If you are interested in starting your own craft business and do not know where to start, I found a book at my local library by Kenn Oberrecht titled "How to Start a Home-Based Craft Business".
This book is an overall good guide that contains all the necessary tool and strategies to launch a successful craft business in your very own home. The author shares his own experiences in starting his craft business and his advice to help you estimate your start-up costs, manage your cash flow, record keeping and stay profitable once you are in business. What is great about this book is that the information is practical and easy to understand and that is what I liked best about the book. It also has a source directory which includes information on where to locate associations, office supplies, craft supplies, craft magazines and more. I found the information on craft supplies, magazines and supplies were not geared for my craft of soap making but you may want to take a look to see if your particular craft is showcased.
I found this book to be easy to read and informative and can be applied to starting your own craft business. I liked the authors handy worksheets and information on managing your craft business (ie job planning, forecasting and scheduling). And the source directory was helpful especially locating craft magazines. Although, the information on search engines looked like it was out of date. Only reason I say that is because most of them are out of business like Excite and Webcrawler.
Overall, I found this book helpful and would use it as a companion book to my other home based business books which include Soapmaking for Fun & Profit: Make Money Doing What You Love! (For Fun and Profit) by Maria Nerius. Also there are some wonderful books by Barbara Brabeck that you may want to look into.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Soapmaking Business Book
If you are interested in earning a living by making soap, then I would recommend a book by Maria Given Nerius titled "Soapmaking for Fun and Profit".
The first part of the book is dedicated on getting started by setting your up your workplace (basic equipment, safety), creative how-to's (Saponification Calculations, Shaping Soap, labeling, packaging, creating your own blends, gathering and drying your own botanicals), creating your soap recipes (handmilled soap recipes), and your craft vision.
The second part of the book is dedicated on how to make money from your soap making creations. Chapters include Profiting from your Talent (teaching, etc.), pricing your soap, selling your soap, marketing your soap and a mini course in craft business basics by Barbara Brabec.
Of course, the book includes a glossary, resources and appendicies. But, I have to say that some of the information in the resources are out of date. For example, I was looking up on the internet a site called When.com. According to the author, When.com is an events directory and personal calendar website. This site was not recognized so it must no longer exist.
I would recommend the overall content because it is geared to creating a soap making business. But, I would also include "How to Start a Home-Based Craft Business" by Kenn Oberrecht and "Homemade Money" by Barbara Brabec.
The first part of the book is dedicated on getting started by setting your up your workplace (basic equipment, safety), creative how-to's (Saponification Calculations, Shaping Soap, labeling, packaging, creating your own blends, gathering and drying your own botanicals), creating your soap recipes (handmilled soap recipes), and your craft vision.
The second part of the book is dedicated on how to make money from your soap making creations. Chapters include Profiting from your Talent (teaching, etc.), pricing your soap, selling your soap, marketing your soap and a mini course in craft business basics by Barbara Brabec.
Of course, the book includes a glossary, resources and appendicies. But, I have to say that some of the information in the resources are out of date. For example, I was looking up on the internet a site called When.com. According to the author, When.com is an events directory and personal calendar website. This site was not recognized so it must no longer exist.
I would recommend the overall content because it is geared to creating a soap making business. But, I would also include "How to Start a Home-Based Craft Business" by Kenn Oberrecht and "Homemade Money" by Barbara Brabec.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Peach Shower Gel Recipe
Ingredients:
3/4 cup distilled water
1/4 cup shampoo concentrate and 1 teaspoon table salt OR
1/2 cup unscented shampoo and 1 1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon apricot kernel oil
15 drops peach fragrance oil
5 drops vitamin E oil (2 oil capsules)
1 drop orange food coloring (optional)
Directions:
Warm water and pour into a ceramic bowl. Add remaining of ingredients, stirring well until blended and thick. Pour into squeeze bottle and close.
If you are looking for other recipes, check out some of the links in the side bar or check in my archive. There are alot of recipes in both places. I am always looking for new recipes to post on my blog, so please return in the future.
Source: http://www.recipegoldmine.com/beautybath/peach-shower-gel.html
3/4 cup distilled water
1/4 cup shampoo concentrate and 1 teaspoon table salt OR
1/2 cup unscented shampoo and 1 1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon apricot kernel oil
15 drops peach fragrance oil
5 drops vitamin E oil (2 oil capsules)
1 drop orange food coloring (optional)
Directions:
Warm water and pour into a ceramic bowl. Add remaining of ingredients, stirring well until blended and thick. Pour into squeeze bottle and close.
If you are looking for other recipes, check out some of the links in the side bar or check in my archive. There are alot of recipes in both places. I am always looking for new recipes to post on my blog, so please return in the future.
Source: http://www.recipegoldmine.com/beautybath/peach-shower-gel.html
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Soapmaking Abbreviations
In the soap making arena many abbreviations and acronyms are used, especially on email lists. Here is a list of the most commonly used acronyms and abbreviations for different methods of making soaps. As more terms come my way, I will be updating this page with the most newly coined ones.
CP -- Cold Process soap is soap that is made by blending oils(fatty acids) and sodium hydroxide together until they reach trace (become homogenized)which results in the heating of the mixture which begins the chemical process called saponification. The yielded result is cold process soap. This is soap made without heating. The process of saponification takes 2-4 weeks to be complete -at the end of which the finished soap is lye free and ready to be used.
CPHP -- Crock Pot Hot Soap is soap that is cooked in a crock pot so that all the lye cooks out and the soap is ready to be used after the cook. The soap is harder to manage because the soap is already setting and thickening by the time the cook is over, making it difficult to manage. Soapers say that the soap has to be “glopped” (plopped) into the mold, rather than poured. The great thing about any cooked soap is that after the cook it is ready to use.
CPOP -- Cold Process Oven Process is soap that starts out as cold process soap then put into heavy duty molds and baked in the oven at a very low temperature. At the end of the bake, the soap is ready to be used. Using this method, one has to be careful that the mold can withstand the heat of the oven and does not become a fire hazard.
CS, CSDBHP -- Closed System Double Boiler Hot Process is exactly what it means, the soap is cooked in a pot that is placed within a pot with water (AKA double boiler, bain marie) after trace and the soap is cooked to speed up the saponification process. The pot is kept tightly sealed and cooked. The benefits of this method is that the soap can be left alone and does not need to stirred as often as a cooked method where the pot is kept open. The resulting cooked soap although ready to use will need to be cured for a week or so so that the excess liquid can evaporate and the soap can dry into a usable product.
DB -- Double Boiler soap is soap that after trace is put into a double boiler and cooked. It may be cooked with the lid on the pot or the lid off. Regardless of wether or not the lid is on or off the pot, at the end of the cook the soap is free of lye.
DH -- The direct Heat method calls for the soap to be directly on the heat in a pot. This method means that the mixture needs to be closely monitored so that the soap does not burn or boil over in the pot.
DWCP, DW -- Discounted Water Cold Process. The rationale for taking a perfectly normal cold process soap recipe and deducting some of the water is so that there will be less water to evaporate from the soap, thereby resulting in soap that dries into harder bars sooner than undiscounted soap.
HP -- Hot Process soap is soap that is cooked or baked after coming to trace. This method yields soap that is ready to be used since all the lye has been cooked out of the soap. With this method one can cook the soap on top of the stove in a closed or open pot or in the oven in a pot or in a mold.
MP or M&P -- Melt and Pour soap is soap that most people are familiar with. This is the type of soap one usually sees in local craft stores. This soap is usually called "soap base". Melt and pour soap allows you to be creative since the only thing that is needed is to melt down the soap, color and fragrance it and pour into the mold and let it set. Melt and pour soap is also called "glycerin soap" because during the manufacturing process the glycerin is left in the soap rather than siphoned off and sold as a byproduct. Removing the glycerin and selling it as a byproduct of soap making is typically the end of most commercial soap making processes. The great news is that melt and pour soap base is some of the most gentle soap for the skin and can be used as is right off the shelf.
OHP -- Oven Hot process is cooked soap. The soap is cooked in the oven after reaching trace rather than on top of the stove. The finished product should not have any lye in it and is ready to use after it has cooled for a of couple hours.
Rebatch -- Rebatching is melting soap (non melt & pour soap) that is usually shredded into fine pieces, adding a small amount of liquid to the shredded soap and melting it over low heat or a double boiler (AKA bain marie). The whole point of rebatching soap is to salvage soap that is imperfect, separated, unattractive, or more importantly, to add ingredients (herbs, decoctions, essential oils, curative ingredients, medicinal ingredients) to the soap that would have otherwise been destroyed by the heat of saponification.
Source: Permission to reprint by Winsome Tapper, Soapmaking Editor, www.bellaonline.com/site/soapmaking.
CP -- Cold Process soap is soap that is made by blending oils(fatty acids) and sodium hydroxide together until they reach trace (become homogenized)which results in the heating of the mixture which begins the chemical process called saponification. The yielded result is cold process soap. This is soap made without heating. The process of saponification takes 2-4 weeks to be complete -at the end of which the finished soap is lye free and ready to be used.
CPHP -- Crock Pot Hot Soap is soap that is cooked in a crock pot so that all the lye cooks out and the soap is ready to be used after the cook. The soap is harder to manage because the soap is already setting and thickening by the time the cook is over, making it difficult to manage. Soapers say that the soap has to be “glopped” (plopped) into the mold, rather than poured. The great thing about any cooked soap is that after the cook it is ready to use.
CPOP -- Cold Process Oven Process is soap that starts out as cold process soap then put into heavy duty molds and baked in the oven at a very low temperature. At the end of the bake, the soap is ready to be used. Using this method, one has to be careful that the mold can withstand the heat of the oven and does not become a fire hazard.
CS, CSDBHP -- Closed System Double Boiler Hot Process is exactly what it means, the soap is cooked in a pot that is placed within a pot with water (AKA double boiler, bain marie) after trace and the soap is cooked to speed up the saponification process. The pot is kept tightly sealed and cooked. The benefits of this method is that the soap can be left alone and does not need to stirred as often as a cooked method where the pot is kept open. The resulting cooked soap although ready to use will need to be cured for a week or so so that the excess liquid can evaporate and the soap can dry into a usable product.
DB -- Double Boiler soap is soap that after trace is put into a double boiler and cooked. It may be cooked with the lid on the pot or the lid off. Regardless of wether or not the lid is on or off the pot, at the end of the cook the soap is free of lye.
DH -- The direct Heat method calls for the soap to be directly on the heat in a pot. This method means that the mixture needs to be closely monitored so that the soap does not burn or boil over in the pot.
DWCP, DW -- Discounted Water Cold Process. The rationale for taking a perfectly normal cold process soap recipe and deducting some of the water is so that there will be less water to evaporate from the soap, thereby resulting in soap that dries into harder bars sooner than undiscounted soap.
HP -- Hot Process soap is soap that is cooked or baked after coming to trace. This method yields soap that is ready to be used since all the lye has been cooked out of the soap. With this method one can cook the soap on top of the stove in a closed or open pot or in the oven in a pot or in a mold.
MP or M&P -- Melt and Pour soap is soap that most people are familiar with. This is the type of soap one usually sees in local craft stores. This soap is usually called "soap base". Melt and pour soap allows you to be creative since the only thing that is needed is to melt down the soap, color and fragrance it and pour into the mold and let it set. Melt and pour soap is also called "glycerin soap" because during the manufacturing process the glycerin is left in the soap rather than siphoned off and sold as a byproduct. Removing the glycerin and selling it as a byproduct of soap making is typically the end of most commercial soap making processes. The great news is that melt and pour soap base is some of the most gentle soap for the skin and can be used as is right off the shelf.
OHP -- Oven Hot process is cooked soap. The soap is cooked in the oven after reaching trace rather than on top of the stove. The finished product should not have any lye in it and is ready to use after it has cooled for a of couple hours.
Rebatch -- Rebatching is melting soap (non melt & pour soap) that is usually shredded into fine pieces, adding a small amount of liquid to the shredded soap and melting it over low heat or a double boiler (AKA bain marie). The whole point of rebatching soap is to salvage soap that is imperfect, separated, unattractive, or more importantly, to add ingredients (herbs, decoctions, essential oils, curative ingredients, medicinal ingredients) to the soap that would have otherwise been destroyed by the heat of saponification.
Source: Permission to reprint by Winsome Tapper, Soapmaking Editor, www.bellaonline.com/site/soapmaking.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
4th Anniversary at The Nova Studio
If you have been considering taking a class at The Nova Studio but you have been hesitant, I would suggest attending their 4th Anniversary Party. There will be hourly demos, make and take craft projects, a barter supply table, tasty snack, treats and more!
The event will be on Saturday, September 29th from 1 to 5 pm at the studio, which is located at 24 W. Richmond Avenue, Pt. Richmond, CA. Visit http://www.thenovastudio.com/ for further details. It is recommend to RSVP to 510-234-5700 so that Lori knows how many people are coming.
I am planning to make a day of it and I hope to see you there!
The event will be on Saturday, September 29th from 1 to 5 pm at the studio, which is located at 24 W. Richmond Avenue, Pt. Richmond, CA. Visit http://www.thenovastudio.com/ for further details. It is recommend to RSVP to 510-234-5700 so that Lori knows how many people are coming.
I am planning to make a day of it and I hope to see you there!
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