This week is Thanksgiving, a time to spend with family. We will be closed Wednesday afternoon so that our staff can prepare for the holiday. There are pies to bake, turkeys to brine and families to visit. We will also be closed Thursday and Friday. We will be back in […]

Thanksgiving Holiday Schedule

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The weather has been bitter cold of late. I dread having to get the mail or go shopping for groceries. This is a bone deep cold that makes the joints ache and the teeth chatter. My problem is that I have grown bored of my regular repertoire of hot drinks. […]

Honey Citrus Tea Lip Balm

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I am so excited for our Thanksgiving feast. Every family has something that just shines at the dinner table. Some families have glorious golden stuffing while others have the creamiest potatoes. My family specializes in pie. Pumpkin pie, banana cream pie, pecan pie, […]

Apple Pie Lip Balm

‘Tis the season of sparkling juices with fancy labels packaged in green wine bottles. I remember seeing these as a little girl while shopping with my mother. I loved the look of all of the beautiful bottles, expertly stacked to dizzying heights. I even remember the rare occasion when my […]

Sparkling Apple Juice Lip Balm

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We have had a bout of bitter cold weather. I am miserable. My joints ache and I feel as if I can never get warm enough. When the weather gets like this, my drink of choice is Spiced Apple Cider. It is homey, it is sweet and most importantly, it […]

Spiced Apple Cider Lip Balm

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The holiday season is upon us and the stores have laid out all of the winter treats. Peanut brittle, candy canes, chocolate covered jelly sticks, divinity, caramels and peppermint bark fill the shelves to near bursting. I can’t shop without some tempting treat calling my name. This week, I will […]

Peppermint Bark Toffee Lip Balm

I love to experiment and try the unusual things. I love to push boundaries. I love to test the crazy or seemingly impossible. However in the world of soaps and cosmetics, I will also be the first to tell you that we have usage rates for a reason and you need […]

Usage Rates – The importance of following them

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One of the hardest parts about making soap for me isn’t formulating or mixing or even swirling. It is packaging. There is a mind boggling amount of packaging available for soap. You can use shrink bands, cigar bands, boxes, bags and more! You can even leave your soaps “naked”. Today […]

Packaged Soap – Caramel Style

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I had a lot of fun experimenting with honey and beeswax in soap. But what about putting them together? What kinds of risks and challenges might one face? What will the finished soap be like? Today, I wanted to make a soap containing both honey and beeswax so that we […]

Honey and Beeswax Soap

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Yesterday we made soap with honey in it. I had so much fun with it, I had to continue along the same train of thought. What happens when you add beeswax to soap? Why would you add beeswax to soap? What does it feel like? Let’s answer this question and […]

Beeswax in Soap

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Honey is a fantastic substance. It is great sweetener and a natural humectant. It is fabulous drizzled over baked goods or one’s morning oatmeal. It is also terrific in cosmetics and masks. So how do we incorporate a little more honey into our lives? How about in our soap? Curious?   So why […]

Honey in Soap

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Answering phones mean I get to talk to people from all over the place. I absolutely love it! Recently Rhonda called asking for some help with a recipe for her very dry skin. Rhonda lives in such a dry climate that it common for her skin to dry so much […]

Rhonda’s Lanolin Butter