hurry up and get here so I can take this puppy for a test bubble!


This soap is unique in our line, but if all goes well many of the things we did in this soap will appear in our other soaps. This soap has wild harvested silk in it , wild harvested is the closest thing to "peace silk" you can currently get. We don't like the idea of the cute little silk worms being harmed in obtaining silk for our soaps, wild harvested silk is collected from what the silk worm leaves behind - it's trash to the worm, but luxury to us!

This recipe also has sorbitol incorporated into it. Sorbitol is a chelating agent as well as a humectant, so we're hoping this soap won't leave behind the typical amount of soap scum (anyone that uses handmade soap on a regular basis knows of this problem!). And a humectant will leave your skin oh so soft as it draws moisture from the air to you. Sorbitol is a naturally occuring sugar alcohol.

We've also incorporated colloidal oatmeal, colloidal oatmeal is used for many skin ailments, such as itching from dryness and eczema. We are hoping it brings just a little something extra to the soap.