Spring Artisan Bazaar and Other Exciting Opportunities!

My two favorite helpers. Leo was with dad, but I bet his charisma would have landed me a few sales!

Saturday, March 30th (the day before Easter), I participated in a Spring Artisan Bazaar. I had very high hopes, and the show was limited to chosen vendors, so I felt honored to be a part of this show. I did make some money, but things were a bit slow. It was a glorious day and I think that kept people away, plus, the day before Easter presented  other challenges for getting foot traffic.

I did make some great contacts and was able to get valuable marketing advice from my fellow vendors and shoppers. Two customers recommended the Cedar Mill Farmer's Market. I applied this morning and will keep my fingers crossed. Farmer's markets are so hot in Oregon and I think my soap would be a great fit. Ideally, I would like to participate once a month, to ensure I had adequate time to renew needed stock. I still have a ton of stock left from the show yesterday, so my focus will be on marketing! I plan to get all the supplies needed to ensure success in a Farmer's market situation. Ultimately, I'd like to quit my part time job and make money through this passion!

Soap Crazy!

Lavender Orange

Apple Rose

Oatmeal Cookie

Minty Fresh

Minty Fresh Dos

Perfect Pear

Oatmeal, Milk and Honey

Coconut!

Lovely Lavender. Look much more purple in real life.

I have been having a lot of fun with soap making, and I have been a busy bee preparing for an Artisan Bazaar. I was taking a bit of a chance though, because it is a juried show, which means I wasn't automatically going to be selected as a seller. I had to prepare as if I was though, due to curing time. I am happy to say that I was selected, so on March 30th, I will be a part of the Cedar Hills Recreation Center's Artisan Bazaar!!!

I have made soap daily....literally, everyday, so now I will take a break....sort of. Now I am gearing up for packaging. I love this, but it is labor intensive. Thank goodness for Nethlix. I watched the entire 5 seasons of Friday Night Lights in preparation for my last bazaar,

Apparently, the soap is selling well at Peonies and Possibilities, so I am HAPPY!!!! I love being a part of this charming store.

New Packaging and Big News!

I have been making soap daily! Getting ready for a show in March and now, I am selling my soap at a local shop called Peonies & Possibilities! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peonies-Possibilities/246891718670127

I am thrilled to get my soap into a shop, and it really was just happenstance! If you are local, please support this very charming local business! I love the shop and the owner. I hope the local Beaverton people support this fantastic shop!

I have adjusted my packaging. I have a new logo, which is stamped on my label. I love it! Artist Jason Lenox, who created the lion and rose illustration, is the best! I think it really adds to the look of the packaging.

I am also now using strips of burlap instead of scrapbook paper to package. My twine has changed too. I use to use hemp twine, but it is too stiff to work with. I now use baker's twine for my bakery scented soaps and burlap thread for the other soaps. I hope to keep improving the packaging, but I am happy with the results. Any other ideas on how I can improve things? I am always looking for creative input.

I am also tweaking my soap making. In allow some soaps to go full gel and others not to, I learn so much with each batch. I have thrown out about 3 batches recently because I am a perfectionist! Folks, soap making can be really difficult. and frustrating!!!

I have battled Plumeria recently. I love the fragrance, but it moves so fast! I can't manage any decent artistic design, so I am sticking with a basic bar. I had 2 batches that I was not keen on before I made a batch I felt comfortable selling. Good news is that I sold a whole loaf to a friend! Yeah!

The Beauty of You Tube

I love You Tube. Since I am a visual learner, I have learned so much by watching other soap makers on You Tube.

The first soap making videos I ever watched were of the Soap Queen (Anne Marie) of Bramble Berry fame. I learned all of the basics that I needed to get started.

I then discovered Emily Shieh of Shieh Design Studio: http://www.youtube.com/user/shiehdesignstudio. I love her soaps and I love to learn from her. She is a bit self deprecating and always funny. Her soaps could not be more amazing!

I recently found Celine of : http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSoaperstar.
She is incredible too! The soap pictured at the top is a technique that I learned from her. I have tried this 3 times now and each time I get better! I am no where as good as either of these "soap stars," but I love that I am improving and gathering pieces of wisdom. Thanks to all the soap makers who take the time to make these videos; they mean the world to me.

I also had a happy accident! I was sent the wrong fragrance oil from Bramble Berry. I had ordered Crisp Apple Rose, but was sent Crisp Anjou Pear. Well, I am pretty easy going, so I kept it (at a discounted rate). My kids went crazy for it because it smells like a Jolly Rancher candy, but I don't have any scents like this and I think it will be great for Spring.

I was trying to figure out how to get a pear green color. I have limited funds for soap making, so I really have to work with what I have, I never am exactly sure what color I will get unless I am duplicating a recipe, so I was free-styling this effort.

I started with a base that included green chrome pigment. The only time I have used this, I achived a forest green, so I only used a touch. I made the bottom layer a muted green. For the next layer, I added a touch of Lab Colors in Lime sorbet and then for the final layer I added more, which is what you see in the photo. I can't wait to cut this bat, but I am happy with the intense pear green of the top layer. Photos to follow soon!

What Soap Making Means to Me

She's musical and artistic

Cute little man drawn by Somerset (just turned 2)

Creamsicle

Black Raspberry Vamilla

Citrus Zing

Lavender and Grapefruit

Brown Sugar and Vanilla

I have always loved art...music, photography, design. I have gravitated towards these things, which is why I went to school for graphic design. I was always unfulfilled with graphic design though. The flat images on the computer screen lacked depth and meaning. After school, I figured out that I neded to apply my creative juices to something more tactile. I thought about cake decorating (before it blew up into what it is now), and floral design.

One day at work, I spotted an apothecary jar on sale at my part time job at Williams Sonoma. I thought it would look beautiful in my bathroom filled with homemade soap. Then something struck me. Perhaps, I could learn to make soap! I started reading every book about soap making I could find, took a class and watched countless hours of You Tube videos. I became obsessed. I was scared because lye was involved, but I was hooked. Soap making satisfied all my loves. I am able to be creative and expressive, it's tactile, my olfactory sense is engaged (I am in love with fragrances too) and I am able to make special handmade gifts that people love. It really was everything I had been searching for in a profession/hobby.

So now I am making soap. I have made many mistakes and am learning with every batch. I get frustrated and elated, but I am passionate. It seems silly to say that making soap has made me so satisfied, but it has.

Now, I am happy to see my daughter blooming into a little artist. She loves drawing and music and is so accomplished for her age.

My scientific 4 year old son Leo, is more of the engineer/mathematician. He can do addition and subtraction and is so smart for his age, so naturally, he loves to help me weigh my oils on the digital scale.

Perhaps someday, when the kids are older (quite a bit older due to the safety issues that come along with soap making), they can join Mommy in making their favorite soap....anything that smells like gummy bears!

Some New Soaps and Some Tried and True Favorites!

Almond Cookie

Green Tea and Lavender

Apple Rose (New and so feminine)

Spearmint Eucalyptus (Bath and Body Works Type) Smells very manly!

Beer Soap with ground hops.

Magnolia and Orange Blossom. Is that a giant orange in the center? Nope, just partial gel phase was reached, but I think it adds to the beauty!

Back to more soap making. I have been having a blast making new soaps. I am trying to replenish stock rapidly so I can reopen my Etsy shop. I should have the shop up in running in about a month....darn curing time!

I have tried some new recipes, and materials, which is fun and frustrating. Some fragrance oils just don't behave! This wastes time and resources and can be heart breaking! I have learned how important it is to use reputable distributors who sell fragrance oils that have loads of reviews so you know what to expect. I like to be prepared and know what I am in for when I am making a soap......no seizing please! Also, I am not a fan of fragrance oils that turn my soap brown either!

Also, as you can see by the last photo I posted, my soap partially gelled. I actually like the result, but I know that soap makers know what really happened.

I have made a few soaps with beer recently. My husband Joe is a home brewer, so he was quite interested in this process. He provided me with some beer and ground hops. It was fun to make, but that soap heated up very fast. Even throwing it in the freezer did not stop in from going through gel phase. I am happy to report that I think this will be a lovely soap.

I have also started duplicating my favorite recipes from the past. I have selected soaps that were universally loved, so these will be my staples. They are: Almond Cookie, Green Tea and Lavender, Minty Fresh and Good Day Sunshine. I am pleased that I have been able to recreate them successfully.

New Year, New Soaps

Spearmint Eucalyptus Soap

Calendula Sunshine Soap

Amaretto Creme

Amaretto Creme

Citrus Bar

Happy 2013! I am really hoping this will be an amazing year. This year is off to a rough start for the Morris family, but I are so grateful for all our blessings. I have 2 amazingly smart and beautiful children and a loving and supportive husband, who also happens to be super cute and funny too.

I have started the new year making some soap as well. I have made some basics since I am out of colorants, but to be honest, most Oregonians like things "crunchy and natural," so I am taking this opportunity to use all natural ingredients. I made an all natural bar using spearmint and eucalyptus essential oils and coloring with ground parsley leaves for a color swirl. It smells divine!

I also made a bar with calendula petals. It looks too natural for my taste, as does the bar I made with orange, lemon and clary sage essential oils. It smells great, but looks almost too organic! Oregonians won't mind! In fact, they prefer a bar that looks this way, but I prefer a more polished bar.

I have to admit that I am in love with the Amaretto Creme bar. I accidentally used Macadamia Nut Oil instead of olive oil. I checked my soap recipe calculations after making this mistake, and it seems as though the bar will be fantastic, but this was a very expensive mistake to make as mac nut oil is a luxury oil and quite expensive.

I am eagerly awaiting a new order from Bramble Berry. They are now offering new natural Brazilian clays which I am so excited to try. Their fragrance called Sleigh Ride is also on super clearance. I combined Sleigh Ride with Almond fragrance oil to create one of my top sellers at the Christmas bazaar: Almond Cookie. I am also eager to make my other top seller again: a combo of Lavender Green Tea and Sensuous Sandalwood. I am eager to see if I can duplicate the same bars again. They were my favorite and I miss them!

I am including a few photos of my beloved family, who inspire me everyday. I love you guys!

Next post will feature my beer soaps!

My sweet Somerset Rose was sitting in my lap when I wrote this post. She asked me to take her photo, and here it is!