For Immediate Release

Our Research and Development team are ready to release the results of the Body Scrub Poll:


So there you have it, folks. The team is working on a new poll ... stay tuned!

The Hot Process Tutorial video is at a bit of a standstill, as the IT Department (Kim's boyfriend) is out of the office (visiting friends in NYC) for a couple of days. There is much editing to do, as the length is very long. There is also text to be added, which, the IT guy tells us, is best to lay down in YouTube. Expect an early August release.

The Creative Department has just landed a title for the soon-to-be-offered soap tribute to D.C. punk legends, Bad Brains. It is going to be called, "Soap Craft" which is a play on one of their songs (Soul Craft, from the album Quickness, Caroline Records, 1989) Says the head of the department, "We wanted something catchy and respectful. We didn't want to use the title outright." Sketches of the soap are being finalized now. Designs will be published in coming days. This will be a bright soap, incorporating all the colors of the Ethiopian flag (red is going to be tough, though). In a recent statement, the Director of Fragrance claimed that the scent is still in flux, but will likely be Sage or African Rain, both readily available by Stella Marie's main supplier.

In the Sandbox

I am working on conceptualizing a soap for punk gods, Bad Brains. What do you think the scent should be?

Here are some ideas I have:

Ginger
Sage
Tea Tree

I am really leaning toward sage at this point.

Punk Rock Gift Sets Now Available

This punky set of 5 soaps is sure to please the punk rocker in your life! Each gift is served up in a red gable box with a super cool zebra print ribbon.

• Crimson and Clover Soap (A Tribute to Joan Jett)
• Beastie Bar Soap (A Tribute to The Beastie Boys)
• Dinosoap Jr. (A Tribute to Dinosaur Jr.)
• Rockaway Beach Soap (A Tribute to the Ramones)
• Fade to Black Soap
• Red Devil Duckie

*mannequin not included.

Tip: Do not give to posers/poseurs. They won't know that The Beastie Boys actually create punk music, nor will they know that Joan Jett was once in The Runaways and that she is the original Riot Grrrl.

Stella Marie Merch Now Available!

Show your love for America's favorite twisted little soap store with a Stella Marie t-shirt or tote bag! Now available at Cafepress!

Pictures from ArtBeat

I would like to thank everyone who made yesterday's ArtBeat festival a success! This was my first outdoor festival and it was super, duper HOT! I picked up a canopy from my local sporting goods store and I am so happy I did. Otherwise, we would have melted like crayons in a microwave.

After working a previous show, my friend Anne is now my chief marketing officer. She can talk up my products better than me. And when I sold out of my soaps, she turned it into an opportunity to draw people to my website by offering them postcards and business cards. She must be hired! Jere, my boyfriend, is the human calculator. Combined with his psychic abilities, he had exact change ready before people pulled their bills out of their wallets. Amazing! I owe it all to them.

The good news is that I sold out of nearly everything, so packing up the car was not nearly as difficult as getting it ready for the show. However, now I've got to stock up on my inventory - forthwith! I made a lot of great connections, including a couple of people who are interested in offering my soaps as an option for wedding favors and some wholesale opportunities.

Here are a few photos from the show ...

[before we set up]

[I think the guy in the green shirt knew he was getting his picture taken.]



[Look at this little girl on STILTS!]

BIZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

This week, I am going to be quite a soap-a-holic, wiping the sweat off my brow until Saturday morning. I've got several soap batches to make as well as batches of other Stella Marie products. Signage needs to be prepared and needless panic and anxiety will need to be quieted. When, oh, when will I be able to shake this day job?

So, I've picked a great time to begin filming the instructional hot process soapmaking video for The Soap Bar. That's right, folks, I'm going all out! You will get to see me as a real talking person. You've been warned. I'm getting the raw footage tonight and I'm hoping to finesse the mofo this week/early next week.

In house news - the deal is ON! We are hoping to close on August 14th or thereabouts. We can't wait to get the heck in there!

Art Beat

The Somerville Arts Council finally updated their website with the full festival details!

This is my first outdoor event - and the first in the heat. I'm going to buy a tarp this week, just to be on the safe side.

A New House

We went out yesterday and viewed about 6 homes. We put an offer in today on one of them! It's a very sweet Colonial, a block from Roger Williams Park in Providence. I am going to be very careful this time, however - don't want to get too attached!

This home is in impeccable condition in an ethnically-diverse neighborhood. The bathroom has a vintage ribbon tiled floor! Very cute backyard with a patio and a garage. Private and shady :)

Stella Marie would move into the basement - after a weekend of ripping up 1970's carpeting and applying fresh paint to the floor and wood-paneled walls. There is a utility sink down there, too, so soap can be truly separate from the food kitchen.

Here we go again!

Happy Fourth of July!

Check out these comfy, patriotic towels from Ralph Lauren...

Sad House News

Well, the house deal we had in place didn't pan out. The seller was not willing to budge on repairs that were major safety concerns. We even agreed to split some of the cost with him, but he was not flexible. We decided to back out, knowing that the market is still very good for buyers right now. It's hard to let go of something you have your heart set on, but we were already spending so much before moving in, we thought that it wasn't worth it in the end. The good news is that we were able to get our deposit back in full, as what we were asking the seller to do was pretty serious. Also, our agent is very familiar with our needs now, so I think the process should be a bit quicker moving ahead.

Since we backed out, we've found a number of awesome listings and we are excited about looking at new places. Some of these homes are in mint condition, which is great because we can take our savings and use it toward decorating or even leave it in the bank!

In soap news, I've been unable to make any for a week or so. It's been unbearably hot. The last batch I made was very difficult to remove from the mold due to heat/humidity. It's going to have to go straight into the refrigerator from the crockpot - at least until this heat wave is over. I've got plenty of soaping to do for the ArtBeat Festival - and I've promised a hot process tutorial for Joanna :)

I've got a question for you all: Can anyone recommend a good program for creating html emails/e-newsletters? I'm looking for an easy-to-use program that won't set me back a lot of bucks. Any suggestions would be very welcome!

Lastly ... how long is Etsy supposed to be down? I've not been able to access their site in a couple of days.