I am so excited, I can’t wait! I’m ordering my new soap molds. I’m getting close to 75 new designs: race cars, pick-up trucks, dinosaurs, baby shower favors, wedding favors, a new girly set…

I’m beginning to enter the new soaps onto my site. I don’t have any images yet, but you can find out what’s coming up…and imagine how lovely they will be….

Oh! I almost forgot about the FAIRIES! Just lovely!

Stay tuned for the unveiling!

I just wrote a couple of articles on the chemistry behind personal care products and published them on the main Soap Sushi website: Articles of Interest to Soap Sushi Customers. They’re not nearly as boring as they would seem; in fact, I try really hard to keep them simple. My goal with the articles is to empower my customers to cut through the endless controversy about what’s healthy and what’s not.

So, happy reading!

I ran across an interesting comparison of environmental impact of paper bags vs. plastic bags. Think you know which is better for the environment? This article from Nashvillewraps.com may surprise you!

Effective immediately, all of Soap Sushi’s products will be formulated with phthalate-free fragrances.

The industry’s official stance is that fragrances are formulated with a “safe” form of phthalate, DEP. Both the United States and the European Union consider DEP to be safe as well. Phthalates.orgis a website that highlights the benefits of phthalates in our everyday lives, and there are indeed many benefits. Without them we would not have many modern conveniences like medical equipment, nail polish, carpeting, perfumes…the list goes on.

Here’s the problem: studies determine risks posed by phthalate use in small amounts, such as a spritz of perfume, a touch of nail polish, or even a combination of both. The studies showing adverse effects are discounted because they have been conducted on rodents exposed to many, many times the “safe” dosage of phthalates. When one thinks about the number of phthalate-containing items one is exposed to on a daily basis, however, you just have to wonder about the true levels of daily exposure. For instance, they can be found in plastic food wrapping. They are in carpeting. They are in fragrances (think of all the fragrances one encounters in a day, from shampoos, soaps, and other personal-care items to air fresheners, dish detergent, laundry detergent, and other cleaning products). They’re in our cars (many of us practically live in our cars). They’re in our children’s toys; chances are, any flexible plastic toy our children play with contains phthalates. They’re in our electronic devices: iPods, cell phones, and all of the other gadgets that have become a fixture in our lives.

I am not suggesting that we should all throw out our plastics and head for a nice natural cave somewhere. Plastics have been around for a long, long time and we have all survived nicely. I have just come to the conclusion that my customers purchase handmade personal care items because they want something better than what is mass-produced. Removing the phthalates in the products I sell will barely scratch the surface of the daily exposure, but at least it will be reduced that much. My customers deserve the best, and I intend to deliver it.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of us blessed with little cuties that make our life….interesting.

Here’s a tribute to my little ones, Liam and Camille. Without them, I wouldn’t be sleeping in every Mother’s Day!

Camille and Liam, er, Princess Leia and Yoda, this past Halloween:

Ain’t they cute? All behaved and NOT SCREAMING! For once. I think the candy had something to do with it!

This is funny. I have a grandmother named Etsy. I actually have twin grandmothers (grandmother and great-aunt, but they both count as grandmothers), Etsy and Betsy This is probably obvious, but they aren’t wild about getting their pictures taken.

But it is not my Etsy I want you to get to know (although she is quite an interesting and funny gal). The website Etsy is a fabulous place to buy handmade items for that perfect birthday, wedding or Christmas gift. You won’t find items like these at the local mall!

Etsy.com has a very upscale feel, even though the items there are extremely reasonably priced. There is a shop in Black Mountain, NC called Seven Sisters Craft Gallery. Etsy reminds me of this shop, just in virtual form. You can buy handmade jewelry (even gold and gemstone), beads, cards, clothing, and the list goes on and on. It’s a very special place, with a community and culture all its own. If you love all things handmade, or if you’re looking for a gift that’s one-of-a-kind, duck into Etsy.com!

I have got to be the weirdest person ever.

I have been wearing the same clothes for years. My long-sleeve shirts from Old Navy are starting to fade. I literally wear my clothes out. Jeans are thrown in the trash once the holes in them get ridiculous for a 37 year-old mom of two to be wearing.

I have a butt load of cash coming from the government, and what am I planning to spend it on? Soap molds. But, I cannot wait! All the things I have been drooling over for months and months, I’m just going to buy every one of them! Ooh, you wait and see what we have planned for you!

I have found some really cute boy molds: race cars, airplanes, motorcycles, trucks. Now that I have one (a boy) I find myself looking for good stuff for boys. Oh! and the cutest dinosaur soaps too! What is it with boys and dinosaurs? One of my son’s favorite books is the one with the dinosaurs.

We haven’t received the fabled stimulus check yet, but by the time we do, it will be spent!

More details later!

We moved to Miami right after Thanksgiving last year, 2007. It was a shock to us; Miami is a LOT different than South Carolina.

One thing I do like about Miami is the wildlife. The first thing I noticed when we moved here was the wildlife; there are flocks of birds in parking lots. Orioles, crows, doves, cranes, hawks–I even saw a green parrot in the median a couple of times.

Now, we do have killer toads. You know those toads you lick to get a buzz? Well, don’t let your dog bite them. Let’s just say they are a buzz…killer. Go ahead and groan, I deserve it.

I think the thing I love most about Miami, though, is the Iguanas. They run wild here. Seriously. You go to the zoo, and iguanas are sunning themselves…on the edge of the tiger habitat. Most of the roads run parallel to canals here, and big iguanas just hang out under the road barriers beside the canals. One day I must have passed 10 of them. They’re fabulous!

Admittedly, we love animals more than just about any other family we know. We’ve even had a hermit crab for a few years. Now, we don’t hire a pet sitter for the crab when we go out of town, but we (well, I) did research the best bedding, food, etc. Weird, I know.

I don’t have any pictures of the Iguanas. It’s kind of hard to snap a pic while whizzing by at 40 MPH. I do plan to get one (a picture, not an iguana!), though, so we can remember the one thing about Miami that made us smile while we were here.

Starting today, many of us will begin receiving our “economic stimulus” rebates from the US government. What do you plan to do with it? Are you going to save it? Pay down debt? Blow it?

I have gotten the green light from hubby to invest it in the Soap Sushi Stimulus Plan. I get the whole thing for new stuff: molds, ingredients, molds….Did I mention molds? All of my suppliers are on notice: get ready for my orders!

You, my lovely customers, also are on notice: we have many, many new products in the works. I can’t wait to roll them out. Make sure you sign up for our newsletter to get the scoop on all the goodies!

This is my third and final Oprah Earth Day rant. On a recent show, Oprah’s guest featured a collection of products deemed Earth-friendly. One such product was made without Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. What was the beef with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)? According to the guest, it disrupted hormones, and was used in products such as antifreeze.

This, in my opinion, was an extremely irresponsible, not to mention untrue, statement. SLS is in everything from shampoo to toothpaste. If it lathers or foams, SLS is probably in there. Is this due to a government plot to kill us all slowly, leaving corpses with inordinately clean hair? Not hardly.

SLS is derived from natural sources, such as coconut oil or palm oil, and SLS does not disrupt hormones. In fact, the Oprah show was the first time I have ever heard that it did. The allegation made against SLS is that it causes cancer. These rumors were spread via email in true urban legend fashion. In fact, Snopes.com has a section debunking the rumor. The American Cancer Society has also written an article debunking the myth.

SLS may cause skin irritation if you have sensitive skin, and if you are prone to mouth sores the SLS in toothpaste can exacerbate the problem. For most, however, SLS is a perfectly safe and gentle product. 

If you do find that you are sensitive to SLS, many alternatives exist. For one, many of our handmade soaps do not contain SLS. As always, we are very careful to disclose the ingredients of our products; it is easy to choose products that suit your particular needs.

Another favorite ingredient we use provides deliciously thick foam and is known to be gentler than SLS. Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate is a free-flowing white powder that bubbles like nobody’s business. My kids love it, and it stands up to the ‘hair do’ test–when my daughter gives her baby brother a hair do, it doesn’t sting his eyes.

So how do we navigate the constant barrage of products that are going to kill us, products that are going to save us, and the fact that these ‘findings’ seem to change on a daily basis? My personal opinion is that common sense, a careful assessment of facts, and just our own inner sense as mothers, fathers, or just people are what can serve us best. Most of the chemicals people are up at arms about have been used for decades. Most of us have used some of them our entire lives and have lived to tell the tale. Take a deep breath, relax, and make your decisions. The good news? There are always alternatives to any questionable product ingredient out there.