Winter Wonderland Soap Contest!

I haven’t worked with Melt and Pour soap in a while, so I jumped at the opportunity to  enter a soap contest.  The contest is to create a “Winter Wonderland” soap and the winner receives a $100 gift certificate from Bramble Berry Soap Supplies (I buy most all of my soap supplies from them!).  I had to create the soap specifically for the contest, so I couldn’t use any of the soaps I’ve already created.  Also, I didn’t want to make a new batch of soaps just to enter one soap.  I wanted this one to be special. 

I asked myself, “What is a winter wonderland?”.  The answer…Alaska!  This time of year, the aurora borealis is on full display. I can remember quiet nights when it lit up the sky with its changing stream of colors.   The snow literally glistened beneath its glow.  I wanted to capture those sensations in my one bar of soap.

I had to tread in completely unknown territory to create this bar.  I knew I would have to work in layers to get the desired effect, so I drew each layer on three pieces of vellum.  Then I set to work creating each layer.  The first layer consisted of the trees and the aurora.  Next came the snow-covered hills.  Then, the dark night sky.  Finally, a hint of glitter on the snow to capture the reflection of the aurora on the snow.

The bar of soap weighs 3.5 oz and is scented with Peppermint eo.  Peppermint is a strong, nose-clearing scent that reminds me of the brisk, freezing cold nights in Fairbanks, Alaska when it was almost too cold to breathe.

You’ll have the chance to vote for my bar of soap to win starting November 16.  I’ll post more information about how to vote when that date gets closer!

On the Rack

I can’t wait until these Christmas soaps are ready for sale! They should be ready by the second week in November. Each scrumptious bar of soap is only $4.00. They’ll make great stocking stuffers, teacher’s gifts, hostess gifts, secret Santa gifts…you get the idea! Also, look for cute Christmas gift sets to hit the website in November. Each gift set will include a bar of soap, a 4 oz jar of lotion and a votive candle for just $15.00.

Cocoa Mint

Sweet Cranberry

Gingerbread

Giveaway to include...

... a cute organza bag of soap samples!
Okay, so I felt I wasn't be generous enough to anyone who takes the time to give a shout out about Catie Beth Bath and Body. So, in addition to a BIG bar of Almond Biscotti soap, the winner will also receive a cute organza bag filled with three soap samples of their choice (they have to be in stock).

So, what are you waiting for?! Read the previous blog for giveaway details and good luck!

Almond Biscotti Soap Giveaway!!

 

Check out this gorgeous bar of Almond Biscotti soap!  It hasn’t even hit the website yet, but you can be the first to have one of these deliciously-scented, generously-sized soaps if you enter the Catie Beth Bath and Body Almond Biscotti Soap Giveaway!  Here are the ways you can enter the contest:

1.  Blog about Catie Beth Bath and Body.  Provide a link on your blog and then post a comment on here, along with a link to  your blog post, to let me know you entered the contest.  Every time you blog about Catie Beth and let me know about it, you receive another entry in the contest.

2. If you follow Catie Beth Bath and Body on  Facebook, suggest to all of your friends that they like Catie Beth, too!  Then post a comment on this blog to let me know you suggested that your friends like Catie Beth.

3. Twitter about Catie Beth Bath and Body.  Post a comment on here to let me know you Twittered about us!  Include #catiebethbath in your Twitter so I receive it.

4.Visit www.catiebeth.com and sign the guestbook.  Suggest to your friends that they do the same and to tell me that YOU sent them.  For every friend who mentions you in my guestbook, you’ll be entered in the giveaway.

The Giveaway ends Sunday, October 17th!  Good luck!

Soap Samplers

I love these cute organza bags. They are the perfect size for holding three, 1 - 2 oz soap samples. I know it's hard to decide which soap to buy, so now you can sample three small soaps for less than the cost of buying two, full-sized bars of soap. Check them out here.

Christmas Gift Sets… coming soon

   *Squeal!*  I’m so excited about these cute basket boxes that I ordered.  They’ll be perfect for holding a bar of soap, a jar of lotion and a small votive candle.   Look for a variety of gift sets and a “make your own” gift set to be available starting November 1.

 

 

 

On the Rack

Currently, I’ve got three wonderfully-smelling soaps on the curing rack.  They are

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Spice,

Wintergreen,

 

and Almond Biscotti.

I let all of my soaps cure for at least 4 weeks before putting them up for sale.  There are a couple of reasons for allowing them time to cure:

1. They need to complete the saponification process.  This is the chemical reaction that occurs when the oils (fatty acids) combine with the lye (a base).  The results are soap and glycerin.

2. Curing the soap gives it time for the water to evaporate; resulting in a harder bar of soap.  A hard bar of soap will last longer and produce more bubbles.

The curing time explains why I’m making Christmas soaps in September and October.  Still to be made for Christmas: Cocoa Mint, Gingerbread, Christmas Spice, and Oatmeal, Milk and Honey.