#SmallBizSaturday

Greetings!

#SmallBusinessSaturday was started a few years ago in response to the insanity of Black Friday here in the States.  The day after Thanksgiving is a huge shopping day with great deals, but some people want to support small businesses more than the big box stores.

Well, I can think of one small business that would appreciate your patronage:  Prairie Sunshine Soaps!

Prairie Sunshine Soaps was started by my husband and me in 2012 in our kitchen.  Although Chris supports me in my endeavors, I'm the one who runs it now.  I currently have 79 items in my Etsy shop:  45 different soaps and 34 different crocheted washcloths/soap savers.

Making soap came as a response to my Aunt Sara's question about all the lavender we were harvesting in our front yard flower bed:  "What are you going to do with all that lavender?"  Chris had seen an article on The Art of Manliness about making your own cold process soap and so we decided to give it a shot.

We have five types of lavender soap and so many more, such as Pink Lemonade, Sandalwood, Orange Clove & Cinnamon, White Tea & Ginger, Crisp Anjou Pear, and Lime Mint, just to name a few.  It is always wonderful to mix colors and fragrances and see what the soap will look like when it's taken out of the mold.

And here are some of my crocheted items:

Right now, I am running a special for #SmallBizSaturday:  Spend $15 or more and get 15% off if you use coupon code SMALLBIZ2015.  This offer is good through Monday, November 30.

#shopsmall  #smallbusinesssaturday

Thank you so much!

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PEACE.

                                             LOVE.

                                                                                 SMALL BIZ SATURDAY.


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Freshly cut Pink Lemonade Handmade Soap

It has been quite a while since I've made a batch of soap.  Recently, I received a special order in my Etsy shop for Pink Lemonade Handmade Soap.  I didn't have enough on hand to send my customer, so I had to make a brand new batch.

It has been around 36 hours since I made this gorgeous soap, and it's  so it's cutting time!  I put it in the freezer for 15 minutes first to ensure that none of the soap gets stuck to the mold.

I held a piece of cardboard down the middle of the mold as I poured first the pink side, then the yellow.  Out of the mold, this is what the bottom looks like.  It is definitely not perfect, but that is the beauty of handmade items--every item is unique.

Time to bring out the soap cutter made in Missouri by Bud Haffner.  We bought this several years ago and it has not disappointed us at all.  His Etsy shop is here.

What a typical freshly cut bar looks like.

Now it's time to cure for the next four weeks.  The fragrance of this is very light and summery!  Such a lovely scent!

There will be a few bars of this left once I fill the special order.  If you're interested in purchasing a bar, visit my shop around August 20 to get your own.



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Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time for a tall, cold glass of pink lemonade.  Cheers!

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Paix.

                                            Amour.

                                                                                          Limonade rose.

My favorite soap at the moment

Hello, everyone!

I hope you are having a lovely June.  It is getting hot where I live, and we have had extraordinary amounts of rain in the last month or so.  We are having a hard time planting because the ground has been pretty soaked.  And there are threats of afternoon thunderstorms today as well.   I write all of this knowing that there are areas in the U.S. where there are droughts.  I wish we could pack up the excess water and send it to drought stricken areas.   It would be nice if we had a weather transportation system to do just that.

I wanted to share with you my favorite soap at the moment:  Organic Peppermint Tea Tree Oil handmade soap from Prairie Sunshine Soaps.  It is so refreshing to bathe with, especially during the hot days we have been experiencing.  It makes the skin tingle and feel completely rejuvenated and refreshed.  If you are in the market for a soap like this, check out this link:

Organic Peppermint Tea Tree soap at Prairie Sunshine Soaps

And here are some photos:

Happy June, tout le monde!

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Paix.

                         Amour.

                                               Menthe Poivrée!

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I'm in love with this SOAP!

I know it sounds slightly irrational, but I made this Apricot Freesia soap a couple of days ago and just cut it this evening.  I am in LOVE with it!  J'adore ce savon!

The apricot color is of course reminiscent of actual apricots.  And I used white and yellow to represent freesia.  It smells like a lovely late spring day!  Lovely!

Watch me cut the soap here:

and unveil it here:

And here are the crêpes that Sean made for school.  Elles sont délicieuses!

I hope you have a lovely week!

--J

Thankful for family; 15% discount in our soap shop

Thanksgiving vacation is winding down and I feel quite thankful for many things in my life:  family, friends, clothing, shelter...I am very grateful for all the blessings in my life.

Mother and children 2014

I love my kids so much, despite the fact that one is a teenager and one is a preteen.  Sinceriously, I will ALWAYS love my children.  I relish telling them that I cannot wait until they get homes of their own so that I can come over and jump on their couches or leave Fruit Roll-Ups wrappers lying around.  They are my treasures et je les aimerai pour toujours!

Mother and children 2008

And now for the whole familial unit together:

J'adore ma famille!  

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In other news, we are offering 15% off your entire purchase at our Prairie Sunshine Soaps Etsy shop!  Enter coupon code HOLIDAY2014 to get the discount.  This offer is good through December 31, 2014!  Click here to get to our shop.

Here is our latest soap for your consideration:

Have a wonderful weekend!

New Soaps and Olicity!

Just made this lovely Organic Lavender Handmade Soap:

It will be ready for purchase at Prairie Sunshine Soaps' Etsy shop around December 15, 2014.

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Here is a soap that I just put up for sale in our shop today:

Yes, it's Perfect Pumpkin Handmade Soap with Bentonite Clay.  It smells like pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, and maple.  It's very spicy and lovely.  Check it out here.

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And I must mention Arrow again today.

Why?

Well, because Olicity!

Have a super week!

Fall is in the Air!

Can you feel it?

New Autumn soap:  Apple Jack

Take a look at a new soap I've just put on my Etsy shop, Apple Jack Handmade Soap:

I love the gorgeous colors and the scrumptious and spicy fragrance!  

Another thing I love about Fall is this poem:

Chanson d'automne

Les sanglots longs

Des violons

De l'automne

Blessent mon coeur

D'une langueur

Monotone.

Tout suffocant

Et blême, quand

Sonne l'heure,

Je me souviens

Des jours anciens

Et je pleure

Et je m'en vais

Au vent mauvais

Qui m'emporte

Deçà, delà,

Pareil à la

Feuille morte.

Paul Verlaine

Poèmes saturniens

I have my French 2 students memorize this poem every Autumn.  It is one of my all-time favorites, as well as the song by Charles Trenet.  I made a video using that song and featuring my family from 2010.  Check it out on my YouTube channel.
I hope you enjoy it!  And may your Fall days be filled with bright colors, scrumptious fragrances, and lovely music! 

Oh, and alpacas too!   Because ALPACAS!   

A couple of new soaps

I wanted to share a couple of new soaps I just put in my Etsy shop:

Sensuous Sandalwood Handmade Soap

and Sandalwood Vanilla Handmade Soap:

These two soaps have lovely fragrances.  The Sensuous Sandalwood is more masculine whereas the Sandalwood Vanilla has a sweeter scent.  

Find them both at my Etsy shop here. 

Have a bright, sunshiny week!  

Wonderful new soap and a matching washcloth, too!

Our Grapefruit Handmade Soap has finally cured, and I couldn't be happier with how it looks and smells.

And serendipitously, I finished making a washcloth using Peaches & Creme cotton yarn in Candy Colors  yesterday.  I didn't realize it until I started taking pictures of the grapefruit soap this morning that the colors in the washcloth match really well with the soap.  I haven't decided if I will sell this washcloth in my Etsy shop or use it.  It is so pretty, if I may say so myself!  

I hope your day is exploding with happy colors!  Happy crafting!