October’s Bath Bomb of the Month is Perfect Pumpkin! It smells like a Sweet Autumn pumpkin topped with the perfect touch of cinnamon and clove. Sweet sugary maple adds the finishing touch to this fabulous fall fragrance.
Sign up here or click on the picture to get this bomb in time for Halloween! I ship them all out mid-month, so you have a few weeks!
I’m also offering mini versions of these here in my Etsy store and they look like this:
Do you have plans this weekend? If you want a fun, family friendly event to go to, check out the Austin Maker Faire this weekend. Get your tickets here! It’s all day on Saturday and Sunday, and on Sunday there will be free chair massages for moms!
I’ll have my Make Your Own Soap and Make Your Own Nail Polish stations there! I’m the red X on the map below! You’ll be able to make custom soaps and nail polishes right on the spot.
My next walk-up nail polish making workshop is at the SXSW Renegade Craft Fair Thursday – Sunday, March 13, 14 + 15th Noon – 8pm open to the public at the Palmer Events Center. 
I attended a talk during SXSW Interactive last year where the illustrator reminded us how we need to practice drawing every day, because it enables us to communicate our ideas visually. In the same spirit, I think anyone can learn how to draw/make. Here’s a free book that will teach you how to draw, including some pictures and guides from the easy and cool things to draw collection I found online. She even goes over color theory!
A review of the book resonated with me, because I love to empower my students to make their own products:
“She takes even the most non-artistic reader and empowers them to think brilliantly using visual language.” -Sunni Brown
She’s sharing her book with the world at no cost until March 5th: ” Discovery Doodles: The Complete Series” today at: http://doodleinstitute.com/#section3.
Last Sunday, I went to @nailsyall‘s Advanced Nail Art Class. I signed up for it by mistake! I meant to sign up for the Beginning Class, but as it turned out, I was the only beginner to sign up, so Meghann invited me to the Advanced class. She caught me up to speed by reviewing how to do an ombre, tiger stripes and leopard spots. I chose a tan and deep blue for my first ombre.
We had the option of practicing on our nails or on a nail wheel. Most of the people I know who do nail art use a plastic yogurt container top as their palette, but Meghann uses small pieces of foil. She had us tear off little pieces of a makeup sponge to use for our ombre. My favorite designs were the ikat (southwest diamond weave pattern that’s made it’s way back into current fashions) and the lady eye. The most difficult design for me was the tribal nail design (stripes, dots and triangles!) and the leopard (think in terms of three when you outline!). My wheel is the one that’s front and center: 
I painted over the leopard with my favorite citron green color. She also taught us how to make a shattered glass look and how to make turquoise with plastic wrap. She may have covered more, but the tribal nail took me FOREVER, so I may have been still working on that one! Meghan said that it sometimes takes up to three hours for her to finish a tribal nails pattern on a client! Wowzers! Since I didn’t get to attend the beginning class, she gave me a copy of the zine she illustrated for the first class (she’s also a talented cartoonist) along with other goodies + tips on how to use them. I promptly lost my black striper brush as soon as I got home, so I ordered a whole set of 25. You might be thinking “You ordered nail polish? But you make nail polish!” Yes! I ordered nail polish! Striper polishes are those nail polish bottles that have a super thin brush like an eyeliner brush. I did some research online and couldn’t find any at a reasonable price. It actually cost less for me to buy a set of 25 stripers ($20 shipped) than to buy 25 empty striper brush bottles! I may not have looked hard or long enough, and didn’t go to any local stores, so I might be able to find some there! And you know after I find some, I will totally be making my own striper nail polishes!
Another thing you might be thinking is “Why did you go to a nail art class?” so I’ll answer it just in case: I am a formulator, designer & teacher. I make & teach others how to make their own nail polish (any color I desire whether it be a creme, shimmer or glitter bomb) but that doesn’t make me an nail technician (like the talented Meghann) or expert on nail art. (not yet anyway! I have a lot of practicing to do!) Nail art is something that takes practice, like any other skill, amirite?
Meghan’s next nail art demonstration is at The Thinkery, March 6th, 7-9pm.
and I’ll be teaching my next walk-up nail polish making workshops at SXSW Create on Friday, Saturday & Sunday March 7-9, 11am- 6pm at the Austin Mini Maker Faire booth. It’s at the Long Center 701 W. Riverside
and at SXSW Renegade Craft Fair March 13, 14 + 15th Noon – 8pm at the Palmer Events Center.Â
Both of these events are FREE and open to the public.Â
A SXSW Guest Pass is required to attend this and many other free SXSW events. Get yours on site at Renegade or in advance at multiple Austin locations. More information here.
I had fun making these and spreading the love for Valentine’s Day. I met with Mazzi Peled of Latika Soap for happy hour early this week and was able to give her one. Â I accidentally spilled some of my pink sugar perfume on it, and she was asking me “What is that smell coming out of your purse!” so I ended up giving her a scented valentine! What a happy accident since she loves the smell. We have similar philosophies about formulating & designing, so I love getting to chat with her.
Another way I choose to spread love is through teaching. Each fall I take on an adult intern at feto soap. They usually are on their way to starting their own bath & body business, but want some help learning techniques and production from an established business.
Last year, Kelly Darby of Lucy Kat Soaps was my fall intern. I taught her how to make soap & bath bombs, and she helped me package my products during the fall of 2013. We worked out an arrangement of both in-studio and take-home tasks (like entering emails into a spreadsheet & some packaging duties) because she lives in N. Round Rock and has two young children at home. She was super-organized about her babysitting schedule, so would let me know a week ahead when her studio or take-home task availability was. She also helped me at shows when she was available!
Unbeknownst to us, we had a couple of interests and people in common, like Taylor from Nothing But a Pigeon, a love for yoga and NPR. When she’s not busy chasing after her little ones, she’s working at a yoga studio part-time (like I did!) while she makes her fabulous party favors.
I had the pleasure of having both of them over for a pre-Valentine’s Day
lunch complete with chocolates and champagne! Since I didn’t want us all getting tipsy, I made a variation of Profanity Salmon for us while we snacked on the goat cheese and noshes Kelly brought over. I was too busy eating them to get a picture!
Find great gifts for him + luxurious pampering treats for her this Saturday at Opal Divine’s Penn Field! If your not sure which brand of beard products to get him then check out these two brands Beard Czar vs Beardilizer. It’s my first market of the year, so let’s start if off with a BANG! I can’t wait to see you all at the The Austin Flea.
Here’s the full vendor list where you are sure to find your little sweet somethings. AfterWhileCrocodile | All With Love | *annemarie* |AustinShrooms | Babybolt | The Burlap Bag | byLillian |Chaos Card Co. | ChetArt | chia hats | Confituras |Coterie Market |Crafts by Casaverde |Crayonblood Studio |Custom Cozies | Dan’s Bird Feeders |Dish It Out Jewelry | elizarosedesigns | Fat Cat Studio | feto soap | Fleegal Farms | Hidden Dragon Art | inviting: letterpress boutique | jenheartsart | JLLM (Judge Less Love More) |Kayci Wheatley | Kelly D Tees |Lena Damvar Art | Lip Glosserie | Liz Potter Photography | Meow Kapow! |Metalsgirl |Monica L. Knighton,Illustration |Monster Dance Designs |Nothing but a Pigeon |Pigsey Art |Rich Girl Vintage |Robo Roku|Sew Kors |sibbotery|Solid Earth Design |Stitch Happy Boutique |Tasty Jewerly |Victrola Design |Willow Tree Works
I got my first custom vinyl car decal order from a friend of mine, Manue of Pretty Kiku last week. (even before I had announced that I was starting custom sign business. It was like she knew!) She wasn’t sure what size she wanted, so I sent her some mockups to give her an idea, and had her measure to see how big she would like the decal to be.
I had to make a tiny thank you card to go with it, of course!
This is a great video that shows you how to apply a decal to your car:
We decided to trade for a pair of earrings I had started eyeing at the Blue Genie Art Bazaar. She’s sending me these: Style #4. I love black and gold right now, so they are perfect! I had a hard time choosing between styles #2 and #4 because I’m really into floral motifs, but it’s the one with most gold, so I went for it. My hair is black, so I usually like to wear lighter earrings for some contrast if my hair is not up.
We made lots of soap at the Formula 1 US Grand Prix in the Kiddie Zone Tent. They requested all the toys we had to be racing themed, so some of our soaps ended up looking like this:
On the last day of the races, Pitbull put on a concert right next to my tent!
Look at the beautiful soap my student made in my soap making class today! She scented her soap with Bergamot Essential Oil and English Tea Rose, and topped it off with rosebuds! In our Soapmaking 101 Class we make a batch of cold-process soap from start to finish and cover how to scent, color, mold your soaps as well as where to purchase soapmaking supplies.
Janet’s daughter made a pretty purple soap scented with blackberry sage. She added some oatmeal for gentle exfoliation!
Today I taught another hands-on class, this one about making body butters: a solid one (also called massage bars or lotion bars), whipped body butter and emulsified sugar scrubs. Here’s a shot of my student pouring the massage bars into the molds:
During our first session we discussed our ideas for our final project. We are going to be making bath bomb cupcakes. In order to make them, Mary is going to have to learn how to make bath bombs for the cake part & bubble bath frosting.
This is the equipment we used to practice making bath bombs:
Mary, making the bath bombs:
The bath bombs! Didn’t she do an awesome job?
Check back next week for Session Three: Soap Frosting
Session One: Soap Jello
Couzue drove from Houston, TX to learn how to make body butters & sugar scrubs with me. She had made a couple of things before on her own buying things from the grocery store, but wanted to get some hands-on instruction and to learn more about bath & body ingredients & where to source them. Every class I teach comes with a Resource List where I share my favorite suppliers. We made oval-shaped Massage Bars in Honey Almond, Whipped Shea Butter in Coconut scent and Emulsified Sugar Scrubs in Creme Brule, all completely from scratch. Couzue wanted to keep things as natural as possible, so we didn’t didn’t use any dyes to color the products we made. We added Yellow Brazillian Clay to our sugar scrub which gave it a nice golden hue & packed it into amber jars with black lids.
Plan a memorable birthday party with us! For Kait’s 12th birthday, she invited 13 of her closest friends and they made bath salts, lip balm & nail polishes all in custom scents and their favorite colors at their home in Round Rock, TX! 
Email me to book a memorable party for your child! lisa@fetosoap.com or call me at 512.850.5472
I have been teaching a lot this year! Just last week I taught a couple from Temple, TX how to color, scent & make designs in soap. We practiced swirling soap, making a “pencil line” in soap & made soap cakes with our leftover soap.
If there’s a soapmaking technique you want to try, but would like some instruction / hand holding, don’t hesitate to contact me for help. I’ve been making handmade soap for 10 years now & can help you troubleshoot the issues you might be facing as a new soapmaker.
Soapmaking lessons are taught at my studio located at 360/2222 in Austin, TX.
lisa@fetosoap.com â— Â 512.850.5472
These soaps start out green & transparent. I scented them with green tea. Then I paint each one by hand with bronze mica. They are here just in time for the Chinese New Year and will look great on your soap dish! Â Chinese New Year is on January 23rd.
Separately each soap will cost $4, but if you buy a set of two – $6 and set of 4 will be $12. The sets are packaged in real Chinese take-out containers!
If you need them for your asian-themed event or your store, let me know how many you would like & I will get you bulk pricing information! lisa@fetosoap.com or 512.850.5472.
Studio CV Disco Pahhhtay! Get Your Tickets HERE! Â Friday, August 19, 2011 from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Cypress Vanguard cordially invites the public and the entire fashion community to enjoy an indulgent and exciting disco-themed party, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas. With a creative and local twist, the talented independent designers at the CV co-op are recreating the magic of Studio 54 in the heart of downtown Austin! Continue reading
Envy Magazine featured our Chocolate Bon-Bon Soaps in their Holiday Shopping Guide – Valentine’s Gifts for Yourself on page 92 in the February issue. Thanks Envy!
My next soapmaking class is coming up this Sunday, January 18th.
Soapmaking–Better than Store Bought
Discover the benefits and fun of making and using handmade soap. Not only is it better for your skin but it also allows you to be creative since you select the ingredients, colors, fragrances and shapes. Learn to overcome your fear of working with lye (an essential ingredient in all soap) as well as important safety precautions as you learn to produce a batch of soap. NOTE: Each student will take home one bar of soap.
Class Number: S1018A Sun 2-5pm Jan 18
To register, go to Leisure Learning Unlimited‘s Website:
http://llu.com/sdc/group_classes_llu.html?classgroup=3611
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Continue reading
A couple people have asked, so I thought I’d list places I’ve recently stocked.
In Houston:
Te House of Tea 2402 Woodhead St, Houston, TX‎ – (713) 522-8868‎
| Monday Tuesday-Thursday |
Closed 11 am – 10 pm |
|
| Friday | 11 am – midnight | |
| Saturday | 11 am – midnight | |
| Sunday | 11 am – 8 pm | |
| Tuesday – Friday | 2 p.m to 5 p.m | [no kitchen] |
Hello Lucky 1025 Studewood St, Houston, TX‎ – (713) 864-3556‎
New Shop Hours
Wednesdays Noon – 5 (throughout the holidays)
Thursday 11 – 5
Friday and Saturday 11 – 6
*Sunday Noon- 5*
and Christmas Week
Monday 11 – 5
Tuesday 11 – 5
Wednesday 11 – 2
Mutter Museum Store 19 SOUTH TWENTY-SECOND STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19103-3097 | PHONE 215-563-3737 Open:Â Sat – Thurs 10am -5pm Friday 10am-9pm