Soaping...and sock making

Howdy do!

I hope that you are all doing well.  Here in the studio I am slowly whipping up Valentine goodies, mainly soap.  Soaping is one of my favorite products to make.  I think I talk alot about soap but truth be told it is just so much fun and addictive too.

So what is on the agenda for today?  These Cotton Candy Conversation Hearts are a Must Make every year.  Each set consists of 5 hearts, you can break them up and gift them individually or gift the entire set.

 Of course I love the Mustache and Lip Set.  I personally am a fan of men with mustache's.  My husband John has had once sine we met over 20 years ago.  What fragrance did I use?  Why Red Hot Cinnamon Candy for the lips and 50 Shades of Grey for the Stach's.  *grin*

 Behind the scenes I have been knitting..gasp!  Yes my friends I said Knitting!  I learned last year and have really REALLY wanted to knit socks.  It has been something on my Bucket List.  After much contemplating and hemming and hawwing..I decided to just dive right in!  Thankfully I have an amazing friend Karen who has helped me along the way and a fabulous sock tutorial.  I have even joined a FB group page just for sock making.  How fun it has been!  The ladies and gentleman have knit the most amazing socks.

 Aren't these circular needles tiny?  They really did feel like I was knitting with toothpicks.  Socking did not come easy to me...I frogged an entire 75+ rows as I got lost on the "gusset" part and just couldn't figure out what I was doing.  Thankfully Karen talked me off the ledge and gave me the encouragement that I needed to keep going.  Many and I mean many hours later TADA!!!

My very FIRST sock!  Oh happy dancing! To celebrate I gave myself a pedicure, I wanted my toes to be just perfect when I tried on my  new sock..and then just for fun had to give myself a manicure too.  Ohh the delight in finally finishing.

I learned alot about myself during this one sock journey.  There were real lessons to be learned..sounds silly but I learned:

1.  Deep breaths!  For  me, I usually just do things full force.. Breathe..in and out
2.  Things are not always perfect the first time.  I am somewhat of a "perfectionist"..okay truth be told I am a FULL force perfectionist.  My socks are nowhere near perfect, they have a few mistakes but I am dealing with it.  *grin*
3.  Continental Knitting is a fabulous match for this left handed person.  Once I learned how to hold the yarn in my left  hand instead of throwing the yarn with my right hand..the stitches worked up much faster.
4.  Working in the round is nothing to be afraid of.  Had to watch lots of knitting videos to understand the entire process.
5.  Starting over really is not that bad..gave me more time to process what I was doing.
6.  Knitting and talking do not mesh.  I like to talk talk talk..knitting has been more of a quiet activity for me.

Lastly...

..I also learned that Chocolate really does help.  *grin* I had an emergency packet of M & M's and was grateful for the sweet little treat.

You too can make your own socks.  Here.  Christine has a Fabulous and I mean FabULous tutorial and even published a book.

All of my soaps can be found online here or you can stop in at 511 Main St Suite # 1 in Alamosa, CO.

Talk to you soon!

Thinking ahead...

Hello hello!

As I sit here making plans for next year I can't help but think of 2015.  What a year!  It started off in a flurry of excitement as I had a large Bubble Bath order, then it was time to Organize!  It seems like that is a never ending journey.  As my business is growing so is the demand for more supplies which then increases the need for more space.  My studio is constantly evolving.  It is resembling more of a warehouse and work area than an extra room.  I have found what works and what doesn't.  It has been easier as the months have gone by to get rid of items that I no longer need/use.

The mold hoarding has increased!  I know..when will I ever have enough molds?  *grin*  It really is so much fun to create new soaps/product.  As we transition from season to season and holiday to holiday I have found my enormous mold collection to be quite useful.

As I look back on my blog posts from the year, I am sad to report that I have not been out riding my bicycle in what seems like forever.  I truly miss it and must make it a daily priority.  The weather is frigid but I bet if I bundled up, one lap perhaps two wouldn't be to difficult.

The holiday rush was intense this year but for the first time since I opened up shop I felt like I was prepared.  There is always room for improvement but I think I held my own.

I hope that you all had a lovely holiday.  Sometimes the holidays can bring out the blues.  This was the first year that I just relaxed and let the get together's fall into place.  In the past I have done quite a bit of hosting, baking and cooking.  While my family still had our Annual Cookie Day-we kept it small just our little family.  We all had a good time laughing and working together.  We did manage to burn a few batches of cookies, it was a bit of a flurry but in the end it all was OK.

Our Son Cristopher is such an amazing young man! So very sweet and funny, boy can he come make us giggle.  

 My husband John got into the spirit of baking..he was in charge of the actual baking, he is so methodical and timed each batch.  Thankfully he stepped in, we may have burnt all of the cookies.

 Cristopher mixed and mixed, luckily he is a strong lad, easy peasy for him.

 Our darling Celine is a doll!  And boy is she one smart cookie!  She adds a touch of sparkle to our life.

That leads me to the NEW YEAR and the direction that I want to take my business.

Today instead of whipping up product I am working on my Etsy shop. I have decided to switch up my Shop Sections to include the newest Men's Products. I am so excited as John has decided he would like to create his own product line.  He has been working like a busy bee the last few weeks researching, testing out recipes and whipping up his own products.

John has a total of 17 Men's Fragrances!  Can you imagine?  Pine, Sage, London for Men...just to name a few.  He is also experimenting with the addition of Apricot/Poppy Seeds as well as dried Sage.  What a neat texture combined with an awesome scent and fabulous soap.

 These awesome Gentleman Soap Sets are so cute!  Or should I say "Totally cool!"

 How about Soap on a Rope?   It is all so very exciting, I can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

What are your plans for the New Year?  Anything exciting happening? Before I forget, you can order all of the new products here.

Ta ta for now!

Holiday Mode

Good afternoon folks!

The holidays are among us!  Along with them comes the hustle and bustle.  I can definitely relate.  Holiday planning for me starts early, usually September.  Come October I am in full holiday mode..I always start by making my lists..what sold last year?  What new goodies do I want to add this year?  

I was so lucky this season, Joyce my friend covered my store front for me for a few days.  I can't begin to say how grateful I am!  I was able to whip up product, lots of it!  Between "THE" husband and myself we really kicked it into gear.  One weekend we poured soap for over 12 hours!

Here are a few of the NEW Gift Sets that we made:
The cute Gobble Gobble Glycerin Soaps were so fun to make and they smell just like Strawberry Rhubarb Pie...mmmm super yummy!

 After that it was on to the holiday Gift Sets.  These sweet Santa hats are fragranced with my Frosted Cranberry and the tree is fragranced with my Windsong Balsam Pine.  They are packaged with a nifty body puff.  I thought these would make a great stocking stuffer, small gift, office present or just a "spoil myself" kinda gift.

 We couldn't have the holidays without my popular Gingerbread Soaps, this year I made two different sets.  Some are fragranced with my Vanilla Gingerbread-it really smells sweet and just a tad like syrup while others are fragranced with my traditional Gingerbread.  Divine!

Then it was on to the Snowflakes!  These are really just so neat because each snowflake is fragranced separately.  The pink flakes are fragranced with my Cinnamon Candy while the blue flakes are fragranced with my Sparkling Snowflake and the green flakes are Pine Scented.  Imagine finding these sitting in your soap dish?  Too cute!

 Last but not least, are the Frosted Cranberry Glycerin Soaps.  I loved making an entire loaf.  Hadn't made soap like this in over a year.  Each layer is individually scented and poured.  The red circles were each made ahead of time then embedded into the soap.

All of my soaps can be found here or in my store front.  511 Main St. Suite # 1 Alamosa, CO.

I will be adding to my inventory, who knows what I will whip up next!  Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to you all.  May your days be filled with warmth, love and kindness.  

Getting Ready...

Hello hello!  I hope that each and every one of you that has taken time out of your schedule to read my blog are doing well.

The last few weeks  have flown by in a flurry of planning..planning for the upcoming Holidays that is.  I love making lists!  I really like writing down all of my thoughts, complete with details.  This helps me stay organized.

I am so excited that I can hardly stand it!  I will be hosting "Pamper Me Parties" here at the shop!  I have worked out the dates and am finalizing all of the smaller details.  I have been thinking of hosting such parties for a bit over 5 years.  The time is finally right to get them going.  What exactly will they be?  What are they?

The first Pamper Me Party that I am hosting is called "Pamper My Face Party".  I am in  a collaboration with Pam Williams a wonderful Certified Massage Therapist & Certified Yoga Teacher here in the San Luis Valley.  Together we will be creating a Lavender & Orange Clay Face Mask along with a fabulous Under Eye Oil.  We are super excited and have really put a lot of thought and effort into the planning and execution of these products. 

Pam has an awesome website as well as her own line of products.  Pam can be found here

Many do not know but I have my cosmetology license.  While I do not work in a salon I still offer free hair cuts to my children  and husband.  It recently dawned on me that I could use the information that I have learned as well as my training and skills to create a unique one of a kind event.

The first Party (Pamper My Face) will consist of a soothing Lavender & Orange Clay Face Mask, followed by an All Natural Strawberry Lip Scrub, All Natural Vanilla Lip Balm, then it will be on to the Soothing Under Eye Oil application and last but certainly not least my wonderful White Tea Face Cream.  Best of all, all of the products I will be creating or assist in the making of.  How awesome is that?

As we speak I am putting the sample kits together along with the regular size gift sets.  The sweet lip pods are just perfect for sampling, no need to make such a huge commitment.

I will have both Sampler Kits and Regular Sized Kits available soon.

My full sized White Tea Face Cream is on Etsy and can be found here

The Full Size Lip Scrubs can be found here at the shop-511 Main St Suite # 1, Alamosa CO  81101

Back to work I go, until next time.  Have  a super wonderful day!

P.S. If you would like more information regarding my Parties, please email me at:  LeeAnn.Cisnerso@yahoo.com

Crocheting...

Good morning!

Hello hello and welcome to my little niche in this world.  I have been feeling a bit emotional lately.  With the new school year starting and both of my kiddos in high school I can’t help but feel just a tad bit reflective and excited at the same time.

Back in May an honorary grandmother passed away.  Grandma Jeanette was such a sweet lady, she really made you feel special and like you were just the best at what you did.  While I was sad that she was gone I know that she has touched many a hearts and will live on in our memories.

The loss of a loved one can be life changing.  Back in 2009 we lost our beloved Grandma Rose, she was more of a spiritual leader for me.  Her passing left a huge gap in our family that has really never closed.  It was after her passing that I really began to question my actions, was I spending enough time with my family?  Did I show them how much I appreciate and love them?  At the time I was attending college and working a full time stressful position.  The loss of Grandma hit me like a ton of bricks.  I can honestly say that I am forever changed.  Slowly I began to see that I wasn’t happy, work was a huge stressor.  I thoroughly enjoyed working with the kiddos but I wasn’t happy within my work environment.  I was short and abrupt with my family as I was preparing for my college graduation and I constantly felt a sense of anxiety.  It was affecting me physically, the lack of sleep and exhaustion left me feeling drained.  I decided to just “Up and quit” my job as folks would say.  It was not an easy decision. However I am so glad that I had the courage to know when enough was enough.

With all of that being said when Grandma Jeanette passed away my heart hurt.  I knew that words could not really express how I was feeling as at times I struggle with getting the right words out at the right time. 

In thinking of Barbara and the loss of her mom I stumbled across this pattern. 

http://www.yarnspirations.com/patterns/shine-like-diamonds-shawl.html

A Neon bright light went on!  Wouldn’t it be neat to crochet a prayer shawl for her?  Somehow I could let her know just how loved she is as well as her mother and maybe just maybe this small gesture could help her.

 I had never crochet a Prayer Shawl but after researching, I was confident that I could do it.  I had the pattern printed and the perfect shade of purple yarn selected.  The stitches and pattern worked up quickly.  Creating more specifically crocheting is like therapy for my soul. I find that is soothes, enlightens but most importantly humbles me.

Yesterday Barb picked up her shawl, I am happy to say that she loved it!

If you would like to make this shawl, here is an awesome tutorial.

 http://thecrochetcrowd.com/diamonds-shawl/

Until next time, I hope that your days are bright and filled with warmth.  

Finished projects and NEW Products

It has been such a fun filled summer that I really do not know where to start.  Aside from all of the family gatherings and hustle and bustle of keeping up.  I have managed to finish a few projects.

I had an idea last year to make a wreath and fill it up with pompoms..not just any pompoms but squishy soft, bright yarny PomPoms!  I had ordered pompom makers for the shop and instantly fell in love with making them.  This colorful wreath adorns the front door to my shop.  I feel like it's LOUD, bubbly and just fun!  My sweet Celine helped make lots of the various pompoms and glued them all into place.  This along with many other projects had been started with much excitement but for some reason or other had been pushed to the side.  I find that having many projects started at one time works well for me.

Whatcha think? Bright huh?  It really does make me so very happy.

As many of you know, I have a Bi-Weekly Craft A Long.  These ladies are truly amazing and are each so unique and talented.  I had started a Stitch A Long on July 1st.  The ladies that have decided to join have committed to either crocheting/knitting a summer bag.  I found a few links to patterns and had shared them with the ladies.  One of our gals whipped up this awesome bag.  It looks just like a swimsuit!  Too cute! And the back pocket, why that just puts it over the edge in cuteness.  

I am always thinking/buying new molds.  I really thought these Tractor Soaps would make the sweetest Summer Gift.  What a nice surprise to find these sitting in your soap dish.  They are fragranced with one of my most popular fragrances Lemongrass Verbena..lip pucker delish!  The tractor soaps can be found here

psss..these adorable Smilies have not made their way into the shop but soon my friends that will be here.

I hope that your Summer has been Sensational!  Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time..

Lotion Bars

Howdy!

How's it going?  I have been tossing the idea of writing a new blog post for a few days..thinking of what I wanted to say..how I wanted to share what's going on in my little world.

Most days fly by in such a flurry but I have found that I am trying to taking more time for myself.  Every afternoon while I am here at the shop, I pause for a moment and just get up and walk around.  It helps to clear my head and gives me time to knit/crochet. 

Where was I?  Oh yes, back to lotion bars.  This March I received an email from the editor of the Handmade Magazine asking if I would allow them to feature my lotion bar in their magazine.  I remember it clearly as it was a Monday and I was working in my Craft studio.  When I received the email it took me a moment to let it all soak in.  I was so shocked. The very fist thing I did was put my head in my arms and cry...tears of happiness and just utter disbelief.  It felt so surreal, even though to some it was and is such a small thing but to me this is HUGE!  Like climbing a very steep hill and reaching the top of one peak.  I am humbled and honored.  Of course the very next thing I did was call my mom and my hubby.  My mom cried with me while the hubster who is my biggest fan and supporter did a fist pump.  Gotta love these sweet folks!

 

The lotion bars are so very near and dear to my heart.  Years ago we took my mom to see Alan Jackson, her ultimate favorite artist.  She has quite the crush on him.  Anyhow we made the trek to Cheyanne Wyoming to see him.  While we were waiting to see Alan we wondered around the festival that the town was having.  We came across a nice lady that was selling lotion bars.  I loved the idea of a portable lotion that was thick and rich.  Hers were square and wrapped in wax paper. I loved the idea that so much that I came home and started researching.  What exactly is a lotion bar?  Is it only for hands/feet?  Which oils were the best?  What kind of butters would I use?  I must say it was a process. My first bars were created with cocoa butter, however I wasn't a huge fan of the cocoa butter smell.  While it was a hard bar I didn't feel like it was easy to melt with your hands.  The second butter that I tried was Mango Butter...another lovely butter but still not exactly what I was looking for.  These are my what my first lotion bars looked like.

 

I was wrapping them with plastic wrap and had just started listing my products on Etsy.  I had sent lotion bars to numerous friends and family and waited on pins and needles for their feedback.  Most liked the bars but didn't know how to store them.  After they were unwrapped, where could they put them away from dust, little ones or pets?  Hmmm  it was back to the drawing board. Small tins came to mind.  I ordered a few rectangle tins and found that they held the lotion bars perfectly.  I soon discovered while the rectangle tins were nice, I wanted something smaller.  I stumbled upon the round tins and thought..WOOHOOO!  They not only held the lotions bars perfectly but could easily be placed in a purse, briefcase, dresser drawer, or pocket.  My lotion bars are the biggest sellers in both my store front and online.  Nowadays, folks can choose their favorite fragrance.  My list of available fragrances has grown to over 140 different yummy smells.  Scents can be combined to create the most unique smells out there while nourishing and hydrating your skin. 

 

 

 

And if that didn't just make my heart sore, I was honored to be included in the June Issue of the Handmade Magazine.  They featured more of my wonderful lotion bars!

I am happy to say that while I am busier than I have ever been, life is beyond wonderful!  Thank you to my wonderful customers, friends and family, your constant encouragement and support is invaluable!

Until next time...