What soapy thing have you done today?

[Zany_in_CO]

I made a spring/ Easter soap cold process soap. It smells amazing!!!

Not fair to tease us like that! LOL Do tell... what FO did you use? Inquiring minds want to know.

I have a meeting with a new insurance agent today who will hopefully have a better quote for me than what I've been paying for business insurance.

Hi! If you start a new thread titled "Insurance?" you should get good info. I don't have insurance but my understanding is that there are places like Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild, Indie Beauty Network, WSP, Soaplooza, etc. that offer insurance for crafters -- less expensive too, if I recall correctly.

 

[amd]

Hi! If you start a new thread titled "Insurance?" you should get good info. I don't have insurance but my understanding is that there are places like Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild, Indie Beauty Network, WSP, Soaplooza, etc. that offer insurance for crafters -- less expensive too, if I recall correctly.

Thanks, Zany. I've looked at the guild and Indie Beauty Network, they require other memberships which I'm not interested in. I think I looked Soaplooza too, but don't remember why (I suspect it's more than I'm paying now). WSP isn't available for my state yet I asked around my crafty friends, and they recommended an agency to me that I'm at least going to talk to. My current insurance isn't insanely expensive ($37 per mo), but I am trying to get some operating cost inline with my sales. My husband wasn't happy when we did our taxes last week and discovered my business was -$300 for 2017. (I actually thought that was really good for a second year, when comparing to my first year when I was -$1500!) So, $37 for insurance isn't going to break me, but if I can get a better price for the same insurance it's worth half an hour of my time.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

amd: Thanks for the update on insurance. Good to know!

I've also been spending a lot of time thinking about what type of soaps I really want to make. I suspect some of my "I don't want to make soap" issues have just come down to overwhelming myself with making "fancy" soaps, when really... I just want to make simpler bars with no imbeds, just nice swirls or layers or solid colors. So I'm realigning my future soaps with that in mind. Hopefully this week will be a good week to make soap

I think this is not only a great plan, but will go a long way to getting your business out of the red and into the black! I've always felt that the best way to make money selling soap is to keep things simple, skip the fancy stuff (for now) and have an awesome basic soap formula, pretty colors and great fragrances that people keeping coming back to buy. Don't worry too much about having a negative balance at the end of 2016 & 2017. You used that time well trying one thing and another and that in itself is an important part of starting a business.

Keep up the good work!

 

[jewels621]

Today was laundry soap production day. I had to get done with the have-tos in order to get to the want-tos. With a new challenge coming out soon, I needed to free up some time!

 

[earlene]

Only thing I worry about is handling the little plastic tub in which I weighed my lye crystals. It was very slick and slimy and I just decided to fill it with water and leave it alone. Did I do the right thing?

That should be fine as long as you rinsed well, and won't be using it for other purposes. I would suggest labeling it so it doesn't get used for anything else. I actually prefer to use disposable cups to measure my lye, but I know that's not always an option. (Lots of traveling and lots of disposable cups at my disposal is why I do this.)

 

[SaltedFig]

Poked the soap. Scowled at the soap. Scheduled the next soap poke for tomorrow.

(pondered the wisdom of trying a new recipe and a new design in the same batch)

 

[Lin19687]

I Thought about Soap today

I finally got a corner desk and redid the soap room.
I have some things to get done before I start soaping.

 

[lrpolillo]

I made a spring/ Easter soap cold process soap. It smells amazing!!!



View attachment 29117

The FO is called tutti fruitti from candles and supplies in Quakertown PA. It smells like jelly belly’s.

 

[SaltedFig]

Unmolded and cut the trial soap.

Reviewed the new design idea (one flaw, lots of good points) and new recipe (another brine soap variant, interesting effects, great bubbles).

Still waiting on the color morph and salt changes.

 

[SunRiseArts]

Whoa cmzaha, my hats of to you! All the soap posted is so beautiful! Except the poo one. Sorry Mischief, I could not bath with it. I do know is popular ....

I made bastille soap today with buttermilk. Very simple. I hope it turns out good!

 

[Misschief]

Whoa cmzaha, my hats of to you! All the soap posted is so beautiful! Except the poo one. Sorry Mischief, I could not bath with it. I do know is popular ....

I made bastille soap today with buttermilk. Very simple. I hope it turns out good!

LOL.. I hear you. I did it for some of the boys I know. Of the five "bars" I made, three are already spoken for.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Misschief: You're not alone. LOL My wholesale customer makes (real) chocolate "Moose Poop" lip balm during the holidays and sells out every year!

 

[Primrose]

Look what I got today

 

[DianaMoon]

I cut the rebatch I did the other day into bars. Rather gooey; this is now a science experiment. They are yellow and not very pretty. I now have a checklist of what not to do for my next batch, which I will do when my scents arrive.
Soapmaking is a learning process. At least my ugly soap makes lather!

 

[Serene]

I am on a mold making roll. Complete madness. They will soon take over the craft room. Also re organizing the soap room getting it ready to soap for when the lard rendering is done. Pics of molds, some are still a work in progress.

 

[scard]

Serene those molds are beautiful!

 

[earlene]

Since arriving in Texas, I have managed to label some soaps and packaged a boxful of soap to mail to my brother, which I mailed off yesterday. I have a few more soaps to package and mail to my eldest granddaughter along with some baby clothes, etc. for my second great-granddaughter. I hope to finish that up tomorrow.

It was on the agenda for today, but her school had a rumored threat of a school shooter so all students were given the option to leave school. I rushed over and got her and to decompress from the anxiety, we drove around and did a bit of shopping. I wanted to make some lip balm with her, but neither of us is really in the mood now.

 

[Serene]

Sorry to hear about that, Earlene. Here is hoping your day gets better.

Sere

Ack..not that I liked that that happened to you. Gosh the Internet like button is so meh.

 

[Lin19687]

I am so jealous of you all.
I am not feeling 100% yet to soap Coughing fits and still just run down.

But you all WAIT till I get going !!!

and I still need to make a name for the Biz

 

[Serene]

Thank you, Scard.

You can make them too! Once you make the first one then it goes downhill from there. If you want to give it a try send me a msg we can get something going.

Sere