Quoth the bather, "Evermore!"

Karl

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:41:51 GMT

Karl
Originally uploaded by CatOfNeinTails

Im a bad mommy. I forgot Karl's birthday! February 9th was the day we stole him so I consider that his birthday, since I dont know when he was actually born. He is sitting next to me now and tells me that he forgives me. Since he was an early Valentine's Day present that year, I usually celebrate it on the 14th anyway.

So, because I love him so much, tomorrow I will buy him some more food. Happy birthday cat!

Dogs Without Borders Fundraiser Event!

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 07:22:57 GMT

An incredibly heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who submitted handmade items for our fundrasier raffle to support Dogs Without Borders. The event this past Saturday was amazing! So many residents of this valley came out and showed their support for this cause, and several brought their pets! Everyone was very impressed with the variety of beautiful products we had to offer, and raffle tickets sold like hotcakes! We also had several people give us straight up cash donations. Between those donations, the raffle, and the silent auctions, we raised $380 for Dogs Without Borders!

And for more information on their organization, please see their website at www.dogswithoutborders.org.

Pictures!

This is Team Ramrod: Katherine, John, Randy, and myself. We organized and launched this event.

Taken halfway through the event, this is what was left over from Evermore's contribution.

John, his mom, and our poster boy Macs. This dog was rescued by Dogs Without Borders.

This great lady was one of our biggest supporters.

Team Ramrod in action.

Classmate Stephanie with a cat we thought was a dog!

Classmate Dani with some toys she donated to us. Also, me in the background making things look awesome.

Classmate Vanessa with her dog.

Thank you again to Petco for letting us hold our fundraiser in front of their store.

And thank you to the follow Etsy artists for helping us out:

Please do check out all of these wonderful artists! Their support made this event a success.

A different kind of love letter

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:42:43 GMT

LoveSoap
Originally uploaded by evermoreart

Im not big on the Valentine's Day business, but these soaps were just too cute to resist. I love doing things like this because the whole flowers and chocolate thing is so over done. Why not do something different this year? They come packaged in the most adorable take-out style box, wrapped and ready for giving. Each letter is about 4-5oz and can be scented to your liking.

Get them here

Sunday, Muddy Sunday

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 04:59:02 GMT

It was indeed a muddy Sunday.

I have so many plants that needed repotting, and Ive been doing it one plant at a time for the last few weeks. As a result, my patio has been an epic mess. I havent seen the floor in months. Its really been a dirt floor. Until today. I got out there this morning, repotted most of what needed to be helped, and swept that floor with a vengeance. Plants should grow better, I can go outside without tracking dirt into the house, and in general it looks super nice. I finished as the sun was going down, so I figured Id turn on the lights.. the coup degras.

Fail. My beautiful patio lights no longer work. This is upsetting! Next time I get a spare minute Ill have to unravel them from the railing and bring them in to get to the bottom of the problem. Very disappointing.

Enough wanking. I came here to talk about goals. Its been just shy of a month since we all set out New Years goals. How are mine doing, you ask?

If you remember, one of my goals was to organize my line. Nope. Havent spent any time with that. I currently attend two colleges, and that schedule is killing me. After February 5 I will only be in one school, part time. Ill forgive myself for this one.

Pay off some debt. Its going, slowly but surely. Im doing my best not to be stupid with money. What else can I say?

Have one audition per month. So far, so good. Yesterday I auditioned for a spot at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival. Despite how incredibly prepared I was, it was a bit awkward. If nothing else, it was a great learning experience. Hopefully the judges recognized my skill and Ill be spending 10 days in Hawaii this summer. I also have auditions lined up for February and March so far.

Eat only organic food. This has been going perfectly, despite my recent uncontrollable addiction to In n Out. Im getting over it.

Make friends that arent lame. Eh.. I dont think I even want to talk about this one.

Go to the beach. I planned to do that today, but the last few days were rainy so I didnt expect today would be nice. It was sunny, but not nearly warm enough so I elected to stay home and play with my plants. At least I spent time outside.

Keep Sundays to myself. With my current school schedule, this one isnt always possible, but today I made sure to do some things just for me along with the ungodly amount of math homework that needed to be done.

I think that was it. How are your goals going so far?

In need of handmade - donate to a good cause!

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:53:52 GMT

On January 31st Im hosting a benefit to support Dogs Without Borders (www.dogswithoutborders.com), an LA based dog rescue group. They take dogs from high-kill shelters and foster them until a permanent home can be found. We are holding a doggie bake sale (with treats for dogs and humans alike) as well as running a raffle.

I would LOVE to get some handmade goods for this raffle! Handmade is all the rage now, and I think this would bring in a good amount of money for this organization. If you would like to help us out, please email me at evermoresoap [at] gmail.com.

We really appreciate your support!

Sunday Musings

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:52:20 GMT

As some of you know, Ive been incredibly sick these past 3 weeks. One would think that this is not the best way to start off the new year, but it has afforded me much needed time to not just think, but feel through things, reevaluate, and plan. I finally got around to seeing my naturopath, and thankfully Im doing much better. I will resume soaping on January 21st, when the rest of my supplies arrive. All orders placed recently will get mailed on the 22nd.

During the worst days, I couldnt do anything that required thinking. But on the better days I found amusement in my favorite website, www.ted.com. Talks from some of the world's best and brightest. I came upon a very rambling talk by fashion mogul Isaac Mizrahi. While its quite meandering, I can appreciate it as a whole. I recognize it in myself; the unbridled creative mind. Enjoy.

Its been a lazy Sunday. For some reason, the local classic rock station is playing an epic block of Janis. Good stuff. Its time to cook dinner and continue relaxing.

Its here!

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:01:06 GMT

December 5th is our Winter Bath&Body Event! I will be presenting my entire line of natural products, plus lots of gifts for the holidays. We are also serving wine and organic foods. If anyone is in the southern California area and interested in coming, please give me your email and Ill send you an evite.

Trading

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:33:31 GMT

Its not something we normally think about doing. If I go over to Whole Foods, I expect to fork out some dough. Their prices are set and if I want it, I have to pay what theyre asking. I wouldnt dream of trying to haggle or ask them if they would be willing to trade. "Im hungry, you have dry skin. Lets work something out."

The holiday season is upon us, and this year folks are getting creative. Certain economic realities have hit us crafters hard but we are bound and determined not to let it set us back, especially as far as holiday shopping goes. Many of us have taken to trading, and I just love it. I dont just love it; Im excited about it. I could sit here all day and list the reasons why but Ill stick with my favorite: it brings us together. Trading forms a more solid bond between us than trading for paper money, and I think its because we are exchanging "handmade with love" for "handmade with love" instead of "green that Im desperate to hang on to". Over the course of this year I have traded with other crafters on Etsy just for the hell of it. Ive made some nice friendships, and was exposed to some great products while getting mine out there too.

Ok, heres my second favorite reason why I LOVE this newfound trade practice: it keeps our dollars with us AND away from large corporations. Im far more willing to spend money at an Etsy shop than I am at the mall, especially if I can give them soap as payment. This double-whammy of awesome is great for us crafters, and Im so glad that as a group we are mature enough to handle this. So far Ive had great experiences and Im looking forward to an all-handmade Christmas in my house.

So Whole Foods, you should really think about accepting cash, check, card, or soap!

CNN/iReport.com

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:33:00 GMT

Its been a crazy day in the neighborhood (wildfires, illness) but Im trying to focus on the good. I have LOTS of orders to fill, so Im thanking God for my Tuesdays off from school.

CNN is soliciting news stories about folks with small businesses like mine (and yours!). I just uploaded a bit about myself and Evermore here. Feel free to register and upload your own. Who knows? Maybe they will be talking about you on the air!

WeHo Craft Show December 6 2008

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:32:28 GMT

Every year I swear off craft shows, but I read so many happy posts from craft show participants anxiously awaiting the big day and my heart softens. Ill search the internet for a show that, for whatever reason, makes me think its ok to break my own rules. This year, its the WeHo Craft Riot in Plummer Park. Im terribly excited, and dying for an excuse to make things I dont normally get to make. I love bringing out the big guns for shows, and I have lots of new goodies to display for this event. This marks my second show in California.

Also, on the night of December 5th Ill be doing a home show here in Valencia. If any Los Angeles folks are interested in attending, please email me for more info.

So Im wondering: is anyone else out there in blogland going to be at the Craft Riot show?

The hills are alive.. I mean, on fire

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:31:28 GMT

This is a photo of the North LA wildfires, taken from my balcony. It looks fairly close, but its still 6 or so miles away according to Google maps. A shift in wind direction could lead to an evacuation of this valley, which we are of course praying will not happen. I have so much soaping to do!

Speaking of which, the deadline for orders is fast approaching. Id love for everyone to have their orders in by December 15th. I leave for a much-needed vacation on the 18th.

This weekend Im catching up on some business things I have neglected over the past week or so. There is a serious illness in the family and we're all having a fairly tough time dealing with it. I continue to be thankful for the blessings bestowed upon me, including my wonderful business. When I let myself, its easy to get lost in all the little activities that make the business run. Its been a great distraction, and at the same time lots of progress has been made. New products, new photos, new ideas. Everyday new orders flood in and for that I am grateful as well. In fact, I think Im going to have to set aside tomorrow for just soap work. I love that idea, and I hope it happens.

For now Im keeping my eye on the fires, and gathering my emergency supplies. I hope all my California blog-friends are safe!

News

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:30:01 GMT

Hope everyone had a LOVELY Halloween! After running errands I made myself some dinner and meditated for a good long while. These past few weeks have been very stressful, and I was in some dire need of ME time.

This weekend Im working hard on Christmas orders. Let me remind everyone that the last day to order is December 15th. I leave for vacation three days later, so its imperitive that you get your orders in before the 15th.

Im also going to be sending out my newsletter again. Thank you Google Docs for being way more helpful with this than the backend of my website. Now I can include pictures and links and other such glory. If youre not already signed up, feel free to create an account on the website, www.evermoresoapfactory.com, or comment with your email address and I will add it to the list.

Thank you again to everyone who commented on my give-away post. I will surely be doing another one very soon.

Giveaway Winner!

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:37:36 GMT

GiveawayWinner
Originally uploaded by evermoreart

Congratulations to fellow Etsian Celtic Crossing! I picked names out of my sweet little leaf bowl, and Celtic was the winner. Thank you to everyone who entered. I loved reading your stories!

Halloween and the 100th Post Give-Away

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 22:02:08 GMT

My last post was in fact my 100th, so to mark that milestone Im doing a give-away! Halloween is coming up in just two weeks, and even though its still 90 degrees here Im trying to get in the spirit. I have so much fun making these Halloween soaps, and really they came out a bit more morbid than I expected. How nice!

If you'd like to enter the contest please leave a comment telling me about your favorite Halloween costume, or maybe just what youre going to be this year. Whats your dog going to dress as this year? Whatever you want to say, just say it and I will put your name in the drawing! The winner will get the two soaps pictured above and the three pictured below, all in this cute Halloween take-out style giftbox. A nice alterantive to candy, no?

Drawing will be Thursday, October 23. I will annouce the winner and mail as soon as they respond with an address. These are also available on the website! Click to be taken to their pages.

Monday, Autumn Monday

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 22:00:24 GMT

Fall weather, California style: 61 degrees and WINDY! Outside my window here I can see a tree with technicolor leaves, bending and swaying while the wind rushes past. Im a huge fan of Summer, but the change of scenery is nice. Today is a great day for opening the windows and letting that wind blow all the negative energy out of your home and out of your mind. Of course I had to throw a heavy sweater on, but it feels great, and Im just loving the choir of windchimes happening outside. Im taking a break between classes, trying to clear my mind and replace scattered thoughts with focused ones, ugly thoughts with beautiful ones. What better way to relax than to puruse Etsy for autumn's pretty things!

"Autumn Leaves", lovely and enchanting bracelet. From EarthEssences, a member of our EAST team.

"Autumn Fire", and original painting. From gentryart, another EAST member.

Adorable crocheted cuffs to be worn under a jacket or what-have-you. From whiletheyplay. Lots more enchantment to be had but now its time for class!

Caturday!

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:59:19 GMT

Before I was even fully awake this morning I knew it was going to be a lovely day. I had a sense that the sun was in fact NOT shining down on Southern California, and that it was quite cloudy. When I mustered the energy to wake up and look outside I found that my intuition was correct. Its extremely overcast and cool, but not actually very cold. I LOVE IT. I needed a break from the constant sunshine; that gets stressful sometimes! Now if we could get a little thunderstorm I would be in heaven.

This has been a very long week and I havent had much time for soaping. Thank God its Saturday, because I will be spending all day in the lab. Today my priorities are taking photos of my Halloween goodies as well as a few other product that still need photos: tea tree face wash, solid lotion, face scrub, and my newest soap scent, "The Wooded Path".

What are you up to today?

It just keeps getting hotter..

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:58:39 GMT

Tomorrow is the first day of October and its still 100,000* outside. I know I should expect this, but it still amazes me. God Bless Los Angeles.

And while shes at it, I hope she blesses the postal service! I sent out (read: resent) more packages today and could use some divine intervention.

In the studio tonight working on Halloween soaps for pictures. As I was drifting off to sleep last night I had the greatest idea for the photo, but Ill never get to that point if this bar doesnt start cooperating!

I managed a voice lesson from a friend, and thats going down tonight at 630 so Ill be checking out of here early. Music has taken a back seat lately and thats just not acceptable!

AC is crankin' now, so back to work.

Dear Mr Postman...

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:57:40 GMT

..get it together!

It seems Im not the only one who thinks this either. I dont know if its because of the storms or because LA is insane to begin with, but the postal service has really been having problems lately. So far Ive had 3 packages come back to me, 2 of them wet with some items inside destroyed. One was going to Texas, but the other two were going to Indiana and New Jersey, respectively. Folks in line at the post office are all very vocal about this, but Im wondering if this is happening in other parts of the country. Any feedback on that, blogfriends?

Im quite embarassed and all-around upset by this... unpleasantness. Thank you to all my customers for being understanding. Im praying this clears up soon.

More Witchy Things

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:18:34 GMT

RitualOil
Originally uploaded by evermoreart

And just in time too! Today (Monday) is the Autumn Equinox, a day when dark and light are in balance. Here in California, folks waking up from a hot, sleepy summer and looking foward to the (slightly) cooler days. Lots of changes in the air and energy swirling!

Ive designed a set of anointing oils to aid in meditative and ritual practices. These are made very much like my other Perfume Oils in that they are made with a Jojoba oil base and scented with high quality essential oils. They also come in the same glass roll-on bottle. So in addition to being used as anointing or candle-dressing oils, they can also be worn as purfume.

Right now my favorite is the Purification oil. Im a huge fan of this because it is relaxing and at the same time really helps the mind focus. Lavender and Thyme essential oil bring such peace and calm, and we all know that we work our best when we are at peace. The Rosemary and Peppermint oils help focus our thoughts so we can make the best use of that peaceful state.

The Purification oil also coordinates with our Purification Bath Brew. In addition to the herbs listed above we also mix in Hyssop, Vervain, Basil, Fennel, and just a teeny tiny bit of Valerian for relaxation.

I have so many spooky-cute Halloween soaps in the works right now that will be unveiled very soon!

Blog Inspiration

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:57:13 GMT

AliceBook
Originally uploaded by evermoreart

I love reading your blogs. There arent many artists around here for me to meet with in real life, and if there are, I cant find them. Thus, blogs have become an invaluable resource for inspiration and community, among other things.

A few days ago I noticed that my blog friend, Sarah Blank Studios, posted a picture of her vintage copy of "Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass". I picked up my own copy a few years ago, so I thought Id share mine.

Thank you to my fellow bloggers for the constant stream of love!

Witchy Things

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:15:09 GMT

Bath Brew
Originally uploaded by evermoreart

Every year for the past 10 years Ive been sick on Halloween. A bummer right? When I got my own place 2 years ago I knew this trend would continue, but I looked foward to staying home and giving out candy dressed as Stevie Nicks (my go-to costume). And when the 31st finally came I was given a rather nasty "treat": no trick-or-treating allowed in this apartment complex!

Thats why Im starting early this year. This Bath Brew is the first of my Halloween-esque treats to be photographed, but unlike many of the others it will be available all year long. What is Bath Brew? Well, its like a big cup of tea but for your tub! The teas we drink have healing properties that are good for your skin as well as your insides. Simply boil water and steep like you would a cup of tea, but since this is a very large tea bag stuffed with herbs, you can steep it in a much larger container. One tea bag will make an entire tea pot, maybe more. When your tea is brewed (and cooled a bit, of course) pour it into your tub. Bring the tea bag with you, as it makes a great loofah.

Check out our teas for your tub here

Thank you for making my day

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:38:56 GMT

Rhiannon Scarf
Originally uploaded by evermoreart

I usually never get anything good in the mail. Bills, junk mail, death threats. In fact, Im renaming my mailbox; it shall now be known as the FAILBOX.

Today was different.. sorta. I still got lots of bills and nasty things, but I also got this amazing scarf! A few months ago I did a trade with someone on wholesalecrafts.com. I sent her soap and lotions in her favorite scents, and she started working on a handpainted silk scarf. Im a huge fan of the myth of Rhiannon and her birds, so I asked if I could have a scarf featuring those birds. These things are very time-intensive but the wait was SO worth it.

When I opened the packaged and unfolded this scarf, I cried. This cell phone pic just does not do it justice. The detail is amazing, it feels like a dream, and it moves like only silk can. Im entirely smitten and incredibly grateful for this gift.

I have no idea if she does retail but I will find out. Hello Christmas presents!

Oatmeal, Milk, and Yummy!

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:50:55 GMT

SPM2
Originally uploaded by evermoreart

Ok so Ive been a bad blog friend lately. In my defense, this computer still runs Millenium Edition and sometimes I just dont have the heart to fight with it.

However, tonight Im feeling saucy! The AC is crankin' and I can handle just about any annoyance this thing throws at me. And maybe I just love the pain, but I felt like trying my hand at uploading and resizing some pictures. *gasp* But it worked!

This is my Spa Milk Bar, and its packed with goodness and win. The top layer features whole oats and bee pollen for a nice skin buff. Mixed throughout the bar is powdered milk and local honey. I dont do loaf bars very often but because of the ingredients added, I thought it would be a good idea here.

I got inspiration for this photo while I was sleeping one night. A little voice told me, "Go to World Market. Buy adorable, natural chic Jute washcloth. Take cute pictures." I cant say no to the voices in my head, so I obey. Damn it all if they werent right! Im loving the way this turned out, and when I have Ben work his photoshop magic, it will look even better.

Speaking of Ben, it was his birthday this past Wednesday. Happy birthday Mr Bentastic!

Overheard at Michael's

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:08:53 GMT

Took a trip to Michael's recently for some pretty things. While I was in the scrapbooking aisle picking out papers for my soaps, I heard this in the next aisle over:

Woman #1: These would be great for any of your scrapbooking projects!!!1
Woman #2: I actually dont do that much scrapbooking...
Woman #1: OH MY GOD ARE YOU *SERIOUS*?!

She seemed so upset, so personally offended that her friend isnt into scrapbooking. I was so shocked and amused by the whole thing that I had to move to another part of the store so I could giggle without being caught!

Another late night

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 07:56:20 GMT

DSC00399
Originally uploaded by evermoreart

So I got this plant as a Christmas present from Ben, photographer extrordinaire, but neither of us can identify it. Does anyone in blog-land know what kind of plant this is?

Yes, Im up late again thinking about soaps and plants and all sorts of random things. Im listening to the "South Pacific" soundtrack on vinyl, which I picked up at the thrift shop yesterday. Theres a chance I may be auditioning for that musical at a local theater, so I thought I should learn the music. I was planning on asking my mom to send my copy from home, but I happened to be perusing the thrift shop's vinyl collection, and guess what I found! It must be a sign.

Tomorrow is Thursday and I dont have much to do besides math homework (dont ask). I have 2 discs of XFiles to watch, but Ill wait til Ben gets here. This weekend we say goodbye to Fox Mulder, and its nothing but T-1000 from here on out. Speaking of XFiles, its on SciFi in about an hour.

If you know anything at all about the plant pictured above, please let me know!