Bahama Coconut Solid Hair Conditioner

MMMmmm…coconut…I so wish I could smell this! I’ve never used a hair conditioning bar and it has me very intrigued. The Courmet Bath Shoppe makes them in several scents to go along with their shampoo bars. This bar is thick and smooth and the rounded edges look wonderful. The ingredients look great too: cocoa butter, mango butter, olive oil, coconut oil, wheat protein and vitamin. So if you are as curious as I am - visit The Gourmet Bath Shoppe and try one out along with one if their matching shampoo bars. They look creamy enough to lick!

Bahama Coconut Solid Shampoo Bar

I know, I know. I’ve been terribly slow about posting this week because I’ve been busy opening a new Etsy Shop The Same As It Never Was for my products made with upcycled/recycled materials. It’s been a lot of work as many of you know. I’ve only listed a few of the products I will be selling so far, but will add others over the next few weeks.

I’ve been working to get several of these done to sell with my soap too:

I hope you are all having a great week. I wrap up my first SparkplugU class this afternoon and am looking forward to letting you know how I liked it. Thanks for being patient with me this week.

As the debate over the issues surrounding Palm Oil heats up, many soapmakers are looking to replace Palm in some or all of their recipes. Gracefruit.com has posted lovely recipes that are both all vegetable and Palm free.

I’m not advocating that people leave Palm behind right now because of it’s current controversy. We each have to make an educated decision that is right for our own individual businesses/hobbies. Regardless of where you stand on the issue - I think you will enjoy the recipes at Gracefriut.com.

…ME! Joanna from Product Body and the Soap Bar awarded it to me because she is one of the sweetest chicks in the blogosphere! Thanks Joanna, it really made my day! So now its my turn to pass it on to some more creative people. It’s really hard to choose only a few people because everyone in my Blogroll deserves it, but here are the ones I have chosen…

Joanna - Soap Bar - Yes - I’m awarding it back to her. She brings us lots and lots of soap porn and other goodies to drool over and I look forward to reading her blog each day.

Diana from Shea Bath - There’s always something fun to read on her blog and she is THE best reader I have on mine. Her comments are thoughtful and helpful to all of us each and every time. She looks out for me to by letting me know when I’ve screwed something up. I so appreciate that. I know I can count on Diana to save me tons of embarrassment by letting me know I have a booger hanging out of my nose.

Karen from Adventures in Soapland -Karen not only shows us her latest projects but explains how she’s accomplished them too. I’ve had a great time sharing in her soapmaking journey.

Kuhndi Creative - Julie can spin burlap into gold.  She is such an inspiration to me and soon she’ll be helping me learn to knit! I met Julie on Twitter even though we live in the same town. Go figure.

Nahia Creations - This blog is just a joy to read. Nahia shares soap, tidbits about her life, what inspires her and what makes her mad.

What Geeks Eat - No explanation needed. Yummmmmm.

Ok - I know that’s only 5 but again - all the blogs listed in my blogroll deserves tons of kudos. Do take the time to take a peek at all of them - each and every one is wonderful.

I’m terribly late  getting this done but my soap friend Diana Cyrill @ Shea Bath tagged me:

Here are the rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you
2) Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading)
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below)
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them (This is only a game)
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up

6 things about me: (yawn)

1. I’ve been married for almost 14 years and have 3 children.
2. I am a Nebraska Football maniac! There’s less than a month until kickoff with W. Michigan. GO HUSKERS!!!!
3. I am a closet reality TV junkie. Especially Big Brother. And the ones on the History Channel. And the ones on Bravo. And the ones on Fox. And…
4. I love to Golf. I love to have cocktails while golfing. I love to drive golf carts. I love to make my friends and their cocktails fall out of the golf cart. I have a hard time finding people to golf with.
5. I kill almost every house plant I buy. The plastic ones are still alive and kicking but I’m sure even their days are numbered too.
6. I am a cancer survivor.

I’m breaking the rules a bit by only tagging three…

• Blog of the Fae - There’s no soaps like Fae’s soap…it’s pure and natural and beautiful just like Fae.
• Noshings - I have a love hate relationship with this blog. Love the recipes. Hate how they my butt look. But seriously - Her Lofthouse cookie recipe has become a huge hit in my house.
• Sade’s Blog - I love her recipes too. Nom nom nom…her Espresso Cookie recipe is to die for.

If you want to learn to take better photos, HP is offering several free online courses to help you out. One class in particular would be extremely helpful in improving your product photos:

Camera composition: Change Your Perspective

From HP - You don’t have to be a professional photographer to understand and apply good photo composition techniques. Simple changes in perspective can turn a lackluster picture into an engaging one. This class takes the mystery out of camera settings, photo composition and concepts like depth of field. You’ll learn how to take better portraits and get a checklist of creative ideas to have you shooting pictures like a pro.

What you’ll learn:

• Understand the basics of good composition so you can take more captivating photos
• Vary your camera angle to convey different perspectives
• Create dynamic portraits and landscape photos by considering lighting, background and distance
• Get creative ideas for framing your photos and shooting pictures from various points of view

The class is broken up into 4 lessons. Enrollment is open from August 1 - September 4  with the class ending on September 12.

Click view all courses offered by HP

Today’s soap porn post is very special to me. I met Jen from Star of the North Primitives at the Bitter Creek Forum where I first learned to make candles and then found my love for CP Soap. In fact, the first soap recipe I tried was one that Jen (aka Flicker) shared with everyone on the forum. It wasn’t exactly a beginner recipe - but with Jen’s clear and precise instructions - my first batch came off without a hitch. (It was ugly - but the soap itself rocked!)  I still use that recipe and many variations of it today. I have tried at least 40 different recipes and still come home to Jen’s recipe time and time again. I can honestly say that had I not had help from the wonderful gals at the Bitter Creek Forums -especially Jen- I would not have attempted what I originally thought was a seriously dangerous hobby.

Jen’s Stonehenge is just fabulous and I love the creative way she has arranged the soap for her product photo. If you haven’t tried Stonehenge (Archipelago Type) Fragrance Oil, then you are truly missing out on a great fragrance. It’s a wonderfully masculine scent of smoked cedar, bergamot and amber. I want to jump my husband every time he showers with a bar. Jen’s Stonehenge soap includes Shea, Palm, Olive, Rice Bran, Soy, Canola, and Castor. The colors and swirl are perfect and definitely invoke the ancient druids of Stonehenge.

Jen works for Bitter Creek North and has her own Candle and B&B Shop too. Her pillar candles truly are among the best I’ve seen. Take a look for yourself! Visit Jen’s web site, Star of the North Primitives to see more of her work.

Thanks for everything Jen. 

I recently joined a local Etsy Team (Lincoln Handmade) and as a group we offer a nice a variety of handmade products. I can’t tell you how glad I am that I joined and how helpful and rewarding I think it will be. Last night I attended my first team meeting. We talked about upcoming craft shows and markets and will be entering many of them as a group. This drastically reduces the labor and cost of these events when it’s shared by the collective. At each monthly meeting, two team members volunteer to have their Etsy shops critiqued. This can be painful but oh so very enlightening. It really is a good idea to see your shop through several pairs of eyes - each with different criteria for what attracts them and what turns them off. Extra eyes can catch mistakes in grammar and spelling and anything they find technically off too. One team member was lucky enough to be in New York City this week instead of at our meeting. She visited the Etsy Labs while she was there and I’m very excited to hear about her experience on her return.

If you have an Etsy shop and you haven’t joined a local team yet, I strongly urge you to do so. If you can’t find a local team to join, then start one! Online groups are great, but if you sell more of your products locally - or want to - an online group won’t have as much to offer as a local group will. More importantly, if you work from home it’s easy to become isolated. Joining a local group gives you the opportunity to hang out with like-minded people that share your goals and are interested in helping you reach them.

If you have a minute - please visit our Lincoln Handmade Etsy Group.

Find more Info on Etsy Teams here.

This gadget would come in handy often! Shipments in, shipments out, craft fair or market setup etc. It’s uses will be endless and I know my back will thank me.

Strap-a-Handle

You can get it at Amazon.com in 6 ft and 8 ft sizes.

Busy season is almost upon us, so I thought I would start a weekly supplier news thread to help you stay informed. Not all suppliers will be represented here each week - so if I miss anything important, please share the info with us in the comments section.

From Kangaroo Blue - “It’s that time of year again, we are running our Semi Annual Packaging Sale, prices are discounted up to 45% off!! Offer valid until Aug 31, 2008 12:00am EST.”

From Southern Soapers - “NEW CUSTOMERS receive a coupon for $5.00 off your first order of $25 or more (Coupon will be emailed to you after you create your store account). Coupons MUST be entered during the checkout, and do not apply to gift certificates.”

New Winter Fragrances now available:
Pumpkin Brulee P-Free™ Fragrance oil
Cinnamon Buns P-Free™ Fragrance oil
Cool Peppermint P-Free™ Fragrance oil
Holly Jolly Christmas P-Free™ Fragrance oil
Zanzibar Cloves P-Free™ Fragrance oil
Be sure to check out the rest of Southern Soapers phthalate free fragrance oils while you’re there!

Stock up for the busy season and save with Aroma Haven & Rustic Escentuals Cello bag sale!

Elements Bath & Body - Get 10% off all boxes (Soap, Lip Balm & Take Out Boxes. Did you know that their soap boxes are made using 70% recycled paper?

Brambleberry has the cutest new cupcake mold! Also -if you were thinking of adding perfume to your product line, you might want to try their new perfume kits.

Essential Wholesale has reformulated many of their sulfate-free, 78% Organic bases and have added a sulfate-free 3 in 1 gel to the line up.

If you’re looking for a job and live near Essential Wholesale - they are hiring right now!

From Essential Wholesale - Seeking to train a Cosmetic Compounder.  This position will involve learning a lot of new skills and the ability to think and move quickly on your feet.  Must use common sense regularly.  Must work under strict Quality Control and using sterile techniques at all times.  Physically and mentally demanding position in which attention to detail is critical. Qualifications include:

1. B.S. in Biology, Chemistry, Food Science, Math or related degree a plus
2. Trouble shooting skills
3. Proficient mathematical skills
4. Ability to work independently and cooperatively with a group
5. Ability to learn very quickly and apply knowledge
6. Good time management and multi-tasking skills
7. Creativity and ability to think outside the box
8. Strong organizational skills
9. Culinary skills a plus
10. Strong quality control skills and standards
11. Accuracy following recipes and/or formulas
12. Good verbal and written communication skills
13. Working knowledge of weights and measurements
14. Ability to lift 50+ lbs repetitively, tip large drums and work on feet all day
15. Must pass pre-employment background check
16. Must maintain GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) and Organic Certification Documentations
17. Desire to learn about aromatherapy, natural ingredients a plus
18. Looking for 2nd position with a strong color theory skills in addition to these skills

Must be a team player that can grow with our company. Send your CV via email or fax. If we feel it is a match, we will contact you for an interview. Fax: 503-296-5631