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.

Thanksgiving Weekend Specials

You'll probably be amazed to hear that I did manage to throw together a sale package for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. From now until Sunday night, I'm listing a four bar sale pack, for $18 plus $4.95 flat rate shipping (that's the US shipping cost - orders to other countries are higher).

I'm low on quite a few scents, so everything is on a first come, first served basis - grab 'em while you can.

May your pies be plentiful - and thanks!

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!

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!

Please Stand By

So, we had some ongoing technical difficulties with our website. Until we get things fixed, we've changed everything over to the Etsy store for now. Which was a big pain in the butt because I have all the technical know-how of the average turnip.

This also gave me the chance to update the newsletter format - and it went out this morning. I think I managed to transfer all the subscribers over, but if I missed you, please let me know.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go break some stuff here at the house, too.

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!

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.

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.)

No dignity

So, my dog loves Halloween. He’s positive that everyone is coming around to see him, and that that candy doesn’t have a darn thing to do with it. Every year he sits at the front door and wags his fool butt off, getting head pats from all the kids. Adults are generally afraid they’re going to lose a hand, but kids aren’t scared of him at all.

So, after the first year, to keep from freaking out the Mommies, I started putting him in a costume. Last year it was a big pair of wings and I told everybody he was a bird dog. (I thought I was hilarious.)

This year, I got him this.

Bander’s looking pretty cute in his collar, no? I got it from an Etsy shop, mias closet – check out her stuff!

She even made a special one just for him, because as you can see from the pictures my beloved boy has a BIG GIANT HEAD.

He’s totally comfortable in it, too, just hangin’ out in the yard. She just might be dressing our dogchild for every holiday.

I can’t WAIT for people to come to our house.

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.