My heart goes out to those people whom have been effected by the recent hurricane Harvey. I have little words to convey my heart felt feelings. Keep the faith, and know we're here for you, whenever. Yesterday, I had a moment of pondering about how fragile things are, and that things, are just things, and people are, well people, and that you can replace things. I thought about my shop, and how if this happened, starting over would be difficult. Please join me in praying for our fellow friends in Texas and Louisiana. You can't imagine, until you've walked in their shoes, what they're going through.
Sometimes when tragedy hits so close to home, I feel guilty. I'm sure other's feel the same. Tiny things like having a bed to sleep in, and your mail delivered, seem to be an everyday occurrence, but when a disaster such as Harvey hits, tiny, overlooked day by day goings on take on a much different appearance. I'm thankful God made us resilient, strong, and determined.
My pink orchid held her blooms for months! My entire life I've been challenged with getting an orchid to bloom. This past holiday season, I placed her in the cold back room, neglected her completely, and one day during her abandonment, she began shooting, shouting, with new blooms. I believe she was shouting, and yes, I also believe the determined orchid to be a girl. She is pink! At any rate, you can imagine my joyful surprised face when I noticed the new blooms. Little things mean a lot.
Does one's taste change over time? Mine has. I'm still drawn to certain things when creating a vibe at the shop, but I'm much more fastidious and exact. If I go back to when I first began this blog, 2006, I'm somewhat surprised about the objects that attracted me back then. Where does your design style come from? Your environment has a lot to do with your style.
Moving on...
I'm still on the low carb, sugar challenge. Yes, it is a challenge to choose low carb, low sugar foods. Unless their fresh, they probably aren't low carb. That gives you a notion of the challenge. Since I started this challenge I've become more aware of how many processed foods line our grocery shelves. They say eighty percent of our food is processed! Those findings draw me to a conclusion that's not pretty. Food manufacturers add lots of sugar, and preservatives, and I just can't help to think, none of them are good for us. Yes, I said us, because we're all in this together.
My challenge right this minute is to locate a substitute for refined sugar. My next sweet adventure will be baking with this.
If you wish to add the sweet date to your coffee or tea, I don't believe it dissolves, but you can get the syrup. I'm eager to try it. The artificial sweeteners aren't for me. I had several adverse effects when I consumed Stevia. Always the same reaction so that I knew it was the culprit. My symptoms were pretty intense. I had pain in my lower stomach. Not just a discomfort or inconvenience pain, but serious pain. It took me about six stevia times to figure out that I was having a reaction. I searched, and searched the Internet to see if anyone else experienced the same lower abdominal pain, and was hard pressed to find a couple, but later that same week, I had a customer come in the shop, and we chatted about it. She told me how she'd had the exact pain when she ingested Stevia. As with everything, not everyone's body reacts the same with different foods. I wanted to share, because maybe you've experienced the same thing, and it's comforting to know someone else has had the same thing happen.
The topic of health is dear to my heart.
Looking thoughtfully at something for a long time almost always delivers a positive solution.
The modern apothecary shop is being detailed. I'm eager for fall. We're getting in new styles and the autumn aromas's are filling the shop air.
Prototypes are being developed for the new upcoming season, and the wheels are spinning.
We're moving into glorious September!
September represents many, many things to this soap maker. I almost feel like a squirrel hiding her nuts. Recuperation for the fast paced holiday season has already commenced! I'll be moving at warp speed from now until December 26. Then we close the shop for a few weeks, and I enjoy a break. Yes, I do begin to ponder those thoughts early in.
Wow! Amazing! Phenomenal! Stunning! Shocking! Unbelievable! Awesome! Marvelous! Fascinating! King-Size! Monumental! Monstrous! Unforgettable! Historic! Majestic! Mammoth! Awe-Inspiring! Mighty! Memorable! Out of this World!
Really, no words can easily describe the celestial phenomenon that took place yesterday!
Where were you the day the sun went out?
Still feeling it!
On this day, a day of unification between all people whom share the same common desire to witness celestial history. Short and tall, black and white, young and old, we're all the same in Gods eyes.
Personally, yesterday marked a spiritual enlightenment. We prayed for many, many people, places and things. The few moments of totality gave me goose bumps! It allowed me to look closer at myself. How can I be a better person? I also experienced a since of well being and peace. Afterwards, my emotions were overwhelming, but at the same time comforting, reassuring.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
This shop girl is yearning for a season change. Love, love, living in an area where the seasons transform and change. When you live in the Midwest, all bets are off when it comes to the forecast. Fall, glorious fall, is always a show stopper! The smell of the freshly fallen leaves touching the dewy earth on an early fall morning is, well, a memory that lingers through one's life forever. Of course, since I'm a scent girl, that memory sticks.
When I was a young girl, once Autumn grew close, I'd change my bedroom decor and give it a good cleaning. I can still recall how that made me feel balanced. I'd hang my new fall school clothes neatly on the hanger, and polish my shoes with saddle soap. It was an every season ritual that made me feel appreciative.
Now that I'm a shop girl, those same feelings are wrapped around my downtown adobe. Hey, I like that name, Downtown Adobe! Great name for a shop, I think.
Earlier this week, I began digging into displays as if I were a archaeologist. You know, by the way, I've always wanted to be an archaeologist. So, now that the shop looks different, and I've moved in the new soaps and sundries, kimono's and wool hats, I'm really falling for it!
Hats, gloves, evening bags, t-shirts, short boot, tall boots, camisoles, belts, and my mostly white wardrobe. All neatly stashed in bins or in view. Jeans, skinny ones, and flares, favorite's and weekend warriors. The final and last project in the new dressing room.
This room is now a favorite hang out spot, and I'm looking forward to sewing new skirts, and Bittersweet soap bags.
Home is getting organized and the shop is churning up autumn ideas.
Our new t-shirts should be arriving later today. I'm excited to get them. Here's the mock up. It's much better when you see the wording on an actual shirt. I'll be offering the tee's at the soap shop on water street. Hey, I think that maybe I'd like to create a new shirt with those words!
Meanwhile, we're whipping up autumn and spice, everything nice, in the production room.
Manufacturing orders are already multiplying, and constant inventories are being scored, and maintained. There's nothing worse, then getting ready to make something, only to realize, you're out of a necessary item. Soap supplies in addition to many other must have manufacturing ingredients simply need to be in stock and ready. I was thinking about all this yesterday. How continuous coverage of one's manufacturing inventory is crucial to fulfill supply and demand, especially when your shop stocks items you make. If you have to wait a week or so for supplies to arrive, that means your production ceases during that time. Your shelves are empty. Just say no to empty shelves at a shop. No Go!
My studio is filled with fifty pounds of this, that. Most all of my manufacturing products come in fifty pound containers. Keeping track of olive oil, coconut, palm, spring water, sodium hydroxide, essential oil, perfume, is a constant job. In addition, my mind is also monitoring over one-hundred other necessary ingredient lists. Whew!
In all honesty, and I don't mean this in an arrogant way, but I run a tight shift!
The shop is my getaway!
The world keeps on keeping on, regardless of the chaos and commotion. I figure it's going to play out, the way it's suppose to no matter what. Scary and concerning for all, and I don't hide my head in the sand, I keep the faith and trust in God, and pray.
The bedroom transformation is blooming! I'm slowly going through my 1921 closet's cleansing, and fastidiously picking items that continue to speak to me. If they don't they're out of here! There's a certain satisfying and complete feeling I'm having as I dig through boots, clothing, jewelry, and hats either in the keep pile or the discard.
Since this room will also act as a seasonal sewing room, I'm also focusing on function. I say seasonal, simply because typically nowadays, I'm sewing more during the holiday season to fulfill shop inventory. Mitts, aprons, and soap bags, etc. I've really had to semi eliminate the sewing part of my business because sewing is too time consuming when you make twenty-thousand bars of soap and over one-hundred sundries. You seamstress girls and boys understand, don't you?
Back to those dressing room thoughts...
This room is being put together on a budget conscience plan. I've carefully searched for items that I thought were quality and cost effective.
Breaking it down.
The small wardrobes hold up to seventy pounds. They cost $13 each and I purchased them here.
The hanging storage bins, same place.
The directional light also cost $14 and I purchased it at the same place.
This rug, and I have several of these in our home, because I love them!
This sewing table. It's sturdy and plenty large enough to spread fabric out, but compact enough for a small multi functioning room.
Shelving, Raw wood and white metal brackets, both at this place. Brackets were $5, and wood was $10. TSMH cut the board in half to create two, 3 feet shelves above each clothing rack.
This lucky girl has a carpenter husband, aka, The Soap Maker's Husband. You may recall the one-hundred year old wood cutting boards TSMH whipped up awhile back.
The Soap Maker's Husband hooked up the light, and cut the wood shelving so I didn't have any extra cost. I will tell you, if you don't have a carpenter husband, the home improvement store will kindly cut your boards for you at no cost.
It's a glorious feeling to have my favorite belts neatly displayed.
Perfume's... I have favorites, and switch scents depending on my mood. I've always been a passionate fragrance girl!
There's still a few tiny things I'll be adding, and I'll be sure to share it all.
We made these last night. I'm not giving it a satisfying rating simply because it wasn't sweet enough for our liking. I'd tweak the recipe and add coconut sugar and an egg. Then I believe it would be bakery worthy. Brownies need at least one egg, in my opinion.
They weren't too bad when served with homemade ice cream, but I have a feeling this pan won't change much within the days to come.
Yes, more Bachelor Button and Zinnia Picks, because I know in a few short months they'll be gone!
Don't forget, to gather the dying buds to dry for seed next season. No cost gardening that's soulfully satisfying to one's psyche.
Please feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions.
Happy August! Can you believe it's here? So fast, racing by, like a blink of the eye. That's how time works. Next thing I know, I'll be eighty! I wonder if I can still lift fifty pounds of soap oil's when I'm eighty? I often ponder that thought.
Back speed...
That picture above is inspiration for this newly emptied out room.
I just wonder can a person have too many projects going on at once? Taking on two at a time, while manufacturing soap, balms, and curing my cravings for Indian food.
The folks that work there are so darn nice! That's one of the reasons, but not the main one. They offer great natural brands, and their produce is top notch.
Back to the dressing room chit chat...
I went back and forth, forth and back, attempting to decide if I should make the empty room into an office, sewing room, or dressing room. I must have spent at least several days pondering those thoughts. After all that contemplating, I finally decided to change the once bedroom into a sewing and dressing room. It's always kind of tricky to make one space, two, but I feel it can be done in a way that's attractive and functional. I've been doing some homework. What I've discovered is that I'm in love with IKEA!
Love this, especially in love with the light fixture. I can envision what it will look like, but I'll need this chair to complete that vision. Probably a couple of these. Did I read that right? Look at the price. Of all the rooms I've transformed over the years, this one is getting me excited.
White and raw wood will be the theme. I really don't think we can live without that sheep skin rug either!
Great resource if you're thinking about expanding your dressing space.
This is a picture of the little coffee bar off our kitchen.
Good things come to those who wait. I guess that's an accurate statement, since my home remodel plans have completely changed due to no time to start them. It also pays to take your time. I have been shopping for specific items, and in awe over the price differences on the same items.
Changing...
New and New... Rose Water arriving in September, and Dirti Hands, that's a soap for the guys, arriving tomorrow. Providing I have time to create packaging.
Pumice is a great additive for soap. Do they still make Lava Soap? Pumice is volcano ash. Who knew that Volcano Ash would be good for something?
I thought you might like a little more closet inspiration... I just love looking at those scarfs rolled up and organized under the glass tops.
Then here's an idea of all ideas...I love my jeans, but it's always been a challenge to store them. What a great solution. I had a hard time finding those clips, but I found something that caught my eye and that I liked better. You guessed it, IKEA! Here's a link for the hooks. You're welcome!
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