Category: Vintage Sara’s Soaps ‘n Such

My friend Babs posted a picture of a gorgeous Patchouli soap on Facebook.  Creamy white base with several different colors swirled throughout, alternating white-color-white-different color-white-yet another color and so on.  She’d done a column swirl, and a darn good job of it!  Her swirls, though, reminded those of us in our group of zebra stripes, which started sparking different ideas and discussions.  How would it look to do a black and white zebra-striped soap?  Way cool, huh?  Then I chimed in with the addition of a hot pink heart or lips.  How awesome would THAT be!?

The challenge was on!  I first made up my heart, using my wonderful heart column mould.  After it had sat for a few days, I sliced it for the soap.  I didn’t care that it wasn’t even fully saponified, yet; it’d get there along with the base soap.  I mixed my soap and colored half of it with activated charcoal for a rich black color.  The scent is perfect for this soap, a duplicate of Victoria’s Secret‘s Sexy Little Things, which I’ve renamed Sexy and Sassy.  Whereas Babs did column swirls with hers (enables the soap creator to have both hands free), I opted for funnel swirls (because I didn’t know how to do column swirls).  My girls watched me pour the soap, and the firstborn wanted to take pictures.  She snapped 39 pictures of me pouring this soap!  Here are some of her photos.  (All pictures are the property of Sara’s Soaps ‘n Such and Mary E. Nesbitt.  Copying and stealing are prohibited.  You really don’t want to mess with an Indie on this.  Just trust me.)

Pouring in the colors, alternating between black and white

Building the swirl

Almost done!

Cutting through the swirls

Swirls are done!

Setting the hearts in place

Finished soap

Cut bars.  Don’t they look fabulous?!

These little gems will be available for you to enjoy on 3 March.  Not much longer to wait to experience the superior soapy goodness in a fun, chic design!

Image via Wikipedia – Not your typical Earth Mother

If I say “earth mother,” you have a vision – a lady who’s wearing natural fibers, maybe looking a little hippy, someone who is naturally nurturing and likes to create things with her hands.  I don’t claim to be one of those (though I don’t think it’d be that far of a stretch).  The truth of the matter is, more and more, we’re getting back to the earth.  We desire simpler living, which is cheaper now days.  How are we making it happen, living in a subdivision like we are?

We garden.  I think this is the one thing out of which we draw the most pleasure.  My husband thrilled in planning our garden (all raised beds because of our high-clay soil), and our daughter and he love digging in the dirt.    Our toddler and I like going out and reaping the harvest.  Last year we scored several 25+ pound watermelons, more cantaloupes than we could eat and tomatoes galore.  This year, we’re taking it to a whole new level.  Thanks to my grandparents, my brother- and sister-in-law and a good coupon from Bed, Bath & Beyond, I was able to purchase a pressure canner so we can put up some of those vegetables to enjoy after Summer’s harvest is but a distant memory.  I’ve tested it out with homemade black bean and corn salsa.

Related to gardening, we’ve started composting.  Why should we throw things like egg shells (they add LOTS of lime to the soil), apple cores and potato peels in the trash when we can add them to the pile of grass clippings that started our compost pile?  It’s something both sets of my grandparents always did (one set still does), so it must be a good idea to nourish the soil in this way.  Well-nourished soil is healthy soil, and healthy soil makes for beautiful, healthy produce.

We are also simplifying our finances.  We will not be relying on credit going forward, instead paying cash for whatever we want.  We are dropping all debts (eventually, even including our mortgage) and decluttering our home, selling off as much as we can.  We don’t need all this stuff.  Looking ahead, when we’re ready to move, we won’t have all this junk to relocate.  You can read all about this journey here at my other blog.  (That’s also why I have not been blogging here as faithfully as usual.)

Are there ways that you can think of to live more simply?  What would you like to achieve by doing so?

Image by Brian Wilkins via Flickr

A person should set his goals as early as he can and devote all his energy and talent to getting there. –Walt Disney

It’s that time of year – the time for looking ahead to the New Year, setting personal and professional goals and putting plans in place to make them happen.  I’ve been working on personal goals for weeks now, letting ideas float around in the ether to see which ones stick and which ones don’t.  I’ve got some great ideas for our home, which means my husband’s resolutions are pretty much taken care of.  (Haha!)


I challenged my daughter and the VP for Marketing and Product Development to think about what goals she has for her line this year.  We’re very determined to create a wholesale market for her Sun On The Go sets, which will mean a day trip to Atlantic Beach and another day trip (or half-day trip) to Kinston.  When setting our goals, we want to make sure we’re setting SMART goals.  Her goal:  “Put this set into a children’s boutique and into a small local chain of stores.”  Is this a SMART goal?  This is how we figured it out.


Specific – Is this goal specific enough?  In this case, not exactly, because we didn’t put a time frame to it.  So we went back and tacked on, “…in time for the Summer tourist season.”  That means meeting with buyers in January and February.


Measurable – How are we going to measure our progress?  This one is pretty easy – by how many orders we receive and the quantities of those orders.


Attainable – Is this goal attainable as stated?  Yes, we can make this happen if we get out there and talk to buyers.


Realistic – How realistic is this goal?  Given our production set-up and the staff on hand, we can make this happen.  We’ll actually have a few months to get the manufacturing done.


Timeable – Can we reach this goal in the timetable we have?  Of course, though this step of the process is the hardest, because the clock puts limits and schedules on us, but that’s OK.  If we didn’t have the calendar pages turning on meeting this goal, then we would not be motivated to crack the whip on ourselves to get her fantastic sets on store shelves.


Now, as Walt Disney himself said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

What goals do you have going into 2012?  How do you plan to meet them?

Image via Wikipedia

Here they are…  The Thanksgiving weekend coupon codes for the Sara’s Soaps ‘n Such online shop.  Coupons are good all weekend, plus shipping is free all weekend, Friday-Monday.

Take 10% off any purchase – coupon code BlackFriday11

Take 25% off any purchase of $50 or more – coupon code SmBizSaturday11

Take 30% off any purchase of $75 or more – coupon code CyberMonday11

What a great day!  It’s still pretty early, but I woke up feeling grateful for the many wonderful people in my life. I woke up excited about seeing my family today, and I thought about how lucky I am to be 38 and to still have a set of grandparents alive.  I thought of how lucky my girls are – my older one especially – to have gotten to know three of their grandparents and how she’ll have those awesome memories to treasure.

Then, I thought with a bit of sadness who won’t be there today, namely my grandparents on my Mom’s side.  My grandma’s been dead for several years now, but I can still remember that first Thanksgiving without her – the sadness and the laughter.  This will be our second Thanksgiving without my maternal grandpa, and that spot at the table is still a bit fresh, and it’s still a bit weird seeing my uncle sitting in that place.

I’m thankful for my wonderful customers, too.  We’ve been together in business for nine years now, and I couldn’t have the success I do without each and every one of you.  Thank you so much!  May your Thanksgiving be filled with the love of family and friends and may you take the time to remember all the many blessings in your life.

Much love,
Sara

Image by Tim Green aka atoach via Flickr“God helps those who help themselves.”  Not really.  I will recant that if someone can point me to the verse in the Bible that says that, but I know it’s not there.  So where did this popular saying come from?  Thanks to my Facebook and Twitter friend Shila Laing, it comes from a fable, which you can read here, but I’ve also included it below.

Aesop for Children (1919)

The call came yesterday from my dearest online friend.  Although we’d been friends for over 6 years and live just 4 hours or so apart, our friendship had been restricted to emails, chats, text messages and phone calls.  He told me he had a business day trip to make to a city near us and could we meet for lunch.  With less than 24 hours’ notice, I had to arrange for child care, figure out where we could meet for lunch and get as glammed as possible (being just friends doesn’t make me less of a “girl”).

First step…  Figure out the outfit.  Although it’s late October, I’m still not ready to give up my sandals, so whatever I wore had to work with open-toe shoes.  My first outfit was going to be a white t-shirt and my favorite brown and white zebra-print skirt with my oh-so-sexy (and surprisingly comfortable) espadrilles.  However, I couldn’t find the skirt and didn’t want to take the time to tear our bedroom up looking for it, so I went for outfit #2 – hot pink long-sleeved t-shirt, black and hot pink skirt and black strappy heels.

Step two has to be the toes and feet – starting from the bottom here.  I last gave myself a pedicure ten days ago using some of my favorite colors from Sally’s Beauty Supply.  These enamels are a bit more expensive, but my polish jobs last forever!  This pedicure started with China Glaze Base Coat, followed by two coats of Ultra Pro nail enamel in Hawaiian Flower, then a layer of OPI white shatter and all that topped off with China Glaze Top Coat.  My tootsies still look freshly pedicured and nice.

But then I looked at the bottoms of my feet, and they looked anything BUT sandal-ready!  Normally I’d soak my feet in a bubbling foot spa with some tea tree and lavender oil, then apply a moisturizer and wear white cotton socks to warm it and allow it to work in over the course of several hours.  There simply wasn’t time for the foot soak, and I completely forgot about moisturizing with socks.  Oh, dear!  I happened to have a jar of body scrub in the bathroom that I’d made for my husband.  Whew!  Saved!  A thorough scrub in my shower got all the dead skin off, and I gave them a quick rub with Rub Me Right… There (in Patchouli).  I stood on a towel while I put my makeup on to help the massage oil’s delectable goodness soak into my feet (and to keep me from slipping, falling and busting my butt on the linoleum).

This third step I normally wouldn’t do, but my friend Ginger posted a recipe on her FB page this week about  DIY homemade lip scrub, and for the past week or so, I’ve been wanting to whip some up.  My lips get sooo dry and scaly during the harsh Winter months, so I thought this would be the perfect treatment for them.  But, alas!  Here I was, wanting to scrub my lips and not having any lip scrub made up (and, I mean, seriously, it’d have taken all of five minutes to make).  Time for a quick exfoliation.  After I finished brushing my teeth, I used my toothbrush to gently scrub my lips and the surrounding skin.  Oh my gosh, that peppermint toothpaste made them tingle and flushed them a nice, natural pink!  I gave them a swipe of Vaseline and put my makeup on.

The rest of getting ready was nothing out of the ordinary – hair, makeup and outfit.  When it came time to moisturize my legs, I grabbed the tube of Moisture to Go I keep in my purse (currently in Verbena scent).  I was scrubbed, scented and moisturized, and every bit of me was first-meet-with-a-friend ready.

Of course, my friend never really saw my legs, and I seriously doubt he paid any attention to my feet (though he did peek at my pedi).  The scrubbed smooth lips felt good and made my lip gloss (decided to go with their natural pink from the scrub) last so much longer than usual.  This lip gloss was one I’d made, just playing around, with ginger and cinnamon essential oils.  It goes on hot and tingly, making my lips flushed and slightly swollen.  None of this primping was for my friend; every bit of it was for me and enabled me to approach this meeting with style and confidence.  This evening, though, I’m definitely going to throw together some lip scrub, and I think I’ll give it some tingle with some peppermint essential oil.  This will be just right for Winter!

What quick beauty and primping tips do you have for those last minute glam needs?  Share them here.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past several years, then you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  This is the month to promote saving those girls, because women use them to nurture life and men…  Well, men just like them.  As women, it’s our responsibility to keep the girls healthy, so please remember to do your monthly self-exams.  I usually do mine on or around the 11th of each month, which is my mom’s anniversary date.  Go on now…  Get naked to the waist and feel your boobies!

Yesterday was my mom’s 11th anniversary as a breast cancer survivor.  Because of her, I refuse to change anything about my products or labeling to exploit the consumers’ tendency to “go pink” this time of year.  Usually, I send her pink carnations (her favorite flowers), but since she was on vacation, I decided to give a different gift.

Before I go further, let me say that I hate – passionately – getting sticks.  I’ll tolerate shots and finger pricks, but anything involving a tourniquet and needing a vein, and I avoid it like the plague.  I’ve been known to pass out as soon as the nurse or phlebotomist even starts thumping my vein.  Yeah, I’m that much of a wimp about it.  So, that being said, I decided to donate blood in a Red Cross Blood Drive.

Time to make a difference for someone

A little O+, anyone?

Can’t give blood without getting your orange juice and cookies afterward

To recap:  If I can get stuck with a very large needle without crying, passing out or whimpering through it, so can you.  It’ll make a huge difference in the life of someone who needs a transfusion.  Feel your boobies.  See if you feel anything that shouldn’t be there.  If you do, don’t try to convince yourself it’s normal.  Go to your doctor ASAP.  Get a mammogram.  A negative mammogram is better than an undiagnosed malignant tumor.  This goes for men, too.  I would wager that breast cancer in men is often more life-threatening than in women – not because the cancer is necessarily more malignant, but because it so seldom gets detected early enough.

What steps are you taking to protect your health?  What steps have you taken to help protect the health of others?

It all started on Twitter.  Doesn’t a lot of stuff nowadays?

I started following this restaurant on Twitter – Chris’ Cosmic Kitchen.  The owner’s wife Kris was the social media person for this account, and on mine and Peter’s 11th anniversary, we decided to eat brunch there before heading to the beach.

At the same time, I’d connected on Twitter with a local gentleman, Craig.  Craig is a sweet guy about my age, and he was looking for a church in the area.  My family had joined a church family with whom we love worshiping.  Craig and I agreed to meet at Cosmic Kitchen for brunch one Saturday.  It was a great experience!  Not only did I get to meet Kris, Chris’ wife, but Craig and I enjoyed a nice meal and the opportunity to get to know each other’s stories a bit better.  Oh, by the way, I also discovered that Craig is single.  (This will be important later.)

Two months later in September, yet another Twitter friend, Sarah, tweeted that she was setting up a challenge for herself.  She’d just come off a relationship and wanted to learn more about herself while at the same time avoiding falling into yet another relationship.  Her project was called “52 Squires,” and her goal was to go on 52 first dates in a year.  The guys had to be willing to go on the dates, and she was only doing it by referral.  In other words, if a friend recommended a guy, then she’d go out with him.  She wasn’t going to go pick up guys at bars or clubs, or even do the online thing.  We messaged a bit, then started emailing, and I recommended Craig to her.

In the midst of this emailing that started off with me talking Craig up to her (while at the same time nudging him in her direction), we started talking more and more about ourselves.  We met about a week later.  I wrote about it here.  I never expected to make a friend almost instantly, but it happened.  After walking the labyrinth, we talked over coffee for at least two hours.

[A little aside here…  Craig was Sarah’s first scheduled date, and it went really well.  I was impressed both by his choice of restaurant and the fact that he took her to a comedy club.  It didn’t go beyond the first date, but I’m glad it was a good experience for them.]

Sarah has connections that I don’t have, and I have connections she doesn’t have.  We promote each other’s businesses and inform each other of business opportunities.  Crises?  We’re each other’s go-to friend.  Need re-energizing?  We meet for coffee and get recharged off each other.  Need quiet time?  We find that together, too.  I see in Sarah that same, “There’s no such thing as failure” attitude my daughter has regarding her business, and it helps me keep perspective.  I value her for who she is and all that she brings to our friendship.  I am a more relaxed person and a better business woman because of her.

Who in your life gives you perspective, re-energizes you and helps you be the best business person you can be?

Last week was crazy here, dear readers, which is why I’m so far behind on the weekly blog post.  My weeks lately (in addition to the typical homeschooling) have included running some test batches of soap for Nature’s Garden, potty training and putting together a large order for Duplin Winery.  It’s almost Autumn.  I was thinking earlier today how it is that so many of my fellow Indies have time to keep it current on Facebook, Twitter and the Indie Beauty Social Network.  In fact, I’m feeling left behind, because I barely have time to read posts, let alone post a whole lot.  Then it dawned on me.  IT’S FALL!  That means… SILLY SEASON!!!  And, absolutely, the silly season is upon me.  My stockists want their Holiday merchandise and I have my own shows for which to prepare.

I have several random thoughts to toss out there for this week’s blog post.  I apologize if they don’t seem very cohesive.

First there was the bottle of Christmas red acrylic paint that my toddler spilled all over the living room.  My living room looked like a crime scene.  No kidding!  One of my friends said that the chalk outline was the only thing missing.

Really, Officer, it’s NOT blood!

The soaps I’ve been making to test the Nature’s Garden fragrances will be offered for a limited time.  If certain soaps go really well, then I’ll introduce them to my regular inventory.  There will only be 2-3 bars of each soap available, so quantities will be limited and likely to go fast.  There are some delicious fragrances in the bunch, but I think the most fascinating one I’ll be calling “Fizzy”; it smells exactly like Dr. Pepper.  I could even smell the carbonation bite.  I made this one with French green clay.  There are also two new beer soaps – one for men, one for women – on the rack, as well as several others.

Fierce Beer Soap – One of the best men’s fragrances EVER

Orange Chiffon Cake Soap Cupcakes – Smell divine!

Two shops here in Burgaw will be carrying my soaps by the end of September.  The Nifty Place will be selling a selection of all-natural soaps, as well as Sub-Lime Sandalwood beer soap (just for something for the fellas).  Courthouse Coffee will be selling the following soaps:  Green Tea, Coffee Mocha, Goat’s Milk & Coffee and Fresh-Brewed Coffee.  I’m honored and privileged to be working with these two awesome small businesses!

Fresh-Brewed Coffee Soap – What a wake-up call!

I don’t like loud dogs early in the morning.  I mean, does anyone, really?  Yet we have these neighbors who let their dog out every morning at 7:00, and this dog barks at anything and everything.  Of course, he often wakes my baby, too – sometimes before she has the first interest in waking up.  I know that’s random; just tossing it out there.

Last Wednesday, my firstborn was telling me about her handbells practice at church.  She said, “Two kids were playing incessantly, even when Mr. Clif was talking.  They got their handbells taken away.”  Yes, I’m darn proud of her for knowing how to use “incessantly” correctly.  Or, that might come from all the times I tell her she’s “talking incessantly.”

In addition to last week’s potty training, soap-wrapping, soapmaking and homeschooling mega-bonanza, I found out from one of my lovely Facebook fans that my site had been hacked.  I’m not talking the rather diminutive hack of two years ago where someone embedded a (bad) link for cheap ED drugs out of Mexico. Nooooo…  This was a full-out hack job that took over my entire site – in both English and Arabic and with music (in English).  It was ugly.  And just in case I didn’t fully catch that my site had been hacked, under the red and black image of the grim reaper was the word “hacked,” just to make sure I was fully aware.  So, here I am on Friday evening, texting my web guy who was in England working with an asphalt crew on the side of the road late that night (that’s a five hour time difference), posting to the Zen Cart forums and initiating a chat with my host’s tech support folks.  Donal texts back that he’d be done in two hours (gotta love that kind of dedication!), but in the meantime, the tech support guy at Hostmonster and I explore the hack.  One of the dates of the script changes was 9/11/11.  The significance of that wasn’t lost on me, and it made me slightly sick.  In the end, though, the tech support guy got me debugged and unhacked in half an hour or so.  I could see where all the bad files were; I know my cpanel that well (that came up as my website on one of the hacked changes).

My web guy is going for the full deep-end dive, starting his own business thing.  His name’s Donal, and he’s fantastic. We’ve worked together for almost 2 1/2 years.  You’ve really got to appreciate a web guru who’ll respond to a panicked text and be willing to work for however long it takes on top of working until the wee hours of the morning doing road work.  He’s the best!  If you’re interested in making your site work yourself (being able to add your products, add coupons, make script changes, etc.), then he’ll also teach you that stuff, too.  He’s completely trustworthy; I also have him man my site when I’m on vacation, hunkered down for hurricanes and so forth.  (Click his name; it’ll take you to his FB page and you can message him.)

I’ll stop blathering now.  Some of my friends and I are talking food!  Yum!

Feel free to post comments.  They don’t have to apply to anything in particular since I was pretty all over the board on this week’s post.