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My "little corner" is quite literally a little corner of my little kitchen. My family is making a wee bit of a sacrifice in terms of space, so that I can have a semi dedicated area.
While it's probably safe to say many of the people that read this blog are other soapmakers or seasoned lovers of handmade soap, I hope that some of you are new to the lovely attributes of handmade soap-so with this in mind I would like to give you a few tips on care.
1. One of the best and most special qualities of handmade soap is "glycerin" a luxurious by-product of the chemical reaction that happens during the soapmaking process. Glycerin is "hygroscopic" meaning it attracts moisture from the air giving handmade soap it's wonderful humectant quality that attracts and holds moisture to the skin. This also means that if handmade soap is left sitting in water it will begin to absorb water forming a gooey, icky mess that will then begin the degradation process of the soap.
2. Handmade soap is best stored out of standing water where it can air dry between each use. This would mean using a soap dish that allows water to drain out the bottom and even better if it holds your soap up off the very bottom of your dish where water may pool. Also, consider finding a place in the shower where your soap will not be directly in the line of spray- as in directly under the shower head in a caddy etc.
3. Another great tip to increase the life of your soap; use your soap in conjunction with a washcloth or a mesh shower pouf instead of using soap directly on your skin.
4. Use your soap to the very last bubble by collecting the odd bits and pieces and putting them in a soap saver pouch. Place your bits and pieces inside the pouch pulling the drawstring closed and use like a washcloth-when done; hang your soap saver pouch to allow it to dry thoroughly until the next use. Soap savers allow you to use the last remnants of soap and exfoliate at the same time. Multitasking in the shower-I love it.
5. Store your soap in a cool dry place such as a drawer or linen closet-not under the sink where it may attract moisture from condensation etc. Ventilation is very important to properly storing handmade soap-non ventilated storage may result in a "weepy" or rancid soap bar. Always keep handmade soaps stored out of direct sunlight; direct sunlight is not a friend of handmade soap.Storage life varies depending on the formulation of handmade soap.
As you all know, I am in the midst of reading "The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People" by David Niven-it's an easy read as each chapter is one tip-so the chapters are something you can easily read just a snippet of and move on to other tasks. I like to do it this way as I have found these little nuggets of wisdom to be quite thought provoking. I want to take the time to let them "soak in." Last night's little snippet was Chapter 63 (the 100th champter isn't too far away now) entitled "Failure Is Not Trying."
Hmmm, now personally I have some issues with the fear of failure,(a fear that on occasion has kept me from jumping off of the precipice of life) so I devoured this chapter and let it soak and this is what I took away from the following excerpt.
" The fear of failure is powerful.(Really?) Nobody wants to reveal to others, or to themselves, that they were not capable of doing something they tried to do.
This fear can be used as a source of motivation to keep you working hard toward your goals. Yet this same fear offers a convenient escape clause.You can never fail if you don't bother to try.
Not trying is, of course, the ultimate failure, for it means you can never make the progress toward your goals."
This got me to thinking how about what strange thing the fear of failure is-if allowed to run rampant and take over your thoughts fear defeats you before you even have a chance to fail at all. The fear of failure is that powerful and failure is not failure at all if you try and learn something from your mistakes. Thomas Edison once said "I failed my way to success" and we all know about his amazing contributions to the world today. Where would we be without his "failures?"-(most likely sitting in the dark, without audio or video...)
Failure tricks you into thinking that if you try and it's a flop you have failed-it's insidious that way-when in reality the only way to truly fail is not to try at all.
I'm currently reading "The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People" by David Niven in which each small chapter is a tip or "key to success." Now, by nature I am a list maker; grocery list,daily to do list,goals and dreams list and calender keeper-oh, how I love a brand spanking new calendar.(they are right up there with new school supplies, new crayons, new office supplies-right?) I often make lists in my head-lists of things that need to get done today, who needs to go to the Dr., which kid needs lunch money, birthdays, ss # etc. I've even filed away my phone number and address from 1st grade(just in case I need it), but oddly enough I don't write them all down-they seldom make it to paper (with the exception of grocery lists.)
Today, I was reading along when tip #12 jumped right out at me- hmmmm, really I should write my goals and plans down. According to tip #12 a chapter entitled, "Write Down the Directions"-
"If you were taking a complicated route out of town, you would write down the directions. But if you were considering the future path or your life, your goals, and what you needed to do to achieve them, you probably wouldn't write any of it down. Think of it-the most significant journey of your life,and your probably won't put a word of the directions on paper.
Writing down your plans, goals, and ideas makes them more real for you. Every step you take to define what you want and what you need to do to get it increases the chances that you will actually pursue these goals and someday achieve them." Really??
"People who regularly keep a journal or some kind of written record pertaining to their aspirations, are 32 percent more likely to feel like they are making progress in their lives."
Wow! those are pretty good odds-I'm off to the office supply store-got to get my hands on a brand new journal...
While my posts have been somewhat erratic, it only means that things are going on behind the scenes that are keeping me pretty busy. December marked the very first Lubbock Downtown Art Market for Tierra Verde Handmade Soaps,and having done lots of research on what to expect and what to have ready was a huge help.My only regret is that I didn't jump off into markets before now. I think I kind of let the idea that I needed to have the "perfect table" and market set up intimidate me all this time,but in the end I just decided to "go for it" with what I had available to me and make the best of it and in the end I have no regrets-we had a great time.
The first market day was very, very cold-the fog was supposed to burn off and the temps. were supposed to warm up into the low 50's, but of course that never happened.(in fact many vendors didn't even show up and a few set up outside and left-it was just too cold.) Instead the day began with fog, moisture and below freezing temps. with even a few flurries and pretty much stayed that way minus the fog and flurries,however it didn't dampen our enthusiasm and we toughed it out for the day. Luckily we had a tent with sides and a small portable propane heater that saved the day and made it tolerable for us to be outside.Us being myself, the husband and daughter(who so graciously tolerated the freezing temps. in a show of support.)
It seems the timing for all of this was serendipitous too, as you can only imagine that right before Christmas is a great time to have handmade product for sale. I went to market with the hopes of at least recovering my booth fee,and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised at the interest there was in handmade soap. I guess it only helps that soap and hand balms are perfect stocking stuffer items.lol!
Initially, I was told that there were going to be 3 other handmade soap vendors,(at a fairly small market) so we knew we might be lost in the crowd, however as fate would have it we were the only ones crazy enough to set up. We didn't have high expectations that we would bring in loads of profit since the day was overcast and never above freezing, but somehow we ended up doing very well despite the weather and I'm sure a less than normal turn out.
The following are photos from the eve before market. I highly recommend setting up a mock table so you can get a good idea of how you want to lay your product out. This way you can see how how it will all play out instead of finding out the morning of.
I love this quote it speaks volumes to me. To some of you it may seem to come from an unlikely source- Steven Tyler of Aerosmith - I'm currently reading his memoir "Does the Noise Inside My Head Bother You?:A Rock N Roll Memoir." For some reason I find him very interesting-he's lived a life that many of us (including myself) just cannot imagine. This book is not for the faint of heart as he very vividly describes his "wilder days" of drugs, women and rock n roll-but somewhere in the midst of all the chaos there are pearls of wisdom too; as he speaks of his regrets-pertaining to the people he loves most-his family.
Recently, the folks over at Tiny Texas Houses hosted an essay contest-the grand prize=a Tiny Texas House of course! Tiny Texas Houses link the future to the past by utilizing materials from salvaged buildings to create new and sustainable tiny houses.Tiny Texas houses are about so much more than the obvious,they are about keeping American craftsmanship and ingenuity alive, self reliance, reclaiming valuable resources,affordability, and kindness to our planet through a more sustainable way of life...
