My latest Listing-Oatmeal Soap

This soap by me (Thebalmshoppe) is Oatmeal, Milk and Honey with organic ground oatmeal.

The fragrance is Oatmeal, milk and honey, which is a sweet creamy oatmeal with a hit of cream, honey and cinnamon. It smells delicious.

This is a Cold Process soap. After pouring it into the molds and letting it set, I popped it out. I didnt like the smooth bar that was produced. I wanted something a little "rougher" and natural looking. So I grated the bars, reheated and reworkd them and hand milled them into bars. They are nubby, nobby, bumpy and much more what I had in mind for natural oatmeal soap.

Normally I do make smooth bars of soap, that is true. But this is my oatmeal exfoliating soap, I wanted something a bit more "homespun" (I guess that is the word I am trying to think of.)

When it was too smooth, it just didnt seem right to me. ( I am trying to do a better job of trusting, and acting upon, my instincts.) So I jumped in, destroyed my smooth bars and reworked them.

I love the new bar and texture. It fits perfectly into your hand, the oatmeal gently exfoliates and the lather is frothy, yet stable. The bar itself is semi hard,( not too hard but not soft.) I made them 3 x 2 x 1, which is the perfect scrubbing size.

The base is soybean oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil. I added golden jojoba and shea butter along with castor oil. This soap also moisturizes and nourishes you skin. I ground up organic oatmeal and added it as a gentle and natural exfoliant

It is gentle for your skin, too. Oatmeal soap is great for those with eczema, as it is a soothing additive.

I hope you like my latest addition to The Balm Shoppe.If you are interested in this soap, you can purchase it here. I have 6 bars available. Once they are gone, they are gone!!

My Latest Find at Bob Evans

have really been loving my new camera. it is a Kodak Easy Share Z1275. The 12megapix make it a more "serious camera" without the "serious pricetag". It is priced under $200. Very affordable.

I have been toting it around with me wherever I go, snapping random pictures. With spring making an entrace here down south, the flowers and trees are blooming. So most of my pictures are outdoors and nature. I have really been trying to learn about the different functions. I have been using the Macro function and playing around with shutter speeds.

ANYHOOOOO....


Every Other Saturday morning we take the kids to Bob Evans for Breakfast. They love the pancakes there, and it is a fun family time for us.

After we were done eating, we stepped outside. Finn decided he had to go to the bathroom, so my husband took him. Peter and I waited outside and kind of wandered around. At the side of the building was a Tulip Tree. (Also known as a Saucer Magnolia or Japanese Magnolia)

It was really beautiful. I pulled out my trusty camera and took a few pictures. I was surprised at how well they turned out. I turned on the macro function and reduced the shutter speed.

I had to do very little to it in photoshop. I am thinking about uploading to to a stock photography site and see if anyone would purchase it. Maybe print some off and make them into a card. I dont know. I really love these pictures. And I really LOVE my camera.

I find that by practicing out in the real world with real, live and uncontrollable objects, my pictures in a controlled setting with a lightbox are turning out much better. I find that the more I practice and learn and use, the better photographer I become, which in turn can really help my business.( Especially on Juried Entry Craft Shows.)

So my(amateur) advice to burgeoning etsy artists..get to know your camera. Take it out into the real world. Play with the settings. Find out what you can about the different functions. Read through the owners manual. DEFINITELY learn to use the macro function. Not only will your everyday pictures surprise you, but you will carry what you have learned into your business as well.

Good luck and happy shooting!

The smell of Jasmine

This is the jasmine I planted 4 years ago in front of my fence in the garden plot.

When I bought them, they were tiny, wimpy, puny little twigs in pots that were WAY too big for them. I actually felt sorry for these poor plants and decided to give them a good home.

I never imagined it would become as monstrous and beautiful as it is now. It has grown and twined and grown and massed and grown and taken over the entire fencing area out front. Every morning when i walk out my door I am greeted with the sweet scent of Carolina Jasmine. The beautiful yellow blossoms are little rays of sunshine. They are just starting to bloom, so in a few dys all those buds will be open and saying hello!

BERRY SWEET TREASURY

I actually got a treasury this morning. Dont ask me how, I dont have a magic formula. Right place, right time. This is the first treasury I have been able to curate in almost a year!
I, of course, went with my etsy finds for the week theme of berries.
Please check it out if you have a chance and make a comment!!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=32525

thanks!!

The Joy Of Soap

I LOVE making soap. It is a newfound passion of mine. For years I made Melt and Pour(MP) and glycerine soap. The bases they have out now are really wonderful and luxurious. you can add any oils or butters, colorants, herbs, fragrances etc. You can do some really beautiful things with Melt and Pour Soap. You can use them immediately after setting and the clean up is quick and easy...after all it IS soap! Generally MP soap is glycerine soap. MP soaps hold color the best. You can get the best colors out of glycerine and MP soaps.


This is a GREAT example of Melt and Pour Soap. This is from thekeepershouse . MP soap can be made into beautiful layers, fragrances and scents. MP soap comes out of molds really beautifully.



These Astro Pops from SoapyLove are wonderful! They remind me of when I was a kid and getting my favorite Popsicles from the Ice cream Man that came through our neighborhood.







These "turqoise gemstones" are actually glycerine soap! They are from AmethystSoap over on etsy. These look JUST like turquoise gemstone nuggets dont they?? So cute and creative. It is amazing what can be done with Glycerine soap base.


Last year I started making Cold Process Soap (CP). After my first trace,(where it first starts to thicken) I knew I was hooked. CP soap is the process of heating and mixing together lye, fats and oils, cooling and stirring until they thicken.(or saponify) Pour into molds, let sit for a day or two, and pop out. BUT because it is made with lye they need to sit and "cure" for about 4 weeks. The longer they sit out and cure, the more gentle the soap will be. If you were to use the soap right away, you would have very dryskin. The soap would be excessively harsh. Different oils give the soap different properties. Some oils and fats create great lather. Others give great moisturizing properties. Some make the bar of soap hard. The right combination of these fats and oils can give you amazing results. I like my bars a little on the hard side. I like lots of lather. I love shea and jojoba in my soap. 2 weeks ago I made oatmeal milk and honey soap. I made a great base and added ground oatmeal. The fragrance I used was Oatmeal Milk and Honey.. After I poured it, I cut it into bars. But I didnt like the smooth look of it. It is Oatmeal soap. So I grated it, reheated it and re- molded it into nubby, more earthy organic looking bars. I love it. So in 2 weeks when it is ready, I will have it listed in my shop.



These CP beauties are from DennisAnderson.

His soaps are really beautiful and very natural. This is Tango with Mango soap. The colors are beautiful and his swirling is very nice.






Daisycakessoap is the best B&B seller on etsy. She has sold more soaps than Proctor and Gamble practically! Her soaps are beautiful, unique and the packaging and display are out of this world.





This layered CP soap is from Pinkparchmentsoaps.

It is called raspberry parfait. I think it is beautiful. I love the layering and the slight swirl on top. Raspberry is a favorite soap scent of mine.




There is Also Hot Process Soap Making (HP). Hot Process is like Cold Process, except you cook or crock pot your soap ALL DAY. The bars are bumpy and more "handmade" looking AND you can use the soap as soon as it is set. BUT there are so many talented soapmakers that make the bars as smooth as CP soap, it is amazing. Practice makes perfect!!




This is HP soap from Dragon06.
Vegan friendly Mocha Cappuccino.







LilyBaySoap makes a goat milk HP soap. It looks so luxurious and creamy! Obviously, this is a non vegan bar.




No matter what your soap preference, there can be something found for everyone. Please check out some of the uber talented soapmakers on etsy. You wont be disappointed.

The Man Song

Every now and then I have to break out this bad boy and play it loud ebough for Charles to hear...just enough to bring home the point. Make him really think long and hard about his place on the totem pole in this relationship. This is Rodney Carrington on the Bob and Tom Show.


He's the man
He's the man

I dont take no crap from anybody...else but you
I wear the pants around here...when I finish with your laundry
Cuz I;m a guy you dont want to fight, when I say Jump you say ...yeah right
I'm the man of the house...until you get home.

he's the man he's the man

What I say goes around here...right out the window
And I don't want to hear a lot of whining...so I'll shut up
The sooner you learn who's boss around here...the sooner you can give me my orders dear
Cuz I'm head honcho around here...but it's all in my head.

he's the man he's the man

And I can have sex anytime...that you want it
Cuz I'm a man who has needs...but they're not that important
And dont expect any flowers from me...cuz if I'm not mistaken you prefer jewelry
I'm the King of my castle...when you're not around

hes the man he's the man

And i'll drink and watch sports whenever wanna...get in trouble
And I'll come home when I'm good and ready...to sleep on the couch
Cuz a Mans gotta do what a man's gotta do...and I'm gonna do what you tell me to
Because I'm top dog around here...but I've been neutered.

He's the man he's the man

Random snapshot and post of the day

Last week was Teacher appreciation week at Peters school. Each student was to bring in a flower, and then the teacher would have a mixed bouquet of flowers by her students.

So we went to Sams and Peter picked out Alstroemeria. It is also known as Peruvian Lily, aand each stem has several trumpet shaped blossoms. The stems are a beautiful green and the leaves are fairly long and full.

Well, Peter took 3 flowers. One for his teacher, one for the teachers assistant and one for his Physical Therapist, Miss Janet. I got the rest.

They have been sitting on my table in a vase for over a week now, and are still so beautiful. I took a picture of them last night to remember. These may be the best batch of Alstroemeria I have ever purchased. I try and buy at least 1 bouquet a month of them to have on my table. They last forever, they are really beautiful and they make me happy.