Newest Soaps in Stock!

Relaxing
A blend of Spearmint and Eucalyptus

Pearadise
A floral pear blend

 

Magnolia and Orange Blossom

Lavender Mint

Crisp Apple Rose

Buy 3 and I will package them like this!

 

Newly in stock! I also have Fresh Cut Rose and Love Spell, an intoxication fruity blend!

I am so happy to be making soap again! There will be many more posted as I make them. :-)

Divine Intervention

So I started to make soap the other day after a bit of a hiatus. I had just received some new fragrance oils and was eager to start making soap again. I had my lye water, and my oils were mixed. Everything was at just the right temperature. I was armed with my gloves and goggles, and pressed the start button on my stick blender. I think you know where this is going. My stick blender was broken and no amount of fussing would fix it! My kind and supportive husband ran to the Goodwill, but there were no stick blenders to save the day.

Well, I wasn't going to give up, so I rolled up my sleeves and started to hand stir with my whisk. Luckily, it didn't take as long as I anticipated and the rose scented soap I made seems to have turned out great!

Today, the family and I were on a mission... to find mommy a stick blender! Everyone wanted to prevent soap making mommy's withdrawals. We hit up 3 thrift stores with no luck, Craig's List was also a bust.

I have run my new soap business very conservatively. I never spend money from my family's account and unfortunately, my soap account is almost empty. I am prepping for the market and Peonies and Possibilities, so I know money will come, but I need to be smart and responsible.

As a last reort, we checked out Bed Bath and Beyond. As I pulled into the parking lot, I spotted what looked like a bill. I cried, "Joe, I think that's money!" There was no one in sight and the lot was empty, so there was no one to claim it. It turned out to be a $20 bill! I went into the store and found that there was 1 clearanced Cuuisart stick blender, and if I went home to get my coupon, it would cost me exactly $20! After Somerset was tucked in, I went back to the store and they offered me a 10% discount because it was a floor model, so it actually cost me less than $20!

I think at times we experience divine intervention. I have been so responsible and have worked so hard to cultivate this business. The stick blender breaking was a small road block, but I feel like I was handling it the best way I could. I didn't rush out and impulsively buy a replacement. I searched high and low for a good deal and then, when that didn't pan out, a $20 floated in my path, with just the right deal on the product I needed...and there was only one left!!!

I love this blender, I think she needs a name. I used her for the first time tonight, and it was an amazing experience. The soap I made turned out great too!!! God is good!

Farmer's Market!!!

My booth banner!

I

I want to make these to sell as gift bags!

Hello all! I have been bust prepping for my first farmer's market! Lake Oswego, a beautiful community, accepted me into their farmer's market on the dates of June 29 and July 13. I am so thrilled for this opportunity! I had a banner made, bought my own table and shoebox crates (I had borrowed many supplies before). I also plan to make a custom tablecloth out of burlap and of course, many soaps have been made!

I feel I have a good handle on the soap making, I have a recipe that works every time and I have chosen not to let my soap gel. For non soap makers, this means that I slow down the reaction between the alkaline solution and the oils, so that the soap does not get super hot and go into a gel like phase. I do this by putting my soap in the freezer after I make it and keeping it there for 12-24 hours. So far I have had success every time.Not gelling the soap make the cure time a bit longer, but I love the creaminess of the bars.

I have also purchased a bunch of new fragrance oils....yeah for summer scents! I am going to add more florals to my collection because I know how some people adore those. I am finally adding a rose scent to my collection...duh, I am Lion and Rose Handmade soap! I have never been a fan of rose scents, but I am aiming to have a rose scent that is like freah cut roses and not a purfumey rose.

I will be busy the next few months with soap making, and booth prep. I would also love to make burlap/lace gift bags for the booth. I think I could charge a couple bucks as an add on. Aren't they cute? I should probably learn to sew. It's a good thing I have a very talented seamstress in the family, my sister Tiffany!

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!