Ugly Soaps

As hard as I try to make sure every batch of soap turns out the way I want, there are some batches that just don’t.  Other than the bars of soap that I test before deciding to introduce to the public, I mostly use the “ugly” bars of soap for my personal use. Those are the bars of soap that didn’t turn out the way I planned.

But I’ve been thinking, “these bars of soap are wonderful.  Sure, they aren’t very pretty, but they smell great and contain moisturizing oils…so why should I keep them all to myself?”

So, I’m introducing my new line of “Ugly Soaps”.   These are soaps that are moisture-rich and smell great….but you might not want to give them as gifts.  PLUS, they’ll be sold for less than the more attractive bars of soap. 

The first in this line is called “Relax”.  It has a soft, relaxing smell and is great for your skin, but it was supposed to be blue instead of brown.  I think the vanilla in the fragrance oil caused it to discolor quickly. 

Buy some Ugly Soaps for yourself and discover the beauty within.

 

 

Do Over!

A couple of days ago, I made a batch of layered, glycerin soap scented with Papaya Coconut.  I sold out of the previous batch because it’s a great summertime fragrance! 

 

Well, my second batch here didn’t go so well.  For one, the colors were too muted and not as bright as I had wanted.  Also, the layers came apart when I cut the bars.  Oops!  I left them too long in the freezer. 

Today, I cut up the old batch, melted them, added more mica and tried again.  They turned out brighter and, best of all, they stayed together!  A plus for any soap.

 

 

 

 

Cherry Limeade Handmade Soap

I have been planning to make this soap for a few weeks now.  I ordered a Black Cherry FO and found the scent too strong by itself.  So, I asked my Facebook Fans what I should add to the cherry fragrance.  The inspiration came from my friend, Kathy, who suggested I make a cherry limeade soap.  What a great idea, since I also had a new, pink oxide that I’d been wanting to try.  So, here are the soaps, freshly poured into the mold.  Aren’t they lovely?!

 

 

 

 

 

New Product Line for Infants

 I am so excited about these soaps for infants!  The product line will be called “Abey’s Babies” after my sweet Abraham.  These soaps are all-natural with no added  fragrances or colors.  They are super moisturizing; with Avocado Oil and Cocoa Butter.  The Cocoa Butter gives them a light cocoa scent.  I can not wait to test these!  They’ll be ready for purchase July 21st, along with an Abey’s Babies lotion for infants and a hair milk for African American babies.

 

 

 

 

Summer gift basket

 

I received a request for a birthday gift basket.  This friend had requested a gift basket over a year ago for his mother who has very sensitive skin, and she enjoyed the soap so much, he wanted to order another gift basket for her.  She favors soft scents,such as cucumber melon, over stronger ones, like lavender.  With it being the first day of summer, I thought it would be fun to put together a basket of lightly colored soaps with summer fragrances.  In this basket are Key Lime Pie, Oatmeal/Honey, Strawberry Cream Pie, Papaya Coconut, Carnival (Vanilla scent) and two that I made especially for her: Kumquat and Cucumber.  I hope she enjoys them!

The Catie Beth Video Project

I’ve been reading a lot (A LOT) of articles about social media and how to use it as a small business owner with next to no advertising budget.  YouTube ranks second after Google for searches, so I figure I ought to make a video and put myself out there.

So, here is the first of what will be many videos.  I’m pleased with the results, though I wish the audio had turned out better.  I couldn’t figure out how to fix it, so I’ll just use a different camera next time.  Please let me know what you think…keeping in mind, I’ve already explained about the audio.  :)

My Home Office Makeover

 I’m embarrassed to say that, just a few days ago, this is what my home office looked like.  Cluttered, unorganized, uninspiring.  Unopened mail was piled high on the desks and boxes were strewn across the floor…ugh.  With my efforts of getting Catie Beth off the ground, teaching online, and keeping up with the kids activities, my office needed some TLC. Pictures of beautiful, organized home offices kept finding their way before my eyes, only to make me envious.  Enough was enough!  I received a reimbursement check from the county tax assessor’s office, so I checked out some home office makeovers online, made my plans and set out for Target.

My home office was in dire need of shelves to hold my soaps and lotions and a cabinet for storing packaging and shipping supplies.   I also needed a dry erase board of some sort for keeping track of everything I need to do on a daily basis.  I’m the sort that, if I don’t write it down, I won’t remember to do it.  I found what I needed at Target, along with a curtain rod and a curtain valence (not pictured, because they haven’t been hung, yet).

Before I could do anything, I HAD to go through the clutter.  I  took all the knick-knacks down and put them in a box.  I then sorted through the piles of papers; tossing the ones that were trash into trash bags and the ones that needed to be filed into a box.  I filled three tall kitchen trash bags!  I took out the computer and vacuumed the layer of dog hair that had accumulated beneath my desk.  Once I had everything hauled out except for the furniture, I did a thorough cleaning.  It was then time to put together my new shelves and cabinet.  Hubby put together my cabinet and I put together the  shelves for my soaps and lotions.  Once they were put together and placed where I wanted them, I was able  to put back my knick-knacks and hang some new pictures and my new dry erase calendar. 

I’m mostly finished with my office makeover.  I still have the box of papers to file left, but that’s it.  It’s not a complete makeover, but it’s definitely an improvement over the mess that it was.  It’s  more inspiring, relaxing, colorful and calm…all at the same time. 

 

Cottlestock…a bust

We expected a huge turnout at Cottlestock today, which meant, increased foot traffic.  Neither happened.  Hardly anybody attended Cottlestock this morning and we had three people visit Cottleville Crafts ETC… between the hours of 10am and 12:30pm.  The girls and I were disappointed, to say the least.  On a positive note, we put together a very nice display table and information poster that  I can use in the future. 

My little mermaid

I LOVE working from home and my sweet, little girl (don’t tell her I called her “little”) is one of the many reasons why.  Summer has barely begun, and she has already taught herself how to do summersaults, handstands, and snorkeling in the pool.  I’m pretty sure she would stay in the pool all day if I let her.  Almost everyday, she hurries down the stairs in her bathing suit and swimming mask and jumps into the pool. 

Carnival Soap

I still have a lot of melt and pour glycerin soap to work with and have been inspired recently by embedded soaps that I’ve seen online, so I thought I’d make a soap that reminded me of a party.  I made four batches of colored soap and then used a vegetable peeler to create small swirls.  I put the swirls in the freezer and then melted a batch of clear glycerin and scented it with Vanilla Fragrance Oil.  Once it cooled, I put my swirls in a loaf mold and then poured the clear glycerin on top.  This is the result!  It makes me think of a Caribbean carnival (though I’ve never been to one).   These are now listed on catiebeth.com.

My new sidekick!

 

My sweet hubby picked up this Asus Eee PC Netbook for me.  I LOVE it!  I’m reserving it strictly for my business and teaching activities.  It’s so nice because I don’t have to feel I’m isolated from my kids; especially from the baby.  I can hang out with them and still get my work done!  It’s definitely a necessity for work at home moms.  At least I think so!

Staying Focused

I received some great tips for how to stay focused while working at home from the Association for Work at Home Moms(http://www.wahm.com/).

1. Be clear on what your goal really is. Have 2 goals for the next 90 days. Post them on screen saver.
2. Focus on your audience first and the return will follow. What is your audience asking for?
3. Have an "action" list rather than a "to do" list. "High 5 Action List". Bite-sized.
4. Do one thing consistently and regularly. Be patient and consistent and you will be rewarded.
5. You don't have to get it right, you just have to get it going! Take action! Don't get bogged down in research and planning.
Momentum will come from action!
6. Surround yourself with accountability.
7. Never leave a place of learning without taking immediate action!