One wonders when the warm weather will come, but one day soon we will wake up and instead of t.shirts, jumpers and two pairs of socks we will be throwing everything off.  We have made black and white our new soaps, which have sea salt for exfoliating, so now is the time to start to get rid of the dead skin cells and bring on the new plump ones with a glow, then you won't mind throwing off your layers.

It is quite a while since I blogged.  This year has been busy from the start which is unusual as it is normally a time to re-stock.  But it has been great.  Just now been informed by the Guild of Soap makers that rules are changing in July 2013.  It seems the Trading Standards, the EU and the BIS are making life difficult for the small business and helping the giants.  This Countries resurgance will be from small business, so why don't they help us instead of attacking us. 

Springing on

Well the weather does not seem to be getting warmer but the daffodils are telling us it is warming up.  Have been busy with varous enquiries for wedding favours.  Was really chuffed that I managed to ice with soap real roses.  They are looking good and now sorting out the packaging.  Packaging can be such a mind field, you think you have the right size, colour etc and then they arrive nothing like you thought, learnt that lesson now waiting for prototype for new rose soap box to arrive.  It has been a interesting couple of months of this year and I hope that it shows the way we are going as we have been busier with enquiries and sales than the last couple of years, so hoping we have a good year.

Jogging along

Just jogging along, I think a lot of us are like that during January.  I hve been making but still not up to stratch with all the stock, I am sure something will come along and I will oh blow because I have not got enough stock.  The soap with the piped roses have gone down a storm with all who have seen them.  They will make terrif Mothers day present, something so elegant but different and it will last longer than a couple of weeks.  My cousin reminded me the other day another month and we will be looking out for the baby lambs in the fields and the daffodils.  

Since the snow arrived I think everthing else went.  All I have wanted to do is curl up in front of the fire and read a book.  That is what winter is all about but today we don't have that 'luxury' and then to work hard during the summer months, no we have to go out whatever the weather.  The dogs didn't get much of a walk yesterday as three o'clock came so did the rain and snow.   When you realise that it will be the end of Feb before some of the soap will be ready I think I need to get the production line working.  Today made soap roses, now I often make soap roses by rolling the soap into the shape of a rose, but today I used the whipped soap and piped them.  I want to make them bigger but I think first attempt was very good.  Go to the fb just bev soaps and you can see them.

January

The winter is a time for sleeping, recharging the batteries but it always seems to bring sadness with it.  I have heard of two deaths in the last two days and I always think December/Jan and Feb are the worse months. Today I had planned soaping  and as I look out to a small dusting of snow I thought I am going to sit today and re-charge by having a me day.  How many of us take a me day?  Having said that I shall possibly get to sewing as I love creating those cute sock people and am now getting to grips with making animals to go with the soaps for the bath.  Definitely a reflective day on whats to come.

Crafts

I am a hands on person and I get bored easily.  So whilst I love making the soaps, different textures, colours, smells etc., I still like to be doing other things.  Back in the summer I fell in love with Sock Monkeys and for Christmas I made myself one which is sitting watching me and one for my son, excuse his look he had just worked seventeen hours.  His is a sock Lima.  So not having enough to do I have decided to make wash animals and whilst looking at patterns I came across Taggies or Taggy blankets.  When mine were little the eldest was a "taggy" person.  At the age of 25 she has had to move out of home with her job and I notice this black ribbon in her new bed.  So for Christmas I did a grown up Taggy.  I bought a bolster pillow, so it is about 5' long, covered it with a chenile type blanket and sew ribbons/taggies all down one side and ribbons on the sides, so now she is in hevan and no one realises that at the age of 25 she still loves a taggy and sucks her thumb.

Christmas Soaps

Busy week sorting out the soaps.  Made the Rudolphs the other day from soap, left them to dry for a few days then cut them out.  During this time I think they had been on the Christmas tipple as I could not get them to stand up.  I learn everytime I make, and I know that I need more Rudolphs so that they are close together then when they come out from the mould they show up as some of them have got lost in the blue clouds. Going to make single Rudolphs for Christmas.  Also made strawberry gateaux with glycerine strawberries through the centre and two large blocks of Rose Geranium.  Will be on sale at the end of Sept early October.  Please link through to http://www.facebook.com/justbevsoaps to see the pictures.

hi

Hi, well the summer is over, I woke at 5am this morning and at 6am it was just getting light, I hate the dark mornings.  However it means full steam ahead for Christmas.  I had an interesting encounter on the weekend with a lady who was not selling soaps but proceeded to tell me how I should pack them and that if it was not correct Trading Standards would be after me.  Fortunately I am one that cross the T's and dots the i's when it comes to the EU rules.   So it is an interesting point that maybe there are a lot of soapers out there not putting the ingredients on their soaps, even if they are bought in and re-sold under EU law they have to have ingredients and be able to trace back to the original maker if there is a problem with someones skin.

Christmas

It is very hard to get into the mindset when it is August and 21 degrees to start the thought process of what is needed for Christmas.  All the soaps have to cure for four to six weeks, therefore anything made especially for Christmas needs to be made by 25th October for the last few weeks, so 25th August is the begining to sell at the end of September.  Several main big stores have Christms items in including M & S with their biscuits.  Is it trying to get people to buy early so that trading looks better in September?  Today I stamped the logo onto the chocolate orange which smells lovely,  Then made the base for the mince pies and that mince pie fragrance smells lovely just like real mince pies and I wanted one to eat.

New web site

Launched our new web site, a couple of teething problems but people are giving very good feedback and the sales are already gathering momentum.  Absolutly great. 

Cup Cakes

Set out the day to make face masks, then realised that a particular soap I was not sure about was not good.  Only second one in three years not bad.  So ended up making soap to replace that one and then that led to making cup cakes, then that led to whipped soap, had too much so made more cup cakes.  So have a lovely Geranium pink one with white icing, then chocolate peppermint and chocolate orange, so yummy.

Soapy Soaps

I resisted all forms of cajolling from my kids but gave in a couple of months ago and made a soap cake, since then it has been so popular I have strawberry gateaux, black forest gateaux, and now added lemon meringue, which has been an instant hit with it's white whipped soap topping.  Now have to get onto Christmas goodies so going to go back through the Soap Challenge to hone in my skills at the various soaps.

Given up on the outdoors

I have given up on the big wild outside, this rain has just got to me so much.  Every time you go somewhere you hope as the sky is blue you will be ok, but this is England and in a hour you are trying to cover every thing up as another downpoor hits always from the direction you are facing.  Fortunately only need to re-label a few soaps this time but am moving to indoor venues for thge Winter season.  Anyone who has never stood from 8am to 5.30 outside in a market, paying for the priviledge should try it sometime.  I have huge respect for those sellers who stood there last winter in minus 10 whilst most of the shoppers were inside their homes or the Mall.  As one Lady put it, not all stall owners are huge, it's the four vests, four t.shirts, 2 jumpers, thermal socks, lined trousers and hiking boots and you are still cold!!!!

Whipped soap

Learning from on line one has to search to find out info, then a lot of people just show you and do not actually tell you.  So I want to thank Amy of Great Soapworks in America for all of her information.  She posted a video of herself at a Farmers market making soap, now I have been asked and refused but thought after seeing her video I can do this, so thanks.  When I first started I tried to make whipped soap and ice the tops of cup cakes, two years on the fear of working with soap has gone and like an artist I am manipulating the soap not the soap dictating to me, having said that sometimes it siezes and it does not work out, but am getting around that one.  Yesterday for the first time in two years I made whipped soap and used it and oh my goodness what a difference two years experience with soap makes.  Hope you like the picture.  Have a look at our face book page.