LovelyLathers

Doing the button holes are not difficult, it is getting them lined up and in the exact place they should be so they are not pulling and no gaps. Since you want a button down dress it is a difficult project. Very time consuming. Plus doing it with out you there is even more difficult.

Very Nice. I had a column swirl flop the only time I tried it. It looks great! I tried the spoon swirl and it got too thick to do it but about half way and i had a mess. I admire you!

I have had great markets for the past 4 weeks! Each week I have been doing at least 25% percent over last year. I was a little concerned with the economy the way it is that things were not going to be very good at them. I think people into buying local and will spend a little extra too spoil themselves. The best sellers have been varied each week but mostly selling soaps with a fruit scent to them or a very summery fragrance. Body powders and body sprays are doing very well but scrubs which usually are a good seller are slow. I hope you have had some great weeks at yours!

I agree it probably is glycerin weeping. Is it still doing it? Or has it absorbed back in the soap? You made the comment that you wanted an allergen free soap but added eo's, they are allergens. Many people have allergies to the scent or the way they are distilled (made). You could use RBO but everytime I use it above 15% I get ash and the bars seem tacky to me (atleast in my recipe). I use palm and PKO. Have you tried Babassu Oil, pricey but I love it in my soaps @ 5 to 10%. I also like castor with my OO soap for the lather.

I would never recommend using use sea water in soapmaking unless you had it tested to make sure it is not polluted or has any contaminateds in it. I would never use rain water either because of the acid rain and other contaminates that would get into it, bugs larvae. But that is my opinion. Someone else may come along and feel differently. IMO this is something that will give the Cosmetic Act even more fuel!

This is an email I received this morning. http://personalcaretruth.com/2011/07/the-impact-of-the-safe-cosmetics-act-2011-on-small-businesses/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PersonalCareTruthOrScare+%28Personal+Care+Truth+or+Scare%29

It is going to put us out of business but also make the prices of all of the soaps and cosmetics and B&B sky rocket not only homemade but big business's also. We will have to resort to the Black market with soaps! You will see my wanted poster on your Post office wall! We will not have any protection at all with this, just a lot of heartache and big loss from our years of testing and spending money for product development. Suppliers will be in worse shape and be out of business also. This is a no win bill for small business's and large alike, except large will have more $$ to test and manufacture, also they will have access to FDA info. I am not opposed to registration for all and inspections of facilitates where products are made and random testing of products on a local government level, that will help make the industry safer as most problems lie in bacteria and beasties growing in poorly made products under less than sanitary conditions. More access to info is needed but not to a chosen few who can afford it and make big $$ but to all! The FDA can not make our food safe, our meds safe, look at all the recalls and the deaths due to them not being safe, how are they ever going to keep this bill enforced and help the soap and B&B safe?

I agree if you don't care than you should be in another business or hobby but certainly not B&B. I would like to know where they plan on getting all the money for the FDA to come up with all the lists they are suppose to give us concerning the prohibited lists they will have in place when the bill comes in play. Where are they going to get the money for all the testing they have to do and people they have to employ to test? Not to mention all of the animals they are going to have to test on. The cost to us is going to be the ruination of the small business. Getting the info needed for the labels is not going to be easy, no one will hand over that info at least not for free! This is one I got today http://personalcaretruth.com/2011/07/ten-reasons-why-you-should-not-support-sca-2011/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PersonalCareTruthOrScare+%28Personal+Care+Truth+or+Scare%29

The ones I sell the most of are Patchouli EO, Lavender EO, anything with coconut (Caribbean coconut and coconut curry). Love Spell and rose sells good. Vanilla blends sell ok but not great. I can give away anything with mint in it.

Here is what I received this morning! It is very interesting and looks like it is going to hurt us big time. I just woke up and brian is still fuzzy and have not read it except highlighted areas quickly, I will study it further later. http://personalcaretruth.com/2011/07/safe-cosmetics-act-2011-cover-table-of-contents-and-sec-611-definitions/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PersonalCareTruthOrScare+%28Personal+Care+Truth+or+Scare%29

I got this email this morning.. If you scroll down to comments, I believe it was Debbie who said it should be online to view Friday http://personalcaretruth.com/2011/06/where-is-the-safe-cosmetics-act-of-2011/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PersonalCareTruthOrScare+%28Personal+Care+Truth+or+Scare%29

Hi Nancy, welcome. I am sure you will find lots of info on this forum! It sounds like you might be making melt and pour soap? I suggest you ask about soap bases under the melt and pour section. Also there is lots of info in that section and reviews on bases.

Is that the castile you made in mid May? What type of spots? Are they wet spots or DOS spots? Are they just showing up now or have they been there a while? Also it would help to post your recipe. Is it hot and humid where you are, if so it could be weeping glycerin.

Thanks for posting that. A lot of info there. I am going to have to read it when i have a very clear head.

They are beautiful, what don't you like about it? They look great to me.

That is beautiful!! I am going to try it today, I am so afraid it is going to trace too fast to get it all in the mold.

I don't put mine in the oven either, just throw a towel over them. But as everyone else said make sure you cut them in about 4 hours otherwise thet are too hard and crumble.

That is beautiful! Great colors!

Beautiful! The colors are wonderful. I want to do this now.

Scented the $94.99 one was for 25 lbs not 50 lbs. They are very expensive!!

I have 5 I use for different purposes. But I have probably done 200 hundred or more in experimenting, testing and just playing around. I love trying new oils and combos of new ones. I have a few personal favorites with more expensive oils that I make for limited addition soaps and for myself and family also.

I would email them and ask what the story is. Maybe they changed manufacturers and therefore the ingredients changed.

The noodles are horizontal. they go in curved so the ends are pointed down like an arc, the cross beams hold them in place. I will see if i have a picture i can post of how they look. They work great.

I do several things. I have sandbags in each corner and i stake the poles to the ground if it is allowed, make sure you check first as sometimes there are underground wires or sprinkler systems. If it is really bad, my set up allows me to tie my tables to the tent which helps also. I also put the swimming noodles in each corner between the top and pole joints, the prevents wind bellowing out the top and helps the rain from pooling it the middle.

This thread is old, started in Feb of 2006. He might not even be around anymore