Make It

Anna Melcon Bond

I can't remember if I've shared Anna Melcon Bond's work here before. If so it deserves another look.    

Good news for soapmakers

   

The FDA Globalization Act (a federal act that has the potential to do to homemade soap businesses what the CSPIA may do to small children's businesses) has apparently been revised to a form that is more friendly to small business concerns. It seems fairly reasonable: register your biz with the FDA (this doesn't cost anything), list all ingredients on packaging. I can handle that. More details here.

Images via Fresh, a Boston-based company with great packaging/identity.

In other CSPIA News, new legislation will soon be introduced to amend the Act for small businesses. Fingers crossed! I really want to see small businesses succeed so even though I don't have kids or make kids' items, I'm following this closely. Stay tuned...

UPDATE: OK, this is what happens when I get my news from Twitter (and read it in chronological order, newest posts first). Turns out CSPIA has been suspended for a year! Amazing news, details at Etsy's Storque article.

We are so excited to announce that the Commission has voted for a "Stay of Enforcement of Certain Testing and Certification Requirements of CPSIA" — which means that they are proposing a 1 year suspension of the burden of lead testing and certification while they take more time to review the rules and plan enforcement!  All of your hard work is paying off (for the time being at least!).  You wouldn't have to pay to do the certification and testing, though you are still liable if your products are found to have lead. We are so pleased that artisans and vintage sellers got their voices heard. Your hard work is not over; we must continue to play a role in advocating for small business people throughout the coming year.

Wood Block Print

How striking is this? I think it would be quite mesmerizing to see in person. I don't have the $4,000 for it though. Source.

Setting Goals

I haven't done any more soap experimentation lately. I placed an order for some new fragrances and additives because I don't really have enough right now to really dive in. The company I ordered from (my secret source) has the best prices I've found online but wow their shipping takes forever. So while waiting for those to arrive I'm starting on the screens. I want to have at least 4 new designs, and possibly as many as 6. The plan is to create them all with the screen filler method, painting the designs on the screen by hand. I'm working on my first screen and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I don't have the control over the brush that I do when I draw a design by hand or the computer, so this isn't turning out as I had planned. But I'm going to just go with the flow and wait until the final result before I pass judgment. If it ends up horrendous, I'll just rip the screen out and re-mesh it and start all over.

I'm also working on a business plan. I've created them in fits and starts before but never really seen the process all the way through. This time I'm using some templates, courtesy of SCORE. SCORE is essentially a free business counseling service (it's nationwide, visit the site to see if you have a local branch) that matches up entrepreneurs with retirees with business experience. My plan is to get an outline of a business plan together and a few samples and go meet with someone there in early February. The advice will be alot more worthwhile if I've already done some of the work on my own, as opposed to showing up empty-handed. If you're looking for some reading to motivate you to stop over-thinking your entrepreneurial dreams and start acting on them, I recommend Republic of Tea. It's a behind the scenes look at the founding of the company as told via the faxes exchanged between the owners (this was pre-email).

RIP Domino

I had a little bit of a love/hate relationship with the magazine, but the fact remains: it is the only mag I subscribe to and I always looked forward to receiving it.

With Domino and Blueprint now folded, I echo Karen's sentiment- what print mags will feature small design and craft businesses? My Google Reader and Twitter is aflurry with readers mourning the loss of this publication. The audience is out there and they're passionate. Why can't these magazines make it?

Behind the Scenes at Printsource

Jan from Daisy Janie wrote about her experience at Printsource, an NYC trade show for surface designers. Lots of good info here for wannabe's like me.

Inspiration: Food Photography

I'm always interested in improving my product photography. Lately, I've been drawing inspiration from the following food photographers. Common themes are neutral, light colored backgrounds, simple styling and natural lighting.

Top two photos from Canelle et Vanille. Flickr. Blog.
Bottom two photos from Whimsy and Spice. Etsy shop. Blog.

Soaping: Second batch

Here's my second batch of soap. I didn't add any coloring and I used almond meal to get the little grainy bits - I like the look of soap that has stuff in it. I did my first attempt at scent blending, mixing two fragrance oils to scent this one, and I like the result: it's got a sweet, warm sugary scent.  Almond cookie would be an appropriate name for this bar.

I haven't used this yet so I can't tell you how it performs. After using the green tea bar for a few days, it's perfectly fine but not exceptional. I'm hoping I can add or tweak the oils that I incorporate to make it more exciting. There are so many options it's overwhelming and exciting to experiment. I stupidly only got 3 scents with my first shipment of soap supplies, I'm going to need alot more than that so I'm now doing some research of what new scents to get. I'm also going to experiment with essential oils. Just for kicks, I wrapped a little mini bar with a scrap of printed paper and made a stamped label, just to get an idea of what the final product may look like.

Happy Inauguration!

photo via D16

First Batch

Here's the first batch. I wiped off most of the matcha, it was an extravagant touch that just ended up making a mess (and giving me a green lather); next time I may just mix a little into the soap itself. The scent was very faint yesterday but got more intense overnight. Also the spirulina I used for coloring settled to the bottom of the bar instead of getting evenly distributed. Not a bad start but I have a few changes in mind for my next batch.