2012

Definitely begining to resurface after the last four months.  I am getting bored and looking at new ideas for next year.  I am a person who needs to be challenged and the last four months did that but I was just unable to get all the products I wanted made for Christmas, namely lip balm so that will be out in the New Year. Definitely going to have to take someone on before next Christmas or else my family will kick me out.   The soaps sold well over the Christmas period and what was surpising to me and taught me a lesson was how many people bought soap for excema and other skin problems.  I was busy selling smellies and you forget how many people suffer with problems.  My background is in holistic therapies including flower essences, aromatherapy and I have used on my family and the animals homeopathy, so I am going back to my original to create a range for people with skin problems.  I will be looking at hand creams, foot creams to aid the skin and also for those of you who just love hand cream.   I enjoyed being at the Horsham market and met some lovely people so I intend to continue every other week there during the year.  I am also looking into the larger fairs this year to be able to get my soaps for problems to a wider audience. 

New Ideas

Well Christmas arrived in Horsham on Saturday.  It was a great days trading and hopefully next weekend will be.  There is only one Sat left then it is Christmas Eve.  The Christmas cookie soap, and the Chocolate orange soaps have gone down well this year, however the chocolate orange did not go last year so interesting.  There was a very nice lady behind me who had been doing felt, the second time I had seen this in a week, so something clicked in the brain and I will be doing felting soaps in the New Year, so much nicer than buying them from a well known chain and felting them.  Sorting out all of the stock and the bath bombs iced are going fast, party flip flops and the cup cake soaps so will be making these this week. Look out for us at Horsham and come and say hi.

Advent Calendar

Just been told some have 24 and some have 25 what a swizz. Glad when next week is over, going full pelt.  Seven baskets of bath bombs done anothere ten to do.  Twelve chocolate flake soaps made, fifteen shower soft soap only a few dozen flip flops for tomorrow.  Wanted to make chocolate lip balm but time is beating me.

The dogs want a walk and it is pouring with rain, so no go.  I'll try about 7pm and see.  Feel sorry for the late night shopping in the village, it has rained non stop since 2pm and does not look as if it is going to dry up, last year we were up to our knees in snow, so I suppose that is something.

Four weeks

Four weekes to go, skimmed an article yesterday about cooking a turkey.  It basically came down to - go out for lunch.  It said that you take your elephant sized turkey, as we know we always buy one too big, on Christmas morning whilst trying to wrestle with the turkey and stuffing get down several gin and tonics, then the turkey becomes very compliant so does the husband.  Sprouts, need to have a frost to be good, so instead of waiting for the frost of winter buy frozen they have been frosted.  Dinner from begining to end should take no more than three hours and by the time you sit down with the elephant (turkey not husband) as by now the  G & T have kicked in, there will only be you as the rest will have killed themselves fighting over the games console and computer games, sounds great fun.  In our house, the veg are peeled the night before, the turkey is cleaned the nightbefore, the morning of the 24th Dec all traces of Soap are removed from every surface so everyone sits down to a soap free dinner.  The greatest fun I think is opening all the pressies no matter how small, especially if they contain chocolate. 

Children Take Over!!

Hello I'm Bev's daughter Katie and I am writing the blog today as she is super busy icing millions of iced bathbombs, well it feels like it!! There is literally no space left in the lounge, kitchen or dining rooms oh and the airing cupboard is full as well! This picture is of the sixty that are heading out to Ireland tomorow for a customer and I promise I did help, I got the best job to sprinkle them all with sparkle powder.

I also took a picture of her bath bomb gift sets that she makes to order as she hasn't had time to tell you about these either! It's a good job she has me to do it for her! And she doesn't get to proof this before it gets posted so I can get away with saying things like this. So as promised here are her bath bomb gift sets how cool are they!

Bath Bombs

One you go to bed dreaming of them and wake up dreaming of them, it must be Christmas.
Sat last night watching Pudsey and icing 60 bath bombs, another 60 need to be done for Ireland this weekend.

Just delivery 7 baskets of bath bombs and 60 bath bombs iced by kids.  That was interesting, everytime we go the children react so differently, todays were completely hyper and just wanted to move onto the next activity each time.  There are ones who take their time over their bath bombs and others who just go splodge and shove as much as they can on the top.  So fascinating.

A sign

Is it a sign that I am on the road to great success as I seem to be getting up in the mornings at 5am as I cannot sleep.  I understand that most successful business people don't sleep, but I need my sleep.  I think trying to get everything sorted and keep on track with the family is being a real juggler.  I went to see my son who is in his first term at Uni and struggling at times, the work load, new life style and now the pressure of finding a place to live for next year.   I feel guilty not giving him the time but cannot let the customers down.   In January he will be settled, Christmas will be over and I will be wondering what to do next, not really as I am already going around in my head new ideas for the soaps next year.  The creativity of the Christmas soaps shows that people do like soaps that are different so look out in the New Year for the new soaps.

camera

Would like a camera for Christmas then I can take pictures of all my goodies.  Have made 100 bath bombs since yesterday for orders and still going some.  Now have to package them all up and send them.

Positive of the day

Chocolate orange, revamped the chocolate orange from last year, put less chocolate in so the soap is not so dark and it smells great and looks great so really pleased with that one.

not so good days

Yesterday I had two fairs and my daughter did one.  We don't just order the goods in and then pick it off the shelves we make every single thing and we package everything.  Most days are twelve hour days and this time of year much more hours.  Yesterday in the morning I had a lady who stood and in a very very posh accent asked me if I was as ethical and Lush!!  She was not of an age that I would have thought would go into their shops as she was in retirement so it must have been her family.  Anyway after ten minutes of podding poking smelling and tutting she actually bought a £1.50 bath bomb and then said oh it does say hand and made and local good.  The morning went on like that.  The lady at the stall behind me said it is when they look at you with this glazed look as if you are selling something they should not see.  It is also when people go by and look and say oh its soap in that way.  The evening got worse standing for three hours in a fair where everyone had not been told it was a shopping evening but had come for massage and hair done.  It completely puts you off.  I wonder sometimes if the schools do it as a fundraiser knowing that even if few attend they are picking up £20 off every stall holder and easy money spinner, when we have to make money, none of the stall holders are rolling in money.  I find it interesting that the ones I meet have usually been made redundant or had to move areas and could not get another job.  For me it has to pay the bills I am not in it to look pretty and I put my all into and find it soul destroying that people can be so rude.  Thank you for reading my moan and rant of the day.

Bath bombs

Just sorting out as I am at Wisborough Green on Thursday morning, All saints school in the Evening and Rosie is doing William Penn school on Thursday night, plus a private shopping party on Friday.  So counting out the bath bombs I do not know where they go I seem to be making dozens and I am sure I have a Fairy in this house that likes bath bombs.   So making dozens again tonight, I just smell lovely all the time.  My son came home and raided all the soaps to go back to Uni with.  I think he eats it!!!  Have to go down in the next couple of weeks as he forgot to bring his shampoo bottle back and is running out. 

Bath bombs

This Christmas is really getting off to a good start.  I have already done two baskets and now asked for seven more, last year I could not get rid of them.  However it seems it is people who have seen the goods or bought them before. I wonder whether people who do not know you wonder whether it is cheap rubbish and are reluctant to buy except from well known places?  I do note, not that I often go shopping, I had to buy my son a birthday present, so I had a good look around and it is interesting that I note prices are not shooting through the roof.  We were sitting looking at a well known supermarket newspaper and they had receipes, the exact cost and the shopping list on the side, at last I think they are realising that we don't mind spending but value for money please.

Busy weeks

Busy week, I am so excited to see my son home after his first stint at Uni, home to celebrate his birthday.  Have been doing the local town market, but it is very hit and miss.  Last week we had to move to another street and while people were queing to go into the restaurants they were not spending money at the markets.  Have had lots of enquiries but need to get them into orders.  Just sent off a good order with two Christmas baskets and have another sic to do next week.  The soap parties and kids parties are going down well and everyone is enjoying seeming something different to the large stores.  So hopefully the Christmas shopping will get going in ernest in the next week. 

Childrens Parties

Wow I have been having fun doing the childrens parties, was concerned about doing soap so stuck to icing the bath bombs with them, then this week a mum insisted I did soap, it was great fun.  The cup cakes cooled in time for them to go home, they all took a cup cake soap and a mold home so that they can buy more soap and make more soap cup cakes.  Made flowers for the tops of the bath bombs and it is interesting how some get bored sitting there and others have a real creative flair, I love to see them.

Bath bombs

I made fifty bath bombs yesterday, mostly for one order, wanting baskets of six bombs.  Lovely smells, Lavender, Lemongrass and ginger, Patchouli and Orange, Patchouli and Rose, Rose Geranium and St. Clements.  Off to make more bucks fizz as they are going well and so are the applejack bath bombs.  The cup cake bath bombs look great in their green and red outfits with gold and red ties.  Soap parties are being booked, kids parties are really taking off now, and I have as much fun as the kids at icing bath bombs with them.  At Horsham on Saturday, fortunately not been there on a really really cold day yet, but the thermals and extra layers are all ready to go.