soap and soap and festivals

I HAVE MADE LOADS OF SOAP. SHAMPOO BARS, NEW SOAPS AND ALREADY EXISTING SOAPS FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. ALSO STARTED WITH EYE CREAMS. I hate the caps lock!!! Should be banned from all computor keyboards! Anyway unfortunately I have never in my life actually bought an eye cream which means I have no idea at all what they are like. Its all a big experiment. I have been given a recipe by an american to try out and to be honest seems prety good but then I have nothing to compare it with so I intend to send to my lovely volunteers to try out to see what you think. I have actually used some every day since making but have made 3 versions and need to know which if any to go ahead and safety assess. Obviously do not really want to pay to safety assess all 3 and probably one is better than the others just I am not to sure which to go with. Anyway sending out today. I am also going to attempt an eye serum but currently I have a problem with containers for this. I will give the company who supplies me a call today. My mum is interested in this one. Other than that I am getting a few new additions and changes together to run past safety assessor with a view to getting everything on the market by May/June. Fun eh! My Grapefruit range is also looking good - waiting now for a parcel which contains natural soap colourings such as clays and spirulina to start to play around with coloured dyes. I am going to attempt a Rosemary shampoo next. I have made a camomile one, a tea tree and neem ( anti nits !! asked for by several customers) a grapefruit one and also I have made a citronella/tea tree/ lavender/eucalyptus anti flea dog shampoo! Ofcourse will be trying them all out on me first but am hopeful about the doggy one in particular cos at least its natural and apparently I have been told when applyoing for a job with a polymer companyt who manufacture dog shampoos - dog shampoo and what goes into it is completely unregulated! I think that is terrible. Ofcourse since it comes into contact with humans when they wash their dog it cannot have anything too unregukated but they do put things in they wouldnt put in human shampoo. Anyway have my own dogs and a mates who is currently interested. It may all be rubbish yet but nothing ventured nothing gained etc. I have also attempted and have yet to find out if it works a coconut milk soap - like goats milk but vegan! Yey as far as I know I am at present the only one in the Uk making this tho ofcourse after posting this that may well change! its looking like a really good soap tho and if it works I shall post the recipe on my website. I think 2010 is going to be a wonderful year. I am going to attempt to do Wesssex folk festival, leamington peace festival and kenilworth party in the park so far - its looking good. Thats as well as several vegan/veggie events. I am also meant to start at Warwick Uni market next month which could be a good one. I used to have a stall there in the 1980s with a mate who printed Tshirts - I did knitwear and jewellery in those days...........it was fun and beats normal markets for both the weather ( its indoors) and the atmosphere - being a uni with bars all around etc. Anyway its all pretty exciting so far - tho have made zero so far this month. I did expect that tho...............

new soap

I finally started to experiment with shampoo bars. Have made Tea tree with neem. Over the last year I have had so many folks asking for this one I had to make it. Its curing now. I will know in about 24 hours what it loooks like cos I have atempted to colour with alkanet root which gives a varying blue/ pin colour depending on pH and quantity of herb used. Then started maing a grapefruit shampoo bar only to realise I have run out of castor oil - essential ingredient in shampoo bars! So had to ring the suppliers to get added to current order. They were at lunch so now waiting for call back. Anyway having been twarted at grpefruit I have made Orange ( normal) soap instead with calendula flowers felcxked thru if for orangey coloured bits - no idea if this will work but I reallyt need to add colour to my soaps. I have also been surfing - virtual style and found a natural food colouring suplier which I shall check out and if their products can be ok`d as vegan may well be taking this further. So have 2 new soaps currently in larder curing and in about a month will be sending out samples to the kind folks who give me feedback. Intending for a lemon and lavender shampoo bar as well since I have been using this one for a whole year and its nice - made using camomile infusion so good for blonds and may also do a rosemary one for brunettes. Heyho I love January - tho making no money at all!!! having said that have an order to deliver locally on wednesday and also have taken about £40 online but its not really anywhere near enough to live on and april is now very close and my savings will be gone after that! Still I may yet make this self employment work. After all the year is not over as yet is it...............

online business, xmas wreaths and cold hands

Well I am doing ok with ebay now I have sussed out most of the controls. Lost quite a bit listing wrongly or badly but seem to be doing better now. I am not doing so well on my own website which is a shame but maybe it will slowly pick up. Trouble is xmas soon over and I suspect no one will buy anything I make for a month or so after that so hard times will be ahead. Just heard from M that is snowing where he works - about 20 miles from here but no sign of snow as yet here. Sent a new soap sample to all team members but so far no feedback but having used it myself I think its rather a nice one. Just need to get someone else to tell me what they think - hint hint if anyone out there is reading this........................
Going to have a go at shampoo bars next week. Cant wait to be honest. i only ever made one and it wasnt too bad but now I want to aim to bring out at least 2 early next year since apparently the cosmetics regs are changing and the price of saftey assessments os abou ot go sky high so I need to get as much in there asap as I realistically can manage but ofcourse I still need to make sure its good quality else no point bothering at all. Doing Reading eco-veggie fayre this weekend and hopefully that will be a good one and other than that I am just sending out internet orders till xmas. Looking forward to xmas this year. No nasty company bullying me anymore and no nastiness at all hanging over us. Just hope we can continue to make ends meet..............
Oh and finally made a wreath for the front door but it is a bit large and so had to cut off the outside and it is quite difficult locking and unlocking to door since you cant get to the key holes! Still I do like my new wreath and its all hand made and natural after all....................
I cleaned out my chickens this morning and my hands were so cold I still have pain in the ends of my fingers and thats after about 4 hours. I didnt even use water just a citronella spray. It should stop red spider mites moving into their house and although I usually disinfect I do not want them to have to go to bed later with frozen disinfectanty water a;ll over the inside of their home. I gave them loads of hay so they should be able to snuggle together and keep warm. I do worry about them at this time of year. I want a turkey for xmas - as in to have as a pet but I do not think we can actually afford to feed one right now which is really sad cos I would have liked to have saved someone .............still there is always next year..............