I’m headed off to finish preparations for our annual July 4 bash. We’ll have a great time surrounded with 40 close friends and family members. Each year is bigger and better than the year before and I’m really looking forward to it. I love my friends and family and feel quite fortunate to be able to share the day with them.

I wish you all a safe and happy Independence Day!

How fun! Who wouldn’t be impressed to get a bag of M&Ms with your logo or soap pic on them? Replace that cute little face in the pic above with your soap pic, put your biz name on the back and you’ve got gold! They’re not cheap at $3.99 per party favor size bag, but if you have new wholesale accounts to go after or a special customer to make happy - these would be a fun item to use.

Custom Photo M&Ms

Thanks to ZAJA Natural for recommending this tutorial on the forums, and thanks to Nizzy for writing it! When I’ve used PVC pipe  and other verticlal soap molds in the past - I wasn’t able to get a consisent swirl from top to bottom. BUT - I think Nizzy’s tutorial would help me to fix that.

How fun will this be? If you’re planning to attend - I predict it will be the must see event of the gathering. If you can enter - do it!

http://www.isocan.org/wordpress/?page_id=15

It’s the first day of July and I am turning my thoughts towards December and the Holidays. I’m really into upcycling materials and with that in mind, I’ve been working on new packaging and promotional ideas for my holiday line of products. Today I’d like to share with you the gift set packaging idea I will be working on this week.

Last week, I picked up 30 old books at a garage sale. I chose very thick books that are in great condition. Some are already leather bound and beautiful and will be perfect for my Men’s line, but others will need to be covered with fabric. Using the following tutorial, I will glue and then cut the pages of the books to make compartments that are the perfect size and shape for my products. Preliminary testing and further research has me thinking two coats of glue for this step where the video shows only one.

You Tube - Make a Book with a Secret Department

Then using yet another tutorial, I will to cover the less aesthetically perfect books with gorgeous recycled fabric I have stacking up all over the place.

How to Make a Fabric Book Cover

I’m not sure how this will all work out, but I am going to give it a go. I love the concept, and think it will be particularly appealing to men and teens, but I’m still uncertain if the finished product will be gift worthy. We shall see! I’ll share my results with you next week. Wish me luck!

Just because you can’t afford to pay a professional to take your product photos doesn’t mean they have to look horrible. Constructing your own lightbox is inexpensive and easy to do and will dramatically improve the quality of your photos.

I’ve used several lightboxes, with costs ranging from the homemade to the expensive and have had VERY similar results. The lightbox I use at home works every bit as well as the expensive one I used at the office. It cost me only $20 to make and it’s been in use for several years now with little wear and tear. Here’s a tutorial to help you make your own:

DIY Lightbox for Photography

Edit Photos

Have a blog or a web site? Then you have to play around with Bling Easy. It’s a hoot! I didn’t have much time to spend with this yet but you can believe I will be penciling it in here soon. It’s a blast! Go have a look and play around…all you do is upload a photos and start adding the bling!

BlingEasy.com

Rebatched Handmade Soap Tutorial Image

A failed batch is bound to happen. Usually when you’re working with your most expensive ingredients. Your only choice is to throw it out or try to save it. As much as I HATE to rebatch, I almost always try to save it but I’ve talked to many soapers that have never even attempted it after seeing the less than perfect results others have had. It really is worth the effort. Is it a PITA? Oh yes. Will it be as pretty as before? Oh no - but sometimes you get an effect that you like even better.

Savonara seems to have a good technique that works well for her. The soap pictured above is gorgeous and she has shares with us exactly how she did it on her blog. Check it out. Rebatch happens.

Savonara: Rebatch Tutorial for Handmade Soap

Miss Ella

I fell in love with this soap when I first saw it on the Dish forum. Lisa from Amori Bath and Body created a soap and named it after her Dish buddy Ella using her favorite EO blend and colors. Lisa sent a bar to me and I’m even more in love than ever. It’s absolutely beautiful and I completely understand why the scent blend is Ella’s favorites. Made with rosemary, peppermint, orange, lavender, and cardamon, the first to hit my nose is the herbs and lavender and then comes the sweet smelling mint. It’s just incredible. I’m so over the moon about it that I haven’t stopped sniffing it since it arrived and I’ve made everyone that lives here or visits take a sniff too. Thank you Lisa!

To see more of Lisa’s beautiful soap, visit Amori’s Etsy Shop.

Please get involved. Get familiar with the FDA Globalization Act 2008 and calculate the impact that it will have on your business. Then write your local congressional representatives and tell them how much it will hurt.

I’ve been watching this unfold for awhile now and have gone from disbelief and denial to anger that anyone could think this is a good idea considering the state of our nation’s economy. If you’re unfamiliar with the bill, the video below provides you with the info you need to read more about it.