.....call you local Service Provider!!

People have told me that I should sell my rebatch soap. I took a year's worth of scraps, yes you read correct, a year's worth! I take them and make big hunks of soap. The average bock is 10 oz, great for my family to use all year. It contains every soap I have ever made. Even scapings from my soap pot, yep, I keep that too! I posted photos of the soap on FaceBook and folks really liked it. A couple said that I should sell them. I really doubted I could sell this soap, I mean it's patchwork look, and all the smells cancel each other out, so there's no "focus" in the soap. But it lather's and cleans like no body's business! Moisturizing and fun to use too.

Okay, so I put this to the test today at the Women's Health and Wellness event at the Jewish Community Center. This is what they look like..



So guess what...I SOLD A FEW! Yep,you never know until you try it right!

I call these soaps "Service Providers" and wrap them in ads from the Yellow Pages!
They are here to provide a service for YOU...to get you clean! The bars range in size from 10.5 to 11.20 ounces per bar, and they sell for only $4.00!! A great value!

I REFUSE TO BELIEVE I AM A LAYZY SOAP CRAFTER!

YES, I AM OFTEN OUT OF POPULAR SOAPS. YES...I HAVE NOT MADE VODKA*STAR IN AWHILE...but, this in no way, means that I am lazy! LOL

I mean come on...I'm a mom, cook, go-for, and part-time hockey player. I'm a busy person for crying out loud. But I do think i can improve on my productivity a little more. Okay, a lot more. With that being said......

A calender, so I can actually know what day it is from time to time, is needed. Along with a schedule. I will work on this. First...because I want you all to be able to get your favorite soaps, and second, because I must stop my gypsy ways. The utility companies don't accept GYPSY DOLLARS so I will have to pay my bills with U.S. currency.

Any of you run across some cool looking calenders or day planners that fit nicely on a wall? Post pics!!

How Curat Soap Recipes Are Born.......

Recently I asked my FB fans.."What would you like me to blog about?". One person answered, lol, and her suggestion was a good one. "Where do you get your ingredients? And what inspires the scents you make?"

Let's talk ingredients first. There are a couple places I rely on for the best stuff to put in my soap. 

#1. GOOD EARTH!!! I go upstairs, and if I;m lucky...Jackie is there!

I get my herbs and favorite brand of essential oils right here. 
They have a wonderful selection of dried herbs and flowers that
I like to use. The essential oil brand that is used the most in my soap
is NOW. I love their website and how they educate you on the proper
use for their essentials.  Good Earth folks are friendly and informative.
They are cool people all around and I don't feel bad when I drop a wad
of cash there! About 90% of herbs and add ins I use come from this local
store.


#2. WELLINGTON FRAGRANCE COMPANY! 

I have been shopping with Wellington for 6 years and counting.
Before I began Curat..I used to own Al-Eryani Fragrances. I like
their customer service and the essential and aromatherapy products
they carry are really good. I also use their coconut oil from time to time.
This is not a store...they are strictly web-based and products are
shipped from their Michigan location. Good folks to do business with.
Plant oils come from friends in New Jersey. I haven't found a company who supplies the amounts I need at the right price. Great thing is...I have pals who deal with thee oils and they break down the drum for me.

On to my wacky ideas for great soap! 
I love to eat, I'm also a sous chef. I am also a member of the Fragrance Foundation. CFSS is my title
and I am trained as a fragrance sales specialist since 1999.

  I use my knowledge of food and scents to come up

with soap combinations that are unique and different.

It sounds crazy...but it works! My top soap to date is Cherry Bombastic. Black cherry, paprika, chili
powder yerba santa leaf and poppy seeds. This would make one great cookie!! Then there's the recent hit, SULTAN. This soap really utilized both of my skills. It contains a custom fragrance blend that I made myself, and great foody spices. It came together really well. The next soap I am excited over is one that combines lime, corriander and black cardamom!  Look for it soon.

The one main goal I have for the soap is not to be a duplicated item....or a remake on a soap I like.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I use soaps made by crafters that I absolutely wished I came up with. But hey, it's THEIRS! They took the time and effort to come up with a winner and I would be a complete jackass to rip it off and change the name. One fave of mine..and I mean FAVE, is the ginger soap by Flower Child, aka, Jackie at Good Earth. I love it and may she be blessed plenty because it's a top seller of hers. I took the ginger and built a soap around it. THE HERBALIST is MY take on ginger. It's different from Jackie's and people love it. Her soap INSPIRED my version of a ginger soap. There's a lot of copy cat soapers out there.
May God bless them, lol.

Many ideas come from the way I feel,and my personal life. My soap is also my personal barometer! 

My friends can tell when things are fun and happy because I'll premier 3 fruity soaps in a row. Or if I'm a bit discouraged, I'll fall back on floral scents that remind me of my grandmother. My soap is very personal to me.
I am just grateful that cool people love it!  When you buy a bar of Curat soap, it goes towards my family's livelihood, now how can that not be appreciated? Exactly. It SO IS!

A Tub Full O Bubbles!

Lot's of bubbles...yet so little time! Where have the days gone, when we used to lounge in the tub and soak our cares away?  A busy lifestyle means less of this pleasure. I say it's time to get back to the tub!

Take 30 minutes to run a nice bathtub full of water and  just relax. Doesn't this sound wonderful! Of course it does, and here's a few make-at-home soaks for you to enjoy. Let me know if you use them and what the results are. Did you ease tension, get rejuvinated, had some well deserved time to yourself? I want to know. And this summer, I am taking a long bath every Sunday afternoon. It's a promise to myself that I must keep!

                              Enjoy Your tub time!

Milk & Honey Moisture Bath

 To a warm bath add the following:
3 cups of warm milk (this can be cow's, goatsmilk or even soy!)
3 tablespoons of clover honey
3 drops of sweet almond oil

Relax & Release Bath
 To a warm bath add the following:
2 cups of Epsom's salts or mineral salts
4 drops of essential lime oil
3 drops of essential spearmint oil

Energizer Bunny Bath
 To a warm bath add the following:
1 cup of hydrogen peroxide
1 cup of sea salt (can sub with mineral salt)
1 cup of baking soda
4 drops of essential orange oil
2 drops of essential lemon oil

All recipes are by Misty Al-Eryani. You can experiment with your own creations, just be sure to have the proper dilutions when using essential oils. Essential oils and organic herbs can be purchased at you nearest specialty store. Here in Indy, I recommend Good Earth. Ask for Jackie, she is wonderful and can lead you in the right direction with using herbs and essential oils for your body!

It's .................................HANDMADE PROMENADE TIME!!!

Join 15+ local crafters on First Friday, May 6th for Handmade Promenade on the Avenue. 

We will be set up in the little green space directly next to the Dean Johnson Gallery. We will have handmade jewelry, soaps, clothing, art prints, book safes, pottery, housewares, hand-poured candles, and much more!


Friday, May 6 · 5:00pm - 9:00pm

On the green next to the Dean Johnson Gallery

646 Mass Ave

Indianapolis, Indiana

 

 

 

I Love Uniquely Packaged Items................I DO!

So I am currently in the process of ordering packaging for the new Curat Balm. So many choices, so many directions to go in, as far as images and fonts and such. I have finally decided to keep it very simple and clean, with white and black as the main color scheme. Hopefully you will agree and like what I have chosen to do, but the most important thing is product results right? Right! I can say that the balm...you will love!

On my packaging quest I really wanted to see what others were doing as far as balms are concerned, so I did what every red-blooded soaper would do, I Googled "balms" lol!  One evening while surfing the net, Google gave me an interesting lead off into the world of hair pomades. I guess since many were packaged in the same manner as body balms, the search Angels wanted to give me a look inside another realm of creativity.

Do you use a hair pomade? Have you ever? Well, I do. I have a faux-hawk and it needs to be stylishly "hawkish" everyday. So into my hair, I apply pomades and holding pastes from time to time. What I have found are some really cool pomade choices! I intend to purchase a few just for the packaging design alone. Here's the neatest ones I came across, and if you know of others, please add in your comments. Enjoy the Pomade Parade!

 

Devil's Deluxe

Levin's Pomade

Great Product Review & Ordering Details by Bobby Pin!

Billy Jealousy

Oribe 24kt Pomade

Morgan's Pomade

 Swagger Hair Pomade

JEALOUSY SQUARED.......

.....So, I signed up to Square (credit/debit payments on the go)...months ago before it was hip! When it came I was so ready to get rolling and accepting cards at events, but as I tried to plug the little square reader into my smartphone, I quickly found out my phone was a dumbphone. I have a G1 Android, and while it allowed for the Square app to connect, the reader couldn't. Yes, I know I can key in the card info, but I will be subject to extra fees so what's the point.

I have Square Envy! All my crafter friends have the app, the card reader in their phone and they are happy as honey bees with a ton of pollen. Crap! I love my Android phone, and really don't have the cash to fork out 300 bucks to upgrade, well, kinda sorta but you don't want me to go into a tirade about how the electronic sector of the world has chained us to technology and greedy communications providers making a ton of loot by selling a phone that costs 4 bucks to make for 400 bucks. And, they'll just come out with a newer model in 24 hours anyway! Yep, envious of my Square friends.

As for the service, i have used it with a friend's phone and it is wonderful. You punch in the total, swipe the client card, they sign on your touch screen and everyone is happy. Well, except ME.

I will go and get a phone it's silly not to, even though i absolutely love the G1.

Boo-Hoo