FINALLY! A making of "City Slicker" video :)

I FINALLY did a video of making what I call "City Slicker for him" - it's really Black Tie by Nature's Garden and it is FANTABULOUS! I love that smell, I love how the soap comes out, it's just fun!

This is the one I do with the zebra/tiger stripes in black and white...just loving it how it goes together...

The top had a little more texture, but still overall very flat :( I don't know why - I guess it's just so dang hot, I don't feel perky and thusly my soap tops are NOT perky either lol!

I haven't cut it yet - but it's gonna look pretty much like that when I do, just love it! Elegant, but fun all at once.

Off to allow another video to upload while I do other stuffs then :P

Crochet - A soap related Hobby?

Crochet - yarn, a hook, and your own 2 hands. Simple stuff, but highly entertaining for some of us (myself being part of the "some" here). I haven't crocheted anything in AGES! 1) It's too hot - no really, who wants to have a 5 pound blanket made of yarn sprawled across their legs in the middle of summer? 2) WHEN would I squeeze in time for such a project? Sure, there are easy peasy cute little baby things you can make that go fast...but I don't have any kids, and I don't know anyone about to pop a baby out any time soon...so there's not much need for cute little baby stuff at the moment.

THEN it hit me - BAM! Cute can be functional AND soap related! Don't get me wrong, I know I can always make stuff for babies and turn around and sell it...but why not make something that anyone can enjoy? The answer, crocheted  in 100% cotton yarn is this:

See...I often find myself awake late at night. In case you hadn't heard, my husband snores - BAD - so I (for many reason) am up until pretty late most nights. Let's be honest, I am NOT going outside in the dark, in the woods, with coyotes, snakes, and everything else creepy crawly to do "yard work" at night. Not doing it, the end....BUT...what I can do is sit in here and crochet...small easy things, like wash cloths! I can churn out one or 2 of these in an evening, and I have been. Then I set them aside in a rubbermaid tub.

My thinking is this: come the holidays (and even at regular markets through out the year) I can offer these for sale OR I can include them in gift baskets. To me this is SOOOOOOOoooooo much nicer then the shower poof thingies, or even regular wash cloths....it's hand made, it's personal, and it's somewhat "organic " in nature (though not certified or any thing. By organic, I mean "natural" - what's more natural than cotton? NOT polyester that's for sure lol :)

So....part of what I have been up to (though in small bits of time here and there) are these little devils...if anyone wants the pattern, I'll post it - heck, I may post it just because. I figure it will be a nice, personal touch of sorts in gift baskets to come.

Excited for the market tomorrow!

Hitting up my old stand by - Olde Security Square Flea Market - this weekend! Haven't been able to do a 2 day market weekend in a while, just been way too busy! So I am excited to be getting out of the house and heading out!

I know some people DREAD all of the work that goes into this kinda thing - I admit, it IS indeed a ton of work!  But, I really do enjoy the majority of my clients that come through and I really get a kick being about and talking about soaps and goats all day!

I know what I need to be doing at this moment is laundry so I have a clean outfit AND packing...but instead I am playing online...hehehe...naughty me right?  Just can't help it! I am TOO excited! Two whole days outta the house! WOOHOO!

Not like I have been here that much really - I made a trip to the middle of Texas this week, have had a TON of errands to run, just been on the go - but this is different.  I get to go and stay put for the day once I get there, it's nice :)

Better go fix the goats their bottles though....or they will come and yell at me shortly :)  I have some more videos loading as I type...sloooooowly :P Trying to get all caught up after a being double busy!

Back to the market??? Oh yeah baby!

Ok, so I'm not gonna lie...even though mankind CAN try my patience, I actually REALLY do like people!  Living out here where there aren't many people, I find myself craving them sometimes.  So back to the market I went this weekend! I REALLY had fun last weekend when I sit down and look back at it and you know, the cash is nice.  Plus, to have more room on my soap shelves to make MORE fun soaps is really helpful too!

See, when I really looked at it, I had lotions a-plenty, and TONS of stuff I have been making since February and March - like for real, probably 200 or 300 bars of soap (when I count I'll let you know). I'm not gonna lie, even though that one redneck kinda pushed my buttons, most of the people I met were pretty awesome.  And yes, the lady with the noisy toys...the toys drove me AND come to find out another lady nuts LOL...but she was at least nice.  So, I loaded up and headed back this weekend - I know, crazy right? But why pay for insurance if I'm not gonna make an effort and really sell some stuff eh? Plus, with baby goats coming I won't be able to do it again for a few weeks at least ya know?  Can't leave when mommas are due any minute....

Anyways, I HAD A BLAST!!! Met some awesome people, pretty much sold out of everything else I had that was ready to go and now I am WHOOPED! Overall, the environment is relaxed, the market handles all the "tedious" part as everything is covered so no tent needed, and they have a LARGE table in each space so I don't even have to mess with that either! Just show up and put out my stuff :)  I think I might be addicted lol :)

Plus, get this - they do a drawing each day at 3p.m. for a space number and the winner gets $50 - and GUESS WHAT!!! No, really, guess...come on, guess.....YES!!!!!!! I won today!!!!!!!!!!  And to be honest, I NEVER win anything, not even a dollar on a scratch off! No, seriously - the only stuff I ever win is phone calls from time shares :P and I won something :)

So, I had a tiring but fruitful weekend.  Now, I need to regroup, get pictures of last weeks work posted for ya'll, and get ready for baby goats AND my garden...oh my sad attempts at a garden :(  I HAVE to get on that!  But oh yes, I think I am an addict to selling things, I KNOW I love talking about my goats and my soaps all day and I will return!

OH!  I forgot to say...when you ask "Where have you been?"  I have been at "Olde Security Square" - and I have LOVED IT!

The market, my mouth, and why I don't do "Live People"....

Let me just say, I am a hermit.  Yes, a bonafide, stay at home as much as I can, avoid the world hermit.  "Live, in person, for real human beings" often frustrate me.  The end.  Well, not really....Some days I have to leave though, it is a need.  Now, what does this have to do with soap?  Follow along...

Yesterday I decided to go to the flea market and clear out a BUNCH of the left over holiday stuff, and some newer stuff from late February/early March...I need more room on my shelves (or perhaps more shelves - just depends on if you ask my husband or me which it is).  Anyways...so I had a decent little bit of stuff at an insanely reasonable price for what it is.  But odds and ends - like ONE bar of pumpkin soap.  What am I going to do with ONE bar of pumpkin soap?  Sell it for $2 and have no bars of pumpkin until next fall that's what!  So away I went..

I got up EARLY - I don't do "early", neither do my goats.  But up I got, and away I went and THEN the "people" happened....UGH!

First of all, the 2 ladies next to me were selling toys.  Keep in mind here I don't have human kids and I have not built a tolerance to blinky light up noisey singing toys.  Anyways, yes TOYS - toys that sang, and made noise and it was like the Grinch!  The part where he complains "Oh, the noise, noise NOISE NOISE!!!!"  Yup...NOISE!  They also had a boat load of kids - running around, throwing things, shooting darts at my truck, SPILLING SODAS!  Oh yeah...I was still smiling through my teeth as I ground them together.  It was all fun and games until the sugary spilled drinks attracted BEES!!!!  Oh my goodness...the bees! I had to carefully dash through the swarm to get to the truck because there was a puddle of soda and every bee for 3 counties sitting next to my truck door...AND THEN...

These 2 ladies also had some stanky nasty perfumes...oh joy, guess what the bad kids did?  Oh yes, they knocked a perfume off of a table and it busted ALL OVER UNDER MINE!!!  For real???  I spent a few hours telling people what the smell was and that it was NOT my soaps!  But I kept my mouth shut...UNTIL...

Enter the redneck!  Have you seen Joe Dirt???  Oh yes, Joe Dirt times five.  Mullet, tattoos, cut off Larry the Cable guy type shirt...and he thinks he's being cute.  No really, if you have never dealt with this type, you haven't lived.  He says: "Glitter on soap????  Who wants to take a bath and come out covered in GLITTER unless you are a STRIPPER!!! hahahahaha.." Laughing so hard was Mr Redneck, UNTIL I opened my mouth - filter off mind you and said, "Glitter is just like dirt - it WASHES OFF - not that you would know judging by your body odor sir, but ask your first wife, wasn't she a stripper?"

I know...I KNOW ya'll!!!! I am mean, but I SWEAR it just FLEW out of my mouth!  I couldn't stop the words from vomitting forth...:(  It turned out okay though - apparently he had been heckling vendors AND customers down the row, because about 4 people began to applaud and next thing you know I did a nice little chunk of sales right behind him walking off.  He had nothing to say back to me...but still...

I KNOW I should be nicer, but I just couldn't stop myself!  I had already been completely frazzled by the people next to me for half of the day, and out it came...This though is why I like "online internet people" - when they get all snarky smart mouthed I can walk away from the computer and be the better person.  I really don't like being a meany pants mcgee at all :(

It's also what I love about soap - I can quietly sell most of it online, to friends and family really is where the bulk of it goes, and I don't have to see many morons in my day....

I guess I needed to share this morning - I wasn't proud of my actions - but it's why I don't do many "market" type settings and NO farmers markets are not ANY better than flea markets...but that, my friends, is another post!