New Soaps!

I added three new 100% natural soaps to the website today...Patchouli Lavender, Patchouli Lime, and Pine Tar.

I've had a customer stop by my booth a few times this summer and ask me to make Patchouli Lavender. It was a favorite of hers from another soapmaker who no longer makes it, so I did it. And while I was at it I made an old favorite of mine, Patchouli Lime. If you're a Patchouli Orange fan, while that one's out of stock (curing now), give the Patchouli Lime a try.

Pine Tar soap is an old-time recipe for a medicinal soap. Pine Tar soap has traditionally been known to help with frustrating skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and dandruff. I make no claims...that's just what it's known for. Lots of people over the years have found relief (NOT cures, but relief) from skin problems when using Pine Tar soaps. It definitely has a medicinal smell, but if it helps, it would be worth it! I added a touch of Eucalyptus essential oil to it to help with the smell a bit. Many people like the medicinal smell of the soap.

I'm still working on the other new items (lip balms, bath bombs, sugar scrubs, bath salts, etc.). A big part of the whole process is working out the labeling, as there are government rules and regulations that have to be followed. And of course the labels have to fit on the container too!
I'm hoping to roll out the new products in January.

Hope everyone's having a wonderful December and holiday season so far. We're getting a beautiful, soft, light snow today, which helps put me in the holiday mood.

Packing it up!

No, we're not the latest store casualty going out of business!! : ) Not at all!

I just unloaded the van and brought everything in for the last time this season (unless I find another craft show I absolutely must do before Christmas). It was sort of a relief, because I've packed and unpacked the soap, tent, tables, and all other things necessary to do a show at least 40 times this year, and that's just since May! It'll be nice to take a little break before the spring season kicks back in.

Yesterday was my last show of the year, and what a way to end the season! I had such a great time, it was a very well known, well run show at the St. Michael/Albertville High School. The crowd was unbelievable, I was actually thinking that it would not be much fun to be a shopper in the first few hours, it was so crowded people could hardly move, let alone have fun shopping.

Several of my favorite customers stopped by too. One lady (Jane!), is so much fun...I was busy wrapping up some gift sets for customers, so there was a line at my booth, and she was telling people (anyone within earshot), how great my soap is and that it's all she's used for the last two years and has helped to greatly control her eczema. She always comes with her daughter, and they're just great people to see. I asked her if she wanted to hang around the booth for a few hours and just be my salesperson! I love her! Of course I gave her an extra free bar for being so nicely outspoken about my soap...she deserved it. Jane, you're the best!

For the next month I'll be working hard on the recipes for new products (bath salts, bath bombs, lotion sticks/bars, body butters and more). They're coming along nicely, and I'm hoping to have them all perfected before mid-January, as I do have one big show the end of January that it would be nice to have new products for. But I won't put them out for sale unless they're just right! I'll send out an email special when they're ready too.

Thank you all again for being great customers this past year! It's been a delight.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Valarie

Win FREE Soap!

How would you like to win a year's worth of FREE SOAP?

For every order placed between now and December 31, 2008, your name will be put into a drawing to win this basket jam-packed with a dozen bars of handmade soap!

There's nothing to do...except place your order (yes, you can place as many orders as you'd like, and each time your name will be put into the drawing)!

Drawing will take place on January 1, 2009.



And there's more exciting news...we're expanding and doing some new product development!

Felted soap is now available. What's felted soap you ask? It's soap with wool roving wrapped around the soap, then felted (wet and rubbed so the fibers lock together). As you use the soap you'll get great lather and a nice scrubby texture.

Skip the washcloth or poof and try felted soap. They're beautiful and practical, and make great gifts. You can choose to have any bar of soap felted, but please be aware that it will delay shipment of your order for five days, while your bar is being felted and dried. Colors will vary.




Creations like whipped shea butter, bath salts, sugar scrubs, lotion balms and fizzy bath bombs are all being worked on, tested and perfected. The guinea pigs (friends and family, not real guinea pigs!) are testing, testing, testing products and giving me lots of feedback. Hopefully there will be several new items on the website to start the new year off with a bang (or a bomb...bath bomb that is!).


I'm also considering lip balms, and would love to hear what kind of items you'd like to see us make, and your favorite scents, etc. Any feedback/ideas/suggestions are appreciated! Just email me, valarie@realsimplesoap.com, and let me know your thoughts.

Thanks for being a customer! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

End of the season!

Thursday was the last day of the Farmers' Market for the 2008 season. It was bittersweet, of course.

Thankfully we had an absolutely gorgeous fall day to end the season. Did you make it out to the market this year? If you didn't, here's what you missed:

We'll start again next May, so mark your calendars! It's not only a great way to spend some time, but you never know what you'll find there (if you're interested in the free kittens, let me know and I'll hook you up with that person!). They need a good home! : )

Hunting time!

Hunting season is upon us. Actually the bow hunting season opened here mid-September. My husband is a bow hunter, and he likes to try different things to hopefully get the advantage over the deer. This year he bought himself a special bar of soap. It's unscented, and is supposed to help get rid of human scent.

Hmm...that sounds fairly familiar (my "Tall Tale" soap?). Nope. It wasn't Tall Tale, and I'm sure he paid a pretty penny for it too.

That's fine. Give it a try I say. But I picked it up in the shower and didn't like the feel of it. It wasn't smooth feeling like my soap. And Honey, I also make one that's unscented (Bare Naked), and one that's supposed to attract deer. : )

I didn't say anything, just let him use his special soap.

Then last week he told me that he had to stop using it because his skin felt really dry! He went back to my soap and could immediately tell the difference.

Guess we all have to live and learn!

By the way...he's been throwing small pieces of my soap around out in our woods this year, hoping that the deer will get used to the smell...'cause he smells like soap all the time. Hope it works for him!

Pretty cool...

Last night I got an order from a woman in Arkansas. When I asked her how she heard about our soap, this is what she said:

"My husband is in Iraq, and somehow got some of your soap. He sent me a slice of the Patchouli Orange and said I needed to get some! It took me a little while, but he kept bugging me to get some, so I finally called. He'll be so surprised when he comes home because he doesn't know I'm ordering it."

How cool is that?!! I had sent about 100 bars over to Iraq the end of July. One box went to Troop Care Package, where she divided it up amongst boxes headed for soldiers. The other box I sent directly to a customer's son who's serving over there, with a letter hoping he'd share it with his troop mates. Somehow this soldier from Arkansas got his hands on a bar and loved it so much he encouraged his wife back home to get some too!

I just love stories like that! I never know what'll happen or who might fall in love with the soap, and it makes my day hearing such cool stories.

New Bar Shape

When I got the product test results a while ago from the National Health & Wellness Club members, I noticed one particular comment/suggestion happened several times.

People suggested that I make the bar shape a little differently, so the soap is easier to hold on to. Currently it's about an inch and a half thick, and it can sometimes be hard to hold, especially for those who have smaller hands.

So, I'm taking their wonderful suggestion to heart! With the newer batches I've started cutting the bars a little thinner, but longer, and you can see the comparison in the picture. Hopefully this will work out wonderfully, I like the new shape myself.

The bars will still weigh the same (approximately 4.5 oz. or more), they'll just be longer and narrower, so they'll look a little different.

I've been working on some web updates today, adding a few new soaps and putting some summer scents on clearance. I've got several great new scents coming out, so if the summer ones are your favorites, you might want to snatch them up while they're still available, and clearance priced!

100% Natural vs. Fragrance Oils

When I set up my booth at shows or the Farmers' Market, I separate the soap tables by which soaps are 100% natural, and those that contain a fragrance oil, which is the only thing that's not natural in that soap. That way it's easy for those who are interested in strictly 100% natural soap to see what they have to choose from, and avoid the soaps with fragrance oils.

Sometimes I'm asked why I use fragrance oils and don't strictly do 100% natural soaps. My reasons are many. I personally don't have a problem using soaps containing fragrance oils, because I know they are high quality cosmetic fragrances. I only buy fragrances from reputable companies, never the "cheap imitation fragrances" I've heard other soapers refer to. Good quality fragrance oils aren't "cheap" to begin with, some are much more expensive than essential oils. I hold myself to a higher standard than that, and would never buy or use something in my soap that wasn't top quality (don't forget, my family uses the soaps too!). I scent my soaps at 1% of the recipe, so each bar contains a very small amount of fragrance, whether it's essental oils or fragrance oil.

There are many, many fragrances which people love, that just aren't available in a safe essential oil (not all essential oils are skin safe either). Scents that are very popular, such as Fresh Cut Grass, Black Raspberry Vanilla and Hardwood Musk just aren't going to happen unless I use a fragrance oil. I like bathing with scents such as Lime Margarita or Cleopatra's Treasure.

I also struggle with the "sustainability" of essential oils. Do you realize how much plant material it takes to make a tiny amount of essential oil? And what is the environmental impact of all the machinery used to plant, harvest and process the plants to make such a small amount of oil? Are those plants grown without pesticides? Are they processed without solvents? Here's an interesting link about essential oils: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_oil#Production

If someone wants to live completely natural, I honor and applaud that. Whether you choose 100% natural soap, or those containing fragrance oils, handmade soap is still 100% better for you than commercial detergent bars. Guaranteed.

FDA Globalization Act of 2008

http://www.indiebusinessblog.com/indie_business/2008/06/stop-the-fda-gl.html?cid=124512866#comment-124512866

Have you heard anything about the FDA Globalization Act of 2008? If not, I urge you to go to the link above and watch a short video from Donna Maria, President & CEO of the Indie Beauty Network.

This video summarizes the Indie Beauty Network's position against the Discussion Draft of the FDA Globalization Act of 2008, the legislation that would put thousands of Indies out of business by forcing them to pay outrageous registration fees and comply with burdensome paperwork.

If you've ever bought a lotion, lip balm, or other personal product from someone other than a big name national or worldwide company, that choice could be taken away from you when small, independent businesses are forced out of business due to the burdens of this Act.

If passed, this law would drive consumers back to the days when they could only choose between a few huge, faceless, nameless big box stores and brands for their cosmetics and personal care products. And fewer consumer choices always leads to higher prices.

The Act would put unfair burdens on small, Indie businesses like Real. Simple. Soap., burdens that would most likely put thousands upon thousands of small business out of business. Not only would that affect your choices as a consumer, but think of how many families depend on the income from their small businesses these days.

Please take the time to view the video, and sign the petition if you feel led to do so.

The Things We Go Through...

Yesterday was one of those days.

Our local Farmers' Market was set to open early because of the town celebration (River Fest), so we were to open at noon instead of 3:30. Everyone got there, got their booths set up, and wham.... look what happened! We knew storms were coming so I think most of us were pretty well prepared, but man, did it rain! With wind too. I took this shot of the booth across from me (while holding down my own tent, so it's not the greatest quality). It rained for a good long while and then finally cleared, giving us a nice cool breeze on our soaked bodies, which meant then we were cold. No problem, just continue on.

Not much later, it clouded up again and rained some more. There were some shoppers who braved the weather, some had umbrellas, some didn't! I had managed to put a tarp on my canopy ceiling, so my soap was staying pretty much dry, which is good. The sun came back out.

Not much later, it clouded up again and rained some more! Yes, it did that probably 6 or 7 times. I'd put a side up on my canopy to stop the rain because it always seemed to change directions. It would stop raining, things would dry off, I'd take the side down for customer shopping ease, and then it would rain again! Finally around 4:00 it stopped for good, things dried off and the rest of the evening was beautiful. The nice part was that everything was dry to pack up, because packing up in the rain is absolutely no fun.

Today I'm going shopping for a new canopy! My old one is not waterproof at all, and if I hadn't put the tarp in the ceiling, my day would have been ruined. One of the other vendors had a new canopy that I was eyeing all day, and I'm going to go look at that one. It would be nice to not have to worry about rain and soap mixing.

It's nice to see the "regulars" coming out to the market. It's nice to see people supporting local farmers and crafters. It's even nicer when I hear comments like this: "Last week I took a sample of Paradise, and it smells and works just as good as the Bath & Body Works stuff... without all the chemicals." That was fun to hear!

I also picked up a few "new" vegetables for our family to try. I've never tried kohlrabi, but it sounded good when the vendor was telling a customer about it, so I got some too. And fresh beets. I haven't had beets since I was a kid and had to eat the canned ones, so that'll be an adventure too. I'll most likely be the only one in the house to try them, but you never know.

If you are local and haven't ventured out to the market, it's every Thursday from 3:30-7:00 pm behind the Community Center in Monticello. You never know what you'll find there, besides veggies there are things such as fused glass pendants, photography cards and prints, kitchen towels, homemade baked goods, jams and jellies, garden plants, hanging baskets, homemade candies, homemade fruit rollups, stepping stones, salt-water taffy and lots more. Yesterday a group was selling THE best strawberry shortcake with local berries that were the sweetest I've ever tasted. So I had to taste it twice. : )

Bring your kids, your spouse, your grandma! There's something for everyone at the market.

New Blog!

I've decided to change things around a little bit with my blog and started using blogger.com so it can be a little more interactive. You can now leave me comments and/or sign up for automatic updates when I post new things (at the very bottom of the page)!

I did transfer some of the older posts below too, just to get things started.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

It's Show Time!

Things have been especially busy this summer with my show schedule so far. I'm not used to doing a weekly "show" (Farmer's Market) plus all the other ones scheduled. It's a lot of hauling things around, unpacking and packing things back up. Last week was one of my favorite shows to do, the Lemonade Fest in St. Cloud, Minnesota. It's usually a gorgeous day on the campus of St. Cloud State University where we get to set up under huge shade trees and take in the smells (cheese curds, mini donuts, kettle corn), sights (lots of people) and sounds (orchestra) of the day. It's a lot of fun.Part of the fun is seeing old customers returning for more soap! I had several people stop by this year asking for their favorite soaps and stocking up with more. And of course we went through a lot of free samples!

I figured it was time to put a face to the name, so we had someone take a picture of Taylor and I, all set up and ready for the day. She's usually too busy to help much these days, but made sure she was available for this one, 'cause it's one of her favorite festivals too.In a few weeks my husband gets to help me in Anoka at the River Fest. And I think he actually enjoys that too (although I don't have a special t-shirt for him!).

5:47 am cdt
Sunday, June 8, 2008

Good enough to eat??

There's one comment I hear a LOT of at craft shows, and it goes something like this, "Oh, I thought it was fudge!! It looks good enough to eat!" One time I kept track, and heard that comment about a hundred times in one day. Or they tell me it looks like cheese, or cheesecake, or some other edible delight. It's a compliment really, and the looks of all the soaps does attract people to my booth.Well a few weeks ago I was doing a show, and a little boy, around 6 years old, came up with his mom and sisters, and before I could say any response to the "It looks good enough to eat" comment, he grabbed a bar of soap, put it in his mouth, and chomped down on it!!

That's when I told him it wasn't something to eat, but judging by the look on his face...he already knew that! I guess it's NOT good enough to eat. : )

4:48 pm cdt
Tuesday, June 3, 2008

"You get what you pay for!"

We all know it's true. How many times have our parents or others given us that exact piece of advice? Lots. Do we listen? Sometimes.I was thinking about that as I was struggling with my packaging tape. You see, last winter I stocked up on some cheap clear packaging tape. "Cheap" is the key word. I should have known better, really. Every time I tape up a package I am reminded that "You get what you pay for," because it's a struggle. I spend more time trying to find the end of the roll, because it won't stay in the end of the holder thing, than I do actually packing the package. Then the tape splits and I have two parts to look for!

Some of the packages go out looking like a drunk monkey put the tape on, and I'm sure I'm using way more tape than I'd need if it were a good quality tape.

This also led me to think about how "You get what you pay for" applies to handmade soap. Some people think it's expensive, and it does cost more than cheap, commercial soap. But, "You get what you pay for!"With good quality handmade soap you're NOT getting awful detergents and chemicals to put on your skin. You're getting high quality oils and butters that will actually feel good and do good things for you. You're getting essential oils or high quality fragrance oils. You're getting natural exfoliants such as seeds or oatmeal. You're getting relief from itchy, dry skin. You're getting goodness in every bar!

So, here's my piece of advice, one that I need to remember myself..."You get what you pay for!" : )

7:15 am cdt

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Price increases??

NOT happening here!

Have you noticed the prices of everything lately?? Not just gas that's now hovering around $3.65 a gallon, but how about when you go to the grocery store and just about any product has jumped a dollar or more? And it's not just groceries either...I went to Menards yesterday to buy another new container for my labels - the same container I had bought just two weeks ago for $8.99 was now $10.98! And it wasn't on sale when I first bought it, that was the normal price. That's a 22% increase!

If I raised my soap prices by 22% that would add another $.99 to each bar.

But I'm not. I refuse. Enough is enough and I will fight it as long as I can! This world has gone crazy and I'm not participating in the craziness. Even though my supplier prices for oils and ingredients have increased, I will not pass along the increases.

So, you can still count on getting wonderful, pampering, handmade soap at a reasonable price. "Reasonable" being the key word. : )

P.S. Even with the recent postage increase, I'm gonna "eat" the extra dollar it costs to send flat rate boxes.

8:44 am cdt

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Exciting News!!

Our soap has been approved by the members of the National Health & Wellness Club!!

I sent out 675 bars of soap to 225 members in March, and at least 2/3 of them needed to give it an "approved" rating for it to receive Club approval. It'll be featured in their July/August issue in the Product Testing section. That means I get to use their Seal of Approval too, which is great news.

I didn't expect to hear the news so quickly, and it surprised me to show up in my email today. I thought it would take a few more months, but testing and approval only took about 7 weeks.If you're a member of the National Health & Wellness Club, I thank you for taking the time to test, fill out the forms and approving the soap (and there will be a special offer for you on the NHWC website).

If you're not a member (and you should be, go to http://www.healthandwellnessclub.com/), why not give the soap a try today...I'm sure you won't regret it! They didn't! : )

7:54 pm cdt

Monday, April 28, 2008

Soap Snobs.

Yep, that's what my family has become...soap snobs! Last week I finally cleared out all the little slivers of soap from the shower, because who can use up those last little bits when there are big, beautiful, new bars sitting there, with plenty more where they came from?! Even though this soap can be used right down to where it disappears, that never seems to happen around here. A bar gets pretty small, and then everyone stops using it to go for the new bars. I guess I can't blame them, but I hate to see waste, even that kind.

My husband even teasingly told our daughter not to "rat him out" because he went down and grabbed a new bar of Peppermint Patty for himself! That's his favorite.

My favorite seems to change every once in a while, and it's probably because I might put something new in the shower and the old gets forgotten for a while. Right now I'm lovin' Tres and Oh Honey, Honey the most. I love both of them on my face especially, because they're so creamy. It seems the more I rub the lather, the better it becomes. Then I go for Cleopatra's Treasure for the rest of the shower. I made some Oatmeal Peppermint this weekend, along with more of the Peppermint Patty, so our house has this great uplifting peppermint smell right now. The Oatmeal Peppermint was one I had made as a special order last year, but my oldest loved that one, and since I've decided to replace the Almond Oatmeal with a Country Almond with no oatmeal (curing now), I went ahead and made more of the Oatmeal Peppermint. I've had people ask for an Almond soap without oatmeal, so that's what I'm gonna do. You can still get your shot of oatmeal with either the Oatmeal Peppermint or Oatmeal, Milk & Honey. Both contain real oatmeal for skin softening and exfoliation.

Whatever your favorite is...use it 'till it disappears! I can always make more. : )

5:52 am cdt

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Sum sum summer time!

I just updated our website summer show schedule with show dates that I have confirmed. There might be a few more added, but I have some things going on this summer that might put a little time crunch on my show schedule. We'll see.It's exciting to start thinking about going to shows and meeting customers, and hopefully converting some commercial soap users over to the handmade side. I love talking to people at shows and giving away free samples to try (after all the work of dragging everything there and setting up is done). I don't know if my trusty sidekick will be able to tag along and help this year though, she'll be busy at her jobs or off tooling around in her convertible, having fun with friends. But isn't that what being a teenager is all about?! Who wants to go hang out with mom all day? : )

I'm taking on a weekly schedule at the Monticello (Minnesota) Farmer's Market. It's a small but growing market every Thursday starting May 8 through the end of October from 3:30 to 7:00 pm at the Community Center. I'll be there most weeks during the season. I think that'll be fun too, and maybe I'll get to stock up on a lot of fresh veggies while I'm there this summer, and make some new friends.

Last weekend I made the Cucumber soap, and put real pureed cucumber in it. I made it a layered soap too, the bottom half has the pureed cucumber and the top doesn't, so it looks pretty cool. I also made the Cilantro and Lily of the Valley soaps, they'll all be ready around Memorial Day Weekend.

My soap racks are getting pretty full in anticipation of a busy summer schedule. Now if only the weather would cooperate and let us have spring...last week we had a snowstorm so bad we had a snow day off school...this week it's been 65 degrees and gorgeous!

Go figure!

7:39 pm cdt

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Spring's Here!

Or so the calendar says...but we're supposed to get up to 8 inches of snow in the next 36 hours. Sigh....This feels like THE longest winter ever. I made a bunch more soap today though, and that's always fun. I made more Vanilla Sandalwood, Bella, cocoa soap for shavings in the Peppermint Patty, Bare Naked, and a new one...Pomegranate, which smells fantastic! I'm hoping the coloring turns out good, I'm not sure if the fragrance will discolor or not, but I used some pink ultramarine and bronze mica and it's a beautiful dark pink/rose color with a little shimmer to it.

A customer requested some new scents last week, and I've ordered the fragrances. Hopefully next weekend I'll be knee deep in Cucumber, Cilantro and Lily of the Valley soaps! That should put me in a spring mood.

But for now I guess I'll just make sure the snow shovel is still around...

5:48 pm cdt

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Water, water, everywhere...but it's not all the same!

I had a pretty cool revelation as I spent the past week in Wisconsin at a condo near Devil's Head ski area with my best friend. I had taken along a lot of slices of soap to use, because I wanted her opinions and I wanted to try them in different water, because I knew that hard or soft water affects lather differently, but I was amazed at how much of a difference it really did make.

At home we have well water, which isn't really hard, but we don't use a softener either. It's just generally good water. I usually get very nice lather from my soaps, but there are two that seem to have a pretty low bubble, creamy lather at home (Tres and Oh Honey, Honey). I took samples of those along to try, and was absolutely amazed at how they performed in soft water. They had the most wonderful lather, I couldn't believe they were the same soaps I use at home!

And that makes me wonder about the statement I have on their descriptions that they're a low bubble soap, because it totally depends on YOUR water. If you have soft water, you'll get fantastic lather from them (in hard water it'll be creamier, less bubbly).

One day we had both showered with Tres, and then left for a day of shopping. When we returned, we both sort of panicked when we walked in the door because it smelled so good in the condo that we thought we must have left a candle burning by mistake. It turned out it was just the aroma of the soap we had used that morning, and it was wonderful! I don't get that effect at home because our house just smells like all the soaps all the time.

It was such a good week, I got to spend a lot of time laughing, scrapbooking, beading and shopping, and of course always learning more about soap!

6:06 pm cdt

Friday, March 7, 2008

No more boring showers!

This morning, as I was taking my shower, I started smiling to myself when I realized that I enjoy taking showers now. Ok, so that might sound a little funny, it's not like I used to not like taking showers, but as I was grabbing yet another bar of soap to smell and play with, I realized that showering has become a joy. Really. A joy.

It's now one of the favorite parts of my day. I never really used to think much about showering, or getting any enjoyment out of it. It was just something you do every day...another "chore" to be done. Before I started making soap we used whatever was the cheapest at the store, whether it was bar soap or shower gel. And we'd all use it, and never think much about it. After all, it was just your regular daily shower. But we did go through a LOT of lotions, and my elbows especially were always red and dry.

Now though, things are different. I start by using one of two (ok, sometimes I use them both) of the best bars for a facial soap (Oh Honey, Honey or Tres). Then I move on and might pick up one I haven't used in a few days, or maybe try something new, and then another, and then usually another, almost always ending with my beloved Patchouli Orange! What got me thinking this morning though, was that I pretty much wash my skin with 4-5 or more kinds of soap each day (no, I'm not OCD...I just enjoy playing with the soap and the bubbles!), and, I wondered...if I were using a harsh commercial soap and doing that, just what would my skin be like?? I'm betting it would be cracked, dry, and in need of tons of lotion all the time.

But it's none of the above, which really tells me a lot.

4:59 pm cst

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Ship ahoy!!

I've been spending more time than usual at the post office these days. Yes, the big product testing project is finally shipping!! I'm sending 225 selected people each three bars of my soap for testing as part of a wellness club product testing program. They're members of the club, and receive the soap free to test and critique, and let me know what they think of it - yes, good and bad comments and suggestions. In return, if it's considered an "approved by members" product, I'll get some national exposure.

It's exciting, and a little scary. And a lot of work! I absolutely love my post office ladies, so the shipment will be going out over about a week and a half...I don't want to overwhelm them with 225 packages all at once, so I'm taking about 20-30 packages a day, which still holds up the line a bit. I'm sure they see me coming though, and say to each other "You get her today!!"

Some people may have already received theirs, and the last ones shipped should get them in the second week of March.Then I'm going on a well-deserved vacation with my best friend. : )

6:05 am cst

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Thirteen.

That's how many bars of soap I tried this morning. My fingers were getting a little pruney by the time I was done! There were actually about 17 bars in the shower, but I really didn't need to use them all. Although, I was pretty much done and then spied the Patchouli Orange and thought "ok, I gotta use this one before I'm done" 'cause that's truly my favorite. I can't get enough of that scent!

I bought some soap online last week, because I like trying other soapers' products to compare scents, colors, bar sizes, pricing, packaging, service, ingredients, lather, etc. I bought three bars, and they came with two small sample pieces too. I liked their packaging, although the bars were shrink-wrapped so I couldn't smell a thing when I opened the box. A little disappointing, because I think it's awesome to open a box of soap and get that wonderful scent. Reminds me of home. : )

Anyway, all three bars lathered up well, but one of them made a really brown lather, which I didn't like much, and had very little scent. Sort of disappointing, because the scent description was very intriguing. I ended up throwing that one out. The other two are ok, nice lather but again, I learned something without needing to experiment for myself. One bar had titanium dioxide in it for coloring (white), and I learned that I don't like the feel of it. It's a natural mineral that's "safe" for cosmetic use (there's currently some controversy over that) and is used to make a lot of things pure white (think soaps, sunscreen, etc.). To me it just felt a little chalky, and I didn't like it. That one's still in the shower though, because I know either the kids or husband will use it, but now I know not to bother trying titanium dioxide in my soaps.

The third one was a honey scent, and was also "ok." It'll stay in the shower too, but it'll be interesting to just watch it and see whether anyone picks it up and uses it much, or if it just sits there.

I'm not picking on other soapmakers either...sometimes at craft shows I'll trade a bar with other soapmakers, or just buy some, and I have found some wonderful stuff out there, and they might inspire me to change something or try something new with my soaps.

And then there are times when I try soaps that are disappointing, and it just makes me want to try all that much more to have a fantastic product.

10:04 am cst

Thursday, January 31, 2008

"Soap making is part science, part magic, and part artistry." - Marge the Happy Soaper

I read that on a forum I belong to, and couldn't agree more. Except she left out the "part fun" part! There's definitely science involved, the whole saponification process is pure science, using the right amount of chemicals (sodium hydroxide/lye), water and oils. You have to know what you're doing or it's not going to become soap.

The magic comes in when it's all mixed together and turns to gel, cools and then turns to soap. I can't help but peek under the blankets still when it's going through all that. I love watching the process. It's also "magical" to me how much heat the soap creates when it's going through the gel stage (ok, that's science too!). And the scent becomes amazing. When I'm making new batches sometimes I'll wake up at night and just take a deep breath, it smells so good in here.

Part artistry is where even more creative fun happens. Rather than just make the same old recipe and just change the fragrance, I try to think of new things to do to make each soap different and pretty, if possible. Sometimes it's as simple as sprinkling something different on top, sometimes it's playing with the top to make swirls, sometimes it's more involved than that, but it's always FUN.

Always.

Valarie the Happy Soaper!! : )

5:59 am cst

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Soap travels the world...

We've had some exciting things happening here lately. I just finished an order for wedding favors and shipped that off last week. The wedding is a "destination wedding" in Mexico. The bride said they were inspired by my Lime Margarita soap that they love, and decided to create gift baskets for their guests with a "relax and have fun" sort of theme. They turned out beautifully, 1/2 size bars of Lime Margarita soap in green organza bags and a cute tag. The box smelled heavenly!

And then I received an order from a lady in Finland. Wow...Finland! She heard about my soap from someone's blog. It's so fun sending packages around the world.

And then the next day I got a wholesale order from a woman in Norway who owns a gift shop in an exclusive suburb outside of Oslo, and wants to put Real. Simple. Soap. in her shop! She ordered a nice assortment of scents, and I got that package shipped off.

The fun part about that order is that most likely people from all over the world will be shopping in her store, so who knows what'll happen from there.

5:23 pm cst <
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Saturday, January 19, 2008

New Soaps!

I worked a bit on the website today, adding some new soaps, even though they won't be ready for another month yet. I can't help it, I'm excited for these new soaps and wanted to show you what's coming up!

One that is ready is Key Lime Pie. Mmmm. Smells just like one of my favorite desserts. I sprinkled a bit of graham cracker crumbs on top after I poured it into the mold so it has a little bit of pie crust effect. The graham cracker crumbs will just go away after a shower or two, but I like making the soaps look cooler than just an ordinary bar of soap. It's part of the fun.

Cleopatra's Treasure is another new one that's curing. It smells heavenly, and I tried a new (for me) thing with this one too. I took Chamomile flowers and infused (steeped) them in the warm olive oil for many hours before using the oil in the soap. Infusing oils with herbs is something I've been reading about but had not tried. It was fun, and should give the soap even more great benefits for your skin.

Tall Tale is curing too, that's the one made with Anise essential oil, and is useful for both hunters and fishermen. Anise is supposed to attract fish and cover human scent, something hunters are always trying to do before going out. You could always add a few slivers of the soap to wash water for the hunting clothes too, it just might help.

Another soap that I think will be very helpful for people with skin problems is Force of Nature. It's been in the news a lot about how all the anti-bacterial products we use are not really helping us at all, but helping the germs breed stronger, more resistant strains. This soap is full of good natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral ingredients. There's even a story behind part of the soap...the "Four Thieves" blend of essential oils that I used in it. You can read about the thieves blend on the Soap Ingredients page.

And there's more new soap curing (yes, I've been busy)...but I still need to take pictures, maybe tomorrow. I finally got around to making a new batch of tea tree oil/Emu oil soap, and it'll be named Knockout, because it helps knock out skin problems such as acne. I have customers who swear by that soap for acne problems, and Emu oil is fantastic for your skin.

Oh, and last week I also made a soap with three milks...coconut milk, goats' milk and cream, and a fabulous honey scent. Tres is what that'll be named, for the three milks.

Part of the fun of making new soaps is trying them out as soon as I possibly can. I usually have some end slices that dry out fairly quickly, so I get to try them before waiting the six weeks for the full cure, thankfully. I don't think I could wait that long!!

I hope you're keeping warm, we're going through the usual Minnesota cold spell, with wind chills possibly as low as -35 to -50 degrees BELOW ZERO this weekend!! Right now the temp is -3 with the wind chill of -19.

Time for a nice, long, warm shower with a new soap!!

3:55 pm cst

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

I had a good laugh this morning...

I was sitting here at the computer and my daughter came out of the shower. She went downstairs and came up with her outfit for the day, all on hangers, and said "I put my clothes down in the soap room last night so they'd smell extra good today!"

I just gave her this sort of puzzled look, and she said "Mom, it's the first day of classes and I have to make all new friends!"

I haven't laughed like that in a while! She starts the new semester of college classes today, and whenever she goes somewhere, people are always saying how good she smells (actually her clothes) because our house just smells like soap and it sticks to us. But she had to make sure she smelled "extra good" today to meet new people!

What a kid! Thanks for the laugh, Taylor!

6:02 am cst

Thursday, January 10, 2008

It IS worth it!

Last week I was telling a friend how busy the soap business keeps me. It really is a second job, but like any small business, the hours are many and the pay, so far, non-existent. It all goes right back into the business. Pretty much every day when I get home from my full-time job I am working on something to do with soap. I'm either making it, cutting it, wrapping it, printing labels, cutting labels, organizing, getting ready for a show, working on the website, doing paperwork...you get the idea.

I was discussing all this with my friend, and I said that I hoped someday it would all be worth it, meaning that someday I want this business to grow enough to BE my full-time job. I'd like it to grow enough to employ other people too! But mostly I was meaning that I financially wanted all the hours to be worth it.

Well, today I got a new meaning and a new clarity that yes, it IS worth it now, and I don't mean financially at all.I got an order from a lady not too far away, and she said this, which I put on the Testimonials page: "I got a bunch of soap before Christmas, and my husband LOVED the peppermint soap. He has a lot of sinus problems and had surgery this last spring for it, but he said that soap in the morning made a huge difference in how he felt all day with his sinuses and headaches, like it 'cleared him out' for the day. : ) Plus it smells fantastic... our whole master bath and bedroom smells like peppermint! I was going to ask too when you thought you might get the oatmeal/milk/honey back in stock? That's what I've been using for my boys, my oldest has raging eczema and that soap has done wonders. I did order the goatsmilk one this time, so that will be great too for his skin I bet."

Wow. As I was driving back from sending her package off at the post office it really hit me that yes, it IS worth it, because just look at that...I've helped a husband start his days off much better, and helped a little boy find relief from his itchy skin.

Can it get any better than that? : )

4:41 pm cst

Sunday, December 30, 2007

It's been a good year...

I've had a week off from my regular work now, which is great, but I've been super busy. Of course Christmas was in there, and I think the best gift I received was an entire day home alone the day after Christmas! I usually take my three kids (teens) shopping the day after Christmas to spend their Christmas money, but my oldest (19) said she could just take my youngest (14) since she was going to the same area. How nice!! The middle child drove herself where she wanted to go. That meant I got to stay home alone, turn on some tunes, and SOAP!

I have a huge project going where I need to make 675 bars of three kinds of soap (225 bars each scent), and I got 2/3 of it done. The other 1/3 I have to wait on supplies to come the first week of January. I wasn't paying attention when I ordered, and only after ordering did I notice the supplier was closed until January 2. Oh well, it'll still work out and be ready in time.

My house smells amazing right now, even moreso than usual. One of the huge batches I made was Patchouli Orange, my current favorite. I just love that scent. I also made an anise scented soap...anise is legendary for two reasons - it's supposed to attract fish, and hide human scent (for hunters). The Minnesota fishing opener is in May, so it'll be ready long before then. The fishermen are supposed to wash their hands and even their lures with it before fishing, and it masks the human scent while attracting fish. It's also good for hunters, they should shower with it before going out in the woods. Same premise, it covers human scent and I've read that deer actually like the scent and will come closer to investigate.

Today I'll be making two totally new batches. I've infused olive oil with Chamomile flowers and will use that in one batch. Chamomile's healing qualities are beneficial for slow healing wounds, burns, eczema, inflammations on the skin, skin ulcers and such. It smells heavenly, like a very sweet honey. I think that one will be great. I'm superfatting that batch even more than the usual 5% so it'll be even more moisturizing.

The other one I'm going to make will be somewhat stinky. Well, hopefully it won't be too awfully smelly once it's cured! I'm using Neem oil, which is extremely pungent (ok, it outright stinks!). Neem oil is traditionally used for scabies, hives, eczema, psoriasis and all types of dry, red, skin rashes. As a natural antibacterial and antifungal, it is also commonly used for a variety of skin imbalances like athlete’s foot, toe fungi, and ringworm. Sounds great for those with skin problems. I'll definitely add some soothing essential oils to mask the smell, and I've heard that the Neem smell does dissipate over time, it's just too bad that such a great oil has such a bad smell!

Sometimes when I soap it just doesn't turn out right though, or at least not like I'd hoped. Yesterday I threw out a whole batch of soap that I didn't like. It had been an experiment (I was gonna call it "On the Edge") and it just wasn't lathering much at all. I do a lot of reading and researching, and love trying new things, but this one just didn't seem to work out. Most of the time if I make something that doesn't turn out terrific, I give it away to my customers at craft shows as "Mystery Soap." It's always still good soap, but usually the scent is very weak, or it's a bar that got cut too small, or an odd shape/end piece, etc. or some other cosmetic type of defect and I don't feel right charging for it, so I give it away to those who buy even one bar. But this one wasn't worth giving away, so I pitched it. Live and learn I guess!

Our soap has been traveling the world lately. My boss's daughter is traveling to Chile this week, and taking soap to her friends as a gift. And one of my best friends' brother is in town from Japan, and loved the soap in her shower, so he's taking back a bunch of bars with him too. I think that's cool. I just wish I got to travel as much as my soap does!

I thank you for being my customer in 2007, it's been a good year. And I wish you the very best life has to offer for 2008!

10:08 am cst

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

'Tis the Season!

Wow, the Christmas rush is on. I was so excited to get up this morning, open my email and see several new orders come in overnight. One was from California, which meant I got to add another state to my shipping map (on the "Find Us" page). That's 15 states where people have discovered Real Simple Soap! Thinking about it, that's over 1/4 of the United States! Ok, I could put a few more on the map...states where I've shipped to friends, but that really wouldn't be fair, would it?! The map shows where people have actually ordered from.

It's amazing how it's spreading. A lady called me from New York the other day, and when I asked her how she heard of our soap she said "I don't really know. My daughter (who also lives in NY) gave me a very specific shopping list and your soap was on it." Huh. Interesting.

It seems I go to the post office a lot these days. Even the post office lady ordered some soap, because she could smell it through the box and was intrigued. I gave her several samples and the next day, she ordered too! I can't tell you how much fun this is.

Now if only I could find the time to put up that Christmas tree...Hoping you have a fantastic holiday season!

5:53 am cst

Sunday, November 18, 2007

So much fun!

Yesterday was such a fun day. I did a very busy craft show where I got to meet a few loyal customers, heard some great suggestions and had the privilege of brightening a little girl's day.

It's so nice to be able to put a face to a name with customers, and I love hearing how you'll "never use anything else now!" Wow, that's the ultimate compliment, and I appreciate it. With each new batch I'm trying to improve even more, so I love hearing your suggestions.

One idea I need to figure out is what to re-name the "Goats in the Grove" soap. Several people have said with that name they're afraid to even smell it, thinking it'll smell like a barn! I named it that because it's made with goat's milk and has an orange scent...hence, "Goats in the Grove." But, I'm rethinking that. One guy even thought it said "Goats in the Grave!!" Now THAT would really smell bad! So anyway, that'll probably be changing soon, same soap, just different name.

There was this adorable little girl, probably around 10 or so, who was there for the day helping her dad with his booth. Every time she walked by she stopped to smell the Vanilla Sandalwood. I told my daughter "I bet you anything she's gonna talk her dad out of some money to buy herself some of that soap," and she eventually did! She came over and purchased a bar for herself, and I had a little fun. I told her that I thought it was so nice of her to be helping her dad all day long, and gave her a second bar free. The look on her face was priceless! She had the biggest eyes and the biggest grin I've seen in a long time. It really made my day.