Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Nightmare before Christmas... when good soap goes bad!

Just when you think you've got it all figured out.....



The soap seizes in the pot! ALL 50 pounds of it! Yes - fifty pounds!
What all was going so well, turned terribly wrong when I used a new pine fragrance the supplier listed as "no CP (cold process) problems." Well, as soon as I added it to my nice little soap mix... BOOM... instant soap in a pot! Oh no! What do I do now??? $#%&(*!

But, I'm good at this soap making thing, right? So, I start thinking oven, like my rebatch shower soap... take it into hot process... but my pot is too big to fit in my oven. So, I put it on my burner - bad idea. I then spoon it into 3 smaller pots and cram them into the oven in my kitchen - yes, my kitchen, where soap is not welcome for a good reason! When it comes to making soap, I'm like a two year old with playdough... OH the aftermath!


Of course I'm in a hurry, because I need to drop off a UPS package before they close. Plus, Sawyer and I have to go to Linds Pharmacy to get Sean a birthday present (which is TOMORROW,) and run to the store for bday cake stuff.... so we leave the soap in the oven, and try to forget about it for a bit.

We come home, after picking Sean up, two hours later. We open the front doors, and SMOKE is billowing out. The whole house smells like PINE! Well, it smells like sage and rosemary too, which isn't too bad... but the smoke! So I turn the oven off, run around the house opening windows, turning on fans, yelling at the kids to go outside and play in the rain. I grab all the molds that I already have ready, and go check out the damage in the oven.


There's three bubbling, overflowing, green cauldrons, so halloween-like, it's scary. They are bubbling all over the oven (I always line with foil, always! But nooooo, this time I had to be in a hurry, didn't I?!) And I've got this new song from The Mother Hips in my head ("There's only one way out, and I'm trying to figure it out...") And the only other thing I can think of is "Oh, please let me get this all cleaned up before Steve comes home!" I end up filling a couple box molds and eight or nine tall 3" PVC pipes. I tell myself, "This is going to be the good stuff, that everyone loves!" I'm such the optimist. I'll just let people think this is how I meant to make it!


Sean looks for my phone to call Daddy, but can't find it, that tattletale. He comments that it's not that smoky, since the smoke detectors didn't go off (oh yea, we took them all off last time they went off... put that on the to-do list.) At least Sean did comment that the whole house smells really good. :-)

Oh and when Steve came home, most of it was cleaned up... so I told him to shut up and make me a drink!

Monday, September 14, 2009

that time of year...

Fall... the boys are back in school, the new buck is getting busy with all the girl goats, and I'm back into taking my soap business up a notch.

My little boy's first day of Kindergarten... no hesitation! Hooray!

Here's 5 of my 6 girls: starting from the top, Coca, Cookie, Thunder behind Easter, and Cupcake (Mocha was in the barn with the buck)

My other girls: "We are not sheep... we are polar bears!"Maple Hill Soap now on Facebook... look for the frame on this page.

I'm again researching my options for Packaging... which is probably the hardest part of having my own product! I'll be joining www.wholesalecrafts.com as soon as I can figure it out (all in good time I'm sure!)

p.s. I am done with farmers markets for the season.
But you can now find my Maple Hill Soap in Oak Harbor at Hummingbird Farm!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

summer farmers market schedule

Well, since I seem to be doing everything BUT blogging, I thought I could at least get my schedule down for you!
I will be at Coupeville Farmers Market the following Saturdays 10-2 :
July 18
Aug 8
Aug 29

Mukilteo Farmers Market on Wednesdays 3-7 :
today July 15
July 29
August?

I will be at the Coupeville Arts & Crafts Festival on Aug 1 & 2

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Love the LOVE SPELL!

I'm really excited about the swirl action in this new "love spell" soap! I was a little worried at first, the fragrance is really strong! But what do I know??? According to my farmers market customers, this popular fragrance stays true in my new soap. So glad, because I made A LOT of it!!!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

latest testimonials


I get a lot of great feedback on my soap... Here's a few unsolicited emails that I received this last week:

"Hi Susan, I love the soap! I like that it is hard...
My skin feels like I put lotion on after I use your soap, I really like it. My husband washes his hair with it. His hair is nice & shiny now. I'll be ordering more soon."

"Outstanding product! The quality of your soaps is, well, better than IVE ever seen. Keep it up!"

"I received a bar of Maple Hill Citrus Bay soap as a gift and my completion never looked so good. Thank you I will be ordering soap from you."

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

See you at Mukilteo Farmers Market!

TODAY is opening day in Mukilteo... this season will be down at the Lighthouse Park. 3-7 every Wedsnesday all summer! http://www.mukilteofarmersmarket.org/ Stop by and say Hi! It will be a beautiful day!!!

Monday, May 25, 2009

Where've I been?

Well, basically, with my family! Steve's been working out of town, so I have the kids. Then, we've been having some seriously fun quality time on the weekends!

I will be back to Coupeville Farmers Market next Sat (5/30) and possibly Greenbank on Sunday, then MUKILTEO market starts up Weds afternoon (6/3.) See you there!