New Supplies - Video Review

More Awesome Supplies!

I broke a promise to myself... I actually promised myself that I would not buy any more fragrance oil this summer. I've got scents of every shade running out of my ears... But then, two magical things happened, and I ordered new goodies! Wanna see?

Well, the first magical happening coincided with a trip to town and a browse down the $1 aisle... and I stumbled upon some new silicone ice cube trays. I'll admit: I think I squealed like a fan girl when I realized what they were...

Oh my!

That's right! Bacon, lightning bolts, sausages, bottles, and pickles!
I HAD to get them... but what in the world was I going to scent these new, crazy soaps?
After doing a little research, I placed an order with Nature's Garden for some new fragrance oils: Bacon, Dill Pickle, Root Beer, and Mountain Dew! My husband thought that I had lost my mind, but I am so excited to offer these funky new soaps with funky new scents!

My only problem, is that I have NO IDEA what to scent those sausage soaps!! Ha!

The second magical happening involved Aztec Candle and Soap Supply Company out of Knoxville. Knoxville is about 2 hours west of me, and I have been dying to give their products a shot. Having a supplier so close is something that I have dreamed of. Well, last week, Aztec announced that they were holding a sale for the 4th of July holiday... All of their fragrance oils were $1 for 1 ounce! WOW!!

So, here's my haul:

Whoa, right? I've already used two of my new FOs (Gardenia and Cantaloupe/Lily), and I hope to use another one today! So far, the fragrances have performed perfectly! No acceleration or discoloration... They were a soaper's dream! Some of the other new fragrances that I picked up are Toasted Marshmallow, Bourbon, Tobacco, a Chamomile/Lavender blend, and Cactus and sea salt!

What a haul!

Supplies are in!

My great new LabColors!

To kick off 2013, I placed some pretty large orders with my suppliers, and I was so excited to pick up my boxes this past weekend! I was so happy with my supplies and so inspired to create new, beautiful soaps and products that I just HAD to share my goodies with you!

I bought lots of goodies from Brambleberry.com, including citric acid for my bath bomb base, deodorized cocoa butter for my lip balms and lotion bars, rose clay to be added to soaps, and castor oil for my soaps, which adds big bubbles to the lather.


My favorite products from Bramble Berry are their LabColors. Their high ph colors are fantastic in cold process soap, and I decided to get the classic 6 colors: Brick red, Vibrant orange, marigold yellow, azure blue, grape, and soft jade (green). I am so excited to start working with these gorgeous colors, and I am beyond excited to have a great, stable blue and purple in cold process soap!

Supplies from Bramble Berry!

I also got some fantastic fragrance oils from AromaHaven.com. I sadly found out that my most popular fragrance, Granny's Green Apples, is being discontinued, so I ordered 3 16oz. bottles of it in order to stock up as much as I could. I also bought the following fragrances:
Fig and Sweet Almond
Marigold Mint
Love Spell
Pink Hydranga
Cinnamon Buns
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Sea Kelp
White Jasmine
Lime and Coconut
Green Tea and Cucumber
Tibetan Black Tea

Loads of fragrance oils!

I made one last order to a new supplier, NaturesGardenCandles.com. I was in need of a plain Cheesecake fragrance oil, and they fit the bill! I also grabbed some great new 4 ounce jars and lids, so I am looking forward to making and listing some brand new salt scrubs in my Etsy shop!

2013 is going to be a great year! I am going to start working with my new fragrances tomorrow, and I will be diluting my new colors and testing them in cold process soap. I cannot wait! Keep an eye out on my Etsy shop to see all the newness coming your way!

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!

Michael's Clearance Score!

Before my trip to Mississippi, I wrangled my toddler and took a quick trip to Michael's craft store to stock up on some yarn. I knew that the car ride was going to be at least 8 hours long, and I figured I would need a way to keep busy, and my crochet needle was the way to go!

So, I kept my kiddo happy with music from my iPhone and picked out 8 gorgeously colored skeins of yarn. And then I did what I always do in craft stores: head to the soap making department!

My haul! :oD

You can imagine my surprise when I saw all the new soap fragrances and new packaging that Michael's in carrying! New fragrances in larger bottles, new colorants in bright packaging, new molds and cutters and all kinds of things to make me feel giddy!

Then... it hit me... Michael's has a clearance section!
So, I raced with my son and my buggy full of yarn, only to find that the supplies that had been replaced were all marked down considerably! So, after I stopped squealing, jumping, dancing, and receiving strange looks from the other customers, I had scored 6 bottles of rose fragrance oil, 5 bottles of plumeria fragrance oil (my husband's favorite!), 3 bottles of pearberry fragrance oil, 3 tubs of pearl shine, and 4 tubs of glitter!

And I scored them all for... $0.79 each!

$0.79!!

I've already started making pearberry scented bath bombs and drying rose petals for soap!
And I'm already making plans to visit a few other stores to see if I can get this lucky again!
Life is great!
Happy Creating!

New Fragrances and... Bath Fizzies!

It's that time again... The exciting moment when I place an order for new supplies! My favorite time of year! As always, I placed my order with AromaHaven.com and it arrived lightning fast! I ordered Sunday night and my package was on my doorstep by Tuesday. They have fantastic customer service!

I am so excited about my four new fragrances, and I have big plans for them! The first one on my list of "must-haves" was Blackberry sage. I have heard loads about this rich, herbal fragrance, and was dying to stick my nose in it! :o) The blackberry is a sweet, light high note, followed by the rich, warm, herbal scent of sage. It is going to make a lovely soap, but I am really dying to try it in wax tarts (which I am hoping to expand into this summer!)

My four new scents!

One fragrance that I definetly wanted to invest in is a rich Christmas scent. Last year during the holiday season, I snagged a great 3-D Christmas tree mold, and I am already anxious to give it a try. So, my second fragrance of choice is one called "Country Christmas." I've actually smelled this in candles before, but never placed it. The scent is a great mixture of all of the wonderful things about Christmas: mulberry, cranberry, pine, and rich spices.

Third, and the one that I am most anxious to soap with, is a simple fragrance called "Granny's Green Apple." It is the perfect representation of a granny smith apple, to the point where my mouth waters when I sniff! A few months back, I had an interesting idea for a Halloween soap based off of the poison apple from "Snow White", and I cannot wait for you all to see it! (Hint: no poison, just loads of apple goodness!)

My fourth and final fragrance was a tough one, but I made the perfect choice... My in-laws own a dairy farm in East Tennessee, and every summer and fall they attend county fairs and participate n dairy cattle shows. My mother-in-law has been encouraging me for the past three years to set up a booth to sell my wares, and this year, I am going to do it. So, I will be making dairy cattle inspired soaps! I just needed to find the right scent... and I found it in "Clover Fields and Aloe." It is light, arid, and reminds me of the sweet smells coming from the fields after a cool rain.

Bath fizzy base... I cannot wait to dig in!

Along with my new fragrances, I picked up two pounds of premade bath bomb base. For months, I have been researching how to make bath bombs and bath fizzies, and I've been weighing my options between premade bases or bases made from scratch. Once our move is complete next week, I'll be making my first bath bombs, so look for a blog post soon!!

I am so excited about my new supplies, and my hat goes off to AromaHaven and their fantastic products and services! Thanks so much!

Happy Crafting!