Ventures Video Taping Myself

In order to fully promote my handcrafted soap business, Sonoran Scents from the Heart,  I felt the need to make videos of how I make the lovely soaps I have for sale. My movie camera is an iPhone 4 GS. It has a great camera for taking pictures and videos. I've never had any qualms about taking movies of others or of my kitties. Taking videos of myself, however, is proving to be much more challenging!



I needed a tripod to get my iPhone high enough to video tape the counter space where I planned to make my soap. I found a really nice one on Amazon.com. The trouble with it was that it was pretty short! I fixed that problem mounting it on top of my huge coffee thermos. I positioned it so that it was perfect! The iPhone rested against my cabinet to keep it from moving. I got everything ready ... oils and lye perfect temperature ... parchment paper covering stains on cutting board ... everything within arm's reach ... cleared my throat ... took a drink of water ... cleared my throat again. I started sweating. Who would have thought taking a video of yourself would make you feel like you do when you go in for a job interview?


I tried to touch my camera 'button' on the back of the iPhone to start the video. Nothing happened! It couldn't sense my finger because I had gloves on! grr. I had to remove my gloves. Started the video. Tried to put glove back on ... that was a challenge with sweaty hands! Finally! I went through the entire soap-making procedure while making "Frosted Raspberry Soap". I thought it was done perfectly. I checked my iPhone. It had run out of memory!! I spoke so softly that it didn't record my voice anyway. 


Next time, I attempted to video tape myself making Lavender Vanilla Soap. I tried to make sure to have enough memory, speak loudly, and not have gloves on when I turned it on. When I uploaded the movie to my computer, I noticed the iPhone had somehow gotten away from the cabinet and was moving gradually upward, taking pics of my ceiling. AAAAHHHHH! Good thing I'm naturally stubborn!


I video taped the making of Prickly Pear Soap. This one turned out fairly well except that when I turned away from the counter and banged the soap in the mold on the floor to remove air bubbles, a glop of raw, uncured soap popped up and landed right on my lower lip! OUCH! I was still video taping so held in the screams until I'd shut the camera off. 

I think I need to hire someone to video tape for me! Any takers? :)

It's The Thought That Counts... Right?

The holidays are coming and we all want to give a memorable gift for every special person we love. Trouble is, there are LOTS of special people we love and buying something for every single person can add up in a hurry! Maybe making little gifts would be a great idea? ... or not?

I ran across this essay, written by Heather Armitage, and found it so delightfully funny, that I wanted to share it with all of you! Enjoy! :)

It's The Thought That Counts

by Healther Armitage on December 22, 2005 NHPR News

Heather Armitage lives, writes, and makes Christmas gifts in Kennebunk, Maine. Just look for the smoke.

"I love the idea of making my holiday gifts as a testimonial of my love for family and friends. I flip through the do-it-yourself craft sections in magazines and stare at the gorgeous photographs. The tempting projects appear so charming, so elegant. And so harmless.

It all started with candles. I thought candles for Christmas would make a simple but considerate gift. Pack some aluminum foil at the bottom of painted terra cotta pots. Pour in colored wax, mixed with dashes of nutmeg and cinnamon. And, voila! Holiday scents waft through the house. 

I didn't realize nutmeg and cinnamon were mildly flammable. Nor did I realize that some wicks shouldn't be used for candles made of wax. Nor did I realize that one shouldn't decorate a vessel of flame with oil paints. I didn't even think about the meaning of the word "accelerant". 

The holiday cards I received that year hinted at the wreckage wrought by my good intentions. One letter described a close call after an Aunt lit some candles too close to the Christmas tree. Those flames can jump, she marveled! 

My parents were thankful someone was home when the wick burned straight down their candle. The foil didn't hold, and a pool of fiery nutmeg wax spread across the table.

The next year, I tried my hand at handmade peppermint soap and lemon-oatmeal facial scrub. The oatmeal turned moldy during shipping. And then, my sister called to tell me that the tingling sensation from the peppermint soap quickly turned to burning. I spent Christmas day calling people to tell them NOT to use it on their faces. Luckily, my sister's red splotches disappeared after a few days.

My biscotti broke my father's tooth. My bath salts caused rashes and awkward infections. My simmering potpourri caused popping projectiles of boiling herbs. And an asthma attack. I went overboard with the peppermint oil for a peppermint foot soak. and Christmas morning was filled with watering eyes and cleared sinuses.

I persevere.

My poor friends and relations suffer. 

I imagine relatives treat my packages like a letter bomb. Carefully, oh so carefully, place package in garbage without disturbing the contents.

My dad suggested I start a product line called "Crafts of Muerte", crafts of death. I could send out catalogues to assassins for those times a hit needs to appear accidental. The heart-broken or homicidal could exact revenge during the holidays.

Everyone knows I mean well, that these gifts are meant to spread joy, not rashes and house fires. And thumbing through the craft books at the bookstore, I think, "How could anything go wrong with THIS project?" Until I find out.

How I want the thought to count.

I want these gifts to be useful and treasured. 

At my parent's house, I saw my first attempts at bath oils and salts on display over the bathroom sink. The coloring in the oil had long separated and the wax I (over) used to seal the glass bottles was hardened and yellowed blobs. So much time had passed the contents in the glass bottles looked like medical specimens at a creepy carnival.

Or maybe they always looked that way. Yet they were still displayed, lovingly placed on a shelf.

Unopened."

Happy note: You can avoid the holiday hassle by visiting my Etsy Shoppe! :)

Autumn Will Soon Be Here ...

After a sizzling summer, Autumn is God's refreshment! I love the crispness of a cool, Fall day! ~ The swirling, colored leaves on the pavement, the crispy song in the branches before the leaves are finally let go, the orchards teeming with fruits of a hearty harvest, plentiful apples, pumpkins, and garden produce ~

The very essence of Fall is exhilarating! ~ Starting a new fire in the wood-stove, homey scents of pumpkin pie, baked apples and cinnamon,  bubbling oatmeal & Honey, and homemade breads baking in the oven ~ Mmmm....

Many of us soap-makers love to capture the essence of each season in the scents we choose for our handcrafted soaps. It's such a delight to release our artistic talents while designing soaps with colors, designs, wholesome ingredients, and fragrances to reflect our creativity.

Some soaps I've made which are more alluring during the Fall months are my "Natural Oatmeal and Honey" and "Milk and Honey" handcrafted soaps. The Natural Oatmeal and Honey soap was made the cold process way without coloring or fragrance oil, leaving a wholesome essence with plenty of soothing lather. All the ingredients are natural and include olive oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, beeswax, lard, honey, cinnamon, oatmeal, and sodium hydroxide (lye). The bottom layer is enriched with finely ground oatmeal for a natural and soothing but gentle exfoliation. All of the soap includes honey which has been proven to provide a gentle antibacterial and moisturizing property to the soap. The 'frosting' portion of the soap is only the honey-soap over the top of a cinnamon sprinkle. It is unbelievably refreshing to bathe with!

The Milk and Honey soap is a pure milk & honey cold-processed soap with a naturally occurring caramel color as a result of the milk and honey added during the soap-making process. These bars have a rich, silky feel and smell like a homemade sweet cake. The tops are lightly sprinkled with lavender buds. They are made with coconut oil, vegetable shortening, canola oil, lard, milk, honey, sodium hydroxide, lavender fragrance oil, and lavender buds. Keeping the recipe simple and including milk and honey lessons the chances of skin irritation while bathing your skin with rich nutrients. The honey contains natural antimicrobial properties which have been proven to help fight infection and moisturize the skin.

Rejoice in Fall and enjoy all the things that enhance it for you!