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.

Blogs and Tweets

I just read that some one said that their month had not been productive they lost their creative mojo.  I love that, I have lost mine this week.  I hate indecision and the weather is definitely indecisive!!!  I need to get cracking with things but trying to find the way forward is not happening at the mo. I just want some sunshine. Am just getting organised to start up a Networking for Handmade Mums.  Evarly morning breakfasts are great if you have no kids to get out the door, daytime is ok if you have no little ones, or like me spend the day working so to take a couple of hours out really disrupts my day.   5.30 is such a good time if you are just coming out of work, but if you have kids to feed, or two coming in from work like me it is silly to walk out as they walk in for dinner, so 7.30-9.30 with a glass of wine.  Ladies talking to Ladies honestly and openly about how they are getting or have got where they are.  All there to help each other.

Soap Challenge

The wonderful soap challenge has finished but kept the emails so can go back and do them again when I have time.  Thought I had enough soap, then get asked for 25 doggy soaps, 10 peace in the garden and also 30 milkshakes 20 cupcakes, so making like made, the lounge is full and so is the dining room.  However, this is really encouraging my daughter to get my shed sorted in the back garden to get me out of the house.  No more soap in my dinner cries my son.

Jubilee

It has been a busy week, getting ready for the three day events weekend and also coping with the orders coming in which are great.  I have done two childrens birthday parties over the last two weeks and the kids just love the bath bombs see the pictures.  Have another one this week and I am as excited as the kids.  Of to Goodwood Racetrace for a Benevolant Childrens charities, looks like being a good day.  Was at a festival on Sat the only problem they placed us stalls straight in front of the loud speakers and they blarred music all day so loud I would think you could hear them in the next county.  We both felt ill with such headaches from the boom boom all day. 

Thank Heaven For Little Girls

So appropriate - just had new little baby girl in the family and I went to an 8year olds birthday party last week.  We were making iced bath bombs, their faces were a picture and Tilley said to me "never been to one of these parties before and I have really enjoyed it".  That says it all.  We take the bases they cut out their flowers and then ice the bath bomb and put on their flowers, I take charge of the glitter for obvious reasons, then we put them into coloured tissue holders and the kids get to take them home and show their parents what they made, how great is that.  I get huge pleasure out of seeing their faces.

Soap Art

 Wow - the challege I did yesterday, soap art, the seaside.  Turned upside down and it looks like the night sky, I am so chuffed with this.  It is fragranced with Blue Amberwood, a deeper smell, not my usual flowery one and it will be ready for Fathers Day.

Peonies and May

Peonies were my Dad favourite flower, probably because they bloom in May and we were both born in May.  I love peonies of all kinds, but for the first time in three years my Peony Tree has bloomed, see the picture, isn't it beautiful, this inspired my Pink Peony Fragranced Soap and every time I go through the soap room I can smell it sitting there drying on the shelf.  Cannot wait to put it on sale.

Shea Butter Bath Bombs

 My shea  butter bath bombs, made today and drying for the weekend.

    I am having one for my bath, music, candles and an empty house, heaven.

STRAWBERRY SMOOTHIE

                                    

                     

 

CHOCOLATE INDULGENCE 

    TROPICANA

Soaps what else!!  Actually it has been a rollercoaster ride, as something good happens like a superb market on Sat, then they cancel the next big one.  Been working on new web site, looking good and thank goodness the girls are now lending a hand.  My neighbour went off at 4am the other day and the dogs let rip, so I did not go back to sleep.  I sat reading blogs and looking at other soapers.  Found it interesting that one who I know is growing and has been going a few years longer than me. mainly sells fragrance soaps.  I find it interesting that the web pages says about ethical palm oil, but what's ethical about sythetic chemical fragrances on your skin?  However with the escalating cost of essential oil there are more fragrance soaps creeping into my portfolio.  Funny also that those with sensitive skin are so paranoid that they don't believe that they can use anything on their skin that has not been tested and proved by the medical people.  However my eldest gave some neem soap to a colleague, who admitted they nearly did not try it, but they did and they were surprised that not only did it clear up their spotty skin it did not strip or dry out her skin.  So I will go on pushing the natural and telling the truth about the not so natural.  Having said that I made Peony soap, fragrance.  I made it and as I expected it traced very fast, however it did not look right.  I think that the speed of trace, plus the oils were slightly too warm led it to look as if it was separating, so I just prayed.  Today I unmolded it and it is superb, not quite the difference in the two pinks I wanted but a lovely smell.  So I have called it Pink Peony.  I love Peonies and for the first time in three years my tree peony is in flower and the smell is amazing.

TROPICANA BATH BOMB

My First Tropicana Shea Butter Bath Bomb.  I have been trying various different ones and made this last week, the topping is made with shea butter icing sugar sls for bubbles and of course lots of sparkle. Smells of mangos, oranges, strawberries.  Made six and sold them all.  Had a dreadful weekend mud and rain, followed by two markets that were brilliant,  I am sure because the sun was out everyone was pleased to be out without getting wet!

Tropicana

Mud and Rain

Have dried out and removed the mud from the weekend at Singleton.  All the soap very kindly went tacky as it was so so wet.  However proves they are not dried out with no moisture left in them. If that was the case they would not pick up the mositure.  Been today looking at Soapqueen.com and other web links from their web page.  Found some wonderful people with wonderful information.  I found when I was looking to start in this country there was just no info. 

Today been struggling with but found a good receipe for liquid soap for hair shampoo.  Made it with coconut oil, jojob and castor oil and it looks really good.  It calls for the hot soap method and uses potassium hydroxide not sodium hydroxide.  First time I used it frightened me as the sodium hydroxide mixes but the potassium actually sounds like mini fireworks going off as it crackles.  So left the soap paste to go cold and will on Friday add some water and leave it to turn into liquid from the paste.

The handcream receipe has turned out brilliant.   First outing on Saturday and have added Neem for extra healing.  One lady tried it as she has dreadful dry hands due to excema and sensitivities and told me she found neem wonderful.  She came back half an hour later and bought a jar, the next day she came back and bought another jar as her Mum had said her hands had lost ten years off them in an hour.  So will keep this one going, anything to help those with those problems.  My Husband when I met him had hands full of plasters over his splits and my son suffers, but his is linked to stress with his exams, but the hand cream is working for both of them.

Launch

Went to a launch party for a lady who has inspiring ideas of getting true artisans together to offer under one banner courses.  I am sure it will be very successful.  Had a lovely week soaping, made Rose Geranium, three different molds, one I swirled the second one I pured two together and the third I did the Faux Funnel pour and they look and smell fantastic.  If only the rain would stop and the sun would come out, I have six dustbins and one water butt full and now it is just flooding the garden.  I need wellies for the chickens, even their run which has a water proof roof is flooding.  Roll on Summer!!!!!

What a week

Well we are on Wednesday and as I said to my children I have spent two mornings in class.  Meaning I have been looking and reading.  Tuesday completed my first faux funnel pour soap, yes it looked great.  Was worried about the colours as my mauve is over a year old and has a mind of its own and blue goes any colour but, so must get new colours.  The new ones I have red and yellow are great and the yellow has held up, the orange has got a bit lost, so need to pour more of the orange next time, the mauve did it's own thing between deep mauve and blue, but overall it looks superb.  Will upload pictures soon.  Then today I cracked the bubble topping of my bath bombs.  I usually just ice them which looks good but have been searching how to make them with shea butter and found it on Soap Queen.com. so thanks for that.  Needed some adjusting but the basic receipe worked.  So fab, these will be uploaded soon.  So now we have two different fantastic bath bomb cup cakes.

Soaps

I feel I should make a soap called rain.  I have seen enough of it out of my window to last me till November, but still it will rain.  Spent yesterday arguing with hair shampoo. I enjoy the challenge of reading discovering and finding out for myself, but sometimes I think I will have to give in and go on a course, but when I have done that I find they go over everything you know and you come out not a lot wiser.  So back to the challenge of the making the hair shampoo.  Perhaps I should explain at this point that I have made the shampoo, my kids all use it and say it is great but I am a perfectionist and to me it is not quite right and that is the bit I am trying to sort out, maybe I should stop and remember that what you buy commercially is actually not runny soap but chemically inhanced, somewhere in the begining soap was involved, but the final article if the chemicals where stripped away it would be hard to find the soap.

Inspiring

Following the Soapworks Challenge, today was posted six new weeks, one I was unsure of so I found a video on you tube and was blown away, now I can't wait to make the Faux Funnel Pour Soap.  I watched www.iamhandmade.com, loved the banter between them and the great soaps she makes.  Well inspired to begin a new week with new ideas.

Soap challenge week four

I joined the soap challenge and it has been interesting looking at other soapers and how they do their soaps.  The last challenge was beer soap and I love the ones who did it with other alcoholic beverages.  My beer was a different one to previous I used Porter beer from Hammerpot Brewery in Littlehampton a local brewery to where I live.  I like to use local ingredients where possible.  They make their beer with chocolate and coffee and I continued this theme and the soap smells - well I would have thought - a mans dream, beer, chocolate and coffee.  Made in plastic drinking cups it has the shape of a cup, it also has betonite clay and can be used either and/or washing / shaving.  The soaps is very gentle, smooth and the betonite clay I am told aids with the shave, being female I don't know.  Any men who wish to try and give me feedback let me know.
 www.greatcakessoapworks.com

April

I am hoping as the season for outside events begins that the weather will warm up and the sun will shine, it makes everything look so much better.  I have been following a particular Amercian blog and enjoyed reading hers and also her soap challenges.  I think it is really good to meet people, like the Laday I met yesterday and realise how far you yourself have come.  I have been soaping for three years now and love it.  The house work went to pot a long time a go and having just visited a relation whoose house is spotless , (I used to worry about my own)  but think that I would rather be thoroughly enjoying and being totally absorped in my business than doing the house work (i'll get around to it). I enjoy looking at other peoples soaps and talking to people who are just begining and helping them as when I began I rarely met anyone who made or sold soaps.  I still rarely meet anyone who actually makes all their own soaps like I do.  Having said that, why do poeple have to say they are handmade giving the impression that they made them, when they know they bought them in?  Anyway I have some big fairs in May and the May Chang and Lavender is looking great, white with a mauve top, the Rose and Patchouli, now my favourite looks great and I am really pleased with the new Rose geranium and it's pretty flowers.  The cup cakes are looking good and yesterday the reacation that people cannot believe that they are not real edible cup cakes is so inspiring.  Wow it is so great to do a job that you love.

March

What wonderful weather we are having, the soaps are drying beautifully and love this warm weather as much as me.  March has been full on creating, we have strawberry gateaux with strawberries inside, strawberry cheesecake (admission I forgot the strawbs inside) but it looks and smells great, black forest gateaux. I was worrying about how to do the gateaux, with the edible one you have the chocolate and cherries, so I put cherry smell into the red soap, I love the smell of the cherry blossom we have, then I grated dark chocolate and added chocolate fragrance to the other soap  poured them together over the setting white top and it has turned out brilliant.  We have white soap on the top looking like cream, with red cherries on top, the red and chocolate mingling in the middle and then white cream near bottom.  The Soapworks of America had a challenge and I have swirled soap before but never more than two or three colours, so I did four colours.  It is amazing however I am extremely critical on myself and feel that the mauve is a bit to overpowering, having said that when I made a dark mauve soap before and I thought it was horrid it ran out the door and I had to make more. If I lived in an ideal world I would spend all day making soap.  Today I made three Rose Geranium - one with flowers, one plain, and one with rose petals.

Blogs

I often read other Soap peoples blogs I find it interesting that sometimes, whilst their soaps look amazing they have problems to.  Been onto the Amercian site of Great Soapworks which was good to look at and made me think so have set my daughter and her boyfriend the challenge of making a video of how to make our bath bombs, will see what they come up with.  Just finished icing 150 ready for the next couple of shows.

 Mamouth soaping day - completed lots of soaps yesterday.  Baby soap, Lemongrass and Ginger, Patchouli and Orange, Strawberry gateaux and twelve cup cakes.  They will just be ready for Easter but also for May bank holiday when we are at the Food and South Downs Fair in West Sussex.

 All with lots of sparkle to please us girls.

Lambs

Nothing to do with soap, well they could be if they wanted to use the dog soap, would be really good for their coats.   I went  walking with the dogs and it was so lovely to see the lambs in the field running around.  The week has been busy, met a lovely lady called Claire who works for Womens Wisdom and she has put me in touch with someone who may be able to help me with my packaging and printing allowing me the much needed time to make more soap, which then brings me onto needing somewhere to move to as home is getting too small or should I say I am taking over too much.  The web page is finished all but one picture and I am wating for the sun to shine again to get that one.  I also spent Friday learning about "Google" which adds to my knowledge gained while re-vamping my web site so if I keep going I will be able to change jobs to a computer person, no never, love making the soaps to much for that.  There is a special offer on the web site, not telling you, you have to look but it is a freebie!!

Acne

I have read over the last two weeks two separate cases regarding Acne.  One person said the first thing on their mind in the morning as they awoke was how bad their skin was.  Another person it seems was taking medication which inturn caused severe depression leading to the person taking their life which is extremely sad.  I make neem soap, I made it first for my son who at fifteen was really spotty, not dreadful acne, but realy spotty teen syndrome.  I have continue to make and sell lots of this soap and I get comments back like "I did not think it was working until I ran out".  "Did not think my son was using the soap so put it away, noticed his spots were getting worse and he said it was because I had taken his soap away".  Another Lady emailed me and said that she had a problem with her hands which no Doctors prescription had solved but the neem soap did.  So if you read this and you have a problem with your skin why not give it a try, it will only cost you £3.50 and if it does not work for you then you have at least tried.
http://www.justbevangelicsoaps.co.uk/

PICTURES

It has been a busy few weeks with making more soaps, hand creams, baby bottom creams and then spending two days as a person who is not IT trained, not of that age I grew up with computers, I have re-done my web page.  I am so proud as an "oldy" (above the age of 21) to have done this, the girls then tweeked a few pieces for me, whilst one of the boyfriends laughed at the way I went about finding things on the computer, well I find them so it must be ok.  Please do look at what we have added, all made by me and no nasties in any of them.

PICTURES

 Hope you like the pictures taken with the camera bought for me for Christmas Thank you Santa.

Beer Soap, this beer has chocolate and coffee in the making of it and I have followed this through into the soap and it has a lovely mocha smell.

Cup cake soaps and squares.  The beauty of our pure Olive Oil soaps wrapped in colourful merino wool. The wool is shrunk around the soap and re-shrinks each time you use it until the soap has all gone. No more flannels, sponges etc, just beautiful coloured wool.

 Gardeners soap, with antibacterial/antifungal/antiseptic properties       from the essential oils, helping hands after gardening.

 Lavender, the calming, relaxing smell of Lavender.  Plain cream    coloured or mauve and cream colour.

 One of our best sellers, Patchouli and Orange with Tussah silk.       Tussah silk adds a beautiful silk feel to the soap.

 Citrus Burst.Full of the smells of oranges, lemons and limes,     awakening the senses in the morning, invigorating after a long day at work.

Rose Geranium, a beautiful smell, also in heart shapes. This soap is salmon pink. Deep Mauve and white Geranium and Palmarosa, the same as our peace in the garden soap made into hearts.

Hand Made Soap

It is always frustrating when you want to do something and have to wait for others.  I am updating and re-launching my web site for 2012, however I have to wait for the girls to do it for me.  The eldest usually works a 12-18hour day and totally switches off on her days off the the middle one is in the middle of a new boyfriend which is taking a lot her time and her uni course.  My brother is coming up this week so I think I will get him to fix some bits around the house for me.  I spent yesterday sorting out the soap room and re-painting it, pink for love and green for calm, I have ordered all I need for making hair shampoos and the bottles so they should be launched in March and also I have to make some more baby soap, we are calling it Bella (beautiful in Italian) soap along with bottom cream with calendula which is so good for the skin.  My youngest has just had exams and he gets so stressed his excema breaks out so I put lots of this cream with calendula on for him and it calms his skin.  So having again used him as a guinea pig I know it is safe.  Look out for the new products in March.

PICTURES

Having received a camera for Christmas as requested I have been taking lots of pictures of the soaps as they are drying.  Lavender, Geranium, Rose Geranium, Beer - beer given to me by Hammerpot Brewery, thanks guys. There is also neem with added aloe vera to calm the skin and more on the way, so watch this space.

Hand Made Soap

It was a very interesting article in the Green Parent, Melinda Coss is very well known in the soap business and it was to me a real accolade to be included alongside her.  It is very true what the article says there is no soap like homemade.  When it says homemade check how it was made, if it was made in large batches of over a 500 soaps it was mechanical the only homemade/handmade was cutting the blocks and packaging.  Interestingly while reading some articles I read that if a soap says it is a beauty bar then it is not soap but synthetic soap made for commercial re-sale.  Hand made is in my kitchen, I started by making in small molds, then onto using empty pringle tins, now I use small crates like the ones the mushrooms come in.  I used to make one batch at a time, I now make four at a time but this will only make around thirty to forty soaps and to make more I will need a lot more room.  Reading the article I knew about sodium laurly sulphate, not to be confused with the milder sodium laureth sulphate, both of which are not in my soaps.  I did not realise the other agents that went into commercial soap, no wonder so many people say to me they cannot use soap.  I always say, it is not that you cannot use soap, you cannot have on your skin what they put into the soap, pure soap has nothing more than Olive Oil, coconut oil, palm or sunflower oil added shea butter, cocoa butter and to this is added sodium hydroxide which creates the process for the oils to saponify, turning them into soap.  Other than essential oil, benzoin for holding the smell and vitamin e, nothing else is really needed.  Milling soap dries it dreadfully, making the soap take from the skin the moisture it is missing.

Articles

I have received several emails regarding the article in the The Green Parent, which I have yet to read.
  All of mine are grown up, but during their growing up I had to deal with a six week old that had a milk allergy, a two year old who developed asthma and eczema.  Two are dyslexic, one is dyspraxic and all have allergies relating to food or fragrances.  Washing powder is never ever bio, and never changed from two different ones.  Hair shampoo, soap, shower gel are all made by me and I have done for years for them.  My youngest suffers from stress eczema so all you can do is make sure any triggers are not around to make it worse.  Being a boy he is the hardest to convince about what he uses, so he has to have his favourite smell in his soap and hair shampoo then when his scalps says enough  he goes back to the good stuff.  Seventeen years ago I began training as a therapist with Reflexology, a huge thirst for knowledge and I worked out what was the problems with each child and I am pleased to say along with Homeopathy I have managed to keep them 99% off Doctors presecriptions.
I have trained with crystals and believe in working with a dowser and last year talking to the lovely person who walked my dogs for a week, I was able to give her a list of possible triggers for her eight year old, my Christmas card said "since we have avoided the foods on your list she is so much better".  Sometimes it is the most obvious that causes the problems.  Years ago I had a lady who had been everywhere, spent a lot of money trying to solve a skin problem.  She happened to come into me for Reflexology, realising that her problem was localised to intestine point on her feet I asked her what her most favourite food was and what she would never want to give up - Chocolate - a month later, no chocolate whatsover and her feet were clear of this terrible skin problem she had had for years.   Often we ignore our bodies and yet they are tell us what we need to know and skin is the greatest book.

Ecxema.

The year before last after my first Christmas of selling soaps life was very quiet, nothing really got going soap wise until about March.  Last year I was busy after Christmas and this year as I have been so busy up to Christmas I thought it would be quiet and that I could take a couple of months to catch up with the house work, one very dirty dog, and lots of mud from the rain and a back garden that has been trampled by a few chicken and a dog.  Not even at the end of the first week and the phone is ringing and emails are coming through which is fantastic but obviously I am not going to get as much done in the house as I hoped.  Am definitely going to have to look for a new home for the soaps and someone to help with them.  Am off in the next few weeks hopefully to learn more about herbs for eczema and psoriasis and use them in my new creams and some in the soaps.