Early Endings

I am damn near done. I have a little bit of stock left - like, about enough to fill a shoebox. And - you'll think I lost my mind when I tell you this - we're moving this coming weekend.

We're just going across town, to a place that is better for us and WAY better for the dog, and if you've read this blog for more than one entry you know he gets three votes and Jesse and I get one each. But the fact remains that we're moving, and I should have my head examined.

What this all boils down to is that I am NOT going to make it until December 31st. I think I might make it until December 15th.

So, two weeks early, at most. I can just barely manage it.

Dazed and Confused

First of all, thank god for the time change, because I flat-out NEEDED that extra hour.

Secondly, I probably need another hour, maybe even a whole day. See, here's the thing: My whole goal in life is to take all the curing soap and finished products and get everything stamped and wrapped and labeled and whatever else they need, because some of the orders I'm getting these days are rather large, and life is a LOT better if I can just cruise down the rack of stuff that's ready to ship and sling it all into the box. Plus, I can't keep track of stock if it's in fifteen different stages (and therefore in different spots in the workroom).

So I am trying to catch up. One of the things I'm behind on is lip balms. I have a large order to go to a wholesale client. The lip balms are all made - I poured them and shoved each batch into a ziploc with the name written on the outside. What I have NOT done is apply each finicky label and wrap them in the little shrink wrap tubes.

Here's the thing: the labels have to be carefully applied because they barely fit, and it's easy to overlap the edge of the lid and glue the damn things shut if you don't watch it. Secondly, the tubes are small slippery ovals, and the heat gun blows a wide path, so it's pretty much like trying to shrink wrap an effing minnow while frying the fingerprints right off your hands.

So I put it off. And now I have a big pile of ziploc bags full of cranky little lip balms lying in wait.

I decided to be brave. I jumped in and started working on bag #1, carefully gluing the label down - Honey flavored - and then gave myself third degree burns while shrink wrapping. I was all pleased and proud that I had at least one flavor done, until I noticed that the outside of the ziploc bag I was putting them back into said "Vanilla Mint" instead of "Honey".

But there's a bag over there that ALSO says "Vanilla Mint". And bag #3 that says "Honey". WTF is this bag in front of me? I sealed them all, so I can't pop one open and smell it. And why did I make an extra batch of one of the flavors? And which extra batch did I make? What if it isn't Honey OR Vanilla Mint, but one of the other flavors I was supposed to make? WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?

So, that's my Sunday morning. I am sitting here glaring at a little pile of Heisenberg Uncertainty Balms, and wondering when the skin on my fingers will grow back so I can un-label each one of the little bastards and start over.

How's YOUR day?

On The Curing Rack

Man, I am pedaling as fast as I can here, and kinda sorta keeping up. Blowing through raw materials at an alarming rate, too. I honestly can't imagine what it's going to be like NOT to have hundreds of pounds of various vegetable oils in the workroom, but the time is coming up soon.

Anyway, here are a few things that will be back on Etsy shortly:






Bitter End

Cedar & Saffron

Pipeline Porter

And one Endangered Species:

Firelight Salt Bar - only two of this one left.

More later - back to the salt mines for me!

Endangered Species

Two kinds of soap that are just about gone - Lemony Snickets and Tonic Salt Bars.

And two that are coming in soon - restocks of Pink Grapefruit Salt Bars and Alabaster Salt Bars. Be sure and let me know if you have special requests!

It Ain't Over Till It's Over

I may have panicked a couple of people with an email I sent a few days ago. Just to clarify things a bit:

I am not out of anything just yet. In fact, I have stuff on the curing rack. I will be making everything I can manage for the next few weeks, then I am going to ship out everything except the dog and my clean socks. I will eventually start to run completely out of stuff, so I'll be posting two things here, fairly regularly:

1. On The Rack -upcoming stock, for sale shortly.

2. Endangered Species - things that are going quick and will not be back.

I hope that will help a bit - and let's start with what's coming out in the next couple of weeks!



Waterfall, Turkish Mocha, and Red Currant Salt Bars. More to come!

At Last!

Guess what's finally ready?



Perfume!

The first three scents available are Maui Sunrise, Ambre de Nepal, and Wildwood Rose. I'm off to list them on Etsy right now!

On The Curing Rack

Well, I finally got the store open - last week - and of course now I'm behind on the blog. Damn, there really is no rest for the weary, is there?

I've been churning out lots of soap, though, and here's a preview of some things coming up soon - Arrogant Bastard, Gardener's Soap, Valencia, Carrot Citrus Ginger and Cucumber Mint.

More to follow soon, too!

Common Scents

Well, it’s that time of year.

Everyone else is thinking of the dog days of summer, and the last lazy time around the swimming pool before Labor Day and me…. I’m locked in a hot hellish kitchen getting ready for the Christmas rush.

Generally, when I’m making soap, I do scent “groupings” – like if I just soaped jasmine, I’ll do gardenia and vanilla and sandalwood. They go together, see? And the four different kinds of soap sit on the curing rack together, getting along nicely. In a similar grouping, if I just did pineapple, chances are good that orange and mango are on the list.

Right now, though, you know what I’m making?

EVERYTHING.

I (and by me, I mean Jesse) even added more curing racks in every nook and cranny throughout the house. And while he frantically builds shelves, I am setting up wholesale customers, taking new accounts, making custom orders, and stocking up on our own stuff. I have soap curing on just about every flat surface.

The only problem shelf is the custom order one. This contains soap batches for several different clients. It has rosemary/mint, tea tree/eucalyptus, peppermint/menthol/eucalyptus – so far, so good, although if you breathe deeply in there you don’t have to brush your teeth that morning, and your sinuses are nice and clear. But it ALSO has black raspberry, vanilla musk, pineapple/grapefruit, and ginger/lime. The two elements together are … not nice.

It smells a lot like a koala horked into a bag of Skittles.

If you wander into what used to be a walk-in pantry and is now a curing room, you will hit a wall of peppermint, pumpkin spice, cider, and sandalwood, topped off with a big batch of beer soap which is still in the early stages – stale beer funk crossed with cat pee. It takes beer soap a little while to settle down and stop smelling like a frat boy on Sunday morning, and we’re not quite there yet.

Tonight I will be making two different batches, I can’t even remember what, but I bet they smell godawful together. Probably Cranberry and North Woods – I won’t know until I get home and read the little scrawled notes I left myself.

This is the torture I put myself through for you guys.

I hope you appreciate it.

What’s On The Curing Rack?

California Avocado: This bar is made with real pureed avocado, organically grown from my very own tree. It's lightly scented with a combination of tomato leaf and white tea. Mild and sudsy and perfect for sensitive skins!

Carrot Citrus Ginger: can hear you thinking "carrots in soap?" Yep, trust me, carrot soap has a lovely creamy lather - it's one of my favorites! This bar is made with local, organically grown carrots, and scented with essential oils of grapefruit, lemon, orange, and fresh ginger. No added colorants - the perky orange hue is due entirely to the carrots. Give it a try!

Lavender Honey: Lavender is a long-standing classic soap scent, and the addition of honey just makes it sweeter and more soothing. This is an absolutely lovely blend!

Lemony Snickets: This all essential oil blend begins with lemony litsea, lightly touched with lavender and spearmint. Over it all, sweet and insistent, is star anise essential oil. The dark, dramatic color comes from activated charcoal.

Mardi Gras: Fresh tangy berries, sweet spice, and earthy mysterious notes - silky smooth and sinful, just like it should be. An ivory colored bar with ribbons of green, gold and purple in honor of a legendary celebration.
This bar is loaded with added silk fibers for a rich, luxurious lather.

Pomegranate & Black Currant: Tart, delicious pomegranate and juicy black currants are at the heart of this fruity blend. Pucker up, baby!

Plus, I’m starting to work on Christmas soaps. It just isn’t a summer heat wave unless I’m screaming at a misbehaving batch of Pumpkin Spice soap and complaining that my hair smells like a Christmas tree. I’m going to be bringing back last year’s favorites – Cranberry Crush, North Woods, Mulled Cider, and Pumpkin Spice. But I’ve gotta know – is there something you’re dying to see for the holidays? If there is, tell me now, and I might be able to include it. I’m rapidly losing the feeble hold I had on sanity, so no promises, but I can try.

Oh, and a word on sample packs:

MY GOD.

It’s like locusts were here again. I am out of everything in sample slices. So those will be back…

...um, in a couple of weeks or so.

I need to find a leprechaun or a gremlin or something and teach them to shrink wrap things while I sleep, or I’m never gonna catch up.

Which means that I am about to ask my annual question – how, in the name of St. Hubbins*, is it possible that it is July and I am already behind for October? What kind of insane business have I gotten myself into? And why I am in this handbasket, and why is it getting warmer?

Great. The dog is trying to hide behind the couch to avoid my ranting and he can’t because Jesse is already back there. Cowards.

* Saint Hubbins is a little known saint of quality footwear. He was a bishop and is believed to have lived in the 3rd to 4th centuries. Direct historical data is missing and several historians are of the opinion that this concerns a mixture of facts about two different bishops living and working in the different towns of Soreto and Angers. The cult of veneration has been documented as early as the 7th century. He is considered as the patron of clog makers.

What's On the Rack?

I've gotten a few questions lately, from people looking for some old favorites. Rest assured, nothing has been discontinued, here's what's ready to come back soon:


Ambre de Nepal: Warm, rich and sexy, this scent is beloved by men and women alike. Each beautiful bar is dusted with gold mica and stamped in gold, for an enhanced feeling of luxury.


Cedar & Saffron: A wonderful warm, rich and sexy men's scent - unique notes of saffron overlay cedarwood.


Honey & Propolis: Sweet, gorgeous honey, with just a hint of floral notes. I absolutely love this one!


Rare Earth: I was inspired to make this after watching a neighbor build a gorgeous rock wall around his garden. This was incredibly time consuming to make, but the end result is exactly what I had in mind.


Valencia: Fresh oranges with a hint of spice, and wonderful lather due to added red moroccan clay and orange peel powder. No artificial fragrances or colorants in this one.


Wildwood Rose: A drop dead sexy blend, made up of sandalwood, patchouli, cedar, rose, and black pepper. If the Wicked Queen from Snow White wanted to take a decadent shower, this is the soap she'd use.


Since it's the end of June and the beginning of July, it's just about time for me to start making the fall and holiday scents. For the 4th of July, I plan on being a pumpkin pie smelling making fool. No doubt DH will be sad that it's not an actual pie day.

Crazy Contest Rules

Okay, I've already heard from one person who has a lunatic story - and the rest of you are invited to play, too!

Here's how it will work: I'm gonna celebrate the reality-challenged all summer long. I will accept and anonymously post your stories. At the end of each month (June, July and August) I'll set up a poll and everyone will vote for their favorite. After Labor Day, I'll set up a poll for the three monthly winners, and let everyone vote for a grand prize.

Each monthly winner will get a free bar of soap, their choice of scent. The grand prize winner gets a gift set - one bar of soap, one salt bar, one body polish, one body butter or frosting, and a lip balm. To further celebrate the crazy, you can pick your scents, but you aren't allowed to make a matching set.

The more batshit the collection,
the happier I'll be to send it out.

Enter as often as you'd like. That's right! Send your stories to me via e-mail, to magichands at cox dot net. I look forward to giggling while I read.

Image courtesy of http://thegoldguys.blogspot.com/

What'cha Makin'?

Well, as usual, I've been so busy I'm crazed. But here's the update on what I've been doing, and what's on the curing rack: Zen Tea, Wildwood Rose, Almond Cocoa Butter, Gardner's Soap and Ginger Silk:

I'm searching for new stuff for summer more updates on that, soon! Now I'm off to stamp and wrap and slice.

Vote for me!

I just learned that one of my items was selected for an Etsy poll on Best Beauty Bets – stop by and vote! There’s some pretty cool stuff by other sellers, too.

http://www.etsy.com/voter

Vote any time between now and March 2nd.

C’mon, I’ll be your pal.

(You know, I actually don’t know what I get if I’m voted in – probably nothing – but just in case there’s a cash prize or something, help a sister out.)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

The holiday season is getting started. It’s late summer, and my whole house smells like pumpkin pie. Not because I get to make pie, doggone it, but because I am making pumpkin spice soap.

Having a retail business, where you manufacture all your own products, throws the seasons ENTIRELY off. See, here’s how it works. I need to have all the Christmas products shipping from my site during November, to make sure that all shipments arrive in time. And most people start shopping early. So I’d actually better have everything up and ready by October. Which means my wholesale customers will want everything by October. Which means I have to ship to them in September. So I need to make everything in August – but I have to test the scents first. I’ll make test batches in July. So, June, I’m ordering stuff that smells like Christmas trees and cranberries.

Crazy. Now, holiday production in full swing, initial wholesale orders shipped out, re-stocks are going on, and it’s so hot outside that the concrete is sizzling and I am up to my elbows in Pumpkin Spice. The dog has bogarted the space in front of the fan, on the basis that he’s wearing a fur coat and needs it more. He hasn’t moved off the cool tile floor in six hours. My husband, lovely kind man that he is, has been bringing me cool drinks and telling me I’m insane. I am sweating like a Gatorade commercial. My shirt smells like apple cider and I have pine fragrance in my hair somewhere.

And you know what my brain is doing? It’s telling me I need to think about spring and wondering what Daffodil would be like in a soap. Easter egg pastel shades, delicate floral scents…..

I hate my brain and the things it says. I’m considering poking it with a q-tip until it shuts up.