Update on Life and crazy happenings..

Man, it's been forever. Or it seems like it.

I'm such a horrible blogger, haha. At least this little break wasn't like the LAST hiatus I had! So to give you guys an update on my current standing...

1. I'm finally out of my old job! No more call center. :)

2. I have a slight break between jobs which will mean MOAR SOAP!

3. I DO have some soaps I've made since the Warm Vanilla Sugar batch, but I still need to photograph them. Namely, I made a batch of Lavender, I resupplied a client with her custom order of my new Energize blend (Lemongrass, bergamot, and listea), and another custom order soap from coworkers, a Lemongrass Mint!

4. I have so many plans for new soaps! I have an order shipping in from Mad Oils (so excited! They're fabulous; find them here)

5. I keep my Facebook more up to date than my blog (sometimes), so if you ladies/gents want, you can follow my page here.

6. So outside of my move form SC to WA, the reason we have been so busy lately is we moved from Bremerton WA to Tacoma WA to be closer to Jay's job, get better pricing on rent, and really just get out of Kidnap County --- oh I'm sorry, I meant Kitsap. :)

7. Sadness for the move, though, because I could not bring my lovely furbabies with me.. They are now happy in another home, and my heart is heavier for it.

Lessa and Ramoth, spooning in Jay's chair.

8. Furbabies that we COULD have, however, included rats! Working with a lovely lady out of West Seattle through Craigslist, I was able to relocate three amazingly cute baby boys!

 From left to right: Larry, Moe, and Curly

I'm sure they will find ways to help me during my soapy excavations. :)

9. So my new job will be work from home, same sort of stuff I did at the call center just different client. And with the advantage of saving 300+/mo on gas and toll costs, it will allow me to focus on my soaping in my free time!

Once again, I apologize for being so busy, but we can all see HOW busy its gotten! Once I get my next batch of soap out, I will post a soapy update!

Hiatus Over! Cherry blossoms, Rain, and Chamomile to soothe the soul..

I am so excited with everything that has been going on in my life. I know, I know, it's been nearly a year since I posted, but guys -- man, have I got some catching up to do!

Instead of the BMW hire I had been hoping to get, I started working at ZF Transmissions in Gray Court, SC. It was a plant job, and I was doing some German translation, which was super cool, but my shifts were 12-hours every single day of the week. No days off, nothing. I made one whole batch of soap for a coworker for a Christmas gift to his family the entire time I worked there. 

A blend of Lemongrass, Listea, and Lemon essential oils with poppy seeds for exfoliant!

After Christmas, I started speaking to a long time friend of mine -- I've known this boy for about 13 years now, we've known each other since we were kids. I really wanted a fresh start, to just move out of the state that seemed to harbor all my troubles. After lots of consulting with friends and coworkers, I decided it was the best move for me. My friend, Jay, lived in Washington state, so it was a daunting prospect. Slowly, between December and January 12, I began giving away/donating my stuff to friends or Goodwill, shipping out necessary items, or giving things to people for safekeeping. I flew out January 12, leaving my car to my uncle and signing it over to him. I landed January 13, with barely anything to my name aside from the stuff I was waiting to arrive and a lot less baggage.

Some people call it running away. I just saw it as a chance to start over.

I got a job in a call center not far from home (it was about a 35 minute walk) to make money while i slowly built up my soapmaking stash again. One of my friends from SC is actually moving up here with me this summer, and he plans on driving the trip, so he'll be bringing some of the stash I left in SC for safekeeping with a friend. On top of the job, I've also acquired a new car! (New to me, of course. I'm broke!)

The move wasn't easy, BUT -- I am here to show you how amazing my life has gotten! With some amazing soaps tied in.

I know I've said it before, I dont usually post personal stuff on here, but I feel like my old loyal readers (Jenny! <3) would like to know why I dropped off to nowhere. I'm here to tell you it was every bit as worth it as it was needed.

First of all, Jay and I have started dating. He was my childhood crush, which we touched on at the time when we were kids, but he was incredibly loyal and was already seeing someone. So I moved on, and we sort of inadvertently kept chasing each other for nearly 14 years. With me starting over and actually living where he is, I figured I would go with the advice my dad always gave me: your soulmate is usually your best friend, and you never even realize it. He married his best friend 23 years ago, and they are still every bit as in love as when they started. So here we are, taking a chance for us for once.

Jay and I out on the bluffs. I havent smiled like that in years! Also, ignore the white streaks in my hair.

I also picked up snowboarding, and ATVing. Which are both as dangerous and crazy as they sound. I can't tell you how many weekends I've spend barreling down the aide of a mountain while cartwheeling, the affectionate term Jay uses for my wipe-outs, considering I tend to fall hand over heels the whole way down.

So with Washington, the first few soaps I made sort of resembled the new change in direction. First, I made a cherry blossom scented soap, with my usual recipe, using the Brambleberry FO (shipping is so much better when you live pretty darn close to it!)

These are EVERYWHERE here.This one is in my friend's yard.

I used the normal recipe with the FO, and then I did a mica oil swirl on top. Inside, I used charcoal for black and a red mica from The Conservatorie to really make it pop, and did a simple swirl inside.

Next, I main a soap using BB's Rain type FO. Appropriate, for the mists that seem to plague WA weather.

This one I did TD on the bottom and a blue swirl on top, also with mica oil swirls. I got on a kick, what can I say?

I also made a Lavender Chamomile Huggies type, which I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE.

It was lightened using TD, mica oil swirl on top of purple, with little sugar pearls on top as well. I learned not to CPOP those like I usually do though -- sugar pearls turn into black blobs when baked. :(

I appreciate all of you for following my blog and being interested in where this crazy journey takes me. My next soaps are going to be an Amber soap, a new Lavender, and Warm Vanilla Sugar! Stay tuned~

Energizing adventure!

As you may know from previous posts, this is Energize. It's an amazingly lovely heavy-lemon scented soap, with a soft undertone of sweet. This is the bar as it was originally pulled from my DORIGHT slab mold.

After being annoyed by the heavy ash, even after steaming the bars, I decided I'd give my SMR planer a try.

So off I went! Lovingly beveling the edges of my soap bar, planing the flat sides (I find that if you plane the front and back of the bar first, then the corners you want beveled, and THEN the sides, it works best!), reveling in the scent of yummy citrus as the fresh slices aerated the room. Halfway through, however, I was wondering what to do with my planed leftovers. I had been squeezing them together after each bar, making little squished soap bits. Then it occurred to me.

SOAP BALLS!

Who DOESN'T love soap balls? Even if I just use them as embeds, it's an awesome idea. So I started rolling!

Nice, clean-of-ash, planed soaps. <3

And soap balls!

Size comparisons:

Thanks for reading! And as always -- HAPPY SOAPING!