February Troy Night Out- Featured Artist Colin C. Boyd

Remember that tomorrow is February Troy Night Out so bundle up and come have some fun! Lots of stuff happening here in Troy. Come on down and eat, drink, shop and look at some great art. Culture is king (and Queen of course) here in Troy! This month our featured artist in Colin C. Boyd with his new illustration series, Thunderbird's Mid-West Dream. You may recognize some of his sculptural work (Mastadon) from MASS MOCA's Kidspace and the Albany International airport (Cormorants and Whale) and his work with Collar Works Gallery right here in Troy. Check out his website here. 

Artist Statement

Colin C Boyd

Illustrations

Thunderbird’s Mid-West Dream

This series of illustrations are an exploration of the muse and phenomena that inform my work as a sculptor.  A narrative loosely weaves characters and objects, the subjects of work past and future.

Colin C. Boyd, Mining, 2013. 5”x6.5”. Ink, watercolor and foil. 

Forced Change Results

It's been a LONG time since I last posted and A LOT has happened. I have a little more time to keep up on the blog now.  The BIG news is that I opened my own small store about a month ago in beautiful downtown Troy, NY. 


Come visit us at our new location in beautiful downtown Troy, NY. Our address is:

TandJ Soap
271 River Street
Troy, NY 12180

Our hours are
Tues-Friday 11AM-6PM
Saturday 9AM-5PM
Sun & Mon Closed

The holiday season was great, I have got to meet so many wonderful people and the vibe here on River Street and in Troy as a whole is great. You really need to come check out all the wonderful shops around me. 

Here is a picture of my store sign and some of my soap shelves. I will take some better pictures as soon as some new fixtures I ordered get here. These were taken with my cell phone so don't mind the quality! 

My soaps on some shelves

Store Front

Job security

Is there such a thing as job security anymore?

I spent my 20's trying to find job security by throwing myself into my teaching job only to have it taken away in my 30's. This has left me (against my will) time to reflect many things. A mourning process happened, especially since I loved my job. It was how I identified myself. Since I threw myself into my career I spent most of my later 20's neglecting the important things in life such as friends, family and even myself. As a result I lost a few key people in my life. I was doing all of this for my fear of losing my job- I was trying so hard to gain job security. I went from sad, to angry, to feeling defeated, to feeling excited about a new beginning, then anxious again. It was exhausting!!! 

I have applied to many jobs, including ones outside of the teaching field. For a few I was told I was overqualified for. Since when does having an education work against us? 

Now is the crossroads- I needed to reflect and be angry and sad but I cannot stay here. Anyone going through this can agree- if you keep reliving your past then you can't move forward. You get stuck there and become a miserable person. 

The new question is, how and can I become self-sustainable in my soap business? How do I create my OWN job security? I sell at a couple stores, do my Saturday Farmer's Market and have my etsy shop but this is not enough at this point. How can I take those assets and make more sales? I need to keep creating new and exciting products. I need to really put myself out there.  This is hard without money, but I am going to try as hard as I can. I have come to realize that customer's like a story along with their products and as my students can tell you I am pretty good at that! 

I am also not afraid to share every aspect of myself. I am emotional but like to think I am honest with who I am. I will never change that. Some may see this as a weakness, but I see it as a strength. How can I get this to work with me? 

My business cards are amazing, my product photos are good, my product is good- maybe I need to build my own website, or just utilize my blog more. I could really use a small business mentor! 

Change can be good, even a forced change.

introducing,,, Strawberries and Cream!

Strawberries and Cream Soap Handcrafted Cold Process Vegan Friendly

Treat yourself or a loved one to our sweet summer soap. Our Strawberries and Cream handcrafted cold process vegan friendly soaps smells like sun-kissed notes of ripe, juicy strawberries with a touch of juicy citrus. A fruity treat that is simply irresistible! Yum! 

For gentle exfoliation I have added real strawberry seeds into this soap. They are not scratchy- but mild. The coloring for this soap comes from rose kaolin clay.

Use this as a body soap or even a shaving soap. Clay is amazing in soap because of ability to add a nice "slip" to bar soap recipes, also making this a great shaving soap! Clay also has skin softening and exfoliating properties. 

Our soaps smell as great as they look and are a real treat for your skin! We use only the highest quality vegetable oils to handcraft our cold process soaps. Each bar weighs about 4 ounces and is wrapped in our label with ingredients clearly listed. Our soaps are moisturizing and have great lather! 

Forever and a day

Oh Blog, I love you and I am sorry I have neglected you for so long! Teaching full time this year and soaping part-time has become very consuming!  Here is an updated schedule:

Saturday, June 9, 2012 10:00AM-5:00PM
16th Annual Art on Lark 2011Presented by the Lark Street BID

Saturday, June 16, 2012
Troy's River Street Art Festival
10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
River Street Troy, NY 

Delmar Farmer's Market
Every Saturday Starting June 2, 2012 -December 2012!
9AM-1PM
Bethlehem Central Middle School
332 Kenwood Avenue
Delmar, New York
http://www.delmarmarket.org


So the inevitable finally happened and I will be laid off on June 30th. I have made the decision to try and focus on soap for a year and see where it takes me. This means you will see the blog back up and running! Hope everyone is well. 


xoxo, Theresa

Top 100 Tutorials of 2011

Top 100 Tutorials of 2011

Wow!!! What an AMAZING list of craft projects! Put together by http://thelongthread.com
Top 100 Tutorials of 2011
There was lots going on in the craft world this year. So much that I can hardly keep up anymore, but I’ve tried to round up 100 of my favorite craft and sewing tutorials of the year from around the internet. In the sewing category, I’ve included the free projects available from my book 1,2, 3 Sew. Looks like I actually have a few more than 100 projects listed here. Go make some stuff this year!
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Soap Molds

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. Many things have been happening. One is designing the soaps for my wedding. I have made a few prototypes. Man, I am a HUGE fan of Kudos molds. They are so detailed and easy to get the soaps out. We make our own wooden loaf soap molds with baltic birch wood. I love making my loaf molds... but these kudos molds are so cute!!! Perfect for valentine's day.  Here are a few that I have made. Sorry about the picture quality.

Here is a link to the molds sold at brambleberry.
http://www.brambleberry.com/Kudos-Pansy-Heart-Silicone-Mold-P4781.aspx

Missing summer

Holiday season is here and I am missing summer. One of my favorite things to do is walk around and hike and try to catch animals or nature scenes. Here are some from this summer.

My Baby Robins!

Cows at the Crossings

Milkweed to bring some beautiful butterflies!

Cape Cod

NY Handmade

We were featured in a lovely post featuring NY artists! Check it out and give them some love!

Art Blog for Creative Living: Just Imagine Rockefeller Center with the Christmas... 

Holiday Shopping on Etsy



Christmas Spice Cold Process Soap
Tandjsoaps

This years holiday season has been off to a rough start but tonight I sat down (after trying on about 25 wedding dresses----ughhh) and starting looking at how to get more people to use etsy and  to go all of the lovely winter farmers markets in our area. There is the Atrium in Troy at their Winter Market and Tight Knit is there. There is the Delmar Market at Bethlehem Middle School. Plus there are all of the wonderful local craft fairs. Wow so many great places to choose from.
Being that time of year again to start thinking about what to get people for the holidays. I may be a bit partial to Etsy, since I do have my own store there (www.etsy.com/shop/tandjsoaps). I love using etsy as a buyer and a seller! I find the most unique gifts there and for great prices.

There is even a new gift recommendation section for the site. It connects to your facebook friends and links you to their favorites. http://www.etsy.com/gifts?ref=fb_gift_promo_hp Nothing is posted without your permission.

They have their own shop locally section now that is extremely helpful. Go to this link http://www.etsy.com/local?ref=fp_nav_local and type in your Zip Code or City. This helps you support local art, crafts and baked goods!

Remember the impact of buying local has been studied and it has been found that shopping local kept three times more money in the local economy than shopping at chains. The studies cite several reasons for this. Proportionally, local merchants tend to employ more local labor and buy more local goods than national competitors, which operate from remote headquarters. Local business owners keep their profits in state, and contribute more to local and state taxes. Local businesses are also more likely to promote local artists and authors. (http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/article-93-the-importance-of-buying-local.html)

Now How do I buy on etsy?

Easy! Set up a Pay Pal.

http://www.etsy.com/help/article/339

With millions of amazing handmade items, vintage goods and crafting supplies available on Etsy, we're sure you'll find something you love. This guide will walk through the simple steps to Checkout, so you can buy that special item.

If you're new to Etsy, please take a moment to create an account. It's free and easy to register. Once you have an Etsy account, you can purchase items, add items to your Favorites, send messages to other members and participate in our online community features.

When you find an item you want to buy, click the green Add to Cart button on the item listing page.

You can access your Cart at any time by clicking the icon at the top right of the site. You can continue shopping and add multiple items from different Etsy shops to your Cart.

If you are not yet ready to make a purchase, consider adding the item to your Favorites. This is a way to bookmark an item so you can find it later. Learn more about Favorites and Hearts.

Items in your Cart are grouped by shop. Orders are placed individually by shop.

In the Cart, you can add several details to your order before proceeding with payment:

Note: You can add an optional message to the shopkeeper in the notes section. Be sure to include your preferences here if the listing offers options like size, color or other customization.

Ship to: Choose the country to which you would like the item(s) shipped. If the items are not available for shipping to your country of choice, Etsy will tell you. Once you have selected a destination, the Shipping and Order Total will update with the proper costs.

How You'll Pay: Choose your payment method from the options offered by that particular shop.

Shop Coupon Code: If the shop owner is offering a discount, this is the spot where you can enter a code to redeem a coupon.

Move to Favorites: You can move an item from your Cart to your Favorites list to save for purchasing at a later time. The heart icon towards the top right of the order will allow you to move all the items from a shop to your Favorites.

Contact Shop: Any questions you may have before making your purchase should be directed to the shop keeper. This link will open a new Etsy Conversation addressed to the shop.

Remove: If you changed your mind, you can remove an item from your Cart. The x icon towards the top right of the order will remove all items from that shop.

Once all these details are correct, you can proceed by clicking the green Check out button. Depending on the payment method you chose, your path will be slightly different from this point. For Pay Pal,

If you chose to pay via PayPal, you will be prompted to log in to your PayPal account.

If you don't have a PayPal account but would like to pay with a credit card, most shops allow payments via credit card by non-PayPal members. There is a link on the left side of the PayPal page to continue checkout without logging in to PayPal.

 Learn more about paying via credit card without a PayPal account.

On PayPal, you can choose the method of funding your payment from the available options.

Verify that your shipping address is correct. You can change the address here to a previously-used address or add a new address. The shipping information will be passed back to Etsy.

NOTE: In some situations, you may not be able to change the shipping address on PayPal. For example, if you have a US PayPal account, but would like to ship the item as a gift to your friend in another country, PayPal may not allow this. In these cases, you will have the opportunity to change the shipping address for your order on Etsy before finishing Checkout.

Review your information and click Continue. You will be directed back to Etsy to complete the transaction. Skip down to Step 4.

If you chose to pay via PayPal, you will be prompted to log in to your PayPal account.

If you don't have a PayPal account but would like to pay with a credit card, most shops allow payments via credit card by non-PayPal members. There is a link on the left side of the PayPal page to continue checkout without logging in to PayPal. Learn more about paying via credit card without a PayPal account.

EASY BREEZY! JUST LIKE SETTING UP AN AMAZON ACCOUNT.

Times Union Blog Story

Upper Madison Street Fair Sunday

October 15, 2011 at 9:30 pm by Kelly Cunningham

 

A street fair to bring together the community and to help get recognition for the Pine Hills neighborhood will be held Sunday afternoon. Local residents, visitors and families are encouraged to attend.

The Upper Madison Street Fair is a family-fun fair that includes an afternoon of activities. The fair is free and run on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Madison Avenue will be closed between North Allen and West Lawrence streets.

Beautify Upper Madison, a local committee, has invited about two dozen local artists, crafters and musicians to the event.

“The more successful everyone elses businesses are, the more successful we are and the more we can put back into the communities that we love so much,” said Theresa Hovish owner of Theresa and Jim’s Homemade Soaps, a vendor who will sell homemade handcrafted cold processed soaps. “Community involvement is key to helping better our neighborhoods, schools, and society as a whole. The more we can do to find ways to engage the community- such as the participating in the Upper Madison Street Fair- the better.”

Some of the afternoon’s activities will include a bouncy bounce, bike polo, bike rescue (local volunteers will make minor repairs to children’s bikes), bike rodeo, henna hand painting, temporary tattoos and a silly pet trick contest.

An eclectic variety of vendors will be set up along the street including All Good Bakers, and Livvy Lou’s Boutique. Candles and soaps, glass designs, wallets, hats, hair accessories, jewelry, handbags, jams and jellies, chocolates, original paintings, desserts and natural skin care products will be available.

All Good Bakers, a Quail Street bakery, will offer some of its specialty vegan cinnamon buns, buttermilk scones, wholegrain muffins, cookies and tarts.

“We just opened our shop in April of this year, so we think attending this particular festival, in our neighborhood will help remind everyone that we are located nearby and give them an opportunity to try us if they haven’t visited our shop yet,” said owner Britin Foster.

Life entertainment will include Albany Swing Dancing, Annie and the Hedonists a local jazz, folk and blues band, guided Footsteps dance group, The Landfill Mountain Boys a traditional and contemporary folk, bluegrass, blues and country group, Golden Notes, an a cappella group and the Emmaus African and Youth Choirs.

Some other events during the fair may include antique car show, 50/50 raffles, photography, book sales and massages presented by Albany Massage Associates. “Most pass through this section of town on their way in or out of the city without realizing how much there is to offer in such a small section of town,” said Jonathan Duda, a committee member of Beautify Upper Madison Program. -30-

http://blog.timesunion.com/pinehills/upper-madison-street-fair-sunday/4695/

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
- Nelson Mandela

September has come and gone...

Wow! September has come and gone already! That was super fast.  Both jobs are in full swing. My students have been making beautiful artworks to share with the world and I couldn't be happier.  The balance is better this year between making the time for my own business and teaching. Both are busier, but I work better that way.

The Saturday Delmar Market has been AMAZING. Everyone is so friendly and wonderful. Great farmers, bakers, artists and of course soap!

The pumpkin soap has been a huge success! I can't make it fast enough. Working on some holiday cold process soaps. Let me know what you think.

New Beauty Product

I wanted to share some new products that I LOVE. I am going to start with Organix Coconut Milk Shampoo. Yuuuummmmy.

http://www.organixhair.com/

You have to smell this shampoo to believe it! I never get tired of it. I have been trying to find a coconut scent for my soap to rival this shampoo. IT SMELLS SO GOOD! You will pay a couple extra bucks for this shampoo, but your hair and body will thank you. It's great too, so a little goes a long way. I get mine at BJ's so the price isn't that much different. This shampoo leaves my thin wavy hair feeling clean and light!

Organix Organic coconut milk  has organic coconut milk and ultra whipped egg white proteins (sorry my vegan friends) along with weightless coconut oil to hydrate and nourish your hair as gentle cleansers wash away impurities.

 Luxurious Sulfate Free & Paraben Free Formulas • Organic Active Ingredients • Amazing Scent

They have a whole series of different shampoos and conditioners, can't wait to try the others.

Delmar Saturday Market

Jim, myself and a friend were able to visit the Delmar Farmers Market this weekend. Everyone is so fantastic there. They were collecting for the people impacted by Hurricane Irene. TONS of food was donated. What a wonderful community. Everyone was so nice and kind.

I won't be able to do as many holiday fairs this year as a result but that's OK. We will get everything figured out. Also...Jim and I are getting married! Pigs can now fly. Don't forget to come visit me Sept. 17 during my first market. We move indoors when it gets chilly. Our pumpkin spice will make it's debut on the 17th (unless you have ordered them from our etsy site already)

Chemicals in Bath and Beauty Products

Chemicals to avoid in your beauty products:

Phthalates
Phthalates, called “plasticizers,” are a group of industrial chemicals used to make plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) more flexible or resilient and also as solvents. Phthalates are found in, among other things, toys, food packaging, hoses, raincoats, shower curtains, vinyl flooring, wall coverings, lubricants, adhesives, detergents, nail polish, hair spray and shampoo.

Phthalates have been found to disrupt the endocrine system. Several phthalate compounds have caused reduced sperm counts, testicular atrophy and structural abnormalities in the reproductive systems of male test animals, and some studies also link phthalates to liver cancer, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control’s 2005 National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. Though the CDC contends the health hazards of phthalates to humans have not been definitively established, for some years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has regulated phthalates as water and air pollutants.

Parabens
Parabens are a class of chemicals used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Parabens are effective preservatives in many types of formulas. These compounds, and their salts, are used primarily for their bactericidal and fungicidal properties. They can be found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, personal lubricants, topical/parenteral pharmaceuticals, spray tanning solution, makeupm and toothpaste. They are also used as food additives.

Their efficacy as preservatives, in combination with their low cost, is why parabens are so commonplace. They are becoming increasingly controversial, however, because they have been found in extremely low concentrations in breast cancer tumors (an average of 20 nanograms/g of tissue). Parabens have also displayed the ability to slightly mimic estrogen (a hormone known to play a role in the development of breast cancer). No effective direct links between parabens and cancer have been established, however.

Pumpkin Soap

Love, love, LOVE my new pumpkin soap! I have been playing around with liquids other than water or coffee. Let me tell you...carrot juice and soap making are fantastic.

This soap IS fall. Our Pumpkin Spice soap is dark, creamy and rich, with notes of Cinnamon, Cardamom and Nutmeg. Our soap gets it's color from a mixture of carrot juice and turmeric.

Carrot juice is thought to stimulate skin cell renewal, help reverse the effects of sun damage and aging. Beta Carotene in soap = Happy Skin.

Turmeric in soap has TONS of benefits too. Turmeric is naturally antiseptic, antibacterial AND anti-inflammatory.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79509362/pumpkin-spice-soap-handmade-cold-process

 

Albany Visitor's Center Gift Shop

I recieved a very exciting phone call the other day. We are honored to be asked to sell our soaps in the gift shop at the Albany Visitor's Center. Going to drop off some goodies tomorrow. Check them out!
 http://www.albany.org/VisitorC​enter/AlbanyGiftShop.aspx

Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center

25 Quackenbush Square Albany, NY 12207 (518) 434-0405 (518) 434-1217 Albany.org

I love Albany and have lived in the city of Albany and the surrounding suburbs most of my life. Every day I drive to work in Castleton I am in awe of our city's skyline. I never get tired of it. What is your favorite thing about Albany?

With all of these new opportunities- I had better go make some soap! Getting geared up to make my fall fragrances. Pumpkin Spice and Chai Tea! Yuuummmmy!

Types of Soap!

Soap is a simple chemical reaction.  It is a salt of a fatty acid. This basic reaction is between fat and lye (sodium hydroxide). Soap is a mixture of sodium salts of various naturally occurring fatty acids.

Air bubbles added to a molten soap will decrease the density of the soap and thus it will float on water (think ivory soap-check out this link if you want to see the lore behind floating soap   http://www.ivory.com/purefun_soaplegend.htm).

There are Four Methods of Handmade Soap Making

Melt and Pour - melt pre-made blocks of soap and add your own fragrance
Cold Process - the most common - making soap from scratch with oils and lye
Hot Process - a variation of cold process where the soap is actually cooked
Rebatching/Hand Milled Soap- grinding up bars of soap, adding milk or water, and re-blending them

Cold Process Soap making is my area of expertise...although I have made soap using all methods. They all have benefits and are ALL better than commercial soap bars, some better than others. In the next few blog posts I will demonstrate each and provide you will information about each.