New Opportunities!

So much has happened since my last post, and my sincerest apologies for being so neglectful to this blog, which I love to write, but somehow as we get older we forget about follow-up. Six months in between posts is just totally unacceptable, but I am working on fixing that.

So........ today I turned 50. Not an excuse, but maybe a brag? Last year this time I weighed over 30 pounds heavier, and I mean, how many people can say they are 50 and still have a grandmother alive???  Not only is she alive, but she is VERY healthy and mindful at a young 95 - turning 96 in June.  I really do hope she sees 100. I want to see that old Smuckers guy announce her name on TV when she does.

On the business front:  I just started doing the Muskogee Farmers Market. I have to be honest - in the past I never understood what was so "special" about selling soap at a farmers market. Now I know. Not only are the consumers at farmers markets more discerning, which I LOVE, but I also have the opportunity to purchase MY fruits and veggies grown locally. I love this stuff. I think I'm spending a lot of my sales money buying from the farmers, but I don't care - it's FRESH, and it's grown LOCALLY. I'm a proponent of both. Can't beat fresh "with a stick" as they say.

Also - another new opportunity arose for my business. A new gallery is opening in Eufaula, OK - "Our Favorite Place" - 127 N. Main Street. It should be open by Memorial Day, and they will be selling MY products as the representative for the soapmaking and chandler community. Everything in this gallery (they're calling it a gallery because there will be a LOT of art work there, and it's more upscale than a "store") is handmade in Oklahoma. There is a lot of American Indian art, glasswork (hand glass-blowing), and of course, my soaps, candles, shower gels, etc. Here is their logo: 

I have been making a LOT of candles and am adding a few new soaps this spring season.  We planted 2 magnolia trees, and so much to post on one blog post - so I'll save something for another day.

Have a soapy, bubbly day! 

Cindy

News!

Hello again, wonderful blog readers!

Sorry I've been away from blogging - as you know, the Holiday shopping season is upon us, and I've been busy in the shop and promoting the biz... a task I'm just not good at, I might add.

But I do have what I consider to be an exciting newsworthy update.

Recently, I entered (and WON) the FatCow (my web host) "Offbeat, Online Treasure" contest!!! My entry was one of three that receives a free year of web hosting, but more important is that my soap petals will be featured in their product marketplace and they will also be promoting my website in their community directory for free!
http://www.fatcow.com/product/marketplace.bm
http://www.fatcow.com/directory/listing.bml?cur=8078

Happy soapy Winter, and no matter what you celebrate.........make it great and bubbly!
Cindy

New Candles for June!!!

Three scents stood out last summer that needed to be made again:

Cherry Limeade - The perfect combination of sweet and tart

Sweet Peach Tea - A definite improvement over sweet tea - you can actually smell both peaches and tea

Tart Red Currant - by specific customer request - this one is a super tart red currant (stay tuned for my next blog, which will be about whipped body butters, and tart red currant is one we're testing the waters on to see if customers like the smell to have it on them all day)

And lastly, and not a candle - new black ceramic soap dishes. I have yet to come up with a name for them (manufacturer calls them "Asian style" which I'm not entirely comfortable with - any suggestions?

As always - stay soapy, my friends!
Cindy

New Soaps for June!

Sweetgrass with chamomile buds on top

Sedona Sunrise - Sweet orange with rosemary essential oils and ground rosemary

Goldcoast coffee - Coffee soap with coffee "swirls" topped with 24k gold mica

Oklahoma Mimosa - with 24k gold on top

As the most interesting man in the world would say.....Stay soapy, my friends!
Cindy

Congratulations to the winner!

Happy New Year and congratulations to Nancy Heath, who submitted the best name to rename "autumn tryst" to "vanilla dreams." Ironically, Nancy also submitted the name autumn tryst - prior to the contest, of course. Thank you to all who submitted their suggestions!

Happy bubbles and New Year to all!

Monthly Contest -name this soap!

A little birdie gave me an idea today. I love it. I'm so bad at coming up with creative names for my soaps (they tend to be called whatever they are - lemongrass, patchouli, cranberry fig, etc.), which tends to be boring. Now how can you have a beautiful artisan soap with a boring name?

So let's start this off - I'm looking for a name that is "winter" themed, and fits this vanilla soap:



So - want to win a bar of this soap? Name it! The best name submitted to me wins a bar of this wonderfully sweet vanilla and cocoa butter soap. It has 24k gold sprinkled on top, too!

Happy naming!

New Stuff!

Sorry I have been so lax in posting since vacation was over. I've been busy busy busy. Here's a pic of a 2 color swirl I did in Cucumber Melon - now ready! The swirling I did with Leann really paid off.



I am so psyched for a coupon I have coming out next week in the newspaper. And I've finally finished my brochures (coupon also in there)!

Body butters are now going to be available in the shop, too. So far, I only made Cherry Limeade and Island Vanilla, but this week I will be making some more wonderful winter scents. There is nothing like the feel of freshly whipped mango butter with virgin coconut oil for those dry winter scaly hands! We all wash our hands a lot more during cold season, and even with moisturizing handmade soap, you still dry out your skin from the hot water, towel rubbing, etc.

So let me get out to the shop and start on those butters. You all have a great day~!

Peace and bubbles...... 'tis the season!

Vacation is officially OVER - 10/19/10

OK - so my last blog had the dates completely messed up. That's what happens when you are deprived from making soap and chomping at the bit to use a newly-learned skill (in my case swirling soap in the mold - I had previously only done "in-the-pot" swirling).

To end the journey, we went back to Lance and Barb's house - in OKCY. The "girls" (that's what I call my dogs Missy and Lucy) were ecstatic to see us. Why? I don't know - they got more treats and people food than I've ever given them. Both had gained weight. We thought when we dropped them off that Missy (the food hog) would be 80 pounds and Lucy (the food snob) would be a walking skeleton. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even Lucy had a paunch. I'm glad they enjoyed themselves. Evidently, people food and treats weren't enough, though - I was told that they tried to eat the cat. Oops. I won't tell you what Missy ate (hint: cat's produce it).

So back home to Checotah we went on Sunday. We stayed out WAY too late watching the OU game to attempt packing the dogs and everything back into the truck and heading back on Saturday night.

Upon arrival, 2.5 hours later - exhausted and relieved at the same time - Bullet discovered he forgot his golf clubs, so yesterday he went BACK to OKCY to fetch them (and of course play a round).

Today, Tuesday, I am finally back 100% and will be taking pictures to complete the newly-designed website. It is up for production, but this website is very different from the last one - you actually get to see pictures of each individual soap.

So - off to work on my pictures now!

Peace and bubbles....... and now swirling!

Vacation News - day 10 - Oct. 17, 10

The end is here - I think I'm starting to get my days mixed up. We left Keith & Judy's home Saturday morning and went to Leann's. We arrived at Leann's yesterday and after doing the video continued on to finish up in Sullivan, Missouri for an overnight rest. Bullet sure does drive a long time while I nap. I am really catching up on my sleep!

So let's talk about food. Yum. We've eaten at a lot of restaurants along the way - some new to us, some old favorites. So here are just a few of my observations:

Abuelo's "Mexican Embassy" - does that make the Manager of the restaurant an embassador??? The marketing of these restaurants is amusing, but the food is fantastic.

and...

PJ Chang's "Chinese Bistro" - Aren't bistros French? This one baffled me, but it was absolutely delicious! I finally got Bullet to eat Chinese food (and yes, he enjoyed it).

Now..... if you want to eat a HUGE omelet, go to Nick's, in Toledo, OH. This isn't a chain. It's a one-and-only. Seven (yes, 7) eggs go into this omelet. Then, if that isn't enough, they add every single thing on the breakfast menu INTO this omelet. It's absolutely HUGE, and none of us were brave enough to tackle it. But I could see a family of oh, say, 10 people sharing it!

Enough of food talk - time to move on to get back to Oklahoma.

Peace & bubbles.... and napping is good, too!

Vacation News - day 9 - Oct. 15, 10

Friday - We left Keith & Judy's home to trek back home. Stopped in again at Leann's in Gillespie, IL to learn to be a swirlmaster. Definitely going to continue this fantastic procedure in the future, as it seems to be completely foolproof (hence, I can do it - haha).

You can see the video of how we did it here: http://www.youtube.com/user/LeaWildSense

The picture above is the swirl I did!

I'm gonna love swirling now.... it is no longer a chore.

Peace...... and bubbles!