Staples For My Soap Arsenal

So I've been thinking: What are the scents that I want to carry all year round, all the time, winter, spring, summer, and fall..you get it! I have a terrible habit of just buying fragrances because I want to try them or because it's the hottest new trend or whatever. I make a batch of soap with it. I sell it. Then I move on to the next thing. There's no consistency or familiarity with my product line. THAT HAS TO STOP NOW!!! How can I brand myself if I'm constantly changing stuff?

Blah, blah, blah, and a million thoughts later, I decided on a few scents that I really like that I want to carry all the time, and here are a few:

Black Raspberry Vanilla

Blackberry Sage

Oatmeal, Milk & Honey

Chai Tea

Cucumber Mint (Ok, anything with cucumber..)

So, what are your "go to" or must-have scents, be it because you love them and/or because they're best-sellers for you?Handmade soap lovers: What are your go-to scents?

Tools Of The Trade: Scent Blending

(This doesn't even scratch the surface!)

If you're a scent junkie like me, you probably have dozens upon dozens of bottles of scents laying around. Many of mine are 1 oz bottles of something I wanted to try but never really cared for. Others are my staples-basic, one-note fragrances that I can use alone or blend with other scents to create something delicious. I think every soap and candle maker should have these basics in their scent collection-especially if you're a food scent lover, er, junkie like myself:

Vanilla (that goes without saying)

Chocolate

Strawberry

Coconut

Peach

Blueberry

Cherry

Pineapple

Apple

Orange

Lime

Cinnamon

Coffee

Brown Sugar

Peppermint

All of the above-mentioned can be mixed and matched to create your own unique blends or you can use them to make some old favorites like so:

• Blueberry+French Vanilla=Blueberry Cheesecake
• Strawberry+French Vanilla=Strawberry Cheesecake
• Apple+Cinnamon=Apple Cinnamon (duh!!!)
• Strawberry+Peppermint=Candy Cane
• Orange+Peach=Fuzzy Navel
• Chocolate+Strawberry=Chocolate Covered Strawberries
• Lime+Vanilla=Key Lime Pie
• Pineapple+Coconut=Pina Colada
• Peach+Vanilla=Peaches N Cream

The possibilities are endless. Throw a gingerbread FO into the mix, and you've got instant pie fragrances. If you've got a favorite scent blend, I'd love to hear from you. Share the wealth!

Pardon Me, But I Prefer Foodie To Glutton or Pig

Who am I kidding? I am a weekend glutton and a part-time pig-sometimes. I love the smell of food-particularly baked goods, and that translates into the scents I offer for my soaps and candles. For the life of me, I've tried to fall in love with florals, and orientals, and smoky scents, but I keep gravitating toward chocolate, cream, and vanilla-based scents. I find them comforting and appetite-suppressing. Weird, huh? When I burn my banana bread pillars, I don't feel the need to have a snack because I'm constantly inhaling the scent. It doesn't always work. When I want chocolate, I have to have chocolate!

So I'm off to make food-shaped candles while I burn my banana bread candle. They're always a big hit around the holidays, and of course, my family always waits til the last minute to order a bunch for their co-workers, friends, kids' teachers...