One More Week!

Last Saturday was a success at the market downtown and the farm. The weather was a little damp in the morning, but it was bright and sunny by the afternoon. There was a great turnout for both events. It was fun doing the soap demo. I explained how to make cold processed lavender soap. I unmolded it on Sunday and it smelled so good (if you like lavender!). This Saturday will be the last week of the regular downtown market. They hold a special holiday market on the 6th of December, which will be fun. I got the picture from our Robin Williams show so I will post it on the blog. That night was so fun. This week I will concentrate on making some cinnamon apple and pumpkin spice. Those were my top sellers last week, along with the lemongrass. I'm sad that the market is ending for the season when I'm just getting to know everybody. Can't wait for next year!

Hopeful!

Well, tomorrow is the big Autumn Festival downtown. The weather is said to be cold & rainy. Bummer! I hope there is a good turnout. I have a pretty good stock built up. I'm really excited about my demo at the Cliffs Organic Farm. I have all of my supplies ready. Today I will be working on hand pouring some lip balms and making 2 mint chocolate batches. Busy Bee!

Stocking up

Today I have been working on getting restocked for my upcoming events. I made a new batch of lemongrass poppy, which made my house smell wonderful! I also made an oatmeal batch, for those with sensitive skin. My third batch was cinnamon clove. Clove bud essential oil is quickly becoming one of my favorites. It smells so good and it keeps its scent so well in the soap. I colored it naturally, which was very exciting to me because I like to keep things as natural as possible. I will post a picture of how it came out. It got a pretty good review at the market, so that made me feel good. I'm also excited about the soapsicles that my sister and I made. I love the fact that I have something for everyone at my booth- the kids were wild over them. I will try to get a picture up of those, too. For the next few days I will be concentrating on building my stock so we will have a good showing for our big day Saturday!

Fall is Here!

Today was a really good day at the Market! The weather has definitly changed and Fall is in the air. It was kind of fun to get dressed up in my warm jacket. I had a couple of new products at my booth that really went over well. One was a Soapsicle, and the other was sort of a soap mobile (basically bars & balls of soap strung up on hemp string). My sister and I did the soapsicles last night and it was so fun working together on a project. I also brought a new scent out, cinnamon clove. Those sold like hot cakes, but lavender patchouli was my best seller today. It's very interesting because you never know what people will be in the mood for. I am really loving the market community which consists of the "vendors" and the die hard attenders. It's a fun network of people who I can completely identify with. Many people asked me where my boys were today, which was sweet. I signed my baby sister up for babysitting duty, she didn't mind. I left the market with much less soap than I came with, which is what I consider a successful day!

Peace, Love & Robin Williams!

Tonight was a very exciting and fun night for me! My husband and I got to go see Robin Williams at the Peace Center. It was great because we really don't get to go on a lot of dates together. The show was Hilarious! By the end, my cheeks were hurting from laughing so hard. After the show we went backstage to a sort of meet and greet thing. Of course, I brought 2 bars of my most popular soap to give as a gift to Robin- cinnamon apple swirl and mint chocolate. I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure how Robin Williams would take some girl giving him a couple bars of soap. But, he was great! He said that he would definitely use it and keep it in his bike bag to use while on the road. He took a big whiff and commented on how good it smelled! I was over the moon- and I'm sure my cheesy grin gave me away. I told him about my blog and said that if he got the chance, to leave me a message. We shall see! Well, Mr. Robin Williams, you looked awesome and after using my soap you will smell as good as you look! Had a great night, Thank You!

Double duty for Peace, Love & Soap!

Saturday, August 25, Peace, Love and Soap will be pulling double duty! In the a.m. we will be at the Autumn Festival on Main in downtown Greenville. It's going to be a really fun event and I'm totally excited about it. Then, that afternoon, I was asked to do a soap demo at The Cliffs organic farm! I am very honored to have been asked to be a part of ther Fall Festival. Now I need to time myself so I can make my demo around 30 min. I don't think this will be a big deal. Once you have your materials prepared, it goes pretty fast. I love this time of year with the georgous weather and festivals going on.
Yesterday I unmolded a test batch that I had made using curly shavings from another batch. My objective was to make each cross section look like it had curly q's in it. I know, it sounds confusing, I'll post a picture later. Anyway, I am very happy to say that it came out looking really cool! Can't wait to share my picture and get some feedback on it!

Now you can buy online!

In response to some of my customers interested in purchasing more soap, I have opened an Etsy account. Etsy is pretty much the ebay of all things handmade. The Market will be over soon and with winter coming my options to get out there and sell more soap are limited. This is a way for anybody to shop at anytime. I just opened it a couple of days ago and I listed only two scents to try and see what kind of response I get. If there is an interest, I will definitely list more. Also, if anyone has a request that you want me to list, let me know. Just go to, www.peaceloveandsoap.etsy.com to find my products. Hope you like!

Exciting News for Peace, Love & Soap!

Yesterday we recieved some very exciting news from the producer of a local television show called "Your Carolina". They want to feature Peace, Love & Soap on their show on December 19th! I have already been hard at work revamping my inventory for the upcoming holiday season. I feel so honored to have the chance to talk about soapmaking and starting up a business. I'm glad I have some time to get my thoughts together! Wow, I'm excited. I know it's kind of a long way off so I will remind all of my local friends to try and tune in closer to the date.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, today I am 29! I am learning that as you get older, you must change your expectations of your birthday. The day you were born is a great day to reflect on all of the little (and not so little) Blessings that have been sprinkled throughout the year. It's not about presents or gifts, it's about the happiness that you feel when you look around and know that you are loved.
Okay, enough of that philosophical stuff. Yesterday was very exciting for me. I got to go to Asheville and pick up my bulk organic oils that I had ordered a couple of weeks ago. Those 5 gallon buckets were beautiful! I know, I know- nerd alert! It's nice to know that I can keep making my soap without having to run to the store every couple of days because I was out of something. I had all of these different recipes and oil blends going through my mind as I was waiting for my oils, it was like torture. But, now I can make them happen. I also want to say thanks to my customers who take the time to send me comments on my blog. It almost brings me to tears when people tell me how much they enjoy my products or give me props! I know that is super-cheesy, but it's true. Thank you, thank you, thank you......

To Market, to market!

Today was a really awesome day that I had been envisioning ever since the thought of selling my soap came to me. It was our first day at the Carolina First Saturday Market in downtown Greenville. It is a really cute farmer's market that takes place on Main St. and is a treat for the locals as well as tourists. I was honored to finally secure a booth, but a little nervous because I would be bringing my boys with me. Don't get me wrong, my kids are well-behaved, but you can only ask so much out of a one and three year old. Not to worry, they were little angels. The market lasted from 8-12. My neighbor came to see our booth around 10:30, which was great because she took the boys for a walk and played with them for a while. I couldn't have asked for a better day. My sales were high and I got some great feedback on my soap. Apple cinnamon swirl is definitely a favorite among my customers and the mint chocolate also went over well. Last night when I put Cameron to bed, he said a special prayer for our booth at the market. I thought it was so neat how he realized that it was so important to me that our day went well. His prayers were answered and we all enjoyed our time together. Now I need to focus on getting my inventory back up and ready for our next market adventure. I hope it is as good as today!