New Soap Coming Soon

Well, it has been a while since I've posted anything on this blog.  I haven't made any soap since this spring when I made and filled a large custom wine soap order for a very nice lady planning a wedding shower.  I made four flavors of wine in large 6 ounce bars for her and had great fun making soap in my new kitchen for the first time.  We have move to a house we purchased in town.  It is an old 1930 Craftsman home with wood floors and wood stoves.  We love it, but it needs loads of work.

This summer I got a 6 month contract job working for the WSU Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center and things just got too busy for making soap.  Then just when things were starting to slow down and I was going to start back up again My cousin and his girlfriend announced that they were going to have a baby and get married ASAP.  I have been so busy sewing the bride a dress, slip, and veil that I still haven't made any soap.  The wedding is 10 days away and the sewing is done.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I am starting to get everything in order to make some new soaps.  I want to try to stay with my usual palm oil free recipe with simple ingredients, and no artificial fragrances or colors, but I will experiment with some new essential oils and other exfoliating additives.  My favorite to use myself is still the oatmeal and honey bar, but they have all turned out very nice. I have built some new soap moulds.  I think the 6 oz. bars are just too big for most people and want to start offering smaller ones.  I keep having to tell people they can just cut the bars themselves with a knife, but they just really think that is weird, I guess. I think I will shoot for about 4 to 4.5 oz bars this time, but keep the same dimensional proportions.  I will post pictures of the whole process for the first batch this time.  I think it will be lavender soap.  My daughter has been begging and begging me to make that, even though I think the scent is a bit too strong.  I will also add some lavender leaves from the garden for texture and interest.  I hope you come back and check it out when I post it.

Back to Blogging

I have been away from blogger for a while, obviously.  I am sorry, but I am back now so don't cry.  I recently made a large wholesale order f wine soap for someone who is having a shower in June.  These soaps are four different wine flavors: Merlot, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc.  They turned out very lovely.  I got to use my new soap curing closet for the first time and the soaps are really coming along.  I promise to take some pictures and show some labeling when I do that.  The soaps will be cured and ready to label next week.  Then I will ship them out.  I will then have room in my curing closet for some new batches of soap for Etsy.  I am going to make some smaller bars this time and sell them for proportionally lower prices.  Some people have mentioned to me that my bars are a bit big.  I tried explaining that they can be cut using a regular kitchen knife to whatever size people like, but somehow people just don't want to do that themselves. I have also crocheted some new soap savers in some fun and neutral colors.  I will put new pictures on my soap saver listing as soon as I take them.
I have some ideas for some new Etsy projects I will be making as soon as I finish sewing curtains for our new house.  That is part of the reason I have not been posting much.  We have been very busy remodeling our new house.  It isn't really a new house, just new to us.  It is quite a project house, actually, but we love it.  Next up will be the yard and driveway, but that is for my other blog: SmallCityLot.  I just started that blog and will try to post new pictures every week as we go along.

I will post pictures of all of my new Etsy projects here as soon as I get them done.  TTFN

Wine Soaps For the Fair

I mixed up 5 batches of wine soaps for the fair yesterday.  I am cutting them today.  Two batches each of Merlot soap and Riesling soap will be cut into large 6 ounce bars and one batch of Pinot Noir will be cut into small 1.4 ounce soaps for the gift boxes.  I only made a small batch of the Pinot Noir when I made the gift box soaps earlier.  I decided that I did indead nead the sixth variety to make the variety box and so I needed more Pinot Noir.  The soaps should be ready to unmold now. Let's see.

Here they are all wrapped up and cozy.

Time to wake up!

Here is the Pinot Noir.

The top shows the pattern of the poor.  I think it looks cool after it is sliced.  Some people cut this part off, but I don't like to waste soap just so that it is perfectly square.

I turned it on it's side because it is still a little soft for cutting.  They stay very warm in the towels.  I let them sit like this to get firmer before slicing if they are not firm enough after 24 hours in the mould.

Here is the second mold.  It is a Merlot.

The third is a Merlot, as well.

The fourth is a Riesling.

Number five is the second Riesling.  Here they all are sitting out on thier mould lids.

I will slice them later tonight.  The lick test shows that they did indead come to a complete gel and will be a wonderfully mild soap.  They need to cure and dry for a month so that they are hard enough to last in the shower. I barely have enough time before the fair.  I am cutting it close.  My Aunt is sharing a booth in the wine tasting building for her laser etching business with Dave the box guy, so we thought that wine soaps might do well.  We will also bring some etched gift boxes with assorted small wine soaps.  If nothing else we should get some oooohs and aahhhs and a few interested people to take our cards.  I am looking forward to it.

The Wine Soap Gift Box is Finally Ready

I finally posted the gift box of small wine soaps for sale on Etsy.  The boxes are made locally here in town by our box guy, Dave Johnson, and can be custom etched my my aunt on her laser etcher. How cool is that?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76430632/custom-laser-etched-wine-soap-gift-box

We made a sample box of assorted flavors:

I think these would be perfect for any small bed and breakfast, or winery gift shop, or as a fun personalized gift for that person on your list who seems to have everything they want.  Everyone loves hand made soaps and they use them, so they always need more.  Nothing says you cared enough to think ahead like a personalized gift. 

I also finally actually posted the Mint Pattie Soap on Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76426433/mint-pattie-layered-vegan-soap-single

and

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76426804/mint-pattie-layered-vegan-soap-3-bars

I haven't made any new soaps since I started working at the Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center.  I have plenty of inventory, though.  Never fear, I have the soap that you need in stock and can ship it out right away.  Contact me on Etsy with any custom orders you can think of.

Mint Patty Soap Is Almost Ready To Sell

Can you believe it? It has been almost a month since I made that mint patty soap.  I will post it on Etsy this weekend.  I still haven't taken pictures of it.  Maybe I will do that after work tomorrow. It is going to be a long day tomorrow at my day job, so we will see.  five of the last eight days have been spent out in the orchard all day for work.  The weather has been very nice.  Sunny, but not too hot.  The long hours are starting to cut into my soap making and thinking time.  I will have to work more on it during the weekend.

I Actually Mailed My Sister-in-Law's Birthday Present Today

I hope it gets there before her birthday.  I meant to mail it on Saturday, but with my husband's uncle's funeral and everything I just didn't have time.

I am going to take new pictures of my soaps for Etsy. I just don't care for the ones I took of the new soaps. The background is too plain and light.  Still no gift boxes made, but I have my idea now, for when my auntie and I both have time.

Soap Makes a Great Gift

I just packaged up my sister-in-law's birthday present, and guess what she is getting.  I hope she doesn't read this blog.  Oh well, now she knows what she is getting if she does.  I made a cute card with card stock and stamps and put it with two bars of soap in the cutest tuck top box.  It fit just perfectly.  Very cute.  I will definitely send them that way from now on, for those people who order two bars.  It is way cheaper to send orders of 3 or more bars in flat rate priority mail boxes, and they get there faster.  Orders of 1 or two bars are cheaper by first class mail, and these tuck top boxes are so cute:

Happy Birthday Marie!!!

My sister-in-law is so cute.  I hope she likes her soap.  I am still working on the design for the gift box of soap.  I just have to make an example one and let people customize them themselves.  It is hard coming up with a good example.