My new endevor

[Nickittynic]

I hope it's okay to post about this here (ie. not 'spammy'), but I wanted to share what I've been up to that's been keeping me away from posting on the boards too much. Last summer my husband learned how to make soap, and then taught me, and we've been "soaping" together since. We recently decided to try to make a business of it and started selling our handmade soaps online.
It's been wonderful to have a hobby together, as the stress of all the AN business can be rough on a relationship.

If anyone wants to check out our website, it's at www.TheGentlemansSoapCompany.com.

[Tod]

Good luck with this! I make soap for home use and gifts. A friend of mine in Alpharetta, GA does a lot of soap-making as a sideline.

Homemade soap is a great thing to use. However, I did give some as a gift to a friend at a meeting in DC. When they pulled it from her carry-on, the TSA agents were convinced it was some type of explosive.

She barely made her plane on time. 

-Tod

[ppearl214]

A friend of mine in Alpharetta, GA ......

My mom lives in Alpharetta but is not who you are referencing Phyl

[Nickittynic]

Good luck with this! I make soap for home use and gifts. A friend of mine in Alpharetta, GA does a lot of soap-making as a sideline.

Homemade soap is a great thing to use. However, I did give some as a gift to a friend at a meeting in DC. When they pulled it from her carry-on, the TSA agents were convinced it was some type of explosive.

She barely made her plane on time. 

-Tod

Ha! Your poor friend!
I often wonder if the neighbors have become suspicious of what we're making. Unless someone knew we were making soap, it might look like some kind of illegal activity as we're carefully measuring and weighing... 

[Tod]

My neighbors freaked initially the summer I built my mother's casket in the garage.

I make soap in the garage, but I brew beer outside in my lean-to. I keep waiting for someone to notice the 50ft of coiled copper tubing and ask what that is about.

-Tod

[moe]

Wow, I would love to see your  house Tod~!

Cool about your soap making endeavors, and good luck Nikki to you and your husband!

 Are you still working night shifts?
Maureen

[Soundy]

I wanted to build my own casket but husband wouldn't let me ... said it was creepy

good luck with your soap business ...

[leapyrtwins]

Good luck with your new endeavor!

Jan

[saralynn143]

Soundy, I think it's prudent to build your own casket. When my dad died we found out that it is perfectly legal to use a pine casket, they are much less expensive than the manufactured ones that the funeral homes sell. There are Mennonites in Iowa that build them, but they have to be ordered ahead of time. By the time you need it, it's too late.

I like productive hobbies, like soap making, or knitting hats like Steve does. My daughter Elbee has really taken to knotting bracelets with embroidery floss. They are beautiful and she makes them for all of her friends. She can even look at the ones in stores and tell me what patterns they are.

You have a nice website, Nickittynic.

[opp2]

My neighbors freaked initially the summer I built my mother's casket in the garage.

I make soap in the garage, but I brew beer outside in my lean-to. I keep waiting for someone to notice the 50ft of coiled copper tubing and ask what that is about.

-Tod

Better watch they don't steal it. It's worth a ton of dough up here.

[Tod]

I keep it locked up when not in use. It is valuable here, too.

Nicky, after my most recent batch of beer, I had a bag of Chinook hops (leaves) left and was thinking about adding those to a batch of soap. Nice and aromatic with some very gentle scrubbing. What do you think of that idea?

-Tod

[chrisransom]

I'd like to try making soap sometime.  I have an idea to use niter-sand (a by product of making maple syrup (one of my hobbies)) - as the grit or an exfoliant in soap. 

[Nickittynic]

Thanks all! Sorry I'm so slow to reply.

Moe - Yep, still on nights. I'm hoping I can hold out one more year until my husband is done school. It's really getting too tough.

Tod - My husband brews, too! We tried a couple times to do hops soap. Figured it would be good for the skin. We tried it with making a hop tea though and using that for lye water, which didn't really come through in the finished soap. Putting the actual hops in there might be interesting! I guess you would grind them up first?

Chrisransom - Soap making is so much fun! I bet using the syrup stuff would smell wonderful.

Donnalynn - Absolutely we can mail to Canada! PMing you...

[Tod]

Nicky, I think crushing or grinding the leaves would work. Does your husband do extract or all-grain brewing (or both)? I was also thinking taking the some of the used grain after mashing would also make an excellent exfoliant.

-Tod

[chrisransom]

Nickittynic - nope no smell to this stuff.  You'd think so - but once it's rinsed off the sugar and maple smell goes away.  Just grit.