We Met An Author!

Friday was a very exciting day for my daughter & I. We had the opportunity to meet Kathryn Wall, author of the Bay Tanner mystery series. I have had the newspaper clipping sitting on my couch for the last two weeks so I would not forget to attend her speaking engagement.

One of my favorite things to do is go to the library and look through all the books to find an author that is new to me. I love mystery/horror/thriller books. While looking at the new releases last year I came across the book Sanctuary Hill. The cover looked intriguing and when I read the jacket cover I was excited to learn that the author lived in Hilton Head, SC and based her books around the area. I have lived in SC for nearly five years, but have never had the opportunity to visit Hilton Head. This was a great way for me to be introduced to the area.

After reading the first chapter, I was hooked on the main character, Bay Tanner. I could not put the book down, I needed to know what was going to happen to her next. When I read a book such as this, one that hooks me after the first chapter, I then go to the front of the book to see what else the author has written. I found I was actually reading the seventh book in the series and immediately wrote down the names of the previous books so the next time I visited the library I would know which order to read them in.

I have since read In For a Penny, and And Not a Penny More. Mrs. Wall writes the books in such a way that it is not necessary for a reader to read the series in order. She gives enough background information in each book to catch the reader up and inform them of what they may have missed in previous books without giving away the story lines from previous books.

Mrs. Wall was very friendly as she signed books for eager readers. She spoke openly as she explained the process of becoming an author. She was very engaging and entertaining. After she spoke she took the time to answer my 9-year-old daughter's question, "What is your favorite part about making a book?" Mrs. Wall explained that she enjoyed turning on her computer to a blank screen and starting the process of writing, not knowing what was going to happen, and getting to the end to find out how it ends. I appreciated her taking the time to speak to my daughter. She was also gracious enough to take pictures with us!

Shhh, Men Don't Want You to Know Their Secret!

That's right, men think they are keeping a secret from the rest of us. They think we don't know what they really think. Do they think we really believe it takes them an hour to shower and shave? Are we so gullible that we believe what they tell us?

Of course not, we KNOW their SECRET! The men in our lives are in that bathroom sniffing the multitude of soaps we have lining the shower. They are secretly sniffing each bar every morning, wondering why they don't get to have such wonderful skin-loving soap for themselves.

How many times has the man in your life "conveniently" run out of soap and just had to use yours? They want to enjoy all the benefits of luxurious scents and soothing soaps too!

Why not treat the Dad in your life to some simply luxurious soap this Father's Day, June 15.

Country Meadow Creations carries a Glycerin Mens Soap line as well as some All Natural Soaps scented just for men. And while you're shopping for Dad, don't forget to pick up a bar or two for yourself!

Need a personalized card sent with Dad's gift? Let me know in the comment section of the shopping cart what you'd like and it will be included free!

Sale Ends Saturday

Don't forget to check out the Memorial Week Sale

All Handcrafted & Decorative Soaps are on sale for 20% off. This does not include previous sales, supply sales, wholesale orders, or Kat's Coffees & More products.

WEATHER

What's in Your Soap Base?

Do you know what you're putting on your skin every time you get in the shower? Have your read the ingredients on the package? Do you know if they are good for you or not? Do you know what the benefits of using them are? Can you even pronounce them?

At Country Meadow Creations, I believe my customers should know what is in the soap I make and sell to them.


The following ingredients are found in the Glycerin Soaps that Country Meadow Creations sells.

Glycerin: Is a vegetable based humectant which attracts moisture to your skin.

Sorbitol: A natural moisturizer derived from fruit and berries.

Titanium Dioxide: A mineral based addition that makes the soap base white.

Propylene Glycol: Solvent and preservative properties.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate: A detergent and surfactant used to boost foaming ability.

Sodium Stearate: An emulsifier.

Stearic Acid: Used to harden soaps.

Lauric Acid: Saturated fatty acid, contributes to lather.

Sodium Chloride: Salt, contributes to a hard bar of soap.


Not all soap bars will contain each of these ingredients. They may also contain liquid or mica colorant, cosmetic grade glitter, fragrance oil, or essential oil.

*Please Note* This information was provided to inform and educate our customers about the ingredients we use to make our handmade products. We make no claims as to the effectiveness of the ingredients. This information should not replace advice from your physician.

It's Sale Time!

Memorial Week Sale

All handcrafted & decorative soaps are on sale for 20% off 5/25/08 - 5/31/08.

The shopping cart will automatically deduct the correct amount.

This sale does not apply to Kat's Coffees & More products, wholesale orders, or previous orders.

http://www.countrymeadowcreations.com

Price of Patchouli Essential Oil

Wow! I had heard that the price had gone up on this essential oil, but hadn't had a need to buy any in quite some time. I was amazed to see that the price on supplier websites ranged from around $50-$200. The sizes varied, but this is outrageous to me. I cannot justify paying that much for an ingredient. I would have to pass along the cost to my customers, and that is something I am not comfortable doing.

Luckily I found a full bottle in my supply cupboard the other day so I won't have to purchase the oil for a while. I am hoping that the price goes down before I need to replenish my supply. If it does not go down I will be forced to suspend production of soaps that contain this ingredient. This change would affect the All Natural My Man Soap. I will post notification if and when the time comes that I do this.

To me, my customers come first and a price increase is not acceptable.

Craft Store Soap Bases vs. Soap Supplier Soap Bases

I've posted a blurb about this on my Squidoo lens, Why Handcrafted Soap?

Since Lisanne made a comment about this topic on my last post, I thought I would address it now.

Basically, if you're going to make soap for decoration or to see if you like making it then craft store bases are just fine. However, if you're going to give soap as gifts or you're going to start a business you will want to do your research about the ingredients and the suppliers. It is the opinion of most soapmakers that the craft store bases are full of chemicals and detergents that can irritate your skin and they are a high price for a low quality soap base.

So where can you buy quality soap bases from? Check out the following list of suppliers, in no particular order, that I have personally used in the last 9 years of soapmaking.

Wholesale Supplies Plus
Soapers Supplies
Bramble Berry
The Chemistry Store

I hope this list is useful, and if you know of other glycerin soap base suppliers that are trustworthy and have a high quality product, please feel free to leave a comment.

What is Glycerin Soap?

It depends on who you talk to as to what it's called. It's easiest to call it glycerin soap, but it's technically called Melt and Pour soap.

So what is it? It's basically a soap base that you cut into chunks, melt until it's liquid, add fragrance oil and colorants, pour into a mold, and wait until it hardens. Sounds easy, right? Yeah, it does, but it's not as easy or simple as it looks.

Is it good for your skin? Of course it is, provided the soapmaker uses high quality ingredients and knows what they are doing.

How do you know what quality ingredients are? You research, research, and then research some more. You continuously do your homework, learning about new ingredients and testing your product until you get it right.

In the next few posts I'll be discussing some different soap bases, ingredients, and where to get your ingredients.

Updates Coming Soon!

I have a quite a few updates to do here in the next few days. I will be changing things up a bit on the sidebar and I'll be adding new links to other WAHM sites and blogs.

Please stay tuned & be patient as I make my changes. Thanks for reading!

He's Home!

Just a quick update to say that my husband is home from the hospital! He's doing much better, but still needs to take it easy. Thanks for all the emails everyone!!!

Health News

Unfortunately I am not going to be updating the blog for a few days because my husband had a heart attack on Saturday morning. He is doing much better, but I need to focus on helping him heal so I won't be blogging or soaping for a few days.

I'll update again when he is doing better! Thanks for all your thoughts!

Work At Home Mom. It's that simple, or is it really?

I've been a WAHM for nearly 9 years and it's certainly one of the hardest jobs I've ever had. Not only do I run a home-based business, but I have two children & a husband, a house to clean, groceries to purchase, bills to pay, a dog to make sure is taken care of. I also went back to college full-time so I've got homework and studying to do.

I just don't think there are enough hours in a day to accomplish everything I need to accomplish. The family is my top priority. I have no problem living in a messy house if I have no time or motivation to clean it daily. My customers have always been understanding if I get a bit behind in orders.

So what do I do for a living? I make & sell handmade soap. Yup, soap! I've been making soap since my youngest was a baby because of skin allergies and a desire to make something natural to put on our skin. I started with glycerin soap bases and eventually moved to cold process soapmaking. I love the creativity I have with glycerin soap, but also like the natural ingredients I use in the cold process soaps.

Here's an example of my glycerin soap & all natural soap:



Ashley Sings Glycerin Soap


All Natural Citrus Sunshine Soap


I'd like to feature other WAHM sites on my blog so if you know of an outstanding site, please leave me a note in the comments section.

Thanks!

Networking

I am looking for WAHM sites to exchange links with. Please send a comment with your request & I will check out your site or blog. I am looking for family friendly sites only. I also reserve the right to refuse any site I don't feel fits in with my business philosophy.

Thanks & I look forward to linking to some great sites!

Let's Get Posting!

I've had this blog for quite a while & used to actually write on it. It has been ages since I've used it and thought now was a great time to get started again.

So here's a little update about what I've been doing lately:

I've gone back to college to work toward teacher certification for early childhood. That's right, I'm going to be a teacher. Today was the last day of the semester and I've got one year left before I get a job.

As for the soap business, that is still a priority in my life. Now that I have a couple months off from school I am going to be updating the site and will be posting the info here.

Please stay tuned as I add new content!