Oooooooo.... New Holiday Box Revealed Soon

Just Wait.....

I just finished the last scent of my holiday box and it is OH SO GOOD. It will not disappoint.

Best thing? It will be available through December.

Coming soon to Product Body

Finslippy Challenge

I read is Finslippy written by Alice Bradley just about every day. I really like her writing because she has a perspective on life that is raw and it feels like she is describing my life so much of the time it's weird. I also wish I had even half the talent. Alice is a professional writer and has contributed to the books "Things I Learned About My Dad (in Therapy)" and "Sleep is for the Weak."

Right now, Alice is having a challenge on her blog. She explains it here:

Donors Choose is an incredible organization that matches teachers in high-needs schools with people who are willing to give. Teachers register with the site and describe what projects they need sponsored, and donors can pick and choose which projects they want to help fund. So the Blogger Challenge is just a bunch of us bloggers competing over who can raise the most money. If I win the Blogger Challenge, I will reenact Pat Benatar's video "Love is a Battlefield" in its entirety. Because I am dimly aware that this challenge is about helping teachers in need, and my desire to WIN WIN WIN or your desire to see me shimmying and gyrating in a torn dress and too much eyeliner.

Product Body is offering a FIGGY PUDDING gift box (not yet available to the public!!) over at Finslippy as a give away to a random donor this week. I am honored to be a part of this effort, even if it's just a small donation. I urge you to go help, even if it's just five dollars. If you haven't checked out Finslippy before, you should, but you might get hooked.

And if she wins, we get to see her do Pat Benatar. We need a little comic relief from all this political fog, don't we?

We are strong...

New Carrot Cake Candle On Etsy

I recently did a natural candle coloring experiment while writing an article for The Saponifier magazine. I used safflower petal powder to infuse my melted soy wax and I think it came out beautifully. I am really loving the color. I expected the color to be very intense because of the color of safflower petals, but the mild creamy orange is pleasing to my eye.

I scented this batch with carrot cake and a hint of vanilla coconut. Not a very strong candle, but one that will make you close your eyes and breathe in, not oen your window and blink your eyes.

:D

So I have one listed on Etsy and when i get around to photographing the travel tin candles, I'll put those up, too. Oh, those little flowers are from my pretty orchid plant at home.

Candle that!

My Mother Tells A story That Is True And Makes Me Want To Bang My Head Against A Wall

Last week my dear daughter, Joanna, was at my house with the kids. I was showing her these new tools I bought at the hair salon store. One was a file that you use on your heels to scrape away dead and cracking skin, and the other was a heel renewing lotion that the salesperson said you apply at night and go to sleep with a pair of socks on. Joanna gave me a look that could freeze the Nile. "Mother, what do you think I sell. I sell lotions for dry skin, especially for the feet, such as Mama Bomb, Crush on You and the Ski Bomb thing (whatever it is called). These do the same thing, but much better."

I am having such a hard time understanding all the uses for Joanna's products. I am going to take a tutorial with her because I still am in the dark. I do promise I will get it one day. My granddaughter has gotten it. She will tell me which product to use for which problem. But I said to Joanna, "Your product does not say it is a heel healer." She rolled her eyes, turned and walked away muttering under her breath. Oh well.

Winner Claimed Her Prize

Kelley...She came through. :)

Kelley......?

Kelley has not yet contacted me about her prize, so if I haven't heard from her by Friday, I will run the random number generator again and come up with a new winner for the give away.

I'll keep you posted!

Whipped Butters Are Baaaaaaack

whipped shea butter

tangerine whipped dream

It's finally not over 90 degrees here every day, so we are putting Whipped Shea Butter and Tangerine Whipped Dream back out there for purchase. I made a load of batches yesterday - so fresh and delish. Are you ready for re-hydration?

The Winner For Give Away Goodies

Using the Random.org system, commenter # 22 won the giveaway. Kelley. Congratulations, Kelley!! Please email me at jo @ productbody . com with your email and we'll work out all the details.

Thank you everyone for participating with the game. Even though we didn't get to 100, all of your awesome comments hit home and I felt the love. Thanks. The next give away will be even bigger, so keep looking out for it. ;)

Time For A Give-Away!

From now through Monday every comment on THIS post will be counted as an entry to win a Mama Bomb Coconut Milk Bath Soak and a Sexy Laundry Day Bath Bomb! You may enter as many times as you want, but you actually have to write something and it can't be a repeat/copy of a previous post. If we get past 100 posts, I'll throw in more. I will add a soap and a surprise gift.

Send your friends and GOOD LUCK!
I can only send the winning package to the US or to Canada due to the high costs of shipping. Sorry!

The New Cream - Almost Done

All natural other than the preservative. Niiiiiice. Preservatives? You say, I don't need them? Take a look at that disgusting moldy cream at Anne-Marie's blog. Now think about it. What's better, a little preservative or some nasty mold that could killya?

My Favorite Pot

lovingly used since 1996

Elizabeth of Gracefruit found a heavy cast iron pot she fell in love with and asked her readers to photograph their favorite pots and describe why they like them.

I have a few.

I like my easy going teflon frying pan that is lightweight and really easy to clean. I wish I had a 5 quart sautee pan like that. The one that I can cook anything in, though, is my Le Creuset large stock pot. My husband and I asked for Le Creuset when we were getting married. We got pots, pans and a teapot all in FLAME. Love it. It boils water faster and it cooks everything evenly. The biggest problem I have with the darn stuff is that it is heavier than a three year old and when you are trying to maneuver the thing around and your thumb gets caught in the handle while your turning it...well, it feels like it would be too easy to break my digits.

The other drag about the cast iron is that you can not leave the pots or pans soaking in the sink. They will leave a rust stain. Best thing to do is fill it on the stove and leave it there overnight to soak.

pot of water getting ready to boil and accept my bag of edamame
notice the teapot behind the pan


So what is your favorite pot?

Short Weekend Sale At Product Body!!

We are having a weekend sale at Product Body so if there is something you have been craving, get it now while the coupon is good! Use this code:

bigbadblog

Everything except gift certificates are on discounted if you use the code. 20% off !

Have a great weekend!!

I'm A Bit Like A Roomba

With holiday gift sets and scents brewing at work, I can say that I have been a little busy. Not only am I trying to get orders out, I am trying to THINK, which is difficult when I am in go-go motion. It's kind of like when you lay out your children's lunch bags, and as you fill each lunch box with the same items...plop...plop...plop, blip, blip, blip, then someone comes up to you asks you to check a math question. Okay. Stop. Think. Finish checking (which actually takes me a little time because I am not quick with the math), then before I zip back into my assembly line of lunch goods, I have to readjust my brain to that mode and it does take a few seconds to return to normal. I feel like sometimes I'm like a Roomba. Ever had one of those? Well I had one once until I ran it into the ground and burned out the motor I loved it so much.

A Roomba is a self propelled, self taught, space ship-looking vacuum cleaner. It used to be that I could turn it on, leave the house and return home with the first floor pretty close to being dust free, or hairball free, whatever. Unfortunately, half the time, the thing would get caught under the same chair and beep for 30 minutes before shutting itself off. I think mine was mentally challenged because it didn't LEARN to not go under that dumb chair every day. So I guess I'm saying I sometimes feel like a Roomba, because I'm moving along doing a fine job, I hit a wall, stop, do a turn, adjust myself and move along, and I keep doing that until I get stuck under the stupid chair.

Ever get information-laden and feel sopped up and need a moment to let it absorb deeper?

Lather Up The Troops

The Troops package has NOT gone out yet. I've been in touch with my contact in Iraq and it is between 80 and 130 degrees on any given day there. They have running water most of the time, but we aren't talking tubs and sinks and showers with heated water. Not a bunch of luxuries. So, with this in mind, I was trying to think of what products I could send that wouldn't melt. Initially I thought conditioning facial mask, that I could send in powder form, but my husband gave me that eye-rolling-you've-got-to-be-kidding-look. "You think soldiers are going to sit around and make facial masks for themselves?" Okay, he has a point. There are probably not many metrosexuals there and the ones who like to take care of their skin don't want to scream it from the roof tops. I get it.

So. I've decided I am going to make batches and batches of salt soap and ship it over along with washcloths and some other dried goodies. I really did think it would be cooler out there and our creams, butters and scrubs would be nice for them, but I will have to create this wondrous package with the unmeltables.

If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I'm all ears. The package will go out in about 6 weeks, when all the soap batches we make finish curing.

Posh Mama Award

We won in March! I know, I am so on the ball! Did someone say it's September?

See Posh Mama's website - A GREAT RESOURCE FOR MOMS

The Heat Remains

It's mid September and it is still 92 degrees in the middle of the day, and still over 90 at 5pm. For me, being from NY, September is a time for coolness and weather change, but here? Not even close. September can be the hottest month. Product Body will be offering our Whipped Shea Butter beginning October 1st. If it's still icky hot here, we'll just have to make due.

My peeps need the hydration!

Whipped Sugar Scrub With Sugar On Top

Everyone here really liked the sugar scrub scented with Brown Sugar + Fig, but we won't be using in the Product Body line because we have created our own scent blends for the holidays. What does that mean for the few sugar scrubs we made that are sad not to have a home? Put them on my Etsy shop, of course! This scrub is emulsified and not drippy at all. Washes off cleanly and is more than 99% natural (scent is a fragrance oil).

It's hard to start preparing for the holidays, but it's necessary. I still am loving my pink grapefruit, yuzu, lemon and sweet vannilla mango scents at Product Body. I don't care what people say, I love those citrusy and tropical scents year round. They aren't seasonal for me.

Now That Is Big

These look normal, right? uh-uh. The little one is 4.75 ounces and the big ones are 12.50 ounces. They are bigger than a tennis ball! In fact, they are almost the size of a softball! I recently got this great stainless steel mold to make these huge balls of fizz. I'm thinking they make great gifts. Hmmm. Maybe I'll sell them on Etsy.

These are scented with Brown Sugar and Fig. Oh yummmmm. Perfect for the holidays....

On The Rise Award

Thank you to whoever voted for Product Body at stylebakery.com for the Reader's Choice Award for "beauty product designer". How fun is that?!?

Zucchini Muffins A La Nina

I was very constructive yesterday, which is a real feat for me on Saturdays in general, but yesterday, I made some creamy formulations for Product Body and also cooked in my kitchen with my daughter, Nina. I decided to make zucchini muffins, because A) I love zucchini bread and B) it gets actual vegetables into my family, fat and sugar and all.

I took a recipe from Smitten Kitchen to use as a base and created my own recipe from it.

They ended up r e a l l y good.