Flashback 2013

Where has the year gone? And where have the past six weeks in particular gone? I think I heard a whoosh as they rushed by. Things get so hectic around Thanksgiving time, and it continues through the holidays. But in a fun way. And you know what they say - time flies when you're having fun.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday! My husband and I went home to Northwest Florida for Christmas and we had a great time hanging out with family and friends. The time went by too fast, as it always does, but we packed as much fun as we could into the time that we had.

It's hard to believe that 2013 is almost over. I like to take a look back at the year as it draws to a close. I made quite a few soaps this year, and I am looking forward to making some more in the upcoming year!

Let's revisit 2013, shall we?

Clockwise from upper-left:

Blue Man Shaving Soap (January 2013)

Pineapple Ginger Salt Bars (January 2013)

Roses & Champagne Valentine's Day Soap (February 2013)

Honeycomb Soap (March 2013)
 Bacon Soap (April 2013)

Peppermint Lemongrass Sage Swirl Soap (March 2013)

Clockwise from upper-left:

Wasabi Vertical Swirl Soap (April 2013)

Castille Soap (with mica swirls) (May 2013)

Mediterranean Garden Spa Shaving Soap (July 2013)
 Gumball Soap (August 2013)

Geranium Patchouli Soap (August 2013)
 Orange Basil Swirled Hearts Soap (July 2013)

Clockwise from upper-left:

Candy Cane Soy Candles (September 2013)

Dolphin Soap, Miami-Style (September 2013)

Snow Day Soap (October 2013)

Candy Cane Impressionist Swirl Soap (November 2013)

 Pumpkin Gingersnap Soap (October 2013)

Yuletide Cheer Soap (November 2013)

It's hard to pick a favorite from all of the soaps I made this year, but the Orange Basil Swirled Hearts and Snow Day make the short list. As do the Honeycomb soap (which is a favorite in my house) and the Geranium Patchouli (it smells great, and the Red Moroccan Clay is such a nice ingredient). And I discovered salt bars this year, which I especially love for my face! Which reminds me - I need to make more salt bars.

Goals for the New Year? I plan to finally make some wine soap. And I got some new soaping tools that I'm looking forward to trying out. The hanger, mantra, and peacock swirl techniques are still on my to-do list, and I'm particularly eager to experiment with them.

The New Year also means that this little blog is nearly two years old now! I published my first post here on January 15, 2012. Since then, this blog has grown and I have met some wonderful new friends in the process.  I have discovered many new blogs and I enjoy interacting with you all here and on your sites. Thank you to each and every one of you for following me here at my blog as well as on Facebook, YouTube, and Google+. Thanks for coming on this journey with me. You make my soaping adventures even more fun!

Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve, everyone! And I wish you all a fantastic 2014!

Flashback 2012

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday! My husband and I went home to Florida for Christmas and spent time with family and friends. We visited some of our favorite hangouts, caught up with people we haven't seen in a while, and just enjoyed some down time. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were full of gifts, soap, and food. And I ate. A lot.

And I got an early Christmas surprise from Bramble Berry - my Christmas Cheer soap was selected as a winner in their Make-It-Monday: Christmas Schwag challenge! I am thrilled that my soap was included among so many other gorgeous soapy creations. Thank you to Bramble Berry for choosing and featuring my soap!

It's hard to believe that 2012 is almost gone. As New Year's Day approaches, I find myself reflecting on the past year. In a lot of ways, things haven't changed much. In other ways, things have changed very much.

It's also hard to believe that I have been writing this little blog for almost a year now. I published my first post last January, hoping to share my little corner of the interwebs with other soaping enthusiasts. I am so grateful for all of the support from all of you who read this blog and follow my adventures on Facebook, Google+, and my YouTube channel.

As the year draws to a close and a new year approaches, I thought it would be fun to look back at all of the soaps that I have made and blogged about over the past year.

Left to right, from top to bottom:

Carrot, Orange, and Ginger

Cucumber Melon

Eucalyptus Clove

Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey

Honey

Clean Cotton

Orange Patchouli

Castile

Left to right, from top to bottom:

Christmas Cheer

Fresh Snow

Sweet Pumpkin

Black & Tan Beer

Peppermint Funnel Swirl

Gingersnap

Hot Cocoa

Tomato Leaf

Wasabi





Thank you again to all of you for coming along on this adventure with me. I am so happy with how this little blog has grown, and how it has allowed me to meet so many new soapy friends. I am looking forward to seeing what the coming year will bring!

Happy New Year, everyone! Have a wonderful 2013! And happy soaping to you all ...