Update…

Has it really been two and half years since I have written on this blog!  That is terrible, I apologize for that, I have been busy and honestly that isn’t an excuse, it really isn’t.  My husband and I have become very involved in our schools PTSA.  I am working part-time at our local library on Fridays and Saturdays as the Assistant Librarian, and e-book reader/cell phone/computer instructor (funny my sister calling me asking to schedule a time to help her with setting up her Calendar online).  Last year I was really busy working on our Cubscout Committee as their Treasurer/Secretary.  I am still Soap Making, it just isn’t my biggest passion right now (even though I have chosen to teach 6+ classes at the Library this fall and winter).

This blog did such wonders for me two years ago it forced me to look outside of myself and focus on things that I could do for others.  The timing couldn’t have been better, in the fall of 2011 I came down with mysterious flu like symptoms.  These symptoms have come and gone for 3 years now.  I have been to 10 different doctors, because I know that I shouldn’t be feeling the way I do.  I finally feel like I am on the right track, but who knows.  This blog started me on a great path to have fulfilling distractions to pull me out of some of my darkest days.

Granted I probably won’t be as consistent on this blog as I once was, but working with others right now really takes me to a better place at the moment.  In my mind that is where I would rather be, but the therapy of writing is priceless.  I am grateful to anyone that has comments or just reads these words and finds encouragement, because that has always been my goal.  God Bless.   -  Carrie

                                                                 

Minerva Day 2012! First Soap Sale Event…

Updated:  7/16/12
I have been busy making soap for the Minerva Day Garage Sale on June 30th.  I have made over 50 bars of soap and I cannot wait to show the world my work.  I started on June 8th and have made over 11 batches of hot process soap, in order for them to be ready to sell on Saturday. 
Here they are:
     
This happy fragrance begins with top notes of clary sage, Italian lemon, and hints of bergamot; followed by middle notes of spicy carnation, and lily of the valley; with base notes of cedar wood, patchouli, and amber.
                                     
This unique fragrance begins with top notes of fresh bananas and juicy grapefruit, middle notes of kiwi, juicy bubblegum, and strawberries; and a hint of vanilla as a base note.
             
Beach Bum fragrance oil captures the essence of summer like no other fragrance; combining juicy mandarin, sand, jasmine, and refreshing oceanic mist.
              
A fruity blend of ripened mango and juicy papaya.  ****Sold Out****
                 
A citrus bouquet of lime, kumquat, grapefruit, lemon, with a soft floral undertone of jasmine, on a background of musk and sandalwood.
                                           
A soothing bedtime blend of mandarin, lavender and chamomile, neroli and lily of the valley.
                                            
This fragrance begins with a medley of sweet orange blossoms, yuzu, and kumquat; followed by middle notes of juniper, Mediterranean fan palm, and rosemary with base notes of fresh sandalwood and Tahitian vanilla beans.  
          
French verbena and lemon, a green Florentine iris and violet leaves, and sublime notes of Mysore sandalwood and ambergris.
           
This fragrance begins with top notes of fresh lime, mint, and ozone; with middle notes of French lavender,  and base notes of white musk.
                                        
Notes of geranium, bergamot, and rich Indian spices; with notes of amber, woods, and musk.
                
Breezy tones of fresh ozone and bright orange oil highlight a floral blend of jasmine and lily at the heart of the blend. Clean woody elements of cedar and pine balance with a hint of spice to accent the floral accord. A clear musk undertone envelops the outdoors sensation with shimmering sweetness.
               
Non Fragranced.  ****Sold Out****
                
Non Fragranced.    ****Sold Out****


I am already getting phone calls with orders for mid summertime.  I am having so much fun, and being able to make wonderful soaps for people really makes me feel like I am improving on the world somehow.  I will let you know how my sales turns out.  If anyone is interested checkout the town wide sales going on, (http://www.townofminerva.us/documents/2012-MinervaDay.pdf)  (http://www.townofminerva.us/documents/2012%20GarageSaleMap.pdf )and maybe I will see you too.  I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend, whether you are going to fireworks this weekend or next, please stay safe and I hope you have a great time.
-Carrie

Summer has arrived, and planning interesting activities has begun.

My children decided to stay home with me again this summer, so that means planning activities and making sure the boredom doesn’t kill us all.  We have already went to the Adirondack Museum, and to the beach a few times, but honestly that alone will not tide us over.  We are heading out on a 4 day camping trip starting Thursday.  We have made it a routine to check the newspaper for upcoming events so we won’t miss out on some wonderful opportunities.

Filling our days with interesting things can be burdensome but if you get the kids involved it will lighten the load.  The kids want to live at the beach, but I cannot tolerate the crowds or the hot sun (I am just recovering from a bad sun burn….  LOL!).  A compromise was in order, we will go to the beach on the nice days, but it will need to be after 3pm so we can avoid the crowds and the bad UV ray times.

I will be hunting online for new and fun activities for the kids to do, I cannot wait to get started.  If you have a game plan, and keep a routine in which the kids help with the housework, the planning, and the packing for these events, it not only teaches your children great needed skills, it gives them the freedom to have a say in what is their “vacation”. 

I am grateful for the time I have with them and am very blessed to be home to spend time with them (plus they chose to stay here with me for the summer, which is awesome as well).  All in all, when I start to feel overwhelmed by the whole situation I can stop and realize that I wouldn’t trade this position I am in for anything in this world.  Remembering last summer and how much fun we all had will keep me (hopefully) from going out of my mind.  I know that in my past posts, I have sounded well organized a collected, but I lose my grip on sanity more than I prefer to let on.  I am far from perfect, but the awesome thing is I don’t choose to be perfect so its really hard to fail with that attitude.

I hope everyone enjoys their summer!  Check back to find more ideas to keep your kids busy this summer.

Planning a Budget for Your Business Idea

With all of the research that I was doing I found out that I needed 4 types of things.

I needed:

1. Safety Supplies
2. Equipment
3. Materials
4. Storage

I created a list of everything the books told me that I needed.  Then I went and broke that list down to see what I already had and could use instead of what was on the list, or I could ask around for.  Then I made the list of what I needed, which by that time wasn’t as overwhelming as the first list I made, Whew.   

I didn’t need to make a lot of purchases right away, which was a relief.  I had to get the goggles, gloves and mask, there was no compromising on safety.  Since you cannot use your equipment again for cooking once you have used it with lye, I gave up my stick blender, my old crockpot and my candy thermometer, to the cause. 

For the materials  my husband and I checked out the local Wal-Mart to see what oils would be easily available to us, and I took note of them and created my recipes with them in soapcalc.  This gave me an idea of how much I would need.  I will go into this bit of planning in my next post on this subject.

The last thing that we needed to buy was storage to contain all of these items that were strictly for soap making. We bought these a week later after I realized what needed to be contained. If you buy everything the immediately you might not know exactly how you want to organize everything. I am glad I waited, because I was able to really know exactly where and how I wanted to store everything.

My husband and I discussed how much we could spend, we decided on a set amount per pay check.  This could be different for you, you might decide to have a set amount per month, or whatever.  A set amount during a specific amount of time is a sure fire way to not cut into your normal monthly budget and hurt yourself in the process. 

This is important, don’t charge your credit card or take out a loan for this.  It can be done a little at a time.  We started with only $40.00, it can be done.  Plus this makes you slow down and be very careful with the materials that you do use when you start out.  It makes your really respect your outcome more, because you can’t just go out and buy more if you mess up (well you know you physically could, but not if you want to cut into your budget).

If you cannot be disciplined and respect a budget then how do you really think you will be able to manage a business and all of the financial attributes that go along with it?  This is a key lesson here.  Do not put yourself in debt for something that you aren’t even sure you will like doing or are sure you can make into a sustainable income.  It is going to take time, it won’t happen over night, plus you don’t want it to happen overnight, you need to learn as you go.

I hope that you are able plan a budget to fulfill your dreams.  With a bit of planning a small amount can really add up to a big difference in you life.  Good luck on your path, I hope everything turns out wonderful for you.

My Handmade Soap

 

                            

I would like to share with you a few pictures of my first soaps.  I have given most of them away now but I will be making more soon.  I cannot wait to keep going, I am having so much fun making them and using them as well.  I have found that I love the recipes that I started out with, but the colorant and fragrance weren’t always spot on.  But I was able to rebatch those that I didn’t care for too much and they have turned out beautifully.  This set is my last one, I loved it so much I new it would be a great one for my testers!!! 

                   

These are my Orange-Bergamot Bastille Soaps that I made by Hot Process.  This set is my last one, I loved it so much I new it would be a great one for my testers!!!

 

      

These are my Lavender Lard Soaps that I made by Cold Process, but the color didn’t stay and the fragrance was very weak.

      

So I Re-batched them and made a beautiful soap with Aloe, Oatmeal and Honey Additives.  I loved how these turned out.

      

These are my Apple Pie Shortening Soap, that I Cold Process Oven Processed.  They turned out beautiful.  They have Oatmeal and Honey and Lather so wonderfully.

       

This is my Carrot Peppermint Soap.  I made these with Carrot Juice, Oatmeal, Honey, and Peppermint Essential Oil.  The Lather is gorgeous and it feels great with refreshing peppermint coolness.  I love this recipe because it benefits the skin so nicely.  I only have this bar left!  I couldn’t keep these to myself. 

I hope everyone that got a chance to try these enjoys them as much as we do.  I can’t wait to get started on more.  Next time my focus will be on the style, now that I figured out which recipes work great for me.