9 posts from December 2006

May I just say that making hand rolled truffles are harder than Ina makes it seem?  I think people will not be getting truffles in their gift baskets, that's what I think. ;) 

Hanukkah started last night at sundown.  Visit here, if you would like to hear the Candle Lighting Blessings.  Go here if you would like to play a nice game of virtual dreidel. 

Peter Boyle died.  This makes me sad, just because of all the good memories I have associated with his work.  Has there ever been a better Frankenstein's monster? Fire Bad indeed, Mr. Boyle.  Fire bad indeed.  It's a good thing that even if one believes in a fiery afterlife, there is no way that Mr. Boyle would qualify for a tour. 

I also just found out that Martin Nodell died this weekend.  I loved Marty.  He was such an amazingly kind and wonderful man, and I am blessed to have known him.  His wife, who died in 2004, was also such a treasure and joy.  The first time I met him was in the early 90's when I started publishing comics and we had adjoining tables.  Such a joy he was to talk to.  And, he knew every place withing 5 miles of every convention center that made a decent corned beef sandwich.  I ran into him pretty consistently at most of the shows I attended around the country.  Once obscenity charges got my book banned from the only comics distribution channel, (it was such a small penis for such a big fuss...), and the comics company went toes up, I didn't see him very much. I guess I hadn't even thought about him in the last few years, as I've put the comics scene behind me for the most part, but it sure made me sad to realize I'll never get a chance to hear that thick accent shout my name over the heads of sweaty con geeks ever again. Good night, sweet artist...may your lantern lead you through to a happier place. 

I know it seems quiet on the Western Front, but man has it been hectic behind the scenes.  There has been much packing and shipping and wrapping.  I must say, the gift  packs this year are looking particularly fabulous.  The shiny green paper and the green and ecru ribbons really pop.  I'm quite pleased. 

I got my new sample size molds in...whoo hoo!  I had them custom made from my logo. The guys did an extraordinary job of creating a 3d mold from my 2d leaf.  If anyone ever finds themselves in need of a silicon mold, I can totally hook you up with these guys.  I found them via ebay, and asked if they could create something for me, and a month later, I have the molds in my hand.  Super reasonable prices, and a set up fee for the mold template that was less than I've paid to have posters printed before.  Really, very happy with them.  There are a ton of silicon manufacturers out there, but not so many that will do this level of quality work at such reasonable rates.  Yay, Scorpio Innovations. 

As to soap making, I think I'm probably done doing big batches for the year.  I'm going to run out of stuff, I'm sure, but I don't have time to get stuff cured before the end of holiday shipping...and it's a whole lot easier to count a barrel of coconut oil than it is to count hundreds of bars of soap for end of year inventory stuff. 

That said, I really need to go get cracking on custom order stuff.  Yo Ho Ho, and a bottle of holiday cheer to everyone!

My best friend was in town this week, and she and I went to see the Van Gogh exhibit at the DMA.  I'm a huge Van Gogh fan.  I once flew to Amsterdam just to see an exhibit that would never be reproduced in North America.  This exhibit was "Wheat fields", and included not just Van Gogh, but art from from Millet, who influenced Van Gogh, and art from contemporaries of his that covered the same areas of Harvest, the idealization of labor, and included a significant showing of artists in the French Realism tradition as well as Gauguin and a few others.  It was an amazing show.

But now, I find myself wanting French Realism.  I've always been a fan of the Realism school that verged towards pointillism, such as some of Pissarro's work...but now I want to surround myself with the idealized realism of artists like Daniel Ridgeway Knight and Breton and Dupre.  Of course, the paintings I want are all privately owned and have never been licensed for reproduction.

I found a gallery that offers original Knight, but 6-figure art that should be in a museum isn't really in my budget.   Sigh.  I really wanted a copy of some of those pieces. 

My walls are just barren.  I have a few things scattered here and there, but since Boy was born, I've stored most of my controversial art, so my walls are mostly empty.  I need new art. 

You know, there are somethings I do very, very well.  I'm an amazing cook, I make a great bar of soap, I can do things in the bedroom like only a bad Catholic schoolgirl can....but I cannot do graphic design to save my life.   I just suck at it.  And not in that good kind of way.  I've been trying to come up with a new website design for Soapy Hollow, and I cannot get the ideas out of my head onto the page.  It's just not working. I am one with frustration.  Sigh.

I realized I was running out of some stuff and was getting ready to batch a bunch, then realized that it won't finish curing before the final drop date for getting stuff to people for Christmas.  I'm still going to make them, but I can't believe we're that close to the end of the year.  Spooky!

So, on the batch list:  Sandalwood Vanilla - an amazing blend of EOs, that create the darkest soap you've ever seen.  It's almost black when it's done curing.  Vanilla is the culprit there.  Real vanilla is a deep, dark brown and the more it's exposed to air, the darker it gets.  I think it's gorgeous, but many people are surprised at how dark the soap is. I  need more, someone cleaned me out of those, I think I only have 2  or 3 bars left.  Eeep!

Fire and Ice:  Mints and Cinnamon.  Such a pretty soap, red and white.  :)

Got the Spicy Mint done, and it's almost completely cured, thank goodness.  It's the cold and flu season, and that soap is so great in the shower when you feel icky.  I'm not sure I could make it through winter without a stock of that soap near to hand. ;)

Deadlines:  If anyone is considering getting soaps as stocking stuffers, you'll want to get your order in before the 20th for any traditional soaps or other products that are in stock, and by the 15th for anything that needs to be made, like glycerins, lotions, or salts.  I'm taking the bath bombs off the product list for now.  I'll figure out how I'm going to manage that product and put it back up after the first of the year, but I don't have time to make them between now and the end of shipping schedules. 

Also, at the first of the year, I'll have the pomegranate soap ready (assuming I can't get it on the site before then), as well as some sales and discounts on any of the Fall/Seasonal soaps that may be left.  (Mmmmm, a sale at Soapy Hollow...who could resist? Hee.)

What's one thing you regret not doing? 
Submitted by Mr. Nice.

Telling someone I loved them.  He died before I could tell him.  I'll carry those untold words for the rest of my life. 

Today is Boy's 4th birthday.  We've been making Mommy's Lebanese Ghiradelli cookies for his school (possibly the best cookies of all time), and I'm baking him a strawberry cake with fudge icing, a loaf of Hawaiian bread, and prepping for Swedish meatballs tonight.  We let him open a present before Man went to work, and he picked the EZBake oven, so of course, we had to make an ezbake cake this morning before anything else could be made.  Hee.  He loves to cook, and had been asking for an EZB since he saw a commercial for one.  Yes, I know they're designed for older kids, but I figure since he's going to be doing it only if I'm standing right there, it should be fine.  I wish they came in another color than pink though.  Not because I'm weird about giving Boy pink stuff...but because I despise the color pink. ;)  Today he's decided that on his birthday, he doesn't have to wear clothes except for his Buzz Lightyear suit, and thus is now a "Chef in Spaaaaaaace", which made me fall over from laughter.  

Somehow I have to fit in time to make a bunch of custom glycerin soaps and spritzers.  I was hoping to do it at naptime...but methinks that eating small frosted cake for a morning snack may preclude an afternoon snooze.  Speaking of naps, a question for the parents out there;  At what age did you stop trying to make them take a nap?  Boy doesn't really nap anymore.  He'll go have "quiet time" for an hour, but he almost never actually sleeps.  I'm guessing that perhaps he's just outgrown naptime.  This would make me a sad panda...as I get much done during naptime. :)

So, back to party prep, soap making, and putting presents on progressively higher shelves as Boy has figured out stepladders. ;)