Skip to main content

Endeavor to Persevere!

Thus would my former supervisor cheerily call out to me during our busiest, most frantic season.  Or to put it more simply, "Try to try."  And some days, what more can you do?  I've noticed a definite pattern: the quieter my blog, the busier my "real life." I'm not sure if the answer is better time management or a slower-paced life--either would come in handy.

As it has been April since I last posted, you can be assured that things are been moving at warp speed around here.  But such exciting stuff!  Here are a couple items on the business side of things:

I was contacted by Milwaukee Public Television this spring and asked to recommend an outstanding vendor from the farmer's market I manage for a segment on an upcoming show on my town, Monroe, Wisconsin.  I immediately named a favorite produce vendor but because of scheduling and produce availability conflicts, the next day I found myself and my soap business on the interview roster.  Eeep.

Showing off my little bitty loofah plants
Fast forward two months to earlier this month, when the interview took place.  I had NO idea what to expect, but I had a wonderful time chatting with the host, director, camera and sound staff who were intrigued by my soapmaking and loofah growing adventures.  Of course, I enjoyed the moments when the camera wasn't pointed my way most of all, but still...  All in all, it was a super fun experience.  Now I'd like to find out what I actually said during my blur of an interview, but that won't be for several months yet.

A little side note: Over the weekend, I watched The Princess Diaries--remember that movie with Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway?  Well, the man who hosts the show is the very same John McGivern who appeared as trolley driver in the movie. How my little sis knew and remembered that bit of trivia I'll never know.

Also, I've begun a re-vamp of sorts, testing new fragrances and changing some things up as I streamline my product line.  Really, it's a continuous task but I'm taking a more focused approach as I analyze what my customers buy.  I feel a little heartless cutting some favorites, but that just means more of certain ones for me. :)

Geisha--an oriental, citrusy scent with green notes 
I've also been playing around with the looks of my soaps--here is my first attempt at a method of adding embeds.  I see potential for a lot of variation with this technique, so expect some changes in my online shop throughout the summer. (And if you are close enough to come to see me at the market, please do!)
Labels:

Comments

  1. Diva Prirodna KozmetikaJune 28, 2014 at 12:31 PM

    Hey woman, you're a star! I hope we'll be able to see your interview on YT, I'm sure you did great!
    I like your embeds in soap, it's such a fun, but demanding technique, if you don't have a soap for recycling prior! Will be nice to see your new line!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy@10th Ave.June 30, 2014 at 6:06 AM

      Thanks, Diva! I'll share the YT link when it's available.

      Yes, it's a lot more work when you don't have soap that needs to be re-designed, (such as the case with this batch) but I just can't hope that batches occasionally flop, y'know? :)

      Delete
  2. SoapJamJune 28, 2014 at 5:50 PM

    Hi amy! Congrats on the tv interview and glad to hear you've been happily busy. It's good to see you in blogland again amidst your full schedule. :) Beautiful color and pattern on your Geisha soap. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy@10th Ave.June 30, 2014 at 6:18 AM

      Spring is absolutely the busiest time of the year for me--getting the farmer's market organized and off and running, putting in the garden, making soap for the market season and oh! dozens of other things that need to be done with the coming of warmer weather. But things are settling down to a dull roar. ;)

      Delete
  3. LatherBeSoapingJune 29, 2014 at 10:53 AM

    Congrats on the interview, Amy! Sounds like you have been busy. I love your Geisha soap - those embeds are so cool!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy@10th Ave.June 30, 2014 at 6:20 AM

      Hi Jenny! Thanks. I am really in love with this technique, but it's tricky to remember that the designs are made by cutting the loaf horizontally.

      Delete
  4. SoapSudsationsJuly 3, 2014 at 11:32 PM

    You're famous! It's a good problem when you're so busy with your business that you don't have time to blog.

    The embeds look great and I love the name of the soap.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Soaping with Madder

I know that any color added to soap can morph into a surprise, but there is an added element of unknown when using botanicals to color my soap.  Some people jump out of planes or ski off mountains, but this is how I live on the edge these days.  Hmm.  If I weren't having so much fun, I'd be embarrassed. I recently had my first go with madder.  So....whatsa madder?  It's a root--the root of the madder. Ahem. (I love puns...) I infused 8 oz. of olive oil with 2 t. madder root powder for almost a week.  This amount worked out to be 20% of the oils in my batch. I wanted something in the way of embeds to add visual interest.   I dearly love my soap balls but I don't want to over do a good thing.  I've recently done square-shaped embeds, so this time I cut a bar of white soap into slices. I panicked a little that it wouldn't get dark enough--it was kind of a dusty peach--so I added 1/4 t. dried powder right before pouring. Madder powd...
21 comments
Read more

Loofah--from vine to soap

If you've followed my blog for a long time, you've already seen a post on one of my favorite things to grow--loofah, but I think it's time for another one.  People are often surprised when they learn that loofahs are grown.  No, a loofah isn't a sea sponge, but the mature "skeleton" of a zucchini-like plant.  Everyone knows they are good for the bath but they also make great natural pan scrubbers in the kitchen.  They are so popular that I have to remember to tuck away any that I want to keep myself. I raise three or four plants every year.  Like a zucchini or a cucumber, it likes to spread out with little regard to another plant's personal space.  Here is last year's crop. Early in the summer, the loofahs remained neatly on the trellis: But then they wandered over to the basil: Cozied among the tomatillos: And hung out with the butternut squash: Harvest time was a regular treasure hunt.  But I ended up with about 20 loofahs fr...
17 comments
Read more

Soap Challenge--Dandelion Swirl

This Great Cakes challenge started off, well, challenging for me.  I had internet problems (a lack of it) and something went rather tragic in my attempt to cobble together a recipe without access to my online lye calculator crutch or a good saponification chart.  Obviously, I need to work on this skill, since my first batch of soap is still not firm enough to cut.  I've seen firmer marshmallow cream.  I'm estimating that I'll be able to cut it in a week or two or maybe three. The top came out pretty, though, didn't it? Sigh.  I wonder what the inside looks like. On to batch number 2.  I went for a winter/snowy theme this time, scented with BB's Fresh Snow fragrance. I made a small 6-bar batch.  I kept noticing that my divider (a dollar store cutting mat) didn't stay in the center but kept migrating toward the edge with every pour.  I was concerned that it would ruin the design, but it held well enough. I know this challenge was all abo...
29 comments
Read more