Happy Fourth of July Weekend!

Let Freedom Ring!

Enjoy the weekend and be safe.

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!

SUMMER SALE ~ 136 Days Until Christmas!

Don't procrastinate until the last minute to start your Christmas shopping for this year.  We are currently offering a 40% off sale in our shop!  Anything listed in the SUMMER SALE section of our shop is on sale.  Supplies are limited on some items, so make your selections early.  As we clean out the soap room additional items will be added.

Wedding Favor Sampler, Part 1

Favors in the molds

The work has started on the wedding favors that will be part of the favor samplers that will be going into the gift boxes for prospective brides in attendance at an upcoming bridal show.

Heart embeds were made with glycerin soap that has similar qualities to cold processed soap in that it is less likely to sweat.  The process was a labor intensive undertaking due to the fact that the molds had small indentations in the center of the hearts which needed some definition, so I went to task piping the red centers.

Once the embeds were complete, it was on to making the cold process soap for pouring the mini cupcake bottoms and piping the tops.

Curing Favors

After 72 mini cupcakes I ran out of molds and had to wait until they set up enough for releasing from the molds.  And the fun begins of creating the next 72 mini cupcakes!

Eventually these will be wrapped in organza bags before getting tucked into the favor sampler boxes.

Hyacinth, Where Are You Hiding?

Hyacinth Goat Milk Soap

I looked out the living room window this morning and discovered yet another coating of snow that we were blessed with overnight (sigh).  I looked down at the massive pile of snow covering my flower beds that has piled up from the many inches of snow we've received in the last month, to which my husband said, "you don't have any flower beds, you have snow beds".  Exactly!

Inside the house I have created one of my favorite early spring soaps scented with Hyacinth.  This soap has the luxurious addition of Goat Milk, making it the perfect pairing to use during these transitional days between winter and spring.  I'm not wishing for much, am I?  ;)

Goat Milk offers emollient properties, leaving your skin feel extremely loved and nourished. The color for this soap was achieved using micas and the fragrance captures the green essence of the plant along with the flowers.

So while I can't see any evidence of my Hyacinth returning outdoors, I've created a soap masterpiece to tied me over for a while longer.

Curing the Winter Blues

Smile!

It is hard to believe that it has already been five years since my first Grandbaby was born.  How did time fly by so fast?  Stop the clock, already!!!  We went for a visit and to celebrate the momentous occasion. I also snagged some cute T-shirts for the girlies while I was in Washington, DC which required a photo session, of course.  This is one proud Grammy, grinning from ear to ear, because we learned earlier this week that Grandbaby #3 will join our happy, growing family in October and these two precious girlies will have a new cousin to grow up with!

Watermelon Soap

Midweek we were inundated with yet another major winter storm that delivered 2 feet of snow followed by yet another deep arctic freeze.  I am so done with winter, and yearn for warm sunshine, flip flops, and summer fun.  I'm ready to retire the coats, boots, and scarves for a while.  Alas, winter is holding a tight grip and not relinquishing its hold quite yet.  In the soaping room I created Watermelon Soap that not only looks fun, it smells amazing!  A fragrance that cures the winter blues, for sure.

In other news, phase one of our new website design is now complete.  A real website that connects to our blog feed, and for now, to our Etsy shop.  In time products will migrate over to the new website.  At least for now I am please to have everything somewhat tidy and connected from the domain to make finding the online shop and blog/news updates easier.  And now it is time for me to head back into the soap room and create.  :)

News, Updates, and Twilight Inspired Soaps

It has been a while since my last post, and with good reason. My professional life has been consuming a considerable amount of my time the past couple months in ways I never dreamed or imagined. In October I assumed a position on the Executive Board for School Nutrition Association of Vermont and as a result there are many new adventures and opportunities at my disposal.  Additionally, due to the fact that better than 50% of our student population at our school qualifies for free or reduced priced meals this year, we are embarking on establishing a supper meals program which has resulted in a lot of extra planning and preparation to launch.


Visit with
Senator Patrick Leahy (VT)
on Capitol Hill

Perhaps the biggest adventure to date happened last week when I traveled with several others to Washington DC for a conference which culminated in a Capitol Hill visit to speak with our state delegates about child nutrition in schools and how the additional/impending changes to school meals will affect our small rural state. The experience was very rewarding and educational for me, not to mention a rather large step forward for this first time visitor to Capitol Hill. 

I have many new soap designs to share with you, but first some exciting news. We are currently designing our own website and will announce both here and on our Facebook fan page as soon as it is ready. In the meantime, you may still shop in our online shop on Etsy.   

Bella's Kiss Soap

First up is Bella's Kiss Soap. This soap is part of our Twilight inspired collection. Edward and Bella are in a field of wild flowers, and she radiates her presence with a lush blend of violet, gardenia, jasmine with fresh grapefruit, vanilla and white woods. The colors in this soap were inpsired by the color of the wild flowers from the scene in the movie.

Next up is Edward's Tempation Soap.  This soap is also part of our Twilight inspired collection. Edward is smitten with Bella, and radiates his presence with a warm, earthy concoction of bergamot, rosemary, moss, sandalwood, mint and amber. The blue in the soap is inpsired by the dress Bella wore after their wedding, and the red is remiscent of Bella's glowing eyes after her transformation. A sure hit with the men, but this scent is also a great unisex fragrance. 

These soaps are made with Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Avocado Oil, Sunflower Oil, Shea Butter, and Castor Oil. The colors were achieved with the use of micas, and the tops have been dusted with a touch of iridescent glitter, reminiscent of sparkling aura exhibited by Edward and Bella.