New Family Craft

We are working our way into a new craft that we are hoping to eventually turn into a business that each of the children will have a part in. Even though we already have the soap business, the kids are not really able to participate, because of the possibility of danger dealing with the lye during the process of making soap.

They do have an opportunity to help in some of the other aspects, but being that it can be the tedious, boring parts that really don't lend to a true sense of accomplishment, we are venturing into some other things that they can do and call their own.
Matt and the boys always enjoy getting the opportunity to play with leather tooling during some of their Cub/Boy Scout activities, so recently we began working with leather. We are still working out many, many details, but so far it has been fun for most of the kids that are old enough to participate.

Matt began making a unique line of cup holders to "Dress Up Your Solo Cup" in order to give people the option to give their cup a unique look that will help it to stand out among the sea of cups that are at social events, but also give them structure, support, and a better grip.

The holders can be customized countless different ways with names, logos, and designs. He is also working on some bottle koozies, and possibly can koozies in the future. The design potential is endless and only limited to the imagination. Business logos, names, symbols like Fraternity/Sorority letters, we are looking forward to the custom possibilities with these it could be really fun to see what potential customers can dream up.

Our oldest, Nathan, has begun making bracelets, rings, and eventually wants to make larger pieces like armor...for now I've encouraged him to stick with the smaller more practical things that actually have real-world application at this point, well that and I would rather him build skills on smaller pieces before tackling something like a set of armor.

In doing some of these recent projects Nathan will be earning his leather working badge in Boy Scouts as he gains more crafts skills to call his own. We love the opportunity to encourage these types of skills in the kids so that they may eventually enjoy a craft/skill that is quickly becoming a lost art. So far he has gotten several commissions  for a few types of bracelets already. He has a good eye at design and is very good at tooling designs onto the leather. 

Nathan(14)...Practice work

The younger boys were really eager to get to design and stamp their own stuff. For a while they were grabbing scrap pieces that Matt and Nathan had left over on the ends and pieces. Noah began to actually create some nice/cute creative designs so I cut out some round pieces for them to make their own little creations.

Noah(9)

Noah(9)...His own design

Jacob(7)... His own design

Noah(9)...his own design.

The kids and Matt were having way too much fun, so I had to try too and began making some barrettes...

Once you get started making things it is really difficult not to want to make more and different things. So in the future I will be trying to make things like bookmarks, small wallets/coin purses, notebook covers, little charms, and possibly random art pieces for people to incorporate into their own arts and crafts projects and jewelry.

 We have already begun to look at other practical applications and suggestions and requests that were asked about like belts, arm guards, guitar straps, dog collars, handbags, and a couple of other things...well, you know all in good time and all when the income for future projects has been generated.

Soap: New Batches...

Just out of the molds and onto the curing racks. These are the first batches of the year. As with all the soap we make, every bar is a unique and individual creation cut by hand. Each one will differ slightly size and shape. Every bar containing color, or herbs will vary from bar to bar as well as batch to batch. The color, design and sometimes even the scent are always a state of evolution... I love the ability of always having a product that is growing, changing, and evolving over time...I hope you do too.

Lavender

Plain, simple, gentle, fabulous. If you are a fan of Lavender this bar of soap will probably win you over. It is one of the simplest bars that we make other than plain old soap, unscented Oat and Grain, and Lavender Oatmeal. A simple base soap of Olive, Palm, Coconut, Castor, Almond and Shea Butter, with Lavender and Tea Tree essential oils for scent. These bars contain no color, or exfoliants, they are made simply so that even the most sensitive skins can use it. . Lavender is a calming and soothing scent. These make great soaps the days you need a bath to unwind, or a soothing bath for baby.

                                                      

Orange Eucalyptus

This is an excellent bar of soap for a citrus lover, the combination of Orange, Eucalyptus, and a cinnamon swirl makes this bar a wonderful morning shower bar. It has a warm, spicy herbal scent, sometimes it reminds me of orange cinnamon rolls.

Patchouli Lavender

The mixture of Patchouli and Lavender creates the most amazing scent combination, it is  warm, earthy, inviting scent. Even though floral scents are used, this soap is actually designed to be a manly scent. It has become our best selling unisex bar, and probably our most popular bar sold.

Patchouli Rose

Very similar to Patchouli Lavender, this bar is a beautiful combination of the earthy scent of Patchouli, and the lovely scent of rose a creates the most amazing scent combination, it is  warm, earthy, and inviting and maybe even sensual and alluring.This is NOT the sweet rose fragrance oil that comes to mind when you first think of rose scent. This soap is a special soap that we don't make very often because it uses the real essential oil of rose that creates depth in the scent that fragrance oils just can not reach.

Rosemary Mint

Another of our most popular scents. Rosemary is a blend of several essential oils with the main focus being a mixture of  Rosemary and Peppermint. Each of our scent blends are carefully considered and blended together to make the wonderful scents in the finished bars...It is almost like layering the flavors of a fine wine. This is a classic scent that is liked by most, strong, invigorating, wake you up kind of scent. The peppermint even leaves a tingle when you use it. 

Serendipity

This bar is a citrus floral that we love making at the beginning of  spring. The scent combination just seems to be Spring-like. The juicy scent of lime, mixed with the floral of several lovely flowers, come together reminiscent of fresh dew on new spring leaves.

These will all be available next week, and for the May Maker's Market on the Square in Oxford. We will also be restocking at Mississippi Madness, and The Farmer's Market. We are always open at Cypress Lake Soap's Website visit us there to see what is currently available. 

 Keep checking back with us to see what will be coming up next...and along with these new batches, new sample bars and soap rocks have also been created. If you like smaller sizes of soap or want to try something out first, be sure to check out these options.

Christmas on the Bayou

For the past three years we have built a Gingerbread Display for The Gertrude C. Ford Center here in Oxford as a way of advertising our little budding soap business Cypress Lake Soap, and also as a way of contributing to benefiting our community because the Gingerbread Village also collects food for the local food banks and pantries in our area. This year in honor of our little business, We decided to recreate a scene reminiscent of the poem A Cajun Night Before Christmas.

Every year the kids have been able to participate a little more than the previous years. I like that it is becoming a collective effort and as they get older they are able to do and accomplish more. This year most of the gingerbread was created by me, but the boys helped by making animals from the chocolate clay that I made. They made chickens, alligators, chairs, pots, birds, rocks, nests, eggs, a deer, and cypress knees. The princess helped by testing, tasting, molding and eating what she molded. She said it was all pretty good. Matt helped with the trees, and made a couple of the cutest raccoons.

We worked for weeks and yesterday when it was finally finished and ready to be driven to its new home we couldn't get it through the door. It is quite a bit easier to get a 3'x 3' pallet through the door when it is turned sideways...and not one of us thought to even check to see if it would fit flat. After trying a couple of doors in the house I finally made the decision to risk it, remove everything that was not fixed in place and have Matt and Nathan turn the pallet while I held the house in place and hoped and prayed that everything else that was stuck on didn't come tumbling off.
There were a few casualties, but fortunately nothing that wasn't repairable, and other than a couple of birds and maybe a squirrel all the animals made it during travel from home to the destination. Although we originally had grander plans and not everything got accomplished, I am very happy with how things turned out and very proud of the work that my family did helping to create our Christmas Bayou Wonderland. I hope you all enjoy it too. I leave you today with pictures of our creation and the Cajun Night Before Christmas poem...




 Cajun Night Before Christmas

 Twas the night before Christmas an' all t'ru de house,
 Dey don't a ting pass Not even a mouse.
 De chirren been nezzle good snug on de flo',
 An' Mama pass de pepper t'ru de crack on de do'.

 De Mama in de fireplace done roas' up de ham,
Sit up de gumbo an' make de bake yam.
 Den out on de by-you dey got such a clatter,
 Make soun' like old Boudreau done fall off his ladder.

 I run like a rabbit to got to de do',
 Trip over de dorg an' fall on de flo'.
 As I look out de do'in de light o' de moon,
 I t'ink, "Mahn, you crazy or got ol' too soon."

Cux dere on de by-you w'en I stretch ma'neck stiff,
 Dere's eight alligator a pullin' de skiff.
 An' a little fat drover wit' a long pole-ing stick,
I know r'at away got to be ole St.Nick.

 Mo' fas'er an' fas'er de' gator dey came
 He whistle an' holler an' call dem by name:
 "Ha, Gaston! Ha, Tiboy! Ha, Pierre an' Alcee'!
 Gee, Ninette! Gee, Suzette! Celeste an'Renee'!

 To de top o' de porch to de top o' de wall,
 Make crawl, alligator, an' be sho' you don' fall.
" Like Tante Flo's cat t'ru de treetop he fly,
 W'en de big ole houn' dorg come a run hisse's by.

 Like dat up de porch dem ole 'gator clim!
 Wit' de skiff full o' toy an' St. Nicklus behin'.
Den on top de porch roof it soun' like de hail,
W'en all dem big gator, done sot down dey tail.

 Den down de chimney I yell wit' a bam,
 An' St.Nicklus fall an' sit on de yam.
 "Sacre!" he axclaim, "Ma pant got a hole
 I done sot ma'se'f on dem red hot coal."

 He got on his foots an' jump like de cat
Out to de flo' where he lan' wit' a SPLAT!
 He was dress in musk-rat from his head to his foot,
 An' his clothes is all dirty wit' ashes an' soot.

 A sack full o' playt'ing he t'row on his back,
He look like a burglar an' dass fo' a fack.
 His eyes how dey shine his dimple, how merry!
Maybe he been drink de wine from de blackberry.

 His cheek was like a rose his nose a cherry,
 On secon' t'ought maybe he lap up de sherry.
 Wit' snow-white chin whisker an' quiverin' belly,
He shook w'en he laugh like de stromberry jelly!

 But a wink in his eye an' a shook o' his head
 Make my confi-dence dat I don't got to be scared.
 He don' do no talkin' gone strit to hi work,
Put a playt'ing in sock an' den turn wit' a jerk.

 He put bot' his han' dere on top o' his head,
 Cas' an eye on de chimney an' den he done said:
 "Wit' all o' dat fire an' dem burnin' hot flame,
 Me I ain' goin' back by de way dat I came."

 So he run out de do' an, he clim' to de roof,
 He ain' no fool, him for to make one more goof.
 He jump in his skiff an' crack his big whip,
 De' gator move down, An don' make one slip.

 An' I hear him shout loud as a splashin' he go,

"Merry Christmas to all 'til I saw you some mo'!"

 by Trosclair

If you are local stop by the Gertrude C. Ford Center on the Ole Miss campus and take a look at the local supporters for this years Gingerbread Village . Admission is free, but people are encouraged to share a canned good or non perishable food item for families in need.

Cypress Lake Soap is off to the Races

Recently, we were approached to be part of the Swag Bags that are handed out at the Kentucky Derby. Here is a video interview with the company WOW Creations that puts these amazing gift bags together. We were very excited to participate this year and have the opportunity to have our brand sent out to a broader group of people. If you look closely we are in the front middle of the group.




http://www.whas11.com/great-day-live/video/Kings-of-Swag-show-off-what-celebrities-will-get-at-big-Derby-parties-150169475.html

New Website!

The website for Cypress Lake Soap is finally up and running. We would love to know what you think! The link is CypressLakeSoap.com Come on in and find all your old favorites. Look for our new features and products. 

Soap of the Month

One of our new purchasing options is a Soap of the Month. With this option we are offering a club subscription to try out a new soap. We are offering a 3, 6, or 12 month option. 

New Scent
Amaretto Latte

New Scent
Hotty Toddy

We also have several new scents available and are planning many more over the coming months. We are really excited about all of our new changes and we hope you will enjoy them too. 

Soap Rocks

A new addition for this season
Soap Rocks

We really like this new idea that some other hand made soap shops are doing. It is a great way to use up some of those extra pieces that are cut from the soap edges and ends. This means less waste for us and a savings for you. These little "gems" are great for guest soaps and kids soaps. They are each unique hand shaped little soaps.

K5 Learning Review

For the last six weeks we were given the opportunity to review a new program geared toward young students Kindergarten to Fifth grade.  K5 Learning is an online program to help strengthen math and reading skills; it was created as a supplement for students as an after school program, but as a home schooling family it also fit into our schedule well for enrichment and further learning.


The program has assessments to see where your child is at on the learning scale between Kindergarten and Fifth Grade, or where there are problem areas that need to be strengthened. The lessons are created to build on what was learned previously and the students are able to do the work on their own at their own pace without a lot of overseeing. The program keeps a record of how each student is progressing, so you know what subjects need extra attention. 


We had two of our children on the trial program and it was enjoyable for both of them. We had the 4 year old and 6 year old working on the program. They both really enjoyed the time they spent working on the programs. The 4 year old caught on quick and was able to work through the Alphabet introduction, and simple math skills with very little help. Sometimes I had to limit the time he spent working on the computer. My main reason for testing it was the 6 year old. He is having a difficult time with reading and I thought that this might help him to get past his troubles. He also picked it up really easily and jumped right in. His lessons were more difficult, but the way the program was set up allowed him to progress through the lessons and give him confidence to continue even though they were tough to begin with. Over all we really enjoyed the program and I am considering a subscription at least for the 6 year old, especially right now because of the difficulties he is having with reading.


One thing that I do have to point out especially for other homeschool families, the program, although enjoyable, can be noisy because of the cartoon-ish nature of it. It gives a lot of positive feedback during each exercise, but if you have other children studying is can be frustrating. It is best to use the program at a time that is not designated as "school time" for homeschool families. (Note: It was suggested that headphones be used to alleviate the noise issue and that it would have helped with some concentration...wish I would have thought of that.)


So to conclude we truly enjoyed this program, I would highly recommend it to other parents with children in this age group. My boys were very disappointed that their "computer homework" was no longer working and I am pretty sure that they would recommend it also. It is a great tool for families that want extra enrichment, those who have struggling students, and those that have little minds eager to know more.  It is fun for kids, but the program is more about education than entertainment, and that is why I would recommend it highly. 

K5 Learning Trial/Review

K5 Learning has an online reading and math program for kindergarten to grade 5 students.  I've been given a 6 week free trial to test and write a review of their program.  If you are a blogger, you may want to check out their  open invitation to write an online learning review of their program.

Chocolate Almond Oatmeal

As delicious as it sounds, it is not breakfast, fudge, or a new granola bar, although I am quite tempted to try it. It is my newest soap scent. I think it came out quite nice. The scent is very strong in almond, which may need a little adjustment, and then the chocolate comes through. It is a nice warm scent. 


If you are interested in trying out this new scent, I am giving away 4 sample sizes. All you have to do is post in my comments and let me know if you have tried any of my soap before, what are your favorites, and follow our blog to get future updates and giveaways. I will randomly draw 4 names to receive a sample of this new scent. If you know of anyone who would be interested in natural soap send them a message, if your friend wins I will send one to you and the friend.

So here's your chance to try a new scent on me.
Good Luck!

I will pull names on Tuesday October 25th.

Realigning Priorities

Apologies for my absence and negligence. I always intend to make sure a post gets done and somehow it just hasn't gotten done.  I find it interesting how being intent on something and having good intentions are so far removed from each other. One is an action and the other is a dream that will probably never be. I say this because lately my life has been flooded with good intentions that I just have not attended to. It is wonderful to have hopes and dreams, but action has to come in order to make it a reality. Unfortunately my good intentions in the last few months have been just that because of inaction. It  begins to permeate other aspects and before you know it life is swirling around you waiting for you to grab hold and take control. The time has come...


Ok, so yes I have started reading a new book that has inspired action...What's this great book, you ask? It's Dave Ramsey's newest book EntreLeadership. I began reading this book because it is time to go forward and make more out of this little business that we have started. Actually, I am really needing to go forward in so many aspects of my life and it is interesting how this book has set that in motion. Although it is a book about business, and Leadership and guiding a team, Mr. Ramsey's words are very far-reaching and can apply to so many aspects of life, not just business. I am about half way through the book and I can't wait to get to the end. The book serves as it's own work book that directs as you go so just like his other books, they can be life changing but it requires work. So thank you Mr. Ramsey for yet another book to ponder and work toward setting new life goals.

So here's to putting dreams into actions, setting goals and putting life into motion again instead of standing in the center of life's tornado watching it go by. One of my first goals again it to give our blog more attention and be more active in posting. So see you soon with another post.

Other books that I am in the process of reading right now: How to Win Friends & Influence People, and Guerrilla Marketing: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business. What are you reading right now?

Garden/Farm Update

As of today Garlic, red shallots,  and yellow onions have been put in the ground. Three tomato plants(creole, sweet 100's I think, and a pink variety that escapes me right now). A few egg gourds just for fun. Sweet Peas and a few bush beans. Yellow squash and zucchini two of each I think. A couple of asparagus plants.

The blueberry bushes seem to be doing really well right now and even though they are really small this year, several are bending under the weight of the berries they are holding so I look forward to future years. I also have five new bushes that need to be planted soon, hopefully this week, but the question is where.

Sadly, the strawberries that I planted a few weeks back do not appear to have taken, so it looks like we will have to try again another time...maybe seeding would be better. It was very disappointing I figured they would take off rather well considering there were already a type growing in that area.

Right now there aren't many flowers actively blooming, except a few purple iris, a couple of roses, and one of my favorite my wild gladiola. It is a beautiful spike of bright fuschia/purple blooms that bob and sway with the wind.

Our weaknesses: The soil really needs amending. I will be sending in soil sample tests soon, but recently we did a home test kit just to see quickly what we were looking at and it was also a great project/science lesson for the kids to see. It turns out that one part of our yard is very acidic, very low in nitrogen and potassium and moderately low in phosphorous...so basically it needs quite a bit of work. We also really need to get more sun into our yard. Although we don't want to clear cut and cause issues, there are very few places in our property that has the daylight hours we need for garden plants.

The chicken run/coop progress has basically just stopped, just way too many things going on and being taken into too many directions. We are still just where we were at the last post...the posts have been put in. All the chickens are still okay where they are; our big girls are happily laying and egg a day(3 total), and the chicks although restless and I am sure ready to be outside will have to hang in there for another couple of weeks.

I am interested in getting several plants...one of the top on my list right now is jewel weed. Mostly because I will be using it in a future soap and spray in next year's soap season. It is good for relieving poison ivy. So I look forward to testing it...especially right now because I have poison ivy...ugh. Licorice, Bay Laural, Artichoke(saw the plant this weekend and love it), a few woodland ferns and other types of shade greenery that could be used for decoration, marsh mallow, and a few others are also on my mind.

The weather is getting really bad so I will post this now and fill in with pictures later...

Random Thoughts of Spring

This year has been very challenging so far. Winter just seemed to drag on way too long for some reason. It is interesting how hectic life can get, but yet the level of accomplishment just doesn't seem to go along with it. It's not to say that nothing gets done, it just gets done at the level of a scattered-brained snail's pace. How do you handle the fog of Winter and get into the Spirit of Spring?

We are finally starting to see and feel the warm sun again. March is a very exciting time of year; new life comes in many forms this time of year, a time of renewal, rebirth and birth on many levels. For many religions it is the Lenten season; a time to step back, remember, and refocus our priorities in our spiritual lives. It is also the beginning of a new Spring and time to get household priorities together and begin to prepare for all the projects both inside and out. It is garden time, time to start organizing the planting beds, getting seedlings started, preparing garden spaces and landscape areas. Farms and Zoos come alive with all the new baby animals. It is such a wonderful experience for children to see the happy playful new babies.

Some of the projects we have started(some conceptual some actual). In welcoming spring I have begun planting mini-landscapes and and creative plantings to get ready for the coming farmer's market season. The kids are looking forward to being involved in the Farmer's Market this year with activities of their own which could be a great learning experience. Because of warmer weather we are all looking forward to being outside to do more nature studies and hopefully getting nature notebooks together. We will be expanding our chicken coop and run area, we lost too many chickens last year (We should get chicks this week). We are also enlarging our garden space and trying new plants this year. Expanding on the products that we make for the soap company and looking for new stores to carry our products.

These were just random thoughts that have been floating around lately. What are your thoughts on Spring and how are you refocusing and start the renewal process for spring in your families?

First Batches of Soap For 2011

Life has a way of getting ahead of you, but finally, two new batches of soap have been created for 2011. They were cut earlier today and are now curing. It is always exciting to cut into a new block of soap. Every batch is different and every bar has it's own unique appearance and beauty. These two batches are some of our first creations and have become well loved standards in our line.

The Orange Eucalyptus was the first soap that started combining multiple essential oils within the soaps. The formula has evolved over the last few years and has become very popular. It has a very warm, comforting scent. I think the addition of cinnamon to the bar has really made it stand out.

Rosemary Mint has by far become one of the best sellers that we have. It is a wonderful combination of Rosemary, Tea Tree, and Mint, and other essential oils that gives it a wonderful uplifting, eye-opening scent. The beautiful clays that are marbled into the batch provide color, texture, and beauty and all the oils selected for the soaps make each one it's own masterpiece, that is also good to your skin.

We are in the process of restocking all of the best sellers and I will soon be making a few new scents to add to the line. The most exciting for me personally this year will be something with vanilla! Keep checking with us to see when your favorite will be restocked for the year.

The New Bars of Soap

Here are the new bars ready for the curing racks.

This green marble batch is Tea Tree Oil.

These Brown bars are Chai Tea.

Newest Soap Curing

Today I will be cutting and setting these two batches of soap to cure. One is Lavender Ylang Ylang(pink), and the other is a new scent that I think will be rather successful. It has, among other essential oils Grapefruit and Jasmine(light yellow). It is lightly citrus and has an exotic feel to it; it is a sweeter floral than I have made previously I did not use the essential oils that have a spicy tone to them so this bar is a bit more feminine than the other florals. The scent of Jasmine is not overwhelming, but it helps to round out the citrus in the bar. In future batches I will probably add a little more scent to make it stronger, but for a first try I am rather happy with it.