Yes, another weather report. It is HOT outside. Even with the AC cranking, I don’t want to spend any appreciable time on the eastern side of my house. Which is the side my bedroom is on, and the living room…oh well. It is nearly 100 degrees every day the past few weeks and I’m exhausted already with the heat.

Today has already been quite busy. It is about 10am where I sit and I’ve already made breakfast, cleaned up, dusted, swept, changed sheets on my bed, ironed my new bedskirt (and put it on), organized my armoire (where I keep assorted things from candle holders to quilts), etc. I have a lot more to do.

Today’s agenda: photography (yeah, I know, but I’m seriously going to do it, because I really HAVE too. No more dodging this one).

I’m also finishing up some mending. You know you pay a lot for clothing and you still have to do ‘stuff’ to it. Like a shirt that needs stitching not to gape at the bosom and streamlining so that you aren’t asked if you’re pregnant.

Seriously. I have this pretty cool top I bought from a major designer (guy name) and it was a bit ‘floaty’ at the hem. Well, I’m not a skinny, and I guess it ‘poufed out’ a bit much. Cause the second time I wore it an older lady asked me when the baby was due! Umm, I’m 51 and let’s just say that if I had a baby at this point in time, I’d be really really nervous. And while I’m a good person, I’m not THAT holy…if you catch my drift.

So, no impending birth, just a bit more fabric than necessary. So I took off 6″ (yep) around the bottom by removing the ‘flare’ and now it fits closer to the body (just as easy to take on and off, by the way) and doesn’t make me look impending. That’s a good thing.

I also made a new decorative pillow for the bed. The bedroom remodel is nearly complete. The new laminate flooring is down and I have to paint and put up baseboards. And I have to paint some new art as the old stuff is….boring to me, now.

AND, I have to MAKE SOAP! I’ve been playing with some new techniques. And I have some new ideas that are going to move in an entirely new direction (can you say, cool new soap tools?) but for the moment, I have about 8 new fragrances to pour in soap.

I’m making (at least) Blueberries & Cream, Espresso, Summer Peach, Bloom and Pink Grapefruit. But maybe a few more. It all depends on mood. Like all of my soaps, these aren’t going to be plain janes. I do have a tendancy to want to overwork everything, and since ‘simple’ (at least my definiton of simple) is my mantra (now…) I’m going to make these simple in design and as usual, simply wonderful to use.

Use code LOVESOAP to save 20% off my entire store! (Jar candles are exempt, sorry, but they are REALLY heavy and I already (with my $4.95 shipping) eat a huge chunk of your shipping cost…)

See you there! Thanks for reading.

Actually, even a few hours makes a difference in Texas weather! Last week, at this time, we were getting ready for another blast of Old Man Winter.

Based on the 70plus temps today, I think he decided to heed that groundhog and end winter a bit early! Which is great news for me. I LOVE spring! Soft breezes, warm sunlight and best of all, FLOWERS!

I adore flowers. Flower scents, too. Which is why I always look forward to this time of year. Truly, I sell many more candles in the fall season, due to the fact that folks are trapped indoors and want to freshen the air. But in the spring I pour all of the soft summer scents. Here’s a quick look!

An assortment of jar candles, can't you just smell them?

Honeysuckle, Cherry Blossom and Melonade (a blend of succulent melon and tart lemons) are pictured. But I make a LOT of floral fragrances. This year look for Lilac, Jasmine (of course, always popular), Plumeria (a staple of my line), Gardenia, Summer Garden, Bloom and many more! Of course, not to be outdone, there’s also the lovely lighter herbals like Lemongrass and Bamboo.

Spring is a really great season for fabulous scent. Not too heavy. But definitely ‘there’ and fresh and scent. I know you’ll love them.

Check back in a few weeks, as I’ll be refreshing the scent list with a few new ones (maybe even a few I haven’t decided upon yet!). In the meantime, throw off the winter blues and try on some softer colors….like pink!

Here's a few of my new Simple Indulgence Soaps. Wrapped like a little present, each bar produces super creamy lather that might make you feel a wee bit indulgent. But you aren't...not at all!

Snow and ice and sleet and…well, I’m not happy right now. Those aren’t my favorite weather AT all!

BRRRRRRR!

But I’ve stayed busy. True to my promise (just a few weeks later than I wanted) my Simple Indulgence soap is ready for your viewing pleasure. I think (and may have posted) that I was thinking of calling it Simply Shea. But while the soap DOES have shea in it, it is not just shea butter. So I decided to change the name. Simple Indulgence really fits. Not only is it simple to use (a bar of soap, after all) but the lather is so creamy and so lush that you might feel that you are actually indulging yourself! 

All fourteen scents are ready for you. Lilac, Waterlily, Sweet Pea, Gardenia, Rose Petals and Sunflower hold up the flower banner. Eucalyptus Mint, Almond Royale (the same wonderful scent that I put in my lotion bars!), Valencia, Vanilla Lime, Pomegranate Peach, Pineapple, Orchid Tea and Tranquility round out the scent list. You’re sure to find at least one favorite on this list!

Personally, I have like 8…but who’s counting?

Stay warm. Take care of yourself. And if you feel like a little splurge…well, here’s the link to the page showing all of the Simple Indulgence soaps. Have fun shopping!

http://www.coquettebath.com/index.php?cPath=21_49

Because I now have 4 new scents of bath bombs drying in my work cabinet. Green Apple, Dream, Raindrops and Coconut Cream! When I say it smells good, well that is an understatement. The smell is utterly delectable. I know you’re going to adore them.

I should begin listing these in the next week. My problem is, always, photography. I make great products, but my photography skills…well while I will admit that my photography skills have drastically improved in the last year or so, I’m still FAR from pro. I guess that that does make sense. I have spent the vast majority of my time perfecting my recipes, rather than my ability to see through a camera lens.

But soon, I’ll show them off to you. I have, at this moment, the following scents (in addition to those listed). Lavender, Cherry, Plumeria, Fresh, Lemon Sugar, Lemongrass and Pomegranate. Still to be made (but in the plans) are Frostbite, Milk & Honey, and Rose. Each of my products is wrapped in a bright foil before being bagged and labeled. I went with the bags due to my desire to limit landfill waste. I hope you don’t mind. Boxes ARE cute, but they also add to the expense, as well as the landfill. I like to be conscious of my footprint as well as your wallet.

These are all coming soon. But now I have to figure out what scents fit with chartreuse, orange, black and burgundy. Cause I have those foil colors, too!

Ok, gratituous plug…I make great lotion. I do. Really.

But a few years ago, looking at the vast array of items, and the limited amount of storage space, I reluctantly decided to discontinue it. Over the months, I’ve gotten a few inquiries, but managed to resist the urge to make lotion.

Until this week, that is.

You see, a month or so ago, I brought a bunch of lotion to work and gave it away. It was older bottles (still perfectly good, just using my old business name and well….) and I didn’t want to sell it. After a few days, I found a few more bottles. And mailed them off to friends far away.

Then the requests started coming in. So, after about 9 emails pleading with me, and a few very determined neighbors and coworkers, I finally threw up my hands and decided that, even though I still don’ t know–exactly–where I’ll put the finished products, I was going to make some lotion.

I did it the first time the other night. I forgot an ingredient, though, and added it ‘late’. Wouldn’t you know it, that the lotion separated? UGH! I’ve done that before. I do know better. But I was rushing and one thing I’ve learned over the years is that you just can’t rush when making products. I’ve made an entire batch of soap and suddenly remembered that I’d forgotten the fragrance, for example.

So I know not to rush. But somehow, I did. I threw that batch away. And tonight, I sanitized my work space, and my utensils and bowls and proceeded to knock out some very lovely lotion (if I do say so myself). Smooth and creamy for sure.

I don’t like to knock other products on the market. But I do have a few pet peeves. And you can find a lot of them wrapped up in the basic theme of lotion. Firstly, if you have a bottle of commercial lotion handy, look at the label (don’t worry, I’ll give you a few minutes to go and get it…)

Ready? Did you notice the list of ingredients? Of course, water is the first one listed. Ingredients in bath products, like all products, have to be listed in descending order by amount. So, it makes sense that liquid water would be first, right? I agree. Perfectly sensible. But how about that second ingredient? I’d lay a bet that it is probably glycerin. Maybe #3 is mineral oil or a derivative. And now, I’m feeling the blood pressure rise.

Why? Well, glycerin is a water soluble product. It’s a humectant and in soap (because glycerin is a natural byproduct of soap production and is in all bars of REAL soap). Why are you using lotion? To help your skin stay soft and supple, right? Does it make sense to put an ingredient on your skin that will wash off the moment your hands hit water? Not to me, it doesn’t.

What about that mineral oil? Well, I’ve heard various stories on this, but after lots of trial and error, I think I have an answer that makes sense. Mineral is a petroleum derivative. It’s cheap. Ever rub petroleum jelly on your body? Doesn’t sink in, does it? That makes this perfect for barrier medicines and treatments, like diaper rash ointment, because in that situation, we want to create a barrier between the skin and moisture.

But how about when you actually want the lotion to absorb into your skin? Mineral oil, as a primary ingredient in a lotion, is not a help. Your hands stay greasy and personally, I hate the slimy feel.

So you ask (cause you know there is a point, don’t you?) what do I use? Excellent question. Gold star. I use vegetable oils. Shea oil (a derivative of shea butter), apricot kernel oil and coconut oils. I have made what I call ‘EXTREME’ lotion and add some avocado to that basic blend.

I’m very proud of my lotion. It’s soothing and creamy. Lovely and moisturizing. It will probably eventually be available in 8-10 scents, but for today, I’m staring at neatly packaged bottles of Lavender, Plumeria, Lemon Sugar, Lemongrass, Raindrops and Basil Sage Mint lotion.

They look lovely. Look for them on my site, soon.

I just have to take pictures. And that’s a whole ‘nother story.