Yummy These Smell So Good.

Last week end I had a mini soap making marathon. I made 8 beautiful batches of lovely smelling Olive oil and goats milk soap. Today I cut them all and put them on their racks to cure. I have to say the smell coming from the drying room is awesome.

Soap making is a addicting and useful craft. However it is not for the person who requires immediate gratification. Before this soap is ready to use it needs to cure "dry" for another 3 or so weeks. Sometimes I get lucky and they are ready a little sooner and I get to indulge a little early.

I will probably start listing them in my ArtFire and Etsy shop Mid May. These batches are on the small size so it is sometimes a good idea to reserve a few bars before my regulars scoop them all up. I posted a couple of photos so you can see how pretty they are, I really like the rustic look......

olive oil
________
Downy Fresh
Blushing Pink Hyacinth
Tuscan lace
Green Irish Tweed

Goats Milk
__________
Sage & Lemongrass
Black Vetyver Cafe` with cinnomon coffe scrub
Exotic Amazon Teakwood
Dusky Goddess

My Hubby will be out of town for the next three days so I will be enjoying many hours of guild free craft time. I will be teaching myself some new beadweaving stitches and also making some new beads and cabochons. I need to pour some new candles too and make a few pieces of jewelry. I have a craft show coming up on the 9th. We will be on vacation the week before so prep time is short. Housework will be low on my to do list for the next couple of days.

My little pumpkin

Well little Lexie is now 6 weeks old.

When her Mommy left her with me yesterday I put on her little Halloween out fit on. The little Jack O Lantern blouse is a little big on her but that's OK she is growing fast and will be filling all of her outfits out in no time. It is so fun to watch them grow; her big Brother is 2 1/2 now and it just seems like yesterday he was a little one just like her.

She is starting to show her personality some she smiles a lot, loves to be cuddled, { good thing}, and responds really well to being talked and sang to. She is only 6 weeks old but has her Grandpa Jose totally in love, he never has been able to resist chubby little red heads. I knew she had him hooked when he came home from the store the other day with a little plush dolly for her that has chubby cheeks and red hair. He said he got it because it reminded him of her awwww, not bad for the worlds most MACHO Man. He also bought her some little pink onesies I was surprised they were pink and not Camo.

I have been making up little gift sets for my bath shop. I like putting them together. The other photo is of another new bangle bracelet for my gift shop. I like it it is comfortable to wear even on my chubby wrist. the center focal is one of my polymer clay cabs.

Let the soaping begin!!!

I just love getting new scents it is one of my favorite things about making soaps and candles.
In the mail today I got....
Spiced Orange..OMG this is yummy and will make some awesome soap and bath soak.
Bonsai...A beautiful unisex spa scent.
Pumpkin Brulee....need I say more.
Mandarin Basil Lime.. is another beautiful unisex spa scent that will make some excellent Olive Oil Soap.
Zanzibar Clove.. A rich and beautiful clove that will become a soap and milk bath.
Wild Rose and Oak....Beautiful, rich, woodsy and sexy. I love it.

This is just the start of my Fall and Winter scent line I have 10 more new scents on the way; Yummo.

Today I made some Ginger Milk Olive Oil soap and it smells like heaven. I am keeping some for myself. I also made some Pumpkin spice Honey soap that is very nice. I'll try to list them tomorrow.

I am one happy soaper.

Saturday Night Sale

Every Saturday night on Etsy a group of us have a Saturday Night Sale. Its a fun way to shop.
Here is my sale...

Http://GingerbellsBathShop.Etsy.com
Buy 3 bars get 1 FREE
It's a great way to get stocked up and combine shipping......

Http://GingerbellsGifts.Etsy.com
15% off any order over $20.00
I have a lot of new things in my shop that would be great for gifts.

It's a good time to start getting your Christmas shopping started, there are so many talented artists on Etsy waiting to be discovered.

Gift sets

With the fall craft show season starting I have been adding a lot of new things to my inventory and one of the new things I have added are gift sets.
I have been making candle sets and some soap sets.
I enjoy crocheting but can't do big projects anymore because it makes my hand hurt so making these wash cloths and soap savor bags were a way to enjoying crocheting on a smaller scale.
I like the 100%cotton your for making wash cloths because the more they are washed the softer they get and they last a good ling time. I think these little sets will make good gifts and stocking stuffers they are inexpensive little luxuries.
The tan set is Gingermilk shea butter soap...I love this scent it is a warm rich scent
The green set is Bamboo Zen Tea Shea Butter scent.... Nice spa type scent
The pink set is Sweep Pea Shea butter Soap with a soap savor bag.....This is a BBW type scent.
I have also been making more bracelets. The beads I used in this one are so awesome in real life. I was surprised how much I love these beads together because they are not my usual color pallet. It tells me I need to work out side of my normal colors more often. I like this one so much I am making one for my personal collection.
I would be interested if people are interested in the gift sets.

Blog Feature

Today I was featured in a lovely bath product review blog http://thebathfairy.blogspot.com/ .
This is a well written and informative blog if you love bath and body. Check out her review if you have time and leave her a little comment to let her know what you think; I am sure she will appreciate it, I know I will.

I've been busy

I haven't posted in a while because I have had a lot of things going on and I have been playing catch up.

This week end I officially opened another new web shop my URL is http://GingerbellsBathShop.Dawanda.com . Dawanda is a European based web mall much like Etsy in that it is for hand crafts. It has some nice features that Etsy doesn't that I like. For instance there is a section to make comments on individual items . I have often seen things on Etsy that I have wanted to tell the maker how much I liked it and why. I like that much better then the heart system on Etsy. I'll load a couple of items every day and see how it goes.

I have been back to work at my clay table this week end. I have been making a bead embroidered and polymer clay pendant that has been kicking my ass. I have been designing it as I go, at this point I don't know if I love it or hate it.... Tomorrow I will start on the 3 strand necklace I am making for it. With all the hours I have been putting into it I hope it comes out ok.

I haven't been able to work as much as I would like because of some problems with my back; some days are good and some are bad. I am learning to do what I can when I can. From what the Dr.s are saying is that I am going to need some rods put into my back to support my spine because it is deteriorating. Whoopee sounds like fun huh.

Well I am going to do what I can to help with the pain with out drugs. Step one is I have went back to Weight Watchers to see if I can get some of the lard off my butt and that will help. Also I am trying to find some way to strengthen the muscles in my back that support my spine. Maybe if I can make them stronger that will help relieve some of the pain. Who knows if these methods will work but I would like to try to do as much as I can with out surgery or to much drugs. We'll see what happens.

The new photos are 3 new soap scents...blushing jasmine-blue sugar-rice flower and shea.
Next are some cute little polymer clay bobby pins.
Last is a new bracelet.

Well it's almost time for Big Brother ....so I gotta go.

Busy weekend

This weekend will be busy. I will be set up for three days for a local festival. I am setting up this afternoon. I am so glad my space is inside because it is so hot outside and I am sure my products and myself would melt.

I REALLY REALLY dislike hot weather. I grew up in Washington state and I think that might have something to do with my inability to tolerate heat and humidity. Back home we never had air conditioning and here it is a must making summer not to fun. I really think it's the humidity that is what makes me miserable because when we go to Mexico it's hot but not humid and I am not as uncomfortable.

I will be taking my laptop and camera with me so I will be able to post some photos of the show.

So if you are around Rosedale Indiana please come and say Hi to me at the Rosedale Strawberry Festival.

These are to pretty to use

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I love making pretty soaps almost as much as I enjoy using them. I like this new style I made last night. These are a little more labor intensive carving the flowers and applying them on to the soaps for a 3D look but I enjoyed doing it. The drips are a little messier then I like but I can live with that. And to top it off they smell divine.

As much as I love using them I am often told at shows that my soaps are way to pretty to use and often the best sellers are the pretty but less fancy bars. I always tell people as pretty as they look they are even better to use. I am on a mission to get people to pamper them selves and use the pretty soap, tee hee hee.

I have been making some really pretty palm wax candles the last couple of days. Palm wax is a cool wax when it hardens it makes a beautiful crystal like star burst pattern on the surface of the candle. I really like them each one looks different and special. yesterday I made cinnamon scented and today I have been making sweet pea scented. I will post photos in a later post.

I love my new soap mold

I bought a new soap mold that I just love. It's not a fancy shape its a classic beveled oval what I love about it is how much easier it is to use then my other molds. It is made of a really high quality silicone the soap slips right out. Also because it is so heavy weight it doesn't warp like the hard plastic molds so it makes a lovely smooth bar of soap. The beautiful shape makes a wonderful base shape for embellishment and fits perfectly in the hand.

The soap in the photos are simple looking but the look really fits the awesome Strawberries and Cream scent. This soap smells like the yummy strawberry cream savors candy. I am not a big fan of food smelling soaps but I have to say this one makes me crave strawberries. YUMMO!

I have been testing a lot of different M&P soap bases lately to add to my cold process soaps. I wanted a base with high quality ingredients like the ones in my CP soaps. After a lot of trial and error I am happy with the one I have chosen and I think my customers will like it too. I know my soap testers are giving it rave reviews. I love testing soaps it's good clean fun(ha ha).

I have several new scents that I am testing too. The next new soap I will be adding is a Blackberry Sage blend Shea butter soap; I really like this fresh scent. I also will be adding some new herbal bath tea blends and milk and salt soaks too. I just got a big shipment of excellent organic herbs to blend into these bath luxuries.

Wabash Valley Herb Faire 2008

This is a fun little festival that happens in our town every Mothers Day. It is a Herb and art themed festival on the Wabash River.

This will be the second time I have done this festival. The first time I sold very well and picked up a boutique spot for about a year that was profitable. I had to skip it last year because my tent top needed fixed.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that the weather stays nice and I can keep my tent sides up and enjoy the crowd.

I have one more festival scheduled for the first weekend in June them I am done with festivals until the fall.

I have been having fun making bath soaks today. I made a nice peppermint/ chamomile salt foot soak that is great for tired feet. I also made a English rose milk and oatmeal soak. It is so nice for softening your skin and smells good too. I really enjoy making and using them. I think I am going to go use one of the foot soaks right now for my tired toes.

Grand Opening

Well Now I have really gone over the deep end and opened a second shop dedacated to bath and body items and candles. It is http://gingerbellsbathshop.etsy.com check it out and feel free to tell me what you think.

I decided to open a second shop to showcase all the personal care items I love to use and make. I will still be carrying some in my main shop but as they sell I will phase them out of that shop.

Every day for a while I will be adding new items that are exclusive to the bath shop. Things like herbal tub teas, milk and soothing salt soaks, foot bath soaks and lip balm just to name a few items.

Right now my house smells awesome I just made some beautiful Chai tea milk bath and sealed it up in giant tea bags for the tub.

Hopefully separating my shops will help me on my quest to become more organized when it comes to my least favorite part of my craft journey; the business side. So dear reader please wish me luck.

Rose themed treasury...

I acquired anther treasury tonight. It is rose themed and I was inspired by the beautiful English rose scented goats milk soap I made today. I am really happy with the treasury. Here is a link please check it out of you have a few minutes. http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=36812

Getting ready for next craft show

I have been busy making some new items for an upcoming craft show. I have been having fun making little things that I think would make nice Mothers Day gifts. I have a couple of cute little pill boxes that would make a nice gift for Mom.

I have also been making soap like crazy. I need someone to package up 15 lbs of olive oil soap and a bunch of oatmeal soap. Packaging and labeling is my least favorite part of making things. I have 15 lbs of goats milk soap I am planning on making next. I do 15 lbs at a time because that is all the room I have on my drying racks. I have a lot of really lovely new scents for spring; fruity and florals. I had a hard time not going for the scents I like best which are woody,earthy,spicy scents. Jose calls them my "hippy head shop scents". I was a teen ager in the 70's and I grew up in the Pacific North West ; what does he expect from an old hippy :o).

Back at my clay table

Well I think I have my soap stock built back up. I made 4 batches of Goats milk soap yesterday and cut them today. So after they dry I will get them posted in my shop.

So today I was back at my clay table and it felt good to start blending some new colors. I finished one project today that I am pretty happy with. It is a tart warmer ; I embellished it with sculpted tropical flowers and leaves on the base that mirrored the milifori cane work I did on the votive part of the burner. I have a little sanding to be done and then I will post a photo. I think I will offer it with a package or two of the soy wax breakaway tarts that I sell. I think it will make a great gift. The tarts in the photo above are what I make . They smell awesome I use them every day.

On a personal note I got some surprising good news from my Son.....He and his wife are expecting their second baby sometime in early September. Wow 2 in diapers yucky,lol.

I love soap

Yes I know it's wierd but I do..

Most of the women I know love to spend money on shoes and handbags. Not me I don't even like to wear shoes..

I spend my mad money on soaps and bath and body products. It makes my husband crazy that I spend money buying soap when I make and sell soap myself. I make great cookies too but I like to try other peoples cookies too and it's the same with the bath and body items I like to try what others make.

Etsy is a awesome place to find some absolutely wonderful soap makers and I have managed to spend a good amount of time trying their wonderful products. I thought I would like to tell others about some of my favorite Etsy soapers

I love shopping at http://morganstreet.etsy.com/ she makes beautiful rich body butters that make my hands and any other rough spots feel soft and pampered and the pumpkin spiced body butter is totally decadent. Her soaps are beautiful and smell great. My favorite item she makes is the pumpkin spice brown sugar scrub. I can honestly say my legs have never been smoother. I highly recommend her products and her customer service is top notch.

Another wonderful soap shop on Etsy is http://cozymoments.etsy.com/ . I love her soaps they have a lovely creamy texture and the solid lotion bars are yummy. My favorite thing that I have bought from her are her soy melts. I make those too but hers are different then mine, they are a softer wax. I don't know where she gets her scents but they are nice a have a long lasting scent throw. She has great products and customer service.

I don't sell my soaps on Etsy yet I sell them locally at festivals and in a local shop. I am going to be adding some to my shop as soon as I have enough stock for the other places I sell them.

No matter how much soap and cookies I make I will still want to try others and I will for sure buy from Morganstreet and Cozymoments again. If you would like to check out their shops follow the link in my article also if you look in my blogs that I enjoy section you will see links to their blogs where you can see some of their awesome Sweet smelling stuff.