The best things in life are often not planned

One of the greatest life lessons that making soap has taught me is the best things in life are often not planned. I am a recovering perfectionist. When I started making soap I expected to produce perfect little bars of soap. When a batch of soap didn't turn out the way I had planned I sunk in discouragement. Or if I didn't cut it quite right I would be irritated. Well this is contrary to the whole notion of "handcrafted". The entire process of making handcrafted soap is this interaction between the soapmaker and the ingredients and tools producing bars of soap that are inherantly unique. I quickly discovered that the uniqueness of my soaps is what drew people to them. People who want perfect shape and form can get it that at the drugstore.

One of my favorite unplanned soap stories is "La Vader". I planned to make a goat milk & lavender soap that was a hazy purple color. Using natural colorants is tricky because each ingredient reacts with the others affecting the outcome, especially the color. When the soap went in to the mold it looked exactly like what I was going for. Two days later when I pulled it out of the mold it was black. I was bummed. But it had this beautiful aroma. Just a touch of lavender with chamomile, very mild. So last Christmas I packaged it up with a little note that read "La Vader Handcrafted Soap - Feeling melancholy? Try the dark side of clean. Let lavender and chamomile soothe your mind and body." I gave it to my friend BJ as a joke and he loved it. I told him it was an accident, and he said "No, I really think you've got something here ... keep making it." So this past fall I added it to my line-up of seasonal soaps. People really love it. It cracks me up because I never would have planned this.

I see this irony in life. I have struggled (in vain of course) to create life that is according to my plan. I have often resisted the things that go against my plan. But if I roll with the unplanned there is great mystery and goodness in it. I find the greatest fulfillment in life when I surrender my plan and appreciate what comes my way. I've lived this habit of being disappointed over the things that didn't go according to plan. By living in this mode I have missed the joy of appreciating the unexpected. Especially as we head into the holidays which are often replete with expectation I want to live out the soap lesson learned, to enjoy and celebrate the unexpected, and even look for it.

You can find out more about LaVader all natural handmade soap at http://store.lavandedebois.com/servlet/-strse-48/lavender-chamomile-goat-milk/Detail

Happy Anniversary

This month marks the first anniversary of launching my business, Lavande de Bois! I'm celebrating by inviting my friends over for a little mojito twist and hors d'oeuvres. Of course, I've never made mojito twist, it sounds good doesn't it? Kind of risky, inviting friends over without a trial on the recipe first. Oh well, isn't that what a business venture is? Putting something out there for people to like or dislike everyday of the week?

The mojito will be my (twisted) variation of the cuban cocktail, Mojito, that has inspired the most recent addition to my product line, Coconut Mojito Handcrafted Soap. It's an awesome combination of spearmint and lime aroma with coconut milk adding luxurious skin softening properties. Swirls of mossy green and creamy vanilla colored soap create visual luxury too (at lease for those of us who like green, can you tell I'm on a major green festish?)

So back to the anniversary celebration, the invitation reads "celebrating one year of soapmaking and the inspirations behind it". I plan to make a toast to my friends for being "inspiration" for me; and to my husband and children for brainstorming with me, encouraging me, and taking part in the adventure. I also want to celebrate the things that have inspired, basically the world around, the cuban cocktail mojito, the colors of my daughters room, the moss on the trees at my favorite campspot, lavender (of course), herbs, aroma, everything! But ultimately it's not the things of the world that provide the inspiration, it's God who created them. Have you ever wondered why God had Adam name all the animals? I think it was our Creator's way of giving Adam a piece of the action, just like he gives us of a piece of the action when we use our creativity.

I so appreciate this gift. And I thank Him for releasing me from the things that have bound me to unleash creativity for me in a new arena. Not just in making soap, but in putting myself, my soaps, my business, out there for the world to see. I've spent a lot of years hunkered down, hiding out. I'm thankful He has pushed me way out of my comfort zone into a new wild adventure that is full of creativity, full of ups and downs (what would a roller coaster be like anyway if you didn't go down?), full of good things.