New Creations!

I wanted to post a few pics from today of my new slabs. Yesterday I went on a soaping binge and made Sweet Pea, Patchouli Lavender, Eucalyptus Lemon, Apple Cinnamon Swirl & Oatmeal. I was so excited that I'm finally getting the knack of the marbling technique! I know, I know- nerd alert!!! Anyway, I also put some pics of Cameron bagging samples and Christian doing some quality control sniff tests! Afterall, this is a family business!

Your Carolina Video Clip

Here is a link to the video clip from Your Carolina. Hopefully it will work ok, I'm still learning my way around the computer.

Peace, Love and Soap :: Your Carolina

Peace, Love & Lotion Bars!

Well, I'm pretty excited because tonight I tried something new. I made push up lotion sticks. I have been interested in doing it for a while, but wanted to focus on my soap and really get my routine down with that. So tonight I brought out all of my supplies and ingredients and went for it. It's really kind of funny because I ordered some lip balm containers from a company and they accidentally sent me push up containers. At first I was really kind of annoyed at their mistake, but then it got me thinking about expanding my product line. See, everything really does happen for a reason. This product is about a 3 oz. push stick of solid lotion. It goes on very smooth and is made up of beeswax, cocoa butter, coconut oil, and vitamin E. I scented it with a Chai Tea fragrance, however, I wanted to use patchouli. In this craft I've had to learn to be unselfish when creating my products. My favorite isn't necessarily everyone elses! The chai tea is a warm, spicy fragrance that I thought would be great for the season. Now I just need to figure out some labeling and bam, they'll be on Etsy! Check'em out!

My Hubby!

I am so thankful for my husband, Mike. He is a wonderful hubby and daddy! We are a team.

Hello Carolina!

Well today was the day that I have been talking about for months, now. We finally had our moment of local fame on the "Your Carolina" show with Jack & Kimberly. I was not nervous all morning which is odd for me. Everyone at the show was so inviting and complimentary of my soap (and my kids) that it made me feel so relaxed and right at home. Right before I went on, I felt that twinge of nerves that can either push you into motor mouth mode, or completely erase all knowledge of the subject at hand. Well, lucky enough for me I pretty much kept it all together. I think the fact that I really believe in my products and love sharing about them helped me feel calm. The only thing that I didn't do is mention my etsy account. I can't believe I forgot that! And when I watched it, I realized that they put the wrong web address up on the screen. I emailed the show when I got home, so hopefully they can fix it on their website. At first I was really bothered about it, but my ever-soothing husband helped me to not be too hard on myself- I love you, honey! I will post some pictures of our morning at the show. It is held in the Michelin building in downtown Greenville, this building is so cool (it really helped keep my boys occupied) Hope you enjoy the pics, and thanks "Your Carolina" it was a pleasure being on the show!

Peace, Love & Soap on tv!

We will be appearing on "Your Carolina" in the morning at 10am. I'm really excited and surprisingly calm about the whole thing. Say a little prayer for us that everything will go well.

Peace, Love & Soap loves Kelly Ripa!

Some of you may have noticed a couple weeks ago, that I wrote on Twitter how I was excited because Kelly Ripa had just received some of my soap. Ok, so here's the story......My beloved cousin, Jamie and her daughter, Madison were taking a much envied trip to NYC for the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. She lovingly offered to deliver some of my products to Kelly Ripa while she was at the show. I thought this was a great idea and fixed up a little goody bag of various soaps and lip balms. I packed cupcake soap for her little girl and soapsicles for her boys. Not sure if Jamie would get the chance to give them to her personally, I just hoped for the best and eagerly awaited Jamie's phone call! Guess what?!? She did it. Jamie called out to Kelly and Madison ran down the bag of Peace, Love & Soap products! She said that Kelly seemed enthusiastic about her gift. I hope she enjoys my soap. I threw in a bar for Regis, too. She seems like a cool lady, maybe she will drop us a line or two on blogspot- you never know!

Happy Holidays!

Last night I made up a batch of peppermint lip balms. I love using peppermint in my products because it is so stimulating to the senses. The aroma is still very alive in my kitchen even today. The lip balm came out wonderfully. My goal was for it to have a light tingly effect when applied, and it does. The events that I attended on Saturday were great! I made some new friends and had a really fun time at Roxana's house. She was a wonderful host and I also loved getting to know Marcy. They are very neat women! Roxana makes lovely handmade jewelry, you can check out her stuff at www.beadingmom.etsy.com I especially love the tree pendants! Marcy makes custom gift items such as monogrammed ponchos for kids, coffee mugs, and ribbon purses (which are so cool and unique!) her website is www.geocities.com/marcydurham .
My time at the Cliffs was also a lot of fun. The staff was so helpful to me in getting set up. It's always a pleasure to visit. Sales were great and I had lots of return customers. I know I go on & on about that, but anyone can buy a product once. I figure if they come back for more, that's the ultimate compliment! I'm sure things will slow down for me now, but I will be working on my etsy account ( www.peaceloveandsoap.etsy.com ) and building inventory. I can't wait for the market to start back up in the spring. I have some new ideas brewing so this break will give me time to develop my plans for the new year. I feel so Blessed to have the freedom to do what I love- be a mommy and make yummy soap!!

The Taping

Yesterday they filmed the clip for "Your Carolina". It was super easy and I do have to say that I'm glad it's over. I think the anticipation of it all was making me more nervous than the actual event. Can't wait to meet Jack & Kimberly on the 19th. The next thing on the horizon is this Saturday when I will have 2 shows. In the a.m. I will be at an event with a few other moms who specialize in handmade goods. That evening I will be at The Cliffs for a Christmas shopping event for the members. I have a pretty good stock set up so I think it will be fairly easy to prepare.

My First Customer!

This weekend went off without a hitch- almost. Besides the fact that my sister showed up at 7:30 am to her market that started at 1:00 pm, all went very well. It was such a great feeling to have two booths going at once. I had quite a few return customers which always makes me happy and had the chance to meet a few new faces. My very first customer from the market returned to purchase more soap. His name is Rod and he is a very cool guy. We had a nice time chatting while I was setting up for the day. I took a picture of him by the sign to put in my Peace, Love & Soap scrapbook. I also snapped a picture of my soap wreath that I made as a decoration for my booth. I threw it together last minute, but so many people liked it, I decided to put it on my blog. Today they are coming to tape my soapmaking for the show. At first I was nervous, but now I am excited to share about my craft. I hope I don't get tongue tied or say something stupid (which I've been known to do when I am nervous). I will just be myself and hope for the best.

In the past 2 days I have made 12 batches of soap. That is a record for me. I've tried to think of creative ways to display my soap at the market. My Etsy sales are really picking up, which I am so greatful for. I was happy to see that my new Frankincense and Myrrh bar went down so well at my last event. One lady bought some for her friend who is a priest! How cool is that?!?! I hope he enjoys it. My sister will be running a booth for me at the Blairsville market on Saturday. I'm pretty excited- I guess you can say Peace, Love and Soap is expanding! (at least for a day!) This Tuesday a film crew from the show "Your Carolina" will be at my house to film me making my soap. I have been busy getting my tree up and my decorations looking nice for them, which I'm sure won't be part of the clip- oh well! On the 19th I will be on the show talking about my business and my soap-what to wear? I will remind my local friends nearer to the time. In case you haven't noticed by this blog, my mind is all over the place- as usual!

A Great Night

Tonight I was at The Valley golf shop selling some soaps to the ladies of the Cliffs communities. It was a great success. The ladies were so sweet and seemed to be very enthusiastic about my products. Thanks to everybody for coming out to shop. So much fun!

New Scents!

I just unwrapped some new creations and I'm so excited to see how they are received. My Frankincense and Myrrh is to die for (if I do say so myself) and the sweet pea came out beautifully with a light baby pink swirl. I also added calendula petals to my plain oatmeal bar, for those with very sensitive skin. Calendula is known for its healing properties to the skin so it will add to the effectiveness of the bar. My husband made me an awesome display for my lip balm, which I will ever-so-proudly be using tonight. He has really come through on building my molds and displays. Thanks Mike, I love you! I will try to post a picture soon. We wanted it to be as natural as possible so we went out to the park and found an old piece of wood to make it out of. Can't wait to use it!

Headed to The Valley!

I am very excited to be visiting The Valley tomorrow evening. The ladies of the community will be there to do a little Christmas shopping. I have spent today in the kitchen working on my inventory and preparing for the event. It's always a pleasure to visit with the ladies from The Cliffs, can't wait!

Thank you, Blairsville!

It was great going back to my old hometown for the Holiday Market. I was lucky to have my sister helping me at my booth because we had a lot of setup to do. When we drove through town on Saturday morning it was 9 degrees and still dark! The morning was very cold. Understandably, there were not many shoppers out until around 10:30, when it was actually bearable. Our day went so well. It was great to see old friends that I hadn't seen in years. Many people were enthusiastic about my products and it reall made me happy. Also, I was approached to be advertised in the Local Food Guide, since many of my ingrediants are purchased locally. This is great news because they are going to be printing 33,000 copies to be distributed throughout the southeast region. Wow, that's cool! All in all, the market was a success. Sales were great and the day was beautiful!

Holidays are here!

I have been busy as a bee preparing for the upcoming markets that I will be participating in. My lip balms are selling like a charm. Funny, because they were kind of an after thought that seem to be really catching on. I have to go mail an order from Etsy today. On Saturday, Nov. 22nd, I will be in Blairsville, Ga. They are having a Holiday Market and I can't wait to be a part of it. I spent half of my life there, so hopefully I will see some old friends. Also, I am proud to say that I am an official member of the National Association of Professional Women. I got my notice in the mail today! Yay!

My latest creations!

I had to post some pictures of my new babies!

Twitter Bug!

I have just created a Twitter account. I have heard about this new thing, but really didn't see the point. It is a site where you have 140 characters to update what you are doing at the moment. These days I don't really have that much time to get on the computer, but I'm going to try it and see how it goes. I think it will be fun if some of my other friends are on there, too. If it's just me doing it, not so much! I made some pretty little cupcakes yesterday that I can't wait to photograph them and put on my blog and Etsy. My sister helped me make some more soapsicles and I cranked out a few jumbo lip balms as well. I think these are my favorites at the moment. I like chunky little things like that! Anyway, if you want to check me out on Twitter here is my address, twitter.com/peacelovesoap (my entire name wouldn't fit). I am going to commit to try it for 30 days and see if it catches on. Feel free to join me!

I have two markets coming up. I will be in Blairsville, Ga. next Saturday for the Holiday market. On December 6 we have ours in downtown Greenville. Can't wait!

Peace, Love & Soap makes Etsy radio!

I was very honored to find out that Peace, Love and Soap was mentioned on a blog radio show on November 10th. The lady who broadcasts the show had purchased some of my soap and a couple of lip balms. I just listened to the broadcast and it was really neat to hear her talk about how much she liked my products. She is a member of a group called Artists Helping Animals and her Etsy store is called Dogonwear. She makes adorable clothes and stuff for pets. It was so nice of her to give me a shout out! It brought a smile to my face!

Peace, Love & Cupcakes!

I wanted to write about the cute little cupcake soaps that I made up and brought to the market last Saturday along with some hand poured lip balms. I wanted to have something geared toward the children because so many come up to my table to look at my soap. I made up these cupcakes that look like they have strawberry icing on them. They smell like cupcakes too! I was so happy that the kids loved them, I actually sold out! The lip balms were really popular, too. They are made of cocoa butter, beeswax and olive oil. They were fun to make and I think they would make great stocking stuffers. I will post the picture I took from saturday. Hope you like them.

Plans for Fall!

It is so beautiful here in the mountains at this time of year. The changing leaves are so bright this year, some of them almost look neon! Last night I made 2 new batches of soap, english rose and nag champa. Nag Champa has been such a great seller, but it's kind of like patchouli- some love it, and some hate it. I love it! December 6th is our last market of the year and I'm so sad that it's over. I have a few appointments with people interested in carrying my soap in their stores, which I'm really thankful for. I got my tax ID number the other day so I am official and ready to go. That will make it easier for the bigger retail stores to set up accounts with me. I'm also going to be working on my hand poured lip balms. Those sold so well, I was kind of surprised. I have learned that you can never really tell what people are going to like. I enjoy being pleasantly surprised when I'm sure somebody is going to love a certain scent and then they go for the opposite. It keeps me on my toes. I am also going to always have completely natural products as well as my mostly natural ones. For some, it is merely a preference, but there are many who have such sensitive skin, they cannot handle even cosmetic grade products if they are not natural (by that I mean "from the earth- natural" not what the stores call "natural"). I know this from experience. My baby has such sensative skin, I have noticed a difference since I started bathing him with natural soap.

What's in a name?

Today was a great day at the market. I met so many interesting people. That is one of my favorite things about doing it. I had a few people comment on the name of my business, which was funny because nobody has ever said anything before. Back when I was trying to come up with a name, my brain was racked. I disected any and everything to do with soap, bubbles, and cleanliness. The funny thing is, Peace, Love & Soap was one of the first things I came up with. I was sure that the real name would take me much longer to find, so I went on to ponder against my first judgement. My husband liked it, and that is what helped me stick to it. Looking back, I'm so glad I did. I met one of the coolest guys ever, today, and it all started with Peace, Love and Soap. He came up to my booth and asked me if I was some kind of hippie! I assured him that I wasn't around long enough to be a real hippie, but I do agree with most of the ideas that came out of the era. We both said that the one thing that ruined the hippies were drugs. (not saying that all hippies used, but I'm sure most did!) He went on to tell me that he loved the hippies because they taught him how to love like a mother and a father. When his 3 children were little, he lost his wife to cancer. He went from daddy, to mommy and daddy. He was a man's man who had been in the Korean War and raised to be "tough". Now he had to be a nurturer. It was the hippies who taught him that it was ok to be a man and be loving and hug his little kids. Many people in his generation thought that it was the mother's job to do the hugging and kissing and the father's job tell their little boys to "suck it up" and be brave. He said that he was freed of this stereotype and it made his life better. He was able to enjoy his love of art and music without feeling like it was wrong because he was male. We had a long, great conversation and I hope I see him again! The last thing he said to me was that if you love somebody expecting something in return, then you are not loving them at all! I think that is so great! I'm sad that it was my last week, but I'm looking forward to December 6th when we have our special holiday market. Until then, I will be looking for festivals and working on my marketing and displays.

One More Week!

Last Saturday was a success at the market downtown and the farm. The weather was a little damp in the morning, but it was bright and sunny by the afternoon. There was a great turnout for both events. It was fun doing the soap demo. I explained how to make cold processed lavender soap. I unmolded it on Sunday and it smelled so good (if you like lavender!). This Saturday will be the last week of the regular downtown market. They hold a special holiday market on the 6th of December, which will be fun. I got the picture from our Robin Williams show so I will post it on the blog. That night was so fun. This week I will concentrate on making some cinnamon apple and pumpkin spice. Those were my top sellers last week, along with the lemongrass. I'm sad that the market is ending for the season when I'm just getting to know everybody. Can't wait for next year!

Hopeful!

Well, tomorrow is the big Autumn Festival downtown. The weather is said to be cold & rainy. Bummer! I hope there is a good turnout. I have a pretty good stock built up. I'm really excited about my demo at the Cliffs Organic Farm. I have all of my supplies ready. Today I will be working on hand pouring some lip balms and making 2 mint chocolate batches. Busy Bee!

Stocking up

Today I have been working on getting restocked for my upcoming events. I made a new batch of lemongrass poppy, which made my house smell wonderful! I also made an oatmeal batch, for those with sensitive skin. My third batch was cinnamon clove. Clove bud essential oil is quickly becoming one of my favorites. It smells so good and it keeps its scent so well in the soap. I colored it naturally, which was very exciting to me because I like to keep things as natural as possible. I will post a picture of how it came out. It got a pretty good review at the market, so that made me feel good. I'm also excited about the soapsicles that my sister and I made. I love the fact that I have something for everyone at my booth- the kids were wild over them. I will try to get a picture up of those, too. For the next few days I will be concentrating on building my stock so we will have a good showing for our big day Saturday!

Fall is Here!

Today was a really good day at the Market! The weather has definitly changed and Fall is in the air. It was kind of fun to get dressed up in my warm jacket. I had a couple of new products at my booth that really went over well. One was a Soapsicle, and the other was sort of a soap mobile (basically bars & balls of soap strung up on hemp string). My sister and I did the soapsicles last night and it was so fun working together on a project. I also brought a new scent out, cinnamon clove. Those sold like hot cakes, but lavender patchouli was my best seller today. It's very interesting because you never know what people will be in the mood for. I am really loving the market community which consists of the "vendors" and the die hard attenders. It's a fun network of people who I can completely identify with. Many people asked me where my boys were today, which was sweet. I signed my baby sister up for babysitting duty, she didn't mind. I left the market with much less soap than I came with, which is what I consider a successful day!

Peace, Love & Robin Williams!

Tonight was a very exciting and fun night for me! My husband and I got to go see Robin Williams at the Peace Center. It was great because we really don't get to go on a lot of dates together. The show was Hilarious! By the end, my cheeks were hurting from laughing so hard. After the show we went backstage to a sort of meet and greet thing. Of course, I brought 2 bars of my most popular soap to give as a gift to Robin- cinnamon apple swirl and mint chocolate. I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure how Robin Williams would take some girl giving him a couple bars of soap. But, he was great! He said that he would definitely use it and keep it in his bike bag to use while on the road. He took a big whiff and commented on how good it smelled! I was over the moon- and I'm sure my cheesy grin gave me away. I told him about my blog and said that if he got the chance, to leave me a message. We shall see! Well, Mr. Robin Williams, you looked awesome and after using my soap you will smell as good as you look! Had a great night, Thank You!

Double duty for Peace, Love & Soap!

Saturday, August 25, Peace, Love and Soap will be pulling double duty! In the a.m. we will be at the Autumn Festival on Main in downtown Greenville. It's going to be a really fun event and I'm totally excited about it. Then, that afternoon, I was asked to do a soap demo at The Cliffs organic farm! I am very honored to have been asked to be a part of ther Fall Festival. Now I need to time myself so I can make my demo around 30 min. I don't think this will be a big deal. Once you have your materials prepared, it goes pretty fast. I love this time of year with the georgous weather and festivals going on.
Yesterday I unmolded a test batch that I had made using curly shavings from another batch. My objective was to make each cross section look like it had curly q's in it. I know, it sounds confusing, I'll post a picture later. Anyway, I am very happy to say that it came out looking really cool! Can't wait to share my picture and get some feedback on it!

Now you can buy online!

In response to some of my customers interested in purchasing more soap, I have opened an Etsy account. Etsy is pretty much the ebay of all things handmade. The Market will be over soon and with winter coming my options to get out there and sell more soap are limited. This is a way for anybody to shop at anytime. I just opened it a couple of days ago and I listed only two scents to try and see what kind of response I get. If there is an interest, I will definitely list more. Also, if anyone has a request that you want me to list, let me know. Just go to, www.peaceloveandsoap.etsy.com to find my products. Hope you like!

Exciting News for Peace, Love & Soap!

Yesterday we recieved some very exciting news from the producer of a local television show called "Your Carolina". They want to feature Peace, Love & Soap on their show on December 19th! I have already been hard at work revamping my inventory for the upcoming holiday season. I feel so honored to have the chance to talk about soapmaking and starting up a business. I'm glad I have some time to get my thoughts together! Wow, I'm excited. I know it's kind of a long way off so I will remind all of my local friends to try and tune in closer to the date.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, today I am 29! I am learning that as you get older, you must change your expectations of your birthday. The day you were born is a great day to reflect on all of the little (and not so little) Blessings that have been sprinkled throughout the year. It's not about presents or gifts, it's about the happiness that you feel when you look around and know that you are loved.
Okay, enough of that philosophical stuff. Yesterday was very exciting for me. I got to go to Asheville and pick up my bulk organic oils that I had ordered a couple of weeks ago. Those 5 gallon buckets were beautiful! I know, I know- nerd alert! It's nice to know that I can keep making my soap without having to run to the store every couple of days because I was out of something. I had all of these different recipes and oil blends going through my mind as I was waiting for my oils, it was like torture. But, now I can make them happen. I also want to say thanks to my customers who take the time to send me comments on my blog. It almost brings me to tears when people tell me how much they enjoy my products or give me props! I know that is super-cheesy, but it's true. Thank you, thank you, thank you......

To Market, to market!

Today was a really awesome day that I had been envisioning ever since the thought of selling my soap came to me. It was our first day at the Carolina First Saturday Market in downtown Greenville. It is a really cute farmer's market that takes place on Main St. and is a treat for the locals as well as tourists. I was honored to finally secure a booth, but a little nervous because I would be bringing my boys with me. Don't get me wrong, my kids are well-behaved, but you can only ask so much out of a one and three year old. Not to worry, they were little angels. The market lasted from 8-12. My neighbor came to see our booth around 10:30, which was great because she took the boys for a walk and played with them for a while. I couldn't have asked for a better day. My sales were high and I got some great feedback on my soap. Apple cinnamon swirl is definitely a favorite among my customers and the mint chocolate also went over well. Last night when I put Cameron to bed, he said a special prayer for our booth at the market. I thought it was so neat how he realized that it was so important to me that our day went well. His prayers were answered and we all enjoyed our time together. Now I need to focus on getting my inventory back up and ready for our next market adventure. I hope it is as good as today!

Peace, Love & Soap LLC!

Many changes have taken place lately concerning Peace, Love & Soap. We are an official LLC! We also made our debut this Saturday at two stores in Greenville. You can purchase our soap at Reedy River General Store (formerly Pott's Natural Foods Store) and Brew & Ewe! It is so amazing how this has gone from an interest to a full blown business. There are many more opportunities in the works that hopefully will be in place in a couple of weeks. I have to give props to a really good friend of our family, Nancy. She organized all of my legal stuff for my LLC right down to the stamp. She is a wonderful lady and I owe her big time for taking the time to help me. This new endeavor has come so easy, so far, that it doesn't really even feel like work. I hope that it will stay stress free and fun. My husband has been so supportive of me. He believes in me and the potential of my business, which gives me the peace to keep marching. Most of all, he never complains about me spending any little bit of extra money on oils. He is a wonderful man. I love you, Mike! I had my ten year reunion this Saturday and it was great seeing all of my friends from back in the day. It's funny how you see yourself change, but don't expect anybody else to. I had a really nice time with everybody. I was glad to see that everyone is doing well. Go UCHS!

New Pictures

I finally had some time today to snap some shots of some of my new soaps. The flavors are berry, vanilla sandlewood, apple, mint chocolate, pumpkin spice, & Holly Mint (not in order). I also put one of my lip balms up. I am going to make more colors. As of now, my flavors are vanilla & watermelon. I opened my grapefruit today and it is a beautiful pink. My marbling effect didn't quite come out as expected, but I'm open! It smells wonderful so that makes up for it. Hope you like my latest pictures!