​Has your inner creative self been looking for something new?  Tired of knitting or crocheting all winter and thinking there must be a different craft you want to try?   All Cricutted out?  Want to be a more daring DIY Diva?  Been wanting to try soap-making but too afraid of lye?  Fear not!  Yes, lye (sodium hydroxide) is caustic and scary, but with proper safety and care, it’s really not so scary. 
Truth is, people have been making soap since possibly as early as 2800 BC in Ancient Babylonia!  In an archeological find, a soap-like substance was found in clay cylinders, leading to the conclusion that soap was being made even back then.  The Ancient Egyptians in later years used wood ash mixed with animal 

      Lately, I've been busy making party favors for bridal showers, fundraisers and High School Reunions, but Market season is upon us.  So as Spring desperately struggles to break through and Winter refuses let let go, I've had cabin fever which has also led to a slew of new kreations for the upcoming Hudson Valley Holistic Markets! 

          Happy New Year!!! 
    Let me just take a minute to wish each of you a year filled with hope, happiness, health and positivity!  I hope it has gotten off to a good start.  Mine has!
     Last week, at the yoga studio, they began a seven-week Chakra Cycle.  This excites me!  In yoga, meditation and even Ayurveda practice, Chakras are seen as the seven centers of the body through which energy flows.  Some refer to them as “wheels” because the literal translation from the Sanskrit is “wheel” Each is represented by a specific color (coincidentally, the same as the rainbow), as well as a particular seed sound for meditative purposes.  All of the seven Chakras, are focused in different parts of the body and each offers us a different vital energy. The first five Chakras also represent a specific natural element such as Earth or Water... 
            Wait, hold on … what does all this have to do with soap?