Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Soap Samples

I recently had a last minute idea prompted by a text from my son, Andrew.  Andrew is a pre-med major and has volunteered at our local surgical center for the summer.  When I  received this particular text from him, he was in his last week of volunteering.  He was asking to take some of my soaps to show some of the people at the surg. center.  I was flattered that my son thinks I have a neat hobby!  So, that night, I started putting a few bars together for his little 'show and tell' the next day.  Then it hit me!  Why not put some samples together for him to give as a gesture of his appreciation for all they did for him over the summer.  I went right away to Photoshop and made a label size adjustment.  Then I went through some of my end pieces and started cutting them down to an appropriate sample size.  I wanted there to be enough for all the staff so it took quite awhile to assemble everything.  Next day, he took a few full bars as well as a tray of samples.  It was a hit!  I started getting emails right away from the staff.  Several placed orders for soap!  I thought I'd share a few pictures I took of the samples in the event you have a similar opportunity.



The Start

Over the years, the internet has sparked so many new aspirations for me.  It's like suddenly my inquisitive side and my crafty side collide and I find myself thinking, "I must try this!"  And learning how to make soap is no exception.  I don't know exactly how I was on the topic of soap making or why I was reading about how to make soap, or even where I was when that little spark was lit, but at some point, it happened!  That was about a year ago.


So, while I'm not an expert, I thought I would share a few things that I've learned along the way and maybe give some help to others who are starting out.