Musings: My Soap Dish

In her group for soap enthusiasts, a friend asked us to share a picture of our soap dish.  Initially, I was hesitant because this friend, loves to see a list when you post your soap haul, of all the scents in the picture.  I looked at my soap dish for a couple of days.  This list was going to take awhile...

A few things about me:

1. I LOVE variety! (I say that a lot...but only because its true).  I cannot open a bar of soap and use it until it is done.  I use a different bar of soap each day, never repeating the use of the same bar on consecutive days.  I can honestly say that I may easily go a month or more before using a bar for the second time, unless I am doing a review of a new soap.  Then I use it 2 to 3 time consecutively to truly get a feel for it before writing a review,
2. Because of this love of variety, I handle my soap a little differently than some.  I store all of my wrapped bars in three drawer storage containers (yes, plural).  When I open a new bar, I usually (unless it is really small) cut it in half.  I store one half in a glassine wax bag in the storage container and the other, after using, goes on my soap rack in the bathroom.  

Hence:

This is my soap dish

Looking at this, it was hard to conceive a way to label each one of these beauties currently in my shower rotation.  However, after working at it for a couple of day, I came up with this:

 So here it is, my soap junkiness in all of its splendor.  This does not include uncut bars of which I have over 30 other varieties that are not even represented on this rack. I've heard some people say that their soap looses its scent rather quickly.  Storing my bars the way I do, 99% of my soap keep their scent for 2 years or more.  The Pear Tarlet soap on this rack hasn't been produced for over two years from Cream & Coco and is smells just as amazing as it did when I received it.  Sigh... this is probably the last bar on the planet of that great smelling soap.  Vic, if you're reading this - you really should make a batch of this.  I can wait until you return from maternity leave, lol!

What does your soap stash look like?  How do you store your soap?

Bubble Spotlight 2015 Laurel Main Street Festival

My first "BubbleTube" Video. Check out these amazing

soapmakers:

Sade of Emily's Bath & Body

www.Emilysbathandbody.com

Marcus of BAMI Products

www.Bamiproducts.net

 

Why Do I Love Bubbles?

courtesy souls-of-my-shoes.tumblr.com

As a child, I loved watching tons of round iridescent bubbles float up into the sky. They just made me happy! To this day, blowing bubbles is one of my favorite ways to relax.

I can’t be sure that it was specifically my childhood fascination with bubbles that brought me to the love I have now for not just bubbles, but soothing lather, sweet aromas and the amazing feel of bath and body products. And though I can’t remember the exact day or exactly how old I was, I can remember when this obsession either evolved or emerged... My first trip to Bath & Body Works with my mom. I had to have been in high school - I remember it clearly, being in awe of all the gorgeous bottles and the mixing of colors and scents was like DisneyLand for me. The whole store with it’s farm feel (before taking on it's now more modern, spa feel, Bath & Body works branding was more farm or country fair like) and overwhelming and variety of fragrance options just made me happy. That day, with my own money (so it was a very serious decision), I purchased a bottle of Happy Daisy body splash and a bar of Happy Daisy soap! (Yes, I even remember the scent and to this day, any fragrance similar reminds me of that experience).

Later in life, my skin began to rebel and itch from all of those lovely soaps and scents and lotions. But the obsession did not fade. I still craved an abundance of different sweet smelling delicacies for my skin. As years passed, I began experimenting with making my own natural products and even ran a small business marketing my creations. Through research and production, I was able to participate in a community with an endless array of handmade and natural products that I could indulge with without the irritation. And so it began...

Through this blog you will see that I LOVE handmade, artisan soap. However, many other bath and body treats excite me - and through this blog, I will share that passion with you - with an occasional cute animal and hopefully some inspiration thrown in. As a consumer, addict and fan of bath and body products I plan to share my experiences, discoveries, ravs and disappointments. As a product maker and business manager, I plan to express my opinion on products, packaging and services based on knowledge, research and experience. I will also share tips, recipes, product hauls and events with you. I have had some business successes and failures - having learned from them all.  I do not profess to be the end all be all when it comes to these things, however I believe we learn from all our experiences and some others may enjoy and possibly learn from mine.

I thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefully you'll take this journey with me and enjoy the ride!


Lather & Love,


Ay.