Spring is Almost Here, Get Out and Exercise your Olifactory System!

As the first Crocus unfurls its floral head above the ground and the clocks have marched forward, I am feeling that sense of excitement in the air. The primal urge in spring to release ourselves from our abodes, get some sun on our bodies, dig in the dirt and mingle with other people is something that can't be ignored. This need is especially urgent if you live in a climate that has long, dark winters.

One of the elements that excite us so much in spring are the scents all around us, from flowers, to the smell of dirt or the ozone smell of spring rain.  As I mentioned in a previous blog post, The Complexity of Our Sense of Smell, scents are linked to memory. When we go outside in the spring just smelling the air may bring us back to our childhood, remind us of a person, or a happy (or sad) memory. That is why we need to take the time to stop, and literally "smell the roses". People who loose their sense of smell have the potential to become depressed as Vidya Kamath, Ph.D states, "smell is an important way to engage with the world around us." Poor Sense of Smell Linked to Increased Risk of Depression in Older Adults

So, after the long winter let's get out and enjoy everything spring has to offer to us, and the added bonus is, it's for free!

As always I can be found on Etsy, and at  Promenade on 6 and Resurrection Furniture both in Carmel, NY.

Gina 💗

The first Crocus on my lawn!

 

Burgundy Rose Handmade Soap

Come visit me at a craft fair!

A New Year Brings New Projects!

After the Christmas rush is over and my busy market season ends, it is a good time to reflect on the year that was. January is always a good time to take stock of the year that has just past and make some plans for the year ahead. For me it is a time to evaluate my business, listen to the wonderful suggestions I get from my customers, see where I need to make changes and praise myself for the things that went well! A new year, a new creative start!

As I take a small break during these months I have time to think of new soap ideas, new markets to attend and maybe adding new products to my soap line. I have added a small inventory of body butters that will be available at  Promenade on 6 and Resurrection Furniture, both in Carmel, NY. I received some suggestions for shampoo and conditioner in a men's scent as well as some new soap scent suggestions.

I have always loved a challenge and love learning something new. I am one of those people who believe you should always be curious and seek knowledge all the days of your life. What better time to explore something new than at the beginning of a brand new year!

Find me at   Promenade on 6, Resurrection Furniture and on Etsy.

See you at the market in a few months!

Gina💗

Valentine's Day Box at Promenade on 6 

 

Valentine's Day Hearts!

Body Butters

All Natural Body Butter.

September, Garden Harvest and New Shave Soap!

As summer winds down and we can feel the change of seasons in the air, it always encourages me to stop and appreciate the beauty of nature all around us. Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I always get a feeling of inspiration, renewed energy, and anticipation whenever September rolls around. Maybe it harkens back to the days of my youth, the beginning of school and the promise of a new year-- who knows!

In a previous post I spoke about expanding our garden and adding a pollinator garden this year. We have had much success, despite the less than favorable weather conditions in NY. Our one problem was what we think was a fungus, which affected our cucumber plants. Our pollinator garden was a great addition which I believe brought a lot more insects to our garden; therefore the plants produced more fruit/vegetables because of all the pollinators. I encourage everyone to check out Pollinator Partnership and join their Bee Friendly Garden program. It was so inspirational to see all the beautiful colors of the plants, from deep to light greens, orange, red, yellow, deep purple, as well as all the interesting insects and the color they bring to the garden!

My husband suggested I make a shave soap for men! Always being one to accept a challenge, I did my research and got busy creating a new shave soap for my brand! First some history: in 1919 an MIT professor, Frank Shields, developed the first shave cream. During WWI shave creams became more widely available and started to become the preferred choice for men. They produce a lather more easily than soap, got rid of the need for a brush, and were easier to use for men "new to shaving."

However, modern shave creams usually contain chemicals that can be irritating to the skin and often times do not contain the nourishing vegetable fats, glycerin, and clay that shave soap contains. A lot of shave creams contain thiethanolamine, an organic compound with a chemical formula. It is a very alkaline substance that can cause skin irritation. Another ingredient in shave creams is SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), which is a detergent that can leave your skin dry, red, and itchy. 

In contrast, my shave soap is made of vegetable oils, flower oils, wheat and oat protein, vegetable glycerin, and kaolin clay. All of which are natural and beneficial for the skin. You can find these shave soaps at Promenade on 6 and I will be selling them at all the craft fairs I attend. 

My next craft fairs will be at;

Putnam Valley Grange, Putnam Valley NY- 10:00-1:00

Camp Herrlich, Patterson, NY- 10-00-3:00 

RMT Johnson School, Bethel, CT-10:00-3:00

Hope to see you at the fair!

Gina💗

The Video is of our Garden!

Beautiful tomatos from our garden!

 

Shave Soap for Men

 

Wonderful mural outside of Promenade on 6!

 

Can You Feel Fall in the Air?

After some very hot weather here in upstate NY we have been enjoying fall-like temperatures for the past few days. I know the heat will return but it is always so refreshing when the heat breaks and you get that first chill in the air! Around this time I start to think about doing fall craft fairs and fall soaps. 

Although summer is the time to get out there, have fun, and maybe do some traveling, fall is also a time when people take to the road, go on weekend getaways, and of course visit craft fairs. The weather is just warm enough to be outside, but there is that little chill in the air. Customers tend to buy soaps that have warm, cozy scents. I like to think that after all our summer wandering we always come back "home" and seek scents that are nostalgic and comforting. 

Some of my most popular fall soaps are Pumpkin Spice, Frosted Cranberry, Autumn, and Crisp and Candied. All of the scents I use in my soap comply with IFRA (International Fragrance Association) and are PHATHALATE FREE.

I will be at;

• The Putnam Valley Grange, Putnam Valley, NY- September 9th 10:00-1:00
• Camp Herrlich, Patterson, NY- October 14 (Tentative Date) 10:00-3:00 

Links to both markets are provided below. More markets to follow at different locations as the season progresses.

Putnam Valley Grange

Camp Herrlich 

Hope to see everyone at the market! 

Gina 💗

Inspiration for my Opium Soap!

Opium Honey Castile Handmade Soap

Pumpkin Spice Castile Handmade Soap

Me enjoying and getting inspiration from my garden!

 

Meandering Through Thoughts of a New Garden

Growing up in an apartment in Yonkers, NY, I never had a back yard. My back yard was the parking lot behind the building, but scattered all around in between streets, apartments, and houses, were little strips of green "wildness." I can remember playing with friends in the short-cut next to the apartment. We would chase each other and run through the "tall flowers," which I now know were weeds! There was time spent at the local "duck pond" or over friends' houses. Even though I grew up in a suburban area, nature was all around, and as a kid I loved it! 

My first adventure with gardening was on an apartment terrace my husband and I had when we were first married. The yield we would get from the window boxes was something to behold! Years later we bought a house and now I have a more traditional garden. This year we set out to expand our garden to include not only vegetables, but a plot of pollinator flowers in a meadow style. We figured we'd help our vegetable garden by planting flowers that attract bees and other pollinators. I believe it is so important that we try to get back to growing our own food and growing it naturally. I am so excited to see how it all works out! Stay tuned for pictures!

As I mentioned before, flowers and their beautiful fragrances are a big inspiration for creating my soaps. This spring I will be growing some verbena and lemon bee balm in my garden. I love the clean, crisp smell of lemon, which is one reason I love to use lemon fragrance in my soaps! All my soaps have a vegetable base or a honey base. I purchase my soap bases from SFIC. Read more about how SFIC got started back in the 1960's. SFIC Soap History

I encourage everyone to think outside of the box, be creative in making your own garden. You don't need a house or a big area to plant things you and your family love to eat. When you make your own garden YOU  have control of the soil, how you grow your plants--hopefully with no pesticides--and what you grow. Growing your own can be a very rewarding experience for everyone; maybe you can even share some of your bounty with friends and family! Gardening, as with making handmade soap, is all about putting things that are natural and healthier for you on and into your body. So go out there and get your hands dirty!

For further inspiration here is one of my favorite podcasts! A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach

Gina💗

 

                                     Beginning spring garden, some oregano and radishes
                                                                    

Echinacea started from seed indoors and transplanted to the garden.

 

Wild flowers growing in my front yard!

 

Paris Coral Bells that came with us from my terrace when we moved to the house!

How Failure and Mistakes Help Us Learn

When I started to learn about soap making, I did as much research as I could. I'm one of those people who approaches something wholeheartedly. I researched different kinds of soap making: cold process, melt and pour, where to buy the best products to make my soap, how to make designs in the soap, etc. However, as with most things in life, one needs a balance between book knowledge and actual hands-on learning. 

The first soaps I made looked nothing like what I thought they should.The soaps were perfectly usable, nothing wrong in that department, but the design that I thought was going to be there was sadly absent. It looked like I had just dropped color chunks into the soap! I also had to learn how much color was just enough-- pro tip: less is more! Although disappointing, the experience showed me that I needed to do a little more research and keep trying.

Failure and mistakes can teach us so much. It can be a motivating factor to help us figure out what went wrong, or sometimes it can even lead to new ideas. The bottom line is, we should not shun mistakes, because they can make us better and wiser if we learn from them. So embrace those mistakes and don't be afraid to make them! After all, no one is perfect; think of what a boring world it would be if we were! 

Visit my shop by clicking on this link BlogMemorialDay to get 10% off when you buy 3 soaps!

Gina 💗

Some of my very first soaps!

Another one of my first "designs".

Soap, Not So Sweet Smelling in Colonial America

In previous articles, I have written about just how ancient soap making really is. See my posts on Castile Soap: The Soap of the Ancients, Castile Soap; Oatmeal Soap: Long Before Your Parents Made You Eat It...; and Honey Soap: The Secret Ingredient in Your Honey. I was curious about how past generations made their soap, and at what point did soap become the familiar, fragrantly lovely bar we would recognize today. My research taught me some interesting things.

As I have stated before, I use the melt and pour method of soap making. I purchase my soap bases from SFIC, a very reputable soap company that has been in business for over 40 years. I melt them down, add fragrance, color (or not), and pour the soap into molds. This is different from those who make cold process soap; they actually mix the lye and all the other ingredients to make the soap base itself. This method is very similar to how it was done in the past, but with very distinct differences.

In Colonial times people (usually the women of the family) made soap for their household. A family would save their animal fat and wood ashes. The wood ashes were combined with water very slowly, and eventually this process would make lye. The lye was combined with the animal fat in a big iron pot outside, because the rendering smelled awful. The soap would have to be stirred constantly and was not always a success. This process would produce soft soap.

At the beginning of colonization in America, people believed that water spread disease, which in fact was true for many parts of Europe at the time. Poor sanitation practices were the norm, especially in larger cities. This misunderstanding of how disease from tainted water worked lead people to bathe less. It was the Civil War that made civilians finally see that bathing was healthy. It started to become more widely known that bathing and regular washing with soap and water kept army camps sanitary. 

Commercial soap as we recognize it in America today began with Proctor and Gamble in 1879. Ivory Soap, "the soap that floats," was one of the first scented soaps. There was a mistake made in the processing of the soap that made air bubbles get trapped inside the soap, which made it float. P&G used the "mistake" in their marketing campaign. 

Unfortunately, as the years went on, commercial soap became less and less like the homemade soap of old. Most of the commercial soap we use today contains synthetic materials that are considered detergents, as opposed to real soap which is made out of natural products. Some of the synthetic additives you should look for in your soap are:

• Parabens
• Sodium Laureth/Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
• Formaldehyde
• Phthalates

I encourage you to leave your comfort zone and try some handmade soaps! Local craft fairs, farmers markets, and local specialty shops are the best places to find these soaps. Find me on MercurialGirlbyGina@Etsy, @Promenade on 6, and at Resurrection Furniture in Carmel, NY.

 

Cutting up conditioner base.

 

Conditioner base poured.

Heating and stirring a conditioner base. You can see the vegetable oil.