Shake it Off !!!

We've all had times in our lives where the title of this blog would be appropriately applied, right???  A bad day at work, a snub by someone you thought was your friend...or worse; a relationship that's sour.  And I'm guessing, too, that the words "shake it off" would be nice to hear but oh-so-hard to put into practical use.


Rocky Corner Soapworks is in the Shake it Off state right now.  After coming off a fall and holiday season that saw us sell out at almost every show (we had to cancel our last show of the season due to no inventory), we hit the lazy days of January and February when everyone was reviewing their credit card bill and deciding spending more money wasn't in the cards for them.  Those restful days weren't so restful; January and part of February I put together an aggressive production schedule that starred me ALONE.  My Fibromyalgia only allowed me to meet about half my production goals resulting in a frustration level I haven't felt in quite a while.  Feb. 20 saw me putting my absolute trust in George Kasparyan, MD, PHD Lahey Clinic as, once again, I underwent an "oil change and lube job"; this time my left shoulder needed rotator cuff repair.  


And while all of these events happened my husband had been harboring an untreated staff infection, resulting in months of aggressive treatment, IV's, surgeries, etc.  So many times during these past few months my daughters have urged me to temporarily suspend operations with an apology to my customer base.  The thought alone hurt my heart..I love my customers, truly.  And many depend on me for their skin health; a burden I don't mind bearing at all.  To wall off those individuals who have supported our small cottage industry business wouldn't/couldn't happen.  


Shake it Off mode is much harder to be in than I thought.  Mentally compartmentalizing the things I can't change and being pro-active about the things I can change...what's what I have to be all about now.  We owe so many thanks to friends and family who have stood by us and prayed with us and for us through these many months.  You hold a special place in our heart!


Let the S H A K I N G begin!


Karen

New Spring Soaps

Hi and thanks for subscribing to our RCS blog. We've been

absent for a whole host of reasons over the last 9 months but hope to return in full form soon.

Meantime, I'll be posting some of our new soaps that have recently made their debut on our website, RockyCornerSoapworks.com. To the right is our Drama Queen handmade soap using the layering technique; with some star sprinkles for the Drama Queen in all of us.

Then we launched the beautiful Cool Citrus Basil

dupe; a spinoff of the classic, retired Bath & Body Works fragrance by the same name. It's fresh and clean with sharp citrus notes and pretty dried calendula petals for visual appeal.

To the right is our Men's Shave Set which includes

genuine beaver hair brush, a disk of our handmade Woods & Leather shave soap, and a hand-thrown shave mug made by my friend Donna at Healing Touch Pottery in E. Hampstead, NH. Thank you Donna!!

We've added others such as Crazy For You, Peppermint Twist, Sea Salt Detox Soap, Purple Peaches and my all-time favorite, Eucalyptus & Sweet Orange. Photos below:

This spring we hope to bring you some lotion bars, shampoo bars and a wider variety of medicinal balms. Meantime, keep checking back on our website for additions to our soap line. You can also find us on Facebook and our email, RockyCornerSoapworks@comcast.net. If you have requests or questions please don't hesitate to contact us.

Best regards to you all,

Karen, Haydn, Kris

Elizabeth and Madeleine

Crazy Times!!!

Hi to all, and my apologies for not getting information to you sooner :( We've had a high school graduation, a graduation party, a "son" home on leave from the Navy, his re-deployment, and...............Hubby went back to work after being away from the Elevator Constructor industry for almost 2 YEARS! We're praying this job lasts so we can attempt to catch up on the finances.

We've added several new shows to our schedule so be sure to hop over to our website and check out the events page in the right column. the University of New Hampshire has invited Rocky Corner Soapworks to their 30th annual Evergreen Fair being held the first weekend in December. This is a chance to purchase last minute high-quality gifts for Christmas AND UNH opens their greenhouses so the public can purchase their special poinsettias.

We were recently contacted by someone who invited Rocky Corner Soapworks to participate in the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Expo being held the first weekend in November in Washington, DC. This show is sponsored in part by the Food network and should be a terrific opportunity for RCS to shine in a more nationally known trade show. We're open to suggestions for a display...we have a corner booth with 10' on two sides of the booth (20') total. That same weekend we'll be participating in what we call the World Trade Center Show in Boston. Sooooooooooooo, we've been busy trying to get ahead in production while we can.

Our new Carrot & Oatmeal soap is selling like mad, folks!! We use all parts of the carrot and liquid (except the stem) adding additional vitamins and nutrients into the final product. Remember, everything that touches your skin can potentially harm you: your skin is the largest organ in your body!!! and should be taken care of just like you'd take care of any other important body part :)

We've recently tested Lemon Poppyseed and LOVE, LOVE it! Very sharp and clean smelling with poppy seeds for scrub action. Men and women alike will gravitate to this terrific soap and it will be 'THE BOMB' in the kitchen sink side.

The gardens are growing like mad...we've made one harvest of lavender to dry for our Lavender soap. The second cutting is about to take place; running out of places to hang it to dry.

The pool is 90 degrees and the air is about 90 too :( Sad face because the heat/humidity really bother me. Feeling very run down and tired lately, possibly due to my fibromyalgia or maybe it's time to hire someone~ I get butterflies in my tummy just thinking about having someone who's not a family member working for us, investing their time and energy into our products. WOW!

Friends, I could go on and on but I'll spare you until next time!

Best to you all,

Karen Clough, owner
Rocky Corner Soapworks
75 Hampstead Road
Danville, NH 03819

NH Public Television Spring Auction

Look for Rocky Corner Soapworks products in the NH Made Tote Bag up for bid during the New Hampshire Public Television Spring Auction through the end of this weekend! 48 tote bags in all to go to the highest bidder...all for a great cause!


As Spring flows into early summer, I'm reminded of how little time we really have with the ones we love. As I write this blog my middle daughter, Elizabeth is preparing for highschool graduation, a staff position at NH Cadet Civil Air Patrol's Summer Encampment and college this fall. My grandmother that is about to turn 88 in June has been told she is dying of cancer and will have 2-6 months to live...and I think of all the times I spent with her and my Bumpa as a child; learning respect for one another, discovering a love for the land and a passion for gardening. Friends, time is so short with those dear to us............

I'm off my soapbox now and onto other fun topics like our new soaps!! These will be making an appearance on our website very shortly!

NORTHERN LIGHTS ~ Our new men's fragrance, similar to "Green Irish Tweed" from Creed. It smells like a high class men's cologne but I love it just as much!

COCONUT LIME VERBENA ~ Requested so many times from customers...we've decided to heed to the crowd and bring it to you! Truly, though, it's wonderfully fresh and inviting and we should have done it much sooner :)

CARROT & OATMEAL ~ OH MY GOODNESS!! We can't keep this in stock! Crazy as it sounds, we love, love, love the idea of mascerated carrots in our soap and oatmeal to soothe and soften the skin.

We're off to the New England Home, Flower and Garden show this May 13, 14 and 15, 2011 at the Fryeburgh Fair Grounds in Fryeburgh, Maine just outside the Conway/North Conway, NH area. Look for our booth as well as our advertisement this May 11th in the Portland Press Herald. From the staff at Rocky Corner Soapworks...we hope to see you there!

All for now.... get out and plant some flowers :)

Karen
Rocky Corner Soapworks
Danville, NH

Soap Making Sessions _ Call for Appointment Today!

Rocky Corner Soapworks will begin offering personal Soap Making Sessions. $40 includes a 2+ pound block you make yourself and personal instruction for two people. $5 for each individual person, 6 maximum. Ages 12 and up. 1-1.5 hours long. Contact us at 603-275-1979 to book your Soap Making Session today!

New soaps coming soon include the following:

Pina Colada
Carrot Oatmeal
Moonlight Jewel (BBW Moonlight Path Type)

Salem Farmer's Market has three more dates:

February 19 (tomorrow)
March 5
March 19

We've made a recent raw materials stock up at Catania-Spagna in Ayer, Massachusetts. Such gorgeous oils from Spain! Rocky Corner Soapworks is gearing up for the MADE IN NH EXPO April 1,2,and 3 in Manchester, NH. It's an opportunity for us to meet with retailers and wholesalers from all over the country and present our company and our products. We're looking forward to that opportunity!

Our best to you,

Karen
Rocky Corner Soapworks
Danville, NH

Field Trip to Rocky Corner Soapworks

Hi Folks!!

We recently hosted a group of 15 homeschooled children for a morning soapmaking demonstration!

First, let me begin by saying the kids were terrific...very well behaved and attentive. They ranged in age from 3 to 14 and believe it or not, they ALL participated!

Some ready-made soap was passed around so the kids had an idea of what we were trying to make that day. Then we started talking about the wonderful oils we use for our soaps here at Rocky Corner. The kids were very interested and wanted to know where the oils came from (ie. not the supplier, rather the nut or plant). Then we did our melt down!

While the oils melted, I talked with the kids about the chemical we use to make real soap, sodium hydroxide. With glasses on, I went outside to mix the water and sodium hydroxide so the bulk of the fumes were carried away on the wind. The kids "ooooh 'd and aaaah'd" over the "steam" or fumes coming off the surface. Then they took a temperature of the mixture and were shocked to find it was 205 degrees!

From there we moved onto cooling our oils and water/lye mixture in a water bath.




Meanwhile, Maddy and I demonstrated how we bag and cover our molds in preparation for the final pour of the soap. The kids were full of alot of terrific questions ranging from some of the decorating methods we use to how much soap we make every day.




After putting the raw materials together and blending them with the stick blender, it was time for one final.......SMELL!! I told the kids I don't generally measure the fragrance/essential oils. I stop when the smell is what satisfies my nose!




Then it's time to pour...this first was a 20 lb. batch of Lemongrass Soap :)


In all, we made approx. 40 lbs of soap, including Lilac with Blueberry Seeds and Grapefruit :) Below is a pic or two of our finished products!


We had a terrific day with this particular group of kids. Many thanks to Mrs. Laurie Hipke for organizing this trip with Rocky Corner Soapworks...and for being flexible with dates/times.


We look forward to sharing our love of soapmaking with other school groups in the future!

Best to you all,

Karen

Show Schedule ~ 2011 Season

Can you believe it's already time to look ahead to Fall and our Christmas season of 2011? We've spent the past few weeks reviewing different opportunities for our company to show and think we've come up with a nicely varied list of venues.

With that in mind, here is our tentative 2011 show schedule for Rocky Corner Soapworks:

Feb. 26, 27 ~ Cabin Fever Craft Show, Mariott, 70 Constitution Ave, Concord, NH

Apr. 1, 2, 3 ~ Made In NH Expo, Radisson, 700 Elm St., Manchester

May 7 ~ Andover Crafts in the Park, Chestnut & Bartlett St., Andover

May 28, 29, 30 ~ Castleberry Fairs, Mill Falls Marketplace, Meredith

July 3,4,5 ~ Castleberry Fairs, Gunstock Recreation Area, Gilford, NH

July 31, Aug 1 ~ Bar Harbor Summer Arts/Crafts Festival, College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME

Aug. 14, 15 ~ Gloucester Waterfront Festival, Stage Fort Park, Gloucester, MA

Oct. 9, 10, 11~ Lincoln Fall craft Festival, Inn Season Village Shops, Main St., Lincoln, NH

Oct. 29 ~ Tewksbury Applefest, Tewksbury Memorial High, , Tewksbury

Nov. 4, 5, 6~ Boston Christmas Festival, World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Blvd, Boston Ma

Nov, 11, 12, 13 ~ NE Craft/Food Festival, Rockingham Race Track, Exit #1, Salem, NH

Nov. 20 ~ Greenland Pie Festival, Greenland Central School, Post Rd, Greenland, NH

Nov, 25, 26, 27 ~ Shriners Auditorium, 99 Fordham Road, Wilmington, MA

Dec.10,11 Christmas Festival @ Rockingham Racetrack, Salem, NH

Dec. 15, 16 ~ MIT Christmas Fair at MIT, Cambridge, MA

Salem Farmer's Winter Market Jan. 29, Feb. 15, 29, Mar. 5, 19 PleasantSt United Methodist Church, 8 Pleasant St. Salem, NH

Salem Farmer's Market @Lake Street Garden Center, Sundays ~ Juy ~ Oct.

Please Check our Website for times, show additions, etc.

Once again, thank you for your patronage in 2010!

Karen, Elizabeth, Kristen and Maddy
Your Soapmaking Team