I also got my sample jars today. I’m tickled with them and think they’ll be awesome at my sale event in a couple of weeks. They’re a quarter of an ounce with an attached lid and I think this will help make the lotion samples more event friendly. People can use the tiny spatulas and not have to whack the tiny bullet bottles I used to use for samples to get the lotion out to try.
I had to take some time away from production, but I was tickled to be able to start getting back into it today. I am going to have a booth at a craft fair in November and have a lot of goals. I had three new things that I wanted to explore and got to do all three. *happy dance*
I’ve been thinking about discontinuing the Goat’s Milk Version 3 lotions for awhile due to issues with the silky emulsifying wax. I am absolutely delighted with a new lotion that I will be replacing it with – Evening Primrose! Evening Primrose is thought to be an anti inflammatory with antioxidant properties. To top it off it has mineral oil in it, which usually isn’t irritating and moisturizes well without feeling really thick on the surface of the skin. I’ve been working on ideas for a line that might help people suffering from Fibromyalgia and other joint/muscle ailments. It will take awhile of testing to see if I think it lives up to the anti inflammatory possibilities, but I am so excited. It was creamy and it didn’t irritate my picky skin. This looks like it may work well for people with chemical sensitivities. *oh yeah – another happy dance* I was kind of surprised by how much evaporated during the heating process. I scraped every little bit that I could out of the measuring cups and pan, but somehow lost an ounce from my 16 oz batch. It worked out well in some ways since it allowed me to use the 4 oz jars without being at the brim and sloppy. I’ve used every container that I have and honestly prefer the jars for lotions (thank you Aunt Ina for the buzz in my ear!). The icing on the cake is that the finished product is pretty affordable at $4.75 in the combination I made.
I’ve been researching techniques and ingredients for painting accents on soaps for quite awhile, but was honestly worried about totally ruining soaps. *grin* I had a carriage soap that didn’t turn out well enough for me to be comfortable selling, so it became my guinea pig. I admit that it took about half an hour of playing with brushes and dye formulas to get a hang of some basic skills. I also will not subject you to a picture of that train wreck of experimentation. *cracking up* Unfortunately I decided to learn on a soap that has very fine details. It ended up reminding me of when kids are coloring and go just outside the line consistently. Lol. So that I could easily see my results as I tried different pressures I of course chose to use Santa Red. *rolling eyes at myself* I know it was a learning piece, but seeing this incredibly odd looking resulting soap is a knock to the ego if I’m being honest. *grin* I still need to wash with it to make sure that even with an explosion of Santa Red no one will come out of the shower bright pink.
During my childhood and preteens I was fortunate enough to have several family members and teachers that nurtured my creative nature. I was blessed enough to explore a lot of mediums and developed quite an appreciation for art. If my nose wasn’t buried in a book or geeking out with video games (I was better than the boys in almost all – girl power lol), I would be entranced by Bob Ross on PBS. Not only was his stoner personality thoroughly soothing he had an absolutely inspiring appreciation for nature. One Christmas my grandparents and mom spent a pretty penny (bless you guys even though you aren’t reading this) on a full Bob Ross paint set, easel, two palettes, and other supplies. I admit that I’m seriously critical of myself and my artwork is not safe from it. However I loved it and wish that I had kept painting instead of letting my doubts get in the way. While experimenting on the soap I was hit by how much I still love painting in any fashion. With my involuntary movements / tremor I can’t make a straight line, but there is such joy in every stroke. I’m so blessed to have rediscovered painting and can incorporate it into my new medium.
To top things off I experimented with making the ice cream cone soaps. I’ve read a lot of crafter reviews and learned that the best technique is to pour the cone color for the entire mold. After it sets remove the soap and cut off the ice cream scoops, setting aside the cone colored scoops to melt and use in the next. Tomorrow I will then pour the scoops after treating the point of attachment. I’m really hoping this turns out well, so it’ll replace the dessert cake soaps. The brown dye came out an interesting color, but I happen to like it, so it stays. *grin* I could say that I’m going to do pretty scoops – one strawberry and the other vanilla, by following the same technique as for the cone, but I’m honest enough with myself to know that I won’t. Lol. I’ve decided to try to do them as chocolate, that way if the FO’s vanilla content causes the scented scoops to brown, it’ll actually work out to my benefit instead of having to take a loss. I may experiment on my Christmas gift ones (I can’t wait to see how the little ones respond) and paint little accents like chocolate sprinkles or something else fun.
Overall I’m so happy with today’s accomplishments, regardless of the results. Top it off with several bottles of Fruity Patootie Bubble Wash for the event (a really good seller actually). Hopefully this is the beginning to a streak of production and successes. *crossing fingers*
I’ve finally gotten over a wicked bug that hit me enough to finally work on the most recent order. I got an order for Sands of Morocco Goat’s Milk, version 3, lotion, among others, and boy did I enjoy working with it! It smells better in the lotion than when I was smelling it straight from the bottle. *happy sigh*
I decided to rename it Arabian Nights. When I was smelling the finished lotion it was so exotic and spicy that it made me think of Aladdin. I imagine that Jasmine would have soaked in such a scented bath or been pampered in a similar scented oil. I’m getting better at picking FOs apparently and love each new scent more than the last.
While thinking over needing to change the name of the FO on my website I also puzzled over how to make my site less overwhelming/intimidating. It dawned on me that since I have unlimited pages due to upgrading my site I could make different pages for the FOs. I decided to make a page (hmm, will it end up being close to two pages from enjoying dessert scents so much? *laugh*) named “Food Scents”, another as Men’s/Unisex Scents”, and I haven’t decided what to name the third page of FOs. I will put the florals, spa, and other non-food scents together. All suggestions are appreciated, as always. *grin*
While I’m changing my website I’m debating adding a super straightforward page. Some customers have had trouble with finding prices for things, so I’m thinking of make a page that simply lists the item, size, and price. No descriptions, no tie-ins, or anything. I figure it might help customers who know what they’re wanting, but don’t want to search (or get overwhelming looking) for the prices. I usually try to keep things compact, with as few pages as I can, but now I’m wondering if I’ve approached my website from the wrong point of view. Maybe if each variations had their own page, with a just pricing page too, then it’ll be easier for people to get to the specific section that they’re interested in. The Administrative side of me is delighted to have an excuse to retool the website, too. *grin*
I’m hoping to experiment with the ice cream soaps soon, and look forward to sharing that experience. In the meantime I’ll next share a picture of the sliced watermelon loaf soap experiment. I hope you have a great evening!
Yesterday my helpers (two helpers now!) were in the mood to work and learn, so I was able to get several things done with their help.
I utilized the tween energy to make some goat’s milk lotion, since she could stir almost nonstop without it bothering her. I experimented with my new Coffee Bean FO, which definitely needs a lot of experimentation to find the right ratio! Anyway, a ml was so eye-watering that I added three versions of vanilla to mellow it out a bit. It still needs a lot of help, but anyway…My new helper enthusiastically loved it, while my nose was wrinkled and I turned the fan on to get the stink out of the room, so that experiment became her gift for helping, and she will be the tester for the Coffee Bean. (Did you know that some Tweens drink coffee before school?! I couldn’t believe how young the coffee drinkers are getting. Whoa, I’m out of touch.)
Anyway, I needed to make a batch of lavender GM samples and had her follow my recipe (a great chance to teach about measuring liquids, reading mililiters, reading recipes, and observing thorough cleanliness), and I commented about being glad to be done with the lavender items, since I can’t stand lavender. My helper took a sniff and suddenly I almost saw a light bulb come on over her head. “It smells like baby wipes!” Hm, that’s not really what I aim for when making products. Lol. She made a few comments about how neat it was to be able to make stuff smell like things from the store (which, admittedly, it is, but please not something associated with butts *sassy wink*) and we did a little lesson about the importance of chemistry, the difference of FOs and EOs, and how to read/apply ratios. I was still mulling over baby wipes when I noticed her over by the mechanic soaps.
Apparently Tweens still retain the childhood curiosity that makes them want to poke stuff. Lol. Thankfully she understood the importance of not touching or disturbing the sellable items, but that tester bar would have been crying from being poked and prodded so much if it was alive. *grin* The poor bar has wrinkles, fingerprints, and bits of soap dripping UP the mold. I had to keep reminding her to wash, because she was over there playing in it as it set anytime I turned, and rubbed it in like lotion. It was rather funny and I think it was intriguing to watch a liquid solidify in person. Actually seeing the process, “like making an ice cube”, seemed to make her day. I do think that I’ll avoid soap making with the girls over though, since I haven’t developed the eyes-in-the-back-of-my-head thing yet. *grin*
By the way, a great way to get a tween to handle processes carefully is to say that you could go to jail for not following the instructions. I doubt that it was so much about me going to jail, but more of not being able to be around the product making anymore, but I’ll take what works. Lol. It really worked for stressing the importance of every quarter mililiter being exact and I don’t feel guilty at all. It gave me a smile to hear “we can’t have you going to jail” after the baby wipes kick to the ego. *grin* I’ll take what I can get 😉
My oh my! I’ve had some health issues lately, but got a great email today to give me a boost. My wholesaler is having a site-wide sale. *happy sigh* Now to decide if I’m going to get more FOs (if I have to expand to a third page of listing of scents I worry that that might get overwhelming) or should I get some bases to expand what I actually make, instead of tons of scents for a limited number of things to.customize. *tapping lip*
I know that I’ll stock up on the bases that are my best sellers, like the different lotions and additives. I think that regardless of the shopping direction that I go I am going to get the key items to have a small, focused, line of Chronic Pain options. It is so near and dear that while I can splurge a bit, I’m going to make sure to be able to make something that truly lifts my spirit.Â
I have so many ideas and not many of them sell, as Larry keeps pointing out following seeing the losses when my business taxes were done (insert groan and please pity me lol). I like learning new things and as I continue to expand I then create the items that are my best sellers, so it’s hard for me to look at it in the same way that he does. Â
I admit to you that I have a few new things that come hell or high water I WILL be creating! I am itching to make bath cookies and some new lotion blends. I also can’t wait to get some new silicone molds (o.co has great deals on them – who’d have guessed??) and make some lovely new soaps. I want to make some rustic soaps, like the coffee scented w grounds in the bars for exfoliation, and chocolate bars with dark cocoa powder. *sigh* It’s absolutely exciting to me to think of new things that might bring happiness to someone. Maybe that one special thing will introduce them to pampering and they’ll finally take a few minutes out for themselves, preventing burn out and depression. What an awesome chance to have a good impact!
Anyway, I’m headed back to the website and my books to determine the spoils of this sale. *grin* I always get mixed up if clary sage is for the detox or is it…. 😉 Sweet dreams and a happy tomorrow!
My lovely young helper came by after school today and since I haven’t been feeling so great it was mostly just a relaxing visit instead of getting a lot of product done. As she sniffed the new scents she started firing questions at me and I did my best to answer every one of them, although some details are beyond me, like how exactly do they know which chemicals to go together to make an FO. (Pretty complex thought, isn’t it?! The explanation that an FO is a blend of chemicals to reproduce a scent made sense, but the exact lab activities…dude. *grin*) Anyway, as we chatted I could almost see the wheels start turning behind her eyes, saw an eyebrow go up, and then she asked how I know to identify the notes in each scent. I started to explain, although I could tell that she wasn’t overly satisfied by my first explanation. When she started sniffing White Chocolate Raspberry and I said that it reminds me of a truffle she said that she didn’t know what a chocolate truffle was. Cue lightbulb above my head if I was in a comic *grin*. I got out my well guarded box of truffles that I have been amazingly good at limiting my indulgence in, so that they last. We each took one and started nibbling. Not only did I get to share in her first step into feminine indulgence (lol That first bite of incredibly wonderful chocolate should become a celebrated day in my opinion *sassy grin*), but here was a perfect way to help things become clearer for her. I asked her what she tasted and she flashed me one of my own infamous duh looks, and told me it was chocolate. “Really good chocolate, but chocolate.” Lmao. Touché. I managed to keep from laughing (now I realize I need to limit my use of that look since that is a rather insulting look lol), then started naming ingredients. With each nibble, each flavor and nuance I said, she started to nod. She became very excited as things clicked into place, and I said that for me smelling an FO is like eating a gourmet truffle. I enjoy every little thing that makes it the wondrous thing that it is, and each of those “flavors” is what comes together to make it distinctive. The most beautiful grin spread, ear to ear, across her face, and hurriedly she started reopening bottles to sniff again. Bouncing on the couch, then unable to contain her excitement she had to jump up to move around the room, she started sniffing the lids and announcing the more subtle notes that she detected. It was very helpful to have her give a name to a few notes that I wasn’t able to put my finger on, but most of all it was beyond awesome to see that connection and excitement. She has a very unguarded and expressive face, so I could easily see her dissecting memories and applying this new concept to them. *happy sigh* This lazy day has been way more satisfying than any other work session we have had! 🙂
Now that she understood the concept behind putting scents together to make a different variations she started to truly understand how I come up with custom blends. It was so neat to see that newly wise nod of agreement that the freshly zested lemon would work really well with buttercream, and become a more indulgent scent then (although she didn’t know what I meant when I said I wanted to make a blend close to a lemon bar, so guess what we will be baking next week? Lol). She piped up moments later that mojito had a soft note of orange under the lemon and mint, which stunned me. When she catches on it’s like a wildfire! *grin* She is excited for me to start making some products and blends, to see what notes she can distinguish in them, and how the combination of the notes makes something totally new sometimes. Miss Ash was greatly impressed that she could smell the vanilla (“…like the ice cream usually in it!”) in my rootbeer float blend (soda shoppe), and understood that without that note it wouldn’t have smelled like a float, just rootbeer.
Anyway, it was a blast and she gave me a lot of ideas to consider, like the scent combos she recommended for the new kid combo I want to make and how I should package the adult cocktail combo of margarita and mojito scented items. I chose right in ordering some bright plastic baskets to use for the combos, according to her, and next week we will work on repackaging the products bagged in holiday cellos into more year round themed cellos. Apparently I need to get to work on making some donut and ice cream cone soaps though. *grin* My bad lol. I suspect that this is what she wants for her “payment” for helping. So as soon as I get some energy I have a lot of new things to start making. By the way, in case you are as ignorant as I am, kids “…just aren’t that into…” lotion, so “…stick with the bubble washes.” *grin* Lesson learned! Lol
I managed to fill all of the orders I have today except for figuring up prices. I pushed myself to work on lotions today since I’m feeling a tiny bit better. When I scooped base into the pan to warm and prepare to accept additives I somehow scooped within 2 oz of what I needed without having measured. Booyah! I totally impressed myself lol. Just a little overpour. I even got all of the ordered soaps done thankfully. Of course my legs are in absolute agony and I won’t be doing much for a few days, but what a sense of accomplishment!
Now from my prone position with legs elevated on a stack of couch cushions I get to look at sale items for Spring combos while watching my fav DVRed shows. A good day. *smile*
I also get to sniff my new FOs and determine what notes I catch. Some names are so inaccurate, so they’re getting renamed lol. Banana Cream Pie actually smells like banana taffy. I may play with adding vanilla FOs to see if I can make a cream pie scent, since that would be light and still decadent. Watermelon Mania is exactly like watermelon bubblegum. It has that sugary, fun scent of bubblegum instead of a crisp fruit scent that I expected from the name. I’m delighted with it, but definitely expected the fresh version. Fresh lemon zest is amazing, yet will definitely be a note in products and not be a stand alone. It’s so sharp and tart that it’ll be amazing with a little buttercream to mellow it out. Secret Crush has a really nice combination of floral notes. I’m sad to admit that I can’t even smell one FO at all, Relaxing. It’s suppose to be a crisp, citrusy, and soothing scent. Such a bummer! Mojito has a great crisp minty scent that I’m going to use it a lot I think, while Margarita is mostly all lime. I’ll have to figure out some variations to make it a bit more appealing I think. I’m still excited to plan out some new items.
Now I’ll write my to do list and enjoy some Downton Abbey. *grin*
Despite the blahs I’ve managed to get a few items made. *happy dance* I made a big batch of dessert cake soaps and they smell phenomenal. Between them and the cake batter lotions, and the pumpkin buttercream lotion, it’s a delightful mixture like in a bakery. I experimented with rolling the “ice cream” scoop of bath whip for the dessert cakes in slightly cooled melted glycerin soap. Ummm…epic fail. *biting lip* There was whip everywhere and the texture as it cooled…ugh! The whip developed a tacky texture where it got coated with the soap. Oddest feeling and experience ever. Lol. Thankfully that was soap number 13, the experimental child of each big batch. *grin* I try to have an extra in case of something bad happening when I’m doing a big batch.
I also filled the orders for goat’s milk lotions. Wow! I’m completely out of goat’s milk base now. That’s pretty cool. *smile* Anyway, a few are the new version with emulsifying wax. That was a learning experience, let me tell you! Lol. It certainly doesn’t take much of the wax pellets even in a big batch, but it took almost an hour in warm base for them to melt and incorporate. I didn’t expect that. Lotion has to be warmed at a low rate or else it turns nasty very fast, but it was hard to hold my little patience and not crank the heat when I’d all ready waited half an hour to melt the lotion anyway. Lol. I measured and did my additives, and then poured each version. After they were done I got to take a swipe of the caked on lotion on the side of my lotion pot and tried it out. Holy smokes!! I seriously think I may have to add to all adult lotions now. It’s so creamy and leaves the neatest feeling. It’s this smooth and thick feeling like it’s really working, and will take awhile to soak in, but doesn’t have that greasy or tacky feeling that some intensive care versions of lotions have. *happy dance* So awesome!! I’m debating offering the wax as an a la carte option, but the nerd in me can’t resist giggling at imaging “Sex in the Shower 2.0”. *snicker* Of course, you have to have the robot voice announcing it in your mind. We’ll see which version of me wins on how to incorporate emulsifying wax into my line. *grin*
I have a few more things left to make, but I’m done for the day. I hope you have a fantastic weekend and hope your house smells as amazing as mine right now!!
As my recent picture posts hint at, the craft sale didn’t have as robust of a turn out as hoped. I’m delighted to have done $111 though! Much better than the last time where only the event organizer bought something. I have so much product ready to sell now. If 1% of the people from the event that said they would look at the site and order do so, then I should have a good amount ready to get to them immediately.
I sold completely out of the dessert cake soaps and both of my Mechanic’s soaps (they’re pricey, so they don’t sell fast, which is why I don’t make more than a couple at a time). I’m beyond tickled!! I loved how people just lit up and marveled at them. Two little boys weren’t having a good time at the event (I suspect it was probably nap time) actually cheered up when their mom bought them each one. The little cello bags turned out perfect for little hands, too. They could grip at the top and there wasn’t a worry about heating up the whip “ice cream” to melting or smooshing it. Yay! I look forward to the next batch when I’ll try rolling the refrigerated whip “ice cream” in a layer of melted soap. Hopefully the low temperature will prevent the whip from melting when it comes in contact with the soap.
I have to say that I loved being able to provide helpful tips and products to receptive people. I talked so much that I lost my voice and had to have a lozenge to get it back. Lol. For those that wanted to learn about stuff, it felt amazing! I hadn’t realized just how much I miss that helpful interaction that I got, one on one, with patients as a medical billing consultant. The really cool part is that I have learned enough from being around the doctor and nursing staff that I understood a lot of the conditions and symptoms that people asked me about, so I was able to recommend the right products for them. I figure that the extra work to figure out the right product for people will have a greater chance of being a return customer. One woman even bought some acne soap after she had bought some other products a few minutes before! *happy dance* Her son has some skin issues and I’m hoping that my soap helps. I told her to let me know how things go, etc, and actually look forward to the challenge.
I was surprised that none of the combos sold. I really figured at least one of the Twilight combos would sell since the newest movie is about to premiere at the theater.
I’ve been up all night due to a surprisingly massive flare up after my exertion. Meh. At least dealing with all of this has made me very aware of the needs and complications of chronically ill people and now I have some potential customers for the new pain relief line that I hope to work on ASAP. That makes this flare up so worth it! If I can actually help someone that will be amazing. I try so hard to have a good impact and this seems to be a great avenue for it. Awesome!
So…does anyone want to come deal with my mess? Lol. I got all of the product shelved, but now all of the boxes and tote, etc, are stuffed into my office and need dealt with. At least it’s no longer where others will see my mess!
One last little thing that really surprised me was how many people told me that they really could appreciate and admire my entrepreneurial skills. Wow! The first time totally caught me off guard and the couple of times afterward were no less surprising. If anything, I was more surprised each time, because it seemed unfathomable that more than one person could feel that. So freaking cool!!
By the way, I will never carve a pumpkin or house out of soap. A guy literally asked me if I did or would do that. Of course, he also said that he wanted me to carve the house so that he could live in it, so that made it feel even weirder. I have no desire to carve soap. It’s enough of a pain to trim the overflow off with an Xacto knife (especially with a tremor and involuntary movements!). Lol. I definitely got some great experience for how to handle unexpected things on the fly. If I do another event, it should be a lot easier. I think all of the weirdest questions that could ever be asked were at this event, so easy peasy!
Have a great day!! Thank you all for the encouragement and the support!
It was storming heavily last night, so I didn’t have the lure of Netflix or the computer since I unplugged them to be safe. I am feeling a little better, so I figured I’d slowly get some products made.
I filled my Mom’s order for stocking stuffer 1 ounce lotions. I was getting ready to pour some holiday scent 4 ounce lotions, but after making the 1 ounce ones for Mom I really liked the idea of having some sample or travel size lotions to offer. Plus it’s a great size to put in baskets. So I made 1 ounce lotions instead and since I had warmed a nice amount of lotion base to make several 4 ounce ones, I was able to make a whole lot of lotions. I ended up with spiced gumdrops, hot apple pie, spa, south pacific waters, and gingersnap cookies. All but one spa were for Mom’s order, but I made eight of almost everything. I have several options to go into the Christmas sampler now!
I also made several oils. I made a wintergreen EO oil that smells amazing and gave a really neat feeling to my skin when I tried it. You know what feeling I mean? That really fun and tingly mint feeling? Of course, my body reads skin sensations somewhat differently than the average person due to the Fibro. I also made a mint cocoa that I love to huff. *grin* I blended chocolate mousse and peppermint EO. I’m looking forward to using this blend during the winter. I love burning a candle with that scent profile, so when I’m really in the mood to indulge and pamper, I have a new go-to. I made pumpkin buttercream lotion in September and finally got around to making the oil version, which smells heavenly!
I need to make some labels and price tags for the new stuff, plus decide on a few names. I don’t know if I’ll leave as spices gumdrops and stuff like that. I also need to make some Christmas scented room and linen sprays to include in the baskets and as individual options for buyers. One extra spray that I hope to do while I have the multipurpose spray mixed up (it is a concentrate with a formula for combining with purified water). I really like the idea of a sleepy time spray. It’s a blend of EOs that are thought to help with relaxation and combat insomnia. I think that should (yeah, I know that I throw around should a whole lot lol) be a good seller.
I have a few items left, but am feeling pretty good about what I’ll have available at Saturday’s event. It’s a great start on the event in a few weeks in CA that I’m shipping my stuff to, also. (A friend is going to be selling quilts and cross stitches, and offered to sell my products for me at it, too.) Realistically I know that there will be plenty of leftovers even if my stuff is wildly popular. *smile* I’m still not positive if I’ll send much to the CA event, but I figure this weekend should give a good idea if it’s a good opportunity. I have to take into account how much it’s going to cost for shipping, especially if not much sells and has to be shipped back to me.
Anyway, I won’t get much done today or tomorrow, but I’m in the final stretch. Now I can start consulting my lists and gather the stuff I’m taking. My prime priority is to get my website updated and type up the update spreadsheets to take with me. (I know, I know. Me and my spreadsheets. *grin*) Time to start getting excited! By the way, any ideas on how to hang my banner at the booth? I still haven’t figured out how to. Lol. Anyway, have a great day and I’ll keep updating as things progress.
Georgia's Pampering 