Panning For Gold.... OR..... Fixing a 6 year olds mistake with a 4-Wheeler

My 6 yr old recieved a four wheeler from his grandma.  It was a great gift and he loves it.  The mistake we made with it was not putting him through a more thourogh training before letting him have a go at it.  This caused my soap making weekend to be a hole digging weekend. 

Christopher ran into the outside faucet with the four wheeler.  It seems that 6 year olds only know how to keep the trottle down and do not understand the concept of braking.  We have now fixed this issue but to the detriment of our faucet and backs.  I have to say Riley did a bulk of the digging and getting down in the mud. 

Good News is the Faucet is fixed, and the 6 yr old now knows how to control his speed and braking.  Hopefully I will soon be able to post on my new soaps I plan on having at the upcoming Dia De Las Muertas show in Bernallio.

Oh it is the busy time of the season isn't it. I barley have time to breathe. Between making soap, festivals, work, and my little mans activities I barley know what I am doing. I am not near as organized as other soapers. I have a bad habit of not planning my soaps. I tend to make what ever comes to mind at the time not thinking about what holidays and scents are coming up. I am trying to turn a new leaf but it is taking me time to get out of my bad habits.

Below are some of my new soaps.


Monkey Farts smells like fresh bananas and juicy grapefruit, middle notes of kiwi, juicy bubblegum, and strawberries; and a hint of vanilla.

Butt Naked smells of granny smith apples and honeydew melon, middle notes of strawberries and pears, with hints of spice.

Jack O'Lantern Pie is a wonderful pumpkin cheesecake kind of smell.

Over The hill and Through the Woods smells of a combination of apples, oak, balsam, fir, and pine, with a background of cinnamon and clove. ( This is the last pictures)






I also have been busy trying to recycle different components. We have a ton of used keyboards (we also refurbish computers) and so Christopher (Up until he caught a cold lets hope its not the flu) has been busily pulling off the keys and removing the screws. We have some ideas on how to reuse the keys and the screws always can com in handy. I am going to let this be mainly his project and so what ever recycled art he makes and sells will go toward his piggy bank. He thinks this could be a good way to save some extra dough for his 7th birthday at Disney Land.







I am not sure how many keys he got off before I realized he was running a fever but he filled that box up. SO he is thinking magnets and jewelry, but he is open to suggestions. If anybody has any ideas how we could reuse the keys let us know.

I love coloring with Cocoa

Heather and Hyacinth

I have decided my favorite colorant is simply Cocoa. It always gives me such a nice chocolate brown to my soaps. It doesn't matter if I have added titanium dioxide or used a fragrance that discolors. I can always count on my Cocoa. It also seems that whatever other color I use it is always complemented with the brown the Cocoa creates. Plus Chocolate is great for your skin. Above is an example of coloring with Cocoa. This is one of my new soaps that I created for The Vintage Cowgirl.

Below are some more of my new soaps.


APPLE JACK PEEL


LAVENDER ESSENTIALS

Today I am going to make 6 lbs of Non-scented and Non-Colored soap. I know I know not very exciting but I have several customers who have such sensitive skin that any Fragrance oils and Essential oils or colorants really effect their skin. I actually love this soap though. I use Lots of Shea and Cocoa butter which leaves the soap with a slight nutty scent. Its very creamy and bubbly that you really don't miss all the other.

Some New Creations and some old complaints

I have been busily been working on a new customers order and have of course been neglecting my blogging again. I really need more time in a day and it would help if I was oh say 25 and full of energy. I recently turned the big 4-0. Isn't it funny how any age with a zero at the end seems major. Or is that just me. I had a hard time turning twenty and thirty and now forty. I know, I know how could I have a hard time turning twenty. It was a kind of "Oh no I am not a teenager anymore and now I have to responsibility and still I can't go to the bar." Although I already was going to the bars. I think it was a more of the I have to take responsibility now. No more oh it's cause I am a TEENager. Thirty was hard because I remember my mom being Thirty and thinking that was old. Also twenty all of a sudden seemed so young and free. So I guess the years ending with a zero feel like turning points really.

I have also turned into one of those moms. You know, the kind that has their child into everything. I had Chris going to Chess, Soccer, and Gymnastics. Well I had to let him let go of chess (He wasn't that into it). The Chess coach said he was really getting it and would be able to do the tournament this year, but Chris really didn't care for it. Just as well he really needs to have some cool down time between activities and School.

I really have been busy creating some new soaps for a really cute store in Albuquerque. Vintage Cowgirl is the name of the Store and Joann the owner is such a fantastic person. I have created 6 different soaps that will be carried on a regular basis in her store. I am also working on creating a Vintage Cowgirl Soap. Below are a couple of the soaps.


LEMON VERBENA

GINGER PEAR

LICK ME ALL OVER

Her Store will also carry Lavender, Heather & Hyacinth, and Apple Jack Peal. After this weekend I will post more on her store. She is located in Old Town at

328 San Felipe St NW Ste H
Albuquerque, NM 87104.

Also I created a new bar called the Snazey Caffeinated Salt Bar. This is named after one of my customers that suggested it. It is a combination of a Concentrated Coffee brew and Grounds, Utah Red Sea Salt, and a load of Shea butter and Coconut oil. My Customer loved my original Utah Red Sea Salt Bar and thought it would be interesting to add coffee. Not only is coffee a great deoderizer but some people contende it helps reduce the apperance of celulite.

I added in a little Cocoa powder and some Chocolate Fragrance oil to give it a little of that Mocha Coffee scent. I have tried it in the shower and I must say I am a little addicted. It is scrubby, but I like it scrubby, and I love the soft scent.



OK now for an old complaint. My last post described a lesson I had learned from a fellow Etsian and Soapper. Well I recently ordered two soap from fellow soapers on Etsy and loved both soaps. My problem is I was promt in payment and giving feedback and glowing feedbackat that, but one of the fellow soapers has yet to give me feedback and does not respond to my convo's. Not that I really need the feedback but I see that this shop gives feed back all the time. I also have found out that the Soaper who admonished me for not being more freindly in my emails with her and done this to other soapers and has gone as far as threatning to give bad reviews. So my question is, is the soaper community becoming one or those communitys with jelousy and hurtful. The one thing I have always loved about the Soaper community is that we have always been supportive and helpful. Well I will now be a little more careful, but I will not give into envy. I love seeing others soapers work it helps me to be inspired and want to push the limits.

Valuble Lesson in Etiquette Today.

Today I learned a valuable lesson in Etiquette. I lost a sale from a fellow Etsyan ( Is that a word). I was scolded for my lack of friendliness during a conversation through Etsy. The person decided that I was so unfriendly that she would rather buy from someone else. Ouch such a hard pill to swallow. I looked back at the email exchanged and did see where I wasn't exactly friendly. I don't believe I was Rude but I wasn't friendly either.

Below is the exchange (minus Names):

(Fellow Etsian)
Hello and greetings from XX. I don't recall ever seeing Shea butter priced so low and I want to know if I purchase tonight when will you ship it out? No worries because I always pay immediately...I am thinking of 1-2 lbs...........thanks

(Me)

Yes That will be no problem also I ship Priority

(Fellow Etsian)

Ok, but once you receive payment how long does it take you to ship out if i paid tonite?

(Me)

If you paid today I will ship tomorrow.

(Fellow Etsian)

I decided to go with another Etsy seller because you don't seem friendly at all. You never included any sort of greeting, didn't say your name and most of all you never bothered to thank me for stopping by...I consider all these factors before buying on or offline.Sorry

So you see here folks it is not enough to have a good product or good prices but you also have to have good customer service skill also. Looking back at this exchange I wanted to think that the person was being unreasonable, but really is it too much to ask to be treated well and feel that the shop is grateful for your business or even the least bit happy that you stopped by. I did not show that in any of my exchanges.

I know my reasoning for the quick responses. I was getting a large order finalized, finishing cleaning up for company and preparing my sons school supplies for first grade. So when I answered the email I wrote quick responses and sent them off. Looking back now I realize that I could have taken a couple of minutes (At most 2 min) and wrote a nice appreciative response.

Lesson learned I will now be more open and friendly thank you Fellow Etsian for a valuble lesson.

Soap, Sewing and Fabulous Christopher Pics

Here are some of my new soap along with my ever so busy wine soap. The winery that I have keeps me on my toes and they are my bread and butter. They allow me to continue to create other soaps and body products.

Below you will see my white Zinfandel. MMMM it is such a nice smell. Strawberries, rose petals, red raspberries really round out this wine, mmm Soap.






Below is a slice of cinnamon and chocolate that will tickle your senses. I love marble cake don't you. But this isn't to eat but to have a wonderful Shea butter soap rich shower.




Here is one of my bread and butter soaps. Black Mesa Winery's Black beauty soap.
With a generous helping of Shea and wine you can't go wrong and as their web site states "A little chocolate. A little sweetness. A little naughty – could lead to dancing!" This is a chocolate flavored wine that lends itself perfectly to soap. Wine is an antioxidant for the skin also and retains that quality in the soap.






I guess lately I have been feeling inspired on the sewing machine. The last show I did was the Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). To go along with the theme I made several white skull soaps and some Hemp oil melt and pour soaps. I left some unpainted and hand painted several others with soap paint that I ordered from PJ's Soaps. Unfortunately I really don't have any real good pics of those but here are the few that I did take. Most of these following pics I took with my cell phone which doesn't take the best pics.







Below is Christopher after working a deal with the face painting lady. Of course he traded soaps and lip balm for it. He so loves to be cool.




He is also a a great model for my items I sewed and since he loves to pose its actually fun for this guy. I love sewing Bags and they usually go over well at the craft fairs and what not. I have fallen in love with what i call a sling bag. It is similar to a back pack but only has one strap. Below is the latest that I finished.


One the strap I put a pocket that would be great for most sell phones or even an MP3 player.

On the front there is a pocket and then the bag actually opens up on the side with a zipper.

Inside is a small pocket but other wise its all wide open space.



My son seen a pattern for a Do-Rag (Or head Rap and he had to have it) He picked out the material and everything. Now he wants some shorts and a tank top. Isn't he a great model.

Published My first Knol

http://knol.google.com/k/sha-marie-reid/making-natural-soap-and-its-history/32fkb2hqn5ywk/2#




Please take a look and comment. If you find areas where I need to make corrections please let me know.

New Creations - Don't Take Me for Granite and Rosy's Orange Crush

Rosy's Orange Crush is as creamy as it gets. 50% Shea Butter and rose water make one fabulous bar of soap. The top has dried rose petals embedded for the extra touch.

The scent is of rose with earthy undertones. Not overly sweet but fragrant such as a freshly cut roses right after a rain.



The next soap is also very lovely, also made with Shea butter and coconut oil with soap is masculine soap but gentle enough for a woman. This Drakkar type scent is a sharp, spicy, lavender, amber fragrance. This masculine scent possesses a blend of lavender, citrus, spicy berries and sandalwood.

Perfect for either a man or a woman. It is really like the slipping into my husbands tee shirt and snuggling up on a rainy day.

Whipped Soap Finaly

Here I put on my trusty whipping attachment and whipped that color and the fragrance in. The soap at this point is to thick for the blender attachment.




Here the soap after whipping it a little more I determined that I should cook just a little more before adding the Glycerin.


Here is what it looked like after adding glycerin to it and about an ounce of stearic acid







After this has been thoroughly whipped in let the soap cure in a closed container for 24 hrs ( I actually think its better after 48 hrs).

Now you take a little at a time (I found trying to do to much at one time is a big mistake. Slowly add a little Glycerin to the soap as your whipping. You don't want to add to much because it will all collapse on you later. You want a stiff consistency more like uncooked meringue. Any thing less stiff and it will later collapse and separate.





Ta Dah all done.