This is Halloween!!

The big Halloween sale has begun!! Take 30% off your purchase in my soap shop, SweetsNThings with coupon code SPOOKY. The Halloween special edition soaps are up, and there will also be a couple of new creams in the shop tomorrow too! Have a Happy Halloween, blessings to all!

Sweets N Things Shop Updates and News 10/18/11

First, I regretfully will be discontinuing the silk shampoos (Strawberry Silk and Blackberry Silk), as my allergy to the silk protein has become too severe for me to continue using it as an ingredient. I will be restocking these scents, but without the silk.
Halloween, and a few other holidays are rapidly approaching, and I will be bringing a few special, limited edition soaps and fragrances into the shop to celebrate! I just listed the first fragrance oil, and matching body cream, Samhain, and there is also a soap curing as well! Here's the full list of the Halloween scents:

Samhain: Dark amber blended with vanilla and sandalwood, on a base of dark spices, incense, and a roaring bonfire in the distance.
Headless Horseman: a masculine blend of leather and woods, with a bit of dust from the road and demonic pursuit.
Hayride Cocoa: a fall hayride is nothing without a hot cup of cocoa! Rich chocolate, a bit of molten marshmallow, and a touch of coffee, for the grownups.
Candy Apple: Tart green apple, with a coat of buttery caramel, and a bit of spice and chocolate drizzle.

The full release will be on Friday, October 28th, in conjunction with my Halloween sale weekend. I will also continue to stock the pumpkin and pumpkin lavender soaps through the holidays, and perhaps even into spring, I'm really liking the way they make my house smell!

And in the works, scents for the winter. My winter holiday soaps will mostly be molded in rounds, and made available in gift packs. Already in the shop, Red Peppermint and Green Spearmint soap, and to follow after Halloween:

Three Kings: Frankincense and myrrh, with gold swirls set in a dark night. 100% natural, with activated charcoal, this soap is beautiful, but also a wonderful detox facial and body soap.
Brown Sugar and Fig: Ripe figs baked with brown sugar, a perfect fig tart with some vanilla and spice.
Bayberry Spice: Inspired by a memory from my own childhood, a bayberry candle in the form of Christmas carolers my mom carefully unwrapped each December, for nearly 30 years! A classic holiday scent, with plenty of cheery spice.
Cranberry Christmas: A tart cranberry scent blended with a bit of fir, a nostalgic memory of stringing fresh berries for garland on the tree.

I'm really excited about all the holidays this year, our witch costumes are ready (my little one is a green wizard, so cute!), and there's also a flurry of knitting with the cold as a great inspiration to keep the needles & hooks moving! I hope for a happy holidays for all of you, and much goodness in the new year.

Halloween Entertainment!

As a full time crafter, I watch a lot of Netflix. The knitting and soap making you know. I just participated in the Practical Magic Blog Party, and that movie continues to be a part of my fall feast of mystical movies. I have a few favorites that also make their way to the top of the queue this time of year, I'd love to share!

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I'm not a giant fan of the movie, although I love Donald Sutherland. He's one of secret crushes, but not sexy enough in that one to do it for me. I prefer the bang fest that is the TV series. I am solidly on Team Spike, and many of the episodes in season 6 and 7 make me cry like a little girl, he's just so awesome.


2. Let Me In
I've watched both versions of this one, English & Swedish, and I just like ours better - I have to admit, I think the children are just cuter and creepier in the English version. I'm still torn up over this one, Abby is definitely evil, but perhaps not the worst best friend to have for life.


3. Silence of the Lambs
Not really for Halloween, but it's the time of year for ghastly things. After reading the books, and seeing the movies, I have to admit, Hannibal is kind of my hero. To ruthlessly be able to destroy and consume what offends you is compelling, and it's hard not to admire Hannibal at the same time as he freaks you out. And Anthony Hopkins - another secret crush.


I'd love to hear what you like to watch as Halloween approaches - creepy, romantic, or just quirky, I have a lot of knitting to do!

See the Prize!

Just a quick update to show off what LuLu will be getting! Thanks again to everyone!

Giveaway Winner!

It's time to pick a winner for the giveaway, Wheeeee! Thank you to all who entered, and here's the list:
1. Heather
2. Birgit
3. maddyrose
4. LuLu Kellogg
5. dogsmom
6. Krista
7. monkeycstars
8. Misty
9. Magaly
10. Airmid
11. Andreann
12. Kiki Howell
13. cauldronsandbroomsticks
14. B'ham
15. Willow
16. Pabkins
17. Celia
18. Spritrunner
19. Susan
20. Sandi
21. Lady Jess
22. Michele Seraphim
23. Dana Wright
24. Faerie Moon
25. victoriantailor
26. Kelli Bear
27. Melanie Statnick
28. Rinni's Playground
29. Moncha
30. Rachel Smith
31. Sylvia
32. Linda
33. WickedFaerie
34. Lisa
35. Rickie Jill Treleaven
36. aradia's cauldron

And, now going to Random.org to generate the number.....
The winner is....
NUMBER FOUR!!! LuLu Kellogg!! I will be e-mailing her immediately, and posting pics of the prize before I ship (tomorrow, hopefully, all is ready)! Thank you to everyone who entered, and to everyone who participated in this years' Practical Magic Blog Party, hope to see you all again!

Practical Magic Blog Party!

The party is on, how convivial!


This movie has meant so much to me, and the book as well, for so long. I come from an "Owens" style family, down to the pairs of fair and brunette sisters in every generation. And I have to confess, I'm the Gillian. But back in 2000, I was that pregnant witch stranded on an island, alone and in despair.


I probably watched this movie fifty times that year. And I think it saved me. I didn't curse myself, or my family, although the Denver Broncos will never play in the superbowl again while I live, maybe even longer. That is his favorite team, and now they SUCK. Anyhow, I have gone on to live and love again, finding and making magic in more useful pursuits.

Which brings me to the giveaway! For your witchy pleasure, I am giving away a hand crocheted witch hat, pumpkin soap, pumpkin hand & body cream, and pumpkin lip balm, all to one lucky witch! Made with great ingredients, and my best, happiest wishes. To enter, just leave a comment to this post, with your e-mail address. I will pick a winner tomorrow at noon, MST. ***UPDATE, I had the suggestion, and I'm taking it, to extend the giveaway a couple more days - I still haven't checked out everyone else's party posts yet, so it will go on, drawing will be at Noon, MST, Monday 9/26*** Everyone have a most blessed Equinox, and enjoy margaritas with me until then!

Fall Equinox Sale, Practical Magic Blog Party Giveaway!!

It's nearly time!! I am having a sale starting tomorrow at 8:00 am EST through Sunday at 9:00 pm to celebrate the Equinox, I am so excited for the official beginning of Fall! Everything in my soap shop, SweetsNThings will be marked down 15%, and you may also use your discount coupons for an additional 15% off! Repeat customers can find their coupon at the bottom of any of your previous orders from my shop in the "Notes from Shop" section.
The other big happening: The Practical Magic Blog Party! I'm super excited about this one too, Practical Magic is a favorite book and movie of mine. You can click the link on the right side of this page to see other blogs that will be participating. I will be posting a favorite bath tea recipe, my reflections on the movie, and on Saturday night, I will be selecting a winner for my giveaway! Included in this fabulous prize package will be a hand crocheted witch hat, great for winter, and a delightful pumpkin soap, pumpkin body cream, and pumpkin lip balm! To enter, post a comment to this post or the Practical Magic post coming the morning of the 23rd, and include your e-mail address. You have until Saturday morning at noon EST to enter, feel free to share this giveaway with all your friends!

Rave Review for Cahmille Soap!

Y'all may not know it, but I buy a bit of soap on Etsy myself. I just received my order from Cahmille, a new shop. I am super proud to be her first Etsy sale! She makes cold processed soaps with her own milk. Human milk is not just something you can run down to the store and buy, so it's pretty rare to find soap made with it. Her soap also contains vegetable oils, primarily olive oil, and it lathers like a very, very well cured castille soap, a creamy moisturizing treat for your skin. This soap is also completely suitable for use by vegans, as she makes the milk herself. A super treat, because no other milk soap can be used by vegans, and human milk is far superior than any other, at least for humans. There is only a limited supply, so you should get yours before it's gone, it's truly amazing.

Labor Day Sale, and New Stuff in the Works

Another frenzy of activity here these last couple of weeks! To kick off September, I'm having a sale, using EtsyOnSale, so you won't need a coupon, everything is marked down 15% at SweetsNThings. However, if you do have a coupon, you can still use it for extra savings! Repeat customers, if you look at any of your old receipts at the "Note From Shop" section at the very bottom, you will see your coupon! Applies to KnitHabit customers as well, you have the same coupon, same place.
And, on the new products front - I'll be mixing up a few more body butters this weekend, with a mango butter free recipe. One of my favorite people is allergic, so this one will be unrefined shea butter, and other things, but no mango. I have also perfected a soy-free recipe, and for now it's only available in Lemon, but I'm taking scent suggestions. Now's your chance, if you have an allergy, sensitivity, or just hatred of soy, you get to pick the next scent. Also, I will be making a few new lip tints this weekend - Wheeee!!!!
And finally, we are still working on a bubble bath concoction, the poll results were fairly conclusive - you want liquid bubble bath, so that's what we will make. I'm thinking mostly natural, but with a bit of sodium laurel sulfoacetate (SLSA) added. SLSA is a very, very mild surfactant and foaming agent, used in baby products because it is milder than soap. Also, the poll results showed that many of you don't care for bubble bath at all, so we will be making a couple of herbal bath teas, and a couple of bath milks as well.

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Labor Day, keep the shiny side up!

Using Preservatives in Your Handmade Bath & Body Products

I love handmade bath and body products. Even though I make them myself, I often indulge in the delights that other soapers come up with as well, because handmade carries the personality of the creator. Sometimes, I want the soap of someone with a sweeter personality than mine. Or just someone who doesn't swear like a biker. So I do cruise the interwebs looking for awesome stuff, and I find it, yay! But in the search, I find OTHER THINGS too.
I've already posted here about the super hippie preservative free lotions available. All natural means bacteria and fungus. They're natural too, but I don't want that much nature in my lotions. I love a little preservative. I said a LITTLE!
That's what this post is about. Overuse of preservatives. I have a list here, with the most common preservatives, their INCI names, usage rates, and effective pH range:

Optiphen - Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol, 0.5%-1.5%, no pH restrictions

Phenonip - Phenoxyethanol (and) Methylparaben (and) Ethylparaben (and) Butylparaben (and) Propylparaben (and) Isobutylparaben, 0.5%-1.0%, pH 3.0-8.0

Germall Plus Liquid - Propylene Glycol (and) Diazolidinyl Urea (and) Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, 0.1%-0.5%, pH 3.0-8.0

Germaben II- Propylene Glycol (and) Diazolidinyl Urea (and) Methylparaben (and) Propylparaben, 0.3%-1.0%, pH 3.0-7.0

Tinosan SDC - Silver Citrate and Citric Acid, 0.1%-0.5%, pH less than 7.0, this preservative should be used with Potassium Sorbate to prevent growth of fungus.

Potassium Sorbate - Potassium Sorbate, 0.1%-0.5%, pH less than 6.0, not a broad spectrum preservative, most effective against fungus.

When reading the MSDS and Technical Data Sheets on these preservatives, one thing that really jumped out at me was a recurring phrase: wear protective equipment, including respirator, goggles, and gloves. Why? Because all of these, for lack of a better term, are poisons, and they kill bacteria and/or fungi. In large enough quantities (which for some of these is not very large), they can harm you too. And if used to excess in products applied to the skin, they can cause irritation and rashes.

What has me a bit worried, is that I see products with the preservative listed higher in the ingredient list than fragrance. This is a problem because in a best case scenario, the manufacturer doesn't know that you should list ingredients in order, by weight, from highest percentage to lowest. In a worst case scenario, it's a terrible problem, the manufacturer is using more preservative than fragrance. Now, fragrances and essential oils used as fragrance have varying rates of safe usage, but typically, that rate is anywhere from 3-10%. Some are even safe at 100% concentration, like anise, cedarwood, and fennel essential oils.
Anyhow, the preservative amount is so tiny, it should always be the last ingredient on your list. Tiny, tiny, tiny. Usually less than 1%. Never, ever as much as 2%, which is what one body butter I saw tonight claimed to have. Two percent of a preservative that should be used at no more than 0.5%, and can be effectively used at 0.1%. So that body butter had 20 times the amount of preservative that was needed, and four times the amount that is safe. I know that math isn't everyone's forte, but it's important to have the math skills necessary to safely formulate B&B products if you sell them. To figure out the amount of preservative you need, if it's given in a percentage, you need to move the decimal point two places to the left to get the correct multiplier. If the percentage given is 0.5%, then your multiplier is 0.005, or in fractional form, 5/1000. Multiply the total amount of your recipe, let's say 1000 gm of water, 300 gm of oils, and 100 gm of emulsifier, by the multiplier. In this example:
(1000gm + 300gm + 100gm) * 0.005 = 1400gm * 0.005 = 7gm
Translated into ounces, that's 50 ounces of lotion, with .25 ounces of preservative. 1/4 ounce in 1-1/2 quarts.

Another option, is to make butters with no water, aloe, or other water bearing liquid - bacteria and fungus need it to grow, and can't grow without it.
And you can get a respirator at Home Depot or Grainger (for example) for about $30.00, and it's something that I highly recommend. Safety first!

New Fall Lines in Both Shops!

I've been in a creative frenzy for a couple of weeks now, and it's awesome! I created a new pattern for a crochet witch hat (available here), it comes together so quickly! I can make a couple of these hats every day, but I was distracted by fall leaves. I'm on a scarf now, basically a brown skinny scarf with fall leaf embellishments, lots of leaves!
I've also made some Autumn scents for my soap shop, pumpkin lavender body gloss, several sugar scrubs, and the Fall/Winter lip balms. I will also have the body butters available again in two weeks - completely water free, and made with organic raw shea butter, and organic cocoa butter. I'm just waiting on containers! I tore through my last order of jars making hand & body creams and scrubs. I ordered tins for the new body butters, they're very nice, and will be great for gifting.
My Etsy Anniversary sale is still going on in my soap shop, 25% off everything with coupon LUGH11, the last day for bargains will be August 14th. If you have any special requests, now is the best time before the holiday shopping season starts, I've already had requests to restock the Detox Soap and Winter Skin Rescue Soap. The Detox Soap is available now, Winter Skin Rescue will be back next week. I'm not listing full sized loaves in my Etsy shop, but if you'd like a 40 ounce loaf for your gift baskets, you can e-mail me at sweets_n_things@yahoo.com, full loaves will be $28.00 plus shipping, invoiced through paypal.

Cold Process, Hot Process, and Melt & Pour

I was chatting last night on an Etsy board, and the question came up, "what's the difference between cold process and hot process?" Another soaper claimed that hot process is milder and has a better lather. I avoid the drama llama, so I kept my fat mouth shut, but that wasn't entirely accurate, and I thought I might bring my soapy experience, and my science degree here and shine some light on this. Most soapers think of soap making as: lye + fatty acids = soap + glycerin. But there's another ingredient, and that is heat. Heat is a product of this chemical reaction, but heat can also be added or conserved by insulation to speed up this reaction. In cold process soap, no extra heat is applied to the emulsified lye, water, and oils. This process can take a very long time. A cold process soap with milk, for example, will darken if heat is allowed to stay in the process, because the milk cooks, caramelizing the milk sugars. For that reason, many milk soapers will even refrigerate the soap to prevent this. But this soap may take as long as six weeks to fully saponify.
With a hot process soap, heat is added, and saponification may be complete within an hour. It doesn't make this soap any more gentle, it just makes it gentle faster. Much faster. Also, it evaporates most of the water from the product, making the bar harden faster. A fresh hot process soap, cured for one week, will lather better than a six week old cold process bar. The reason for this is that this fresh hot process bar still has a higher water content than the fully cured cold process bar. Soap salts have to dissolve in water before they will lather, and the fresh HP bar is already partially dissolved. A six week old HP bar and a six week old CP bar made with the same recipe will have the same lather - and the CP bar, being more porous may even lather better, as it will dissolve in water easier.
So, HP is not more gentle than CP, and does not lather any better. These are properties of your formula. Gentleness is kind of a vague term - it may indicate pH, superfatting percentage, or how much the soap dissolves the oils on the surface of your skin. If a soap has a high percentage of coconut oil, it may feel like it's harsh, because it does remove your skin's oils very well. A lard soap may feel very gentle, if it's been superfatted up to 8%.
And what about melt & pour, what makes it different? Well, melt and pour soap is prepared with a hot process method, with an added alcohol such as sorbitol (which is a long chain alcohol that does not evaporate and dry the skin) used to dissolve the soap salt into a solution which will solidify at room temperature, but will remelt at a relatively low temperature because of the added glycerin, with no additional fluid added. To melt a regular HP or CP soap, you have to heat it to over 140 degrees, and have added liquid to dissolve fully. A melt and pour soap will melt at temps around 100 degrees, with a nice pourable consistency. Making melt and pour soap from scratch is frankly, a pain in the ass. Many high quality melt and pour bases are available, and they are relatively inexpensive, and very safe to work with - no lye! Some bases even have added detergents, making their lather very bubbly, but a bit more drying.
So that's the truth. The process you decide to use for soap making will highly affect what additives you can use, how much and what type of fragrances to add, and what pigments as well. But it's all soap, and the formula is what makes it lather, clean, or condition - not the process.

Make Your Own Soap Balls

You don't have to be a soap maker to make beautiful handcrafted soaps for gifts. For this project, all you need is to save up your soap scraps, it's super easy.

Materials:
One quart sized zip lock bag full of soap bits, scraps, shavings, or grated bar soap. Can be any kind of soap, including melt and pour, cold process, hot process, or plain soap from the store.
1/2 cup distilled water (you can add a few drops of essential oil with this, if you'd like a scent to bring the different scents together, or 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, but this will discolor the balls)
One sheet waxed paper
Optional ingredient: Brambleberry Gold Mica, used to coat the balls after they dry, use with a soft make up brush or clean meat basting brush.

Instructions: Make sure all your soap bits are small pieces, less than 1/4 inch square. If you're starting with new bars, grate them with a cheese grater, and use at least 4 bars. Put them in the bag, bag should be stuffed full, but still able to zip closed. If you don't have a full bag, use less water. Pour water in bag with soap, and seal the bag. It should be just enough water to make all the soap bits nice and moist. Leave the bag sitting out overnight. The soap will all be soft and a little sticky in the morning. Give the soap a good kneading inside the bag, about 1 minute. Then, open the bag, and grab a handful of soap (about 1/4 cup), form into a ball, and place on waxed paper to dry. Repeat until you run out of soap. Don't worry about how perfect the surface of the soap looks, you will be able to smooth it when the soap dries. Let these balls dry for one week, turning once a day so all surfaces get some air. After drying, you can smooth the balls by rubbing with a dry dishcloth, then paint with gold mica, or other mica pigment, you can even use eyeshadow.

A couple of these balls can be packaged in a cello bag with a nice washcloth for a super nice stocking stuffer or gift for co-workers, and you can also use them as a component of a nice bath gift basket.

A Sale Every Day

For the rest of this month, I'll be placing one item in each of my shops on sale for half price, a different item every day. At SweetsNThings, my soap shop, this discount will already be applied to the deal of the day. At KnitHabit, I'm doing the same thing, I was going to do a coupon discount, but now, you won't forget to get a discount. So, if you're planning on giving awesome handknits as Christmas gifts, or you're looking for a baby shower gift, or just something great for yourself, now is a great time.

Easy Summer Snood Pattern

I'm always fighting with my hair! It wants to be a part of my crafts, and sorry hair, you can't be in it. So, I made myself this quick & easy hair net, and it's become my favorite summer accessory. Light and colorful, this isn't your lunch lady's hair net!

Materials - one ball worsted cotton yarn (about 90 yards used), I used "I Love This Cotton" from Hobby Lobby, it's really soft!, one N size crochet hook, one yarn needle, one elastic headband, scissors.

Begin: ch4, dc eleven times in first chain, join in top stitch of ch4 (12)
Round 1: ch 3, dc in same stitch, 2dc in each stitch around, join in top of ch3 (24)
Round 2: ch 3, dc in same stitch, dc in next stitch, *2 dc in next stitch, dc in next stitch* repeat around, join in top of ch 3 (36)
Round 3: ch3, dc in same stitch, dc in next two stitches, *2dc in next stitch, dc in next two stitches* repeat around, join in top of ch 3 (48)
Round 4: ch3, dc in same stitch, dc in next three stitches, *2dc in next stitch, dc in next three stitches* repeat around, join in top of ch 3 (60)
Repeat round 4 five more times, can repeat more for a slouchier hat for dreads.
Last round: hold elastic head band together with edge, *2 sc in first stitch, sc in next stitch* repeat around, being sure to catch the head band inside each stitch, join at end with slip stitch, weave in ends.

Enjoy!

What's On Sale?

I'm having an Independence Day sale in my soap shop all weekend, including Monday. Just use coupon code JULY4 for 25% off your entire order at checkout for my Etsy shop SweetsNThings.

In addition to knit hats, gloves, baby stuff, and scarves, I have a couple of patterns listed in my knit shop, and will be adding more over the weekend. KnitHabit will be participating in the "Christmas In July" sales promotion on Etsy, with a 15% discount on all orders, including custom orders, with coupon code CIJ11. Thanks to everyone!

Getting Ready for Halloween!

I have new stuff in my soap shop for my favorite holiday, Halloween! I know it's early, but hey, Hobby Lobby was putting out Christmas stuff today, so maybe it's not that early. Halloween inspired soaps so far are: Blood Orange, Grape Goblin, and Triple Pumpkin. Just a note on the Triple Pumpkin, there are lots of ingredients in soap making that cause the chemical process to speed up, and pumpkin is apparently one of them! I checked my soap one hour after I put it in the mold, and it had completely gelled, without any insulation or added heat. My whole kitchen smelled like I was baking pumpkin bread, yummy, but disappointing, since there was no freaking pumpkin bread. I love this soap though, it is lush. The pumpkin seed butter is one of those luxurious oils that you can just spread on your skin right out of the tub, I'll definitely be making a whipped butter with this one when the weather cools down.

I also have some awesome yarns in stock for the fall knitting frenzy, angora, bamboo, and of course, wool. If you happen to see a hat or scarf in my shop you'd like in a special fiber or color, just drop me a line, I can knit it up, and send a picture - if you want it you can purchase at that time.

Summer Solstice Sale

The Summer Solstice is on Tuesday, but the sale starts at Midnight tonight! Everything in the shop will be marked down 25%. Returning customers and LSG members can still use your coupon codes, so the savings will be very nice. I'll also have a few new products to add to the shop over the next few days. I'm always in a Halloween kind of mood - like keeping Christmas in your heart, but with candy corn and spider webs instead of peppermint and trees. So Triple Pumpkin Soap, and Grape Goblin are coming out this week. I also have an Agave Oatmeal Soap, vegan and specially formulated for delicate skin, just a hint of lemongrass and amber for a super light fresh scent. Discounts will also apply to custom orders. The sale will continue through Midnight on Tuesday, and thanks to everyone!

New Soaps in the Shop

Oh yeah, and it's a good one. They're all good, but today's additions are just completely awesome. My good friend, NeedleNookCreations needed more soap for her hubby, so I made an new batch of an old favorite, Touch of Grey Nag Champa Soap, for her. But there's 2-1/2 pounds of it, so we can share. The really, really new soap is my favorite, perhaps of all time. I had a hard time coming up with a name, so I called it Handmade Soap of Super Awesomeness. I blended the scent myself, with citrus oils, cedar oil, cinnamon, ginger, and a tad bit of patchouli. Then, this went into swirls of pink, purple, green and black, and I painted the top of the soap with gold mica when it was all done. It's just stunning, both visually and smell-wise, and I'm very happy with it!

Father's Day Sale!!!

Everything in my shop will be marked down 25% for the weekend, so you can get Father's Day gifts in time for the big day! You can also use your repeat customer coupon with this sale, so you can pick up a little something for yourself. I can also ship direct to your dad, just be sure to add that address to paypal when checking out. Oh, and let me know if it's going straight to dad, so I send a card that says "Happy Father's Day from your kid", not "Thanks for buying my stuff". Big sale starts tonight at MIDNIGHT!!!