Balancing it All!

I have a lot going on in my life as most of us do these days. It can be difficult to find balance between home and work. Sometimes I do better than others and most recently I lost balance and all the balls came crashing down. This was a good reminder and reality check that I need to regain some balance in my life.

I usually shift all the way to work and become a workaholic and that just does not work. My eating habits get worse and worse because I don't take the time to plan and prepare and just turn to fast food, my home becomes disorganized and chaotic because I have not taken the time to clean and take care of paperwork, etc..., my social life becomes none and so forth.

I have been working on regaining the balance yet once again. Here are some things that I find important and necessary to keep focus on regularly to maintain a healthy, happy, life:

• Take Care of You - Drink water, eat healthy, get exercise, get adequate rest, make time for you.
  

• Your Outlook - Maintain a positive outlook, don't engage in gossip (it is toxic), reconcile with your past so you can enjoy the present and the future, live, laugh, love, and learn.

• Relationships - take time to maintain your relationships with your partner, friends, and family.
  

• Take time to smell the roses - we only have one life, time goes by so quickly so stop and enjoy it.

I have not mastered this but I am working on it. I find I feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally when I keep my life in balance. I am even struggling with this today as I have work to do and orders to fill (as always) but my sister wants me to hang out with her and go get our nails done. I have been on the work mode so long it is hard to not do it but I know that it is Sunday and should be able to take the time off without feeling guilty.

So I will take time to play today and enjoy the day and the quality time with my sister. :-) What steps will you take to create balance in your life?

Wine Anyone???

A new wine theme seems to be developing in the store. We have a variety of shirts like the one pictured below with fun sayings like: You Had Me at Merlot, Sip Happens, Group Therapy and more.


And of course, hats to match the shirts.

Even something for baby....."I'll try a glass of the house white"

And the newest addition......Woozies.

Woozie is a wine glass sleeve made from top quality neoprene which insulates your wine glass and feels soft to the touch! It is fun, functional and comes in wonderful Woozie colors! Woozie is stretchable, washable, foldable and reusable.

Had a little too much fun or a little too much wine and ended up with a spill on your shirt? Clean it up with vinegar. Spots caused by wine can be removed from 100 percent cotton, cotton polyester and permanent press fabrics if done so within 24 hours. To do it, sponge white distilled vinegar directly onto the stain and rub away the spots. Then clean according to the directions on the manufacturer's care tag.

Too Cute Cupcakes

The picture above is a cupcake. They put two cupcakes together and decorated it. I thought these were just adorable. Of all places they can be found at the Walmart Bakery for only $4.00. What a great way to brighten someone's day.

Soap Making Party

On Saturday we had a party at the store and the activity of choice was making soap.

To facilitate things I used that signs and tags from the summer issue of the Soapylove ezine. It made things so easy. Everyone was able to follow along with the steps and made beautiful soaps. The tags made packaging the soaps as favors so simple and nice. Get your summer issue with the full instructions and templates here.

Olive Squalane

As I continue to work on expanding my offerings of bath & body products in my store, I must share my latest find. I most recently discovered Olive Squalane and I am in love with it. After doing research and hearing all the great qualities this oil has I had to try it. I started by making an all natural lotion that includes olive squalane. After the first application of the lotion, I was thrilled. I tend to have dry skin and this made my hands feel so moist and soft. I now use it as an all over body lotion and my facial moisturizer.

I will be soon offering this lotion as well as Olive Squalane in its 100% concentration that can be used as is for a moisturizer and more. These are some of the reported benefits:

Heals chapped /cracked Skin
Helps prevent UV damage to skin
Helps skin to retain moisture
Helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles
Imparts relief to dehydrated and ultra-sensitive skin
Softens the most rough-textured skin and leaves no oily residue
Helpful in counteracting conditions of eczema, psoriasis, and post-operative skin.
It can be applied throughout the day to soften dry, scaly spots.
It can be used under make-up for a flawless application and as a base to maximize the effects of moisturizers.
Squalane is also an ideal addition to nighttime facial treatments or other formulations.

Those that have been testing my samples have had great feedback and have noticed a difference in their skin. Especially those using the pure Squalane. I look forward to having this available for you to try very very soon!

Cat Litter????? I Don't Think So!

While I was getting ready for work this morning, I had the news on as usual. On the morning show (a national morning show at that) I was listening to they had a guest come on and give some suggestions on things you can make and do at home to save money. This particular tip was on making an exfoliant at home instead of buying an expensive sugar scrub from a retail store.

I can appreciate the idea, however not the recommended ingredient. She suggested you use your cat litter. Yes, I said cat litter. She said just to add some water to it and use it as an exfoliant for your face & body. I about fell over. I don't care how tight money may be we do not have to resort to using cat litter to exfoliate. You can find many economical brands, including a Shea Butter Sugar Scrub we carry for $8.00. However, if money is tight, and that is more than you can afford to spend, you certainly can make some at home that would work.

These are ingredients you would most likely already have in your pantry.

Take 1 part sugar to 1/2 part olive oil. Mix together. If desired, you can add extra oil. This will make a nice simple scrub that will do the job. And you did not even have to disturb the kitty.

Scam going around targeting soapers

On Wednesday I received an email from a Reverend Fred Williams wanting to place an order fro 180 soaps. Through continued email communication he increased the order to 540 soaps and he wanted the pricing excluding shipping. He claimed that they were to be sent to his late Uncle's orphanage in Ghana. He claimed that he had his own shipping company and for me to provide them the shipping details so they could give a quote on the shipping cost. He then wanted to pay me for the order and the shipping costs and for me to pay the shipping company. Of course, the only method of payment the shipping company took was Western Union. I thought something was just not right. He emailed me 2 credit cards for payment. I did not process them and called my processing company. They connected me with the security division and I explained what had happened and they confirmed that this is a common scam.

Today when I was on one of the soap groups I belong to, several other people had posted about this and had received the same email or communication just with a different Reverend's name. So I am posting this here to caution other soapers. They did not get anything from me and I don't want them to get anything from anybody else either.

Cookie Cutter Soaps

The other day, I was using cookie cutters to cut out some shapes to embed in soaps when I came up with the idea to use them to also create layers of color. I made a batch to test the theory and it works. I was having issues with pouring that day and kept over pouring so my surface is a bit uneven as I had to scrape off excess soap. However, if you don't do that while making your soaps they will be nice and smooth. Here is how I made them.

I selected what cutters I wanted to use and poured my first color in the smallest part of the cutter. The temperature of your soap during the pour is very important. You do not want it to be very hot. If it is too hot, your soap will seep out under the mold. I suggest pouring a little in the cutter to fill the bottom, spray with alcohol, and let cool briefly. After that, you can spray with alcohol, and finish filling the cutter. This will help to avoid the soap from seeping out.


After the first color cools completely, you can push it out of the cutter. I found the smallest ones the hardest to get out.


Place the first parts into the next size cutter. Spray thoroughly with alcohol and pour your second color. Again, make sure your soap is not to hot so it does not seep out or melt your first color.


Once this part cools, remove from the mold. Place into your next size cutter. Spray thoroughly with alcohol. Pour your final color.



Once your soaps cool, remove from the cutters. The shapes and color combinations that can be done with this is endless. Have fun and happy soaping!

Planning your soaps

Sometimes I get in such a rush on my project that I forget to plan them out. I experienced this on my fish soap. I am happy with the outcome but it was not quite I had in my head. First, I was a little messy with the the layering of colors. I figured it would be no big deal as no one would see it.



However, I wanted the background to be a light blue using clear soap so it would look like the water. In that case my little mess would be quite visible. So I went to work on that problem and poured a layer of dark blue over the back of the fish and that hid most of the issue. However, went I went to do the rest of the blue "water" my fragrance choice kept discoloring the blue to green. Point of this, is think out your soap first, check your fragrance choices, then go ahead. If not, as in my case, live and learn.

Adding & Changing Color in Displays

I like to frequently change the colors I use in my shop and the colors on my tables at craft shows. However, that can get very expensive. That was until I discovered two great things at Wal-Mart. 1) Sheets - they sell a flat full size sheet by itself in a wide variety of colors for approximately $2.50. I have used these as table cloths for at craft shows. They are light-weight, durable, easy to wash and not nearly as expensive as table cloths. I then add colors by using fabric. Wal-Mart has a good selection of fabrics that are $1.00 a yard. I have picked up many different ones that I have used to further enhance my displays. The yellow one in the picture was $1.00 per yard and the other two were a little more however it still makes changing colors and look very economical.

Just Say Vitamin E

Over the holiday weekend, I was searching through various recipes online and I came across one for a foot scrub that sounded very interesting to me and I thought I would try it. However, when I was reading the list of ingredients I came across one I was not familiar with.... Tocopherol. So of course, I had to research this and it turns out that it is the INCI name for Vitamin E.

According to the Brittanica Concise Encyclopedia, Vitamin E or Tocopherol is a fat-soluble organic compound found principally in certain plant oils and leaves of green vegetables. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant in body tissues and may prolong life by slowing oxidative destruction of membranes. Certain rodents require it for normal reproduction. Besides uses in foods and in nutritional research and supplements, it is used to retard rancidity in fats, especially vegetable oils.

It turns out that Vitamin E can help to prevent rancidity in oils or cosmetics containing oils such as lotions, lip balms, and scrubs. It can also be used to extend the shelf life of oils. I have heard this about Rosemary but did not know Vitamin E could do the same.

Water Resistant Labels

When I started making bath salts, body mists, scrubs etc. I thought about the fact that most of these products are used in the bath and could very easily get wet. This would cause the ink on the labels to run. I have had this happen with products that I have purchased from other soapers and wanted a solution. I know I have seen "weather proof" labels and such but they can get expensive. Fortunately, someone shared a brilliant tip with me and I am now passing it on. Clear Acrylic High Gloss Sealer. I print my labels. Go outside (the fumes can be strong so you need a well ventilated area). I spray a coat of the sealer across my labels and let dry. It dries in just a few minutes and as stated on the can it creates a permanent, water-resistant finish. I have handled some of my jars with wet hands to test it and it worked great. For 2.99 (from Hobby Lobby) for a 6 oz bottle that is lasting me forever... I can't complain. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.

Sample of Baby Soap Favors

These are my new Baby soap favors. This mold was the first one I used where I tried using the different colors. I found that using a dropper to fill the letters in made it much easier. Also, having your soap base at a good temperature helps too. Be sure to allow your first layer to cool and then spray with alcohol before pouring your second layer.