Friday Roundup: Week of June 20th

This past week has flown by! What a busy bees me and my little family have become... This Summer is going by so fast! Keeping myself busy and occupied has been the best medicine so far...

So, what have I been up to?

Well, I've got one brand new soap on Etsy:

Green Apple Soap

 I also have a new scent in my soy wax tart line:

Sandalwood Soy Wax Tarts

 I've brought back some old favorites:

Candy Corn Lip Balm

Yuzu Sea Salt Soap

And I made a new soap! Here's the video of me making my new Oatmeal Stout soap with added french green clay and bentonite clay:

I've also been working my tail off on my new lip balm photographs. Last weekend I took over 380 new photos just for my lip balms! I hope to have all 32 flavors up on Etsy by July, to keep checking my lip balms to see what's new! And make sure to come back to the blog on Monday and look for a new post all about my photography!

Drying walnut shells

I've always been around black walnuts, since the black walnut trees grow freely and abundantly in east Tennessee. As a kid, they were a toy, something to kick and throw. But now, looking at these nuts through the eyes of a soap maker, I can really see the potential! So, back in October, I went to my husband's family farm, grabbed up a few bags of freshly fallen walnuts, and headed home to make a great soap additive!

Picture from EatTheWeeds.com

To clean, dry, and shell your walnuts:

1. Start off with a freshly fallen walnut, still in the green "fruit". While wearing gloves (the fruit will stain your skin!), peel away the softened fruit, revealing the walnut underneath.

2. Once all of your walnuts have been removed from the green fruit, soak the walnuts in a cool water bath. Make sure to use a stainless steel tub, since the walnuts will stain. Stir the walnuts to help remove any excess fruit.

3. Next, hang your walnuts in a mesh bag for two weeks, which will allow the walnuts to cure.

4. After your two week wait, use a hammer to break the tough walnut shell, revealing the nut. You can save and eat the nuts, but we are going for the shells. Break your walnut shells with the hammer until they are small pieces (dime size or smaller).

5. Finally, put the walnut shells in a heady duty food processor and grind them until they are a fine powder. The finer the better!

Store your walnut powder in an air tight container until ready to use. Suggested usage rate in soap is 1 tbsp per pound of oil.

Friday Roundup: Week of June 13th

I've been keeping super busy this week! I've got loads to share with you!

I have a few new soaps listed on Etsy:

Lavender Goats Milk Soap

Black Raspberry Vanilla Soap

I've also uploaded two new videos to my YouTube page:

The first is a video on making lip balm

And the second is a video on making wax tarts:

My items have been featured in treasuries

Treasury by SweetSign

Treasury by GoingtoGround

And I ordered new business cards this week! I love the new design... so sleek! It really makes my products pop! They should be here in about 2 weeks or so. What do you think?

Business Notebook (Or, how I hoard business articles!)

Before school ended last month, I realized that I had "prints" that I needed to use up before the semester ended. Every semester, part of our tuition goes towards prints on campus, each sheet costing 10 cents to print in black and white. While I used up about half of my prints on schoolwork, I still had a good amount of prints left, which do not roll over to the next semester. So, to prep for my inevitable comeback to SecondSpringSoaps, I began printing off business and soap making articles!

I ended up gutting my school notebook of notes, papers, and graded assignments, and used the three ring binder and its dividers to create neat little sections of my "business notebook."

I started off by printing some really great business articles from the Wholesale Supplies Plus Handmade Magazine! I went through their most recent issues and printed off everything that caught my eye.
I also went to some of my favorite soaping blogs, like SoapQueen, and printed new recipes that I have been anxious to try!
I went to Handmadeology and printed some great articles on tips for selling online.
And my final stops were to Etsy's Seller Handbook and Zibbet's Blog to print off blog articles that would help me with my comeback!

I also went through my school notes and copied down all of the ideas that I had jotted in the margins and saved any "ideas" pages that I had hastily written while brainstorming. I'm in the process now of whittling those notes down to the best of the best, and I've got some really great stuff here: Loads of great ideas for blog posts, scent blends, and soap designs!

Now that everything is organized and all of my articles are slowly being read, re-read, and digested, I am so thankful that I had the foresight to use up my prints in such a productive way!

Friday Roundup: Week of June 6th

It's been a slow week at SecondSpringSoaps. After my recent loss, I decided to take a few days and rest, recoup, and try to get used to what I am calling my "new normal". Focusing on my Etsy shop has been a pleasant and calming way for me to find my way back to normal, and it has been a wonderful distraction.

I was able to take out the time to list two new wax tarts:

Fig and Sweet Almond Soy Wax Tarts

Wild Honeysuckle Soy Wax Tarts

And I relisted a few oldies, but goodies:

Citronella Soy Wax Tarts

Tea Tree Beeswax Lip Balm

I am also in the process of editing photos to list new bath bomb varieties and my new soaps that I talked about here. I'm also working on three special new products that I hope to have up by July, including single-use wax tarts, bath truffles, and new wooden soap dishes!

Just trying to keep busy over here...

Jasper and Flint

I am not really sure how to start this post.

On Thursday, May 29, 2014, my twin boys, Jasper and Flint, were born at 19 weeks gestation due to silent dilation of my cervix and preterm labor. They passed away shortly after.

It has been a long 5 days. I am so thankful for my husband and my oldest kiddo for giving me a reason to keep going. I am thankful for my family, who cocooned me this weekend. I am beyond thankful for my amazing nurses and doctors at Johnson City Medical Center for trying their hardest to save my boys, holding my hand, and grieving with me. I am thankful for my friends who are supporting me. And last, I am thankful that I got to spend the last 19 weeks being the mother of those amazing babies.

We are getting through, slowly but surely.

I've noticed every color in the sky this week.

Happy Memorial Day 2014!

Photo by Elizabeth King (my awesome sister in law)

Before I head off to my husband's family's cabin along the Holston River to enjoy a cookout and a sweet day of fishing and nature, I thought I would take a moment to wish you all a very happy Memorial day! While I come from a family filled with members of the Armed Services, my family has been so lucky to have all of those members come home safe and sound. My heart goes out to all of the families who have lost servicemen and servicewomen, and you will be in my thoughts today.

Have a safe and happy Memorial day!

Friday Roundup: Week of May 23

This week has flown by and it's already time for another Friday Roundup! Let's see what all has been popping up on Etsy this week...

I've added quite a few new SOAPS this week:

Simply Buttermilk Soap (Unscented)

Lavender Chamomile Sea Salt Soap

Red, White, and Blue Star Soap Set (Scented with Fizzy Lemon Pop)

Pine Tar Soap (Pine Needles and Rosemary Scent)

And a few new BATH BOMBS are floating around:

Kumquat Bath Bomb 

Blackberry Sage Bath Bomb

And I finally got around to making a new YouTube video of my latest soap creations:

These soaps will be ready to list next month, so keep your eyes peeled for them!
And make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to keep up to date with my videos. More coming soon!

Comeback: Production Week!

Last Thursday, I woke up feeling fabulous and got my booty in gear to FINALLY make some new soaps! The last new soap I made was back in February before my morning sickness forced everything to a grinding halt, and I've had a few soap ideas floating around in the back of my head all of this time. So, since I felt so great, kiddo was being super cooperative, and I had all of the supplies I needed, I got down to business to make two mini-loaves of soap!

My first batch of the day is a scent that I have been mulling over for a year: Tomato Vine and Raspberry. I love this scent because the tomato vine scent is so strong and the raspberry is more of a bottom note. Totally summer.
I started off the soap with a base of creamy yellow, then did a drop swirl with some rich chromium green and shimmering pink mica. I then swirled the three on the top for a nice color mix. The shimmering mica really helped to round out the bars.

My second batch is a restock of black raspberry vanilla with a new design. Black raspberry vanilla is a classic bath and body scent, and I just adore it! I think the name is a bit of a misnomer though, because I smell more blackberry than anything. ;o)
This batch of soap started off with a white base, then I added some pastel purple and bright blue in another drop swirl. For the top, I splattered the purple and blue in alternating angles and left them unswirled. I really love the splatter effect... I need to pull that one off more often!

Here's a pic of the wet soap headed to "bed", with black raspberry vanilla on the left and tomato vine/raspberry on the right:

Since these are new molds and I did not line them, it may be a few days before I get to unmold them and cut each bar. As soon as I cut the bars, I'll be uploading photos of the finished soaps... I am so excited to see how they will look in the end!

Ahh... It feels wonderful to be soaping again!

Friday Roundup: Week of May 16th

As I work to get myself back into the groove of blogging, I figured that Fridays would be an excellent day to recap the week! So, let's get started with this week's Friday Roundup!

I am starting to list new goodies on Etsy and relist some old favorites. Let's take a look at the new:

Mint and Berries Bath Bomb

Green Apple Soy Wax Tarts

Strawberry Fields Soap

 And some old favorites coming back:

Pearberry Bath Bomb

Pumpkin Lager Soap

Snow Cone Lip Balm

 As always, make sure to head over to my Etsy shop and see all of the new and favorite goodies! New stuff is coming every day, so check back often!

Comeback: New Goodies Heading to Etsy

Getting back into the swing of things on Etsy is taking a bit of trial and error, but I think that things are coming along swimmingly! I'm already playing around with some new products, including three new lip balm flavors (hint: Ginger!) and I'm testing out a new recipe for bath truffles!

I've been listing a few new items as well, including some soaps that I made before I took my break, so they are cured and ready to go.

My new strawberry fields soap! It smells like an amazing strawberryand floral perfume! Wow!

And I have done a complete inventory of all of my fragrances and picked out loads of new scents for bath bomb fizzies! Want some sneak peeks? The ones I am the most excited about are nectarine, monkey bread, sandalwood, and a mint/berries blend!

The first of the new bath bombs: Orange Sherbet!

I'm going to be working hard on getting all of my new goodies online in the next few weeks, and I am so excited to play around with developing some excellent bath truffles! Thanks for sticking with me through the past two months!

Time for a Comeback

March was awful. April wasn't much better. But May looks to be spectacular!

As I've waddled my way through my first trimester with the twins, I've been focused on keeping myself as healthy as possible while keeping up with my school work. My soap shop has really fallen to the wayside, and I think that putting it on hiatus was a smart decision on my part. It really freed up a large chunk of my time and energy to get through the past few months and come out healthy and happy on the other side.

Now, with only one final to go and most of my debilitating morning sickness behind me, I am excited to announce that I will be opening my soap shop back up online only! My Etsy shop and Zibbet shop will be up and running Wednesday, May 7! I will be going through my inventory this weekend and updating all of my listings, as well as updating my turnaround time for orders (I am expanding my turnaround time to 3-5 from order date) to give myself some leeway. BUT! I am very excited to get everything going again and return to the soap making world!

And since you all have been so patient with me, here's the latest pic of our little troublemakers:

(If anyone is interested, they are di/di twins (two placentas, two amniotic sacs) 

and have a 70% chance of being Fraternal!)

Have a wonderful weekend and I cannot wait to see you all on Wednesday!

Book Review: Blog Inc by Joy Deangdeelert Cho

With my Etsy and Zibbet shops currently shut down due to sickness, I've decided to use a few blog posts to review some amazing books that I have read that have really helped improve my online presence. One that I have come to use as an invaluable resource has been Blog, Inc: Blogging for Passion, Profit, and Creating Community by Joy Deangdeelert Cho.

I picked up this book about a year and a half ago and I've had to buy it a second time because my original copy was worn to shreds! Cho really takes the reader throughout all of the essentials of blogging. I've found that this book is excellent for beginner bloggers, especially the first section, which walks the reader through blog set-up. 

As my blog has evolved over the past three years (yep, it will be three years this summer!), I've come to use this resource to help me craft new blog posts and new reoccuring blog posts. It was this book that inspired me to create my long-running seller feature series, which showcased various sellers from Etsy and Zibbet.

If you are looking to start blogging for the long haul, or if you are looking to grab a really excellent, easy to follow resource book, then check this one out!

Knowing When to Quit

Last week was Spring Break for us ETSU kids. I was looking forward to a relaxing few days at home with kiddo, getting a jump start on a fairly large paper I have due in a history class, and working out which foods the twins will let me handle...

Well, those trouble-making twins had different ideas.

I spent my first three days of Spring Break on the brink of insanity. Morning sickness ravaged me. Nothing stayed down, not even water. By Wednesday, I was calling my parents, begging them to take my son for a few days so I could rest and he could have some fun on his break. Apparently my appearance frightened my dad, and as soon as my husband came home from work, we were off to the Emergency Room. After a long night of fluids and Zofran (which is heavenly), I was able to return home with a steady stomach, stronger limbs, and happy twins.

My Spring Break fiasco frightened me, to be honest. I worried about my little trouble-makers (Grandma has already taken to calling them "Thing 1" and "Thing 2") and how all of this sickness was affecting them. I worried about Kiddo, who watched me deteriorate so fast. I worried about how I was supposed to return to school today, which has been good so far... thanks, Zofran!

But, in order to make things easier on myself and my family, I have decided to cull some unnecessary things in my life. And the easiest one is my online presence and my craft shows. So, as of right now, my Etsy shop and my Zibbet shop are both in vacation mode until further notice. I have backed out of my Spring craft shows. I have stopped posting on my facebook page and twitter page. The only thing I plan to keep going is my blog, since that is working as a grade in one of my current classes.

Tomorrow, I will be 9 weeks along. Morning sickness is supposed to ease up by 12 weeks, so if all goes according to plan, I hope to start everything up (except craft shows) around that time. Babies willing, of course!

Thanks for sticking with me through this...

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Following my big news from last week, it has quickly become necessary for me to make some changes in my online shop and changes for the rest of the year. Pregnancy symptoms have hit me hard and fast, sometimes to the point of debilitation. Thanks, twins!

So, to make it easier on myself and my family (and the tiny people living inside of me), I've decided to make a few changes, specifically to SecondSpringSoaps.

Clove Lip Balm

As of now, everything in my shop is ready to ship. All of my made to order items, like my liquid and solid lotions, bath bombs, and face masks, are currently not available. However my soaps, lip balms, and wax melts are still up for grabs on both Etsy and Zibbet. As soon as I start feeling better (4+ weeks and counting!), the made to order items will pop back up online. Keep an eye on the blog for that announcement, which will hopefully be soon!

I am also hoping to start making a few new soaps soon (twins willing, of course). I am still looking forward to bringing my liquid soaps online, too. And maybe a few new lip balm flavors to boot. I'm just trying to keep things slow until I get out of this horrible first trimester.

Thanks for sticking with me!

Feature Friday: Avocado and Aloe Soap

This chilly late winter weather has got me in the mood for heat, sun, and sand, and my Avocado and Aloe soap has soaked up all of this inspiration! This soap was made with fresh avocado puree and real, home grown aloe for a mild bar of soap that is fabulous for your skin.

The green of the soap is an almost perfect match to the warm aloe plant, and I topped the soap off with a swirl of blue mica for some shimmer and sparkle.

The soap is scented with a wonderful blend of cactus flower, sea salt, and moss for a warm, fresh and clean scent. It smells really divine and captures my inspiration perfectly. I've already kept a bar of this batch for myself and, hopefully, the warm weather will come back to the South soon!

Personal Post... Oh Baby!

Honestly, I've known for about a few weeks that I am pregnant with my third child. I lost my first pregnancy at 9 weeks. My second pregnancy gave me Kiddo, my sweet little boy who turns 4 years old this July. And I've kept it no secret from those who know me personally that I have always wanted Kiddo to have a sibling. I grew up with a younger sister and I can honestly say that she is my best friend and only my husband knows me better than her...

Kiddo, age 3.5

So, we decided to start trying for a third pregnancy in 2012.

Now, in 2014, we finally got the positive test that we had been anticipating for so long! It was a shock, seeing that it alluded us for ages, but it was a welcome shock! My little family was over the moon! And as the days and weeks went by and my first trimester symptoms began to kick in at full force, I became more and more confident that this pregnancy was going to stick. My fears of a second miscarriage began to fade away.

So, on February 28th, I went in for my initial doctor appointment and was so excited to get an ultrasound. It was Tunnell #2's first photo session. The sweet, quiet ultrasound tech waved her ultrasound wand and began looking for that teeny baby that I was desperate to see.

After a few quiet moments, I heard her say "Well!" and as I looked at the television screen, completely unaware of what I was looking at, she said "Here is baby #1 and baby #2!"

I won't lie... I cried so hard I worked my way through at least half a box of tissues. I laughed hysterically. I cried and laughed so hard that the tech had a hard time taking photos! We saw two tiny blips with two perfect little heartbeats (baby A was at 122 and baby B was at 118) and two little yolk sacs!

Thing 1 and Thing 2 at 6 weeks 3 days gestation

Oh baby! Er... babies!

Celebration Post: 450 Sales!

Last Tuesday, I finally hit 450 sales on my Etsy shop! A jar of sandalwood rose solid lotion was my 450th sale, after weeks of nothing but clove lip balm orders.

So, to celebrate, I held a quick and dirty sale this past weekend. Using the coupon code "SALE450", you can grab all of the items in my shop at 40% off! Whoa!

The sale was originally going to end over the weekend, but I extended it until Wednesday, 3/5. Make sure to use that coupon code to get the discount!

Coming this week: new soaps, new lip glosses, and more!