S.O.A.P. Testing Reveals!

Here's the reveal!!

Enjoy!!

Heritage Days, 2012

I'm excited to announce that I have been accepted to show at Heritage Days in Rogersville, TN on October 13-14, 2012!! Come out and see me!

Brambleberry S.O.A.P. Team, Fall/Winter 2012

I am so excited to announce that I have been chosen to be part of the S.O.A.P. testers team for Brambleberry.com! I was over-the-moon excited about getting chosen... To be part of such an elite group really validates me as a soap artisan!

Brambleberry sent me a huge package of 10 mystery fragrance oils, all smelling like the delicious smells of autumn and winter. My job was to evaluate the fragrances at first sniff, then test them out in a few different mediums, like cold process soap, bath bombs, or candles, and report back on the fragrances (how they performed, scent changes, my favorites, etc.).

So, after loads of thought, I decided to test out my fragrances in cold process soap, and I took video of the entire process!

Part One of Three: Making my base soap

Part Two of Three: Fragrance Oils #1 - #5

Part Three of Three: Fragrance Oils #6 - #10

I've been taking photographs of the different soaps as they cure, and I made a small bar of soap off-camera to act as my control bar to compare each fragrance to. I plan on making a fourth video in the next few days to see the results of my tests... I cant wait to see the final products!!

Stick Blender Goodness

I have finally broke down and got myself a stick blender!

However, it is not what you would think. I have actually been given a used stick blender from my dad! Even though the stick blender is second hand, it works really well with soapmaking. I have already used it once, and it looks like I am never going back to the whisk!

My new to me stick blender is a Braun 200 W blender. It also came with a chop attachment, which is convenient! The bottom P's of the blender comes off and is dishwasher safe, which makes it great for cleanup.

When using a stick blender to make soap, you want to make sure that you "burp" the blender before you start using it. When you burp the blender, you tap the blender in the oils lightly to bring out any air bubbles. This prevents any splashing made by the blender. Always make sure to "burp" your stick blender before mixing!

Featured in Etsy Gifts!

I am so excited to announce that I was featured in Etsy's email, Etsy Gifts on Sunday! My green apple bath bombs were featured in a collection of bath and body Christmas in July Gifts! <3 You can view the email here.

What a fantastic opportunity! <3

Christmas In July 2012

This year, I have decided to join in with my Etsy bretheren and I am participating in this year's Christmas in July sale!

You can catch my entire shop discounted to 10% off from now until July 22!

Take advantage of this great offer!

PS: I'm so sorry that I have been neglecting my poor little blog! Look for more exciting content coming soon!

Lip Balm Tubes

I love my lip balms! Seriously! I use my lip balms all the time, and I usually have at least 3 floating around in my purse. However, after talking with a few customers, it has come to my attention that most of my customers prefer my lip balms in tubes, rather than my lip balms in tins.

So, I am officially taking my lip balm tins off the market, and making all of those great flavors in lip balm tubes.

The flavors and balms will be the exact same. Just the packaging will change.

I am also going to be debuting some more lip balms made with natural flavors, such as lemon, lime, clove, and licorice!

My plan is to have the current flavors replaced on Etsy and Zibbet by next Friday (June 22), and my new flavors will start to roll out starting on Monday, June 25.

So, if you prefer the lip balm tubes, make sure to grab them up before they are gone!

Summertime Lip Balms

If you are like me, and you are hopelessly addicted to lip balm, then this PSA is for you!

Lip balms are wonderful! They help to soothe capped or sore lips, and they keep our lips soft and supple! Lip balms can come in a variety of fragrances and with different ingredients, but handmade lip balms are quite different from the store bought brand. My lip balms are made with a combination of beeswax, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, or cocoa butter to create wonderful, natural balms. The addition of edible fragrance oils or edible essential oils gives a little flavor to the balm.

My lip balms are pretty solid in their tubes or jars... However, in the heat of the summer, the balms can sometimes become mushy... And no one likes a mushy lip balm!

So, when you order lip balms from me during the hot summer months, before you open the seal on the tubes or tins, just pop your lip balm in the fridge for about an hour, and the balm will harden right back up! You can do the same thing for your store bought lip balms when they get left in hot cars... we've all been there!

Happy summer, everyone! Keep those lips moist!

Blackberry and Sage soap preview

Today, I cut one of my finest loafs of soap to date! Actually, it started off as a disaster! My purple colorant morphed into pepto-pink, my green faded to cream, and I spilled a few ounces of soap batter all over the counter! (it's always a good idea to keep some vinegar handy for spills like that!) By the time I slopped the soap into the mold, I was so frustrated that I could have tossed the whole thing!

Instead, on a whim, I decided to oven process my soap. Basically, I put my soap in my warm oven (under 200 degrees) for 2 hours, then let it sit undisturbed overnight, forcing the soap to go through the gel phase.

And my results were worth it! My fragrance is strong and stable, my pink colorant has really popped, and the creamy color seems to have recovered some of the list green! I am over-the-moon excited about this soap!

Look for it in my Etsy shop in 4 weeks... But here is a preview to hold you over:

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!

Wordless Wednesday

Tutorial: Homemade Deodorant

Homemade deodorant? Man, Milly must have really gone off the deep end...

Nope! I promise! You are going to LOVE this homemade deodorant! There are no aluminum or any other nasty additives. And it actually works really good! It took me about 10 minutes total to make my deodorant, and I even had some left over... Plus, it is super cheap!

Your Supplies

You will need:
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup corn starch
3 tsp coconut oil (you can use shea butter if you prefer. I havent tried it, though)
1-3 drops of essential oil or body safe fragrance oil
Mixing bowl
Container (I used an empty deodorant container and it's working great)

1. Combine the dry ingredients together.

2. Add your coconut oil and fragrance. I combined them together using my hands, but a spatula would work well, too. The coconut oil may melt a little if you use your hands.
3. When it is fully combined, spoon the mix into your container. Put the container in the fridge for an hour or so to harden your mix.

When using your new deodorant, make sure to apply it lightly. A little goes a long way!

Deodorant! :o)

Crinkle Cut

I recently purchased a brand new soap cutter... I've been using knives and dough scrapers for so long, that I had almost forgotten that there are really cool crinkle cutters out there! For months, I have been drooling over crinkle cutters online and searching through thrift stores and kitchen supply stores for a crinkle cutter, only to find one in my local Michael's when I was not even looking! Score!

Before the cut!

I have finally gotten a chance to break the cutter in on a new batch of Sandalwood soap. For my sandalwood soap, I used freshly rendered tallow (big thanks to my meat cutter bro-in-law for the suet cuttings!), olive oil, and coconut oil, with some gold colored dye and sandalwood fragrance oil.


I added an interesting touch in a moment of worry. Usually, when I use a large amount of hard oils (tallow, coconut), I get loads of soap ash. In order to combat the ash, I wrap up my loaf in saran wrap... but I found out that I was out! So, instead, I covered the top with bubble wrap, and it made a great looking honeycomb effect! Awesome!

After the cut!

So, after letting the soap sit for about a day and a half, then a few hours in the freezer, the log was ready to cut... And I think that the combination of the bubble wrap/honeycomb with the crinkle cut has given the soap a whole new look!

I am in LOVE with the effect!!

Look for the soap in my Etsy shop and Zibbet shop around mid-June!

Vacation Time!

I just wanted to let you all know that I will be out of town this week. My parents, my sister, my son and I will be visiting my grandparents in Columbus, MS. We are really excited to go and see our family!

We are leaving Monday evening, and we will be back late Thursday night.

I will have my laptop and iPhone with me, so I will still be in contact with everyone. However, any orders that come in after Monday at 5pm EST until Friday will be shipped on Friday. I am sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause.

I hope you all have fantastic days! <3

Celebrations!

Wow, my soap shop venture is really taking off!

On facebook, my fan page has recently topped over 200 fans!

At my Etsy shop, I'm up to 59 sales, each month being better than the one before!

I'm starting to branch out, opening shops at Zibbet and preparing to open one at TheCraftStar. I've also started accepting Direct Checkout through my Etsy shop, so now you can buy without using PayPal.

Things are going fantastic! Loving all of the love!

Plants for Soaping

For some of my soaps, I like to add in extras, like dried herbs and flowers. For my sister-in-laws wedding favors, I added bits of rosemary to the rosemary-scented soap, and I have been known to color soap with parsley, tumeric, paprika, and kudzu.

Pink and Red Rose Petals

Currently, I am growing some marigolds to cut and dry for calendula petals, along with loofahs, and I've been looking around to see what other plants I can dry...

My in laws have lots of plants and flowers around the farm, but this past weekend I had my eye on a deep red rosebush and a bright pink rosebush! My husband and I collected handfuls of rose petals, and we have laid them out to dry in prep for a layered rose soap.

Orange peels

We've also started looking at our groceries to see what we can use and reuse. We recently replanted the heart of our last batch of celery, and it is growing back more celery! Yum! We also just bought a big bag of navel oranges, and we're saving and drying the peels to use in soaps and bath teas. Dried orange peel can be found in the spice section of the grocery store, but it is WAY cheaper to dry out your own peels! I've dried orange peels before, and they got very hard as they dried, so I am going to run them through my food processor after they are dry to get them to a finer consistency. 


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!

Make it MiO - A review

I have always had a tough time drinking straight water... I've tried all kinds of water flavorings, but when I tried MiO for the first time, knew I was hooked!! First, I fell in love with the Peach/Mango and the Sweet Tea, but then, I became addicted to the Green Thunder MiO energy(which is supposed to be an apple/citrus combination, but to me it tastes like those old candy sticks that you would lick and dip in the powdered candy... NOM!).

I am a fan of the MiO Facebook page, and a few weeks ago, they announced a free giveaway of their two newest flavors: lemonade and blueberry lemonade! Freaking blueberry lemonade?!? Sign me up!! I stalked their page for three days before I got my free sample confirmation...

And now, its here!

I was so surprised with my sample... I figured I would receive a sample similar to what you get shampoo samples in (you know, the flat, plasticy samples that you squeeze out?), but I got a whole freaking bottle!! I almost danced right there at the post office!

My sample of Blueberry Lemonade!

How does it taste?

Pretty cup of yummy!

Freaking amazing! When you first taste it, the blueberry is the high note (first thing you taste), and it is light and sweet. The tart of the lemon comes next, but it is not overwhelming. The two compliment each other without overpowering. And if you are like me and like a light touch of MiO to your water, this flavor is perfect with just a small squeeze.
And did I mention that the color of my water is a gorgeous violet color?

I have tried all of the MiO flavors except for the new Lemonade and the Orange/Tangerine, and the Blueberry Lemonade blows them ALL out of the water! I have a new favorite!

Make sure to go and like the MiO facebook page for a chance to try out their latest flavors!

Wordless Wednesday

Handmade by me!

If you are familiar with the inner working of Etsy, then I am sure that you are familiar with the recent controversy that has been swirling around in the forums. (If not, check out this Regretsy post and this update.) I have been torn on the controversy, keeping mostly to myself in the forums and watching others talk it out.
However, I have been suckered in by a passive protest. Now, a group of sellers has began changing their avatars to pictures of their hands, to show that their work is all handmade. I just could not resist!

The hands that make!

I want all of my readers to be reassured that the work at Second Spring Soaps is all handmade by me. I design and make all of my bath products in my little home. You can check out these facebook photos of me making soap if you want, or watch some of my YouTube videos.

For what it is worth, my heart is broken over all of the Etsy shenanigans. I would have felt much better if Etsy would have apologized for its mistake, and I believe that most of this would have blown over before now. I honestly believe in handmade, and I try my best to support others who are trying to make this world a little more unique. I just... I dont even know. I hope that the handmade community can survive.