Workshop Series: T-Shirt Bags

The Summer Workshops at Soapendipity have been underway for a few weeks and everyone is having so much fun completing the projects. Here are the photos from the first project: recycled t-shirt bags.

Before everyone showed up, I gathered all of the materials. For this project I had fabric paint, fabric for appliques, puffy paint, an assortment of foam stamps and paint brushes.

The t-shirts I picked up at the Goodwill for $1.00/each. I chose plain colored shirts in children's sizes so that the bags would not be too big, but really you could use any t-shirt.

The applique idea came to me the morning of the workshop, so I quickly grabbed some scraps from home. It was a big ol' mountain of fabric!

The girls started by cutting out their appliques and planning their design.

Once the design was ready, it was time to cut! To make the bag, simply cut off the sleeves and around the neck. Because I wanted to kids to be able to complete the bags from start to finish, we used a no-sew technique to close off the bottom. At home, you could use a sewing machine and sew up the bottom.

It was so much fun to watch the bags come together! For the sun, Reegan used a piece of fabric for the center and half of a swirl foam stamp for the rays. I don't think I ever would have thought of that.

Here is an applique butterfly she created using two hearts for the body. We used Heat 'n Bond and an iron to apply the appliques.

The finished products were really great!

The girls had such a great time that they even came back the next week!

Workshops are held at Soapendipity weekly, through August and are offered at 10:00 am and 5:00 pm. Class space is limited, so please RSVP if you would like to attend.

My Top 5 Best Selling Soaps

In the almost two years since I have been selling my soap I have have offered my customers a lot of fragrance choices. At times, I have had over 20 to choose from! By far, these five have consistently been my top sellers.

5. Moroccan Mint
This blend of peppermint, spearmint and corn mint is cool and refreshing. With a sprinkling of black tea, this is more of a sophisticated mint, rather than a WOW! mint scent. It will give your senses a lift without you smelling like a stick of gum.

4. Lemon Verbena
This is a duplication of the popular Yankee Candle fragrance. Along with the lemon verbena, there are also notes of bergamot, primrose and violet. Keep smelling this fantastic fragrance and you might also detect notes of amber, white musk and an itty bitty drop of peppermint. I have tossed in some poppy seeds for gentle exfoliation.

3. Summer Melon

The first time I put this soap out, I sold 20 bars in one day! It is a perfect summer fragrance, with cantaloupes, watermelons and canary melons coming together, topped with Japanese grapefruit, crisp apple, pomelo and a dash of tonka.  If you are a fan of cucumber melon, you should definitely give this one a try, for a delightful change of pace.

2. Dragonsblood

In spite of its funny sounding name (or maybe because of it), I can not keep this fragrance in stock! It is well loved by both men and women. This alluring blend has notes of amber, incense, Madagascar vanilla and patchouli.

1. Oatmeal, Milk & Honey

I use farm fresh goat milk, honey and colloidal oatmeal to create my best selling bar of soap. A sweet and toasty fragrance combined with skin loving ingredients combine for a bar of soap you and your skin will love.  

All of these soaps are available in my retail store, my Etsy shop and at both the Ellensburg and Roslyn farmer's markets. If you are having trouble deciding, you definitely cannot go wrong with choosing one (or more) of these fragrances.

Which is your favorite?

Soapendipity: In Haiku

Soap, scrub, moisturize

Keeps us clean and smelling good

Don't eat the cupcake!

Monsters in the soap

They smell like watermelon

The kids want to wash

Soapendipity

A place for friends to gather

To make soap and stuff

Dachshunds on Parade

There is a soap for that too

Little wiener dogs

Lip balm in a tube

It's like lotion for your lips

Smooth and kissable

What every girl needs

A bag to put it all in

With a zipper top

Please do me a favor.

A week ago, I posted the winner of my party favor giveaway. And since then I have been working with Belle to design her custom party favors for her father's day party. In case you missed the winning announcement, here is her story:

I will be having a large fathers day party this year. (We have a large family and our dad is in liver failure so we celebrate every chance we can for him) I would love to try out your lotion and this would be the perfect chance.

I was very excited to be able to do this for her and her dad and I couldn't wait to get started! From our initial contact, she told me she wanted the color scheme to be blue and the theme to be "Reach for the Stars". From that, I ended up with this initial design:

I sent her this proof and she said it was great, but I still thought there was something missing:

More STARS!!  Now it was perfect and I could move on to the next step:

Labeling and filling the bottles.

 As you can see, she selected the popular Cucumber Melon fragrance.

Don't they look great?! But they are not quite done. To finish them off, they went into a cellophane bag and were tied up with matching ribbon with the tag attached.

I just love curling ribbon!

Now they are ready for their close-up!

The perfect little party package!

They are now on their way to Belle and her family, just in time for Father's Day. I cannot wait to hear all about the party, where I am sure they will be a hit.

Do you like what you see here? Let me know about your upcoming party or event and I will design you your own unique favors. And now through the end of June I am offering 10% off on all custom designs (minimum order of 10). Please click the pink "email me" button at the top right of the page and include the following:

• How many guests?
• What you would like? (lotion, lip balm, soap, or a combination)
• Date of the party?

I will get you a price quote within 24 hours. Please allow at least 2 weeks for completion and shipping. If you need a rush order, please let me know and I will try to accommodate the request.

P.S. For those of you with eagle eyes, you may have noticed that there was a watermark on the image in first two pictures. You will be happy to know that once the design was approved, I did obtain the rights to use the image.

Conquering My Fears

Most people wouldn't know this about me, but I have social anxiety. Panic attacks included. When I think about it, it seems completely irrational to me. I am a teacher, after all. I have zero, zip, zilch fear of giving speeches, being in front of a classroom or talking to people...when they approach me. Ask the guy at Safeway where the Cheerios are? Piercing my ears with a dull needle would be less painful. Make a phone call to pretty much anyone? I'll take the root canal, please. Walk into a store and ask them if they would be interested in selling my products? Kill me now.

It's the last one that has me writing this post today. I love what I do and I know the products I create are wonderful, but...I. Can't. Sell. And if you are going to own a retail store, be able to promote the business, and have any hope of it being successful, you just have to be able to go out and make the sale. So what's a fear and anxiety riddled girl to do?

Make a little, sell a little, take small steps. 
3M Corporation Creed 

1. Focus on all the things I can do, rather than dwell on the things I can't do. I made a list. You know what? There are lots of things I can do and things that I am really good at. Now, how am I going to use those qualities to my advantage? I made a list for that too!

2. Remove the word CAN'T from my vocabulary. This one is easier said than done. When I feel that paralyzing fear take over my entire body it really does feel like I physically can't do something. But the word is so limiting - when you say it, you are telling yourself, "Nope, not even going to try."  And I really do want to be able to do it. So it isn't that I can't, but that it is just really hard for me. 

3. Say it loud, say it proud! Part of the fear is admitting I have the fear. So I am telling everyone. Friends, especially. I have received so much encouragement and offers to help, it is truly amazing. Which brings me to part B: accept said offers of help! Yes, please. 

4. Do one thing each day in facing my fear - no matter how small. In a meeting last week, I was sitting next to a local business person I want to talk to about selling my products. I proceeded to have a conversation with her...in my head. At that moment, it was enough and the next moment, it will be more.

5. Start with the people that I know will not say no. This is the first cousin to 3 and 4, but I thought it deserved its own number - because as obvious as this one sounds, it is still one I get hung up on. Face it, when a friend rejects your business idea it is both a personal rejection and a business rejection, right?? Wrong! First of all, some of them have already offered to help, their yes is already in the bag. Secondly, will we still be friends, even if they say no? Of course we will! 

6. Take advantage of all the opportunities that happen inside my comfort zone. I can talk to you for days about my products - as long as you initiate the conversation, or walk into my store, or check out my booth at the market. This is my comfort zone, but I still miss thousands of opportunities to ask for the sale.  

This goal also includes bringing up my business in casual conversation. Yesterday, at the grocery store, I ran into another mom I know. We started talking about coupons and summer vacation. She has a daughter that is the perfect age to enjoy the Soap Bar, so I suggested she bring her in with some friends this summer and I handed her my business card. She hadn't even heard of Soapendipity, but agreed that her daughter would love it. How many of these opportunities do I miss out on every day? Tons! And it really wasn't that hard.

Why am I sharing all of this with you?

"The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen."

Lee Iacocca 

That, and it goes along with #3 very nicely, don't you think?  As I am writing this, it does occur to me that it probably won't be one of my most read posts. I mean, it is long, there are no pictures, it is long, it is pretty much all about me, and it is long. But, in the off chance you have made it this far, I would love it if you would share with me what you have done to overcome your fears.

Little Monsters

Little Monsters Soaps

Spring Cleaning Sale (Supplies)

Today I went through my cupboards and decided to surplus some of my soaping supplies, at a discount to you. If you are interested, please email me: melissa@soapendipity.com and I will calculate postage and send you a Paypal invoice. I will take these in the order they are received, so I apologize if something has already been spoken for. Ingredients listed were purchased by me in 2011.

A quick note about how I calculated the prices: 20% off today's website purchase price, prorated to the amount I have available (unless otherwise noted).

Purchased from Bramble Berry
Essential oils:
Anise, Star 3.0 oz $6.17
Balsam Peru 3.7 oz $24.71
Basil 2.5 oz $4.86
Cedarwood 3.4 oz $6.09 sold
Clary Sage 3.4 oz $12.92
Egyptian Geranium 2.5 oz $12.50
Elemi 3.4 oz $17.71
Eucalyptus 3.3 oz $3.33
Fennel, Sweet 3.7 oz $7.19 sold
Fir Needle 3.2 oz $5.12 sold
Grapefruit 12 oz $13.63 sold
Lemongrass 6.5 oz $8.86 sold
Litsea 2.3 oz $3.50 sold
Orange Valencia 8 oz $3.50 sold
Patchouli 3.0 oz $21.11
Rosemary 3.3 oz $6.41
Sage, Dalmation 3.6 oz $11.88
Tea Tree 3.4 oz $11.94
White Thyme 3.7 oz $14.05


Misc. Ingredients:
DPG 13 oz $2.28
Titanium Dioxide 8 oz $3.20 sold
Sparkle Gold Mica 4 oz $9.60
Dry-Flo 8 oz $3.11
Eco-Soya Xcel Wax 5 lbs $9.24
Crothix Pastilles 8 oz $2.86

Misc. Supplies (15% off)
8 oz Bottle w/pump 30/ea $16.07
Flexible Alphabet Embed Mold 1 ea $3.40
36 Bar Slab Mold w/ dividers $89.68
4 lb Loaf Mold $30.60

Purchased from TheSage.com
Allantoin 4 oz $6.00
Aloe Extract 8 oz $3.84
Carnauba Wax 8 oz $3.56
Candelilla Wax 8 oz $4.80 sold
Dimethicone 16 oz $5.76
Lanolin, anhydrous 12 oz $6.00 sold
Meadowfoam Oil 4 oz $9.20
Sodium Lactate 16 oz $3.60
Squalane 4 oz $8.32
Wheat Germ Oil 16 oz $5.84

Please email me your list to melissa@soapendipity.com and I will calculate shipping and send you a Paypal invoice. Let me know if you have any questions.

Happy Soaping!

We have a winner!

This was my first blog contest and my biggest giveaway ever, with the lucky winner receiving 20 custom party favors in her choice of lip balm, lotion, or soap. I am happy to announce...

Commenter #19 - Schizobelle2 (Belle Wa) is the winner!!! Here is her party story:

I will be having a large fathers day party this year. (We have a large family and our dad is in liver failure so we celebrate every chance we can for him) I would love to try out your lotion and this would be the perfect chance.

I am very excited to work with Belle in designing the perfect party favor and will be blogging the process for you all to see. In the meantime, I would still love to design the perfect party favors for the rest of you too! Please contact me with the details. For the month of June, I am offering all of my readers 10% off their custom party favor order.

A few of my favorite things!

Skin. Our body's largest organ. And although remarkably thin, it has a mighty big job to do.  Our skin helps us regulate our body heat, protects us from the environment, keeps water and other good stuff in, and allows us to feel (hot, cold, pleasure, pain, pressure, vibration). With all the responsibilities we heap upon our skin, do you really think we should be putting things on it with names like sodium lauroyl isethionate, tetrasodium etidronate, and ammonium lauryl sulfate? I think not!

With all of the wonderful, skin loving, and easy to pronounce ingredients available to me, there are a few that I just can't live without using in my products. I present to you, dear readers, my top 10 11.

1.  Olive Oil: An excellent moisturizer and a good choice for use on babies and people with sensitive skin.

2.  Avocado Oil: In addition to being moisturizing, this oil is thought to be healing as well. High in proteins, amino acids, and vitamins A, D and E, avocado oil is a good choice for those with dry skin, sun damaged skin and eczema.

3.  Shea Butter: Highly valued for its protective and emollient properties, shea butter has been shown to be effective in helping with stretch marks, eczema, extremely dry skin and wrinkles.

4.  Lavender Essential Oil: This is one of the few essential oils that can be used directly on the skin without dilution and is one of the most popular essential oils. Everyone should keep a bottle of lavender essential oil on hand! This oil is amazing on burns, insect bites and other skin irritations.

5.  Jojoba Oil: This oil is actually a liquid wax and is easily absorbed by the skin, leaving no oily residue. Jojoba oil is another ingredient that is thought to reduce and prevent wrinkles and stretch marks.

6.  Goat Milk: Goat milk has a pH similar to our own skin, as well as vitamins and alpha hydroxy acids to nourish and smooth the skin. Additionally, goat milk soap has the most wonderful, creamy lather.


7.  Honey: As we age, our skin begins to lose its ability to retain moisture. Honey is a humectant which will draw moisture to itself and then help retain the moisture. The result is naturally soft, supple and beautiful skin.


8.  Coffee: Yes, coffee! Caffeine is know to have anti-inflammatory properties, which can help to reduce redness, puffiness and under-eye circles. Coffee seed oil is rich in phytosterols which promote excellent moisture retention, quick penetration and has that wonderful coffee aroma.


9.  Oatmeal: Oatmeal is great for soothing dry, itchy skin.


10. Sugar: The glycolic acid combined with its scrubby texture will exfoliate the skin, leaving a healthy glow.


Edited to add:


11. Aloe Vera: Anyone who has ever had a sunburn knows why I just had to come back and add this to the list. It is lauded for its ability to heal and soothe dry, inflamed, and otherwise irritated skin.

There you have it, my top 10 11 list of essential skin loving ingredients for the products I make. Oh, and I just noticed something else. Each and every one of these ingredients can be found at a grocery or health food store! Try finding ammonium lauryl sulfate on the shelf at your local Safeway. Well, I haven't actually looked, but I am pretty sure you won't find it!

Try it...I dare you!

"You can't look at a cupcake without smiling."

Cupcake Cold Process Soap

Where Are My Party People?

June is a huge month for celebrations.  Of course there is the obvious: Father's Day, graduations and weddings. But there is also: my son passed 4th grade, my divorce is final, my shorts from last summer still fit, or that kid in my class is finally moving on to 5th grade. Recently, we have had cause to celebrate the end of "Sprinter", that dreadful season between winter and spring that we seem to be languishing in this year. My point is, just like there is always room for J.E.L.L.O, there is always a reason to party! And what party would be complete without a party favor? Okay, so technically you can have a party without a party favor, but go with me on this, I am getting to the good part.

Over the last few months, I have had the opportunity to design party favors for several events.  I enjoy the creativity that comes with offering you a unique product that will make your celebration even more memorable. If you follow Soapendipity on Facebook, you know that I recently posted about an upcoming contest. I said that it is going to be HUGE and I am not going to disappoint. The winner of this contest is going to win a custom set of party favors (up to 20)!! The favor will be designed around your party theme and I will even let you choose lip balm, lotion, or soap.

Custom Wedding Favors

Here is what I ask of you:

1. Be having a party in June (or early early July).
2. Be at least 18 years of age.
3. Live in U.S.
4. Let me blog about the design process for your favors.
5. Be willing to take pictures and make comments of the event for an upcoming blog post.

Baby Shower Favors

What? You say you don't have a party planned in June? I am sure you can put on your thinking cap and come up with a reason you need 20 little celebration gifts. But in case you are still stuck, here are a few:

• End of the year teacher and school support staff 
• Girl's night out (you know you want one!)
• Family reunion
• I'm moving, here is my new address
• Neighborhood barbecue
• It's not Monday
• I'm out on parole
• The world did not end on May 21
• The test came back negative (or positive)
• Got that promotion at work (or its cousin, I survived the latest round of layoffs)

You can enter this contest by writing a comment to this post telling me about your celebration, the party theme, and what you would choose (lip balm, lotion, soap) if you win. And to sweeten the deal, here is how you can get extra entries:

1. "Like" Soapendipity on Facebook with your personal profile.
2. Follow Soapendipity on Twitter.
3. Post a link to this blog contest on your personal Facebook page. (Make sure you tag @Soapendipity in the post, so that I can see it.) Only once a day, please.
4. Tweet about this blog contest with a link on Twitter. Again, only once a day and tagging Soapendipity.
5. Follow this blog via email.

Be sure to post an extra comment for each entry. I will be randomly drawing a winner next Friday, June 3rd. 

Giving Soap: A Tutorial

My friend Amy gave me some cute washcloths and asked if I would put each of them together with a bar of soap. I tried a few different ways of assembling them, and finally settled on this "swaddling" technique.

They turned out so cute and they were super easy to do, so I thought I would share it with you how I did it.

Start with some new washcloths.

Lay one out flat (tag facing up).

Begin folding each corner toward the middle.

Now you see that all four corners have been folded in, and your square should be on-point.

Fold the top point down to the middle.

Place the bar of soap onto the towel, aligned with the top fold.

Fold the bottom point up, as you did with the top.

Then, fold the bottom up over the bar of soap.

Continue swaddling the soap by folding in the sides.  You should make it pretty snug, you don't want the baby...err...bar of soap to fall out.

Tie with a ribbon.  In this case, I re-used the ribbon had been bundling the new washcloths. Don't you just love that?!

Did you notice my switcharoo from blue to pink?  I didn't have anymore ribbon from the bundles left to tie the blue one, but I think I was able to get six tied with the two lengths of ribbon I had.

So cute!

And oh, so easy!

Consider trying this the next time you buy a bar of my soap to give to that special someone.  It's a gift that is sure to be adored and appreciated! Pretty AND practical, how can you go wrong with that?!