I've been cranking out soap by the truck loads. The craft~ fair~holiday~party~favor season has me working hard and having a ball. It really is a gift to be able to do what you love.
I find myself sniffing this bar of Perfect Pumpkin almost hourly. The fragrance is Pumpkin Spice from Brambleberry. It's a rich, warming blend of pumpkin, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. The recipe is simple~ rice bran oil, palm & coconut blended with a bit of organic shea butter. It's colored with turmeric, paprika & a swirl of ground cinnamon. See why I call it perfect?
Pick up a bar or three from Twin Birch on etsy and enjoy these first few days of Autumn in Vermont wherever you are!
I am in love with this bar of Yuzu Soap. It smells soo fresh, sunny, warm, sparkly, exciting.... The fragrance is Yuzu from Brambleberry. So amazing! And I'm really happy with my cold process formulation. It offers the perfect balance of sudsy fun & serious skin~loving moisturizers. My bars have great staying power in the shower. If they are left to dry in between uses, they will last for weeks.
Not only do I love it in this batch of soap, I also love it in bath bombs. So do the locals! The bombs have been selling out at The Randolph Farm Stand, a four season shop that features local farmers, artisans & products. I love having my products there. Scott and Tammy are two of the most genuinely nice people I know. And their store is beautiful.
Yuzu will be available February 1st. Drop me a comment if you'd like me to save you some. I promise it will bring sunshine & warmth to wherever you are!
Happy New Year everyone!! I was so happy and surprised to get some Etsy convos congratulating me for making the front page on New Years Eve! Thanks to Elizabeth from Gassner Custom Soaps for her cute post about it! They featured my Champagne Chic Bath Bomb. FUN!!
I actually was celebrating with friends and never saw the "live shot". Fortunately, Elizabeth posted a picture.
I cracked up when I looked outside and saw Max hanging out with the chickens. He was having a nice moment in the sun and didn't mind a bit when they came by to do a little pecking. The only time he causes trouble with our ten hens is when we collect the eggs. Apparently he loves the raw egg more than Rocky Balboa. He tries to get them from our hands so he can make off with a snack. That's life with Max.
Thanksgiving is at our house this year. We'll have about 20 people. Grandparents, cousins, aunties & uncles. It's one of my favorite days and I LOVE having everyone come here! I'm just now starting to plan the menu. I'm feeling slightly adventurous this year and would love to hear about which side dishes you all love. It's so fun to check out how our menus are impacted by where we live, how we grew up... Please share!!!
Meanwhile, look at the adorable apron I found on etsy! Don't you all want one? I found this cutie store this morning. The shop features really cute aprons. She has adorable Mommy & me setts and this cute autumn frock ;) You can buy it at jnsweeny
CHRISTMAS!!!! This is my fav. bar of soap du jour! I'm calling it Vermont Spruce. It's a nod to the beautiful conifers that surround us here in the Northeast and also a tip of the hat to you-know-when! CHRISTMAS!!!! The idea of putting the trees on the bars came to me out of the blue and about 6 degrees from stirring time during the lye/oil cool down. I just love it, though. And the fragrance is great. Fresh spruce on a crisp winter's day... breathe in and escape to the woods. Yum.
I'm bringing these to the Essex Craft Fair next weekend, but I'll have several batches for sale on etsy in the next few weeks. If you're interested, leave me a comment and I'll reserve your bars. Ho, ho, ho! :)
I was reminded yesterday how fun it is to challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone! It's damn fun! I got a message from Jack Thurston, a reporter from WCAX our CBS station in Burlington. Jack does a great weekly feature called "Made in Vermont". He had happened upon my Boo the Ghost soaps and wanted to come to the Bubble Lab on Friday morning to do a piece on Twin Birch. Here's what went through my head for the first 3 seconds: "OMG!" "ME?!" "I'm not ready for that" "I'm not sure about this" "Are you kidding?" I very quickly switched to, "YAY!!!!" "This is going to be so fun!" "Waaaaah Hooooooo!"
I was a little nervous, but my sweet girlfriends, Ramsey & Beth and her daughter Emiline were all here to offer support. Gerry also came home from work. Seeing him here was instantly calming. *big smile* Plus, my other sweet girlfriend, Jennifer showed up on Thursday and whipped this place into a "camera~ready" work area. I also got phone calls & emails galore from even more sweet girlfriends (I am a lucky girl!)
Jack and his camera woman, Robin, were really fun to work with. They were great to have here and the morning included plenty of laughter. In the end, it was pretty easy and a total blast!!
Here's a look: (please forgive the commercial!)
I LOVED seeing my soap on TV! That was the best part! So, bye~bye comfort zone... I'm ready for more adventure! Thanks to Jack & Robin, you guys are the greatest!
I've been cranking out soap by the truck loads. The craft~ fair~holiday~party~favor season has me working hard and having a ball. It really is a gift to be able to do what you love.
