Make and take?

[MarnieSoapien]

I will be a vendor at a craft fair next month and the organizer has suggested, if we want, to have a small make and take at our table and we can charge a small fee. I'm struggling to come up with ideas. Most of the things I'm thinking of require melting oils (lip balms, solid lotion bar) and I don't know if there will be a microwave there. Has anyone else done this? What would be easy, with a minimal mess and has appeal?

 

[Obsidian]

Bath salt and bath milks come to mind. Maybe some kind of gel bead room freshener.

 

[shunt2011]

Bath salts is a good idea. Or perhaps purchase a base and do a small body spray or room spray. Do you have enough help to monitor what's going one plus selling?

 

[dixiedragon]

Adding on tub teas to the bath salts idea.

You could also have some pre-made lotion and a milk frother and people could add their own fragrances to the plain lotion base and whip it in.

https://www.amazon.com/Highfive-Kit...2?keywords=milk+frother&qid=1573052711&sr=8-2

These are cheap so you could get 3-4 so people wouldn't have to wait too long. BUT you'd really need to have somebody supervising the fragrance and making sure nobody spills. Depending on how large the market it, might be worthwhile get a bunch of little bottles:
https://www.amazon.com/Wowlife-Plas...eywords=dropper+bottle&qid=1573052803&sr=8-19

So people have a wide range of options to choose from. According to my quick math, it's about 1/4 teaspoon of a randomly chosen fragrance to medium-scent a 4 oz jar of lotion. So you could pick a variety of fragrances that fall in the same usage rate, so you can tell people, "Use 1/4 teaspoon of fragrance per jar."

I would charge at least $10 for this, just for the hassle factor. And I would only do this if I could have a helper most of the day, if not all of the day. I'd get a few 1/4 teaspoons and 1/8 teaspoons, and tell people they can use "one of these" (1/4 teaspoon). Or 2 of these (1/8 teaspoon) if they way to create their own blend.

 

[Millie]

What about bringing a batch of soap dough for people to play with? I have never made it but it looks fun.
https://sorcerysoaps.com/blogs/soap-dough-recipe/free-soap-dough-recipe

Brambleberry has a recipe for an easy melt and pour version too
https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/melt-and-pour-soap/making-play-dough-soap-2/

 

[amd]

When a local GM soaper was doing shows (she rarely does them any more) she had make and take CP soap. I was busy with my own booth so I didn't get to see how she actually did it, but I did visit with her about it during setup. She was doing straight water (so no GM) and using the lye solution heat to melt the hard oils. Customers could fragrance from a selection of five scents and no colors. She had basic safety equipment there - gloves and goggles - and her make table was setup such that the makers were inside the booth so no risk of getting jostled by people walking by. She had small cardboard molds, plastic wrap and labels so that when people were done shopping they could swing by and get their soap, hoping it was set enough to travel. I didn't get to visit with her to see how it went after the show, but I talked to quite a few people who had done it during the show. She had two helpers who did her selling while she did the make and take.

This is not something I would do right now - I'm just not organized enough and too much of a nervous nelly - but it has always been in the back of my mind to do at some point when I have enough help and ambition. Maybe.

 

[Nanette]

Wowza thats courageous...make and take cp soap...and I know So many people would just love this experience. It actually is a good idea but a lot of work. You would have to check the liability insurance factor of your market to make sure it would be allowed.

 

[amd]

I asked the same question, Nanette. The Soapmaker's insurance covered the liability, and she had signs stating that the organizer was not liable.

 

[MGM]

Making CP at a fair is nuts! The workshop where I learned had 5 participants, we each had our own station and equipment and LOTS of safety wear, and there was one instructor. I paid $70 for the experience. (It was at a brewery and included a pint, and we took home about 20 bars.)
But even if you don't go full-on CP, I can't imagine what you could have them do that wouldn't cost you in time and ingredients. A spill here or there and you're in the hole. You would definitely need a helper, so that's wages for a full day that have to be absorbed.
Let us know what you do!!!

 

[Obsidian]

No way would I do CP at a show. M&P maybe but that still could be dangerous at a busy show.
I think sticking to products that doesn't need any heat would be safest and quickest.

 

[TheGecko]

I will be a vendor at a craft fair next month and the organizer has suggested, if we want, to have a small make and take at our table and we can charge a small fee. I'm struggling to come up with ideas. Most of the things I'm thinking of require melting oils (lip balms, solid lotion bar) and I don't know if there will be a microwave there. Has anyone else done this? What would be easy, with a minimal mess and has appeal?

I would do bath salts. You pre-measure 4 oz coarse sea salt into ziplock bags, have a half dozen micas, half dozen scents in little squirt bottles and some glitter. The customer bowls the salt into bowl, they then use one of those tiny little spoons to add mica and glitter, a few drops of fragrance and tiny amount of Poly 80 and they mix with a spatula and pour back into the bag. Charge $10.00

 

[MarnieSoapien]

I knew I could count on all of you for great ideas!

 

[Millie]

Let us know what you end up doing and how it goes. It will be an adventure for sure!

Had one more thought - you could have pretty papers, scissors and glue for people to package soap prettily. Some years I have fun making boxes or other pretty wrappings for the soap, and I think lots of adults secretly love childishly easy crafting.

 

[MGM]

I would do bath salts. You pre-measure 4 oz coarse sea salt into ziplock bags, have a half dozen micas, half dozen scents in little squirt bottles and some glitter. The customer bowls the salt into bowl, they then use one of those tiny little spoons to add mica and glitter, a few drops of fragrance and tiny amount of Poly 80 and they mix with a spatula and pour back into the bag. Charge $10.00

I had thought of bath salts, but also, you kind of don't want to reveal how easy/cheap it is. Same thing with lip balms. If they knew, they'd never pay half-decent prices again!

 

[TheGecko]

I had thought of bath salts, but also, you kind of don't want to reveal how easy/cheap it is. Same thing with lip balms. If they knew, they'd never pay half-decent prices again!

I understand what you are saying, but consider this...do you change the oil in tour vehicle or have someone else do it?

 

[dixiedragon]

I had thought of bath salts, but also, you kind of don't want to reveal how easy/cheap it is. Same thing with lip balms. If they knew, they'd never pay half-decent prices again!

Well, yes and no. Bath salts probably - but if you have your dry ingredients mixed and don't give exact proportions, people won't really be able to do the math. Lip balm - easy to make but you have to pay some $ for tubes, for the pour tray, for the ingredients - plus you have to order flavor online.

 

[SideDoorSoaps]

No way would I do CP at a show. M&P maybe but that still could be dangerous at a busy show.
I think sticking to products that doesn't need any heat would be safest and quickest.

There’s a soaper in Central Pa that does make and take melt and pour. It’s pretty interesting. She has embeds, scents and color ants people can chose from.

 

[Nanette]

Fizzy something?

 

[mishmish]

Luffa melt & pour soap? Have precut luffa slices, color, scent, and premeasured amounts of chopped up mp in baggies. What about the time for them to cool and harden? Give them a number and tell them to come back and claim theirs after an hour?

Or order some ice cream cups - I found some on Amazon (6 oz Paper Hot/Cold Ice Cream Cups - 100ct (White)) and they could make it in one and take it away and unmold it once they arrive home.