A Big Thank You

to Michelle of Within the Hive for these lovely cards. On her blog a few weeks back, she had a giveaway for these cards, and I was one of the lucky ones to win them! It's almost tempting to use one to say thanks to her, but that would be kind of tacky, wouldn't it? :P

If you like giveaways, thoughtful posts and passionate write ups about the environment and animals, follow Michelle, I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

We'll resume our normal programming after these messages

I have a bad habit of keeping my USB key in my laptop at all times. It's a dangerous habit, and I found out the hard way the other day. Walking into the kitchen with my laptop, I accidentally bumped the key against the doorway. With anything else, it wouldn't have mattered, however, electronics, as we all know, is temperamental at best, and a bane of our existence at worst. So, of course now my computer won't even recognize that the key when I insert it, let alone allow me to pull any of my soap photos off it.

This is a real bother because I've had my website tackled by the very talented, and wonderfully sweet Wai of WYV Designs, but we're missing some pictures and of course they're hidden deep in my USB key. The only positive I can see in this, is that I was planning on re-taking a lot of the photos anyway, and this forces me to do so.

However, if anyone knows which IT god I have to pray to to get my USB key functioning again, I'd love to hear from you.

One of the few old pictures I have sitting in my laptop

Fun Times and Networking

I've read in the past about how important it is to network and get together with other business people in order to be successful. Not being an extrovert, I thought pshaw, that's only for others, not for me. (Funny how we choose what scenarios won't apply to us). During my first craft show, I met the lovely GG of Creampuffs by GG and she asked me to make some soaps for her.

That was two years ago, and we haven't had a chance to meet up that much, but whenever we do, we have a fabulous time. We bounce ideas off each other, we commiserate, and of course we laugh. After these meetings, I feel reinvigorated and ready to change the world, or at least to make it a cleaner place.

Do you have a network that you meet with regularly? Do you find it helps?

Sometimes procrastination can be a good thing. I'd been eyeing a Milky Way Mold for a while now, but with shipping costs to Canada being what they are, I've been putting off buying it.

The other day, hubby needed gas for the car, and the border lineups weren't bad, so we decided to head across the border. Well going across to Bellingham naturally means a stop into Otion. This is what I picked up this time. I had to refrain from buying everything in the store. The dragon mold is what I wanted to order, so I was thrilled to see Otion now carries it.

Of course I had to try out the mold right away. I ended up playing with colour combinations trying to figure out what works and so these aren't full sized because it was all about the colours. I chose the gold colour because it's Chinese and we're known for our gold obsession. ;). I used sunshine yellow from Soapylove's jewel kit and added gold mica.

This next one obviously didn't turn out right, I ran out of soap and had to make some more quickly before it set. Yes I was being lazy, but it was also an experiment to see if would result in a graduated look.

Red and gold are traditional Chinese colours, so this was the result.

Version 1

Version 2

But I liked the black so much, I made this.

So honestly, which one do you like, if any? Oh, and they're scented creamsicle and kumquat.

I also decided to do a variation of the beach soap I did last time. (Thanks for the inspiration Cee.) This time I remembered the glitter.

p.s. If you ever go to Bellingham, I'd highly recommend stopping for a bite (and a beer) at The Copper Hog. I know there are lots of great places to eat in Bellingham, but I just can't stop going here. If you have any suggestions of other fantastic eateries in Bellingham, let me know!

The Talented Cee of Oil & Butter

When the very talented Cee of Oil & Butter suggested a soap swap, I jumped at the chance. I knew from her blog that she makes some beautifully creative soaps and I couldn't wait to get my hands on them. She kindly gave me a choice of which ones I wanted, so I chose Yuzu

Beach Bar

and I couldn't decide on a third, so she chose black licorice

I've linked to Cee's pictures because her pictures show the soaps off better.  :)

Did I tell you how much I love her soaps? They are gorgeous and they smell incredible. Hubby was equally impressed by them and I can't wait to try them out. Thanks again Cee!