I have good news ... and bad news...

So, some of you may remember that I used to own a soap company.  After having "her" (my business was a she!) for several years, I closed it down last summer.  I guess it's a good thing, but it had just gotten TOO big for this one-woman show.  With a husband, and daughter, and another baby on the way, cattle, horses, life ... it was just TOO much.

So, good news first -

I will be making soap again!  I've had several requests, and I'm finally going back to soap making.

The bad news -

It will be on MY terms.

- NO craft shows.  I don't get to spend a lot of time with my family, and it's just not worth it to sit in a craft show on a beautiful Saturday.

- All soaps will be made to order.  I have the basic, unscented batch made up, cured, and ready to go (soap needs to cure for 8+ weeks to be fabulous).  That will be milled and additional oils, fragrances, colorants added to make YOUR bar of soap.  No more having 1,000 bars of soap in my inventory.  It's just too much to keep up with.

- I'm making what I like to make!  That means this line of soap will NOT be vegan.  This line will be a "back to basics" brand, made with my signature olive oil blend and milk.  I LOVE milk soaps!  They make such a creamy "lotion-like" lather, and are so amazing for the skin!

- I'm NOT going to obsess over packaging.  This line will be in a basic package, perhaps a basic brown paper wrapping with a simple string.  Not sure yet, but I know it's going to be simple.  I will also not be trimming and polishing these bars.  I spent HOURS trimming soap bars, wrapping them, polishing them, putting fancy labels, designing said labels ... not anymore!

- Also, I'm doing minimal colorants.  Looking and hundreds of soap pictures ... the ones that make my heart skip a beat are those with the least amount of color, glitter, imbeds, fancy peaks ... just a simple bar of soap.  I will still do additives such as oatmeal, oat milk, lavender buds, exfoliants, etc.  But I'm not going crazy with it, and it will NOT keep me up at night like it used to!

So ... that being said, today I showered with one of my soaps from THREE years ago.
It. Was. Amazing.
It was a Chocolate Stout soap.  Made with beer (did you know beer has some great skin-loving properties?), and a rich chocolate fragrance.  It makes it a hoppy, nutty chocolate, not a sweet Valentine's day type chocolate.  That stuff should be in a museum somewhere!

On top of that good news ... I made strawberry shortcake today.  Strawberries are on sale for $.99/lb at Price Chopper if y'all have one of those near you.  Limit 4.  But you could be like me and go back tomorrow for 4 more and freeze them :)  I have food hoarding tendencies.

Oh, here's the link for my company - Red Dirt Candle Company.  I don't have the soaps added on there yet, but will soon.  Red Dirt Candle Company

Here's some yummy pics for you!
Have a great night!

Salt Scrub

Facial Bar with pureed apricots