Reclaiming My Space

Soap Cakes & Cupcakes

Busy as a bee, I've been reclaiming my old soap room and office space after my younger daughter found her own place.  Let's just say I've got product and supplies stashed all over the house, and that is a huge problem!

Bath Treats

Bit by bit, I've been moving everything out of its hiding spot back to 

our "soap home".  The task is quite the undertaking, and I have been very calculated in what gets moved and when.  When it comes to heavy furniture I ask for help, otherwise I have been quite content to make the move myself.  

Supplies Closet

One room for finished product set up like a store, the other room for production, curing, packaging, and shipping.  Only problem being, I'm discovering exactly HOW much I really have...and so is my husband.  His only comment, "That's my Four Wheeler".  

Molds C.loset

I'm far from being finished with the move.  I'm giving you a peek inside the space now, and will make a video once the move is finished and everything is settled once again.  

Olive Oil for Your Skin Care

Olive oil is the fat pressed out from olives.  The quality of the olive degrades with each pressing.  Extra Virgin is higher quality whereas Pomace is a lower grade that might be used in manufacturing and perfect to use for soap making.  I prefer a mid grade olive oil for cooking and soap making, commonly found labeled "Pure".  I find the flavor to be the best to suit my tastes and the color of the Pure oil is pretty consistent, whereas Pomace can be green and often has olive sediment that requires straining before use.

Olive oil is known as a smart fat in diet due to being monounsaturated, which helps to lower bad cholesterol when used in place of saturated fats.  In Skin care, Olive oil is rich in antioxidants (Vitamin E, polyphenols, and phytosterols) and doesn't clog pores.  When applied topically, olive oil may prevent premature aging.

Olive Oil is the common name we are all familiar with. In the skin care world, proper ingredient listing is required and known as INCI Nomenclature.  Products created for skin care usage should list this ingredient as "Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil" when it is used in products other than soap.  During the soap making  process, the oil is transformed into a sodium that offers the same qualities as the original ingredient, but is no longer simply Olive Oil.  As a result, the INCI Nomenclature for Olive Oil in soap is "Sodium Olivate" for bars and/or hard soap and in liquid soap you will see it listed as "Potassium Olivate".

That Looks Like Ice Cream, Is That Ice Cream?

Bath Treats Party Favors

I hear that comment a lot when people first notice our Bath Treats.  They do look like ice cream but these little scoops are actually super fun bath treats for your skin.

To create these decadent skin treats, we start with the same ingredients as used in our bath bomb fizzies, then add in a lot of cocoa butter until a scoop-able consistency is achieved. Why Cocoa Butter?  Cocoa Butter is rich in antioxidants, high in fatty acids, and hydrates the skin deeply.  Thus, these treats offer the experience of a luxury bath melt, with the aesthetics and fizzing action of a bath bomb fizzie as it is dispersed in bath water.

Decadent Skin Treats

Bath Treats are perfect gifts to use as Party Favors.  Customers are always delighted to know that we gladly include custom messages for the occasion at no additional cost.   

We want our customers to enjoy the benefits of these luxury bath treats, but recommend using caution when entering or exiting the tub or shower, as the surface is likely to be slippery.  

Wordless Wednesday ~ June 24, 2015

Crochet Baby Dress for Isabella

Crochet Baby Dress

Crochet is another crafty endeavor that I enjoy when I sit and relax at the end of the day.  Recently I started making a dress for the newest grand girlie, and finished it just in time for her to wear to a wedding this past weekend.

I found this pattern on You Tube, written by Oana in Italy.  I am graciously thankful that she is willing to share her skills and video tutorials with the world, and that she took the time to make an English version of her video tutorials.

Our Selfie

Isabella is now 7 months old, and the pattern was written for 6 months.  When I started the project last month, the dress was more of a shirt so I had to add more rows of cascade stitch to get the length long enough to be a dress on her.  The top of the dress fit her just perfectly, so unfortunately wearing the dress was a one time deal, unless another special occasion pops up in the next couple weeks before she outgrows the top.

Isabella is a techy baby and is fascinated with cell phones.  She loves to take selfies and.the fact that the child knows what buttons to push amazes me.  The lighting was poor, but I had to capture the moment with her wearing the dress.  She wanted to hold my cell phone but Grammy said no.  She didn't give me a smile for the selfie in return.

Coconut Oil for Your Skin Care

For some time I've been wanting to start a series to provide information about the different ingredients we use in our products.  In this series I will explain what the ingredients are, how they are used, and what qualities they contribute to the soap making process and/or skin benefits.  Today is the first installment in the series, with future installments scheduled every Monday until we have covered all of them.

What is Coconut Oil?  Here is the quoted explanation that I obtained from Wikipedia:  "Coconut oil or Copra oil is an edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconuts harvested from the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera). It has various applications in food, medicine, and industry. Because of its high saturated fat content it is slow to oxidize and, thus, resistant to rancidification, lasting up to two years without spoiling.

Many health organizations advise against the consumption of high amounts of coconut oil due to its high levels of saturated fat"

Coconut Oil is the common name we are all familiar with.  In the skin care world, proper ingredient listing is required and known as INCI Nomenclature.  Products created for skin care usage should list this ingredient as "Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil" when it is used in products other than soap.  During the soap making process, the oil is transformed into a sodium that offers the same qualities as the original ingredient, but is no longer simply Coconut Oil.  As a result, the INCI Nomenclature for Coconut Oil in soap is "Sodium Cocoate" for bars and/or hard soap and in liquid soap you will see it listed as "Potassium Cocoate".

Coconut Oil is hard at temperatures below 76 degrees Fahrenheit.  Often used as one of the components in the trifecta of soap making oils - coconut, palm, and olive.  In it's hardened state, the oil is white in appearance.  Coconut Oil aids in the hardness and fluffy lather when used in soap, is light and not greasy, and has a long shelf life.  Used in skin care, coconut oil offers emollient, moisturizing, conditioning qualities to the skin.

In addition to skin care, Coconut oil has been gaining recognition and popularity for the health benefits it reportedly has to offer. Recently I discovered a blog that offers 101 Uses for Coconut Oil.  I have yet to try all of the suggested uses but  I'm curious to know if you have used coconut oil and what your experiences have been?  Good, bad, indifferent?

Fabulous Friday and Free Domestic Shipping Weekend

Rustic Wedding Favors

It's Fabulous Friday, and I want to share some projects I've been working on this week.

Starting off, we have Glycerin Soap Rustic Wedding Favors that are available in dark brown or gold.  Perfect for rustic/barn/country theme weddings.  These come scented in a unisex fragrance, are wrapped in cello, and tied with raffia.  We gladly personalize these favors at no additional cost.  I made some of these when my youngest daughter got married, and they were well received.  *FREE SHIPPING offer this weekend only, details later in this post.

Lemon Cake Slice

Lemons, we love lemons!  These delightful lemon cake slices are fun, yet functional, and bursting with crisp, tart Meyer lemon essence.  I have so many people say these are too pretty to use.  Here's my take on it...good china should never be kept for special occasions.  Why only bring out the best a few times per year, when every day could be a special day?  The same with fancy soap, it's not useful if it just sits there to be looked at.  Use them, and enjoy!   These cake slices can be cut into smaller, more manageable pieces to wash with.

Christmas in July
Sneak Peek 

I love Christmas, and I'm super excited that Christmas in July is right around the corner! We'll be celebrating July 20 - 31, 2015!  I'm giving you a sneak peek at one of the awesome soapy goodness that will be available next month!  Can you guess what scent this might be?

FREE SHIPPING (Domestic only)  now until June 21, 2015 in our Etsy shop when you spend $30.00 or more.  This includes Made to Order, as well as in stock items.  What a perfect opportunity to order party favors, or simply to stock up.  To activate the free shipping (domestic only), simply use the code:  FABFRIDAY19

Have a great weekend!

Vroom, Vroom Here I Come!

One Cool Monkey

Recently I attended a baby shower for one of my co-workers, and decided to make the gift memorable.  The inspiration for this gift came from Thom's Crafts and Treats on You Tube.

I had so much fun shopping for all of the items to make this diaper motorcycle.  My husband thought I had completely lost my mind as he watched it all come together piece by piece.  Once transformed into a cool monkey wearing baby sunglasses and riding a motorcycle, my husband found the project to be "pretty cool".  Hey, for a guy to like a baby shower gift, that says something.

Vroom, Vroom Here I Come!

 
The monkey on the motocycle became the center attraction at the baby shower, as no one had thought of a table decoration for the occasion (it was pretty laid back in typical Vermont fashion).

The expectant mom was delighted with the gift and reports that her significant other refused to let her take it apart after she got home.  Turns out he's a huge motorcycle fan so the gift was perfect.

It is always fun to turn ordinary useful gifts into something fun and memorable.

Wordless Wednesday - June 17, 2015

What I've Been Up To

With another school year wrapped up I'm anxious to start my summer respite with some much needed soaping therapy!  The soap room is a disaster and the molds are screaming to be put to work once again.  Not to mention the poor neglected soap cutter that hasn't been properly broke in yet.

In April I took a trip to "not so sunny" San Diego with School Nutrition Association.  Perhaps it was a good thing the sun was hiding for most of my time there as I was at a conference and it would have been torture to be stuck inside.  It was still cold, heavy coat wearing weather, and snowy at home.  At least I got to break out the sandals, ditch the winter coat for a few days, and dip my toes into the Pacific Ocean while I was there.

My Sophie

As the past winter was a long one, and never seemed to want to ever go away, I spent a lot of time huddled under a blanket that I was crocheting as part of a Crochet Along project ~ Sophie's Universe ~ written by Dedri Uys.  Sophie became my best friend, and I would anxiously await the release of the next rows each Sunday from January through May.  This project started out as a blanket for our bed, the finished project needs very little added to fit our queen size bed.  However, it was mutually decided that this Sophie will be the perfect gift for some special friends of ours getting married this summer. Not to mention, I have several more Sophie's in progress.  :)

Ah, but I've been twitching to break out some new fragrance oils that have been waiting for me and restock some soaps that are...um...out of stock!  Now that summer respite from the day job is upon me, let the fun begin!