Big News!

Bastille Buttermilk Baby Bar!

This is not necessarily soap related, but it has been a very exciting event that has brought our family much joy! Please click on the link below called "Big News" to see how we shared surprise with our kids.

Big News!

In honor of the new baby, I also made a buttermilk "Bastille  Buttermilk Baby Bar." I got the recipe from Bramble Berry. I made 2 variations, one with no scent and one with a scent I love so much! It is the Huggies type Lavender Chamomile fragrance from Bramble Berry. I am so in love with this scent and am considering making a batch for myself. To me, it is such a great scent, even if it is intended for babies.

I plan on having this bar have a nice long cure since it is mostly olive oil, so it will be ready when my baby is born (June 20th or so) Also, since I have so many mommy friends, I am excited to share this bar.

I  have not mixed my own lye water since I found out I was pregnant. I still make soap, but have been very cautious abut the health and safety of my and my little one.

I still am very excited to keep moving ahead with the business. I figure that this is the perfect career for a stay at home Mommy. I do have a slight dilemma though. My company was named after the kids, Leo, the Lion and Somerset Rose, thus "Lion and Rose." I don't want to rename the business, but how can I make the new baby feel included?

Oops!

Ok, so now that the holiday soap selling season is over, I am thinking of new ways to keep my soap business thriving. I want to generate enough business to help with family finances. I have never owned a business, so this is all new, and a bit scary to me. I really don't know what to do next (help!). My Etsy shop has not been a big revenue generator. I know that many soap makers do well on Etsy, so maybe I should try to tap into that market. I feel lost in the huge Etsy sea of sellers!

Wholesale accounts would be good too. I am so clueless about how to do all this though! I have been blessed with how well things have been going, and I know that a lot of it is because I have worked very hard to learn my craft and have sought out local bazaars and markets.

So you may be wondering what the "Oops" photo is all about. Well, it is 2-fold. First it represents how I feel currently. "Oops! What do I do now?" I feel so lost and clueless. "Oops" is also a new listing that I have on Etsy for soap that I am selling at a highly discounted rate. This "Oops" soap is great, it just isn't as perfect as I would have liked.

If you have any advice on what steps I should take next to cultivate this small business, I am all ears!

It's Over!

Months of preparation and my Christmas soap selling events are finally over! What a great season it was too. It so so tricky trying to plan how much inventory to make since there are no last minute soap making opportunities, but I think I did a good job. I still have soap left, but this means I can be very generous with gifts and donations.

After making soap everyday, I took a month hiatus to work on packaging and selling. I am now ready to start making soap again for spring. It has been too long!

Beer Soap!!!

Who new my most popular soap would be beer soap? It sells so well and I have now been featured in a local brewing amazing as a great gift for beer lovers....cool!

http://www.oregonbeergrowler.com/december-2013.html

I am also now selling my beer soap at a local home brew shop that my husband Joe frequents called Above the Rest.

Well, I think I know what soap to make next!!!

Christmas Bazaar Craziness!!!

Citrus Burst!

smells earthy and masculine

Beer Soap, with ground hops and malted barley!

I just wanted to stop by and let you kbnow that I am still alive!!! It seems that even though the blog is quieter than ever, I am busier than ever. In fact, I am so busy with Christmas bazaar craziness that I haven't taken a picture of soap, or my children for a whole month!!!! However, when I started this post, I felt so guilty, that I snapped a few photos of the few soaps that are yet to be packaged.  Everything I am ,making is being sold locally at these wonderful events. I am having the time of my life, but after making soap daily, packaging and caring for my family, I am left little time for anything else!

God bless those who read the last blog post. It was suppose to go on my family site, but after I learned of the mistake, I said, "what the heck!"

Also, the local home brew shop that my husband buys his supplies from will start selling my beer soap!!! They are called Above the Rest and they are awesome!!!!

Please stay tuned. There will be many beautiful soaps to see in the near future, along with some BIG NEWS!!!!! Now, that's a teaser!!!!

Little Girls!

My, a lot happens when you are in a family with 2 young children. For one, you let the blog slide! I really must not let that happen! So much has happened in the last few months! Somerset turned 3, My sister and Martin had baby Aria and we are busy with life in general.

Somerset's birthday was a blast. This was probably the last year we were able to keep this an all family affair. Grandma Laurel came to visit and Uncle Aaron came down for the day, so Somerset was surrounded by family! The day was all about her. We took her to the park in the morning where she collected acorns and played, next we took her to the Children's Museum where she ate a cookie the size of her head. In the evening, everyone went to Papa's Pizza, where she felt like princess and thoroughly enjoyed all the rides, pizza and attention. At home, we had a few neighbors over, amongst family and she had ice cream cake (she tried to blow out the candles with her new toy hair dryer...clever girl).

The party was a My Little Pony extravaganza! She has more ponies and pony accessories than she knows what to do with, but even a month later, the ponies still get their fair share of play.

It is wonderful to have a three year old. My Somerset is so sweet and sassy. She is the sunshine that brightens all of our days. She is funny and smart, and just about the prettiest little thing I have ever seen. I am completely in love with my little girl.

Speaking of little girls, another little girl has come into our lives! Aria Reine was born 3 weeks early! She came while me, the kids and my mom were in Vegas visiting with my Grandma and Uncle, so we missed her birth.

She stayed in the NICU 2 weeks, but she is home now and is as cute as can be, an such a good baby too!

Leo is going to be tested for TAG (Talented and Gifted). We knew this would come some day. He is so far beyond his age academically; he amazes Joe and I daily! He started doing square roots and he is practically reading now. He is crazy gifted and we  are so proud of him.

I am fully immersed in holiday bazaar season. I am so busy, but it is fun! I am starting to build some money back into the soap account...yeah! Next year I plan to try to get some wholesale accounts.

Ok, that is the briefest synopsis ever! I will try harder to be more diligent!

Baby, Vegas and Soap!

Peppermint and Vanilla Cream

Love Spell

Apple Jack N Peel

Getting ready for Bazaars!

Soap Packaging! Handmade tags (ingredients on the back), rustic ribbon wraps the soap, followed by tying jute twine. I also use cello bags to wrap the bars with pretty decorative tape. It's a labor of love!

 Life is busy! Really busy! October has been very wonderful and chaotic!

The kids and I went to Las Vegas with my Mom, where we met my Grandma and Uncle. I really wanted the kids to spend time with Great Grandma, so we tackled Vegas! The kids loved the pool and the fun characters on the strip. I even got to see Donnie and Marie's Vegas show.

As luck would have it, my sister had her baby while we were in Vegas. Little Aria Reine showed up 3 weeks early, much to our surprise, so we missed her birth. We had lots of time to catch up. She has been in the NICU with breathing issues. We are praying that she can come home soon.

In addition to all that life has blessed us with this month, I continue to make soap EVERY SINGLE DAY!!! 18 bars to be exact. In addition to that, I have been packaging about 50 bars a day to get ready for the bazaars. I am so busy, but I love it!