Ode to Autumn

I came to realize the other day that I have been away from my blog for over a month now and need to get back into the blogging groove. 

To catch you up to speed...I am still struggling with back issues and the healing process has been extremely slow going.  I think I tend to forget/ignore that I am supposed to not be lifting heavy items, and that doesn't help.  For one who is very independent let's just say it isn't always easy changing habits to become dependent on others and to ask for help.  I've learned a valuable lesson in patience so to not annoy my family with nagging when I need something done.  I've had to adapt my day to day chores to fit within the lifting limitations and wait for help to tackle the ones that are beyond those limitations. 

Fortunately, making soap has not been affected with these limitations, so long as I get someone to lift the heavy buckets where I have been extremely creative in masterbatching the oils into a 5 gallon bucket that I keep warm with the use of a heating pad so all I have to do is scoop out what I need to make a batch of soap without having to move things around all the time. 

Rustic Pumpkin Soap

I have made so many new soap designs over the summer, but the one that has quickly become my favorite is the Rustic Pumpkin soap.  It was a very hot day when I made the soap and I was really bummed out when I noticed the color sort of "crackled" on me during the saponification process.  However, that disappointment was extremely shortlived as the crackled appearance actually enhanced the look of the soap and by the time I finished cutting the log of soap into bars I was in love!   This soap is made with pumpkin, and the scent is like taking a walk through the pumpkin patch on a crisp autumn day combined with a hint of spice from a freshly baked pumpkin pie. 

Fresh Fallen Leaves Soap

Autumn is spectacular in Vermont with a beautiful display of foliage that is jaw dropping.  It has already been feeling like September weather and there are visible signs of foliage changing over to color popping up on the trees.  We've captured the fall foliage hues and scents in a single bar of of soap that offers many showers of bubble lathering goodness ~ Fresh Fallen Leaves. 

I am currently working on soaps with a Christmas theme so keep watch for soapy updates. 

The Roads Less Traveled

The grand display of colors this time of year is breathtaking, indeed. Along any road in Vermont there is a photo opportunity waiting to be captured. Here is a road less traveled in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont where the wildlife is plentiful. Ever been along the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire? Keep watch and I will share some photos of our trip. It is an amazing stretch of road that draws thousands of tourists (leaf peepers) each year.

It's Autumn in Vermont!

It's fall in Vermont. Fall colors have slowly been emerging and it looks to be yet another spectacular show of colors, as always. This Autumn Leaf Soap is one of many new creations I've been working on this past month.

I know it has been a while since I last wrote on my blog, but that's life sometimes. In the past month I've spent a great deal of time processing fresh local veggies for the school...tomatoes, corn, peppers, melon, green beans...and the fall crops are coming in shortly. The freezer is really bursting with the bounty from area farmers and growers. We've helped the local economy by purchasing the produce, but the farmers and growers have been so generous and we've had an equal amount of produce donated by these same folks. It has been awesome! The kids at my school are getting the best of the best, and I'm proud of that.

I've also been working on preserving the bounty from my own garden at home. The tomatoes have gone crazy this year and made up for last year when all of my 20+ vines were stricken with early end blight. The tomatoes this year are going bonkers and I have been giving the excess bounty away to anyone that will take them. My freezers at home are filling right up!

Big changes with a toddler and a newborn in the house. And even bigger changes for their mom when she returned to work after maternity leave. The shift she had been working was eliminated and she's on a 3rd shift position. The grandbabies keep me busy in the evenings, and it's a small miracle if we have dinner before 7 PM. Then it is baths, bottles, diapers...and just when you think you about blogging you realize it is bedtime once again.

Sunday Silence

Sunday Silence

Sunday Silence

Sunday Silence

More Autumn Goodness for Your Skin

We've captured a breath of Autumn in Vermont and put it in this delightful Whipped Sugar Scrub! It's a crisp autumn morning in Vermont. Take a deep breath as you stroll along the mountain road and take in the picturesque views of the foliage. This soap fragrance captures a hint of apples sprinkled with cinnamon and cloves, add in a dash of balsam fir and cedar and then mellow it out with a touch of vanilla. Smells so yummy!


The foliage is already starting to change over on some trees. Very early this year, partly because of the vast number of rainy days and lack of sun this summer. When we woke up this morning it was feeling like Vermont Foliage in the air. This soap fragrance is the next best thing to curling up by a warm cozy fire after a walk through the woods on a crisp autumn day. This blend is all about the country woods of Vermont with a splash of spices, and a dash of patchouli and vanilla to round it out.


We've suspended a silk autumn leaf inside of an awesome bar of glycerin soap. This is also infused with the same essence ~ Vermont Foliage ~ as the soap bar above.

We've taken another generous slice of loofah and submerged it in a luxurious helping of 100% Vegan Friendly Glycerin Soap infused with Autumn in Vermont. Oh, and just so you know...these work great not just on feet, but elbows and problematic areas that need exfoliation. Your skin feels so polished and smooth aftewards.


After all of that bathing, treat your skin to a special dose of Autumn in Vermont Body Lotion. It will leave your skin feeling soft without that greasy slimey after touch. Best of all, it can be used from head to toe!

Autumn Goodness For Your Skin

Autumn in Vermont Soap ~ It's a crisp autumn morning in Vermont. Take a deep breath as you stroll along the mountain road and take in the picturesque views of the foliage. This soap fragrance captures a hint of apples sprinkled with cinnamon and cloves, add in a dash of balsam fir and cedar and then mellow it out with a touch of vanilla. Smells so yummy!

Speaking of Yummy! Your feet will be Lovin' our Loofah Soap in Perfect Pumpkin. We've taken a generous slice of loofah and submerged it in a luxurious helping of 100% Vegan Friendly Glycerin Soap. What can be better than a nice bar of scented soap that will both exfoliate and cleanse those rough, stinky feet? We've infused the soap with the essence of Perfect Pumpkin. Reminiscent of Pumpkin Pie coming out of the oven. What can be better than that?

How cute would this Perfect Pumpkin Air Freshener look on a shelf or in a powder room? This Perfect Pumpkin is lovingly hand crocheted with 100% Crochet Cotton Thread. We've stuffed this little guy full of soft fiber fill and scented him heavily with a Premium Quality Fragrance Oil ~ Perfect Pumpkin. Perfect Pumpkin is approximately 2 inches wide X 2 1/2 inches tall (including stem).