Summer Round Up (picture heavy!)

With Labor Day, summer is officially over, and it is back to the grind.
I wanted to recap the summer, looking at what all I accomplished with my time off from studying...

After some thought and consideration, I entered a few soaps in the local county fairs to be judged. I was so excited to place at both fairs this year!
At the Appalachian Fair, my Pomegranate Vanilla soap placed third in the Valentine's Day category, and my Jack-o-lantern soap placed third in the Halloween category! I was so excited and honored because they competition was fierce. Too bad they did not have a soap category, because...
At the Greene County Fair, my Green Grass soap placed first in the soap category! Wow! What a huge achievement!

I spent a lot of time this summer making new soaps and trying out different swirls... I'm pretty proud of the results, and they inspire me to try new color combinations and patterns. Here's some of my favorites:

My Applejack and Peel soap with the peacock swirl turned out amazing! 

Blackberry sage was my first try at the peacock swirl, and it turned out rather well!! 

(I also waited all summer for the blackberries to ripen so I could get these photos!!)

This is my chamomile soap with embedded loofahs! Love it!

New facial soap: tea tree and peppermint with activated charcoal and shea butter!

A lot of my time was also spent on editing a book that I am writing... It is a how-to book that I hope to share with you all very soon. I've also been researching crowdsourcing options as well, so keep a lookout for some big announcements coming from me after the Christmas season!

Both coffees were not mine... but I would have
drank them both if I could have!

And... of course... I spent most of my time with my sweet son, who turned three years old in July. We went on many adventures together, we played and learned together, we potty trained and weaned together, and now he is my big guy, heading off to his first year in Headstart! Of everything that I accomplished this summer, spending my days with him was the most fun and most rewarding.

So now, we head back to school and off to some new adventures!

Coming Soon in 2013

Last year, I ended 2011 with a post about what I was working on for 2012. I figured I would keep up the tradition and give everyone a preview of what I am working on for January 2013 and beyond! 

Pipe Smoke Salt Soap with Nettle

First, I am excited to announce that I will be debuting a whole new line of soaps, starting this week! They are salt soaps, made with real sea salt! All of the soaps will be made with coconut oil and castor oil, so all of them will be vegan friendly. They will come in many different scents and colors and shapes! I love the salt soaps because the salt works to exfoliate the skin and soften it at the same time.

Next, be on the lookout for three new lip balm flavors! I was excited to get these for Christmas from my husband... The new flavors are Blueberry, Peach, and Margarita! The blueberry is sweet and juicy, the peach has a creaminess to it that reminds me of peach oatmeal, and the Margarita has a little bite to it. Yum!

Blueberry Lip Balm

My face scrubbies are going to be getting a makeover soon. Before now, my face scrubbies have been a grab bag of mystery colors. Starting soon, you will be able to purchase the exact colors or patterns that you want! It makes shopping much easier!

As 2013 gets underway, I am looking forward to adding two new products to my shop: solid lotion bars and sugar scrub! I have formulated good recipes for both products, but I am still working out the kinks with packaging and shipping. As soon as I can get the technicalities worked out, these two new products will be live on my Etsy shop!

Also, keep an eye out for new YouTube videos, new tutorials and featured posts on my blog, and new scents in my Etsy shop!

2013 looks to be a fun, fabulous year, and I am excited for you all to see the fun new soaps I have been working on! Happy Bubbling!

New Supplies from Aroma Haven

Right before the end of the new year, I found myself with only 4 empty lip balm tubes left in my stock! Oh no! So, before I ran out (my lip balms were very popular this year as stocking stuffers!), I put in a quick order from Aroma Haven. And whenever I put in an order to Aroma Haven, I cant get just one or two things...

Peach and Blueberry Lip Balm Flavors

So, here's the fun, new goodies I got!

First, I decided to add a few more flavors to my line of lip balms. Instead of unique or "strange" scents (like Snow Cone... That one really intrigues people!), I got some old faithfuls. My new lip balm flavors are Blueberry and Peach! They are both very true to their fruit counterparts, with just the right amount of creaminess that makes them perfect for lips!
And, of course, I restocked my lip balm tubes and my tamper resistant bands.

One of the great things about Aroma Haven is that when you purchase an order over $15, you get to pick out two fragrance oils to try for free! My original thought was to stock up on scents for Valentine's Day... But, as I looked around the site, it hit me... MEN! So, I grabbed two masculine scents that caught my eye, and I made excellent choices.

New Masculine Scents: Pipe Smoke and Barbershop 1920's

The first scent is called "Pipe Smoke." My husband adored this fragrance as soon as I told him it was on its way. It is light and musky, with some cherry middle notes. It is not heavy or over powering. I was so excited about this scent that I have already used it! I used the fragrance in a salt bar paired with nettle for a natural green color... That soap will be cured and in my Etsy shop in the first week of January.
The second scent is called "Barbershop 1920's." It really reminds me of the old timey barbershops, with that classic shaving cream smell. I do smell hints of bay and maybe a dash of rum or nutmeg. This would make a great shaving soap, or maybe a new beer soap? Not sure yet, but I'm definitely inspired!

My new soaps and lip balms will go live in January 2013! My little Kodak camera is on the fritz, so I am hoping to get a new camera for Christmas (*HINT MOM!*). :o) Keep an eye out for them!