Archive for Bath and Body
A Survey to Respond To!
Posted by: | CommentsDebbie May of Wholesale Supplies Plus has published a survey regarding proposed legislation that will affect crafters and artisans of bath and body products. Please consider taking the time to fill out this survey. You can find out more information about the proposed legislation here. Thank you!
Sugar Scrubs, Yay!
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been struggling with finding a sugar scrub recipe that I really liked, and even tweaking ones I found on the Internet wasn’t working for me….until a couple weeks ago. As I tweeted a few days back, I’ve finally found a winner!
Not too oily, because I don’t like salt and sugar scrubs that are basically vats of oil, with a cup of sugar thrown in to save you from just pouring oil all over yourself. Not that there’s anything wrong with pouring oil on yourself, or someone else………ok, this post is going in a different direction than originally intended. 
My point is, despite my roundabout way of getting to it, is that the product is called a SCRUB….so I think it should actually help with exfoliation, as the name implies. The oil contained in it is great, and I want the skin softening effect, too, but let’s don’t forget the reason I’m buying a scrub to begin with! So, as previously mentioned, the recipe I’m using is scrubby, but not TOO scrubby, and has just enough oil to soften, but not so much that my shower looks like something I’m going to have to call the EPA’s cleanup crews out for. It’s easy to make, easy to scent, throw it in the jar, and it’s done. Can’t beat that! Here’s a pic (I know, it’s just the jars….boring. Next time I make some I’ll take more detailed pictures of every step, but I didn’t think to do it this time….sorry!)
Better pics next time, I promise!
So, that’s been my Sunday so far. Now I’m off to put my carpet shampooer together so I can clean carpets and then head out to the grocery store to fill our bare pantry! How’s your Sunday?
And MORE New Soaps!
Posted by: | CommentsThe soap molds I mentioned yesterday are really working out great. I like them so far, although I do need to figure out the lining issue. I think I’m going to try parchment paper next time, as the plastic wrap I’ve been using is not really working for me.
I made more soaps, which I’m very pleased with! These came out a little bigger because I used more soap base than the first batch. The molds hold up to 5 pounds of MP soap base, and I used the full capacity this time. The first batch was only 4 pounds of base. These are Coconut Lime Verbena. What do you think?
Here are a couple of pictures of the finished product. I like how these turned out even better than the first batch. I can’t wait to make more soaps with my new loaf molds! I’m planning to make a coffee-scented “kitchen” soap with embedded coffee grounds, and some lavender with, of course, lavender buds in it! I’m not sure how I’m going to accomplish embedding botanicals in my soaps, but I’ll figure it out!
And here are a couple pictures of the molds, I thought you might be interested in seeing them.
I got a set of 3 molds and each holds 4 – 5 pounds of soap base. One of the molds has a slot cut in it for slicing the soap. My next big project is going to be making a soap slicer, tho, because slicing is hell!
You can see the wing nuts a little better in this one. They’re used to tighten up the long screws that run through each end and the middle to keep the sides snug against the bottom and ends. The mold fully disassembles for taking the finished soap out.
Well, there you go! Once again, have a happy and safe Memorial Day!
New Soaps!
Posted by: | CommentsI bought some new loaf style soap molds on eBay and yesterday was the first time I got to try them out. I made some Pomegranate Sage soaps, and I think they turned out quite well!
These are going to be part of my first consignment items at CJ’s in Princeton. If you’re in the area, come check them out, it’s a cute boutique downtown on 4th St.
Have a safe, happy Memorial Day weekend, y’all. And please let’s all remember the reason for the holiday. Freedom isn’t free, some of us gave their all so the rest could enjoy.
Inspiration…
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been thinking a lot lately about what inspires me, what gives me ideas…from the colors I use for my labels, literature, website and logo, to the smells that invoke some long-forgotten memory, and the visuals that give me a sense of where I want to go….with my company, my plans to open a shop, and my life.
To that end, I visited my first ever Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash a few weeks ago. It was loud and crowded, but I saw so many talented artists there! If you’re in Dallas in early November, I urge you to visit the Jingle Bash for unique gifts and art, all handmade. They also do a Spring Bash in late April or early May, which I’m planning to attend. I think it’ll be fun!
I ran across these wonderful soaps from The Pig and The Peacock. They smell delicious and are gorgeous to look at! I’m definitely going to buy more when I’ve used my stash of soaps up. They also offer lotions, bath salts, body polishes, and candles, among other items…..all in the most DIVINE scents!
I’m sorry for the bad picture quality, I took them with my phone.
Also made some soaps recently, for my mom for Christmas, they’re Lavender scented. It’s her favorite, so I’m making her some bath salts and wickless candles in it, too, and I’m going to package them all together in a basket.
I’m very excited about my last bit of news! I was nominated as one of The Little Black Box’s Favorite Contributors of 2010. You can vote for me here!
Basket Number Three
Posted by: | CommentsYou know, this gift basket thing is really fun! I love the bath salts I made for it, and they inspired me to do a little shopping online for more raw ingredients to make them. I stopped by Snowdrift Farms and scored more of the Hawaiian Red and Dead Sea salts I’ve been using. I can’t wait till they get here!
A friend of mine welcomed the arrival of her first grandbaby a few days ago, so I made another “Pamper Mommy” basket with bath salts, wickless candle, soap, and lotion in Honeysuckle Jasmine. The soaps are adorable, I made little yellow hearts with a silicone ice cube tray, and then embedded them in a clear overpour. They turned out very well, if I do say so myself! See for yourself and tell me what you think!
I’ve added the bath salts to the website, you can find them here. I love making them, they’re so fun, and I promise I’ll get a real picture of them up soon.
I’m starting on my samples for the October Little Black Boxes tonight. I’m going with Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie (I just got this one, and it smells HEAVENLY!), Pumpkin Souffle, Cranberry Marmalade and Toasted Cinnamon for the scents. Yum!
A new week begins, hope it’s a great one for all of you!
Bath Salts Added!
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve finally gotten around to adding my luxurious bath salts to WalkingLeaf.com! They’re a gorgeous blend of Hawaiian Red and Dead Sea Salts for a calming soak in the bathtub, just like having a spa in your own home! Now you can relax and soak away the cares of the day.
Did Another Gift Basket!
Posted by: | CommentsI put together the gift basket I talked about in my last post today. I think it came out really cute, and it has lots of goodies in it; two Soaps, Dead Sea Bath Salts, a Wickless Candle and a bottle of Lotion, all Lavender scented. Here are some quick photos I took of it, what do y’all think?
I think it turned out well, hope my coworker likes it! I have to put a little card in it still, and then it’s ready to go!
So, plan for the new week…work on eBay stuff, take the pics of the sample Wickless Candles that I mailed off to The Little Black Boxes today, and I think that’s it! Happy Labor Day and a great week to you all!
The Little Black Boxes
Posted by: | CommentsWalking Leaf Co. will be participating in The Little Black Boxes sample boxes for September and October. I just finished boxing up the September samples and brochures and business cards to be mailed on Tuesday! I’ve participated in these before and it was a lot of fun for me, kind of like putting a message in a bottle. I wonder where my little wickless candles end up, and hope they find a good home! October’s box is Halloween themed, so I’ll be doing some Fall scents for it. I have Banana Bread, Pumpkin Soufflé (which is HEAVENLY!), Raspberry Truffle, Apples and Maple Bourbon, Blackberry Sage, Toasted Cinnamon, Peppermint and Peppermint Vanilla to choose from. What do YOU think sounds fabulous?
I still have to get a picture of my samples taken so I can email it and my advertising banner to The Little Black Boxes for inclusion on the website. I’ll have to wait till tomorrow to do that, it’s early evening now and the light is failing. I have some lights and a lightbox to take pictures with but I like to start with as much sunlight as possible, they seem to turn out better that way!
In other news, I was invited to a baby shower for a coworker and while I won’t be able to attend, I’m planning to make a gift basket for her like the one I made several months ago for the Fall meeting of the TxPPA. Mom needs TLC, too, so I’m going to make stuff she’ll be able to pamper herself with. I’ll get a small gift for Baby, too, but the basket will include lotion, bath salts and a wickless candle for Mom, probably in Lavender. I don’t have any soaps made up, tho, so it’ll be small basket. Everyone likes to be pampered, right?
I think Fall is just around the corner, and it can’t come soon enough for me! I hope Back to School, Fall, or the return of cooler weather is as good to y’all as it has been for me so far. Happy Fall!
Natural! Maybe….
Posted by: | CommentsWhat’s in a name?
There’s been an ongoing trend in many industries for the past several years, so much so that I don’t think you can even call it a “trend” any longer, but more a paradigm shift (yes, that old buzz-phrase is BACK!) Everyone wants “green” and “natural” in everything, from ours cars and clothes, to the products we clean our homes, bodies, and green clothing with. Cosmetics and beauty products have to be “natural” and from plant-derived sources, our food has to be organically grown, our home improvement products from sustainably farmed sources, our clothes purchased from fair market suppliers. That’s not a bad thing, in my opinion. What I do consider a bad thing is the unscrupulous use of the words natural, all-natural, pure, etc. in products that a quick look at the label can tell you are not.
Consider this very well written and researched article on that very subject and decided for yourself. The author, Debbie Bilezikian urges you to read up on the ingredient names, and learn what they really are and where they come from. Can a product be labeled “all-natural” if one of the ingredients is a man-made preservative? Can a product be labeled as having plant-derived ingredients if the manufacturing process destroys any benefit that might have been present? What if the natural ingredients of a product comprise less than .05% of the total formula?
There are currently no industry or governmental guidelines governing the use of words like natural, plant-derived, all natural, and pure in cosmetics and beauty products. While I am a proponent of LESS government interference rather than more, it should be fairly easy to see that until there are regulations, manufacturers can pretty much use these catchwords with impunity.
Judge for yourself and be an informed, intelligent consumer! Additional resources are at the bottom of the page, enjoy!
