MariposaBath

Father's Day Special

2006-06-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

We are extending our Mother's Day special for Father's Day. For the month of June, take 10% off our regular price of $5.25 on all our handmade soaps. Just use the coupon code s506. Some of our suggestions for soaps for dad include, Sudsy Bud (a beer soap scented with bayrum), Green Irish Tweed, Lemongrass and Sage, Oatmeal Milk and Honey (a goat's milk soap), and Green Cactus.

2006-05-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

Silken Wings Body Lotion

Tea Rose Lotion

2006-05-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

This has become my best selling lotion scent. I made 4 bottles to sell in March and I've sold all of them. So this time I made 9 bottles and I'm sure that I'll sell more because I've heard so many people rave about my lotion. My Silken Wings body lotion has real silk amino acids, aloe vera, vitamin E, macadamia nut oil, extra virgin olive oil, and grapeseed oil. This feels so nice going on and I can tell you that it really helped my dry skin this winter. We have gas heat and you know how drying it can be.

I Lye

2006-05-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

About a couple of months ago, I was down to just one can of Red Devil drain cleaner. Well that may not mean much to someone who doesn't know anything about the soapmaking process but to a soapmaker it means that without it you can't make soap. You can't make true soap without lye or sodium hydroxide. Well a few months before I started running out, I knew that I would have to find another source for lye and that meant buying it in bulk. So I told my husband Tim that we would have to make a trip to Dallas to buy some caustic soda ash or as it's more commonly called lye. So we went to Taylored Concepts (it's a candle and soap supply store) and bought 50 lbs. of lye. Oh I forgot to tell ya'll why I was having to find another source of lye! The company that makes Red Devil drain cleaner decided to stop making it. It has been really convienent to just run down to the store and get more lye when I need it, but sometimes I don't know why I didn't do this a long time ago. I'm saving so much more money by buying it in bulk. An 18 oz. can of Red Devil cost me about $5.00 a can and 50 lbs. of lye is about $40.00. That's a whopping big savings. So don't worry I'll be making soap for a long time.

A Year of Blogging

2006-05-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

On May 28th, it will be a year since I first made my first blog. I started Mariposa Bath as a way to bring more traffic to my website Mariposa Bath and Body. And in that time I have made a lot of friendships and I've gained some new customers. I'd just like to thank those of you who have added my link to your blog and also thanks to those of you who have shopped online at my website.

Mother's Day Special

2006-05-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

For the month of May, all of our handmade soaps are 10% off. Just use the coupon code s506 when you check out.

Secret Pals

2006-04-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

Do you have a secret pal that you would like to find a gift for? If so, Mariposa Bath and Body is the right place to shop. We are a secret pal friendly website. We will ship your pal's gift to them without letting them know who sent it. And we'll throw in free gift wrapping and a nice card. Just put "secret pal" in the Gift Card Message part of the shopping cart. And if you would like to find other websites that are "Secret Pal Friendly", there is a great directory where you can find them all in one spot. It is called Secret Pal Sites.

New Newsletter

2006-03-03T14:35:00.000-08:00

I just got an overhaul on my newsletters. I signed up with Constant Contact for a free 60 day trial. I think that it looks so much better than my old one did. I hope that I can get more subscribers now. If you'd like, take a look at my website then subcribe to my email newsletter. I think that you'll like it too.

2006-03-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

Shower Gels

March Special

2006-03-02T15:44:00.000-08:00

For the month of March I'm offering a sale on all my shower gels in honor of my birthday which is in the same month. They are a dollar off the regular price of $8.50. They come in the following fragrances : English Lavender, Coconut Lime Verbena, Lemongrass and Sage, Water Lily, and Mango Passion Tea.

Happy New Year!

2006-01-01T12:28:00.000-08:00

Happy new year to all bloggers out there. I've been thinking about what I want to do as far as soaps and new products. I plan on introducing a few new scents to my line of handcrafted soaps. A few of them are: Tuscan Tomato Basil (a kitchen soap), Tea Rose, and Java Mocha (a coffee soap scented with Belgian Chocolate fo). I have a new bath confetti that are hearts that are scented with strawberries. I'll have pictures of those soon on my website. I'm also going to have a couple of new lotion scents available: Cucumber Lettuce and Japanese Grapefruit with Rosemary. Be on the lookout for these and more.

New Soap Scent Is Big Hit

2005-12-29T18:23:00.000-08:00

My latest soap is a beer soap that is scented with Bay Rum fragrance oil. I'd post a picture of it but it has been such a big hit that I've sold completely out. I'm going to make up some more of it as soon as the holidays are over. In fact my stock is pretty low on everything so I'm really going to have to get my but in gear pretty soon. The holidays have been pretty good sales wise. But to get back to the beer soap, I used beer (Aspen edge) in place of the water in my soap. They say that the beer gives the soap a real creamy lather and it does! I wanted to have another soap for the guys in my line of soaps. It can be a little tricky making soap with beer. You have to boil it for awhile in order to get the alcohol cooked out of it (or the alcohol and carbonation will do some crazy things with it like volcano and you don't want that) and then you have to let it sit out for about 24 hours so it will go flat. I put it in the freezer to get kind of slushy and then I add my lye to it as usual. The bay rum fo and beer colors it to a light tan. It smells so nice and manly. I called it Sudsy Bud. I should have some more ready by the beginning of February. Just in time for Valentine's Day!

Merry Christmas

2005-12-16T08:39:00.000-08:00

I would just like to take the time to wish all of my customers both online and offline a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Free Shipping

2005-11-30T12:29:00.000-08:00

Announcing free shipping on all orders of $25 or more from now until Christmas. Just order like usual and we'll take off the shipping cost manually since my website doesn't do that automatically.

Display Pics

2005-11-18T12:56:00.000-08:00

Sell-O-Rama Craft Show

2005-11-06T14:34:00.000-08:00

The Sell-O-Rama craft show is this weekend (November 11 & 12) at the Gainesville Civic Center. I will be there with all of my soaps and bath and body products. If you're from the North Texas area come on by! There are a lot of really nice arts and crafts. And it's only $1 for admission.

2005-10-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

Nemo Gift Basket

2005-10-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

Soap Gift Set

Gift Sets Just in Time for Christmas

2005-10-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

We are now offering gift sets just in time for your Christmas shopping. Right now we have a handcrafted soap set that comes with 4, 4 oz. soaps and a pretty gold organza gift bag for $20.00. You can choose from 4 different fragrances of your choice. I'll be adding a few more gift sets in the next few days.

2005-10-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

Green Tweed and other stock wrapped up
Gazoo

Green Irish Tweed is Back!

2005-10-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

I just made a batch of Green Irish Tweed on Wednesday. I was down to one bar in stock. I've got a show coming up in November and I wanted to make sure that I have plenty of this one for the sale. It's always been a very good seller and very popular with the men and women. It is mainly a men's scent that is a dupe of the fragrance Creed. Creed was the cologne that Cary Grant made famous. I know that my nephew will be glad that I have more of it in stock because it's his favorite and that's what I usually give him for Christmas.

Spooktacular Halloween Sale

2005-10-04T13:45:00.000-07:00

For the month of October, I am running a sale on my Butterfly Kisses Shea Butter Lip Balm. If you buy one, you'll get a second one free. This sale will be found on my Specials page. This is really great lip balm. It is available in a variety of flavors like Vanilla Mint, Cucumber Melon, Grape, Coconut Lemongrass, and Cotton Candy. They are made from natural ingredients such as bee's wax, shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, and sunflower oil. You'll really want to have a couple of these handy when those Fall winds start to blow. My lip balms feel so good on your lips. They're not like some of those store bought chapsticks that feel like you've just rubbed a candle on your lips.Gazoo

2005-10-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

Butterfly Kisses Shea Butter Lip Balm

2005-09-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

Cucumber Lettuce Buttermilk Soap

Tell Your Friends and Save

2005-09-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

Right now I'm giving coupons away with each order that is placed. You'll receive a coupon for 10% off your next order if you refer a friend to me. For example let's say you have a friend named Betty. Betty places and order with me and she emails me telling me that Wilma refered her to me. Then when Wilma places her next order, she'll get 10% taken off her order. The 10% will be taken off manually since my website is not yet set up to do it automatically. So I'll just send a Paypal refund to Wilma. It's just my way of saying thank you to my internet customers.

2005-09-13T18:04:00.000-07:00

Ducky Bath Confetti

2005-09-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

Fishy Bath Confetti

2005-09-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

Green Cactus handcrafted soap

Green Cactus soap

2005-09-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

I've got a new soap out and it's called Green Cactus. It is made with macadamia nut oil (which is very good for your skin) and liquid silk. The silk gives this soap a very luxurious feel to the lather.

2005-09-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

New Shower Gel Scents

2005-08-20T17:24:00.001-07:00

Bluebonnet

2005-08-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

Margarita-ville

2005-08-20T17:23:00.001-07:00

Amber Romance

2005-08-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

Strawberries and Champagne

Soap Bargains

2005-08-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

I have added a Specials page to my website. From time to time I'll have special sales on my handcrafted soaps and bath and body products. Right now I have some soaps that I am discontinuing and I'm selling them at a reduced price of $2.50. The soaps that are on sale are: Strawberries and Champagne, Amber Romance, Margarita-ville, and Bluebonnet.

Comments

2005-08-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

As you know, I appreciate every comment that I get and I read them all. But what I don't appreciate very much is someone who posts something in my comments section that clearly is not a comment but is SPAM. I can't tell you how much I abhor SPAM. If you're going to make a comment about my products please make a comment and not try to "sell" me something. I have no idea what purpose that the poster had by leaving a "comment" but please don't do that again. The person that left their comment wrote almost 2 pages worth of comments and they didn't even have a blog.

Linen Spray's Many Uses

2005-08-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

You can do a lot more with my linen sprays than just spray on your sheets. Spray it in your underware and sock drawer to make it smell nice, in your closets to freshen your clothes, in the air to freshen the air, or on yourself to wear as a perfume. It goes on dry so it won't mess up your linens or leave a greasy feeling on your skin. But just as a precaution, test it on a small area before spraying.

2005-08-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

Cool Sheets Linen Spray

New Shower Gel Fragrances

2005-08-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

Two new fragrances have been added to my shower gels. They are Mango Passion Tea and Lemongrass Sage. These two have always been good sellers in my soap line and I'm sure that they will in my shower gel line. The other fragrances that I have to offer in shower gel are: English Lavender, Water Lily, and Coconut Lime Verbena.

Fish-in-a-Bag soaps are coming back

2005-08-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

I've just ordered some more kits to make some of these cute little soaps. These were a big hit at my fall shows last year. I sold completely out at Christmas. I should have these in by the end of this week. I plan to scent these in Ocean Breeze and Watermelon. These look just like the fish that you win at the fair. Kids will love to take a bath in these just to get the toy fish.

2005-08-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

Fish-in-a-Bag soaps

Bath Confetti

2005-08-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

These are the cutest things. I've gotten some of these in from a wholesale co. and I can't wait to get them packaged up and ready to sell. I got some in blue fish shapes in Ocean scent and yellow duckies in Rain scent. What is bath confetti? They are little thin shapes that when you put in bath water they bubble up like bubble bath. I'm sure that these will be a big hit with kids.

Moving

2005-07-26T13:03:00.000-07:00

My family and I have been going through the moving process for the past month. We've just about gotten everything moved in there and the bigger stuff will be moved on Friday. I can't wait to finally get moved in there so that I can start to make more soap. We are just moving into a house here in town so my address and phone no. will still be the same.

New Soap Packaging

2005-07-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

I have changed my soap packaging again! It seems like I'm always searching for ways to make my soap packaging look better while being economical too. I was using shrink wrap but I like for my customers to be able to smell the soap through my packaging. But now I am using deli wrap to wrap the soaps and 2X4 shipping labels for the label. I think that they look nice. Please leave your comments and tell me what you think.

Getting ready for fall markets

2005-07-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

I've been gearing up for the fall market season. I know that it is still summer but I'm thinking about fall. I have two craft shows that I do every year. The first one is the Depot Day festival in Gainesville, TX on and the second one is the Sell-O-Rama also in Gainesville. I've been working on a new lotion that I think is my best ever. It is called Silken Wings Body Lotion with Vitamin E and Aloe Vera. It has a wonderful silky feel to it and it goes on so smooth. It will be available in five different fragrances which are: Coconut Lime Verbena, BlackRaspberry and Vanilla, English Lavender, Cucumber Lettuce, and Yuzu Japanese Grapefruit

Newest Soap

2005-06-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

The newest soap that I have to offer is called BlackRaspberry and Vanilla. This soap smells like blackraspberries on top of homemade vanilla ice cream. It's so yummy smelling!

What is that stuff in that little stick?

2005-06-09T21:06:00.000-07:00

Many people ask me that question. A lot of people have never heard of a lotion stick. I've even had some people think that it was deodorant. But the little things in the clear push-up sticks are so neat. They're like lotion only a lot neater. With summer drawing near, you'll want to make sure that the skin that you'll be exposing is smooth and silky not dry and scaley. Use them on your elbows,knees, and ankles. They're made with bee's wax, butters (like shea,cocoa,olive, and hemp),and oils (like sunflower, grapeseed,and sweet almond. The bee's wax in them makes an excellent moisture barrier so you can wash your hands over and over and still have that moisturizing effect. To use just push a little up, rub into your hands, and feel it sink into your skin.

More Soap Pics

2005-06-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pics of some of my soaps. I make all my soaps using the cold process method. Some of the ingredients that I use in my soaps are: coconut oil, palm oil, shea butter, olive oil, rice bran oil, castor oil, sunflower oil, and sodium hydroxide. The top photo is Moroccan Mint. The one in the middle is a layered soap that I call Strawberry Mango and the last one is a coconut milk soap called Red Clover Tea.

Shipping Change

2005-06-06T18:30:00.000-07:00

There has been a shipping change on my website. I am now accepting orders from Canada. All other international orders will given a rate quote via email.

Gift Baskets

2005-06-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for a gift for that special someone? Maybe for a wedding shower, baby shower, anniversary gift, birthday present, Boss's Day or Secretary's Day? Then a custom gift basket from Mariposa Bath and Body is just the thing for you. Just choose the fragrance that you would like and the items that you want and we'll do the rest. Since each gift basket is unique, we don't have a place on our website that you can order. But you can email me at: catolt3@sbcglobal.net with your order. The baskets will vary in price depending on what items that are in them.

Here is a picture of a gift basket that I made for a wedding shower. It has 4 handmade soaps, shower gel, 3 bath bombs, whipped shea butter, a hand towel, and a bath pillow. This basket would probably cost about $75.

Froogle

2005-06-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

My catalog is now on Froogle. For anyone who is not familiar with Froogle, Froogle is just a part of Google. When you go on Google.com, you will see a link for Froogle. Froogle is a great place to find anything that you want to shop for. So when you put in the key words "handcrafted soap" for instance, you will see lot's of choices to buy handmade soap. So give Froogle a try and you might just see some of my soaps.

Newest Soaps

2005-06-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

My two newest soaps are Water Lily and Jasmine Sambac. The Water Lily is swirled with aquamarine mica and rose clay. The Jasmine Sambac was left uncolored because the fragrance oil discolors but I think that it looks very good that way. The Jasmine Sambac fragrance oil was quite a bit tricky to work with. It accelerates the trace very quickly. In other words as soon as you add the fragrance oil to the raw soap, you will have soap on a stick in no time.

Newsletter Feature

2005-06-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

I have now added a newsletter feature to my website. Each month readers will get information about new products/fragrances that have been added to my line, recipes, beauty tips, special sales promotions that ONLY newsletter subscribers will have access to, and much more. So if you would like to subscribe, just go to my newsletter page on my website and fill in your email address in the space given. We promise not to give out your email to a third party or to fill your inbox with Spam.

2005-06-02T18:31:00.000-07:00

New Product

2005-06-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

My newest product that I have added to my catalog is shower gel. It is enriched with aloe vera and vitamin E and it has loads of lather. So far, I have 3 fragrances in the shower gel; English Lavender, Water Lily, and Coconut Lime Verbena. Eventually I plan on adding more fragrances to my line of shower gel.

First online order

2005-05-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got my first online order. It was from Susie, a girl that I work with at the kid's day out program but it was a sale nonetheless. It really shocked me when I saw the email that came from PayPal that said "You've got cash!". I hurried over to my website and I got the order bagged up. Susie loved my soaps so hopefully she'll be a regular customer. Hopefully I'll have more of those online sales in the future.

Advice for newbie soapmakers

2005-05-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

Read all the books on soapmaking that you can get your hands on before you make soap. A good one to read is The Soapmaker's Companion by Susan Miller Cavitch.
Don't be afraid to ask a more experienced soapmaker questions. No question is a dumb question.
Don't immediately assume that you can start selling your soap right after you've made your first batch. This is not something where you are going to make a quick buck.
Last of all have fun! Once you make your first batch of soap, you'll be hooked and you'll want to make more.

Metamorphosis Skin Cream

2005-05-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been working on a skin cream that will help those ladies who are 40 or over. Since I fall into that bracket, I thought I would be the perfect test candidate. I've included oils such as macadamia nut oil, rice bran oil, olive squalane, and evening primrose. Oils such as macadamia oil and rice bran oil have vitamins that will help with skin's elasticity. I'm also adding silk and vitamin E. It's still in the testing stage and will not be ready to market for a few months but hopefully it will be a nice cream.

Group Soaps

2005-05-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Mariposa Bath and Body!

2005-05-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

Mariposa Bath and Body is a small home-based business that provides quality handcrafted soaps, lotions, creams, and other bath and body products. It all began about 3 years ago when my daughter was only about 8 months old. I was a stay at home mom and really needed something else to occupy my time. Of course being at home with an 8 month old should have been enough to keep me plenty busy. I did a lot of reading and researched how to make soap from scratch. The idea of making it from scratch really appealed to me. I was a little intimidated by the danger of working with lye, especially with a little one around, but some friendly people on a soap forum gave me the encouragement to go ahead and try it. My first couple of batches were not that pretty but the more I did it, the more I got hooked on it. After several good batches and a few not so good ones, I tried my hand at making other bath and body products. Then after about a year of trial and error, I decided that I would try to start selling my soaps and bath and body products. I came up with the name Mariposa because it was a name that my husband, Tim, had suggested for our daughter Emily. I didn't like it for a little girls name but when I was thinking of business names Mariposa fit perfectly. My business is going on it's third year and since I moved to Gainesville, TX it is starting to take off. I have one wholesale account and am hoping to get some more. I usually do about 2 craft shows in the fall ;Depot Day and the Sell-O-Rama. I now have my own website www.mariposabathandbody.com with an online store that I am proud to say that I did all by myself. I don't have a store front but just sell through my website and at the craft shows that I do.