I'm a bad, baaaaad blogger!

It has been a while! Sheesh, I guess this will be the update post! School is going well! It was on my bucket list to learn how to throw pottery on a wheel so I took a ceramics class this semester. What fun! I still don't like getting my hands dirty, but I have really come a long way in my class. I started out making some really laughable stuff, but as I continued to evolve I have created some pieces I am really proud of! Needless to say I am taking it next semester too! :) I used to be so afraid to try new things, now I embrace it.

Isn't it odd how we change? I remember being terrified to try new things and talk to new people! I would always order the same food when I went to restaurants (same ones all the time! LOL), talked to the same few people, etc. It is enlightening to open yourself to change. When I stopped being afraid and started taking chances, my life started taking me to places I never dreamed I could be! My cousin dying at age 24 really was the catalyst for my newfound freedom. He was an awesome guitar player and had a great head on his shoulders. He was working to take care of his family after his mom's death. His determination and spirit were inspirational and I just knew in my heart he would go places. Then, he died in a tragic accident. It seemed like all of that spirit and all of that talent were never able to reach their potential. There were so many things and people he would never get to experience! Now, I live every day like it is my last and jump at the chance to meet new people and try new things! Try to become inspired, then become an inspiration.

Be Still My Bleeding Heart Soap.....

Isn't it pretty? It was my botched batch turned success and I am so proud of it! Haven't been soaping much lately with going back to school. I've recently become a fan of altered art and just ordered some beautiful things from Artchix to try my hand at it. I can't wait for my order to arrive! Altered art is something that Ash and I can do together. I think she is destined to be creative. I just got her a book on ATC's and she said she wanted to try those too. We have yards of fabric to make into different things as well--that darn working gets in the way of my fun! LOL I just finished some Renoir marble tiles and I want to work on the Monet ones and alter them but not sure how yet. That will give me something to think about, at least, while I am wasting quality "creating" time at work. heehee :)

New Etsy shop is almost done!! I am so happy with the way it is coming along....I have a few more products to add and a few more pics to edit but it is coming along quite nicely! :) I am very happy with it. Take a peek!

Ohio Soaper's Gathering 2008

What a great time! I had so much fun. I got there early this year (mark that one down on the calendar LOL), got my shop on, got to see some great demos, eat awesome food, I won some really nice prizes and the best part of all--I got to spend the whole day with my oldest daughter. We never get to do that anymore with work, school and extracurricular activities. It was so fun to laugh together and just "be" together. She is an amazing person that I wish I could spend much more time with.

Okay, the demos! I got to see the most interesting demos on HP/Liquid soap. I really learned alot and glad I was there for that one! I watched a bubble bar demo, and although I have never made them I think I am going to try. Barb made it look too easy! :o) Joanne is a gem and her mica swirled CP demo was superb! I was really intrigued by her salad shooting demo and I have 8 lbs of cocoa butter in my workshop that are a thrift store's visit away from being chopped up! LOL Ruth's lotion demo left me inspired. The things she mentioned adding I am embarassed to say I have never considered....but I am now! I need to get some more things to experiment with. The Southern Garden rep who did the hair conditioner demo--a lady in every sense of the word! She was so sweet! Her demo was very informative....I may have to buy some stuff to try her recipe. Which leads me to......

Shopping!! I pre-ordered most of my stuff so people didn't see me with the usual armloads of loot this time. But I still got my shop on!! I got assorted fragrances from Backwoods as well as Scent Shack (got some pretty nice essential oils from Scent Shack too!) and Southern Garden. I also got Dead Sea Mud, Monoi de Tahiti, mica & red oxide for soaping, Pink Himalayan salts (supposedly the purest salt in the world), Babassu Oil as well as my staple soaping oils, a Cream Soapmaking book, and the jewel in my crown.....some Australian BLACK clay to play with! Woot! I don't know what I want to soap it with first! LOL

The prizes were awesome! The vendors were so generous this year. I need to make sure I take the time to sit and write a nice thank you note for the bag of goodies I got from Natures Garden. My daughter won fragrances from The Candlemaker's Store, two packages of various fragrances! The goody bags were very well stocked this year and again I want to stress how generous it was for the various vendors to donate such wonderful items.

The food! Yum! I have never had Bruegger's Bagels food before but I will be back for more! I had the Supreme Club on the Asiago Softwich. I don't think I have ever had a better sandwich. Poor Ash didn't realize her Leonardo di Veggie sandwich had cream cheese on it (which she is not a fan of) so I split half of my sandwich with her. With the chips and the cookie provided, I was still stuffed after only half of a sandwich!

The friendships are the best. I got to meet a lady from one of my candlemaking forums and she was as fun in person as she is online! I got to see other soaping friends and made a few new ones. It was really a great time and I think I look forward to seeing everyone the most. As a mom of two kids with different health issues...I don't get out very much. I loved getting out and catching up with everyone, including my oldest daughter. Yesterday reminded me she is still one of my greatest friends.

I will attach my slideshow in the links section, I can't seem to get it to upload here. I am already looking forward to 2009's gathering! :o)

Ugggggh.....sick!

Ive been sick for days now and it is hard to even lift my fingers to type! I was going to make liquid soap for the first time on Friday. I was too sick to even consider it. I even cancelled my hair appointment Thursday--you KNOW I'm ill if I can't get my curls! I am supposed to work tonight and don't know how I am going to manage it. I haven't felt this badly since I had pneumonia some years ago. I think I am going to have to break down and go see the doc because I am not improving any. On a positive note, I finally got a Flickr account so I could add photos to my new Ravelry projects! Yay me! I'll post pics of my liquid soap when I finally do get to make it. With a 3.5 hour cook time, that won't be any time soon!! :o(

Wow, it's been a while!

Busy, busy! I've been working on some bath cupcakes as well as other goodies. I am preparing the lye water tonight for my next batch of soap. It will be an essential oil blend with rose clay swirl and silk. I can't wait to see how it turns out! I will be ordering my new soap mold soon and will be able to do lots of pretty swirlies! Yay! My swirls now....well, let's say they're not so great! LOL I can't believe the weekend is already over and I will be back to work in less than 12 hrs. Where does the time go? I keep asking myself that as I watch my babies grow bigger! Peace.

Happy Birthday to me!!!

Well, today I am another year older! I had taken 4 days off of work as a sort of mini-vacation and did get a few things accomplished in that time. I was able to make my Caramel Latte HP soap. It turned out very nicely! Once cut, I stamped it with some bronze mica and a coffee mug stamp. I also made a big batch of bath bombs although that was a disaster in the making! (the workshop was soooo cold my ingredients were freezing!!) Today I made lotion from scratch! It was alot of fun, besides the many precautions you have to take so you don't end up with little beasties growing in your lotion.

We did the broke-ass restaurant crawl today for my birthday, and it was fun!! We gathered up all the gift cards from Christmases past and made a dinner of it. Hubby had Longhorn, kids had Applebee's and I had Macaroni Grill! It was yummah! (and I want to give a huuuuge recommendation for Macaroni Grill! I got 3 days worth of food for less than $20!) That's all for now....I got so used to getting up whenever I want! Six a.m. is going to roll around rather quickly! LOL g'nite all!