Dolphins in the Sea Melt & Pour Soap

A step-by-step instructional video from Squeaky Clean Productions and GoPlanetEarth.com. Just as dolphins glide through the earth's oceans, you'll glide through your bath or shower with this handcrafted melt and pour dolphin soap. The Dolphin in the Sea instructional was inpsired to to create awareness of dolphins in captivity. If you are creating these soaps for resale, I encourage you to promote the doplphinproject.org web site.

VIEW INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO:

Customer Shares Melt & Pour Soap Handiwork

I recently received the following customer email and photo. I love when customers share photos of finished melt and pour soaps created with our products. Here is what Pam wrote....

I spoke with you this past Friday regarding the boxes for the Sea Salt Gemstone Soaps and I mentioned to you that I was going to send you a pic of the Spring Fling Butterfly Soaps I made a for a swap. To complete the butterfly theme I used butterfly organza bags to put the finished product in, I hope you enjoy the pic. I am making the Gemstone Soaps for another swap, I'll take a pic of the finished product and send it to you as well. Keep up the good work Denise as I love ordering products from GoPlanetEarth.com, and although you're a distance from me, (I live in GA), it's worth it, good quality products + excellent customer service = a satisfied customer!!!

Always a loyal customer,

Pamela M.

Thank you, Pam, for sharing your photo. Have a photo of a finished soap created with our products or molds? Send it my way and you could find it showcased in my blog.

Grandeous Ideas Downsized

THIS
(the grandeous adult version)

VERSUSES THIS
(the downsized child version)

Each month my grandson has to take a snack to pre-school to share with 21 other classmates. It is recommended that you bring snacks with some nutritional value which, as you know, eliminates many finger foods. In an effort to help out my pregnant daughter, I offered to take charge of the snack day. My over-acheiving nature kicked into high gear and I left no stone unturned in exploring my options for a snack. I visualized my grandson presenting a tray of snacks to his preschool teacher that would rank at least a 9 on the "Martha" scale (meaning glorious, grandeous, over-the-top, and never been done by another parent!)

As you can see, my plan was to make these really awesome mouse sandwiches using bologna and swiss cheese. How clever is that. Put it all on bread atop a lettuce leaf... I was pumped!! I printed the picture, pasted it to my fridge and plotted how I would hand sculpt each mouse sandwich to perfection. I could barely wait until my grandson arrived on Saturday so I could show him what we were going to make for his snack day.

Just for the record, the second photo with the celery stick is what we will be doing. When I showed my grandson (who is just shy of 5) what we would be doing, he sadly shook his head and said, "But, NeeNee, I wanted to do raisin bugs." I wasn't sure what that was but he was quick to explain that it was peanut butter in celery with raisins on top (those are the bugs). This was all new to me though I'm certain that anyone with children under the age of seven would have known about the snack "Ants on a Log".

So... I didn't get to make my way cool sandwich. But, I won't despair. I'm certain that I can do them another time... maybe for my Bunco gals. Take a look below at a couple of other great sandwich possibilities. And I thought soap was fun! I've discovered a whole other art form.

5 Tips to Help You Grow Your Business

• A good supplier is invaluable. A great one can make you serious money.
  
  
• Don't hire anyone you can't fire.
  
  
• There is a better way out there. You have to learn from those who have already been successful. Avoid asking people you really like for advice on topics which they have little to no experience.
  
  
• Talking negative about your competitors doesn't really make sense, it only reflects negatively on you. There is enough business to go around for everyone.
  
  
• The best source of advertising is your own customer list. It is the most targeted and will return more on your investment than nearly any other source.

A Fun Favor: Parfait Sea Salts & Soap

An ideal favor for parties or showers from GoPlanetEarth.com. Layers of colorful sea salt in a plastic champagne glass topped off with a layer of soap. A few sprinkles of colored salt and a bath oil bead add the final finishing touches. An ideal favor for baby or wedding showers. An easy soap making craft for kids.


To use the salts, gently release the soap from the glass by sliding a table knife between the top edge of glass and soap. Add 2-3 tablespoons of salt to warm bath water. The bath oil bead can be added to the bath water and the top layer of soap can be used for cleansing the body.

Supplies for this project can be purchased at http://www.goplanetearth.com/.


Other Creative Ideas

• Attach a seating card or greeting to one of our lollipop sticks and insert into the salt before pouring the layer of soap.
• Consider making a chocolate fudge parfait. Use our liquid gel brown to color salts. Rotate salt layers with uncolored salt and mocha colored salts. Top off the salts with a layer of chocolate brown soap (add the brown soap color to clear soap base) sprinkled with white sea salts and a Vanilla Bath Oil bead.

View the instructional video:

A Winter Serenade

I was in awe of my Creator as I witnessed the beauty of our most recent Michigan snow storm. It was barely a week ago that we rode out another winter storm and then.... WHAM, another blast of blistery blizzard conditions. Oh how I long for my upcoming trip to Mexico.

Here is the pictorial of this last winter blast that hit our area. I must admit, it was wonderous. These photos were taken from the front and back decks of my home. Hope you enjoy.

Welcome to Another Day in Paradise!

Just another winter wonderland day in Michigan. Last night a heavy snow advisory was issued and we awoke to this glorious sight. Neighborhoods were filled with the whirring sound of snowblower engines as they gracefully spewed snow with volcanic-like action. The video clip below is of my "honey-man" clearing our enourmous drive for the morning commute.

No one is going anywhere fast today and I suspect we will be working with a veerrry limited staff as another 3-5 inches of snow is expected by noon. What is accomplished today will depend on who can make the morning commute. Guessing not many as every school within a 3 county radius is closed!

Fresh fallen snow is always so pristine and clean. Take a look at this photo taken early this morning from my back deck. It was beautiful. The only sound was the deafening silence of the snowflakes dancing from above. Snowfalls like this allow us to step back, slow our pace, and appreciate the beauty of nature.

Low Cost Ways to Keep Long Term Employees

Very few small businesses can compete with the "big boys" when it comes to benefit packages. For most of us, benefit packages are limited (if we have them at all), and even paid time off can put a strain on operating capital.

Our company is located in Michigan which is currently one of the most economically depressed regions in the US. Automotive and industrial plants are closing weekly, homes are going into foreclosure, and many families that were once making six figures are now struggling to put food on the table. When a large plant closes so does a host of other small businesses due to the "trickle down" effect.

So what can a small company do when they can't offer major benefit packages? How can they retain long-term employees on a limited budget? This video offers some creative ideas that have worked for us through the years. The video expresses only a few of the many ways we reward employees (see more below). We believe we are doing something right. Our employee attendance rate is nearly 100% and turnover rate is less than 1%. We continually look for new ways to make this a fun place to work while remaining customer focused.

Other employee "perks" to consider:

• Educational Reimbursement. Our company offers employees a $750 tuition reimbursment per year.
  
  
• Twice a year, we take employees to dinner at an up-scale restaurant. Employees jointly pick the place we dine. We all dress up and have a night of fun.
  
  
• If an employee needs something to help them do their job better or more efficiently, we get it! No one knows the job better than the person doing it.
  
  
• Holiday bonuses based on years of service.
  
  
• Cash bonus and lunch on us whenever there is a birthday.
  
  
• This year we are implementing a wellness fund. Employees on the payroll for one year will receive an annual $125.00 wellness reimbursement for anything related to their mental, physical, or spiritual well-being.
  

You Might As Well Dance!

"Life may not be the party we hoped for,
but while we're here we should dance."

Every sixty seconds you spend upset, is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. Today's Message of the Day is:

Life is short, break the rules. Forgive quickly, kiss slowly. Love truly, laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.

Soap Making: Hippie Chick Retro Flower Soap

You'll love groovin' in the shower (and not just on a Sunday afternoon) with this far-out and hip retro flower soap.

The instructional video from Squeaky Clean Productions gives step-by-step directions for making these fab hippie chick soaps. You can purchase the supplies for this soap project at GoPlanetEarth.com.

For those of you who remember the 60's and early 70's you'll want to check out these two sites. Reading the "lingo" is like taking a trip down memory lane.

http://www.cougartown.com/slang.html

http://www.4starbiz.com/missdeal/lingo.html
 

 

How to Make Sea Salt Gemstone Soaps

Another instructional video from GoPlanetEarth. Learn to make sea salt gemstone soaps. This project offers a host of unlimited variations. For printed instructions, visit the project page at GoPlanetEarth.com.

 

All of the supplies for this project can be purchased at http://www.goplanetearth.com/.

The new Thesaurus Arrived Today!!

For those of you who follow this blog, you know that I recently posted about my Thesaurus that was 30-plus years old. Well, I finally laid the weary soul to rest and purchased a new one from Staples.

Why in the world I waited so long to buy a new one is beyond me. My gosh, I can actually flip through it without pages falling out and the words are in bold print. Imagine that... bold print, I wonder what year they started doing that! When I ammoritize the cost of the book over 30 years, it will have cost me 25 cents per year.

Soap with a Heart... a strawberry heart that is

Here's another great soap making project from GoPlanetEarth's Squeaky Clean Production company. It's a strawberry soap made from Mold Market's plain heart mold. The green strawberry stem is a mini 5 point star cut to fit the curve of the heart. Droplets of white soap are used for the strawberry seeds. This is an ideal soap for a strawberry festival (like Plant City annual festival in Florida).

View Squeaky Clean Productions how-to video. All of the supplies for this soap making project can be purchased from http://www.goplanetearth.com/.

All I REALLY wanted for Christmas was a new Thesaurus

Take a look a this pathetic looking Thesaurus. Yes, it's mine and there is certainly no doubt I've gotten my money's worth. I'm not sure how old it is, but an educated guess dates it to around 1975. Sorry to say, I still use it. As you can see from the picture, it has no front or back cover, the binding is way past the point of taping, and the top pages are yellowed with age.

Every year I put a "new Thesaurus" on my Christmas wish list. And every year... it's zippa-zotta-notta one-a person buys it for me. It's the absolute "cheapest" item I put on my Christmas list. I just don't get it.

Obviously I can afford to buy a new one myself, but it simply never occurs to me when I'm out and about. It's only when I pull it off my bookshelf and shuffle through the mangled, unbound pages that I remember I need to buy a new one.

So here's my New's Year resolution....

There comes a point when you must say good-by to a long-time loyal companion, especially a companion that is on their last leg of life's journey... a companion who begs to be put out of their misery and buried with dignity. So, that is what I will do. I will bury my long-time companion, my devoted Thesaurus. I am saddened by my friend's departure. My dear friend has been at my side for a host of writing endeavors including college papers, a thesis, articles, newsletters, and even wedding vows . But alas, there is hope, I just did a Google search and find that Staples has a Thesaurus for a mere $7.50.

A whole other meaning to the term "Hand Soap"

Now here's a bar of hand soap you can literally shake hands with. One thing's for certain; your house guests can't possibly miss it in the powder room. For heaven's sake! Why put out all those cutesy little guest soaps when you can put out a friendly, giant size hand? Just for the record, this baby topped the scale at 17.5 ounces. That's over one pound!!

This whole project evolved because my 4 1/2 year old grandson wanted to help me make soap. He insisted on wearing latex gloves just like NeeNee (between you and me... the only reason he wanted to help was to wear the gloves). Within minutes he became bored with the whole project until I suggested we make a "hand" soap using one of the latex gloves he was wearing. This immediately piqued his interest. Here is the result of our hands-on project (Yes, pun was intended!)

BTW...my grandson is taking the hand soap to show & tell day at his pre-school. I would love to record his version of how we made the soap. Surely it would find it's way into one of Art Linkletter's Kids Say the Darndest Things books. Did I mention he picked the blue color and apple fragrance? He told me he picked apple because I keep apple gum in my purse just for him, and blue because NeeNee's eyes are blue.

View the instructional video below:

Labeling Your Soaps for Resale

OK, you've made your soap, now what?

Both the US Food and Drug (FDA) Administration and US Consumer Product Safety Commission have specific regulations on labeling a bar of soap. In this post, I've given only the basics. I suggest you pay a visit to the FDA website for more in-depth resources.


Cosmetic vs/ non-cosmetic:

• A bar of soap is deemed non-cosmetic if no special claims are made beyond the fact that it cleanses the skin and is represented solely as soap.

• A bar of soap is deemed cosmetic if claims are made that is moistuizes, exfoliates, heals, beautifies, or makes any other claims beyond cleansing the skin.
  
  

Labeling a cosmetic soap bar:

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the labeling requirements for cosmetic products. The label for a bar of soap must contain the following six components:

• Ingredients in descending order of predominance
  
  
• Net weight of soap
  
  
• The word "soap" displayed on the Principal Display Panel (PDP). This is usually on the front panel of label.
  
  
• Name and place of business. The street address may be omitted if your business is listed in a current city or telephone directory.
  
  
• A warning statement whenever necessary or appropriate to prevent a health hazard that may be associated with the product.
  
  
• Directions for safe use

Labeling a non-cosmetic soap bar:

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission administrates and regulates the safety of personal care products that are non-cosmetic. Three key elements must appear on the label.

• The word "soap". Examples include" "Cucumber Melon Soap", Fragrant Soap Slice, Maggie's Handmade Soap
  
  
• Net weight of soap
  
  
• Company name and place of business

These are only the basics. Comprehensive labeling information is available at the FDA web site listed above. Another highly recommended resource is a book by Marie Gale, Soap & Cosmetic Labeling, How to Follow the Rules and Regulations Explained in Plain English. If you order the book, let Marie know that Denise from GoPlanetEarth.com sent you her way!

How to Make Cupid's Heart Soap

Can you believe it? We are almost into mid-January and Valentine's Day is just around the corner. If you're looking for a quick and easy Valentine's soap project, this Cupid's Heart Soap might fit the bill. Hey, we've even offered a few suggestions for the gift card. Consider packaging in a colorful heart printed cello bag tied with red, white and pink curly ribbon.

All of the supplies for this soap making project can be purchased from http://www.goplanetearth.com/.
 

Suggested gift card verbage:

• Wishes from the heart
• You spread love wherever you go
• Thank you for the love we share
• Love always come along when you least expect it
• You're always in my heart
• You have a heart of gold(color soap heart in a gold color)
• The heart rules
• My heart beats for you
• Lather me in love
• Let's lather up some love
• Please, don't break my heart
• Bathe me in love

Make Rainbow Colored Soap Labels with Shaving Cream

Here is a unique, inexpensive and simple method for creating banded soap labels. Print the labels using a laser printer. You can print the labels on any paper type that is suitable for laser printers, including color card stock. Once you've printed the text for your labels, follow the instructions given in this How-To video. (NOTE: Do not try to print text once you have colored the paper. It could damage your print cartridges.)

This is a fun project to do with kids. The guest artist in this instructional is my grandson, Carson. He did an incredible job and definitely enjoyed watching himself on the 'puter (that's short for computer).

Look for an upcoming post about how to label your soap for resale. Learn what info must be listed on soap labels.

Instructional Video: How to Make Duck Pond Soaps with Rubber Ducks

You won't want to miss this new instructional video from GoPlanetEarth on Duck Pond Soaps. It's just one of the many "how-to" soap making videos we have coming your way in 2008. All of the supplies for this project can be purchased at www.GoPlanetEarth.com. Please let us know what you think about this "how-to" video.

Here's what you'll need:
Rubber Ducks
Soap Base
Duck Pond Mold
Soap Color
Fragrance (optional)If using fragrance, add to soap base when you add soap color

SOAP MOLD OVERSTOCK. Up to 60% savings

It's time for us to clear out the warehouse shelves for incoming 2008 stock. We have discounted a number of soap molds that are overstock, discontinued, or end-of-season designs. These are "top quality" molds and quite honestly, it's a "steal deal".

Take advantage of these year end savings now!

You'll find a complete list of the molds at GoPlanetEarth.com.