I will soon be updating this site with soap pictures and so on.  Keep watching!  it you would like to see some in the meantime, you can check out my other blog at www.homeschoolblogger.com/horsefeathers 

• Comments (1) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Oh my gosh, it has been ages since I posted here!  I have pictures downloaded onto my computer now, and I will get them on here shortly.

A bath fizzy is not a soap, it is a fun and funky thing you pop into your bath.  It is like a giant alka seltzer for your tub.  Mine are small ball shaped fizzies, and when you drop one in your bath, they fizz up, and spin wildly around your tub.  I think they are the coolest things and my kids just love them.  Mine contain either grapeseed oil or sunflower oil to soften your skin.  I also make some with rose petals, or calendula petals for added fun and colour.  I use essential oils as well as fragrance oils.  What is the difference?  Essential oils are all natural, pure plant oils.  Fragrance oils are synthetic scents, man made.  My customers prefer the fragranceoils, but I do use both in my products.  I use them sparingly, and only use the higest quality oils, and believe me, I searched a long time before I found a supplier who met my expectations! 

I am working on a website, as I have had a lot of requests for one.  Right now I am very busy filling orders and doing school with the kids, so haven't taken the time to get anything officially organized, but it is in the works.  I am also compiling a newsletter, which I am just revising.  I will post it on here once I get it finished.

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Well, today I bit the bullet, and got set up to make bath fizzies.  The thought of making them drives me nuts, they are just so persnickety!  Once I get going on them, I enjoy it, and I had a productive day.  I made 68 all together, and they are drying upstairs where it warm and dry.  The basement tends to be a bit damp.  I made the following scents.... chocolate mint truffle, kiss, tradewinds, breath of spring, and wild watermelon.  I am also making soaps today with Robyn.  So far, we have made some Valentine's conversation hearts scented with cucumber melon, some transparent hearts scented with clusters of crocus, and some layered hearts scented with honeysuckle.  It smells like summer in here!

We are about to make some fish in a bag for an order, and also one with a black bear embed, which I will have to hand make, as I have to find a supplier of a black bear embed!  We are also making a soap for a friend of mine who has leukemia, she loves navy blue and pink, so this will be a really creative one, since Danielle is so creative!  I must also make more lip balms, and lotions as the lotion has been a huge seller this winter.  I jsut received a new order of shea butter to whip up, so I am looking forward to getting that going.  I have to buy a new mixer, as I set fire to my old one, that was an exciting day! 

I am glad to have a productive and fun day, and am enjoying spending time with Robyn just puddling about!

• Comments (5) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

This one will be dedicated to my soap business called Horsefeathers Creations.  I will post my soaps and products for sale, as well as recipes, hints, and interesting facts about soap and skincare.  Right now I am gearing up for Valentine's Day, so I will be posting pictures once I get my stock built up again.  I sold out of almost all my soap, lotions, bath salts, etc over the Christmas holiday, so I am thrilled about that!

Let me start by saying that I do not at this time make soap from scratch using lye.  I did begin that way, but we have a very small house, and with 3 children underfoot, safety was a huge issue.  I chose to use a base.  In the beginning, I was just trying my hand at it to see how it would go.  I used a base from a craft store to start, it was pretty harsh.  I tried a base from a supplier in Toronto, it was just awful.  I was looking for as natural as I could find, and finally I stumbled on one, and I am thrilled!  My customers love this stuff and so do I. 

It is based on ingredients from natural sources with no SLS, alcohol, propylene glycol, or triethenthalomine ( if I spelled that right!!)  It is gentle with a high level of glycerin, plus I add my own ingredients to it.  I always add vitamin E, plus I often add other oils, and I love to use calendula flowers, they make a bright and cheery bar of soap.  I use essential oils to a degree, but my customers prefer fragrance oils.  I use them very sparingly, so they are not overpowering or drying.  Yes, I know they are synthetic, but I use them in such moderation that it is not a concern to me.  I use natural colours where possible, and love making fun and funky soaps.  Even my unscented ones are made to look bright and cheery!

I also make bath fizzies ( or bath bombs, believe it or not, I had a customer tell me it is inappropriate to call them bombs, so I went with fizzies), lip balms, solid perfumes, tub teas, milk baths,and bubblers ( that is a solid bubble bath).  I also carry lotions and body wash I make from a base.  I will discuss that in another entry.  Since we are also a homeschooling family, I get lots of help from my family, which is great!

So stay tuned, as I learn more HTML and how to design this space a bit, and for my ramblings on about my discoveries in soap making!  Oh, the title of my blog (BubbleandSqueak) is also the title of a newsletter I will be creating soon. I am looking forward to starting that!

• Comments (5) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link