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!

Fantastic Supplies for Fall/Winter!

It may be June, but my eyes and nose are already deep into Fall and Winter! This month, I will begin making my fall soaps and other items, so I've started getting in new fragrances for fall and winter, as well as working on summer makeovers for my wax tarts and bath bombs.

Lets get to the good stuff first! Fragrances!
I made an order with a new company this week: TheCandleSource.com! I found them through eBay, but I ended up buying directly through them. I picked up three fragrances: Kumquat, Sleigh Ride, and Monkey Farts. I've had many requests for Monkey Farts, so I was anxious to get this one in. I am so delighted with my goodies, the shipping was fast, the prices were excellent, and I cannot recommend TheCandleSource enough!

I also made an order with AromaHaven. I love selling wax tarts, but this summer I decided to give my tarts a makeover from the single tart to clamshell breakaway tarts. My wax also got a makeover: All of my tarts are now being made with soy wax! I picked up some great clamshell molds/packaging from AromaHaven, and I am so pleased with the results.
While at AromaHaven, I picked up four new fragrances:
-- Wild Muscadine: A sweet grape scent with hints of musk... Totally Southern!
-- Applejack N' Peel: An apple, cinnamon, and cider blend. Another heavily requested scent!
-- Corn Husk: A combo of citrus, sweet fruit, floral, and amber musk
-- Red Maple Leaf: A lighter scent with maple leaf, patchouli, sandalwood, and fern.

I also ordered some new molds off of eBay for my upcoming craft shows.

First, I ordered a new Snowflake silicone mold, which arrived today. I am already thinking of Peppermint soaps, Eucalyptus soaps, Sleigh Ride Soaps, and lots and lots of glitter!

Second, I ordered a cute Apple silicone mold. I picked up the Apple mold because I recently applied to attend the Apple Festival in Erwin, TN, and if I am picked to attend (cross your fingers!), I'll have apple-shaped soaps with me! (Sneak peek: My apple soaps will be scented with applejack n' peel, apples and mint jelly, and granny's green apple!)

This fall is going to smell amazing! I cannot wait to get started!

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!

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!

New Supplies for January!!

Translucent Lip Balm Tubes

For my birthday this year (I celebrated my 28^th on January 2nd!), my husband gifted me with a supply order for my shop! Best. Gift. Ever!

The very first thing that I grabbed up was a set of translucent lip balm tubes with caps, as well as tamper-evident wraps for the finished product. Since I started making lip balms, I've had a few people (my sister was the most vocal!) who have asked for tubes instead of tins. So, I obliged!

Next, I knew that I wanted to add to my lip balm line with a new, fresh flavor. I wanted to pick one that was different from my other flavors... So, I chose this fantastic Cherry Berry! It smells like sweet, tart cherries, with a mix of strawberries and blueberries. To make the lip balm perfect, I am going to tint the balm with either a rosy pink or a nice red.

New Fragrances and Flavors! Yum!

One of the great things about ordering from Rustic Escentuals is that when you order more than $15 in product, you get the option of picking out two 1 oz. Fragrance oils for free! When choosing my fragrance oils, I decided to go a more masculine route and picked Green Irish Tweed and Lumberjack. Green Irish Tweed is a classic cologne scent that smells sweet and musky. I felt pretty confident about the GIT, but the Lumberjack was a bit more of a leap-of-faith. And I am so glad I took that leap! The Lumberjack scent smells amazing! It is very woodsy, and reminds me of a fireplace burning pine logs with a hint of sweet floral undertone. It was a fantastic leap of faith!

The single best thing about Rustic Escentuals is their amazingly quick shipping! I ordered from them early monday morning, and my package was in by wednesday! And their customer service on their facebook page is some of the best that I have ever encountered!

All in all, I am silly excited about my birthday present! I cannot wait to get started on some great smelling men's soaps and some berry awesome lip balm!

Happy creating, dolls!