Fun With Perfume Oils

There are a lot of reasons to love handmade bath & body and one of my absolute favorites is the huge variety of fragrances available. Each soapmaker has there own special collection, and there's huge room for variation and experimentation amongst those! This is the main reason I'm totally in love with my 5ml perfume oils- at $5 each or $18 for 4 you can enjoy them as-is, or collect a bundle and blend your own custom fragrances right in the palm of your hand!

Just roll a little of one bottle into your palm, then add another and another until you end up with a blissful creation all your own. Here are some blending ideas to get you started:

Sandalwood & True Rose
Sandalwood & Vanilla Sugar
Lavender & True Rose
White Peach & Appletini
Seaberry & Sweet Pea
Vanilla Sugar & True Rose
Vanilla Sugar & Lavender
Vanilla Sugar & White Peach
Sandalwood & Lavender

You Choose- Naming Poll!

For the new year, many of my soaps will be getting an updated look and one (Lemon Curd) will be receiving a fancy new name! While Lemon Curd smells delicious, with tart, juicy lemons layering over the enticing aroma of sweetened whipped cream, the word "curd" is something of a romance killer. So this poor little soapie needs a new name, select your favorite in the poll below!

The Cuteness

I don't know how I get any work done with this girl hanging around wanting to play and be admired allllll day.

White Peach Redux

White Peach is high on the list of my personal favorites, it's juicy and crisp and just about everything one could ask for in a clean, fruity scent. It's loved by men and women, and in my latest restocking of this summery treat I spruced up the design just a touch. Look for the new design to be off the curing rack in about a week.

Of course, white peaches taste fantastic too. Here's a great way to enjoy them from AllRecipes.com:


White Peach Fruit Salad

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
  
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 1-inch strips of lemon zest
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 4 mango, pitted, peeled, and cut into chunks
• 4 white peaches, pitted and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored, and sliced
• 4 (6 ounce) containers fresh raspberries
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Place the sugar, honey, water, lemon zest, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes. Strain the syrup through a mesh strainer; refrigerate until cold.
2. Place the mango, peaches, apple, raspberries, mint, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into a mixing bowl. Pour the chilled syrup overtop and gently stir to combine.

Jewelry Craftiness

I've been on a jewelry kick lately, mostly making up earrings as I just receive a new spool of gorgeous copper wire and a collection of vintage findings and cabochons which are a blast to work with. I also restocked some White Peach soap last night, and gave it a slight redesign which I'll be showing off here tomorrow!

Scruby Goodness

Have I mentioned Raspberry Vanilla sugar body polishes are in stock yet? I should, because they're fan-freakin-tastic! In fact, all the Raspberry Vanilla goodies are to die for gorgeous!

New Things and More

Hello all! Thank you everyone for your input on which sugar scrub scents you prefer, more are in the making as per your suggestions and I hope to be rolling them out next month. I also have a lovely kitchen soap and complimentary hand cream on the horizon, a perfect gift set for the cook in your life.

On a personal note, my boyfriend Joey and I have recently become engaged! Shortly afterward, we adopted this precious two year old cat from ARF and have been spending a lot of time getting her adjusted to her new house. Here is little miss kitty on adoption day:

Boss Me Around: Sugar Scrub Scents

As the winter months near and requests for sugar scrubs grows, I've been looking into expanding the amount of scrubs I keep in stock at any given time. Currently, my two best selling scrubs are of course Seaberry and Appletini. I'd like to know, what would you guys like to see in a Sugar Body Polish Fragrance?

So go ahead, boss me around! ;) You can select as many as you'd like in the poll to the right, or leave me a comment with something entirely different!

Etsy Finds: Spice Market

Etsy and ArtFire both are full of wonderful items, unfortunately they often get buried under hundreds of thousands of listings and it's impossible to find all the gems floating about. In an effort to share some of my personal favorites, I'm going to start hosting "Etsy/ArtFire Finds" with a theme to tie it all together. ;)

Spice Market Etsy Finds
Click The Images To View The Etsy Listing

Happenings and New Goodies

I was honored this week to be interviewed by the lovely Cindi of Handmade News, doing the interview itself was a lot of fun and the response so far has been spectacular. Truly, the Indie community never fails to amaze me in its unending support of fellow artisans and small business owners. I can't believe it has only been a few years now since the handmade movement began picking up momentum, and now it seems like every other person I run into has taken the Handmade Pledge. We're taking over the world, one niche market at a time. ;)

Last night I put the finishing touches on a fully cured batch of gorgeous True Rose soap, and set out on the curing rack a fresh batch of a brand new fragrance- Cucumber Spa. It's so good, I can't wait to get it out to you guys! This next week I'll be finalizing gift packaging for the holiday season, keep an eye out for pedicure packs and fragrance lover gift sets in the near future!

New Scent Addition: Sun & Surf

Introducing the newest addition to the Blushie line, Sun & Surf. I grew up moving between Seattle, Whidbey Island, and later Newport Beach on down to San Francisco. Living close to the beach my whole life has given me a huge love of water, and I have a soft spot for the cold, wild oceans of the northwest. This fragrance blend, unique to Blushie Bath & Body, was inspired by those rugged beaches. It is a combination of cold, salty breezes and warm, earthy sands.

That lovely scene on the label is a photo taken by yours truly in the small town of Shelter Cove, CA.

Scent of the Week Sale, Strawberry Champagne!

Scent of the Week Sale!
Strawberry Champagne soap will be on sale for $4.00 from 08/20/09-08/27/09. On the 27th a new scent will be chosen to be offered at a discounted price!

A bright, effervescent blend of fresh picked strawberries and bubbling champagne make this bar the perfect way to celebrate every shower.

Scent of the Week Sale, Oatmeal & Honey!

Oatmeal & Honey soap will be on sale for $4.00 from 08/12/09-08/19/09. On the 19th a new scent will be chosen to be offered at a discounted price!

A classic comfort fragrance, oatmeal & honey is rich, warm, and a little bit sweet.

Building a Nourishing Sugar Scrub

There are a huge variety of scrubs available on the bath and body market today, and the choices are at times overwhelming. In this post, I'm going to outline the ingredients included in my very popular Sugar Body Polish so you know just what it's all doing for your skin.

Sugar: By far the most ubiquitous ingredient in body scrubs and polishes, Blushie scrubs used refined white sugar, with a small grain size. I chose this particular type of sugar as it is very gently exfoliating, and lasts just long enough in the shower to get the dry skin off while still dissolving to rinse cleanly down your drains.

Shea Butter: Crushed from the fruit of the karite tree, Shea Butter almost needs no introduction. This rich, creamy butter is an excellent emollient (skin soother and softener) while also performing well as a moisturizer. Shea absorbs rapidly into the skin without leaving behind a greasy barrier.

Coconut Oil: I use a form of coconut oil know as "92 degree," which means that it has a much higher melt point than the usual 72 degree version, but will still melt when it comes in contact with the body. The addition of this oil, besides being an excellent emollient in its own right, helps the scrub keep its dense form while still being extremely rich and creamy.

Avocado Oil: Hands down my favorite oil in skin care, avocado oil is extremely nutrient dense containing vitamins B1, B2, A, D, and E and is loaded with multiple proteins and amino acids. This combination makes it an extremely soothing oil with regenerative properties. It skins into the skin easily and leaves the skin feeling dewy and soft.

Cocoa Butter: They make chocolate out of this, what's not to love? Cocoa butter is loaded with natural antioxidants and leaves behind a non-greasy barrier that helps retain and restore the moisture in your skin.

Polysorbate 20: What the heck is this? Well, Poly20 is an excellent, gentle emulsifier. An emulsifier is something that allows water and oils to combine, to create an emulsion- like a lotion. With the addition of Poly20 to my scrubs, when the oils and butters combine with the water in your shower or tub, they emulsify in use to create a soothing lotion that rinses completely clean instead of leaving behind a greasy feel.

Fractionated Coconut Oil: This is a version of coconut oil in which the long-chain fatty acids have been removed, making the oil liquid and room temperature. Due to the very small molecular size of fractionated coconut oil, this adds considerable glide and smoothness to the scrub.

Poppy Seeds: Add a bit of color and fun to the scrub.

Fragrance: A propriety blend of natural and synthetic fragrance components to create a delightful aroma.

Mica: A mineral-derivative coloring agent that adds a bit of sparkle to the scrub.

Phenoxyethanol & caprylyl glyvcol: A gentle, low-impact preservative designed to protect the user from environmental contaminations such as mold, yeast, and bacteria. Never ever use a body product that contains, or comes in contact with, water that does not contain a real preservative.

Scent of the Week Sale, Vanilla Sugar!

Scent of the Week Sale!
Vanilla Sugar soap will be on sale for $4.00 from 07/22/09-07/29/09. On the 29th a new scent will be chosen to be offered at a discounted price!

This bakery-sweet vanilla is lusciously rich and deep, a favorite of all vanilla fans! And I am a *huge* vanilla fan.

Scent of the Week - Sunrise Citrus

Scent of the Week Sale!
Sunrise Citrus soap will be on sale for US $4.00 from 6/21/09-6/27/09. On the 20th a new scent will be chosen to be offered at a discounted price!

Wake up! Sunrise citrus is a great way to start your day. An energizing blend of orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, yuzu and a touch of mango, this is any citrus lover’s fantasy fragrance.

Scent of The Week - Blackberry Sage Soap

Scent of the Week Sale!
Blackberry Sage soap will be on sale through the Etsy and ArtFire storefronts for US $4.00 from 6/14/09-6/20/09. On the 20th a new scent will be chosen to be offered at a discounted price!

Blackberry Sage is an intoxicating balance between sweet, juicy blackberries and herbal, earthy sage blackberry sage is wonderful unisex fragrance and a nice twist on a classic berry scent.

Market Season Begins

Spring has arrived in California with gusto, and I like to kick of my market season with something a little different. This year, I vended at the Vacaville Fantasy Festival, and it was a blast!

Vacaville is a bit of a drive from Blushie HQ, so we were up at 5am loading the car but arrived a bit earlier than expected. I'm generally okay with this, as the first day of any festival it's always difficult to judge just how much time you'll need to get things straightened out.

We tried out the new giant "SOAP" sign that Joey so carefully painted, and it was a hit. You could see people a block away point it out and then come wandering on over.

Surprisingly, it ended up being very hot both days (moreso on Saturday than Sunday) so we had to be very careful with the placement of Whipped Sheas and Bath Melts.

As the day got warmer, more people started dropping by in search of one of our lip balms. Best selling was the Unflavored balm, followed shortly by French Vanilla. The festival fire-eater even purchased and approved the Unflavored Lip Balm!


Best selling soaps at this festival were:
Blackberry Sage
Seaberry
Appletini
Sandalwood
White Peach

This season is off to a great start! Come visit us May 2nd and 3rd at the Livermore Wine Festival!

ArtFire Shop Up and Running

Of the numerous sites out there for handmade crafters and artisans to sell their creations, ArtFire is relatively new. However, having just sold of the last of their first 5,000 available verified shops on March 29th they are shooting up in popularity. ArtFire shops, called sudios, have a very user-friendly layout and probably one of the best ideas in a handmade selling site yet: account-free checkout! See below an example of their rapid cart system:

blushie

Buy Handmade

I believe ArtFire is really growing into a wonderfully creative, and innovative community and am proud to have opened a Blushie shop as one of their charter members.

About those florals

Fresh off the curing rack: Wild Violet Soap. I'm normally not a great lover of floral scents, but I think that's mostly because the florals I grew up with were heady and powdery. Lately I've been soaping some truly wonderful, full and fresh floral scents and this violet is definitely one of my favorites. It's much more woman-of-the-woods than woman-of-the-talc-powder.

On a personal note, my boyfriend's little sister is dropping by later tonight so that we can take her to the Da Vinci exhibit at The Tech in San Jose tomorrow morning. Art History classes, don't fail me now!

Labels ahoy

I love making soap, designing labels, finding just the right adhesive vinyl to print them on, getting the colors just right, and seeing my shiny soaps all lined up in their pretty packages with their swish colors and freshly printed labels.

I. Do. Not. Like. Cutting Labels.

Especially when my paper cutter has suddenly decided it has had quite enough of my abuse, thank you very much, and spit the blade out with a vengeance that no super glue can mend. Even when the cutter is working well, things can be a hassle. These are adhesive labels after all, and after about the millionth sheet the little blade has a tendency to get gunked up. Trying to wipe off a super sharp piece of metal with a tiny little nib of plastic to grip is no fun, I assure you.

Alas, I like the look of my labels too much to change to a standard size that would make them a peel-and-stick affair, so I'm sitting down with some powder-coated scissors tonight to snip out a couple of sheets. I'm a glutton for punishment it seems.