Dateline: 10 September 2013
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My wife, Marlene, loves her morning glories. She took this picture a week ago.
When she had her soap business, it was called Morning Glory Soapworks. The following snippet of verse from Exodus 16:7 was printed on each soap wrapper...
And in the morning,
ye shall see the glory of the Lord.
ye shall see the glory of the Lord.
After more than a decade of making and selling soap as a little home business, Marlene decided to stop making it a few months ago. She just doesn't have the time. Making soap was becoming a burden.
She will still make soap for our family (I've not used "industrial" soap or shampoo for 13 years), but she gave some of her soap molds and recipes, along with a soap-making lesson, to a friend who would like to have a home-based soap business.
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It has been on my mind for years to make a Planet Whizbang pine tar soap and sell it online. Pine tar soap is something special. I don't know if I'll ever get to it, but it's another idea. I have far more ideas than I have time to pursue.
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If my wife didn't make our soap, you can bet I'd be buying it from another agrarian, home-based soap-maker, like either of the following people...
Soap making is fun and addicting but like your wife my husband and I burnt out on it. We ran two handcrafted soap businesses from 1998- 2005 but when we moved to Michigan we stopped selling. I taught my older daughters but they didn't fall in love with the process. Now I buy other's handcrafted soap until I get to another season of life where I have time (or have to) make it again. Elin Criswell, a friend of mine and owner of The Country Soaper has just self-published a book about starting a handcrafted soap biz. It is called Bubbles to Bucks.
ReplyDeleteHi Cynthia,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the insight. For anyone interested, here's a link to Elin Criswell's book:
Bubbles To Bucks
Here's our little agrarian, home-based, soap business as well.
ReplyDeletewww.tdnaturals.com
Sarah
http://www.tdnaturals.com/aboutus.asp
You should not apologize for the price you put on your pins. You have put much effort and thought and work into their design and production and you are doing it to produce an income for your family. Your price is right.
ReplyDeleteI have been buying my soap and milk from a local Mennonite family. Both items are consistently "heavenly"....
Shannon
Been buying Grandpa's Pine Tar soap off amazon for 2 years (since moving to TN) for eczema or some skin condition. Works well and I swear by it, my 8 year old son loves it also. $5 a bar but worth it. I have also thought about making it myself because it is so expensive.
ReplyDeleteP.S. The gardening book is great and can't wait to implement a few of the ideas.
- Ethan
Such gorgeous morning glories! I just love them and have several vines climbing the posts on my front porch. We're a soap making family, too! Small batches for us with a few extra bars to sell or gift. :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings!