RSS Feed

Tag Archives: soap

Truffles and FOs

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Georgia's Pampering

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

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

I surprised myself

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Georgia's Pampering

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*

Leave a comment

Posted in Bath Products (non-soap), Scents and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

My month away

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Georgia's Pampering

First, my apologies for a month lapsing. My health issues have me in la la land and to be honest, I’m really surprised I didn’t blog while out of it. *grin* As I’m currently waiting for a double dose of medicine to kick in, I may just succeed at a very odd entry. Lol.

I did fairly well over the holidays and mostly all due to my amazing family and friends. I turned a profit for the first time, which in the overall accounting means I finally came out even on all the Paypal fees I’ve paid in the past year. *wry smile* I got almost completely caught up in Quickbooks (damn secretary slacked on her job and didn’t enter stuff since the cancer event in September…I’d fire her, but it’s hard to fire yourself *wink*) and Quickbooks took away all that excitement about that first profitable month. Of course, I’m now going into the slow months too. It’s for three years that the IRS accepts a business in loss, right? *teasing grin*

Accounting aside, I am now disassembling my holiday baskets that I had pre-made and deciding what items will get renamed to sell year round. My inventory spreadsheet is absolutely useless at the moment with disassembling. I gave up making sure that my inventory count matched between Quickbooks and my spreadsheet. I learned that I can just override that QB warning that I don’t have enough inventory to sell those items on an invoice. Lol. Georgia’s own spreadsheets FTW! *grin*

I got notification from my wholesaler that my order is in processing. I’m excited that I’ll finally have the necessary bases on hand again and have some really neat new seasonal offerings that have cheered me up. I got invited to be a vendor at a Welcoming Spring-type event that I won’t be able to attend due to distance, etc, but it drove home that I need to plan for spring and summer events.

I got a watermelon FO that has top ratings from other crafters and both age groups love it, so I’m hoping for a real winner there. I got a margarita FO and mojito FO to really provide some fresh and fun options. Honeysuckle FO, a fresh laundry variant FO with hints of marine and ozone notes, and then also a different floral FO. It’s called a Secret Crush Type, so it’ll have to be renamed to keep me out of trouble, but crafters write that they can’t keep it stocked because it sells so well. That would be a nice problem. Lol. I also got a Vanilla Noir type FO also that I really look forward to smelling. 5 star peer ratings and it was one of my customer loyalty freebies, so doubly exciting.

Of course, it wouldn’t be me ordering if food and desserts were missing! Banana Cream Pie FO, White Chocolate Raspberry FO, and a fresh lemon FO to play with. I want to do a lemon bar or cake type of scent. A nice play with some buttercream to sweeten that baby up. Mmmm mmmm. I saw a Whoopie Pie scent which I thought would be pointless to order, since I have all of the scents needed all ready, so time to try to make it. They called it “Making Whoopie”, which, like the Sex in the Shower scent, catches the eye, so I want to make a play on that too. That, if it turns out right, would be a very indulging scent that would be perfect in a variation of the seduction basket. I guarantee that you open up a bottle of that oil and a girl smells that luscious chocolate, she’s going to come investigate. *sassy wink* All in all, some exciting possibilities. More to come as things go on sale, if I can get profitable. My debit card might get taken away if I do too much preparing for the season and don’t see enough return. Lol.

A few other changes I’m excited over are new packaging options. My aunt brought up a great point in testing some Goat’s Milk lotion. It’s hard to get out of the bottle. (It can be a real razzle frazzle to get it into the bottles too! *teasing smile*) So, I found some jars to package it in. They’re amber, since clear was sold out and I declined the wait on the order for the clear to come in, and the other type of jars that I loved had really expensive lids, which is just stupid to pick then. I really try to keep things affordable and a lid that’s as expensive as a jar is just pointless to frugal (great word choice, right?! *grin*) me. I’m really super duper oddly excited about the new packaging option for bath salts. I noticed at the holiday craft sale event (seems like so freaking long ago) that everyone put down the salts when they saw how expensive they are. Well, a pint of dead sea salt plus additives IS expensive, even for me, but when I take a bath I indulge. I can go through a quarter of a canning jar of salts in one soak. I saw these new little cello options my wholesaler just came out with, that look like cellophane carrots, and are 12″ x 6″ cones. Perfect! Way cheaper than glass canning jars, cheap to ship, a more affordable sampling of how awesome my salts are, and look so freaking adorable I felt like I was 4 all over again looking at my Easter basket. If I do different layers of colors that’ll look even more adorable. Dude, if I wasn’t so meh I’d be doing a happy dance. *grin*

A few last additions that I’m happy about is trying out a gentle face cream and some pure aloe gel. I have a recipe for a leg relief gel using aloe and some EO that I’ve wanted to try since I saw the recipe months ago. The gel was on sale and I had been holding out for the base that I really wanted, so I finally get to try. That might make a great city wide garage sale seller come May and June. *crossing fingers* As to the face cream, it’s suppose to be so gentle that it can be used on faces or even babies, so I’ve had my eye on it to finally become available. I would like to see if I can add a few appropriate additives to it and add it to the acne line. It would mean a lot to me personally to have some options for teens, especially if it truly, naturally helps. If I don’t take that route, I might just make an official line for sensitivities and illnesses. I can’t legally say that it helps, but I can say that I experienced no reactions, so the population that has the same issues as me might have good experiences with this line. That’s a strong consideration. I’ve wanted to help Fibromyalgia and Arthritis sufferers, but when I can’t buy in bulk like the big guys, it’s just not affordable at either end. Maybe this could be the compromise.

Anyway, one last happy part to my order is a package of sliced luffa (loofah). I actually experimented with a small order I had on hand and gave as Christmas gifts, and I’m pretty proud of how they turned out. I pushed a slice into each round silicone mold (just a tiny bit wider than the mold, so it got jammed in if I’m being honest). Then I poured whatever Shea soap base in and saturated the luffa. After they set I popped them out and they became perfect rough spot soaps. Now, I did them in the experimental blend of Root beer Float too (*happy sigh* heavenly I tell you). The luffa should stay fairly soft now because of the exposure to the shower steam and water, as well as be submerged in the Shea soap. What a great soap to get heels ready for sandal season! There are several practical uses for this soap, so I’m excited to actually get the supplies on hand to make part of my line.

I just need a healthy clone of myself to actually make this stuff,, especially since I’m really excited. I also need to update my website I realized today. I took down Christmas decorations the day after the holiday, but still have those products promoted all over on my site. Time for some virtual housekeeping I suppose.

Thanks for being patient with me, for all of the encouragement, and I look forward to telling you about some new adventures for this next season. By the way, any input on one thing – I love the name “naughty elf” for one of my wintery seductive scents. I’m kind of thinking of leaving the name year round because it is catchy and cute. Any thoughts? Anyway, I hope everyone has a fantastic day and is sleeping well. Please cross your fingers that my doctor figures out a new treatment plan so that I’m no longer alternating between a narcoleptic and insomniac. *goofy smile* Waves from a snuggly Bo dog too!

Leave a comment

Posted in Scents, Uncategorized and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Float My Soap

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Georgia's Pampering

I finished making up all of the products that have been ordered so far. With free reign in making bars of soap I made a few new blends and one turned out phenomenal in my opinion. It’s a root beer float with a nice hint of vanilla. Oh man do I like it! My working name is “float my soap”. It might not be the best, but I think it’s a cute play on float my boat and root beer float. What are your thoughts?? I started out with using it in some regular bar soaps with nice raised lettering words. I couldn’t resist using the same scent then in some loofah soaps. I squished some loofah slices in some round guest molds, and then poured the soap over and in them. The moisture of the soap and when used will soften the loofahs very effectively, although I’m concerned about rough edges peeking up out of the soap and being too abrasive, so I need some testing before offering it on my site. I’ve been wanting to make loofah soaps since early summer, so I’m so excited! *grin*

I upped the awesome factor with some lemon powder. It didn’t change the scent, but caused a bit of yellow speckling and is really beneficial. I don’t think the speckling detracts at all, just helps with the homemade look, and I love how it helps the skin.

Sadly not all work was a success. *mock pout* The Acne Bee Gone facial soaps in Fruity Patootie for my brother’s stepdaughter may be something she will like (oh yeah, sooo crossing my fingers on that), but it makes me wince. Just 2 MLs to 6 soap rounds and my mold smells so strongly of fruit punch that I want to lock the mold away for a few months. Lol. If they like it, then it’s all worth it, but I might try to discourage future purchases of it. *teasing smile* I’d never do that, but boy would it be tempting.

I also decided to finally try blending floral with a more neutral, dark note, but I declared it an epic fail. I’ve been reassured that it’s “not that bad; still sellable” with a shrug, so maybe it’s my super sensitive nose that makes it seem so horrible. I’ll have Miss Ash give her utterly honest youthful opinion of it when she’s here and know if it’s going in the write off bin or on the shelf to sell. *grin*

I need to finish assembling my brother’s basket, tape up my stepmother’s order, and then work on family gifts. I’d probably finish the baskets up if it wasn’t going on 5 AM and my longing for the insomnia to end. I would really like a few hours of sleep before the roofers come to finish up. Maybe I’ll go huff some Sleepy Time spray ; ) I wish you a very good day.

Leave a comment

Posted in Scents, Soaps and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

Like a bakery

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Georgia's Pampering

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!!

Leave a comment

Posted in Bath Products (non-soap), The Holidays and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Cyber Monday

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Georgia's Pampering

I got my first Cyber Monday order. How awesome!! I wanted to write last night, but got distracted. *smile* If you’re reading this, thanks again Bro. *grin* There is something so delightfully exciting about the order being on such an infamous day. (Heaven knows it couldn’t have been on Black Friday because I was too busy shopping myself lol.)

I am tickled to have two new holiday orders and especially because I have lots of extra time in which to work on them, since I’ve been running on “sick slow mo” as I call it. Lol. I have several items in my pre-made stash, but still have some work to do. Mostly I need to get my new version of goat’s milk lotion made, so that’s Thursday’s project. I can’t even begin to tell you how amazed and honored I am that my lotion stands up, if not exceeds when I’m not trying to be humble *wink*, professionally branded lotions for severe chapping. Holy smokes!! Anyway, I have a goal to revamp the lotion with emulsifying wax to increase the moisturizing properties and beneficial time. It creates a thicker, creamier lotion that has more binding properties, similar in a way to those silicone glove treatments that were popular a few years back. I’m hoping that the extended treatment will reduce, if not eliminate, the need for people to cover their hands with plastic bags and socks or gloves to create a sauna atmosphere and increase how well the moisturizers work. Who wants to sleep with weird stuff crinkling on their hands? Plus, who says that a good thing is good enough? *grin* Saying it worked wonderfully is like issuing a challenge to try to make it better. Lol. I become way too curious about the benefits and ingredients, so I love to work on a new puzzle.

I also will be making a lot of dessert cake soaps. I’ll try the “ice cream” rolled in slightly cooled melted soap to see if I can make it a little less fragile. *crossing fingers* I’ve been toying with the idea of taking a few of my “ruined” soaps (the vanilla in the fragrance oils turned them brown before I learned about the additive to prevent it) and shaving little “chocolate curls”. Or at least try. *grin* I have a cheese slicer that might make nice little decorations and would LOVE to not have more waste than I must anyway. I know from being a billing consultant that you always have write offs, but even then, even when it was a write off to help a patient or when I knew that something really needed to be written off, I felt like I did something wrong. Lol. Like that balance in the column is saying that I’m that bad and wasteful. Isn’t it funny how the mind can work? Anyway, I try to find uses for everything and doubt that people want little brown soaps in their stockings this year. *grin* May smell great, but that visual…dude. Lol.

I need to look around for some basket wraps that conceal the baskets and product, so that the orders are ready to put from the box right under the Christmas tree. All of my wraps are transluscent. Bah! I then figured out that if I use a wrap on the baskets that I have, then I have to go up to the $10 shipping box all because of a couple of centimeters. So not happening! We all want the cheapest shipping possible and I refuse to let a wrap screw that up. Lol. Dang, that means I’ll have to go shopping…*grin*

It was amusing to me that both orders I got this week seemed simple at first. Then it became obvious that it was my business and got really complicated. Lol. “I want a goat’s milk lotion.” Okay, want 1, 4, or 8 oz? Want it in which scent? If you like that, you might consider this…and do you want the original or the new version? Oh, need some soap? Would you prefer a bubble wash instead of a bar soap…etc. So many options. Lol. I got a little overwhelming I think. I suspect that my need to be occupied and learn has created an overwhelmingly vast array of options for customers. I wonder if some of the people who have told others that they’ll be ordering were intimidated by the amount of options..? That’s a sad prospect.

In the meantime I’m writing my notes (and yes Z, I have a spreadsheet *grin*) while I have zero energy, so I’m ready with a game plan once I find some energy in my toes or something. Lol. I’ll let you know how the science experiment with emulsifying wax goes. Sweet dreams and a wonderful day to all.

Leave a comment

Posted in The Holidays and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Details about the event

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Georgia's Pampering

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!

2 Comments

Posted in The Holidays and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Sample Fisherman’s Soap

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Georgia's Pampering

I wanted to make a small post (during my proofreading I’m really amused by this description) on recent work. I’m trying to meet my goals before the Nov 12th craft sale and one goal was to make a version of my Fisherman’s soap that is a little more buyer friendly. It’s an awesome soap, but a bar is a bit expensive, so I think that’s why it hasn’t been selling. It suddenly dawned on me while looking through my drawers of molds that I could use the “lump of coal” square silicone molds for sample Fisherman’s soaps. *happy dance* Some days I get to be somewhat intelligent and have strokes of genius again! Lol. Fibro fog has been a nasty challenge with creating bath products. *rolling eyes* I seriously celebrate the genius moments I get now. Lol. Anyway, 8 ounces of the soap makes about half of the tray of molds. Awesome! I need to figure up costs, but I’m betting it’ll drop the cost to $1-$2 each instead of 6+. Not to mention that they will be a great size for leaving in the tackle box. Anise oil is a natural human scent neutralizer. If a person washes their hands with it prior to handling their tackle, it usually helps to increase the amount of bites, etc. It has worked for a lot of people. An extra tip I give is to also dunk or rinse the line, lure, and whatever other tackle you use, in the soapy water. If you think about it human scent is all over your gear, so the soap would be more effective when used in combination. Otherwise you’re contaminating all over again. There is a lot of interest in the soap when I explain it, but I think price has been the deterrent. Cross your fingers that this new shape/size is the solution please!

I’ve been making little “Ginger girls” too. I accidentally failed in trying to make brown (seriously, every batch comes out different even if I do the same exact thing lol) and ended up with some pink and almost lavender little gingerbread men soaps. I was pondering over writing it off as a failure, packaging as little thank you gifts for orders, or what, when the light came on in my mind and said that girls probably won’t mind pastel ones. A lot of feminists have nattered on about that cookie shape being sexist, so having a girl version could be a lucrative line. I look forward to seeing my helper’s reaction Thursday.

I’ve also been making gingersnap cookie sugar scrub, licorice ornaments (still haven’t figured out a name yet), and updating my inventory spreadsheet. I’m trying to decide on the new basket(s) too. I keep grouping things in them and then changing them. Lol. I decided to name one basket “sweet treats”. It’ll be a small basket of dessert scented products, like cherry on top and pumpkin buttercream. It’s an uplifting and fun new combo that I’m really enjoying working on. *smile*

By the way, I detest the smell of lavender. *dramatic shudder* Blech. I know others like it and supposedly look forward to it (yep, I put on my big girl pants and made several bottles of lavender lotion a few days ago). I figure I’m allowed to dislike one item, yet suffer it for the benefit of others. Do I sound dramatic enough? A martyr for the homemade bath product cause? *teasing grin* Another by the way, my phone wallpaper thoroughly applies…My thoughts aren’t as random as they seem. Others just don’t think as fast as me. Lol. Have a great Tuesday!

Leave a comment

Posted in Scents, Soaps and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Exciting new items

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Georgia's Pampering

I’m so excited about the new supplies that are being shipped to me! I needed to replace some nearly empty scents since I’ve been trying to stock a bookcase with pre-made products, ready for events and any holiday orders (hopefully! *crossing fingers*). I decided that since I was approved for disability, I’d finally get some stuff (okay, a whole lot lol) that I’ve had in my wish list.

One thing that has been bothering me is that although I try to make sure that there is something beneficial in my products, I really want to use more Essential Oils (EOs), and maximize the natural benefits. One near and dear product goal is to make a lotion or oil that helps relieve muscle aches and pain, especially one that helps with arthritis and Fibromyalgia. Well, I finally get a chance to try. *grin* I found menthol crystals to add to products that naturally helps to relieve symptoms. Most people don’t realize that vapor rubs can be used for aches. The main ingredient in most rubs is menthol. Crafter reviews state that their homemade products that they added the crystals to have a really nice tingling sensation. Some EOs that I ordered that are thought to be anti-inflammatories, anti-bacterials, or antispasmodics are cinnamon leaf and sweet orange. I all ready have peppermint, eucalyptus, and rosemary, among others, so I have a start. I’ll have to figure out a blend that is harmonious while having the potential to be super beneficial. It sounds like an odd group of scents, though. Lol.

I am bounce-in-my-chair excited about some new FOs *cheesy grin*. As you have read before I am always reading crafter reviews and forums to get tips, cautionary info, and ideas. While reading the reviews for the Chocolate Devil’s Food Cake FO (oh man!), I found a really neat idea. A reviewer recommended adding one of the coconut FOs with it (at specific ratios) and it’ll smell just like an almond joy bar. Wow! What a fantastic idea! So I ordered a plain Coconut FO (others have layered scents and I figure that complex blends won’t make the right scent, so I’m trying plain ol’ basic first). I’m going to have to make a page on my site dedicated just to my dessert scents lol. Anyway, I got chocolate mousse (free customer loyalty gift – rock on!), Cafe Latte, Strawberry Jam, Mistletoe, Lavender, Rainforest (a complex earthy blend which I think will be an awesome base for some new custom scents), Crackling Firewood (to add a complex layer to mens products), Sleep Time (actually an EO of lavender, chamomile, and vanilla if I remember right), Brown Sugar, Black Amber Musk, South Pacific Waters, Over the Hill (couldn’t resist lol), Black Forest Cake (since my attempt failed; this blend is actually quite complex and layered), Indonesian Teakwood (mens and as a layer for complex custom scents), Sand Dune, Gingersnap Cookies (has a 5 star rating and a lot of positive reviews, so I’ll give this one a whirl. If it sucks like plain Gingerbread does, I’ll be so disappointed!), Autumn Breeze, Santa’s Workshop (crafters wrote that they use it all year around in their mens line, so that made me try it), and Spiced Gumdrops. The wholesaler I use was having a fantastic sale, so I went a little crazy lol. Man oh man! I’m so looking forward to that delivery. I’m going to pass out from huffing all the new scents out, since it’ll probably take an hour to check them all out. *grin* What a way to go! As you can see I really want to work on more mens options and want to add some complex layers to what I all ready have. When Ash (my helper) was looking at my molds and saw the sea creatures she said I had to do some beach scents instead of just kid ones. I guess I was a bit off base with making bubblegum and jellybean (er, bunny farts *wink*) sea slug soaps. Buh me, I guess. Lol.

It took about 2 hours to read through the FO options (they seriously must have close to a thousand FOs and EOs), but I’m stoked with what I ordered and got a bunch of ideas for new scent names (see previous post… and don’t forget to let me know if you have some creative name ideas pretty please! *grin*).

I also found Vita Burst Beads. I think these will be awesome! They’re the little colored balls in some bath gels or body washes. I always wondered what they were when I had them in stuff I bought. Those little beads are full of skin nourishing vitamins! I was amazed that a tiny little thing can pack in so many nutrients. They dissolve with heat (and here I was always thinking I accidentally washed them off without them doing anything but adding texture!) and pressure (so it is okay to roll them between your fingers or smear them across your skin if you like to play with unusual textures *teasing grin*). I also bought some sliced loofa (or luffa depending on what region you’re in). I read about embedding them in soaps so you exfoliate while lathering up. It’s especially handy for rough heel soaps. Such a cool idea in my opinion.

I also got a honey soap base. Honey is a natural antibacterial and really helps with acne, so it dawned on me that it would be a great base for my acne soaps. The Shea Butter base is awesome, but this will give that extra boost of natural help.

Top it all off I found two black dyes hidden in a different section than I’d ever noticed. No more frustrations with the coal soaps!I

Anyway, I’m running out of space on my app, so have a great night!

2 Comments

Posted in Scents, Uncategorized and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

My helper’s first visit and Lumps of Coal

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Georgia's Pampering

The beautiful Miss Ashlee came over after school (middle school) last Thursday to start helping me out on little business tasks.  I wasn’t really feeling up to making anything and wanted to utilize the chance to get as many opinions for kid options as possible, so we spent the 1 1/2 hours just talking and smelling FOs.  We went through things I had made and was in the process of making, through a mail order catalog with kid friendly items that I was considering ordering from to supplement my items in baskets for various age ranges. 

The first thing I figured out was that Ash must really be into penguins right now.  *grin*  Either that, or I really need to invest in all penguin based toys, because I’m gonna get rich!  lol  I noticed that she pointed out every penguin item in the catalog as being perfect for kids.  It helped me develop the idea of color themed baskets, like all black and white products and toys like penguins, but I really doubt that penguins are quite that popular.  lol  Also, I can totally see her identifying toy musical items like kazoos as an easy little basket stuffer, but I thought about it and will not be ordering those.  *grin*  I sat there while she looked through the trinket pages and decided to run through the scenario.  If I gave a basket to Ash’s little brother, or even her, with noisy items, their mom would probably want a lot less to do with me.  Therefore, I think the parents of any prospective basket recipients would thoroughly hate my little business.  *small laugh*  I learned that pretty much anything in the catalog would be perfect, so I think I’m on the right track of thinking.  When in doubt I will ask my friends that are mothers to see how they would react to the basket.

Probably the most important thing that I learned was to not worry about being a perfectionist with the kid products.  I showed her the lump of coal soaps, which she inspected and thoroughly delighted in the smell of, and asked her if received it would it look enough like coal to be believable.  She looked down at me (yeah, almost a third of my age and she’s taller…*sigh*) and said, “If your package says that it’s coal soap, kids will just believe that’s what it is.  Kids believe whatever things say they are.”  Cue the cartoon light bulb over my lab coat and glasses clad cartoon character.  One, they don’t really know what coal is these days, and two, they don’t care.  It smells good and isn’t the boring stuff Mom keeps in the dish, so I’m in the clear.  Oh yeah, I did a happy dance after her mom picked her up.  *grin* 

The most heartwarming moment was when her mom showed up and Ash asked her if Ash was free after school on Monday, so she could come back.  *cheesy smile and hunched shoulders*  When that didn’t work she started running the days of the week, so I jumped in and said that we’d coordinate schedules, which looks like maybe each Thursday for awhile.  It meant the world to me that she wanted to come back on her own (we are a group of friends who usually have full family get togethers as time permits, so this was totally new for a child to be at any of the other homes without the rest of the caboodle) and that I had inspired her.  I’ve tried through the years to always encourage her interests, most especially art in the past year.  My parents raised me with a real appreciation for art and literature (you can blame them for training me for being a nerd), and if I see that interest in a child, especially one that may not get as much individualized cultivation of that interest as I did, I do everything that I can to help.  Anyway, she now is also interested in science, so she is super interested in how bath products are created.  Part of it is this amazement that anyone can make daily products, not just some mysterious big manufacturer.  It’s sad that crafts that were such a daily activity for hundreds of years are now a novelty and so mind boggling, but I won’t climb on the proverbial soap box.  *wink*  I realized that my interest in naturally beneficial products is a great way for her to get some hands on understanding of chemistry, artistry, and nature.  It’s pretty awesome that I have someone to share in the awe and delight of my hobby. 

I had lots to think about and decided the next day to start making a lot of the lump of coal soaps.  I’m not really sure where I went wrong in multiplying the recipe (I have a newfound appreciation for mathmeticians since my condition has screwed up my abilities apparently), but the soaps turned out navy blue, but I didn’t know this until yesterday, since the wet soap was just really dark and I thought it was black.  I’ll cut, melt, dye, and repour all of them soon, but while they started to set I had another light bulb moment.  I was working with the happiness that the kids would not question if the soap looked like coal, but still wanted something a little better to sell.  It dawned on me that if I used a fork to push the dried “skin” into the soaps it would give some internal texture and ruin that glossy perfection on the backs of the soaps (the irony is that I seldom can ever get regular soaps that perfect lol).  I learned while experimenting that just running the fork through the soap blended the skin and helped to melt it in the warmer liquid centers.  So I totally went into Psycho mode and just stabbed multiple spots in each square with the fork.  *grin*  Hey, I might not be able to do a lot, so I make sure what I do is thoroughly interesting or amusing.  lol  When I unmolded the soaps it really had helped and I could see a major difference between the two techniques.  When I repour I will do the stabbing technique again once it resets, trying to get to what would be the tops of the soaps, so that it is textured and interesting through the entire soap.  I’m pretty tickled that I have a pretty easy remedy to please the perfectionist in me just enough while also taking full advantage of no longer worrying about it if it doesn’t turn out like I hope.  I’ll post at least one pic of the first successful batch (worded in such a way because I’m not totally confident that I’ll be able to get the color right during the repour lol).  I am so relieved and excited!!

By the way, the sugar scrub is still getting firmer.  *cracking up*  I used it again today, which was an incredibly gentle and awesome exfoliation, and as I tried to scoop some out it became more of a prying action.  I’m pretty happy with it still, but think there will be a second version in the works with more glycerin and definitely not additional sugar if the mixture seems thin!  I hope you all have a great one and aren’t too upset by the length of the recent posts.

Leave a comment

Posted in Soaps, Uncategorized and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.
← Older Posts
Newer Posts →