Get to soaping!

As if I needed one more thing to add to my to-do list, I just found out that I was accepted to participate in a local holiday craft fair! I'm so excited but also super stressed about the idea of having to make all those soaps. I need to get started now so I can get it all done before the wedding. I ordered some new molds which should help tremendously in the process. They are no-liner molds and they come with a cutting mold which I'm psyched about because my soaps always end up being slightly different in size from batch to batch because I can't cut them uniformly! Once the molds arrive I should be able to jump in and start making soap, I want to make about 200 bars of soap. It's a 2 day show and any overflow inventory should be able to carry me through the holiday season.

Photo: Flickr

Shop Talk

I'm ready for a complete shop overhaul. I want to revamp my logo, my colors, my shop photos, everything. I'm basically looking to do a "shop baptism."

I need a cohesive look and right now I don't think I have it. I have some shop photos that were taken in New York on the wood floors in my apartment with really cool partial light coming in through our window and then I have some shot here, outside on the balcony. I've been doing some research on how to build a light box, I think that will make a huge difference in how my photos turn out.

My labels and packaging also need to be improved.   I've been looking around the internet for inspiration, here are some of my favorites. Stay tuned for some big changes!

Photos: Flickr, Naiad, Flickr

Green Tea & Peppermint Soap Bars

Just added to the shop! This is one of my favorites, it smells so clean and refreshing. Also available in mini sizes.

Shop update

I've added a couple of new things to the shop today. A new soap, Chai Tea Latte, which smells fantastic, and lavender sachets.

Last week I added a couple of new soaps as well, Geranium & Honey which is a nice floral scent blended with honey to help moisturize the skin. Also, Sweet Ginger which has a warm and herbal scent and has been blended with dried orange peel for a soft exfoliation. All are available now in my shop.

There are a few more on the curing rack that I should be able to list in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

Ugg...

I was planning on taking photos for the shop today but it's overcast and there is not enough light coming into my apartment to get a decent photo. I have a ton of new inventory that I'm anxious to list. I was playing around yesterday with some photos, I think I got some decent shots...I was losing light fast and usually I have Mike's help to set up each shot so things went a little slower than usual. Here's one of the shots I really like.

Brooklyn Flea

The Brooklyn Flea went well! I was happy with the results and would definitely do it again. Although I'm glad it's over because I need a break...I'm looking forward to enjoying a couple of days off from soap! It's so hard to work all day at a job and then come home and have to focus on being creative and making product. It can be very draining. At the same time, the show gave me the motivation to work on some new ideas I have had brewing in my head! I got such great feedback on everything so that was incredibly encouraging!!

My table was next to Kristy of Beacon Bookmarks. Her and her husband make these incredibly beautiful wooden bookmarks out of wood scraps from their cabinet-making business.

1 out of 2 aint bad!

I had another bad batch of soap last night. Honestly, I don't know what is happening. This one is usable, it's just cosmetic but this is the third batch where this same thing has happened. Fellow soapers if you can offer any advice I will gladly take it...basically, I pour the soap into the mold I cover it and put it aside and then I start cleaning up. Within about five minutes the soap starts to expand up and over the mold, pouring out the sides, making a HUGE mess! It then starts to go back down and kind of collapses on itself making the top of the soap concave. It's purely a cosmetic issue, the soap works fine but I can't figure out why this is happening and there was nothing to be found online when I did a search for "soap expanding in mold," or "psychotic soap" I thought maybe the temp was too high but last night I poured it when the lye and oils were at exactly 120 degrees which I have processed soap at before without a problem. I was so happy when last weeks batch came out perfect and now I am back to square one...this has never happened before and I have made A LOT of soap. I'm starting to wonder if I got a bad batch of lye or something.

Success....I think!

I haven't cut into the bars yet but I think I may have successfully made a batch of soap last night! It's not the Lavender Cream which had been giving me so many problems but I was using a fragrance oil I have never worked with before and since I have been having such bad luck with batches lately I was really scared of what might happen to this one. After I poured it into the mold I kept glancing at it every few minutes, half expecting it to grow legs and walk out of the apartment (this is not a far stretch if you had seen what my last two batches did!) I'm still too scared to make the Lavender Cream, I might try to tackle it this weekend after I get my confidence back with a few simple batches. I am preparing for Brooklyn Flea next month so I am building up my inventory with a lot of fun new scents, which means I will be making soap every night for the next few weeks! I am also excited about some new products I will be adding to the shop next month, including some things not bath and body related which I am really excited about! Stay tuned for updates!

I'm off to grab lunch, I've been told it is absolutely beautiful outside today, something like 60 degrees...spring is here, finally!

This is no April Fools Joke...

Free shipping on everything in my shop for the entire month of April!! What are you waiting for?! Start shopping!

Ugly soap!

I'm down to one Lavender Cream soap in my inventory and I have attempted twice in the last week to make more and for some reason it's giving me HUGE problems. This is the most difficult soap I make because it's a milk based soap and when lye mixes with milk things can get a little hairy! The first time I made this soap it came out perfect, no problems at all. For some reason, every time I attempt it now, I have issues. It's one of my best sellers and one of my favorites so I am not inclined to give up on it yet but it's so frustrating to throw out an entire batch of soap. I have been researching other methods of making milk based soaps and I think I am going to try a different technique once my supplies come in. On a good note, I did successfully make a new batch of White Tea and Ginger which will be available in the shop soon. I tweaked my classic recipe a bit and added a couple of new butters to the mix to make a more moisturizing and lathery bar. I am really happy with the result.

Easter Weekend

Mike and I made a yummy Easter brunch this weekend. Well actually Mike made the brunch, I, uh...supervised? Mike did a spin on eggs benedict without the heavy sauce, it was sooo good. We also made crepes which are one of my favorite breakfast foods!





It was a nice weekend, aside from a few minor soap setbacks. I don't know what is going on lately but I can't seem to make a decent batch of soap, maybe it's the full moon! I'm more than frustrated at this point because I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. I'm going to take a break from it for a few days and try again next week. I need to order more supplies anyway so hopefully the break will provide some insight.

Lavender Bread

Over the weekend I tried a new recipe that I found at Sympathy for the Kettle, my favorite tea shop in the E. Village. It was so yummy and goes perfectly with tea. I have been eating it for breakfast every morning. Mike wasn't a fan, he said it tasted like my soap! I'm not sure what bothered me more, the fact that he didn't like it or that he has secretly been taste testing my soaps!! If you aren't a fan of lavender in your food (which my boyfriend obviously isn't!), it's a great, sweet batter so you could substitute the lavender for strawberries or whatever else would taste good in a dessert bread. Enjoy!

Productive

Aside from a migraine Saturday night I had a nice weekend. I cleaned on Friday, I am embarrassed to say how long it had been since my apartment had a good cleaning! I also came to the conclusion that we do not have enough space! After all the things we got for Christmas and my every growing supply of supplies for Kopah, I am running out of nooks and crannies to store/hide/smoosh everything. Luckily our lease is up in May and because of the two small children who live above us that I'm convinced are training for the NY marathon, we are not staying in this apartment so we are hoping to find something with a little more space which is a nice thought but unlikely in Manhattan!

I also worked on some new items for Kopah which I am so excited about. I made whipped shea butter in Lavender Orange. I love the way it turned out, it smells amazing. I have super dry skin, especially in the winter so I have been using it on my legs and I haven't had any problems since I started using it. I am totally hooked! Now I just have to come up with a label for it and I can get it listed. I made a lot of soap this weekend too, including a large batch of Lavender Cream which didn't come out the way I wanted. I hate when I botch a batch of soap.

Soap Drying...


I had to sneak this one in, Mike took this on Christmas Day

Aaaaahh!

I currently have a love hate relationship with my computer...I have been glued to the screen all morning reading through the new blog I disovered, Make It. I want so badly to stop reading but I can't!! So now I have a headache and some serious eye strain.

I received a very nice e-mail yesterday from a fellow soap maker who had discovered my blog and gave me props for making soap in a 300 square foot apartment! I thought I would share with everyone this pic of just how small my kitchen really is. I don't even think you could really call this a kitchen as it is simply a corner of my living space where they hung some cabinets and appliances but for all intensive purposes, we will call it a kitchen! *Note the VERY limited counterspace!



I went to Purl last night to pick up fabric and was distraught when I got all the way to the shop only to find the front window cleared of all displays and two girls looking more distraught than me, tearing apart the radiator with a sign in the window saying "Shop closed until 6:30 for store emergency!" Needless to say, I didn't get to pick up any fabric for my projects so I had to make an executive decision with less than two weeks left until Christmas....the quilt for my grandparents is not going to get done. Which is probably a good idea considering I have no motivation to sew in this apartment because it literally takes me 15 minutes to pull everything out from its respective hiding spot or nook or dusty place under the couch and when I do finally get all set up you can't open the fridge!! I long for the day when I can have a whole room devoted to my crafts and soap and I don't have to fight for a flat surface in my apartment but that is the sacrifice I must make to live in one of the best cities in the world, in my opinion of course ;)

Oh, BTW...for those of you who are wondering I have not abandoned my countdown to Christmas, I have just had some serious creative block when it comes to posting ideas so if anyone has ideas I would love to hear them and/or stay tuned for this weekend when I will be blogging about Christmas baking!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! As I write this post I am enjoying a cup of tea and my new favorite vice, Crumbs cupcakes. They are to die for...they are huge and the frosting (my favorite part) is so delicious. I know I shouldn't be eating a cupcake at 10:30 in the morning but I couldn't resist! So last night Mike and I worked on soap stuff all night! Poor Mike, I think he was ready to kill me! We took tons of photos, made labels, made a batch of soap, cut another batch of soap that I had made the night before. I included some pics that we took last night. Now I am going to be busy all day posting to Etsy.

Amidst all the soap hoopla, I got my sticker maker in the mail yesterday! All I can say is WOW! That thing is awesome, it works so much better than I thought it would! I am impressed. I have a ton of new bath products that I have been waiting to post to my shop because they needed labels. Now I need to work on designing them! I made a soap with my new fragrance oil, Berry Wine. It smells amazing, just like a glass of red wine. I can't wait to get it posted to Etsy. Have a great day everyone!

P.S. Ok, once again my work computer is being difficult and doesn't want to play nicely with Blogger so I can't post the pics of my new soaps. Stay tuned - I will do this tonight when I get home :)

Updated: Here are some of the pictures of my new soaps.

Rosemary Mint Goat Milk Soap


Pumpkin Spice Soap


Baby Soap

I just finished making the pumpkin soap...finally!! I've had that darn pumpkin sitting on my fridge for over a week! I can't wait to see how it comes out of the molds! It looked so pretty when I poured it, the pumpkin turned it a beautiful orange. I have included some pics of the process....unfortunately towards the end I got so involved in the process I forgot to keep taking pictures so I only got photos of the prep. This was my first attempt at swirling too, I have been doing a lot of reading on it and everyone says it's really tricky to get the first time you do it so hopefully it wil turn out (fingers crossed!). We pulled the pumpkin seeds out and roasted them, they were delicious! Well I'm off to finish watching Law and Order and to start working on a lavender salt soak....good night!

P.S. Pictures will have to be posted later, blogger keeps giving me an error message when I attempt to enter photos to this post!!

Updated: Pics