Teacher Appreciation Week Soap Favors

So this year being the first full school year that my son was in school, Pre-K, it didn’t dawn on me that there is a teacher appreciation week. A couple of customers placed orders for mini cupcakes to give to their children’s teachers. They wanted an apple theme and I was super excited because I knew EXACTLY what I was going to do. So I got to work. But then life throws me the dreaded curveball and ruins all of my plans. Let me explain.

I had wanted to put an apple soap embed as the topper for the minis. I knew exactly where to get the mold so I purchased right away. The day it arrived I started making the toppers. I unmolded the first batch and was immediately disappointed. This is what I got

What's the big deal, you say? It looks like an apple, you say? Yes, I wanted an apple. But I wanted a mini apple. Not a gigantor apple. The picture for this mold on the supplier website was a soap apple next to a dime. Apparently they didn’t have a half dollar laying around (who does anyway) because that’s the size of this apple. This is the size as the mini cupcake base, I couldn’t use this. So I set out to find another solution. It took forever but I finally had an idea. I was going to use my heart soap mold and make apples. Think about it. If you cut off the pointed bottom of a heart what do you have? The shape of an apple.

Here’s the soap setting

These ARE going to work.

I also went and got some fake leaves to add

 

 All together now! The bottoms are red by the way. Can't find the picture for that.

See? I told you it would work. They look so cute and smell AH-MAZE-ING. Can't wait to dress these babies up and package them. Their new owners are going to love them!

I've decided to make this an ongoing thing every year. I will be making regular size cupcake soaps for teacher appreciation week and I'll be able to put the bigger apples on top no problem. 

Happy sudsing!

Soap For Hope

Helping others is great isn’t it? To know that you helped someone and put a smile on their face, it’s a heartwarming feeling. No one knows this feeling more than my best friend Sandra. Sandra’s a giver. Whether you’re a friend, acquaintance, or a total stranger, she genuinely gives without expecting anything in return. She used to dream about going into the Peace Corps and has donated to several charities. So it didn’t come as much of a surprise when I was talking to her one day about the different categories of soap I was conjuring up that she brought up having a charity line. Thus, the birth of Soap For Hope. 

Soap For Hope is a line of soaps that are made to represent several charities. These soaps are near and dear to our hearts, the organizations chosen to be represented were not chosen at random. Fifty percent of the proceeds from any soap in the Soap For Hope line will go to the organizations that each soap represents.

Now, there’s only one soap available right now but rest assured, the line will definitely be expanding. No boo-hooing. 

This is the first soap, Pink Triumph 

I love this one. But I had such a hard time trying to find a mold for the ribbons. Until that awesome moment that I had an epiphany and realized I could free hand them. Duh. Seriously. It took me forever. But they turned out great and the perfect size too.

This soap is dedicated to my childhood friend Karen who was diagnosed with breast cancer but she kicked its. . . . . you know. And also to all of the other survivors who keep on surviving. (Did anybody start singing Beyoncé’s “Survivor” just now??) Pink Triumph is representing the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

 

The next soap that’s in the works is extremely important to me. As a veteran, I know the sacrifice that service members and their families make every single day to ensure the freedom of millions of people they don’t know. I have been blessed with coming out of the military without any severe disability but thousands of others cannot say the same. I chose the next soap to support the Wounded Warrior Project. For these men and women and their families, the fight is not over. Since this soap is special to me, it hasn’t been made yet. No idea is perfect enough for me to use to represent something so near to my heart. But it will be made soon.

The inspiration for this soap was my old platoon. I was part of the best platoon ever. Yes. EVER. We stood out in our battery and wanted to name ourselves. Yours truly helped with the name, tee hee. We dubbed ourselves War Pigs. Pig to stand for pride, integrity, and guts and war for, well, the obvious. We fight wars. We even had coins made.

I loved serving my country. And I did it. Like a boss.

The next product in this line to be masterfully created is a soap for our nonhuman companions. Who says only people should go natural? I'll be making doggie/kitty soap with the proceeds going to the ASPCA. And this little booger is going to have the honor of using my first ever doggie soap

Yeah, he's excited.

Happy sudsing!

www.craveartisansoaps.com