not martha

I think I love Megan Reardon who writes not martha, which is a blog I love and read every day. She wrote all about Product Body today and I am super excited, thrilled and still catching my breath from her blush-inducing comments!

See about not martha's give-away and Read her review of Product Body here!



....there is much more in her review...this was just a screen shot.

Don't you love Megan, too??

Thank you!!!!!

Wick Size Does Matter

Has this ever happened to you? This is called tunneling of the candle. This occurs when the wick size is incorrect for the wax that is used. The core of the candle will burn straight down, eventually suffocating the flame due to lack of oxygen.

I thought I bought the right wick size for the container I used, but the wick that was recommended by the vendor was for beeswax not soy wax. I hate wasting wax, time and shipping costs.

Back to the drawing board...

On a good note, the scent is wonderful! It was a creamy floral.

I'll let you know when I make candles that are burn proof. ;)

It Might Make You Fat

Tartlette's Raspberry Dreams...



Tartlette is one of my favorite foodie blogs. Helen, who makes everything and takes these amazing photographs, generously granted me permission to share her images with you. Please go visit her site to see what she's up to and tell her I say hi. Fair warning: it might make you fat.

Another Experiment

I can't tell you the new scent we will be introducing for the Fall/Winter holidays, but it's good!

Smell The Roses 3

Life is crazy busy for everyone. I am trying to remind myself to continue noticing things. My weekly series (maybe closer to monthly) is called Smell The Roses. This will remind me to do just that.

Here is my third installation:

Pink Pink Pink

Guess I've been in the pink mood.

Lightly scented Pink Grapefruit Parfait Soap

Still a few left in my Etsy shop...when they are gone, they are gone

Watermelon Splash Sugar Scrub

Bubble Bar in Sexy Laundry Day (made them yesterday and they are almost gone!)

Fun pink...maybe I'll keep going with the theme. Share your pink things with me!

jo at productbody dot com

Last Days Before Troops Donations Get Packed Up

On the 3rd of July, my company, Product Body, set up a way for everyone to pitch in to add additional products to a huge yummy box of Product Body products to be shipped to the troops in the Middle East.

Here is an explanation of the promotion...from our blog post "A Care Package To The Troops":

"We've decided to send a care package of our products to the servicemen and women stationed in the Middle East in the hope that it can provide them with a few moments of relaxation and luxury. Who wouldn't need a little pampering after being in the desert in one outfit, with one bar of soap?

So for the month of July, every time anyone makes a purchase on our website that totals $40 or more, we'll add another product to the box. If you want us to include a message from you, just put it in the comments field during checkout. We'll also list (first name, last initial and hometown unless you tell us otherwise) the name of every customer that helped make the box bigger.

So help us make them happy! They deserve it."

There are four more days of shopping at Product Body in order for your donation to be included. All purchases over $40 will be qualified through August 31st.

We will be announcing the troop's name and location as soon as that is cleared for us to do. Thank you for your support.

Really.

Word Verification

Not that I have loads of extra time on my hands, but I read my share of blogs every day. I like to leave comments if it makes sense because as a writer of two blogs, reading comments makes me feel that people are in fact reading, not just mistakenly landing here.

I just counted: 52 regular blogs I visit daily. (Impossible!) I spend about an hour reading and commenting and about 30-60 minutes constructing posts. I don't do this all at once. mind you, but my interest lies in many places and it's nice to feel connected with people.

The one thing I hate, though is word verification when I'm leaving a comment on somebody's blog. First of all, The swirly words aren't always easy for me to read. Makes me feel dizzy and like I should be wearing a helmet to figure out the code so in case I tip over. See the picture of the handicapped person? That's me. All challenged.

It just makes everything take LONGER. I have a job, people! I understand the word verification "system" eliminates auto commenters (why would anyone have that job? Point being to annoy??) So, I took my word verification off both my blogs months ago and I get one spammer a month which is easy to discard. So fellow bloggers: please help out an easily disoriented, have no extra time for extra energy spent gal living in Florida. The heat already is a challenge.

See? I can't even speak English anymore!

Coconut Banana Bread. A Tale Of A Food Trade.

I have raved about Leslie Green of The Hungry Housewife in my Lowel Ego Light Post here. I first noticed the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cupcake way back when (here and here), then most recently, Leslie's Banana Bread French Toast post which put me RIGHT OVER THE EDGE.

Well, what else could I do then to email her and ask her if:

a) I could come over for breakfast.

or

b) Do a trade.

Sadly, she responded in her email that she wasn't much of a "potions and lotions" gal. Well, geez, I don't know if I've ever met anyone NOT into products. No tantalizing Leslie with my only positve trade-able asset? Hmm. I couldn't drive to Tampa for breakfast. A fast friendship was growing, but a drive was not happening. Sorry Leslie, I know how much my presense would be appreciated because I'd eat ALL of your fattening leftovers and save you from yourself. (Yeah, I read Fat Jeans)

I must be able to offer something she might like. She seemed reluctant, but would do a trade and maybe she'd use the cream before bed. She didn't want to interfere with her perfume. Not a product junkie? Huh. My new goal: To make Leslie a Product Body junkie. For life.

Then her box arrived. As I was ripping the package open, it occured to me that her baking could be a flop and how was I suppose to be nice about it if it was inedible? Then my thoughts went to: Oh no! What if she hates my products? This whole trade could be a nightmare.

This is what I found in the box....

Beautifully wrapped....


Beautifully baked....

Moist and smelly good. When I cut into it, a coconutty banana scent wafted up and knocked me right onto my very own slice of heaven. I am in love - It's official. Two breads arrived and I was doubly pleased. It is the best banana bread I have EVER eaten. And I make a pretty mean loaf. Who thinks to put coconut into banana bread? It's pure genious and I thank my lucky stars that I stumbled on The Hungry Housewife and bookmarked it on the day that I did.

Sadly, I only have one loaf left and I think I am not sharing it with anyone. More fat on my hips, better to knock you over with, my dear.

How cool would it be to have a monthly trade with a new friend? She sends me a treat and I send her a treat. We could even get a theme going every month to see how creative we could get. The more I think about it the more I love the idea.

Leslie wrote about the trade, too. Maybe she will turn into a "potions and lotions" gal after all.

Reminder: Sale Ends Friday

On Monday I wrote a post giving away a BIG coupon. For Hurricane Fay, I decided to give away a coupon for 25% off everything (except gift certificates). The Hurricane sale I wrote about is for all blog readers and their friends. Time is running out so use this coupon:

hurricane

at Product Body.

Be smooth. Be soft. Stay clean.

Grapefruit Bomb

I am loving the purple and green. Next time the green will be more intense and limey.

Lowel Ego :: #1 On My Wish List

I am a regular reader of The Hungry Housewife blog written by Leslie in Tampa. Yesterday, she wrote a post about a light that I now MUST GET. So, if anyone if anyone is interested, I now have an official Wish List and The Lowell Ego is #1 on that list.

My creative juices like to flow at night, when there is a total lack of natural light. Flashes stink and I am not good enough to know how to maneuver the built in flash nor do I have the patience for nighttime shooting if the pictures are lousy to look at. So yesterday I was reading Leslie's blog, and I was so impressed by the quality of light in her photos. She used the Lowel Ego Digital Imaging Light which is a fluorescent, plug in, tabletop nifty photo assistant. Now your Etsy shop or the portrait of your baby can be perfect with no harsh shadows from a flash.

"...a revolutionary tabletop fluorescent Digital Imaging Light, the elegant & easy to use Lowel Ego. Setup is a breeze, plug it in, place it on the table, & turn it on. The result is fast, simple, & beautiful light output that's ideal ..."

What else could I want?

Thank you, Leslie. Thank you for making me NEED something so badly.

School's Out + Bath Bomb Success

The pink ones are yuzu and the green and purple are grapefruit exotica (new). They came out great and I am pleased as punch! The grapefruit ones are for sale on my Etsy shop.

On a sadder note, Tropical Storm (not hurricane) Fay has closed our schools for the day. 2nd day of school canceled. Let's get on a schedule, folks!

We are experiencing a stormy squall every 45 minutes or so, some lasting 15-20 minutes per squall. This is about as stormy as I like it. Windy, thundery, rainy, dark, but no wind damage and power outages. Yet.

Exclusive Hurricane Sale!

S A L E

I have decided to give out a 25% off coupon to anyone who wants it. Yes, a sale for anyone who reads my blog or has a really generous friend who shares the coupon with you that reads my blog. Come to www.productbody.com and order whatever you want. Well, anything that is for sale. We still aren't selling the Whipped Shea Butter - still too hot to ship.

Use this coupon:

hurricane

...and get 25% off EVERYTHING you put in your cart (excluding gift certificates, of course :P). It only lasts through this Friday, August 22nd, so use it or lose it.

But by all means, share it.

Oh Fay

So here we go again. Fortunately as it stands, Tropical Storm Fay will hit and the chances are low that it will increase speeds and turn into a hurricane. That is good news (no mounting shutters), but bad for my bomb making. It still is a tad humid inside, but I have cranked up my A/C this morning and we'll hope for the best.

There was too much organizing the kids for school over the weekend for me to make bath bombs. Today was the first day of school here in Florida. Yeah. Early. In NY, I always went back to school after Labor Day. It's hard to get used to the southern way.

Bath Bomb Nightmares

What happens when you have a particularly humid day, your air conditioning isn't cranking the way it usually does and you have a wholesale order for bath bombs? Throw a lot of citric acid and baking soda in the trash, that's what.

Lame.

Some days, formulating is easy peezy lemon squeezy, and some days it feels like I'm rubbing my face on sandpaper. Today was a sandpaper kind of day. No doubt about that.

Tomorrow, bombs will be made and I will show photos. Maybe. If they are good enough.

Obsessed With Starbucks

My son is a little egg sandwich crazy, you might say, which is a better thing to be than being a sugar junkie or worse.

A few months ago, Starbucks came out with egg sandwiches made on a nice English muffin...my son's favorite is the Egg, Cheese and Sausage sandwich. Every time we drive past a Starbucks, which seems like every other block on the planet, he asks for a much needed, ohmygodiamdyingofhunger egg sandwich.

Apparently, Starbucks has decided to discontinue the sandwiches, even though I think we are putting someone's kids through college at our local store. I think our local one is the last to phase them out, which is good, because my son needs to eat and he doesn't like much out there. The good news is, maybe I can afford other things, like milk.

;)

A Death. A Memorial. A Personal Note.

You may know me as "the husband," or Brad, or you may not know me at all, but I am in fact Joanna's husband Brad and I'm hijacking Joanna's blogs for a moment (this is being cross-posted to both The Soap Bar and the Product Body Blog) to share something with you all:

The "death of someone close" she mentioned in these pages was her step-father, Harry, who has been with Joanna's mom (who raised her) since Joanna was only eight. Harry passed away on July 31st. His memorial service is today.

Over these days, I've watched Joanna cope with Harry's illness and death with incredible grace, and strength, and sensitivity. I've watched her put her own grief to the side in order to be there for her mom and others. I've watched her struggle and succeed at being a strong and steady mother to our children, even while she had to deal with the loss of a father. In short I've seen, as I have always seen in Joanna, the kind of person I hope my children grow into.

So consider this a different sort of obituary. One that honors the feelings of someone left behind, to give her a moment of attention, and love, and support.

Shortly after Harry died, Joanna said this to me:

"Harry was the only person in my life when I was growing up that I never felt judged by. No matter what I did, no matter what mistakes I made, he was always supportive."

THAT is no small fucking thing, people. And you, my beautiful and amazing wife, most certainly deserved it.

So Harry, if somehow you're reading this, thanks. Thanks for giving the woman I love, the woman I would do anything for, something so valuable and rare.

Scent Review of Sexy Laundry Day

A lovely, lovely customer of mine gave me a scent review for Sexy Laundry Day that I'd like to share.

Sexy Laundry Day is the perfect name for this scent. It's soft, sweet, and clean. Think clothes on the line on a summer day with sweet undertones. It's perfect for my job where perfume is not allowed but I still want to smell nice. I used Crush on You and Cream both scented with SLD since layering the scent makes it last longer. Once it's on the skin, this scent is subtle yet alluring. My husband caught my arm and pulled me close to get a better sniff. Now that makes me want to use it every day!

Nell

ps- I love the salt soap too.

Thank you, Nell. I appreciate your emails and wonderful comments.

The Seventies - Step Back

On a tractor bed in Black Mountain, North Carolina (1976?).

Macon (oldest sister - top), Debbie (cuz - top right), Leslie (blonde cuz), me, the youngest (center) and Jenny (sister - lower right).

Those were the good ole days.