Sharing Ideas: Repurposed Wine Bottle Centerpiece

Most of my loyal followers are aware I have a Blimpy Girl food blog. It's a place where I share my personal weight loss journey and how I continue to maintain that loss. I won't go into all the details at this point, but I will say that the Blimpy Girl site does share some creative ideas (as time permits between soaping stuff).

I'm sharing this particular link because I feel it offers an inexpensive holiday centerpiece from repurposed wine bottles. Most of us are on a budget and recycling items for another purpose is a win-win situation. The household budget wins and you win by receiving  the results of the crafted end product.

I hope you enjoy this idea and share with others.

Fun with Layering Single Bars of Soap

Layering soap whether making a loaf or single bars takes time. Patience is key to making sure that layers are poured during the window period. If you pour too soon, the layers will bleed and migrate together and you won't get nice clean edges as pictured above. If you wait too long to pour the next color, you risk the chance of the layers not adhering together.

I used liquid gel colors in the GoPlanetEarth white soap base for these soaps. I elected to use the Mold Market Groovy Bar mold as it is deeper than most cavity mold types. After seeing the finished soaps, I wish now I would have used the injector tool and filled in the ridged area on the top of the soap in a coordinating color. The red color would have been nice. Oh well, next time!

Colors used for the soap: Red Oxide, Yellow Oxide, Kelly Green and Orange Oxide. If you are wanting deeper colors then use these colors in clear soap base. I wanted softer Fall tones and white base was ideal to achieve that look.

The soap pictured (right) was tilted and poured at varying angles. Experiment and have fun with layers. You can pour the layers in most any direction. You could even layer part of the short ends by tilting the mold slightly and then layer one of the long ends rotating back and forth.

To purchase everything used to make this soap as pictured, order below. Don't worry, you can remove items from the cart should you decide you don't want everything. But at least this BUY NOW button will allow to see all the items needed.

Green Apple Soap from Hemp & Mango Butter Base

This weekend is an intensive soap testing weekend. I like to be certain that all of our soap bases our performing well for customers. The only way to know is to test each base in various applications. Because our Hemp Butter and Mango Butter are very "hard" bases, I was a bit concerned how they would fair in a loaf mold when sliced.

They were awesome. Although both bases crumbled when initially cut from the scored block, once melted in the microwave that all changed. The hardness of the soap makes for low sweating and once the soap set up, it cut easily. The above picture showcases how well both these bases worked.

This soap base was scented in green apple fragrance (my honey man's favorite). I've been promising him some new soap and his grin alone told me how delighted he was when presenting him with the soap slices. It's weird, guys don't like to admit it, but they really do like soap.

The green color is made with hemp butter base colored with lime green and a smidgen of neon green. The white band is the mango butter base, no color added. I give both of these melt and pour soap bases a thumbs up based on my test results from today. Don't let the initial cut into the cubed soap base fool you. Even though the base crumbled somewhat when cubing from the scored block, once I melted in the microwave, it was all I had hoped it would be.

FREE Holiday Gift Boxes with Loaf Mold Purchase

Limited Face Book offer (only 9 sets available) as of today. Order the Mold Market brand square loaf mold and Mold Market will include 10 holiday Christmas gift boxes (includes lids). Each box will easily fit a loaf soap slice (even two). Fill the box with colorful holiday shred, shrink wrap your loaf slice and plop inside the box. Perfect gift, EZ gift giving. Boxes ship flat and assemble easily.

You MUST use the below link to receive this special offer. It is not available on the web site. Once you order, you can continue shopping from our web site for other items you may want to add to the cart.

Autumn Leaves Soaps by Fields of Ambrosia

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Princess Packers

Meet the Princess Packers: (L to R) Annah, Nichelle and Courtney. We received a shipment of novelty toys that GoPlanet is donating to a local Trunk or Treat event. These princess tiaras were part of that shipment. Just goes to show you, no matter the age, we girls still dream of being a princess.

The girls were kind enough to let me snap a picture. So.... if you had a package ship yesterday, it was courtesy of a "princess".  I would also like to welcome both Nichelle and Annah to the GoPlanet team. Both girls are in training as packers and doing an awesome job. Also a big thank you to Courtney, Kaylee, Chelsea and Kristy who are assisting in the training process.

Blimpy Girl Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan

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Sleeping With The Enemy Might Be A Good Thing

My grandson likes to play with small action figures. His favorite play station is my bedroom because it is a quiet retreat from his siblings. He uses my bed as the backdrop for his battleground drama. When passing by my bedroom door, I often hear a "kish", pooooff!, "coo!" sound or a shout of "man down, man down as he imitates noises and phrases heard in action movies. It has been amusing until recently.

On this particular night I was burning the midnight oil and working late in my home office. I finally called it a night and crept into my bedroom anticipating the luxury of my comfy bed. I threw back the covers, positioned myself and suddenly discovered I was sleeping with the enemy. Not just one or two, but the entire army. My grandson’s ‘bad guy” army had built a fortress under my bed covers.

In one sweeping motion I knocked the action figures into a crippled heap on the bedroom floor. I can assure you visions of sugarplums were not dancing in my head. As little character heads and arms went flying and all I could envision were action figures preparing to do battle on the woman who attacked them on neutral ground because she believed they were invading her territory.

Isn't that so like us in the business world? We believe that taking out opponents invading our territory will allow us to be the dominator. In the online business world this isn't the case. Pairing up with the competition (or so called enemy) may just help us win in the end. Sleeping with the enemy might be a good thing.

In the past, territorial boundaries in business have been well defined. We find ourselves competing to be better than the other guys and willing to succeed at all costs. The fact that two people can do the same thing and do it without conflict is inconceivable. And then along comes social media and networking. This shared community concept has turned everything upside down. Just like the farming community in which I live, information, equipment, knowledge and tools are being shared to allow everyone to succeed. Companies and individuals are joining hands and embracing the idea that survival in the small business arena means collaboration.

The days of working in isolation are long gone. The new age business concept has evolved into a “team spirit” mind set. It’s an environment that expresses, “tell me what you know and I’ll tell you what I know so we can both grow our companies and make a living”. The Evil Empire concept has been crushed. We are finding it necessary to merge with our competitors. We are coming to understand that our perceived (business) enemies are well informed and decent people who might possibly be able to help us.

As business owners, we need to grow through multiplication instead of division and turn our competitors into our best allies. It’s time to take a look and determine if sleeping with the enemy might be a good business move. As we begin to understand the product differences with our competitors, we can also begin to improve our own product and make it stand out.

Certainly there will be competitors that we do not wish to share information. Those would be the “bad guys”; the guys I wiped off my bed without thought or care of their outcome. In no way am I suggesting you wipe out your enemy or competition. What I am suggesting is coming to the realization that some competitors may actually help you in collaborating a new market or product in this ever changing online business world. Take a chance. Sleep with the enemy. Engage in a relationship with your perceived Evil Empire. You might be surprised at where it takes you.

The Journal: My Future Legacy

I celebrated a birthday this week and this is one of the wonderful gifts I received from my daughter. She wrote the first entry in "The Journal" and I cried. What an honor to have someone speak this kindly about you. Especially someone who has lived with you and has seen not just good stuff about you, but also the bad and ugly things that we try to hide from the world.

This will be the one and only time that I share "The Journal" with you. It will now become a very private part of my daily life. It will be my legacy in writings for my daughter and grand children.

I am committed to writing in the journal in my own handwriting which is not exactly neat. Thankfully, The Journal has lined pages. I plan to make my first entry tonight. I already know what I want to share.

Life is an incredible adventure. When I lost my Dad a few years back, I wish there had been a journal that allowed me to remember his life... in his own words...in his own handwriting. With all the electronic devices on the market, we have lost sight of how much a handwritten page, thank you, poem, or journal entry can mean. It's our personal postage stamp on life. We write, we scribble out things, we have misspelled words, but it makes us human. It makes the reader believe what we have written. They become engaged in our thoughts and feelings at that particular moment because there is no "send" or "delete" button. Call me old-fashioned, but I like that.



The first two quotes listed in The Journal read:

"There are two lasting bequests we can give our children; One is roots. The other is wings."- Hodding Charter, Jr.

"There is a point at which you aren't as much mom and daughter as you are adults and friends."- Jamie Lee Curtis

I've have always told my daughter, "If you weren't my daughter, I would want you for a friend." Lucky me to have both a daughter and friend. It was a good birthday. Not only because I was gifted this wonderful journal, but because so many other family and friends extended well wishes and made me feel that my life is important to them. I think that's all any of us can ask for. We want to know that we matter, that our life, our work, our talents, our efforts count for something. As the owner of GoPlanetEarth, I would like each and every one of my customers to know that you count and you're important.

Katie's Cupcake Soaps

Some time ago, I sent my 11 1/2 year old great-niece a box filled with soap making supplies. It was a big hit and pictured above is one of the soaps that she recently made using Mold Market's cupcake mold. Here is what Katie had to say about her soaping adventure.

"This was the first time I used the cupcake mold, and I found the tutorial extremely helpful. I used the Fruit Punch fragrance when I made my cupcakes. They look delicious. The whole process took me about 30 minutes. The longest part was waiting for the soaps to harden so I could take them out.

Thank you for the soap supplies. I had everything I needed."

The one thing Katie did mention to me was perhaps including a small spritzer bottle for the rubbing alcohol. She makes a valid point. These small 2 ounce bottles are often difficult to find, especially with a sprayer. GoPlanetEarth sells the small spritzer bottles on for those having a hard time locating one.

Thank you Katie for sharing your beautiful cup cake soaps with us.

The Shoes

What more can I say? THE SHOES. These size 8 toddler shoes were left in my laundry room this weekend because they no longer fit my youngest grandson. We took a trip to the local apple orchard to ride ponies and do all things related to an orchard, but he couldn't wear these shoes. They were too small.

My little guy had to run around the orchard in socks because his Mommy had let him pick out his own outfit that morning. Which not only included the wrong size shoe but pants that had to be folded up three times.

So why am I posting about these shoes? Because they signify change. We grow, move forward, and hopefully experience bigger things (in the case of my little guy, bigger shoes). That's life in a nutshell. That's business in a nutshell (or in this case, a shoe). We continually outgrow where we are and need to adapt to change. It's not always easy to make that change and we sometimes try and squeeze our foot into shoes that no longer fit. No doubt, I'm guilty. It's easy to walk in a place of comfort. No new calluses, no breaking in the leather shoes. We want to insert our feet with little effort into a familiar environment (shoe).

Recently, I have been stepping into new shoes and starting new projects. One of those projects is about weight loss. My BlimpyGirl.com blog site was launched earlier this month and will continue to be an ongoing project for me. Yes, it does take away from some of my soaping stuff... but, you know what? I need that. I am rapidly approaching retirement age and I am looking for projects, adventures, and avenues that will enhance those retirement years. I love soap making, but I love plenty of other things as well.

My new shoes are walking in unexplored territory. I will continue to move forward in the soaping industry, but with brand new shoes and blazing a new trail. As for the shoes pictured above, I will be washing them, spraying them with one of my handmade home fragrance sprays and stuffing them with new socks, photo memorabilia and other trinkets and gifting to my daughter for Christmas. In fact, I think I will do this with all the grand kids shoes for the next 5 or 6 years. It's a great reminder of how we outgrow things but in that process move on to bigger and better things.

Stepping Outside your Comfort Zone

I am entering what I call the last “summer hurrah”. It’s those last few weeks before the fall season officially begins, school starts, boats are put in storage and we say farewell to summer (at least here in Michigan). I am preparing for my “last summer hurrah” which is a house boat trip with good friends. It’s a third trip for me down to Lake Cumberland. For some of the couples going on this trip, it's their first time navigating this pristine lake.

There is one comment that stuck in my mind as I prepare for this week long trip. It’s from a long time friend. This is her first houseboat trip. Her employer made mention that she wouldn’t enjoy this type of vacation. As I reflected on this comment, I was saddened that those close to us sometimes put us in a box. Why wouldn’t my good friend enjoy something new and unfamiliar to her? Why shouldn’t she step outside her comfort zone? As we approach the countdown, my friend is getting excited and making plans for this new adventure. I guarantee this will be a trip of her life. I am so proud that she has agreed to step outside her comfort zone no matter what.

My point: Don’t let people put you in a box. When you get the courage to step outside your comfort zone, run with it!! You may find that you have everything to gain, meet new friends, experience new adventures, and realize that YOU CAN do anything you want.
Are you willing to step outside your comfort zone? If not, who or what is keeping you from doing that? I hope your last summer hurrah is filled with fun, joy, living a bit on the edge, and making plans for a great soaping holiday season.


P.S. I will not be in the office next week (8-27 through 9-6) due to down time and Labor Day weekend. You can order online, but we will not process orders 9-1 through 9-5). Kristy and Chelsea will be taking care of usual business next Monday-Thursday. I will not have much access to internet on the houseboat trip. I will do my best to email as coverage and time permits.

Marketing: Driving Home a Point

Last week my husband, Chris, showed up for his general sales meeting in a swimsuit and tie. His work attire is generally dress casual, but monthly sales meetings require a sport coat and tie. However, this month’s meeting was themed “Beach Party” so casual summer clothing was encouraged. With this in mind, my husband started working on his presentation and the best way to drive home his point to sales staff.

As brand manager my husband’s job is to develop and present unique marketing ideas to sell product. Although my husband has a marketing degree, it goes way beyond that. He also has the ability to think outside the box. If you are fortunate enough to encounter one of these gifted individuals’ run parallel with them. It’s a learning curve you will not forget.

As the meeting assembled, Chris, walked forward to address the group in standard business attire. He then turned his back to the audience and began undressing; trousers first, sport coat, then the button shirt. While disrobing and his back to his peers, he talked about his first week with the company and the many ways he could avoid wearing a tie. After several minutes, he slowly turned to face the group donned in a pair of swim shorts with a lone tie draped from his bare chest.

My husband’s opening line was, “Wow, it’s cold in here.” The immediate response from someone in the group was, “How can you be cold when you’re wearing a sweater like that (referring to his chest hair). “ It was the perfect ice-breaker. With the audience fully engaged Chris was able to drive home his point knowing it would be long remembered.

The point being made in that sales meeting is not important to us. It’s the way the audience [customer, employee] became engaged and drawn into listening to the topic presented. It’s about stepping outside the norm and doing something a little risky. There is no doubt that my husband had concerns about what his immediate boss and CEO might think. He also knew that he could make a pivotal point to his sales staff and it worked. He was applauded by his CEO for thinking outside the box and thereby generating an influx of new sales and company growth.

Are you thinking outside the box? If you are selling a product or service you need to understand the competition. There are thousands doing the same thing as you. What makes you or your company stand out? How are you driving home your point?

What is a Jicama?

This was a question I posed to my husband last week? I needed a Jicama for a salad recipe I wanted to make for an upcoming dinner party. My husband is in a line of work that affords him opportunity to experience all food types; so, was able to answer. I placed Jicama on my grocery list and decided to learn more about this bulbous looking food. Here is what I discovered:

• It is actually just that... a bulb and is part of the legume (bean) family.


• It is primarily grown in Mexico and South America, though different varieties are grown throughout the world.


• It has a crunchiness somewhat like a water chestnut.


• Peeling it can be a pain. I learned that first hand as you will see in above picture. I tried to use a vegetable peeler. Not a good idea. The skin in tough and you will need a very sharp knife to peel away the outer skin.


• It taste something like a cross between an apple and potato.


• It is most commonly eaten raw though it can be cooked and eaten and prepared like you would potatoes.


• It pairs well with salads and can be used as an appetizer for dipping. Just cut into strips and dip in a mango salsa. I noted that some suggest cutting and sprinkling with lime juice and chili powder. I even saw a picture where cookie cutters were used to cut out dipping shapes. Now that's a fun idea.

So how did I end up using this peculiar looking bulb? Below is the tropical black bean salad that I served this weekend for a dinner party. It was a hit and I loved the crunchy texture that the jicama added to the salad. By the way, the "J" is pronounced as "H"... hicama.

How about these apples...I mean potatoes...

Most of the nation has been under a heat wave. Michigan is no different. 90 degrees plus weather every day and NO rain in sight. Walking on grass is like walking on a bed of pickers. Even with A/C, I am trying not to heat up the kitchen unless absolutely necessary. I've been preparing simple Blimpy Girl summer dishes that don't require the oven. This was my mid-afternoon snack today. It's a garden fresh potato salad.

I've posted the recipe below should you want to whip up a batch for yourself. EZ to do and most of the ingredients can be found in your garden or fridge. If you don't have all the ingredients, improvise.

Garden Fresh Tater' Salad (Makes about 6 servings)

9 Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2 cup of:
chopped celery
diced tomatoes
chopped red and yellow pepper (combined)
chopped sweet onion
diced cucumber
frozen baby peas (thawed)
diced baby carrots (about 4-6 carrots, thawed and diced)

All the different colors give this dish an awesome eye appeal when served.

OK, cook up those taters (peel and cube before cooking) just until soften. Drain, but don't rinse. Once cooled, add all the diced/cubed/sliced/chopped veggies listed.

Add the dressing (I like to mix into ingredients with hands so that the taters don't get smushed.

1/4 cup low fat or no fat mayo
1/4 cup low fat or no fat sour cream
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon relish (the sweet kind)
Salt to taste

I like to put my tater salad in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving. Totally up to you. Add some garden sliced tomatoes and you are good to go. A full cup of this garden goodness is about 100 calories. Hmmm... you could add a grilled chicken breast and still be under 300 calories. You can even reserve some of the tater dressing for dipping the grilled chicken.

Mother Nature is Awesome

Fresh cut flowers from my yard. Even in this ungodly heat, flowers prosper. Mother Nature is awesome. Have briefly turned off A/C this AM to enjoy the music of birds and the smell of the outdoors. Thankful for A/C but sure miss a summer breeze through open windows. Our current summer breeze stops you dead in your tracks.

Enjoy the weekend!

Pick Your Discount Week

GoPlanet is offering several discount coupons this week. Pick the one that's right for you or use them all!

DISCOUNT OFFER #1
Mold Market's Funky Flower mold is a simple design that is easy to pour in dual colors. The flowers are deep enough to make a second color pour a breeze. Using GoPlanet's injector tool will help you keep nice clean lines around the raised flowers. Buy this mold and receive an injector tool for free. Key the following discount code at checkout FREETOOL4ME. We will include your free injector tool in the shipment.

Offer valid July 22, 8 AM EST through July 28 11:59 PM EST. If you don't key the code, you won't get the tool. No exceptions (so please don't ask :))

DISCOUNT OFFER #2
Buy one Mold Market Pebble Bar mold and receive a second one just $3.00. That's a $4.95 savings. Key discount code SECONDMOLD4ME at checkout. You must add (2) Pebble bar molds to the shopping cart to receive this discount. If you do not add two molds, the discount will be voided.

Offer valid July 22, 8 AM EST through July 28 11:59 PM EST. If you don't key the code, you won't get the mold. No exceptions (so please don't ask :))

DISCOUNT OFFER #3
Buy (1) soap cutting miter box and we'll take 50% off a Mold Market round loaf mold. A $6.38 savings. Key discount code HALFOFFLOAF at checkout. You must add both the miter box and the rounded loaf to the shopping cart to receive the discount. This discount will apply once the rounded loaf mold is added to cart. If you do not purchase the miter box, the discount will be void.

Offer valid July 22, 8 AM EST through July 28 11:59 PM EST. If you don't key the code, you won't get the discount. No exceptions (so please don't ask :))

DISCOUNT OFFER #4
Buy Mold Market Production tray (#111, #113, #115 or #236) and get a 20% discount off a double handled knife. Key discount code 20OFFKNIFE at checkout.

Offer valid July 22, 8 AM EST through July 28 11:59 PM EST. If you don't key the code, you won't get the discount. No exceptions (so please don't ask :))

DISCOUNT OFFER #5
Purchase $79 or more in product and receive a 5% discount.

Key discount code DISCOUNTME5 at checkout. Must key code to receive discount. Offer valid July 22, 8 AM EST through July 28 11:59 PM EST.

Life Can Change in a Heartbeat

It is with much sadness that I write this post. Those of you following our Face Book page know that I returned from vacation facing devastating news. The letter below from my daughter explains the issues affecting our family.

I am very close to my son-in-law's family. They have been a part of my life for over 20 years. My daughter married Matthew 10 years ago after a courtship dating back to 8th grade. There is plenty of history and the fact that our families live just miles apart makes that bond even closer.

Blog posts may be minimal for the remainder of the summer as I try to help my daughter and son-in-law through this crisis. Someone needs to watch their kids as they donate time & pitch in wherever and whenever necessary. I will be placing soaping projects on hold until the Fall unless Sophie Soap Chick is able to assist.

For those of faith, I ask for your prayers. In just a heartbeat life has changed for our family.

My Daughter's Letter:

I would first like to thank everyone who has been praying for my brother in law. We all know that prayer can produce miracles…. And that is exactly what we need right now. I wanted to give you an update of what happened and his progress:

On Saturday evening, J**** was playing with the kids at the lake. He ran off the end of the dock to do a back flip (one that he has done a million times) and for some reason, he didn’t make it fully around. He hit his head on the bottom of the lake. He was conscious through the whole event. He knew he was under water, but couldn't move to get air. He was stabilized in the water until the paramedics arrived and taken to U of M knowing that this is where he would get the best care. He underwent surgery for his C5 and C6 vertebrae at 11:45 p.m. on Saturday. The surgery was completed at about 4:30 a.m. on Sunday. The doctor said that the surgery went well and only time would tell his recovery.

Since then, he has feeling in his legs and feet, but no movement. He can move arms, but has very minimal movement in right hand and no movement in his left. He is alert and in good spirits. He will see the physical therapist for the first time this afternoon to start his therapy. He has a very long road ahead.

Family is looking at how to make J****’s house handicap accessible. We are thinking that he will be able to come home in about 6 weeks. The occupational therapist must approve his home to make this happen. He currently lives in a two story home with a top upper lever bedroom and bathroom. We are looking at different options so that he can reenter his home in the most "normal" setting possible.

J***’s wife has been a rock for him. I ask that you pray for her strength too. They have only been married for three years! She will need a lot of support to stay positive. We have a very strong, tight family. They will do whatever necessary to provide support.

I appreciate all your prayers. We have no control over this situation. It has been placed at the feet of our Savior.

I will give updates to my mom to pass along as they come.
-------------------------

To my blog followers and FB peeps, I thank you for your loyalty to our company. My staff will continue to process orders as usual. The only difference will be the time spent in the social media arena. I appreciate your understanding as our families work through this life changing situation.

Treasured Family Poem

Below is a poem written by my Uncle while serving in WWII. What a treasure when you find family history and heritage of faith tucked away in a chest or shoe box of memorabilia. This poem was discovered in my 92 year old aunt's belongings upon her passing.

I Prayed to God That Night

In southern waters, one darkened night
as eight o’clock was near,
Emergency called us from our sacks, and filled our hearts with fear.
For under the shelter of night’s darkened skies,
a periscope rose on the right.
As I followed its wake, the earth seemed to quake,
and I prayed to God that night.

Was there nearby, in days shortly past,
Had seven ships been lost,
and many a man for days and days
in boats and rafts had tossed.
“We’re doomed” came the cry of a nearby mate.
I wondered, “Could he be right?”
But sincere in need and steadfast in faith,
I prayed to God that night.

Then out of the skies
came roaring planes, an answer to my prayers.
In lightning speed, upon their prey
they dropped their bombs and flares.
The bombs gave forth a deadening blast.
The periscope sank from sight.
And there as I prayed, God sent us this aid,
and answered my prayers that night.

Meet Grandma: Treasured Quilts from the Past

Many years ago, my grandma gifted me with 16 unfinished quilt tops. Since my grandma's death, finishing some of these quilt tops has been on my bucket list. The patterns contain dresses both my grandma and great-grandma wore when I was a kid. I can identify material used to make dresses for our baby dolls. There are muslin strips made of feed sacks in some quilt tops from my grandparents farm in the South. Everything about these quilts scream family history. These quilts are right up there with my Great Grandma Duley's blue jean quilt made from the retired blue jeans of the farm workers. And now I have more history and memories in these newly fashioned quilts.

This month the quilt tops were crossed off my bucket list. I had four of my most favorite made into "tied" quilts. I knew that no one would take greater care and pride in completing these legacy quilts than my cousin, Jan. She makes, repairs, and designs quilts for a living. She did not dissapoint me. These will be gifted to some very special family members later this year. I think my grammy would be very proud that I make good on my promise to one day finish the quilts.