Recent content by karon L adams

Best thing you can do is go to the National Breed Club website. they will likely have a list of breeder/members and that can get you started finding good breeders. they also usually have breeders who participate both in the show ring and in the purpose ring (For Boxers its Lure coursing and...

yes, it is a good idea to have a disclaimer that specifically says that "While Lavender has traditionally been used in herbalist medicine to alleviate skin irritation or whatever....." (company Name) makes NO claims one way or another regarding the medical or mental efficacy and only guarantee...

Soap is one of the few things (maybe the ONLY thing) that the FDA doesn't screw with. you cannot make ANY claims "reduces allergy symptoms". the FDA sees that as making a medicinal claim. what you CAN do is label it as "Containing ingredients that have been used in traditional medicine for...."

Soap is like bread. you have a basic set of chemicals needed to create the base result. withon that set are all sorts of variables. Bread :Starch, leavening, water Soap: Oil, water, Lye. After that, you can try different types of each element and a few things to add in as enhancements. My...

all wool will felt given the proper treatment. you need hot water, soap and agfitation. felting happens whent he cuticle (scales) on the outside of the wool fibers open which is caused by the soap and warm water. if then agitated, those open cuticles grab onto one anotehr and they form felt. I...

I did Classes through the local college as a "Continuing ed thing. the short hobby courses. makes it easier to get folks in, the college just includes the course in their catalog so they cover all the advertising and fee collections. from that, we usually sold a fairly decent amount of supplies...

Don't be afraid to price your soap well. and remember, you have time and creativity in the soap, as well. Also, remember, Packaging sells as does color. but, if you price it "cheap" your customers will think of it as cheap. Don't be afraid to put a price tag on it. as for "waste" don't worry...

The 'trick' about the color is to learn which botanicals hold color and which do not. and work with that. one of my FAVORITE colors was Honey soap. it left a Warm, Nut Brown color and it smelled SO rich and delicious. for fragrance, My first choice is ALWAYS Vanilla, I use Vanillin for that...

look around at restaurant supplies and such. I had TONS of plastic bread trays. they were perfect to hold a full 20 pound loaf once it was cut and allow for air flow. what I REALLY loved about them was the nest/stack feature. they nest inside of one another when you don't need space between, but...

Best way, IMHO, to use EOs and candles is to have a candle warm a dish of water with a few drops of oil r blended oil in the water. you don't risk burning the oil that way, which NEVER smells good. Make beautiful,natural, well made candles and incorporate a method of warming water & oil...

sorry, I didn't mean to make that sound aggressive, i just didn't know why. Nothing personal or angry, just wondered. feels like what you have done was basically oil poach the carrots to let the water evaporate. it makes sense from one standpoint, you have decreased the water liquid in the...

My mother and husband used to call it "Communing with the soap" We'd set up one day, mix the oil and put it in the tank to come to temp, mix the lye and let it cool and come in the next morning to make the soap. remember, 400 pounds. 20; 20 pound batches. we'd get it all poured and be exhausted...

if you want cardboard, and it is an excellent option, look around for box companies. many make cardboard trays. you can usually buy them by the 25/50 or 100. they come flat and you just fold them together. you can see them in some of my old pictures on the shelves. they were VERY handy.

don't mind me but, why? whay not just make carrot juice and either put that in your soap or just cook the juice down? it is truly amazing how many things you can juice and put into soap. we have a Jack LaLane juicer that has stood up since 1990 for my soaping needs. everything from carrots to...

AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! OH, the memories that question brings back! When I first started, we had a few little bars to play with. We had floor to ceiling bookshelves, 4 of them in the living room 3 in our bedroom (yes, we read a lot) When I started, we used one shelf in the living...