Morgan Street Handmade Soaps

Lard Soap

2011-02-05T15:47:00.002-05:00

Years ago when I first started making soap I made a batch with lard and as I recall it turned out really lovely. I don't even remember the reason why I didn't do it again at the time but as years wore on it sort of became unfashionable to use lard for soapmaking.

Recently I get a penchant to do it again and decided I'd do a 100% lard soap for utility purposes. It came out fantastic. I started using it for all kinds of things around the house. Washing dishes, cleaning, laundry, etc. It's the hardest and whitest bar of soap I've ever produced. I made it with zero superfat and assumed it would be kinda harsh on the skin but to my surprise it's not. It cleans like a charm and rinses off easily.

This batch I added a little orange essential oil for interest and I think it worked out well.

Latest Batches

2010-11-14T15:04:00.002-05:00

I finally got off my duff and made some soap. Nothing too exciting, just 3 batches that I've made in the past.

First batch is green tea. I love how this one has a soft delicate scent. I haven't made this one in a long while (maybe a year or more)

2nd batch is rose. Here I combined 3 different rose fragrances because I thought it would make it a bit more interesting instead of just a straight up boring rose scent. I like it.

3rd batch is my beloved almond. This one was always popular but again I stopped making it. It's for all those die-hard jergens lotion scent lovers.

Did I ever tell you

2010-10-28T18:52:00.002-04:00

that in the midst of streamlining my product line (which to me should mean reducing not increasing), I retired quite a few of my lip balm flavors and (don't ask me how) I ended up adding a couple of new ones. I've always wanted to offer lip balm flavors that were a little "different", you know, not your typical every day flavors, so to that end, I decided to create a LAVENDER flavor cos I'm weird like that.

When I made my first few as a test batch I was totally unprepared for their deliciousness (is that a word)?

Here I used a lavender flavor oil and added a titch of a sugar flavor to sweeten it and make it more candylike.

I must say it is truly divine and I'm not being biased - honest!

Yet another change

2010-10-26T02:15:00.003-04:00

Don't know about you but I'm never 100% satisfied. This past weekend I had my first vending event in quite some time so I took the opportunity to purchase new bottles and jars and to create new labels for them. I've always loved the simplicity of black and white labels and I think the brown packaging makes everything look a little cleaner and more like my original vision. I'm still not there 100% with the labels but I think I'm pretty darned close.

What do you reckon?

Oh my, is it really October already?

2010-10-22T20:33:00.008-04:00

and have I really been missing since May? So yes, I did close my shop so I could...ahem...streamline things. By that I mean, I was supposed to re-open with a more cohesive product line. Great idea right? Well it would have been had I followed through.

So what went wrong?

This is what went wrong. I closed my shop, the orders stopped and I took a sigh of relief. I really long sigh. So long that I couldn't even bring myself to stop enjoying all the new found free time I suddenly had, the new knitting projects, the early to bed nights and the morning lay ins. We won't even mention the days spent reading the week end New York Times or stacks of magazines that I had never gotten to, or books that I'd had for years but never read or the camera I'd had for years but never figure out how to use. So you get the picture I hope. To say it was a lovely time would be putting it very mildly.

Several books and a couple trips later, here I am. Ready to rock and roll again. It'll be interesting to see the direction my shop takes in the future considering the 2 main scents that I was building my "look" around got discontinued (2 separate suppliers btw) which I must say has been a major blow and sort of knock my plans off kilter. One must brush oneself off and carry on right?

Anyway, here are some pics of random ish from this summer.

Feels good to be blogging again :)

What's in a color anyways

2010-05-29T23:36:00.002-04:00

Look how hideous.........was going for a light purple since I'm a bit heavy handed in the color department I went real light. Lo & behold we have GREY soap. Grey like wet cement, cold concrete, gunmetal, a dirty pigeon but nothing like the lavender it's supposed to be. Maybe I'll describe it as off white. Reckon it'll fly?

Garden Party in a new suit

2010-05-15T21:18:00.000-04:00

Only 2 colors but still kinda wild looking. Didn't intend for this one to be so bright but I kinda like it. It's my old "Garden Party" scent combo but with a new suit. A bit mardi-gras'ish don't you think?

ooh look

2010-05-13T22:43:00.002-04:00

...I actually got off my duff and made soap!

There comes a time when you just have to dive in and DO IT. I've been carrying around a notebook and jotting down every idea/thought I've had for my new line. This has been going on for quite a few weeks and it dawned on me a few days ago and writing all this stuff down is doing me no good if I don't actually DO any of it.

So here's my first installment. They look a little rough right now as they haven't been cleaned up yet but still, they turned out EXACTLY the way I'd envisioned on paper but smells a little better. I wanted a look that was a bit unisex for this one since the scent is unisex. I also knew I wanted dark green because it has a rich lush forest scent. All in all, I'm happy. Just need to work on a good scent description and umm.....my photography skills too :)

Lilacs

2010-04-27T18:54:00.000-04:00

Yes I know, I've been a bit preoccupied of late with this whole photography thing. I've had this camera for going on 2 years now and am just now getting around to learning how to use it properly. Anyhoo, I just got a new lens today so I've been playing, LOTS!

Here's a picture of some lilacs my co-worker brought me yesterday. They smell delicious!

Thats all, nothing more for me to add here.

OK, in case you are wondering, yes I am working on the new product line......sort of!

It's Definitely Spring

2010-04-16T22:00:00.004-04:00

Two years ago I started growing my own herbs and veggies. I'm new to the gardening lark so I knew nothing of what I was doing (actually still don't). At that time I just headed over to the local garden store, bought some little plants and shoved them in the ground. To my delight I had a bumper crop and felt like quite the farmer.

Last year I decided to try my hand at planting seeds in a little incubator type box. Those worked out well also (except for the peppers) who decided not to make an appearance at all. Well they worked out well until we got all that rain. Regardless, I managed to succeed with my cukes and tomatoes and ended up with a TON of both. There were so many cukes I pickled several jars for my pickle loving kid and the rest I pureed and froze for use in my cucumber facial soap.

This year I'm doing the seeds thing again. I've planted 2 types of cucumbers - regular English cucumbers and of course the pickling variety. Naturally I have plans for more face soap and tons of salad too.

I also got some Black Krim tomatoes and some Habanero pepper seeds that I purchased from a fabulous Etsy seller AzureDandelion

I'm quite looking forward to putting these in the ground soon!

Color Me Crazy

2010-04-01T22:02:00.003-04:00

...but I've been mulling something over for the past few weeks and although it sounds insane and may even BE insane I feel it's something I need to do.

I'm thinking about closing my Etsy store. Not forever, just temporarily. How temporary? I don't know yet. Depends on how long it takes me to wipe the slate, gather my thoughts and put them in motion.

Why? I've been wanting to streamline my products for a while and currently, between trying to give customers what they want, making what I like & making what I think fits, I feel my shop has lost it's focus. It looks & feels scattered (like my brain).

I'm thinking I'll take a few steps back, take a good look and then roll my sleeves up and dive back in when I know what I'm looking at and have a clear vision of where I'd like to be going.

As I'm writing this blog post I'm realizing that this is something I'm definitely going to do.

I can't help but think I may feel a bit relieved to be freed from my Etsy obligations, after being there for over 2 years, but we'll see!

Thanks for listening :-)

Felt like cake

2010-03-14T18:01:00.005-04:00

.....so I made cake. Although that was a couple months ago and it only took me this long to reveal them. I'm really working on my procrastination issues here so see with me will you?

Chocolate Raspberry

Coconut Lemon

Giving the people what they want

2010-03-05T23:32:00.005-05:00

So I've been doing a local flea market for the last month (less 1 weekend). It's been an interesting time. Mainly because I'm finding it much easier to see exactly what customers tastes are.

I set out all my fancy looking sweet smelling soaps and which ones sell the most? The plain old boring lavender oatmeal. It's a bit of a bummer because those aren't as fun to make, but apparently it's what the people want.

To that end I've decided to create a few more "not so pretty" basic looking bars using herbs and essential oils.

1) Lemongrass & Rosemary with the addition of dried lemongrass for exfoliation

2) Unscented Oatmeal with ground oatmeal

3) Clary Sage & Fir Needle with dried nettle leaves

Can't wait to see how they go over with the flea market customers!

Have machine, won't sew

2010-03-04T22:21:00.001-05:00

I have a hate hate relationship with sewing.
My mother was a professional dressmaker whilst holding down a full time job at the local hospital and for many years I woke up to the hum of her Singer sewing machine and fell asleep to the same sound as she would try to squeeze in as much sewing as possible before & after work.

I'm not sure if it was the never ending number of button holes I had to unpick or the 100's of hems I had to hand stitch that made me despise anything to do with a needle and thread.

Either way, here I was many years later staring at her Singer sewing maching that sat in the corner with a look of disgust on my face but at the same time, a longing to create sewn lavender sachets. What was I to do?

My longing for lavender sachets overpowered my dislike for the hunk of metal that was to be the vehicle to my hearts desire.

So I bit the bullet and I fought with said machine for over 5 weeks before I finally realized my dream of lavender sachets. I'm so chuffed with these I want to keep them all for myself.

I still can't sew for ish :-)

A Positive Note

2010-01-31T19:00:00.004-05:00

I want to share something that's happened to me lately in the hopes that someone else can benefit also.

So, not sure if I mentioned a while back that ever since reading the book "The Secret" and watching the documentary "Blood Line", reading a book by Deepak Chopra, I've been doing some serious thinking and soul searching. Not only have I questioned my religion as I know it, but also myself and my life purpose. I can't say that I've found any concrete answers yet but I feel I'm on the right path somehow and am becoming more open minded about the amount of power we all have over our own destiny.

So here's my story. It's a bit long but I have to tell the entire thing so you get the picture. You all know how I feel about my 9-5 job right? I don't have many positive things to say about it and it's been this way for a couple years now. WELL, a couple Fridays ago I can say I had the worst day ever at work. I mean, when you get an email sent directly to you from your bosses, bosses, bosses, bosses, bosses, bosses boss you KNOW you've dropped a major ball. I'm not talking a Director or VP here, I'm talking the 2nd in command of a HUGE corporation that employees thousands of people world wide. This is an individual who should not even know I exist. To say I was mortified is putting it mildly and to be honest it wasn't I who had dropped the ball but my manager's manager. But because I was "handling" the coordination of this particular project all eyes fell on me.

Fast forward to the end of that horrendous day. I still had not heard from our Director re said email so I assumed he was so mad he didn't want to talk/communicate with me. I wouldn't either had I been him. His scivvy made the entire department look bad. Monday was to be holiday and still the issue was not resolved. The entire weekend I spent feeling sick to my stomach and almost wishing I could contract some God-awful disorder so I could spend the next month or so in the hospital until the whole mess had been been forgotten about. Well, that never happened and Tuesday morning my stomach churned as I got ready for work. Husband kept saying to me "It's going to be a good day today" over and over and while I really wanted to tell him to shut up because there's no way in HELL it was going to be a good day, I found myself saying it also. I drove to work chanting those words and do you know what? It was a good day! The dropped ball was picked up (over that weekend) and unbeknown to me and I was able to make everything right within 30 minutes of being at the office. Everyone was happy. Our department was looking good again.

At the end of the day I sat back in my chair and marveled at how everything turned around so quickly and easily. I wondered if my chanting had anything to do with it and decided at that moment to try it again the next day. I did and it was. Then the next day and the day after that. I can honestly say that I've had the best and most fulfilling last 2 weeks at work and I believe I was responsible for it. Anytime I had a negative thought, I changed it into a positive thought. So long as I was thinking positive, positive things happened. And guess what? This past Thursday an email was distributed to all & sundry mentioning the great work I've done on said project. Two weeks ago who would have expected THAT? Not me for sure.

So folks, get your minds right and make it happen. Think positive. Happiness begets happiness. It's the way the universe works. Believe me, I know!

oh look, there's more

2010-01-26T12:07:00.005-05:00

I seem to be on a roll lately. Just don't seem to be able to get enough of making soap. I guess it makes up for all those times when my mojo disappeared on me and was nowhere to be found.

Anywho, these are 2 of my more recent creations.

Apple Oatmeal - the bottom half is scented with oatmeal, milk & honey. I added ground oatmeal to it for exfoliation. The top half is scented with spiced apple (no apples added here). I sprinkled cocoa powder between the two layers because I was feeling daring.

Lavender Oatmeal - This is kinda run of the mill. Just ground up lavender and oatmeal added at trace. Was going for a softer purple but ended up with this more intense color. Did I ever mention that lavender is not my favorite scent? That's putting it mildly of course. Not only the smell but it messes with my schedule. It ALWAYS makes me sleepy. The day I made these I had to take to my bed at 8:30pm. I was so sleepy my eyes were tearing up.

More later....

Is it Spring yet?

2010-01-18T14:57:00.007-05:00

My, it's been a while huh?

I could say I've been so rushed off my feet I haven't had time to blog but I'd be lying. Well sort of anyways. I have been a bit busy, not necessarily with soapy stuff, more with learning how to do new things for myself. I've taken up knitting again and am having so much fun with it, I've become quite the yarnaholic.

Anyway I digress. Yesterday I made up my mind to make some soaps I've been thinking about for far too long. Parma Violets & Turkish Delight to match my lip balms. For those of you who don't know it, I'm a candy eating fool (especially British candy). Growing up I ate so much sugar I'm surprised my blood isn't treacle right now.

I used to love eating Fry's Turkish Delights but sadly they've been more and more difficult to find these days. It's a block of rose flavored gelatin like substance covered in rich milky chocolate. It is the candy that inspired me to make my Turkish Delight lip balm (combo of rose & chocolate flavors). Here I dusted the tops with cocoa powder. Don't they look edible?

Next is Parma Violets. These were little purple hard candies that were sold stacked on top of each other in a clear plastic sleeve. They smelled DIVINE and tasted like the smell of perfume if that makes sense. When I found a violet flavor oil I just knew I had to make lip balms in this flavor. Here I colored the batch with purple swirls and sprinkled purple sugar crystals on top. I cannot believe how wonderful these smell. I want to lick them each and every one!

Lastly, I made a batch of "Lilac" scented soap. Odd thing about these is that they will usually sit in my shop totally unnoticed for ages, then all of a sudden there's a mad rampage for them with requests for more. I can't say I was a huge lilac fan but I will admit that these have a very mild floral scent until they hit the water, then it's like KAPPOWWWW - you fell face first into a lilac bush!

I CPOP'd all these so as soon as they've firmed up a bit more they'll be ready to hit the streets. Spring is definately in the air!

Fleur de sel caramels

2009-12-19T21:03:00.004-05:00

When I was a kid I went through this candy making phase. For a while, every weekend me, my sister and my niece would spend the afternoon in the kitchen making our own candy. We made fudges, toffees, honeycombs and even once made hard peppermint candy. To this day I regret not keeping my little book that documented all our confectionery experiments.

A few months back I had a sudden penchant for some home made caramels, so did a quick google search for recipes and came up with this one from Epicurious.com. The first couple of times I made these I didn't have a candy thermometer and tried to guesstimate the "soft ball" stage (that's candy speak). My guesstimation was off which resulted in caramels that wouldn't hold their own shape and had to be eaten with a spoon. Of course this didn't phase me because they were still tasty. Then I got myself a thermometer and my 3rd attempt was successful.

Here's the recipe in case you'd like to try it. I used regular course sea salt in my recipe which worked fine for me:

* 1 cup heavy cream
* 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
* 1 teaspoon fleur de sel*
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1/4 cup light corn syrup
* 1/4 cup water

* Special equipment: parchment paper; a deep-fat thermometer

Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly oil parchment.

Bring cream, butter, and fleur de sel to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside.

Boil sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until mixture is a light golden caramel.

Carefully stir in cream mixture (mixture will bubble up) and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel registers 248°F on thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour into baking pan and cool 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch pieces, then wrap each piece in a 4-inch square of wax paper, twisting 2 ends to close.

If you try it, let me know how it turns out. If you lose any fillings, don't blame me!

No autographs please

2009-12-17T07:31:00.004-05:00

Check out this video of me at the BUST Craftacular. Here's to hoping that Rachael likes her Beer Soap & Chocolate Cake Lip Balm

I've made a difference!

2009-11-25T11:21:00.004-05:00

Yes, I really have. Not sure if I mentioned the story in a previous post but one day husband was going to a BBQ of an acquaintance of his. He asked me to put something together as a gift for the host's wife so I did. Just a few bars of soap and a couple lip balms I think it was.

About a month later, the host contacts husband to thank him profusely for the wonderful stuff and to tell him how much he enjoyed using them and how although he was a tough army guy, he had never felt so pampered in the shower.

This switches on a light bulb in husband's head so he asks me if I would make a batch of soap to send to the soldiers in Iraq. I was delighted to so that's exactly what I did. I made a batch of oatmeal, milk & honey and for a bit of pampering I added real milk, real oatmeal and real honey oh and lets not forget the silk fibers either. Even soldiers want soft skin sometimes. Off the soaps went to Long Island where "Army man" would ship them off to Iraq to his fellow fighters.

Yesterday husband went onto a forum they all belong to and read this posted by "Army man" who is now back in Iraq:

I've touched on this before but I'm going to a kind of repost with some actual in the field reviews (edited for language shared amongst

soldiers) of a DAMN FINE product made by the illustrious Mrs. JJenk.

I'm talking about handcrafted soaps and lip balm.

What is so special about soap and Chap-Stik you ask? Read on......

My first experience with this was after my Beer-B-Que and GTG this summer. JJenk was kind enough to bring a gift for Mrs. SFA, a basket of lip balms and soaps that she handcrafts in small batches.

Used her coffee almond bar the next day. HOLY SH*T this stuff was like showering using baby bunnies for a soap bar and clouds for lather.

There was all kinds of happiness involved. Not just smile on the face kind of happy but WOW this stuff is amazing kind of happy.

It literally left me feeling cleaner than anything else I had ever used with no strong perfumey kind of after-smell. I also used it with a brush for shaving and it completely and utterly rules for this task.

A couple months later Mrs. JJenk made a batch for me to ship to my comrades in Iraq. This was almost an unscented soap (any smell attracts sand flies and mosquitos like mad). Took a good while for it to arrive but it did finally make it. Some of the thank yous I have gotten go like this.....

"Damn brother- where the fu*k did you find this stuff? This is the first time I've felt clean in months and it even knocked out my toe rot........"

"Coyote this good sh*t. Same thing like that my mother made in Estonia.

It is like being back home. The Bear loves you again...."

"- thank you soooooo much for the soaps. I'm not a foo-foo girl but this is pure luxury and a definite treat."

"Good sh*t. Now I know why I kept your ass around for so long"

Yeah guys & girls- it is THAT good. These are comments from guys who don't give a rodent's posterior about high end anything for the most part unless it goes bang or boom. Heck I'm not a dude that rants and raves about this kind of thing either but gotta say this is worth the effort to speak up about.

The second part of the basket included some lip balms. When I say that smooching Mrs. SFA has become even more enjoyable take that as it stands. Very cool flavors, sweet and nothing artificial. My personal favorite is the chocolate cake one which also happens to be Mrs. SFA's fave as well. Works out well for all concerned!

She's always had a problem with chapped lips during the winter, especially with central heating systems. No worries so far- and the best part is it's 100% natural. No Red #3 or sodium hydroxegenated whodawhackers, just good old fashioned grandma's kitchen type ingredients. Not gonna get lip cancer from this- just tasty kisses

With Christmas coming up snagging one or two bars of this heaven would be a good move for the Mrs. or significant other in your life or even as a gift to yourself. Same goes for the lip balm (serves as a gift for you both hehe). I'm pretty much off bar soap for good after trying these boutique bars.

Holy Moly - it's been THAT long

2009-11-23T16:01:00.005-05:00

...since I last blogged? I deserve a public flogging especially since the only excuse I have is MAYBE lack of motivation. But since the holidays are upon us and things have started getting busy around here, I have had no choice but to get my bottom in gear and get crackalacking.

SO - my dear friend Joanna sent me a facebook message a while back. I guess she must have realized that my mojo had taken to the hills once again so she told me to roll my sleeves up, get creative, push the envelope, do something "different". I mulled over her message for a couple weeks before I decided to take her up on it. Granted these aren't the most exciting looking soaps in the world but they ARE different to my usual fare.

First up is "Garden Party" - same scent as the original but with a new look. I went for hot pink and bright green with sprinklings of gold mica on top. There's supposed to be a fine gold line dividing the 2 colors but it's barely visible unless you hold the bar right up to your face.

My next envelope pusher is a Pomegranate & Orange soap with sugar sprinkles on top. I actually love the scent of this. Don't even ask about the funky lines/wannabe swirls, they sort of did their own thing but the colors are cool right?

Review

2009-10-08T21:01:00.008-04:00

Have you ever experienced moments when you question whether your products are any good. I mean, are they REALLY good or do people just say they are to be polite? I do this ALL the time. I think they're good (for me at least) but then I tend to work in a silo, with blinkers on, with no idea or much bother as to how other people do things. I make what I make to suit me and just hope that others will like it too.

Last weekend, while checking my google analytics, I noticed that I had a visit from a site that is known for reviewing lip balms. I had come across the site in the past and I remember thinking to myself, how brave one would have to be to submit products there for review. Why? Because the reviewer is brutally honest. I mean, she doesn't mince words, she tells it the way she feels/tastes it. Yes, honesty is a good thing (until it's one of your own products and the review is unfavorable).

So back to the story, I see this site has visited my shop and my eyebrow hits the ceiling. I'm thinking to myself "why would they be in MY shop"? So, of course by now I'm curious and I have to click over to the site. Imagine my shock and horror to see my Turkish Delight Lip Balm larger than life up for review. I damn near shat me-self. (Sorry - couldn't think of a decent way to say that!)
I do believe at that very moment before I started reading said review, I decided right there and then that I would cry myself to sleep and stay there for the rest of the day. I braced myself for the worst then started reading. My heart felt as though it would pound right out of my chest and if memory serves me right, I think I held my breath the entire time I read.

Read for yourselves here: Confessions of a Balmaholic

My latest purchase

2009-09-28T13:56:00.003-04:00

Whilst not the most exciting purchase in the world, they mean a whole lot to me.

Yesterday I went out and bought myself a new pair of sneakers FOR RUNNING! Yes, that's right, I've taken up the sport of running. Although at the moment I haven't graduated to the outdoors yet, I'm still glued to treadmill exercise thing, but it's running none the less.

I've been following the Couch to 5K program which is the most painless way to graduate from being a couch potato to running a 5K race in only 9 weeks.

The application is available for iphones. Read all about it right here: http://c25kapp.com/

It really is a great program and it's at least gotten me up off my arse and doing something good for my body.

So, I'll raise a shoe to health & fitness!

I love you, I love you not.......

2009-09-20T12:59:00.003-04:00

OK, what is it with fizzy bath bombs?

There are times when I make them and they just won't cooperate. They fall apart, they grow warts after drying, they heave wide open, and the list of naughtiness goes on.

Then there are times like this morning when they're the most perfectly well behaved things in the world and are (gasp.... dare I say it?) a pleasure to make.

What gives, pray tell?

Next Saturday I have a last minute vending event here in CT. I have a ton of soap but not much else ready so decided to take my chances with some fizzy bombs. I pulled out all my equipment & ingredients and got to balling. To my pleasure, every single one turned out just lovely and at this time they're sitting happily side by side drying themselves ready to be packaged.

I made

Lemon Ginger
Raspberry
Key Lime
Gardenia
Pumpkin Chiffon
Oatmeal Milk & Honey

I plan to sell them in pairs. I have some clear boxes that I'll package them in. Hopefully they'll look so cute they'll be irresistible!!

What do you do with yourself when....

2009-08-26T14:01:00.004-04:00

....you take 3 full days off work with nowhere to go? Well, I don't know about you but if my Mojo's in town, then it's on! Can you say Soapathon?

This week I took Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as vacation days. Monday I made 12 lbs of soap and the same again on Tuesday (see pic).

In the pic (left to right: oatmeal milk & honey, Eucalyptus, Black Raspberry Vanilla, Lemon Ginger, Almond, Pomegranate Juice, Nag Champa, Tuberose, Unscented with Oatmeal)

Today if Mojo doesn't disappear on me, I plan to make a couple of facial soap bars. One will be with pureed cucumbers and the other with charcoal.

Happiness is....

2009-08-14T17:43:00.008-04:00

Recently I was tagged by my wonderful cyber friend Pili to list 6 things that make my smile or make me happy so here goes:

1. The sound of children's laughter

2. Evening walks at my local beach

3. My home country (UK)

4. My family (I can't find a family picture ANYWHERE)!

5. The Christmas Season

6. Acts of kindness

...and my list could go on and on and would include making crafts, making soap, making ANYTHING, good food, good friends, parties, my kids smiles, hugs, good health, etc etc etc.

What makes you happy?

Add painting to that list will you?

2009-07-26T17:07:00.005-04:00

My 4 year old nephew's toy chest has been sitting in my hallway for weeks now. Apparently he told his mom
" if Auntie Sharon paints my toy chest, I'll like her a lot". So of course I had to do it cos I like being liked especially by HIM!

Since I spent the majority of yesterday snoozing, I was determined to do something constructive with myself by getting this thing painted already.

Was meant to take a BEFORE picture but forgot until after I'd already started. Anyway, you can sort of see how it was before and then once it was done.

Just need to add a protective clear coat and little man will be good to go!

Hoping he'll like me a lot when he sees it :-)

Lots of Lip Service

2009-07-18T23:00:00.002-04:00

So today I had the crazy idea to make a ton of lip balm. A ton being in the 250 tubes range. I now have plenty of every flavor except for mango which I decided not to replenish this time around. Instead of mango, I've introduced a brand new one - Rum & Raisin. Can't wait to see if it does well. It smells just like the real deal, rich and creamy and sweet!

Two Words....

2009-07-14T22:22:00.003-04:00

....is all it took to make me look at myself differently.

A couple days ago, I was on Twitter and got a private message. It said "You Rock". Of course I raised an eyebrow at such a message as I was a bit confused. I sent a message back saying thank you and asking how come? Part of the response was "well, you are funny, talented & motivated & I appreciate you as an artist"

Now, this message was sent to me not just by a virtual friend but by an individual who I highly admire. By a woman who I wish I could be like. By an individual who I've looked up to long before she even knew who I was.

For the past couple days I've mulled over those 2 little words in my head again and again. I've looked at myself from every possible angle to try to see what she sees. I can't say that I'm there yet but I feel good knowing that someone who I look up to thinks this of me.

Thank you virtual friend. If only you knew, I think YOU ROCK even more :-)

I hate to complain

2009-06-25T17:27:00.004-04:00

especially during these tough economic times BUT damn if this boss of mine at work isn't trying to break me. I can wholeheartedly say that this week has been the roughest week of my 30 working years.

I've always believed that one should not be miserable at work. If I'm not happy, I leave and go elsewhere - simple. To me, it's not worth being unhappy for 8 hours x 5 days a week. That's a huge chunk of our lives being wasted on feeling bad.

What's different now? There's no place to go. This creates an even more frustrating situation because I'm now forced to suck it up, shut up and deal!

Come on 'Bama - let's get this show on the road. I need for this economy to get back on track, like NOW!

...and there's more

2009-06-20T09:31:00.002-04:00

Last night the bug bit me again and I had the urging to make more soap (shown here).

Gardenia - since I'm almost out of it and I have to say it felt weird re-stocking before running out. I'm the biggest procrastinator in the world and usually wait until people start begging before I restock. Bad, bad girl!

Pumpkin Chiffon - Can you believe I'm making Fall soap already? The mojo's gotten totally out of control obviously! With this batch, I experimented by sprinkling a layer of cocoa powder between the 2 colors to see if I could get a fine brown line. We'll see how it turns out when I cut the loaf.

Rose - Here I combined 3 different rose FO's together. I'm not a huge fan of rose but this one smells pretty damn pleasant. It had better, for the amount of trouble it gave me. Why are florals so mean? UGHHH!

White with Black Swirls - This one is an experiment. I wanted to make a gentleman's soap and decided that patchouli, fir needle, tangerine & oakmoss would be an interesting scent. Right now the scent keeps changing & I can't wait for it to settle down. I liked the way the combo smelled on my arm (had me falling in love with myself all over again :-) I may call it The Gentlemen's Club.

It's that time again

2009-06-19T09:38:00.003-04:00

My garden is starting to come alive and all kinds of things are blooming. Seems like my lavender plant loves the rain. This morning I ran out with my scissors and snipped me a bunch.

I'm dying to try lavender in cookies. Not sure if I'm brave enough so in the mean time I'll stick to using it in soaps & stuff :-)

Feeling a shift

2009-06-17T20:52:00.007-04:00

Hard to explain but within me I'm getting the feeling that I'm about to embark on something different or even new. What that "something" might be is totally beyond me but I'm looking forward to finding out.

That said, those of you who are familiar with Etsy must have heard all the hub-bub that's been going on over there with all this SEO business. Well, I have a basic understanding of the technicalities of it all but have sound knowledge that whatever the heck it is, my little shop has ground to a halt. Now all this could be a combo of Etsy and the economy.

Either way, I've resurrected my ArtFire shop and plan on rebuilding my own website with a quickness. This is probably just the kick in the tail I've needed to get on with things.

Soooo, during the time that I would have been making and shipping products, I've decided to revamp some of my photos. It's a long and laborious process but I'm liking the results. I've discovered this nifty tool called Picnik. It's so easy to use and makes me photos look 100% better.

What do you think? Be honest now......

Kreativ Blogger Award

2009-06-13T11:14:00.004-04:00

I was chosen by Joanna of The Soap Bar to receive the Kreativ Blogger Award! What a great honor, considering I often neglect my poor blog but apparently when I do write its interesting and/or entertaining. Receiving this award has prompted me to update my blog more frequently (yes you can hold me to that :)
Now it's my turn to pass on this award to my fave bloggers.

Here are the rules of the award:
1. The winner may put the logo on her blog.
2. Put a link to the person you got the award from.
3. List seven things you love.
4. List seven blogs you love.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.

Seven Things that I Love (in no specific order):
1. Soap making
2. My Family
3. My friends
4. My inner voice
5. Nature
6. The creativity gene
7. Technology

Seven Blogs that I Love (that I think will also do this challenge):
1. Natural Beauty Workshop
2. Etsy Green & Clean Guild
3. Daisy Girl Soap
4. Katie Crafts
5. Dancing Mooney
6. Cheap Thrills
7. Waterose

I will now let my people know I grant them the Kreativ award. Hopefully they will all join in, take this as an honor, as I did, know they got it for being recognized for their creativity and pass along the award.

Return of the Mojo

2009-06-10T19:15:00.002-04:00

Here is the 2nd batch of soaps I made this past weekend after the return of my mojo. As you can see they're not nearly as interesting looking as the 1st batch but they're still exciting!

I did plan to take photos of them as whole logs to post here but impatience got the better of me and I sliced 'em all up before you could say "say cheese".

The brown bar in front is my usual ChocoTherapy. I haven't made this one in a while and was well overdue.

The 2nd bar with confetti-like topping is still unnamed. The scent is like a vintage perfume (very girly). It's expected to get much darker than it is currently and should end up being a deep chocolate brown. Oh and there's gold mica in it so it will shimmer and look quite glamorous when wet.

The 3rd bar smells exactly like Johnsons baby powder. I LOVE it. This fragrance usually turns soap a tan color but I've combatted that with a little titanium dioxide and pink coloring.

The 4th bar is to die for - it's Green Tea. The scent is so subtle, soft and deliciously sweet.

Since we're entering warmer and more humid weather, I decided to leave these batches in the oven a little longer than I usually do just to cook off more of the lye and water in them. I also added sodium lactacte to each batch for harder bars. These should be fully cured & hardened within the next few weeks and I can't wait!

Well, look what the cat dragged in...

2009-06-07T19:14:00.002-04:00

....that's right. Saturday morning I woke up to find my Mojo had come back to me. Not one to miss an opportunity, I quickly snatched it up and put it to work immediately before it had the chance to disappear again.

Here's what I worked on Saturday. Sunday I made 4 more batches (totaling 24lbs of soap). I feel whole again!

I'll post pics of the other 4 batches later.

Right in my own back yard

2009-06-01T23:01:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, we decided to hop on the train and spend the day in New York City. We acted like real tourists, taking a tour bus around the city and visiting sites like Ground Zero, Chinatown, Empire State Building, & the Statue of Liberty. Oh and there was some shopping too including our fave Japanese book store!

I'll be honest, I'm not so fond of NYC but this was so much fun, I'd definitely do it again!

......still waiting for my Mojo to come back by the way (well I gots to stay busy somehow)!

How does my Garden Grow

2009-05-29T16:13:00.003-04:00

Since my soapmaking mojo has not yet returned, I've been putting myself to good use in my garden. All the vegetables are not planted. They include Corn, peas, peppers, tomatoes, pickling cucumbers & eggplants. I didn't forget about flowers either, there are now splashes of red color on my front porch. Hot pink geraniums planted in urns adorn either side of the front door.

My current faves are the rose bushes that are coming up so beautifully this year. I took this pic while it was drizzling a couple evenings ago. They smell so divine - I think I'll cut some and bring them in the house.

Next project to be completed will be the little black sweater that I'm knitting. I'm hoping this will be enough time for my mojo to come back so I can get on with the business of soap making!

Missing MOJO

2009-05-24T17:46:00.002-04:00

So I've been back on US soil for 5 days after a week in Great Britain. My intention was to hit the ground running and pick right back up where I left off with my soap making etc. Apparently my Mojo had other plans as it seems to have stayed behind in England.

Well Mojo, I hope you're enjoying your extended vacation because I'm sitting here giving my soap pot a blank stare.

Happy Etsy Day

2009-04-24T07:49:00.003-04:00

Today is Etsy Day. In celebration, I'm running a little sale in my shop until 5:00pm EST.

Take 20% off all purchases PLUS there's a free gift with every purchase.

So, come on by today and help me celebrate Etsy Day in a right a proper fashion!

Come shop over here

Etsy Shop Highlight

2009-04-13T23:34:00.003-04:00

I'd like to highlight an Etsy friend of mine's wonderful shop. Her shop is called Auntie Di's De-lites.
Auntie (as I so fondly call her whenever I run into her in chat or on Twitter) is a wonderfully talented lady. Check out her gorgeous candles and jewelry. I plan to purchase my wedding jewelry from her for my trip next month. I just love her style and it helps that I'm an earring fanatic!

Stop by Auntie's shop - she's sure to have something you'll love!

They're Baaaack!

2009-04-13T07:04:00.004-04:00

The EGCG Swag Bags are back again. They go on sale on Etsy this week on Wednesday, April 15th. Make sure you mark your calendars because you really really don't want to miss this one. We have a limited number of them available. Each Swag Bag (which is an eco-friendly re-usable shopping bag) will be crammed with samples from 18 different Bath & Body specialists from the EGCG Street Team. Check them out!

Don't forget - Wednesday, April 15th they go on sale in the EGCG Etsy shop!

All about Bath & Body

2009-04-03T20:18:00.002-04:00

Read & Learn session courtesy of Etsy Admin. Enjoy!

Well, who woulda thunk it?

2009-03-31T21:45:00.002-04:00

Last week Etsy Admin started a thread that they were looking for B&B experts to submit product write ups. Of course, being the lurker that I am, I started reading the thread and naturally there were plenty of "pick me, pick me" posts but then there was 1 post from an individual named CMaille which halted me in my tracks. This individual just outright told everyone in the thread that Morgan Street was the best and gave the best customer service, yada, yada, yada. I didn't know whether to wipe my tears before falling off the chair or vice versa. Within minutes, I got a convo from Etsy asking me if I'd be interested in doing a write up. Of course I was elated but then it all started to sink in.

I'm no EXPERT! What the heck do I know about anything? Yes I make lip balms and yes I think they're lovely. I stick to one tried and trusted recipe, I don't use color, I don't use sweeteners so what the heck can I tell anyone that could be considered enlightening? Panic started to set in, and I'm not going to lie, it took me almost a week to write the few paragraphs. I closed my eyes and clicked send in email and off it went.

I don't know if they'll use what I wrote but at least I know I tried and that's all we can do right?

Thanks CMaille - you're the best!

What's your name?

2009-03-17T22:45:00.005-04:00

I know, I know, I've been missing forever! I'm here now and that's all that counts.

So - back to the task at hand. A quick update and a request for your assistance. I made this batch of soap for our upcoming EGCG Swag Bag sales and for my soap of the month subscribers. For the swag bag I'll be submitting 2oz bars but for the monthly subscribers they will get full size 4oz bars. Either way, I'm stumped for a name. It's a combo of Gardenia, Coconut Lime and Cherry fragrance oils (in that order). What do you reckon?
UPDATE..................We have a name!!

GARDEN PARTY

Don't you think it's perfect? I do!

Couldn't help meself

2009-02-04T19:51:00.006-05:00

even though I'm not so talented in the melt & pour department, I have to admit I have a lot of fun playing with the stuff.

Here's the result of my most recent M&P adventures. I'm going to call them Bon-Bons. I love em all. So far I've made coffee, chocolate, lime & ginger, strawberry, pomegranate, lemon & almond. Lawd knows how many more I'll come up with between now and the weekend.

Sometimes having too much time on your hands can be dangerous.

Somebody please come pry this block of M&P from my hands!!

GIVEAWAY!! Get yourself a free Bon-Bon with any purchase from my Etsy shop. Just mention my blog & the flavor you'd like at checkout!

I've never been fond of favoritism

2009-02-03T18:59:00.002-05:00

...yet I just can't help myself in this situation. Yes, I'm guilty.

Of all the cakes, loaves and cupcakes I've made thus far, this one is my favorite. It's the only one that I made using this color combination and it smells nothing like it looks. Chocolate on the bottom and black raspberry vanilla frosting with "green" sprinkles.

It somehow reminds me of The Grinch & Cat in the Hat all rolled into one. I haven't listed it on Etsy probably because I don't want to sell it, but I know as soon as I take it out of hiding one of my face to face customers is going to snap it right up.

I suppose I could always make another one right?

I Don't Care What They Say About You Martha!

2009-01-28T20:09:00.003-05:00

I personally have nothing but the utmost respect for you.

I saw you in action yesterday in NYC. I woke up at the crack of dawn, jumped on a train and headed to the city where I met up with 6 other lovely ladies so we could come watch your show live and in person.

I had no idea what to expect. I can't say I was even a fan of yours before yesterday. That said, the entire experience was splendid. Not only was it interesting but we had loads of fun, we learned a lot, left with free goodies and best of all an invitation to return in March during Craft Week.

See you in March Martha and in the mean time, keep up the good work!

Ever had Twice Baked Soap?

2009-01-19T22:15:00.005-05:00

So you all know my soaping method of choice is Cold Process Oven Process right? That's where I pour my soap in the mold and instead of putting it away wrapped in a blanket for 24 hours, I put mine in the oven at 170 degrees for 90 mins. I then turn the oven off and let the soap sit in the warmed oven for up to 18 hours. This shaves at least 2 weeks off the cure time which is right up my alley since I'm an impatient individual.

Now, one evening I decided to make a batch of soap. I went through the whole oven ritual as per normal. The next morning I checked my soap log and it was beautiful. Nice and firm and ready to be removed. For whatever reason (possibly laziness), I decided to let it continue sitting in there until later that day when I would have the time to slice it right away.

My mother would have said "Never put off til tomorrow what you can do today" - never a truer word has been said!

Later on that afternoon, to my horror I discovered that husband had decided to make dinner so turned the oven on full hilt to get it warmed up (of course he didn't open it to check 1st). I didn't even remember my soap until I smelled something funny coming from the kitchen. I ran like I've never run before, flung open the oven door to discover it was a little smokey in there. The wax paper lining the mold was a little burnt and worst of all my soap log had reverted back to the gelling stage. It was soft and mushy'ish. I wanted to cry.....I mean really really cry. This was a batch of plain unscented oatmeal soap and you all know how hard it is for me to make "unexciting" soap. I sat my burned up soap to the side and removed myself to the bedroom where I could mourn the death of my log in peace.

Fas forward to the next day......I went to check on the burnt up log and to my surprise, it not only looks normal but is ROCK HARD. I mean it's as hard as it would have been if it had been curing for a month. I did the zap test and it passed. I sliced a piece off and immediately washed my face with it. If anything was wrong with it my face would certainly tell me. NOTHING! The soap was perfectly fine.

So once again another lesson has been learned. Twice baked soap is OK. I guess it's no different to hot processing!

Next time I'll try it with a scented batch just to see if double cooking affects the fragrance at all.

What Would I Learn....

2009-01-18T14:41:00.002-05:00

...if I always followed directions? Not as much as I've learned by not following them that's for sure.

I made a batch of Milk Rose soap per a customer's request a little while back but it has taken so long to harden up that I decided to make another batch but this time instead of pouring in the mold and leaving it alone, I put that sucker in right in the oven - milk & all. Shock, horror, clutch my pearls!

Yes, I really did put a milk soap batch in the oven over night and you know what? Nothing happened to it. When I checked on it the next day, I half expected to find a volcanic mess in my oven but to my surprise, my milk rose log behaved quite perfectly under all that heat. I let it sit for a day before slicing even though I could have sliced it immediately it was that firm. Not sure if I will attempt doing this again though as that would be tempting the devil and I'm not THAT brave!

Tomorrow I'll tell you about another rule I broke that turned out perfectly!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2009-01-02T07:54:00.003-05:00

2008 is now behind us and we're facing a brand spanking new year. It feels good. I look at it as having a clean slate that I can draw whatever I want on. 2009 is going to be just splendid. How do I know? Because I'm going to make it that way. How ?

Last year I learned about the Laws of Attraction.
I learned that hypnotherapy can be used to easily and painlessly kill all my demons.
I learned about this thing called meditation (not that I've managed to try it yet) but I learned that it's a good thing and that it's a way for me to listen to my heart, spirit & soul for guidance and good advice.
I also learned something that I'm still having trouble understanding but plan to work on. I learned that there is no such thing as time, that there is no past and no future. When I fully grasp this rule, I will share it here.

For Christmas I bought 2 copies of the Deepak Chopra book "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success". One for my sister and one for myself. We plan to read and discuss as we go along. The book is seriously deep and enlightening and not something I could read alone. I'm sure we're going to have lots of questions for each other.

So, I am wishing everyone a fantabulous 2009 because I know I'm going to have one :)

I've been MIA

2008-12-19T17:00:00.005-05:00

For a bit. I've been so busy lately and have lots to yak about.

First off, I did participate in the BUST Craftacular that took place last weekend in Brooklyn. I have to admit that I contemplated pulling out at the last minute as I has having a difficult time keeping up with my Etsy orders while trying to get ready for the show. My twitter friends talked me out of quitting and so I soldiered on like a trooper and managed to pull it off.

We had an extremely successful show. I met many fellow Etsians but not as many as I would have liked. There was just no time.

There were no signs of this recession we've been hearing about all year long. There was a constant line to get into the show to shop, even at 5:00PM people were lined up outside to get in. Sales were brisk and we went home totally exhausted but with lots of empty boxes and a pocket full of money.

Thank you BUST for a smashing event! The music was awesome and had me dancing in my chair all day long. I'm still singing "Crazy Horses" a week later - LOL!!

I guess it had to happen sooner or later...

2008-12-07T22:36:00.003-05:00

...SNOW!

Woke up a little later than normal this morning. Now I know why - because it was so quiet outside. As much as I have absolutely no appreciation whatsoever for the white stuff, I do love the way it muffles the noises of outside. Almost feels like there's a sound reducing blanket covering the entire city.

The picture's not the best quality since my cell phone just happened to be conveniently in my hand at 7:00 in the morning - LOL.

I just love the way the street lights bounce off the snow laden trees.

Yes, I know what I said

2008-12-03T06:29:00.003-05:00

....when I swore up and down that I was thru with making body butters, and how relieved I felt about my decision to not sell them this winter. Well...

..you all KNOW how expensive mango butter is right?The stuff is crazy expensive. Well, stupid me placed an order for 10lb of Mango butter recently. It was such a painful thing to have to do considering that I only use it for soap making. I bit the bullet and purchased it along with more shea butter and some other oils. Don't you know that the day after the order was placed and paid for, I discovered an unopened 10lb box of mango butter in my ingredients closet!! At that moment I had an overwhelming urge to punch myself in the gut.

So - here we are. The only way I could shift all that butter was to go back to body butter making.

I must admit, this year it doesn't seem to be such a painful experience. Maybe because I've branched out on the flavors and also am now offering them in larger 4oz jars. I figure if I sell the larger sizes, people won't want them so often. You reckon it'll work like that?

EGCG Swag Bags - pt II

2008-11-28T12:44:00.000-05:00

SWAG BAGS ARE ON SALE NOW!!!

Yes - we're doing it again!

EGCG is putting together our 2nd round of Swag Bags as I type. Bags went on salelate last night in our shop on Etsy . Don't hesitate if you'd like one because the last time we sold out completely in under 3 days.

These bags make great stocking stuffers. Imagine getting 14 stocking stuffers for $15 - now that's a deal!

Here's a sneek peek of some of the samples that will be included:

Did I do that?

2008-11-27T21:04:00.002-05:00

I sure did!

I stumbled on a thread in the Etsy forums (I do that a lot don't I) - anyway, this thread where a lovely lady Spidercamp was talking about selling her tricks and tips to making the perfect cheesecake. You see, she's a pastry chef by day and is more than qualified to sell such a thing. What perfect timing - I was due to make a cheesecake the very next day to bring to the daughter up at college. I purchased the pdf tutorial which by the way is not only well written but it's hilarious too! I made the cheesecake and as promised by Spidercamp it was the easiest and tastiest cheesecake I ever did make! What you think?

Who ME?

2008-11-24T16:48:00.004-05:00

Yeah you, you melt & pour wannabe!

Alright so I've crossed over to the melt & pour side of the world. It may just be temporary, I don't know yet but I will say that I'm having a freakin' BLAST making these. Instant gratification is my middle name so you KNOW this is my bag.

Melt & Pour bases aren't like they used to be. I just got my base in the mail a few days ago and already I've played and made 5 different batches of soap. My fave so far is the goats milk. So creamy and lovely. I even got brave and added a little castor oil for extra lather and moisturizing abilities. Today I got REALLY jiggy and added warmed up organic honey and ground up organic oatmeal. I think I'm in love (for now at least).

Check em out! (creme de fraise, creme de limon & creme de chocolat) - translated is strawberry cream, lemon cream and chocolate cream. mmmmm......I love cream :)

You are getting sleepy......very very sleepy

2008-11-12T20:00:00.005-05:00

So last week I happened upon an Etsy seller quite by accident who sells hypnotherapy CDs. Out of curiosity I poked around their shop for a bit and and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw that they had a hypnotherapy CD for weight loss. Not one to leave a stone unturned, I decided right then and there to give it a whirl. I ordered it I believe it was Friday or Saturday and today it was sitting in my mailbox.

Here's my plan. I will keep track of my progress daily and post weekly summaries right here on my blog. Success or failure - I'll let you guys know.

I listened to the CD today and so far so good. More to come........here

...and there I was thinking

2008-11-07T06:54:00.002-05:00

that my birthday was going to be just an ordinary day. My sister got it into her head to send an email to lord knows how many people reminding them that it was my birthday yesterday. I got a text message birthday wish from Florida, a 2 hour phone call from Australia, another phone call from London, 1 from Philly and a slew of birthday emails. In the evening, I was served a fabulous dinner of rib-eye smothered in carmelized onions and gorgonzola cheese, baked potato and broccoli. All washed down with the perfect red wine and finished off with the biggest chocolate cupcake I've ever eaten!

The best part of the day? My step father (fresh out of hospital) sang a full rendition of the Happy Birthday song to me over the telephone. Now THAT brought tears to my eyes because a week ago he was in ICU and we thought the worst.

I felt truly loved yesterday - Life was good!

Come get some Cake......it's my Birthday!

2008-11-06T06:38:00.004-05:00

Today is my birthday and since I have absolutely no plans whatsoever, I shall celebrate by having a SALE in my Etsy Shop today!

I'll be stuck in a training class all day today and will probably end up working late too but it's not going to stop me from celebrating.

Come have some cake with me - Every purchase made today will qualify to receive a FREE CUPCAKE SOAP!

Dreaming Big

2008-11-04T21:27:00.004-05:00

I just have to share with you all my recent Etsy find. A dear Etsy friend of mine had this great idea a couple weeks back that we should all go look for a new seller on Etsy or one that hasn't had a sale yet and make their day by purchasing something from their shop. I figured what the heck, why not? Off I headed to pounce to look for a shop that caught my eye. To be honest I was looking for a new yarn store. I've purchased yarn on etsy before and absolutely loved it but figured if I was going to make a purchase why not make it for something I needed? So I'm pouncing and I'm finding no yarn but I did come across a fabulous shop called Artspell. I found her shop to be refreshing and unique. As soon as I saw her listing for "time in a bottle" I just knew I had to have it. I'd decided immediately that it was to be used in lieu of a dream board. Here I would stick pictures of my hopes & dreams in a way that I could view them and concentrate on them every day. I made my purchase and hoped for the best. Shortly thereafter, received a convo from the seller thanking me for my purchase and informing me that she was doubly happy because it just happened to be her birthday that day. I got goosebumps!

My package arrived and was so beautifully wrapped, I could feel the love excuding from the box as I opened it. I absolutely LOVE my purchase and before I start using it, I've displayed it proudly on my mantle in the living room for all and sundry to drool over :)

I was her first Etsy customer and she's going to help me realize my dreams. Life is good!!

Check out Artspell's shop you won't be disappointed if you purchase from her. I know I'll be visiting her again for sure!

The Patisserie is officially open for business

2008-10-27T23:22:00.003-04:00

Well not exactly. The original plan was to open a 2nd Etsy shop just for my cakes. So they could seem exclusive-like or something. I applied to open the new shop and got to create my user account and have been waiting for almost 2 days for the green light to set up shop. Being the impatient person that I am, I decided to just go ahead and list as many soap cakes as I could tonight in my original shop.

Gawd - I hope I tire of these things soon. They're taking over my life!

Bathing with Cake

2008-10-22T18:34:00.003-04:00

I've been making soap cakes for over a year now and have always loved making them but recently it dawned on me that customers may not even use them. What if they just buy them to look at? I don't know how I feel about that. I mean, I make the soaps so that they're lovely on your skin so it would be a shame to not use it.

If you purchased or was given a soap cake would you use it or hold on to it to look at?

Swag Bags are for Sale - NOW!!!

2008-10-15T18:32:00.001-04:00

TODAY is the BIG DAY!!!!

Finally our EGCG Swag Bags go on sale! I just started listing them and 2 sold right from under my nose. Hurry if you want one - there are only 20 available!!

They're available right here - EGCG Etsy Shop.

2oz jar of Whipped Sugar Scrub by South Pacific Body

Luscious Lip Balms from Bunny Butt Apothecary

Spiced Orange Natural Laundry Soap by Shower Treat Soaps
enough for 4 large loads of laundry!

Yummy Lip Balms from Body Language Soaps
2 lip balms per package!

Cupcakes & Flower Soaps by SoapStore
These are FULL SIZE items too!!

Beautiful Natural Perfumes by Stephanie K Naturals
These smell delightful and she was kind enough to send an extra vial for me :)

Lovely soap samples by Sugar Rush

Delicious smelling Sugar Souffle Scrubs and Whipped Body Butters by Urbbody

OMG these Solid Perfume Sticks smell D.I.V.I.N.E......oh and don't forget the soap samples too -they smell just as good! Samples provided by You Stink Soap

These gorgeous shaving soap rounds beautifully packaged and provided by Spa Therapy

These hand lotions smell absolutely FABULOUS by Jadewicks

Check out these fantastic fortune cookie soaps - and yes they really do have fortunes on them and there's 2 in each little bag! Submitted by Twin Dreams Creations

If you've never used Tub Truffles then you're in for a treat. Tub truffles and lovely soap by Pixie Soap

Check out these delicious looking Mocha Mandarin Bath Truffles. Made with Tangerine and Coffee Butters. Submitted by Sweet Spice of The Bath Project.

A mini pedicure kit (foot scrub, foot salve and a cuticle balm) contributed by me, Morgan Street

Beautiful soap samples submitted by Cerulea Bath & Body

What a multitude of beauties submitted by Hello Crafty

To say that these smell DIVINE is an understatement!! Submitted by Dark Temptations

Who was asking for Bath Salts? Here you go! These are just fabulous salts and soaps made with Rose Otto which happens to be one of the most expensive essential oils in the universe. They smell out of this world!! Submitted by Aroma.herbals

These bags of goodies go on sale on Wednesday October 15th.
Don't miss out!!

I'm at it again.....

2008-10-13T07:21:00.003-04:00

.....yes, I've started making cakes once again. Don't seem to be able to stay away from them things. This time though I've decided to not just make them foody cakey scents but more varied like gardenia, or lilac or rose. My dining room table is laden with cakes right now, cupcakes, whole round cakes, bundt cakes and even loafs. Here's a lemon ginger one I made a few weeks back. Yesterday I decided to add soapy frosting and sugar sprinkles. Ain't it cute?

Put WHAT on my lips?

2008-10-04T09:22:00.003-04:00

OK - you all know that I'm a soap girl. Nothing pleases me more than making soap. The other "stuff" that I make, although I like making them, they don't make my heart leap. That said, lip balms has to be one of the most uninteresting things to make (in my opinion) - but maybe that has something to do with my disinterest in making them in pretty colors or my inability to make pretty labels.
Soooo, a few months back I decided that if I was going to continue making lip balms, I would at LEAST make some interesting flavors.

I came up with Turkish delight - which is a combo of roses and chocolate. If you've even been to Europe or Australia you'll know exactly what a Turkish Delight candy bar tastes like. There was a time that I had to have 1 bar every day otherwise I didn't feel complete!

I also made Parma Violet - yes it sounds strange but I have to tell you, violets have the most delicate perfumey taste that's just so lovely. When I wear this one I feel like a victorian lady sipping tea in my parlor. Where's my lace hanky?

Plum Preserves was next - yep, just like that. Tastes like an old fashioned jar of home made plum preserves. Juicy, ripe and delicious!

I have more coming up soon so watch this space, or you could just watch my shop......

Pumpkin What?

2008-09-19T22:18:00.003-04:00

This time of year I'm well into my pumpkin spice scented soaps. I must admit, as much as I don't eat pumpkin pies, I do LOVE the smell of these bars. If you close your eyes and take a whiff they really do smell edible. That said, I made my first batch of these a while back and sold the last bar recently. So now it's time to remake the scent and of course for me it's sooo boring replenishing stock unless there's some degree of difficulty involved which makes it a tad bit un-boring.

A few days ago I set out to replenish Pumpkin Spice and at the last minute I decided to get jiggy with it. I didn't want the plain old boring pumpkin spice this time around, I wanted something pleasing to not just the nose but to the eye too. So I did and I totally love the way they turned out. I've also decided to change the name from boring Pumpkin Spice to something more interesting like Pumpkin Chiffon - not that I've ever had that but the name sounds quite lovely :)

Relocation of the Cheese - part II

2008-09-19T21:37:00.003-04:00

Sorry - it's been a while since I posted and I did promise part II to my previous post. So I'll give a quick run down before I move on to the next subject. So much going on right now and so much to tell!

OK so what was left of our group called an emergency meeting in chat that night. Everyone rolled up their sleeves and we got to breathing life back into our Street Team before it died a fast death. Not only did we resuscitate the group, we gave it a new life, a new look and a new outlook. Those that had previously sat on the sidelines (namely me) took on real roles. Everyone pitched in and it was a beautiful thing to see unfolding.

The team has lots planned for the near future including the sale of Swag Bags which will comprise of sample items from 20 of some of the best Bath & Body shops this side of Etsy. Keep your eyes peeled for those as they'll be going on sale very soon :)

We started a new forum, a new blog, a new Etsy shop, Flickr page, Facebook AND a website. All this within a week! We even came up with a brand new logo! Now tell me that isn't some serious awesome-ness (if that's a word)!

Check us out -

Blog: EGCG Blog
Etsy Shop: EGCG Shop (click on link to see a full list of EGCG members)
Flickr: EGCG Flicker Page

Who moved my cheese?

2008-09-05T21:35:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned in the past that I'm a member of an Etsy Street Team called the EGCG (Etsy Green & Clean Guild). We are a group of B & B Etsy shops who specialize in soapmaking, perfume, cosmetics, herbal products and anything else you can think of to tantalize your body and spirit. Our wonderful group has banded together to help educate the public about the merits of well crafted products from indie businesses who care about their customers as well as promote Etsy in general. We also serve as advocates for "Truth in Advertising" and full ingredient disclosure for bath and beauty makers.

So why this post about my cheese being moved?

Well I joined the EGCG back in January of this year and I have to be honest, I didn't participate too much (as with anything else). I tend to prefer staying on the outside looking in than the other way around. That said, our group had a forum that I would visit quite frequently where members would "talk" about all kinds of things from business to personal topics. Over the last few months, I'd done one of my famous disappearing acts but one day decided to log on and check out what everyone was up to. To my dismay I walked into the middle of a dispute between members. Not being one to get involved in disputes especially if I'm unclear as to what's going on, I kindly exited the forum and forgot about it. The next day I got an email from a fellow EGCG member that simply said "Look what happened", with a link to the forum. I clicked and was taken to a forum post by our fearless leader offering not only her resignation but that of all the leaders of the group. Thus my cheese was moved!

That night, still in shock, the rest of us lost sheep pulled together and called a meeting in an Etsy chat room to figure out what to do next. This is what my mother would call "Making Sense out of Nonsense" - we made a whole lot of sense that night.

All I can say is you really don't know what you're capable of until your back is up against the wall!

....Stay tuned as more will be revealed tomorrow!

Veggie Casserole

2008-08-18T00:21:00.004-04:00

This is my favorite vegetable dish and it's so easy to make. Here I took eggplants, red onions, yellow and green zuccini, bell peppers & portobello mushrooms. Cut all the vegetables in large chunky pieces, toss in some olive oil (enough to coat them), add course sea salt and black pepper and a sprig of rosemary. Today, I added a basil leaf since I have it gorwing in my garden and I forgot the mushrooms. Place all the veggies in a large roasting pan and roast in the oven until the eggplant is cooked. It took around 30 minutes in my oven. Soooo delicious, even the kid liked it. Here's a pic of the veggies before I popped them in the oven.

That's Farmer Giles to you

2008-08-11T17:10:00.003-04:00

Just call me farmer Giles please!

Today I got home from work and as per usual these past few days I grab my bowl from the kitchen and head outside to the back yard to pluck cherry tomatoes from their vines. I had been keenly eyeing the fat eggplants too but had managed to restrain myself until today. Excitement got the better of me and I just couldn't resist. I picked not one but two of them. I will give away these tomatoes as I already have so many, I can't eat them fast enough.

Aren't they just lovely? I would share the eggplants with my sister but she's not a lover of them - oh well, more for me then :-)

I made a video this morning....well sort of

2008-08-09T10:04:00.001-04:00

Thank goodness THAT's over!

2008-08-03T21:20:00.005-04:00

Yesterday morning I arose from bed at 3:15AM, left home at 4:30AM and was at the craft fair at7:00AM sharp. We erected our tent (I'll tell you my tent drama another day), and had the display set up and ready for action by 9:00AM. The event opened it's doors (or should I say gates) to the public at 10:00AM. I have to say it was a very quiet event. Actually it was quieter than any event I've ever participated in (not that I have that many under my belt yet), but like husband said "at least he got to learn all about falcons and owls" (that's a whole other story too)!! We think the impending bad weather kept the crowds away.

We did have fun hanging out with fellow Etsy sellers - Charlie & Sarah, Go-Monkey and Hampton Jewels. We chatted and kept each other company for the 1st half of the day until the big black cloud came rolling in that had us packing up in record time. I must say I have never seen such a scarey looking cloud. I remember uttering something like "I wonder if God is coming?" to myself - LOL.

Needless to say we were up and out of there before you could say rub-a-dub-dub. I was home by 5:30PM, logged on to Etsy and announced that I was going to sell some soap tonight - and I did - lots of it!!!

I DON'T DO THOSE!!!

2008-07-29T20:26:00.005-04:00

OK, so I'm participating in this craft fair this coming Saturday in The Hamptons. It's a big one for me (first time using my tent). Anywhooo, I've been preparing for this event for ever! Tonight I decided to look over the information regarding the event that I received in the mail just to make sure that I'm not missing anything.

To my shock and horror, this is what item 6 read: Food for purchase and portable sanitary facilities will be available on the Fair premises.

Portable sanitary facilities???? There are 2 things that I absolutely refuse to do -

1) use the toilet on an airplane (yes that includes my million flights to London from NYC)
2) use portable freakin' toilets.

I just can't do it. I'll be skeeved and uncomfortable for the rest of the day. Even when I worked in construction, there was one job that I refused to work on because there was no inside toilet. How can I possibly eat anything after using one of those things?

Words of encouragement are needed here folks. Somebody PLEASE calm me down!!!!

Remember when I said....

2008-07-16T18:48:00.002-04:00

...thatI loved July?

Well it turns out there was a reason. The month started off on a lovely note with the Trunkt front page but then my Etsy shop started dying a slow and painful death. Seriously, I could see the tumbleweed blowing across the shop floors. For the 1st time EVER I had no sales for days and days. Somehow though I wasn't too worried or panicked -not sure why either. The good thing about that though is that I have managed to wean myself of that horrible Etsy addiction and it sure feels good. I actually did laundry AND housework all in 1 day (totally unheard of for me). Next thing you know I'll be cooking meals - scarey thought!

Anyway, I've digressed so I'll go back to the reason for this post. July has turned out to be one of the most exciting for me business-wise. I placed an ad on Craigs List. Just a short one with no links or anything that could get me banned. I put the 1st ad up on Sunday and before the end of the day I got an email enquiring about wholesale in my area. This is a shop that I've been dreaming of having my products in!! The following week, I repeated the ad again and by Monday I got an email from another business enquiring about wholesale but on a seriously huge scale (huge for me at least). That same day I received an email from an individual in California (a fairly well reputed perfumer) who is opening a store this week and wants to feature up and coming B &B'ers. She placed her order and without any delay I shipped it off to her. This weekend I will be meeting with the 2nd lady as she's local so we can go over my products and crunch some numbers. Wish me luck peoples - although I have a funny feeling I won't need it, it is July after all :-)

How could I have forgotten?

2008-07-12T10:43:00.005-04:00

...how great it feels to walk on the beach first thing in the morning?

This beach is actually at the end of my street and I wouldn't be lying if I told you this morning was the 1st time I've been here in almost 2 years! Isn't that sad?

This morning my sister called while I was in the middle of making product for a show tomorrow and asked me if I wanted to go walking at the beach. I hemmed and hawed for a bit before deciding to cease what I was doing and go take a stroll. I'm so glad I did because it brought back pre-etsy day memories of going to the beach every morning before work and on the weekends.

What a great way to start the weekend eh? I think I'll start doing that again........who knows, maybe I'll lose a few pounds too :-)

psst...see that lighthouse in the background? that was my own little renovation project when I was in construction. I see the anti-graffiti paint is still holding up after all these years!!

This Video Made me Cry!

2008-07-04T13:16:00.002-04:00

Happy 4th of July everyone!

This is a short post today because I just had to share this video with you all. My sister emailed it to me. Admittedly it took me 2 days before I watched it (after her persistence) but I have to tell you, I've watched it twice already and it made me totally start crying. I'm not sure why, but it did. Do take a minute to watch for yourself - I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

http://www.vimeo.com/1211060

VEGANS - You too shall have silken skin!

2008-07-02T17:27:00.004-04:00

You may or may not be aware but I add silk fibers to almost every batch of soap that I make.
- Why?
Because it makes a nice soft creamy lather that leaves your skin feeling like silk, that's why.
Unfortunately silk is a big no-no to the Vegan community since it's an animal product. There goes that corner of the market......................but wait not so fast, I've had a break through.

I was talking (whining) in a thread about none of my soaps being vegan because of the addition of silk and how I wish there was a vegetable alternative.

WELL, the next day I get a convo from a fiber artist who happens to know that bamboo fibers and soy fibers are almost identical in texture to silk. Oh but of course I had to try it out. So she was kind enough to send me some of each and I went on to create 3 test batches. 1 with tussah silk, 1 with soy silk and 1 with bamboo silk. I have to tell you that the difference between the 3 is barely noticable so I am pleased to reveal my newest concoction created especially for the vegan community.

VEGANS - You too shall have silken skin!

ps: you can call me Einstein the next time you see me - I won't mind!

YAY - I'm famous

2008-07-01T20:18:00.002-04:00

...well not really, but it sure felt good to log onto Trunkt and see myself on the front page. That got me 2 new comments in my guest book and lots of views. What a lovely way to start the month :)

July - I think I love you already!!

Come ON People!!!

2008-06-25T12:02:00.004-04:00

So, yesterday morning I'm on my way to work (10 minute commute tops), and it's taking me over an hour to get there due to a serious vehicle accident that occured hours earlier. The road up ahead was closed down and even though I could almost see my building it was impossible to get to it. As frustrated as I was, I prayed for the victim's life to be spared and simply made a u-turn and went back home. A couple hours later, I did manage to make it to the office only to overhear two individuals in the garage complaining about "the idiot" who caused the major delay this morning when he took out 3 utility poles.

I have to say that my heart sank - once again! Don't get me wrong - I'm not all sweetness and light myself but DAMN - someone almost lost their life and all you can complain about is being late for work?

I am losing my faith in mankind peoples and I'm wondering if there's anyone out there that cares enough to SHOW me that humans really aren't self centered, self absorbed, selfish and sodom & gommorahfied.

.....just so sad!

What a Weekend

2008-06-22T20:01:00.002-04:00

I could bore you with my rants about my car being towed while visiting in Jersey City but I won't. I could also bore you about getting lost for 3 hours coming home from Jersey City last night but I won't. I could also bore you with my father's health scare this morning that left me crying in a blubbering heap fearing the worst but I won't.

What I will tell you is that I'm home safe, dad's fine (although still in the hospital undergoing lots of tests) and I'm finally unfurling from my stressful eventful weekend.

Oh, and while I'm at it, let me show you my latest creation. I'm in love with this silly thing - it's the neapolitan. Chocolate on the bottom, raspberry in the middle and almond on top. Let's not forget the cocoa sprinkled on top for decoration :-)

Have a great rest of the weekend everyone - I plan to!!

FINALLY

2008-06-18T07:06:00.003-04:00

I got lavender!

I've been wanting to grow my own lavender for ever and day and so last year I bought myself a little lavender plant. It was planted and did bloom a little but this year it's exploded (wondering if it has anything to do with my getting over a fear of worms, therefore spending more time tending the raised bed....anywho) and so this morning I decided the time was right to cut some. I'm so happy with them, I just had to show you all how pretty they are. This is all I've cut so far. I've probably got enough for 4 or 5 more bunches!

Let's hope my tomatoes do as well as these did this year!!

Lily Rose's Heart

2008-06-16T23:30:00.003-04:00

Do you all remember my horror story when I tried to soap some Lily of the Valley fragrance oil? How hideous they turned out because of acceleration? Well, I did try it again a few months ago and although it did accelerate, I was better prepared this time and was actually able to get the soap into the mold in time. BUT once again I wasn't happy with the final look.

I loved the actual bars because I made them with milk and they not only smelled divine but they felt beautiful on my skin. Anyway, not pleased with the looks of these, I shoved them to the side unsure of what would become of them. This weekend I decided to rebatch them into heart shaped bars with huge mounds of dried rose petals on top.

I'm so happy with them. I not only rebatched them but I also added some rose fragrance oil to the already exisiting lily of the valley and the scent is so perfumey and lady-like (unlike myself). I not only made 8 big hearts but also a little cake.

I think I'm in lurv...........

Coffee Anyone?

2008-06-10T06:27:00.003-04:00

So I've made coffee soaps in the past and could never get past the horrible smell of them. That is, I made them using freshed brewed coffee in place of water with coffee grounds and no additional fragrance. They worked great at getting rid of kitchen odors on your hands or even dishes but man - I just didn't like the way the actual bars smelled.

So this time I decided to replace only 1/4 of the water with coffee for a bit of color, add fresh ground coffee for their scent masking abilities, but include a coffee fragrance too.

Can I tell you that I'm love with these little things? I hope no one buys them so I can have them all to myself :-)

What possessed me....

2008-05-26T12:45:00.004-04:00

...to wake up this morning and make fizzy bath bombs? These things are so "sometime'ish" - meaning sometimes they turn out perfectly and other times they don't, just depending on their mood. I woke up and got it under my skin that I just wanted to make fizzy bombs and so I did. Luckily I ran out of corn starch otherwise I'd still be making them now.

And now for my next trick.....

2008-05-20T06:31:00.002-04:00

...ok so it's not a trick it's my next event.

If you're in the area, stop by. We'll be in Milford, CT flogging our wares. This event is organinzed by a dear co-worker of mine (BeachTs llc). Check out the flyer and also the great vendors that will be there. It's next Thursday evening and we'd love to see you there!

Funny how

2008-05-13T07:05:00.008-04:00

you can make something out of nothing when you have no choice.

All you fellow soapmakers know how expensive soap molds are, even the simplest mold can cost big bucks. I came to this realization recently when I decided it was time for me to step up from making 3 or 4lb batches to 6 or even 8lb in order to save time and make my process more cost effective. I set out on my search for the perfect mold on the web but after a couple days of searching I came to the conclusion that either I would have to make my own mold or find something that I already owned that could be fashioned into one.

Then it hit me..............last year while at my local dollar store I stumbled across these beautiful wooden tequila boxes for just a buck each. I had no idea what I was going to do with them so I only bought 2 (punching myself in the head now). I've been using them to add height on my display table at craft fairs/shows and that's it. I grabbed one, got my tape measure out and realized that one of these babies could get me 2 full 3lb logs of soap. This past weekend I managed to make 64 bars of soap in one sitting!! This pick shows just one of the batches - Black Raspberry Vanilla which turned out 32 bars of loveliness :)

Japanese anyone?

2008-04-29T22:11:00.011-04:00

I have to say it was fabulous visiting Kinokinuya! This book store is beautiful. Totally immaculate, well organized and very peaceful. The craft section is on the lower level which is where I spent most of my time. All the books in the craft section were just amazing. I browsed through many and could not believe the amazing things that one can learn to make. You could learn how to make the most amazing fake food, knitted garments and toys, handbags, underwear and even shoes!

I really wanted to take photos of the inside of the store but didn't want to get in trouble so I refrained. I only managed to take a couple of pics outside. It's not easy taking pics on the streets in NYC. There are so many people whizzing by you all the time it's almost impossible to get a clear shot of anything.

All in all, our Kinokinuya experience rates a 10/10. My only negative would be that there were no chairs to sit on in the store but I improvised by sitting on the floor. I'm thinking they frown upon people reading the books before purchasing maybe? I would absolutely do it again but first I must either learn to read Japanese or find myself a translator!!

Here are a few pics but I will take more of the inside pages of the books soon.

Big Plans for Today

2008-04-27T08:43:00.002-04:00

Yesterday while browsing online, I found out there's a humongous Japanese book store right in New York City. I can hardly contain myself! Do you know how long I've been trying to get my hands on some Japenese crafting books?

So - the kid and I will be jumping on the train in a couple of hours and we're headed right down there to that neat looking place. The store looks to be huge - 2 storeys with a cafe. I'll be in the craft/hobbies section and the kids wants to check out the Manga section. I'm so excited I can hardly wait.

I'll let you all know how it went when I get back!!

Here's a link too: Kinokuniya

Party's almost over....

2008-04-25T05:53:00.003-04:00

... for Whipped Body Butters in my shop - hehehe.

That's right - I made an announcement a few days ago that I would cease shipping these little lovelies as of April 30th!
You see, they don't travel well in the heat and can liquify in transit which could end up being an ugly mess for the unsuspecting recipient. I mean, they're fine to use once you stick them in the fridge for a few minutes as they harden up quite quickly but who wants to go through that?
So I'm pulling them until the Fall and I can't say I'm sad to see them go either. Of all the products that I make, those little tins of wonderfully moisturizing butters give me the most grief. I'm a whip it up quick and get it done kinda gal and these things take patience and time which leaves me grinding my teeth to powder sometimes. So YAY for warmer weather is what I say!!

Never fear though - Whipped Body Butters shall be replaced with body lotion for the spring/summer season. Lots of new flavors coming our way too :)

What the Bloody 'ell Happened...

2008-04-21T07:23:00.003-04:00

...in my shop this weekend?

I've been saying to myself how slow it's been in the Etsy shop these past couple months but I was fine with it because it allowed me time to dream up new concoctions. BUT this past weekend, for whatever reason, there was a mass onslaught of shoppers. I spent most of Saturday and Sunday scratching my head in disbelief. Really - I sold like 40 items between Friday and Sunday and some of those were sets of 8 bars of soap, gift sets, soap cakes etc. Customers came from Singapore, Australia, Prague, Canada and the USA. I'm still flabbergasted by it all but secretly hoping it keeps up :)

I guess I'd best get that soap pot out tonight and get to cooking!!

ps: see all those bars of soap down there in my post of March 2nd? They're all gone!!

Brand New off the Milk Cart

2008-04-17T18:26:00.002-04:00

Here's my newly listed Lilac Blossoms - another one of my milky creations. I've never been into florals especially lilacs simply because it's always reminded me of my old piano teacher when I was a kid. Viola Abrahams was her name and just the thought of her weekend wrath was enough to have me practicing every night of the week right up until lessons on Saturday mornings......the memories makes me shudder!

Anywho, I've digressed once again, so here's my lovely milky lilac blossoms that actually smells quite lovely. She's made with whole milk just like her sister Rose (see a couple posts down). Ain't she purdy?

Fantastic Craftastic

2008-04-13T21:57:00.002-04:00

So today I participated in my CT Etsy Street Team's craft event - Craftastic.
Jillian our fearless leader did a wonderful job organizing this event which was a huge success!! Thank you Jillian, YOU ROCK!!
We had a DJ spinning tunes that had us rocking at our tables. Turn out was great also in spite of the occassional shower.
Here's a picture of my table and I will be adding more of the other vendor's tables as soon as I get my grubby mitts on them :)

Be There or Be Square....

2008-04-04T07:23:00.004-04:00

Our CT Etsy Street Team is having it's first craft event next Sunday in Hamden, CT. If you're in the area, do stop by. There will be loads of talented CT artists, great music and I believe some food too (the food usually draws my attention). So if you happen to be in the area, or just plain bored out of your skull, come stop by for a chat, some shopping and maybe a few whirls on the dance floor :)

For more detailed information, click here.

Hope to see you there, unless of course you're square :)

Got Milk?

2008-04-02T22:40:00.004-04:00

Lately I've been on this milk soap kick. I've made goats milk soap many times in the past but never regular cows milk. Those of you in the know are well aware that milk soaps make some of the hardest most luxurious bars ever, and the harder the bar, the longer it lasts, so I'm all far that!

Making milk soaps can be a bit tricky for a few reasons. The main rule to making milk soaps is you have to freeze the milk before you add the lye otherwise the milk can become overheated, curdle, turn bright orange and stink to high heaven! If you don't - believe me you will regret it. Yes I'm speaking from experience :)

Here's one of my milk soap batches. I scented it with Bulgarian Rose with a dash of Coconut fragrance. The natural scent of the milk sweetens the roses and the coconut just rounds it out perfectly!

I do believe I've found my newest favorite soap!!

Goodness Gracious

2008-03-23T07:46:00.005-04:00

I've been super busy lately - hence my absence from my blog. I'll give a quick run down of what I've been up to.

Yesterday I had my first vending event of the year. I support a local charity here in CT called "The C.H.A.I.N. Fund" They're a wonderful organization that raises money throughout the year to help pay bills of patients undergoing cancer treatment who are struggling financially. Yesterday, they had their "Breakfast & A Movie" morning and I set up my table in the movie theatre and sold my buns off! All "Pink Sugar" scented products that I sell, 50% of the proceeds is donated to The C.H.A.I.N Fund. A noble cause don't you think?

Next big news (for me at least) - I actually started organizing my products. After getting home from the movies, instead of hauling all those products back upstairs, I decided to set them up downstairs. We're re-doing my daughter's bedroom and she had this piece of furniture in there that she had outgrown. I took it and brought it downstairs to the living room and arranged my products in it. Doesn't it look like a little shop?

Here's some serious good news - On Thursday evening, I got an email from an individual from "Women for Hire". She stated that she found my shop on Etsy and was interested in having my products at their next event - which by the way is this coming Thursday. My products would have to be in her possession in NYC by Tuesday March 25th!!! YIKES! After a few emails back and forth, she placed her wholesale order via email. Of course being the "yes" person that I am, I assured her I could do it. After the order was placed, I sat on the couch staring into space while wondering what the Universe was up to. Husband walks in, looks at me and says "what are you doing? get moving, you've got work to do" Boy was he right - I worked right up until 1:30am Friday morning, went to bed, was back up again at 4:15am and completed that order, packaged it up and it was out the door that afternoon! The entire time I kept reciting to myself - "Sharon - it ain't no fun if it ain't last minute" LOL.

Next good news - Friday morning I received an email from an on-line beauty magazine wanting to feature my lovely soaps. They requested photos and a bio. You bet your sweet ninny goat that I'll be sending over my details. Of course I had to ask the lady if it could wait until Sunday. I need to completely put out the immediate fire I had roaring plus finish getting ready for my vending event on Saturday morning.

So - there you have it. I've been busy, nutty busy.

Happy Easter :)

What a Lovely Surprise...

2008-03-12T07:58:00.004-04:00

...to wake up to today. FRONT PAGE for the 3rd time!!!

How come whenever I'm on the front page it's in the middle of the night? I happened to wake up at 4:30 this morning and of course because of my Etsyiatus disorder I just had to roll over and check out Etsy (iphone doesn't help my disease either). Not that I'm complaining or anything.....LOL

BoxesRUs

2008-03-09T19:18:00.004-04:00

Those of you who have purchased soap from me know that I hand wrap each bar in simple white paper with the labels attached (front & back). I like simple.

So as you all know, I will be participating in a few vending events this year and I've been thinking (or more like worrying) about my soaps getting damaged while travelling or while being handled by the millions of customers that will be visiting my table. Yes - I said millions!

I decided to make the big switch to boxes out of love for my bars and concern for their safety. I will continue to hand wrap individual bars that I sell on-line but for the fair/shows - boxesRus!

Here's what I came up with. What do you think?

I know I'm making it seem like a huge big deal but it really is for me.......I know, I need a life right?

Got Enough There?

2008-03-02T16:57:00.003-05:00

Last November, I participated in my first craft fair event and I must admit I was very nervous the days leading up to the event. I even considered backing out but my daughter persuaded me otherwise. That day I had so much fun, I could have done it all over again the very next day.

So, this year I have decided to take the plunge several more times. It's a great way to get your name out there while meeting wonderful vendors and customers alike. Plus the opportunity to talk about soap until the cows come home gives me the tinglys :)

So far, I have 2 definate upcoming events and 1 huge one that I've applied for.
I wonder how much soap I'll need to bring? In preparation, I've been soaping like a mad fool of late and the picture above shows the bars that are fully cured. I have entire rack of bars that are still curing.

Think I'll have enough?

Proof that I LOVE my customers....

2008-02-22T07:17:00.002-05:00

Anyone that knows me well, knows that I flat out refuse to drive in snow. It petrifies me!! Even rain is enough to de-rail my plans. As soon as they mention snow on the weather - I'm locking the doors and windows and counting how many cans of non-perishables we have in the pantry.

So this morning, I woke up to the white stuff EVERYWHERE! I was in trouble because I had packages that absolutely HAD to go out today. I decided to pull on my big girl panties and do what I had to do. Even though the roads were treacherous and I was shaking like a leaf the entire time, I drove to the post office and made it back home in one piece. I saw cars spinning out and stuck cars, but I managed to keep it moving in one direction (OK so I have 4 wheel drive but so what?) I'm so proud of myself!!

I even took a picture of my tire tracks in the driveway as proof that I DID IT!!!