Moved!

We’ve moved!

Our new home is at http://lapaperie.wordpress.com

Thanks!

I hate you, murphy’s law

I was busy starting to make soap today when …my scale started to smoke…literally. Then it up and died on me, mid-batch. I’m so upset. It was obviously faulty because it’s relatively new and has only been used a handful of times since I bought it. The model of my scale has a good name and warranty, thankfully, so I’m sending it back to either be repaired (which I highly doubt is possible) or replaced. The frustrating part is that today was the first day I could devote to all-day soap-making. I had planned to make 3 batches because I’m nearly sold out of my soaps – I only have 4 bars left! Plus I was eager to use my new TOG soap molds that arrived yesterday. Go figure! So now I have to wait for another scale to get to me during the seasonal mail rush. Oh. Yay.

The bright side? At least it gives me time to work on some more books.

2 more soaps…

You’ve already seen the new look for my mulled cider (I’m loving the swirls!). Here are the other two new batches: lavender & oatmeal, and lemongrass & sage with lemon rind. They both smell amazing!

Also, some good news! Our grocery store has decided to sell goat’s milk – I’m thrilled. I bought some and will try to make some goat’s milk soap soon!

mulled cider

My first attempt at swirling…came out pretty well. They smell yummy and they look good enough to eat. Click for larger view. I’ll take photos of the lavender & oatmeal bars soon.

soap dilemmas

As many of you know, I’m selling my soaps online and also from my home. It’s all going swimmingly so far. I will soon be trying to sell my soap at local craft stores. In fact, I may have a huge order coming in over the winter to be filled by the spring time (when a local craft store opens in April). Not certain of it yet, but it would be great if that would work out. Since this is all new to me, I’m in dire need of your opinions, on two matters I’m dealing with right now…

First of all, I’m thinking of changing the name of my soap. The name of my Etsy shop will remain the same – “La Paperie & Cozy” – which is apropos since, in time, I will be offering handmade journals and artwork in additon to my handmade soap. However, I think my soap should have it’s own name, as customers will no doubt be scratching their heads as to what “la paperie” has to do with soap. Do you think I should change the name? Or leave it the same? And IF I should change it, do you have any suggestions? I was thinking of either Cozy County Soap or Cozy & Co. Soap …so it would put the “cozy” in La Paperie & Cozy. What do you think?

Predicament number two has to do with PACKAGING! I’m trying to settle on the right kind of packaging for my soaps. Picking packaging is important. It’s what people see first, and as we all know, first impressions are important. Currently I hand-wrap individuals bars in pretty printed paper.

I really do love the look of them — like little gifts. And who doesn’t like receiving a gift? The only thing is…the first reaction I notice that people have is to lift the bar of papered soap to ones nose and sniff. Unfortunately, you can neither see nor smell the soap that lay within the wrapping. A pity, especially when the soap smells so mouth-wateringly good and looks like something that you could eat! Another drawback? It’s rather time-consuming wrapping each individual bar. I feel any potential customer would like a bit of a preview of what they’re buying — personally, I would definitely be more apt to buy a bar of soap if I knew what it smelled like, or looked like. (Of course, online, one must go totally by photos and scent description.) My concern regarding the packaging is mainly for my “in-person” clients, who will be buying my soap from me either directly, or at local craft stores.

The trick is deciding on packaging my soaps in a way that will allow my customers to both smell and see the soap, yet retain that “organic” homemade look, and also save time and money. My packaging options? There are more selections than this, but these are the ones I’m most interested in:

1. SHRINK WRAP
Pros: The least expensive route. Customers can clearly see and smell the soap, without touching the actual soap and damaging it. The label would be my business card inserted in the front of the soap, and sealed in the plastic. They are an instant indication to whether a container has been opened or not. Easy, fast multiple packing.
Cons: I really don’t like the look. Handmade soap that is packaged in plastic loses a lot of its ‘homemade’ organic appeal.

2. CIGAR BAND
Pros: Inexpensive. Looks very nice. Customers can clearly see and smell the soap, without damaging it (if band is wide enough). I can make my own bands out of card stock – I’m thinking “kraft” paper, which is looks more organic – and design it however I choose. No need for additional stickers or labeling.
Cons: Soap that is ‘naked’ can lose its scent faster, and is more prone to damage (dropping, over-handling, etc.) Cigar bands can also fall off easily, as soap shrinks with age.

3. KRAFT PILLOW BOXES
Pros: These look lovely. Customers can open the end of the pillow box to see and smell soap. Labels would be my business card tied to the box with raffia.
Cons: More expensive. Customers must handle the soap to see it (take out of box). More time consuming as they must be packed AND tied with raffia.

4. KRAFT SOAP BOX WITH CUTOUT
Pros: These look nice. Customers can smell and see a small bit of the soap without having to take the soap out of the box.
Cons: More expensive. Adhesive labels would be needed.

5. HANDWRAPPED BARS (what I have currently)
Pros: These look like little gifts, and are very pretty. Label is my business card tied to the box with raffia, and type of soap is handwritten on the back of the bar with a sticky label (which also keeps the wrapper closed).
Cons: More expensive (I use good quality scrapbook paper). Customers can’t see or smell the soap. Very time consuming to wrap every bar.

I’m still trying to decide. Any thoughts?

new scents have arrived!

My order of new fragrances have arrived. I can’t wait to soap them!!!! The scents marked with an “M” are considered popular fragrances for men. Here they are:

Pink Grapefruit
Clean Cotton (M)
Peach
Orange Blossom
Green Tea Chai
Orange
Cranberry
Fresh Cut Roses
Lavendar
Lilac
Sandalwood (M)
Lemongrass & Sage
Ocean Water (M)
Patchouli & Clove (M)
Pumpkin Spice
Strawberry
White Tea & Ginger

And these are on their way….

Pink Lemonade
Succulent Pear
Sweet Berries
Bay Rum (M)
Apple Jack & Orange Peel (M)
Cranberry Orange (M)
Cucumber Melon
Iced Cranberry

“can I eat it?”

“…but it smells so good!”

So some of my newest customers have said.

They do smell uber yummy – the coconut and the mulled cider are especially mouth-watering. As is my latest scent combo…mango macadamia nut. It even *sounds* good, so just imagine how it smells!!

My brother-in-law suggested a cool idea –> using an empty beer bottle for a soap mold. The idea would be to pour the soap into the bottle, and once it hardened, crack open the bottle. Then voila! Soap in the shape of a beer bottle! I must admit, the idea was pretty cool, and I just might have to try it. I’d call it “bar o’ beer”, and scent it with a ‘manly’ scent of course. I could even use beer as my soap base (many have done it with good results). Of course it wouldn’t smell of beer, but just knowing the soap was made from their favorite drink may beckon some gents my way.

two more today!

Since I had today off work, I made two more batches. The kitchen smells amazing!

~ COCONUT: Straight from the tropics! Smelling like sweetened a piña colada – all it needs is a little drink umbrella! Made with generous amounts of cocoa butter for extra luxurious moisturizing properties.

~ SWEET ORANGE & RED MANDARIN: Everyone loves that sweet, fresh-fruity aroma of freshly peeled orange and mandarin – revitalizing and warm just like sunshine! Natural essential oils. Shea butter for added skin conditioning. (This soap is vegan friendly)

These two batches turned out the best yet! I’m so pleased with them. I think I’ve come up with my two “dream recipes” that I will stick to, for the rest of my batches. One recipe is vegan-friendly, the other utilizes a tiny bit of beeswax which is considered non-vegan friendly.

If any of you are familiar with cold-process soap-making, I prevented these two batches from reaching the gelling stage by popping them in the fridge for about an hour. As a result, they remained an opaque ivory colour and are utterly bursting with creamy lather – just what I was aiming for! They’re luxiously conditioning and sudsy. And their scents? They’re both utterly mouth-watering!

I’m in the process of ordering some proper soap molds from TOG Soap Molds (he’s got some great handmade stuff!) for a more ‘finished’ look to the bars.

I must say I’m excited about all this. I’ve already got quite a few orders coming in already. Weeee! And the best part is, this is so much fun! I’ll never buy store-bought soap again!

Photos of new soaps to follow soonish…

new soaps

I’ve been away from soap making for a while, only because I’ve been pretty busy and I’ve also been waiting for some new supplies to arrive. Well, I’m back. And I’ve got two new soaps on the curing block…

~ ROSEMARY PEPPERMINT: Fresh peppermint essential oil with dried rosemary for texture and gentle exfoliation (This soap is vegan friendly)

~ MULLED CIDER: If you could package the smell of autumn this would be it! Undertones of cinnamon, anise and clove are blended with warm, juicy apple. (This soap is vegan friendly)

Both are enriched with luxuriously emollient shea butter and conditioning oils. I had to restrain myself from not biting into them, they looks so scrumptious. Soap in my bellies! Hope they turn out good. If they do, they’ll be the first bars o’ soap available at La Paperie & Cozy, my new Etsy store, which will be unveiled soon. I’ll also be adding pictures of these soaps…soonish!

second batch success!

Picking myself up after a somewhat botched first batch, I made a second batch of soap Sunday morning. This time, I left out the beeswax and castor completely, opting for a different recipe – olive oil, soybean, coconut, palm. Wow, it turned out great!

I just turned it out of the mould yesterday, so it’ll have to cure for a few weeks, but I think this will be great. I sampled a little sliver of it and it already suds up great and is nice and hard!

This time I used the stick-blender. Handstirring the first batch was a real pain and it took FOREVER to trace. But this time? Wow, what a difference!! I’m so glad I tried it, and will never go back to the old spoon! Using the handblender worked so much better, and the soap came out smoother, and it traced perfectly! Also, it gelled (I don’t think my first batch gelled which was another problem with it).

For a mould, I went to the grocery store and bought a small plastic cat litter tray. It worked perfectly and was just the right size for my 4 lb. batch.

I colored it a bit with some paprika for a coral/peachy color, and scented it with the grapefruit essential oil — smells sooooo good…like a freshly halved ruby red! I texturized the top with a butterknife. I’m really pleased, and can’t wait to use it!

Okay…NOW I’m hooked!