My Little Mermaid

I've been playing with my graphics and 3D programs this morning. Here is my newest render featuring my cute little sea sprite! Be sure to click the picture below to see it full size :)

We all went out to dinner last night at DaRuMa, kind of like Benihana's. It was a wonderful dinner, very relaxing. No squabbling, no one in a big hurry to go somewhere else, just a perfect family evening out. Then we went to the mall and Geoff a pair of Oakley sunglasses as his graduation present.

Macapuno Sorbet Handmade Soap

New in my shop today, Macapuno Sorbet! It smells like the Filipino dessert known as "mix mix." The scent is a wonderful, mouth-watering melange of the slurpy, mutant little Macapuno Coconut plus jackfruit, lychee, mango, pineapple and other luscious fruits. Also available in my Etsy shop.

My son Geoff graduated from high school yesterday! He was so cute, obviously trying to be unimpressed about it but clearly thrilled to be done with high school. We are too! He went to an all night party called "Project Graduation" hosted by the YMCA and came stumbling in at 4 am this morning. I think he'll probably sleep all day. Then we're taking him out to dinner at a Japanese steak house he loves, the kind where they flip your food around and charge a young fortune. But he's worth it!

We had a long talk with him about college last night, he is so excited about beginning university, living away from home (but not too far!) and all the new experiences he will have. It makes me so happy for him, and a little jealous. I remember that excitement of starting college and feeling like your whole future was ahead of you and anything is possible.

I saw a post about this in a forum I frequent, as an example of a beautifully designed site. I have to agree that Meomi Cloud House is adorable -- check out that complicated layout and the many subtle little animations! And they have some ridiculously cute free Desktops!

Get Lei'd Handmade Soap

Catchy name, huh? This smells divine, a beautiful blend of South Pacific flowers. I did a reverse swirl on this one, white on pink. It's going in the shop in a few more days. :)

Geoffrey graduates from high school today. Yay!

New Soaps

Today I added 4 new soaps to my shop, and they all smell soooo good: Havana Nights, Tropical Fruit Slices, Mango Tango and Rosemary Mint! They are all available in my Etsy shop too. Here's the Tropical Fruit Slices.

Tomorrow my son, Geoff, graduates from high school. I keep saying it doesn't seem possible, but evidently it is. And it only seems like a few weeks ago Vicky went off to college, and now she has finished up her freshman year.

Memorial Day

It's more than just a day off, barbecues and sleeping in. In honor of Memorial Day and the sacrifices Americans have made for liberty, I'll let Abraham Lincoln speak for me:

"It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave that last full measure of devotion -- That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth."

1,600 Etsy Sales!

Woo hoo, today I made it to 1,600 sales on Etsy!

Tonight for dinner I made the most fabulous Chicken Pot Pie. It's a recipe by the Neelys on Food Network. I love that couple, they are so cute! This recipe is so good, my family ate it like starving wolves. I made peach cobbler for dessert too. My DH s having a colonoscopy Tuesday morning and he can't eat any solid food tomorrow, so I thought I'd make sure he got a really good meal tonight.

Today I made a big batch of Lilac soap, and a smaller batch of Cinnamon Vanilla. Mmmmm.

Top Sellers List

It used to take 1,200 sales to add yourself to the EtsyWiki top sellers list. I was really happy to add myself when I hit 1,200 sales.

Then they changed the criteria to 1,600 sales. Well now, wouldn't you know it? I'm only 3 sales away from 1,600 and the top sellers list is broken. Wah. Maybe it will come back. I was really looking forward to adding myself to the list again.

Already I'm selling a lot of my Chocolovers. It's going fast. I can see I'll have to re-order a bigger supply of this fragrance right away. I just wish I could find one supplier who carried all of the fragrances I sell so I could get it all in one place. Instead I have to order some stuff here, some stuff there, etc. Shipping is a freaking killer.

Coming Tuesday -- Mango Tango!

My son has one more day of high school left. Tuesday is his last day. Yay!

In case you're wondering why I'm up and posting at 1:43 am, it's because of chocolate. I made the 5 Minute Chocolate Cake earlier. Argh. All that chocolate is keeping me awake now. And it wasn't that great, to be honest. It was kind of rubbery and hard. But I forced it all down. Heh.

Pale Pink and White Swirls

I made a new soap yesterday and it smells amazing! It's called Get Lei'd, sorry for the pun, eh? But it's wonderful, the scent reminds me of YSL Paris, which I used to wear 24/7, until I was too old to be a jeune fille. Anyway, I swirled it in palest pink and white and I think it's going to be a knockout. Today I'm moving on to the Thai Coconut.

I bought so many new fragrances lately that it's starting to feel the teeniest bit like work to soap it all! :D

Coquina Beach Confetti

One of the most beautiful features of our South Florida beaches are the coquina shells you find literally all over the beach. Tiny little bivalves tinted the dearest, tender shades of pink, purple, gold and green, they sparkle so prettily as the seafoam washes over them.

These sweet little shells have inspired my newest soap, Coquina Beach Confetti. Lightly kissed with a dusting of white gold mica on top, they are as pretty as their fragrance -- a delicate Grapefruit and Jasmine blend. Also available in my Etsy shop. :)

I'm finally getting near the end of soaping all my new summer fragrances. Today it's going to be a giant batch of Thai Coconut, tomorrow it's going to be Get Lei'd. I still have Honey Patchouli and Sconset Sunset to do too. The Sconset Sunset is so pretty, it reminds me of the Crabree & Evelyn Nantucket Briar.

After the driest spring on record since 1932, and being under drought conditions for months, the rain has returned with a vengeance. We've had torrential downpours every afternoon for the past week, and last night it rained down in buckets all night long. We got over an inch of rain last night. It is very soothing to hear, and I slept like a baby.

My Wild Honeysuckle Soap Featured

I've had an amazing string of luck in being featured in blogs lately. Today my Wild Honeysuckle Soap and Soap Sampler are featured in the TaraflyPhotos blog. Thanks Tara! And if you get a chance, take a look at Tara's delightful photo site, it's beautiful.

I have two new soaps in my shop! One is totally swoonworthy, Chocolovers, the other is a fun, fruity Passionfruit Papaya. They are also in my Etsy shop.

My son is down to 3 more days of high school, then he graduates. I just can't believe it!

Featured in EtsyMoms Blog

Thanks to Jamie and all the wonderful sellers on the EtsyMoms team for featuring me on the EtsyMoms blog today. Check it out!

Tropical Fruit Slices

I made this lovely, fruity, juicy soap today and did a three color swirl -- orange, yellow and green! It was not the sphincter-puckering experience I expected, as this is a very well-behaved fragrance oil from Southern Soapers. Take a peek!

This is one of a half dozen new FO's I've ordered for summer. I'm slowly soaping my way through them. So far I've made this one, Havana Nights (aiiiieee, it's amazing), Mango Tango and Passionfruit Papaya. Still have to make Thai Coconut, Macapuno Sorbet and Get Lei'd.

Happy Mother's Day!

To all you moms celebrating today, Happy Mother's Day. Here is some fun reading for you, Postcards from Yo Mama.

Two New Soaps

Last year I sold a popular, spicily fragrant soap but my supplier discontinued the fragrance. I was truly bummed because it was a personal favorite of mine too. I am pleased that I got ahold of several lbs. of this fragrance recently and have returned Secrets of India handmade soap to my shop! Also back in stock, Coconut Lemongrass handmade soap. Both are also available in my Etsy shop.

It is such a pleasure having Vicky home for the summer now. I use the term "home" loosely, but still. She is either at the beach, at work, with friends, and beginning Monday, take summer courses at FGCU. That girl likes to stay busy!

Monday night is the Senior awards night at Geoff's high school. He is receiving awards for academics and because he's getting a Bright Futures scholarship for college. Then he graduates from high school May 29th. I can hardly believe it!

My new Soap Hutch mold arrived two days ago. It was a little tricky putting it together, but I got it. I can see now how great it will be to make 40+ bars per pour. Right now my biggest mold makes only 18 bars, so I am constantly making the same soap over and over again to keep up my stock. This will be so much better.

I have to figure out now the oils, water and lye to fill the mold to a specific depth, which will be 2.25 inches, the width of my bars. Then each of the 3 logs will be measured and cut in my trusty miter box. I'm a little nervous about making such a huge, heavy batch of soap because of my arthritic hands. Yesterday I got a nice big heavy duty pail with a pour spout to mix the soap in. I'm going to try to make some this afternoon.

Well, I did it! I actually figured out the volume just right for the height I wanted. Here's a photo of my new mold filled up with fresh soap (plastic wrap on top). Each of the logs will yield about 14 bars.

To all the moms out there -- an early Happy Mother's Day! My family is taking me out to lunch today instead of Sunday because it will be much less crowded.