I sold my first soap today! Yay! - Long

[Dinos_rock]

MBLayfield, those are beautiful!

 

[okiechick57]

OH my , MB , You should sell your jewelry I love # 4 and #5 they are beautiful..........

 

[Southern28Chick]

What kind of soap do you make? What size bars? If you're making soap from scratch $3.00 is kinda low. I started out at $3.50 a bar.

soapmakingforum.com is a good place to go to talk to other soap makers. I'm on there, my username is SouthernEssence.

 

[MBLayfield]

Thanks guys! I appreciate your comments! I do sell some okie, but not a ton. My studio is crammed with glass rods it would be nice to need to restock LOL I had a website and I had NO traffic so I shut it down. Now a year later I'm setting one up again

I'm trying to set one up for our farm, but i'm now rethinking my ideas after the soap thing today.

 

[MBLayfield]

Hey Southern! Thats cool that you make soap too! I was so shocked that I even sold any that I didn't know what to say about a price. I don't normally sell my soap, I just make a batch, use some and give some to my grandma and whoever else will take some. Actually I have more soap than I'll ever need so selling some today is nice.

I make only milk soap. I use the milk from our jerseys (we have two) and from my goats. I don't do use any colors or scents. I like my soap all natural. I found a great process for the milk soap that keeps the bars white, so I just stick with that method. I use MMS soap calculator for my recipes. I just made a batch of calendula. I superfatted it with calendula oil and added calendula flowers at trace. So far it is BEAUTIFUL soap. I can't wait to try it!

I don't belong to a forum for soap. I've lurked around a few tho.

I just can't find the time for the forums. I have too many animals to care for, too many hobbies, and I work, so I don't have alot of time. I'll check it out tho. It may just become my second fav. forum LOL

 

[Southern28Chick]

Quote:
I guess I have to much time for forums. There isn't to much action on the soapmaking forum, not like here. I make cold process soap, some with goat milk. In fact I'm getting a couple of goats after tax time to extend my goat milk soap line. I carry 18 different soaps, most scented but some are not. I don't use any artificial coloring. If it's colored then it has honey or cinnamon or clay or herbs in it.

LOL I'm on BYC most of the time. I do have 32 individual animals (24 are chickens LOL) but my soap making is my job so I'm always in my soap shed or in my office.
Edited to add: I love those beads by the way. I was at a craft show last weekend and there was a guy selling those and he made a KILLING!!!! You should look into shows if you don't already do them. You could sell your soaps too.

 

[MBLayfield]

I wish I had your time. I took two years off to take care of my dad before he passed. Every day I would say to myself that I wished I was going to work. That was before I liked living here. Now that I work full time again, I always wish I had more time at home LOL

I know how it is to spend all your time making something. There are weekends I spend 15 hours straight on my torch playing with glass.

I don't know how many recipes I have, I know I have a ton but I don't make but a batch or two here or there. Tonight tho I am dusting off my forms and making a couple batches probably.

My husband raises black angus (we have 20 head), we also have 5 horses. I raise pedigreed lionheads, silkies, showgirls, frizzles, and a ton others. Last count I had 150 chickens. I sell eggs for eating all over and hatching eggs locally. I don't do the eggbid thing, selling I mean. I recently started raising quail and other game birds. I also have ducks and I just love them! I'm up to eight now, and I think that's my limit. I have BEI, Khaki Campbell and Silkie ducks.

I'll check out the forum you mentioned. Might be a good learning place!

 

[Southern28Chick]

Whoa!!! You do have a lot on your hands. Working full time too! I don't know how you do it, I doubt I could. I think glass stuff (I don't know what it's really called) is very cool. I don't think I could do it though. I dabble in wood burning. That's really fun.
Here's one I've been working on forever. I could finish it in about 30 mintues but I can't find the time.

Here's one I did of my baby roo that was killed:

The picture I copied from:

I do a bit of candle making too. Handrolled beeswax and hand dipped "grubby" candles.

I've noticed that a lot of people that are in touch with nature and animals do a lot of "crafts" and things with their hands. That's pretty interesting.

 

[MBLayfield]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THE WOODBURNING! So rustic looking

You have to be an artist to copy a chicken onto wood!

Sometimes I don't know where I get the time for anything either! LOL I just find the time I guess. I don't do as much glass as I would like due to time & money. See I use my glass money to fund the stuff to do it. Same way with the chickens, goats, cows, etc. Except for some reason, hubby all of a sudden expects the egg money to go into the "jar" for us to spend "together" LOL. I'm dragging my feet at that one

Maybe we could do a trade? You can make me a sign and I'll send you some glass. I also slump glass into cheese trays, bowls, etc! I find old glass in a barn or old fallen down cabin and melt it into other things. Sometimes I buy stained glass sheets and do the same thing.

Very interesting observation regarding animals and crafts. I think there might be something to it!

 

[MBLayfield]

I also LOVE the candles! Where do you find beeswax to make those? Do you have bees too?

I have a friend who raises bees and have thought about asking him for some in trade (he always needs soap) but I don't know how much care is involved.