UrbanSoapChick http://blog.urbansoapchick.com The Chronicles of Soapmaking Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:38:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Giving Soap Donations to Haiti http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2010/01/19/giving-soap-donations-to-haiti/ http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2010/01/19/giving-soap-donations-to-haiti/#comments Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:08:26 +0000 CeCe http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/?p=120 We were able to gather 10 lbs of soap to send to “Clean the World”. Very happy about that!

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Dear soap maker,

A 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides much-needed soap to the third world, “Clean the World,” has asked me to mobilize the handmade soap community. The need for soap in Haiti is great.

Without hand washing, the [...]]]> We were able to gather 10 lbs of soap to send to “Clean the World”. Very happy about that!

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Dear soap maker,

A 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides much-needed soap to the third world, “Clean the World,” has asked me to mobilize the handmade soap community. The need for soap in Haiti is great.

Without hand washing, the broken sewers, plumbing, and toilets in Haiti will lead to diarrhea-related bacterial infections, which sadly effect children the most and lead to 5 million deaths annually. You can help!

Send your cold process, hot process, or melt-and-pour soap to:

Update New Address:

Clean The World
Attn. Steve Cooper
4625 Old Winter Garden Rd. #B7
Orlando, Florida 32811

Clean the World
c/o Threads of Compassion
4625 Old Winter Garden Rd, Unit B7
Orlando, FL 32811

The soaps do not need to be labeled in any kind of way (ingredients, type of soap, etc.). Please include a brief note with your contact information explaining that you’ve donated handmade soap and whether you’d like a receipt for your taxes.

Our contact at Clean the World is co-founder and managing director Paul Till. He can be contacted at info@cleantheworld.org (although he is very swamped at the moment!)

PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO OTHER SOAP MAKERS! Thank you.

For more information (including a “Donate Soap to Haiti/Clean the World” image and HTML code for your website), please Click Here.

For the Clean the World Much-Needed Soap Donations for Haiti Press Release Click Here.

To read the HSMG Partners with Clean the World Announcement Click Here.

To go directly to Clean Your World website Click Here.

Thank you Kayla Fiorvanti for passing the word onto me!

]]> http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2010/01/19/giving-soap-donations-to-haiti/feed/ 3 Happy New Year! http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2010/01/06/happy-new-year/ http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2010/01/06/happy-new-year/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:44:43 +0000 CeCe http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/?p=108 I was already very excited for 2010 to arrive back in November. I just felt so positive about the new year and the new decade. 6 days into the new year and the excitement still buzzes very high. I had let go of energies that did not sustain me towards the last half of 2009 [...]]]> I was already very excited for 2010 to arrive back in November. I just felt so positive about the new year and the new decade. 6 days into the new year and the excitement still buzzes very high. I had let go of energies that did not sustain me towards the last half of 2009 and laid down a new foundation that I know will grow and thrive in 2010. There’s plenty of forward movement.

A few things that I want to materialize this year:

1. Do more with international microlending with Kiva, create a program where a percentage of my soap sales will go towards supporting a woman owned business abroad. I will soon be creating a page in this blog to talk more about this project.

2. Make more soap! Take more soapmaking classes. Yes, soap to give away and soap to sell! Learn how to make my own bath & body products.

3. For work, taking my graphic design skills to the next level. I’ve been just milling around in this side of the world and it’s time for me to take it up a couple of notches.

4. Hike, bike, hike, bike. I want to spend more time outdoors this year hiking, biking and meditating outdoors to feed my spirit.

5. Continue to deepen my spiritual practice through Reiki and where ever this road takes me this year.

6. Read more, more books! more blogs! Soapmaking books! Graphic design books!

7. Take lots of photos this year! I want to get back into photography. Soapmaking has took up a majority of my time but I need to squeeze in an hour or two of photography a week back into my life.

What an exciting year of expansion and abundance for all!!! I look forward to experiencing this with those in my life and with the rest of the world.

Happy New Year!!!

]]> http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2010/01/06/happy-new-year/feed/ 1 FDA Consumer Update (12/18) http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/12/23/fda-consumer-update/ http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/12/23/fda-consumer-update/#comments Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:20:47 +0000 CeCe http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/?p=105 FDA urges consumers to be on guard against fraudulent products claiming to treat, prevent, or cure a wide variety of medical conditions, including the H1N1 flu virus. In this Consumer Update video…….(read more on youtube).

]]> FDA urges consumers to be on guard against fraudulent products claiming to treat, prevent, or cure a wide variety of medical conditions, including the H1N1 flu virus. In this Consumer Update video…….(read more on youtube).

]]> http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/12/23/fda-consumer-update/feed/ 2 Talented artisans from Distant Village http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/12/22/talented-artisans-from-distant-village/ http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/12/22/talented-artisans-from-distant-village/#comments Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:43:12 +0000 CeCe http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/?p=95 Beautiful, eco-friendly, handcrafted packaging! I am very excited to have discovered handmade packaging using sustainable materials by Distant Village. I found them while I was perusing the Nashville Wraps website. They support talented artisans that handcraft gorgeous packaging from gift boxes, organzas, bags, cards to ribbons and more. What I love about this is the [...]]]> Beautiful, eco-friendly, handcrafted packaging! I am very excited to have discovered handmade packaging using sustainable materials by Distant Village. I found them while I was perusing the Nashville Wraps website. They support talented artisans that handcraft gorgeous packaging from gift boxes, organzas, bags, cards to ribbons and more. What I love about this is the program searches far for talented artisans in developing communities to remote villages in countries like Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Ecuador, Indonesia & The Philippines. They empower artisans by creating stable and safe jobs thus helping support their families. And sensitive to our earth, they use sustainable natural materials and reclaimed waste. I am very happy to support Distant Village!!! I recently bought some of the Sinamay Organza bags made in the Philippines to package my soap in. Looking forward to getting them from Nashville Wraps.

]]> http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/12/22/talented-artisans-from-distant-village/feed/ 0 My very first soap sale! http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/12/14/my-very-first-soap-sale/ http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/12/14/my-very-first-soap-sale/#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:59:54 +0000 CeCe http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/?p=93 I brought about 5 lbs of soap with me to Portland, most of which I was planning on giving away as little Christmas gifts. I had given away 90% of the bars and surprisingly I sold the last 11 bars to some friends this past weekend. My very first sale was to Lonnie & Gretchen, [...]]]> I brought about 5 lbs of soap with me to Portland, most of which I was planning on giving away as little Christmas gifts. I had given away 90% of the bars and surprisingly I sold the last 11 bars to some friends this past weekend. My very first sale was to Lonnie & Gretchen, who bought 5 bars from me, then Kool Mel D, bought 2 bars and John & Amanda, bought 4 bars. I was completely not prepared so I sold it to them without packaging. But hey that just means they get a better deal. :-) Thank you dear friends for your support!!! XoXo

Selling my first bars of soap almost makes me feel like a kid again. So happy, giggly and makes me want to jump up & down in excitement. I haven’t sold anything in years (I used to sell software through eBay back in college)….and I certainly have never sold anything that I made. I’ve never made anything that can be sold until I learned how to make soap. It’s empowering. It’s just so much fun. So after I come back from Portland, it’s time to sit down and come up with my 2010 plan for soap. I am planning to sell through Etsy and Artfire.

Thanks to all my Portland friends for their support and I truly hope you enjoy the soap! Send me any feedback!!!! :-)

]]> http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/12/14/my-very-first-soap-sale/feed/ 2 Touchdown PDX! http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/12/02/touchdown-pdx/ http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/12/02/touchdown-pdx/#comments Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:48:21 +0000 CeCe http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/12/02/touchdown-pdx/ Brrrrrrrr…..I am in Portland, affectionately called PDX, it’s airport code, for the next two weeks to see friends and to work at our campus. I’m wondering if my San Diego thin skin can handle the cold. It’s 45 degrees right now and hopefully it doesn’t get colder than that. I am a big baby now [...]]]> Brrrrrrrr…..I am in Portland, affectionately called PDX, it’s airport code, for the next two weeks to see friends and to work at our campus. I’m wondering if my San Diego thin skin can handle the cold. It’s 45 degrees right now and hopefully it doesn’t get colder than that. I am a big baby now when it comes to the cold. We’ll see! But I do consider this my hometown so I am happy to be ‘home’ for a couple of weeks! Yaaaaay!

]]> http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/12/02/touchdown-pdx/feed/ 0 Soap Lingo – Saponification http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/11/28/soap-lingo-saponification/ http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/11/28/soap-lingo-saponification/#comments Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:44:35 +0000 CeCe http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/?p=86 What in the world is ’saponification’? It’s a chemical reaction. You’ve probably heard me use this word a few times in my blog now. Well saponification is where the magic of soapmaking happens. It’s the moment when an acid like the vegetable oils or fats and a base or alkali like sodium hydroxide/lye perfectly bond [...]]]> What in the world is ’saponification’? It’s a chemical reaction. You’ve probably heard me use this word a few times in my blog now. Well saponification is where the magic of soapmaking happens. It’s the moment when an acid like the vegetable oils or fats and a base or alkali like sodium hydroxide/lye perfectly bond and blend together to create ’soap’.

]]> http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/11/28/soap-lingo-saponification/feed/ 1 Gratitude http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/11/27/gratitude/ http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/11/27/gratitude/#comments Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:52:48 +0000 CeCe http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/11/27/gratitude/ This Thanksgiving I had a lot to be thankful for. 2009 has been a year of major transformations. I’ve cleared away a life that no longer sustained me, energies that no longer fed my spirit or fueled my happiness, and laid down a new foundation for a more authentic & abundant life.

I am so grateful [...]]]>
This Thanksgiving I had a lot to be thankful for. 2009 has been a year of major transformations. I’ve cleared away a life that no longer sustained me, energies that no longer fed my spirit or fueled my happiness, and laid down a new foundation for a more authentic & abundant life.

I am so grateful for all the challenges the universe threw my way this year. It was necessary in order for me to have true forward movement. I finally feel like I’m coming into my own unique self. The motion has been set and the flow is at full speed. But slow & easy is ideal! I embrace it. I am very thankful for this new flow of energy. For once in my life I can feel real gratitude. It feels awesome.

Today I’m sitting at a park in wonderful quaint Ojai, a spiritual & artistic community hidden up in the Los Padres national forest. A return to all things nature is what we needed this weekend. It’s lovely here and the slow pace suits me. I loved Meditation mt, how it is surrounded by many trees, orange groves & mountains. I love riding our bikes around town discovering little parks, an outdoor bookstore, cafes, lemon groves, well thought out architecture, and wide open spaces. Slow pace is nice indeed. I can definitely see myself living here. One day. :)

]]> http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/11/27/gratitude/feed/ 2 First packaged bundle of joy for Christmas http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/11/24/first-packaged-bundle-of-joy-for-christmas/ http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/11/24/first-packaged-bundle-of-joy-for-christmas/#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:59:37 +0000 CeCe http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/?p=64 Bundle of Joy

I received all my packaging yesterday for the Christmas soap gifts- I bought two different kinds – one is a small silver box with clear cover and the other is a small wooden crate.

I’m trying the silver boxes out with raffia as the main tie. Looks pretty good. Will get some ribbons [...]]]> Bundle of Joy

Bundle of Joy

I received all my packaging yesterday for the Christmas soap gifts- I bought two different kinds – one is a small silver box with clear cover and the other is a small wooden crate.

I’m trying the silver boxes out with raffia as the main tie. Looks pretty good. Will get some ribbons to see how they look with that. The little soap gifts are coming along. I’ll be busy later this week with packaging.

How do other soapmakers package their creations? I’d love to see pictures. Post your link to the comments section.

]]> http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/11/24/first-packaged-bundle-of-joy-for-christmas/feed/ 3 Soap Lingo – Cold Process (CP) http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/11/21/soap-lingo-cold-process-cp/ http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/2009/11/21/soap-lingo-cold-process-cp/#comments Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:08:36 +0000 CeCe http://blog.urbansoapchick.com/?p=59 Wondering what Cold Process (CP) soapmaking means? It’s basically a soap making technique that requires no additional heat after the mixed oils & lye have achieved saponification. Soap made this way takes 4-6 weeks to cure, or age. During the curing (aging process) the soap fully saponifies during the first few weeks and in the [...]]]> Wondering what Cold Process (CP) soapmaking means? It’s basically a soap making technique that requires no additional heat after the mixed oils & lye have achieved saponification. Soap made this way takes 4-6 weeks to cure, or age. During the curing (aging process) the soap fully saponifies during the first few weeks and in the final weeks the water evaporates leaving a nice hard bar of soap. Cold process is my favorite method of making soap.

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