Here are some photos from last Friday.  So much progress!

I thought I would show a few pictures of why we need more space in our factory.  We have been in this space for 5.5 years and honestly we outgrew it 3 years ago, but we’ve continued to organize and make due, but it has gotten downright uncomfortable for the past year.  Our employees literally have no where to work and we have to walk single file through the aisleways and between the shelves and racks.  Take a look!

Check out the photos from our new building. Construction is progressing. Here are a few random photos of the “house” wall that will separate the store from the factory.  Look at all the great windows we will have on our new house wall!  Then there are a few photos of various offices being framed.

We are currently in the great city of Chicago attending a wholesale show at the Merchandise Mart.  Our fabulous employee Joann is working hard along with several of our sales reps. I stopped in yesterday for a few hours to see our booth, take Joann to lunch, and talk to some customers and our sales reps. I’d like to give a shoutout to Jolene Harvey and her husband from The Yellow Beetle in Davenport, Iowa.  Jolene visited our booth last year and has become a treasured Backyard Soaps customer.  When she and her husband stopped by our booth yesterday, she requested a photo of Joann and I in front of our booth. We got one with all 4 of us. When she emails it to me I’ll post it on the blog!  We love you Jolene!  If I am ever in Davenport, IA I will be sure to stop by.

Here are some pictures of our booth at the show!

At Backyard Soaps & More, honoring the women who have fought against breast cancer is a top priority of ours.  Our Princess Patty soap slice is  named to honor the memory of our friend Patty Kaschalk Knecht.  Our Pink Ribbon soap is to honor all of the women and families touched by this disease. Our own Kay Stinson, Operations Manager extraordinaire (and my mom) is a 6 year survivor of breast cancer.  She rocks!!   Although October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, our princess patty and pink products are available all year long.  At the end of every year we tally up the sales of those products and we donate to Gilda’s Club in Royal Oak, MI; a wonderful cancer support community.  

We have several other pink products which can be used to create the perfect “pink theme” as a gift to the women in your lives.  Our Pink Vanilla small pillar candle is the perfect shade of pink and smells divine!  Our First Crush soap slice contains various shades of pink and fuscia.  Our Black Orchid & Lily soap slice is another blend of deep pink shades and is a strong, gorgeous floral fragrance! 

Thank you for helping us support those dealing with cancer!

At Backyard Soaps & More, honoring the women who have fought against breast cancer is a top priority of ours.  Our Princess Patty soap slice is  named to honor the memory of our friend Patty Kaschalk Knecht.  Our Pink Ribbon soap is to honor all of the women and families touched by this disease. Our own Kay Stinson, Operations Manager extraordinaire (and my mom) is a 6 year survivor of breast cancer.  She rocks!!   Although October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, our princess patty and pink products are available all year long.  At the end of every year we tally up the sales of those products and we donate to Gilda’s Club in Royal Oak, MI; a wonderful cancer support community.  

We have several other pink products which can be used to create the perfect “pink theme” as a gift to the women in your lives.  Our Pink Vanilla small pillar candle is the perfect shade of pink and smells divine!  Our First Crush soap slice contains various shades of pink and fuscia.  Our Black Orchid & Lily soap slice is another blend of deep pink shades and is a strong, gorgeous floral fragrance! 

Thank you for helping us support those dealing with cancer!

Our Princess Patty Soap slice is named after my wonderful friend Patty Nadine Kaschalk Knecht.  Patty and I met in Madrid, Spain in 1995 while on a work assignment for EDS.  We became fast friends and shared a wonderful 9 months working together and traveling on the weekends all over Spain.  Patty came back to the US in November 1995, while I stayed for an additional 2 years. Patty and her husband went on to have 2 children and life was great.  Shortly after her second child was born she was diagnosed with a recurrence of the breast cancer she had successfully beat 5 years earlier at age 27.   Patty fought a hard battle against this horrible disease and displayed a strength and perseverance beyond her years.  She lived her life to the fullest, enjoying her family and friends and making memories.  She also found tremendous support at Gilda’s Club in Royal Oak, MI; a cancer support community started in honor of Gilda Radner.  Patty lost her battle in February 2001 at age 34, however her spirit lives on in the beautiful memories that she left her family and friends.  When we started our Backyard Soaps business, we knew we wanted to create a soap in her memory.  Although pink is the typical color of breast cancer awareness products; purple was Patty’s favorite color so we decided to create a soap with various shades of purple.  We donate to Gilda’s Club every year from the sale of the Princess Patty soap bars to honor our special friend Patty.

Hi everyone, Kelly here today.  It's a cold, rainy, grey day in Michigan today, and as our fantastic employees are working hard at the soap and candle factory, I am enjoying the scents of autumn all over my house. I'm baking some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies - yum!  However the most delicious smell is coming from my Backyard Soaps & More Extra Large 3-Wick Pillar candle in Smashin' Pumpkin which is burning on my fireplace.  I just lit it for the first time today and it immediately made my house the best smelling place in the neighborhood.  Smashin' Pumpkin is a very strong and spicy fragrance; it is not for the faint of heart, but it is soooooooooo delicious.  It does not smell as sweet as pumpkin pie, but rather blends the seasonal fragrances of pumpkin and white spices.  The wonderful burning candle is motivating me to get my entire house decorated for fall!

If you have never tried one of our 3 wick Xtra large pillar candles, here are a few helpful hints.  Before burning the 3 wick candle please make sure all the wicks are ¼ inch tall and pointed to the center of the candle.  In order to prevent wax from pouring over the sides, initially burn the chunks on top for approximately 20-25 minutes. Blow out and allow wax to harden. When proceeding to burn again please watch carefully until the top becomes a flat surface.  If the wax begins to go over the side- pinch or hug the wax to stop it.  I always make sure I burn my pillar candles on a plate or candle holder. Once the candle has a flat surface burn until the melt pool is no further than ¼ inch from the edge of the candle. On 3-Wick candles you must continuously ensure that the wicks are pointed towards the center of the candle.  I am following these guidelines and my Smashin' Pumpkin 3 Wick Extra Large Candle smells absolutely divine. Oh and the cookies just came out of the oven too and they are delectable.

Hello to all of our readers. Thank you so much for all of your support over the past almost 8 years.  We just love this time of year; the factory is hopping with busy little soap and candle makers, the autumn and holiday fragrances smell up the entire building and street (we pump out the fragrances to the sidewalk).   We even gave our website a facelift to express our love of the Autumn season here in the Midwestern United States.  Check it out and tell us what you think of the design. We love to hear from our customers.

Happy Apple is September’s Scent of the Month, so that means you have only 2 days left to save 15% on any happy apple scented product. How about the adorable Happy Apple Glycerin Soap Slice, or a jar or pillar candle?  Need to send a gift? Our Happy Apple Gift set is yummy!

Wait we have another special! From now until October 15^th, buy any 8 ounce holiday body butter and 8 ounce holiday sugar scrub and receive 2 FREE bath bombs.  No coupon code is necessary, and you won’t see the bath bombs in your cart when you checkout on the website, but if you order an 8 ounce holiday body butter and sugar scrub we’ll put the 2 FREE bath bombs in your box!

Glycerin soap is a great way to shore up your skin, making it look years younger and completely healthier. It works so well because of its non-toxic properties, and can remove just about any kind of dirt on the face, including make-up.

For those always on the lookout for the next greatest skin product have found in glycerin soap. It helps to moisturize the skin, ensuring it stays hydrated and super soft. While you can find soaps that contain glycerin, it is far more beneficial to use actual glycerin soap in cleanse your skin.

In addition to its cosmetic qualities, glycerin soap can also help resolve some common skin issues, including psoriasis and eczema. In fact, the more basic liquid form of glycerin is used in the moisturizing agents and various skin creams already sold in the more popular skin-related products on the market today. This underscores the true benefits of using any glycerin-related products to ensure healthy skin.

Investing in glycerin soap is an investment in healthy skin, something no one can afford to ignore. Putting on a fresh, clean and healthy face is more important than any fashion statement and is something everyone desires to enhance their own confidence as they face the world.