Words from a daughter...slow down, enjoy life

My daughter is pregnant with her 3rd child, working on her Master's Thesis, cares for 2 children under 4, and works full-time as an educational Title One Director. She does all this while her husband works 12 hours away and is only home a few days out of the week. And I think I'm stressed.

This morning, I received the following message in my email box:

"Mom,

I know I am the last person who should be telling you not to stress about work. That is the pot calling the kettle black. But, I think that both of us need to learn to slow down and enjoy life a bit more. I printed this and have taped sections of it to the wall in my office and on my mirror at home as a reminder that life is short, money will come and go, and stress is not worth it. Thank you very much for all your help this weekend. I like coming home. Love always"

I have no idea who should receive credit for this, but it sure made my day. Hope it uplifts and sheds new perspective on what's really important in life.
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A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 8 ounces to 20 ounces.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, I'll have to call an ambulance."

"In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

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1) Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

2) Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

3) If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

4) It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

5) Never buy a car you can't push.

6) Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

10) Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

11) Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

12) The second mouse gets the cheese.

13) When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

14) You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

15) We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty, and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

As we move into this busy holiday season, may we all take time to put down our burdens, slow down, and enjoy life. Remember, the truly happy person is the one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Yep, Over 200 Nutcrackers!

Many years ago my husand and I had New Year's Eve dinner at a posh restaurant in the Greater Detroit area called the Lark. While dining, my eyes were drawn to a collection of Nutcrackers that adorned a mammoth stone fireplace. It envisioned every child's Christmas dream. It was at that moment I knew I must possess a Nutcracker collection just like it.

I certainly succeeded and have far surpassed it. I now own over 200 plus nutcrackers ranging in size from 6 foot to miniature ones that hold guest place cards. There are animated and musical nutcrackers, expensive Steinbach's from Germay (compliments of my brother-in-law who is a physican that practiced in Germany for a number of years) and a good number of cheap charlies. When you walk into our home at Christmas, it is apparant that I've became obsessive about the collection. My original plan was to collect enough nutcrackers to decorate my fireplace mantel. The collection outgrew the mantel years ago and now fills every room of the house.

The grand kid's love Christmas as NeeNee and Poppy's. The minute they walk through the door, they are in Christmas wonderland. My heart leaps as they run from room to room moving the nutcrackers mouths , giving sighs of oooohhhh and ahhhh as they wind up the musical ones, and seeing the overall joy they express at the wonder of the season.

This week marks official Nutcracker week at my house. It's the week we bring down all of the nutcrackers from the attic, unpack them, repair as needed and meticulously place them in their chosen locations. I love it! The down side....packing them all away. Every year I say this is the last time I'm displaying nutcrackers. Every year, I continue to do it. Maybe I'll stick to my guns once the grand kids are grown. For now, I couldn't bear to disappoint them.

And the winner is.....

Congratulations to Lesha Anderson of Indiana the winner of our recent soap giveaway. Lesha will receive 6 beautiful handcrafted soaps from pjsoaps.com. Soaps are crafted from a select group of Mold Market soap molds.

We have pictured the soaps that will be included in Lesha's gift box.... snail, honey bee, flower watering can, maple leaf, playing card, Christmas candle. All of these molds are available at GoPlanetEarth.com.

Saving Lifes with Soap

I opened my email box today to find this uplifting note from a customer. It was a wonderful start to my day. One of my long-time customers shared this....


"Hi Denise,

Joseph and I just wanted to share a great story with you, and you can post this on your website if you wish. It is so cool.

We ordered five of your Mold Market breast cancer awareness molds back in September since we met a radiologist from a local hospital in our area who was looking for a way to get women to come to the hospital to get their mammograms and bone densitometry tests. Joseph and I thought taking your mold, making it in light pink and unscented (since many of the ladies would not care for scent) would be a great incentive. We approached the radiologist who went to her higher up at the hospital, and flyers went out that this free gift would be given to women on October 21, 2007. Well, to say the least, the women flocked in and they had 200 tests performed that day! We thank Go Planet Earth for providing us with the catalyst for not only a great idea, but a helpful one that may have actually saved lives."

Jayne and Joseph in California
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Most of us have family or friends who are battling or have died from cancer-related diseases. I hope this post will encourage you to begin a crusade within your own community to raise cancer awareness. Let's all do what we can to promote mammogram testing, smoking cessation programs, annual colonoscopys, prostate testing, and any other educational programs that help prolong life and identify the risks associated with cancer.

I've mentioned in a number of posts that my Dad is battling prostate cancer. It is stage IV and has metastized to the bone and bladder. In this same year, I've witnessed the horrific effects of cancer with a number of other family members and close friends. Some did not survive. Cancer is no respecter of persons or age. We are all at risk even with a healthy lifestyle. My Dad bears witness to this.

I applaud Jayne and Joseph for the dedication and unpaid work in donating soaps to save lives!

Ten Pointers for Thinking Outside the Box

Most of us tend to follow conventional wisdom and to think in routine ways when problem solving or investigating new ideas outside our comfort zone. Thinking outside the box can be a daunting task. It forces us to let go of preconceived notions of what an idea or solution should be and expand on the possibilities. It means asking what if and assuming the absurd. When we do, the sky is no longer the limit and we begin to develop a product that is better, more creative, and beyond our wildest dreams.

Here are ten pointers I've found helpful for “out of the box” thinking….

1) Look for opportunities that others miss.

2) The more diverse your experiences, the bigger your box will become.

3) Build your creativity on collective interaction. Seek out the perspective of many people. When everyone overlaps their boxes, incredible ideas can emerge.

4) Don’t be afraid to fail, think of it as a learning tool.

5) Deliberately explore the absurd and unusual to inspire new ideas and concepts.

6) Be open to new ways of looking at things.

7) Understand that sometimes expertise in an area can hinder creativity because it fixates us on a certain line of thought. Work to eliminate barriers that result from preconceived notions of what the idea should be. Take a leap of faith and test assumptions so that you can expand on the possibilities.

8) Be willing to face ridicule from people who cannot see things from a new perspective.

9) Understand that creativity is defiance from past experiences and procedures. Keep in mind that there is more than one way to cut a cake, peel a potato, or decorate a Christmas tree.

10) Embrace the concept that you can take any idea or product and make into something new.

I hope this post inspires you to take your ideas, turn them around, inside out, upside down, and back to front to see what happens.

As always, I wish each of you much success in your soap making ventures.

Soap making....thinking outside the box

I've always admired people that think outside the box. They inspire, get the creative juices flowing, and motivate me to try new soaping ideas. Midohana is a one of those "think outside the box" people. Not only are these sushi soaps "way cool", the bento box used to package the soaps are often recycled (clean and sanatized, of course).

What a great Christmas gift. A bento box filled with a delightful assortment of sushi soaps. One of the sushi soap assortments even includes a set of chopsticks all nestled on a bed of raffia. All are very affordable gifts ranging from $6.50 for the mini sushi gift pack to $18.50 for the deluxe assortment (shown below).

Are you a "think outside the box" person? My next post will expand on the attributes and characteristics of individuals who find more ways than one to skin a potato, or should I say make soap.

Interview with Soap Maker, Paula Kates AND a FREE soap giveaway!!!

I recently interviewed Paula Kates from pjsoaps.com. I’ve personally seen Paula’s work and sampled the end product. Without reservation, I recommend her soaps as gifts for holiday gift giving. In fact, I’ll be placing my holiday order with her very soon.

I hope you take time to read the interview as it provides some great soaping tips.

Also, be sure to register for GoPlanetEarth’s FREE soap giveaway (a $42.00 value AND we pay shipping). One lucky winner will receive (6) decorative and deliciously fragranced soaps handcrafted by Paula using Mold Market molds. Winner’s name will be posted November 15, 2007 on Denise’s Yadda Yadda blog.

*CLICK HERE to register for the soap giveaway (no purchase necessary).
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THE INTERVIEW:


Denise: What prompted your interest in melt and pour soap making?

Paula: My partner Jan has always been a lover of the highest quality exotic soaps from around the world (which is pretty neat since he competes in strongman competitions, you know where they pull airplanes, carry refrigerators and lift cars etc.) So up until 2003 we were buying fancy soaps from a bunch of different places. Then one of my best friends who I play scrabble with almost daily told me how he was going to make M&P soaps for holiday gifts! It didn't phase me at first because I thought, right, he's an astrophysicist; I'm sure it won't seem difficult for him. Well after he showed me a picture of his first batch and I had to ask him all about it. He said it couldn't be easier and the clincher for me was when he said "clean up's a breeze!" I found that I could completely control the ingredients, fragrance and look of the soap. I was ready to sample and test bases, colorants and fragrances until I found ingredients that matched my desire to remain as close to nature as possible and for overall excellence.

Denise: When you make a bar of soap, it looks like a work of art. It’s truly amazing. How long did it take you to develop the technique you use for multiple colored pours?

Paula: I started just making plain slabs of solid colored quality soap with amazing fragrances then stamping a design on the top of each bar. Then every night I went to bed I'd think "I bet I could do x, y & z" then the next morning I'd try something like layering a soap with 3 colors. Then I'd go to be thinking if I can lay down 3 layers I could do 2 clear layers and anything I want in the middle (like I could stamp out soaps with cookie cutters and put a bear and a tree in the middle of clear layers). I always wanted the best so I wanted the image to last which embedding is perfect for. Then I started to find chocolate molds that I could paint and embed in the soap. At first, I tried soap paints but they were so frustrating to work with and the whole pot would turn to rock after 2-3 uses, anyway that wasn't the kind of stuff I really wanted to be putting in my soap. So I thought I'm using these basic pigments, mica's and clays to color the soap, why not try painting the soap embeds with a straight concentrated form of the pigments. Well it worked perfectly, however you need to lay down 3 layers of each color and dry for 3 days. LOTS of work, but really worth it for things like the Designer Easter egg embeds.

I then remembered seeing some super beautiful soap molds, the surface of which was 3D and if I could get colored soap in those depressions rather than a light coat of pigment on the surface they might hold their image longer. So I started experimenting with small little batches of colored & scented soaps (those that would compliment each other) and the real trick came in trying to figure out how to get the hair of a woman to be distinct from the color of her face. As soon as I knew it was possible I wasn't gonna stop 'til I'd found or made all the right tools to master this technique.

Denise: I know you teach workshops on advanced soap making skills. Are you willing to share a tip or two about working with multiple color pours?

Paula: Sure. I actually have a basic hand out I give to my students so they can avoid most of the disasters I've encountered through the years. For example: never pour a layer of M&P on a 2nd layer until it is fully set (hardened), then sprits the surface with rubbing alcohol or the layers will NOT bond (and who wants to spend hours making an American flag that falls apart when you pick it up)? If you are pouring a mold with a 3D surface, start filling in your colors the lowest depression. If you want a top color to look gold and you have darker colors to be poured on top of that gold, you must first add a thin layer of white to cover the gold after it's set or your gold will come out looking green. This is a rule anytime you want to retain a true color and keep it distinct from the additional layers.

Denise: Mold Market is a major USA mold producer. This company showcases many of your finished soaps. What top 3 Mold Market molds would you recommend for someone just learning melt and pour?

Paula: Good Question....GoPlanetEarth actually stocks the new Starfish Mold. That would be ideal for just training the brain to pour one color carefully into the starfish (without over pouring) and then spritzing with alcohol immediately before the next layer/color is added. It's also good for learning how to clean up any over pours. If you've filled the starfish too full, don't worry, just let it harden and hold it to the light and trim any excess soap away from the starfish. It will look as good as if you never did the over pour.

Another mold that's good for beginners is the snowflake. The indentations for the snowflake aren't very deep so it requires learning another trick or two. Before you try to give the etchings of the snowflake their distinct color, spritz with alcohol. When you're using that little bit of soap you want to keep it free flowing into the crevices so spritz pour enough to fill the crevices of the design. Wait 'til those harden then take a plastic scraping tool (spatula) and gently scrape away until any over pour is cleaned up; spritz with alcohol and pour in the base color. Make sure your base color isn't too hot as to melt the thin layer of snowflake (I dip my pinkie into the base and if it's not too warm to hold my finger in there for 4 seconds it's not too warm to pour.)

The Water Conch would be my next suggestion. Those etchings are deeper but they are also at an angle so pouring the contrasting color into the edge design must be done with greater control. Over the years I've discovered and developed the perfect tools for doing all of this with the least amount of overflow and cleanup between layers. The kit is available on my web site.

Denise: What business advice and encouragement can you offer to someone just starting out in the soap making business?

Paula: Wow, if your aim is to make money and put food on the table. I can't suggest doing what I do. It can take hours just to make a dozen soaps. Don't get me wrong I LOVE it and would never do it any other way, but I also want the best ingredients and they cost and arm and a leg. You can make money making soap and you can do it with great ingredients, but then you're talking about being able to make batches of 2100 in a day rather than 18 in a day (which is about the most I can make in a day). Look into CP soap making and make sure you wouldn't rather do that and make a living. If you decide you want to do your soap PJ Soaps style, you can pay for your supplies but there isn't a lot left over. I know if I land a few B&B's as a base for regular income I will be able to do this for a living. But as of now, for me it's a beloved art driven by the will to master the art & craft.

Denise: You seem diligent about working with inorganic pigments such as mineral/oxides and ultramarines. What’s your voice about color choices?

Paula: I regard them as "closer to nature" in that they either originate from rock, minerals or clays or they are created to mimic same (although they have all been processed to remove impurities such as lead and other heavy metals). They also do NOT bleed which is essential for what I do. They don't stain hands, clothing or surfaces they all rinse off with water. They do have a drawback and that is you get a limited range of colors.

Denise: How long does it take you to handcraft a bar of soap… for example, the Christmas Candle Stick or Star Santa molds from the Mold Market collection?

Paula: With the proper tools I could make a batch of each (3&3) of the details in 2 hours, at which point they need to sit unmoved for another two hours and move to a cool place 'til they are ready to unmold 4ish hours later or often over night.

Denise: You recently took 1st place for the most artistic soap at the 2007 ISOCAN convention (Illinois soap and candle conference) using the Mold Market Bass mold. What a great honor. What are your thoughts on winning?

Paula: It really meant the world to me to be judged by people who actually make soap themselves and to win. M&P soaping hasn't really gotten a lot of respect over the years and understandably so, given how easy and almost fool-proof it is. But finding a top of the line soap base, colorants and FO's or EO's and then making an art of it is really fairly new. So my guess is that got me the award more than anything, bringing something new to the process.

Denise: Soap making is becoming increasingly competitive. What “how-to” suggestions or advice can you offer to new soap makers on marketing their business?

Paula: If you love and believe in your product and the ingredients you put in them, and would bathe your own sensitive skin baby in it with confidence, the sky is the limit. Seriously. I am not afraid to contact 5 star hotels or sell soaps to people with sensitive skin. All they have to do is try the product and it simply sells itself. Sometimes just the look or smell of the bar sells it, but that's the great irony. The quality of the soap is so high that it would a crime to have it sit there forever looking pretty and not be used. My suggestion to the shops I sell at is to tell customers to do what I do. I put a fancy bar on my sink for a few days until it stops looking fancy then it goes into the shower for the best shower EVER. I also remind the shops that the soaps have about a 1 year shelf life before they will start to lose their look. My soaps are very high in glycerine so they are very soft and can sweat in humidity. Just be upfront about all of it and try not to get lazy about posting positive feedback on your site. (I got busy and skipped a few months and have to go back and fill those in) .

Environmental Packaging Concerns

This past week I received a customer email from Amanda about the use of Styrofoam packing peanuts....

"Dear Denise,

I received my package in good condition. I was disheartened to see the Styrofoam peanuts in the package as well. I ordered from your company understanding that it was an environmentally-conscious company.... Please consider switching to other earth-friendly shipping materials, such as biodegradable peanuts. Also, would it be possible to return the "melt and pour containers" for refills, instead of chucking them in the garbage?"

My Response:

Thank you Amanda for your concern and for taking the time to write us.

Without some sort of support, product can get bruised and broken during shipping. To provide that support, we often use Styrofoam packing “peanuts.” GoPlanetEarth has tried (and is always searching) to find better packaging solutions. We have tried using a puffed cellulose product that was indeed biodegradable. It was so biodegradable that any kind of moisture melted the puffs, leaving the product unprotected and the package contents spotted with "melted" cellulose peanuts.

We do care very much about the environment, and are constantly looking for creative ways to deliver quality products undamaged by shipping. Keep in mind that you can recycle these packing peanuts. You can take them to your local UPS Store, or go to Earth 911, type in your zip code, and check out the other drop-off locations.

We also use recycled Kraft paper and recycled corrugated boxes for packing. However, paper product also raises other environmental concerns such as the harvesting of trees to produce this paper product. We have used the air-filled plastic bags. They took up so much space in a carton that we were shipping two cartons when one would have been adequate. Customers didn't appreciate the added cost of a second carton.

We strive to be a paperless company. Customer sales receipts and packing lists are sent via email. Transmitting this data electronically limits the consumption of printer ink (which is extremely difficult to recycle) and minimizes the use of paper based materials which thereby reduces garbage.

Concerning MP plastic containers. These containers can be recycled locally at your nearest recycling center or with refuse companies offering recycling options. The cost of returning the containers and the energy used to re-melt soap base outweighs the cost of recycling the plastic. You might consider using the plastic containers for storage. Since the soap base it contains is unscented/uncolored, the containers could be washed and used to store left-over food product.

Certainly we are advocates of recycling. Unfortunately, the cost of bio-degradable packaging is still higher than traditional options and most consumers are not willing to pay extra for the use of eco-friendly alternatives. Even then, when it comes to shipping a package safely, those alternatives are limited.

What's all the chatter about felted soap?

There has been a recent revival in the craft of felting around a bar of soap. The process involves matting and pressing together wool fibers using heat and water which creates a dense fabric that encases a bar of soap. The felted fibers act as a washcloth that gently exfoliates as it cleans. Merino is the wool of choice when felting soap. Two ounces of wool fiber will easily cover four normal sized soap bars. The felted soaps pictured (above) were created by Trinity. Note the use of different colored fibers which lend themselves to unique patterns and textures.

Felting is not difficult. If you're interested in learning the basics, I suggest watching this video on how to felt soap by Suzanna Anna. An sample of one of her felted soaps is shown below. The lime green, hot pink, and orange fibers work together brillantly.

Felted soaps make great Christmas and housewarming gifts. The cost to make is relatively low and it's something you can do with the kids (or grandkids, in my case!). I have ordered some colorful fibers and plan to spend a weekend making felted soaps for all the ladies in my "breakfast club". It should be fun. If I'm successful, I will post photos of the finished soaps.

Chalk art like you've never seen!

Earlier this week, I made a post about how to make chalk using soap molds. If you're not sure what to do with your homemade chalk let these photos serve as inspiration. Sidewalk artist, Julian Beever, uses pavement as his canvas. His chalk drawings are amazing examples of 3-D illusions. I hope that within my lifetime, I have the opportunity to see his work up close and personal. It's beyond remarkable.

The photo of the lady in the swimming pool is so lifelike when seen from one side. Take a look at what the drawing actually looks like when viewed from the opposite side. Keep in mind that the guy holding the pop can has both feet flat on the pavement. The chalk drawing gives the illusion that he is stepping into the pool.

These last two photos were two of my favorites. The detail is incredible and if you look closely, you can see the lines in the concrete blocks of the sidewalk. There are certainly some clever, artistic people in this world. I'm not one of them, but I can sure appreciate the talent.

Hope you enjoy these pieces of pavement art as much as I did!

Bunco. An old person's game? I say, nonsense!

I recently hosted a wine tasting and h'orderve party for a group of friends. All were woman between the ages of 30 and 60. At some point in the evening the subject of "Bunco" was brought into the conversation. I know a number of women who participate in Bunco" groups and have been excited about starting one with some of my close friends. For those of you who don't know, Bunco is a popular "Ladies Night Out" social interaction dice game that has been around for years. Bunco is typically hosted at a house party with an average of 12 players attending.

A good number of the ladies at my party were thrilled with the idea of a monthly Bunco party. However, there were a couple of ladies who called it "an old persons game" and wanted no part. I was actually surprised that someone would put this type of label on Bunco. Come 'on, how can you possibly place Bunco into a select age group? Bunco lets you to....


1) socialize with good friends,

2) leave cares, worries, and kids behind (with dads and baby-sitters)

3) snack on M& M's. Chex-mix, or anything else that's not on your diet plan

4) sip on wine, guzzle soft drinks, and eat appetizers with total disregard of calorie intake

5) talk with friends about anything that tickles your fancy, inlcluding husbands, kids, movies, TV shows, and anyone who doesn't show up

6) play a silly, mindless dice game with wild abandon and laugh until you almost pee your pants

Needless to say, I've totally ignored those who diss Bunco and ordered the official game with plans to start a monthly Bunco party. I'd sure love to receive tips and comments about the game. If you belong to a Bunco group, please post anything you believe would be helpful.

Make sidewalk chalk with soap molds

Looking for another use for your collection of soap molds? Use them to make snazzy looking sidewalk chalk. Who said chalk had to be tube shaped?

There are a number of fun shapes that are ideal for chalk. I've listed a few of my favorites along with a easy to make chalk recipe. Colorful shaped chalks make great birthday party favors for kids. It's also a simple enough project for teachers to do with younger students in the classroom and mom's to do at home.

Here are a few of my favorite molds to use.

Flip Flop
Flower Power
Frog
Ballerina
Butterfly

Chalk Recipe:

1. 1 cup plaster paris


2. 1/2 cup cold water


3. tempra paints or neon gel colors


4. molds
   

Combine all ingredients. Color with paints keeping in mind that the amount of paint used will determine the intensity of the chalk color. Pour the mixture into molds. Let dry.

Great Holiday Bath Gifts

As the holiday gift season approaches it becomes a personal challenge to scout out unique and fun bath products to give as gifts. Sure, I could make soaps, but it's sometimes fun to give the unexpected. Here are a few items I'm considering for holiday gift giving. Some of the more inexpensive items will make great stocking stuffers. While others, like the Naughty but Nice lip balm gift set, will make great gifts for my young nieces.

All of these items can be purchased from a UK company called Natural Products Worldwide. This post only shows a small sampling of the clever, one-of-a-kind items they offer. It's a fun site to visit even if you aren't buying.






Have bath time fun with these 30ml Glitter bath cremes in the shape of a skeleton or mummy. Great for small children as a gift or treat, and perfect for big kids, who love spoiling themselves with little bath products! Around $2.45 each in US funds. Available in pirate designs as well.

A handy, single use dissolving soap in a dispenser, (which can be wall mounted). Simply tear off a strip, wash your hands under running water and watch the vegetable-based soap dissolve leaving your hands clean and fresh. This one happens to be a Green Apple scent. Around $9.00 in US funds.

This is the perfect gift if you don't know what to get that special someone. It comes beautifully packaged, and contains 2 bath gels, one in the shape of a frog, and one in the shape of a crown, fit for any princess! Around $10.00 in US funds.

MY FAVORITE!! Naughty but Nice, Six yummy pots of juicy and creamy lip gloss styled in the shape of your favourite pattiserie pleasures, most enjoyable and perfect for sharing with friends, girlie sleep over’s, or just for oneself! These little lip smacking beauties are too good to eat, calorie free and are the perfect treat! Around $25 in US funds.

Thanks to Kaylee and Marissa!! You made my birthday special

Today is officially my birthday. It was an off day for me from the get-go, though it had nothing to do with another birth year. It was just one of those days that had a rough start. I honestly think it's related to sheer exhaustion. Working 12-14 hour days, and then trying to find time for family and friends is taking its toll. Next week, my honey and I fly to Chicago for a long weekend. It's a much needed and much deserved get-away!! We have tickets to see the Broadway production of Wicked. O.K, I got side-tracked. The reason for this post is to thank two of my long time employees for such a wonderful birthday.

Kaylee and Marissa have been with the company for 3 years. Both are incredible gals and very loyal. They are working their way through college and two employees I count on to run things when I'm away. Today, they showed up at my home with a floral bouquet and lunch. They did all this while still working to get your orders ready (not to mention, Marissa had 29 boxes of incoming stock to put away at the warehouse!!). I just want to post a special thank you to both of these girls for thinking of me today. Their card read...."To the Best Boss Ever!" It made my day.

Also, a special thank you to my honey man. I awoke to a scrumptous Boston cream cake, flowers, balloons, and a great card! Tonight we are celebrating with dinner at The Earl in Ann Arbor (it's to die for!). I must also throw out a special thanks to my grandkids. They sent me a floral arrangement which included Gerber daisies....my favorite. Had I received any more flowers it would have felt like a funeral instead of a birthday.

What a wonderful birthday. A host of cards from family and friends, flowers, a cake... my spirits were lifted and once again I'm reminded life is good. It's nice to be remembered.

Thank you to everyone who made this day special.

Product Feedback: Mold Market Duck Pond Mold

I received the following email from one of our customers.

Betty M. wrote:

"Just want to thank you for the duck pond mold. It is wonderful! Our customers love the ducks and we’ve had great success. Please find attached a picture of the duck soap we are making. Thank you for a great product!! Keep up the good work!

I've showcased a few of Betty's soaps from www.magicsenses.com. Great job, Betty! Thanks for the feedback. The duck pond mold is from the Mold Market line. Mold Market produces top-notch, quality molds for soaps. They continue to be best sellers for us. GoPlanetEarth also offers a large selection of rubber ducks to use with this mold. Click here for a how-to instruction sheet.

Here's some soap making inspiration

I thought this was such clever soap packaging. You can find these soaps at Suds Muffin. Guessing you could probably do something similar by using a grommet machine with some heavy weight paper and ribbon. Anyway...thought it looked pretty cool.


You'll also want to take a look at their bakery bundt soaps. YUMMY to the second degree! The one we've pictured is certainly sooooapdelicious. Hope these give you some new inspiration.

Based on my birthday cake.... I'm only 16!!! YEAH

Sad, but true. I celebrate a birthday this week. Hey, at least I'm still 6-feet above ground and that's worth celebrating.

We had a birthday dinner last night at my daughter's house. My grandson helped mommy make the cake (it was chocolate and oooohhh so good!). I was happy to see that my grandson only put 16 candles on the cake proving he DEFINITELY loves his NeeNee. Do I even remember being 16?

After dinner, Poppy and I were put in charge of bath and bedtime rituals for the grand kids. Darn.... it really took a lot of arm pulling to get us to do it (hah!). My son-in-law is working on a special project in Montana for the next two weeks and my daughter was happy for the company. God love her for even hosting dinner. She works full time as a school adminstrator, is mommy to 2 toddler kids, and working on her masters. Not sure how she does it (though she did walk me into her bedroom to show me mile high stacks of laundry that needed to be put away).

Pictured is NeeNee and Carson blowing out my 16 candles. Thank God it was only 16. Had it been my true age, we might have set the dining room on fire.

Aging isn't so bad when you have grandbabies. They make you feel young and best yet, have no concept of your age.

Bring the seashore home with these lovely iridescent sea shell soaps

Here's a sneek peek at some soaps that are being featured in an upcoming "how-to" article in the Handcrafted SoapMaker Journal. I used Mold Market molds to make the soaps. All of the ingredients used for this project can be purchased at http://www.goplanetearth.com/.

If you aren't already a member of the HSMG (Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild), I encourage you to join. The Guild offers product and general liability insurance at group rates as well as many other benefits.

Volume versus Weight...there is a difference!

This week a customer, who we'll call Mr. X, contacted me about a mold. It was a large production slab tray that is designed to hold around 96 ounces of melted soap base. Mr. X only filled the tray with 40 ounces of soap as he intended to make smaller sample-size soaps.

Since Mr. X did not fill the tray to its full capacity, the bottom of the mold did not sit completely flat and a very slight bowing occurred that caused the poured soap to shift to the outer edges of the mold (by about an 1/8"). Had Mr. X poured poured to full capacity, this would not have occurred. The weight of the soap would have given a even pour.

When Mr. X called to inform me that the molds were defective, I patiently explained that he needed to fill the mold to its full capacity to ensure an even pour. He was quick to point out that he had filled the mold to full capacity with water and some bowing still occurred (bowing means the bottom of the mold did not sit flat on the pouring surface). I explained that water was not as dense as soap and the same volume of water would not be the same volume as soap. In lay terms... soap weighs more than water. Mr. X had a hard time understanding this concept and insisted that whether he used water or soap, the bowing results would not change. This simply isn't true because liquid volume and weight measure differently.

Some liquids have more weight than others. One cup of syrup weighs more than one cup of water or milk. One cup of oil for the car weighs more than one cup of cooking oil. One cup of liquid mercury weighs more than water. When we read on the side of a bottle that it contains, for example, 8 oz. of cooking oil, soap, milk, or oil for the car, it does not mean that it weighs eight ounces. It means that there are eight FLUID OUNCES of the liquid inside. Fluid ounces are used to measure liquids because they have no shape. Volume is something entirely different. An object made of a substance with a density greater (such as a bar of soap) than the liquid (such as water) will sink in the liquid.

In the end, Mr. X could still not understand that the large tray mold filled with soap weighed in at 6 pounds; filled with water it weighed closer to 5 pounds. The difference was in the density of the liquid. Bottom line... soap weighs more than water. This is why soap sinks in water.

When we list the number of ounces per cavity for a mold, we are referring to the volume not weight. If the mold cavity is listed as holding 4 ounces, it means it will hold 4 liquid ounces whether it's soap or water. However, since soap is denser than water, you're finished soap will weigh more than 4 ounces.

Creating Soaps with Defined Colored Areas

I often receive emails from customers asking, "How'd you do that?". Nine times out of ten, they are wanting to know how to define the colored area in a soap design. The finished results are extraordinary, but not a project for the impatient soul.

I call this technique the "pour and scrape" because that's exactly what you will be doing. Pouring a little, then scraping any excess overpour. GoPlanetEarth.com sells a handy little molding tool that allows you to easily scrape away any soap that overflows from the raised area you are pouring.

The secret to your success is this molding tool AND starting your colored pours in the deepest areas first. In looking at the lighthouse soap, you would start your first color pour with the crashing waves. The waves are the deepest area of this design. Next you would move on to the house. The roof is deeper than the white portion of the house, therefore, you pour the roof first. You continue in this manner until you have filled all areas of the raised design.

Allow each poured area to set up and harden a bit. Then, using your molding tool, gently scrape away any overpour. Once you've scraped and defined the poured area, begin your next pour. Again, allow the poured soap to harden a bit before removing any overpour. It's a tedious process and certainly not a technique used for mass productions. Defined color pours appease the artistic side of the soaper. The finished soap becomes a work of art and likely the reason they can retail for $7-$8 per bar.

Here are a few added pointers for success.

1) It's a good idea to have your soap colored before you start. I save all my soap scraps from other soaping projects and the "pour and scrape" technique is a great way to use them up. I also keep a number of glass measuring cups on hand. This allows me to put different colors in each cup for melting and helps speed the process. A quick zap in the microwave easily melts the soap to a pouring consistency.

2) Be careful you don't overheat the soap base. Pouring the soap at too high of a temp will cause the soap to puncture and bleed into you previous pour.

3) Spritz each poured soap layer with a little rubbing alcohol before pouring the next layer. It will help the next layer to adhere to each other.

4) Allow the soap to set up completely before trying to remove. When you have mulitple colored layers, especially in very small area, you need to be gentle when removing the finished soap from the mold. Otherwise, you could find some of your colored layers don't release and end up stuck in the mold. Not a good thing!

So there you have it.... creating soap with defined colored areas.