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Home > Archives for Soap & Clay Kids

Sunday Soap Case: Lego Madness!

October 2, 2016 Leave a Comment

City Blocks Brick-or-Treat and Soapy Lego Fun!

Hey there, Sudsers! How’s your weekend treating you? Pagan Pride has been in full swing this weekend at Freighthouse Station and it has been such a treat to mingle with the local holistic community as they explore our building. As the gods and goddesses collect their treasures and head off to their next adventure, Freighthouse begins preparations for our next amazing, stupendous, too-cool-to-be-allowed event.

How’s that for buildup? You won’t be disappointed.

City Blocks Brick or Treat

city blocks brick or treat lego

Image Courtesy of City Blocks

If you are local to the Tacoma area and haven’t heard of Dan Parker and his Lego artists at City Blocks, it’s likely that you’ve been living under a rock. This place is an institution and a veritable panoply of all things Lego. They have collector’s pieces from Lego’s inception, they have new builder kits (at crazy awesome prices, btw), they have mini-figs coming out of their ears. Sometimes literally. They’re a fun bunch. But what they also have that sets them apart from your run of the mill Lego store is a group of talented builders that create these incredible structures like it’s not the most complicated thing in the world to do. It is. I tried to connect with my inner child and build something with the Soap & Clay kidlet’s Legos and successfully created…nothing. I went back to Minecraft at that point. 

dan parker city blocks brick or treat lego

Image Courtesy of City Blocks

Dan Parker travels the world, constructing massive displays for museum events, grand openings, and the occasional children’s birthday party. He’s good at what he does. So good, in fact, that he rarely has an opportunity to coordinate an event specific to his shop in Tacoma (that just so happens to be in Freighthouse Station, where all the cool kids hang out). Lucky for us, he’s organized one for next weekend and it is guaranteed to impress both the young and young at heart.

brick-or-treat city blocks lego store

Image Courtesy of City Blocks

Brick-or-Treat will run October 7th-9th in Foss Hall at Freighthouse Station. City Blocks has teamed up with Pierce County Asylum (not an actual asylum, but probably more terrifying) for a weekend of physics-defying Lego builds, games, toys, Lego dealers, and even master instructors (namely, the one and only Dan Parker) on site to provide a few tips and tricks of the trade. So if you’re looking for something amazing to do next weekend, this is it.

Lego My Soap, You

legoNot to be outdone by Dan and his awesomeness (except that I am completely outdone by Dan and his awesomeness), I’ve got a super awesome Lego creation, too. Of the soap variety. Obvs. Lego My Soap, Yo has been a fun addition to the Soap & Clay Kids line and really showcases my Lego skills. Of which I have none, really. But the soap is great – tons of bubbles, super bright scents and colors, and moisturizing super cleansers go into these children’s glycerin soaps. The Soap & Clay Kidlets have a stack of these in the shower and at the sink and have declared them to be their absolute favorites. Today. They would like to see the soaps come with some mini-figs, however – perhaps Dan the Man and I can work out a deal to make that so. And because I love you so very much, you can get a set (a whole set!!!) for free this week with coupon code LEGOMYSOAPYO. Coupon code valid on all orders until October 9th.

That’s it for me today, Sudsers – have a great week!

Happy Sudsing!

Filed Under: Sunday Soap Case Tagged With: city blocks, freighthouse, glycerin, irritant free, kid friendly, lego my soap yo, legos, sensitive skin, Soap & Clay Kids, soda pop shoppe, the vendors of freighthouse

Sunday Soap Case: Like a (soap) Duck to (bath) Water

July 11, 2016 Leave a Comment

Rubber Ducky, You’re the One…

Happy Sunday! The Soap & Clay family spent the weekend at the Momtrepreneurs Event at Tacoma Freighthouse Square, and we had a grand time. I really enjoy booth events because I have the opportunity to hang out with the locals that come out to support our little businesses. I also love getting to catch up with my fellow makers on the circuit and see what new creations they’ve come up with since I’ve seen them last.Admit it - you want it all.

I mean, wow!

I mean, wow!

A number of my faves were in attendance, including Chris from Country Home Furnishings, whose repurposed and refurbished pieces never miss the mark. His attention to detail is exquisite, his prices are fabulous, and his setup is always on point (and all for sale!).

 

 

*heart/melt/swoon*

*heart/melt/swoon*

Also in attendance was the lovely Brittany Jurgens, a Direct Sales pro who has recently taken the plunge into the artisan world. Her new business, Mama’s Chalk Shop, centers around adorable, custom made chalk signs. Her prices are great, her items are beautiful, and she can custom make anything you could possibly want on a chalk sign. I’ve already commissioned a few pieces from her for my booth signs, and she took my high-maintenance custom needs in stride. She launched her website the day before the event, which is pretty impressive in and of itself! Head on over to her page and give her some love!

For my part, I said goodbye to a few old product lines (I’ll miss you, Game of Soaps!) and added some new ones to the lineup for this event. I will be working on getting said new products on the site this week, starting with the topic of today’s post, Rubber Ducky, You’re the One! Read on for more information, then make sure to head over to the site and get yours!

Rubber Ducks + Awesome Soap = The NEW Ultimate in Bathtime Fun!

 

tarts solo

Yawn.

In the Soap & Clay Kids Line we have bath bombs, which are awesome. We have soapy balls Bubble Baubles, which are also awesome. We have Lego Soaps – again, awesome. And then we have…Soap Tarts. Which are okay – they smell nice, they effectively cleanse skin without drying out our precious littles, and they’re gentle enough to be used on the mini-est of minis. But they’re kinda boring.

ducksoapcase

ERHMAGERD!!!

When the Soap & Clay girl-children were helping me choose toys to put into a batch of Bubble Baubles, my 3 year old was drawn to a giant box-o’-rubber ducks. She’s an obsessive collector of all things (stickers, blind bags, rocks, random scraps of paper), so I braced myself for the mommy can I please have a bajillion rubber ducks query. Instead of asking for herself, however, she surprised me. Kids do that. She thought rubber ducks would be a pretty great addition to S&C Kids, and I agreed. Abandoning our mini-fig search, I grabbed the box and we giddily began planning our next adventure in soaping.

The Soapy Specs

Peppa the Owl-Duck.

The shape of the Soap-Tarts was a great starting point; they were already the perfect size for smaller hands. The formulation of the Soap-Tarts was also great; this recipe was designed to be mild enough to use on newborns but effective enough to ensure an easy clean every time. So I made a batch and cut the discs thicker than the original to support the ducks and ensure longer tub life. I then used the cream soap I usually reserve for my cupcake bath bomb tops and piped the ducks into place. The result? The cutest soaps I’ve ever seen!

For FREE?!?!

These soaps are perfect for tub time, make great gifts, and have become my most requested baby shower and birthday party favor items. The girls had a ton of fun selecting the perfect ducks to put on each disc, and while they were helping they named each and every one. They’re very excited to see No-Beard, Peppa, Cuppie and the rest of the gang go to their new homes, so I’m giving them away for a week! Enter coupon code GOTANYGRAPES at checkout to get a free duck soap of your very own. Coupon code expires Sunday, July 17th 2016.

Filed Under: Soap Science, Sunday Soap Case Tagged With: fun soap, gentle soap, kids soap, mild soap, rubber ducks, sensitive skin, Soap & Clay Kids

Sunday Soap Case: Wicked Fun Soap for Wicked Awesome Kids

June 12, 2016 Leave a Comment

Bubble Baubles:

Fun Soap + Clean Kids = Happy Parents!

It’s Sunday, which means another Game of Thrones episode, work tomorrow, and this week’s Soap Case. On the agenda today: Bubble Baubles! Read on for more information about a new twist on an old Soap & Clay product.

Where have all the prizes gone?

I’ve noticed a trend in kids products lately. Well, maybe it’s not a new trend; I am a mother of monsters children under four, so my reintroduction into the world of tiny humans is fairly recent. But I seem to remember a lot more toy prizes when I was growing up. Bought a box of Cheerios, got a mini-terrarium. Bought a mystery novel, got a secret decoder ring. Bought a box of Cracker-Jack, got some 3D glasses. I just don’t see this anymore! We go through a lot of cereal in this house, and I can count on one hand the number of times General Mills felt the need to hook me up with some swag for choking down a bowl of Wheat Chex.

I have to download an app, and then give my child control of my iPhone? Umm...no.

I have to download an app, and then give my child control of my iPhone? Umm…no.

Even Cracker Jack, which you only purchase for the toy because the popcorn tastes like stale garbage, has moved from prizes to digital codes (which my children proceed to shred into a thousand pieces and call confetti).

What gives? It’s not like kids don’t appreciate the thrill of the unknown that comes along with toy prizes anymore; surprise eggs, blind bags, and Kinder eggs show that in spades. Just last week my three year old was walking beside me in the grocery store, examining a pack of socks while pondering “I wonder what’s inside? Maybe a new Slime-ball!” Kids LOVE surprises, even in socks.

Side note: if this soap thing doesn’t work out, I am going to let her start her own YouTube channel devoted to opening up random bags o’ stuff. She’ll make a killing.

Grown-up merchandise often comes with prizes – you can buy a freaking candle with a freaking ring inside of it, for crying out loud. So in an effort to put an end to the anti-prize madness, I decided to take a suggestion from my coolest Mini-Sudser of the male variety (my awesome nephew Liam) and play with embedding toys into soaps from the Soap & Clay Kids line.

The Goal: Fun Soap (obvs)

These orbs have been a site offering since I started the company, and they’ve been fairly popular. I did have a few problems with them, however.fun soap

One: the name. These brightly colored beauties started out as Super Soapy Bouncy Balls, which of course confused customers. Do they bounce? I played around with wrapping the soaps in rubber so they would bounce, but it was a phenomenal pain, not very eco-friendly, and had the potential to anger a boatload of parents after their kids hurl them through a wall in an attempt to make them bounce across the room. I had a difficult time renaming them; they went to Soapcraft: the Minecraft Edition for a bit, but selling orbs for a cube game didn’t make much sense.

Problemo Numero Dos: they’re just round soaps. I mean, the soap itself is GREAT. It’s lather-riffic, smells amazing, and has a tub-load (a little soapy humor) of glycerin. Glycerin soap is great for young skin – it keeps the skin moisturized, smooth, and germ-free. But all of my soap does that, so what makes this kid-specific product any different than the rest of my lines?

The Solution

bubblebaublestapedispToys. Because, toys. Each orb is now filled with an adorable collectible – consider it a prize at the end of a successful soaping regimen. Each soapy ball is roughly 2 ounces and will last a few weeks in the bath or shower – it can last several months as a hand washer at the sink! Each time your kiddos use it, they will get a bit closer to their prize. Kinda like a Tootsie Pop, but without the cavities. The toys run the gamut of all things fun and weird – from animals to footballs to miniature play food and superheroes – there’s a lot of  variety. And, as always, the soap itself is bubbly and ultra cleansing and is scented with Soap & Clay’s signature Soda Pop Shoppe line. Great soap, fun toys – what more could you ask for?

And to celebrate the new addition to the line, I’m giving them away! Enter coupon code SOAPYBALLS with your next order to receive a free set of Bubble Baubles. Offer good through Sunday, June 19th.

Soapy balls. I am a child. And I’m basically fine with that.

Happy Sudsing!

Filed Under: Soap Science, Sunday Soap Case Tagged With: ball soap, glycerin, round soap, Soap & Clay Kids, super soapy bouncy balls, toys

Artisan Soap: Cruelty Free, Vegan Friendly, Gluten Free…?

December 10, 2015 Leave a Comment

Soap Science: Gluten in Skincare

Good morning, Sudsers! This week has zoomed by, right? I’ve been busy with holiday orders, activities with the Soap & Clay kidlets, and booth events. I’ve spent the past few weeks at vendor events around the greater Seattle area, and I loved mingling with members of the community, chatting about soap and skincare needs. I tend to field a set of basic questions regarding my soaps multiple times throughout any event, questions I can readily answer and provide takeaway literature for, but the lovely community members in Bellevue, WA threw me a curveball on Saturday. I still got the basics: are your products responsibly sourced and cruelty free, do you have any vegan offerings, do you stock anything for sensitive skin, but there was one question I wasn’t prepared for. Are your soaps gluten free? 

Gluten free? Hunh. Admittedly, my first thought in response to this question was, you don’t EAT soap. Please don’t eat my soap.

gluten free

Don’t be like this kid.
Who also happens to be my kid.

Gluten free?

I answered as best I could, which was basically an inelegant stammering consisting of “I don’t use flour in my soap recipes, so I think I’m gluten free…wait, is oatmeal gluten? No? well it’s likely that I don’t…I want to say yes, but I’m really not sure.” Surprisingly, in spite of my less than stellar speaking skills, this customer still purchased some items and I sent them on their way, but not before collecting their email address to get them a definitive answer on the gluten question. A few minutes later, another patron asked the same thing: are your soaps gluten free? Four other customers asked about gluten over the course of this event, so the moment I got home, the research began.

What is Gluten?

First off, I obviously needed a better understanding of gluten and what those with gluten sensitivities actually need to avoid. My belief was that gluten sensitivity was a food concern; anything that a person ingests that contains gluten can have a negative impact on their body’s overall health. And while this seems to be the general consensus in the medical world, there is also a case to be made for removing gluten from skincare products as well. Which makes sense; every soap in my line has been designed to produce specific, topical results as the skin readily absorbs many things. In this day and age, there are even drugs that are administered topically because certain components can and do enter the system through the skin. So gluten in skincare products? Could be a concern.

So what is gluten? According to celiac.org, gluten is the name given to the elastic proteins found in wheat, barley, rye, and various other grains to a lesser degree. For those with Celiac disease (about 1% of the population), this protein can cause a number of health problems if ingested. Through further sleuthing, however, I came across a number of articles discussing potential problems with Celiac patients and gluten found in topical products. The Mayo Clinic has some interesting information regarding topical gluten, which you can find here.

So is there gluten in soap? How about other cosmetic products? Yes, in large part. Turns out it’s pretty difficult to find commercial products that don’t contain gluten (another way of adding insult to injury for the gluten sensitive among us).

How about Soap & Clay products?

Well, that depends. Soap & Clay soaps contain no gluten. My basic soap recipe contains olive oil, coconut oil, responsibly sourced palm oil, canola oil, and sweet almond oil. I then add extra goodies, mostly in the form of oils, butters, and exfoliants. So according to this list of safe vs unsafe products for those with Celiac/gluten intolerance, Soap & Clay does not use any ingredients that contain gluten in the soaps themselves (**see below for a note about bath bombs). However, a number of Soap & Clay soaps contain oatmeal, an item that is listed on both sides of the safe/unsafe list. The reason for this is cross-contamination; any oatmeal that has been processed in a facility that also processes wheat, barley, or rye can come into contact with gluten. I use gluten-free oatmeal in my soap recipes, so by happy accident I can say that we are gluten free!

**A note about bath bombs: I’ve been unable to find definitive information regarding corn products and Celiac, so in the spirit of full disclosure and transparency, a word of caution for those concerned with gluten: all of my bath bombs contain cornstarch. If you have been told by your medical professional to avoid cornstarch, either topically or internally, please avoid Soap & Clay’s bath bombs.

So there you have it, Sudsers – all of the information you never knew you needed about soap. Remember – check your labels, know your labels, and if you have any questions, please contact me! Don’t forget – we have FREE SHIPPING through December 16th and gift boxes are still on sale. I’m hearing “craft time” turning into “mess time” in the kitchen, so I’m off to wrestle a glue stick away from a Soap & Clay kidlet. Enjoy the rest of your day!

gluten

Glue stick. Not gluten free.

Filed Under: Know Your Labels, Soap Science, Uncategorized Tagged With: artisan, bath bombs, celiac, commercial, gluten, gluten free, oatmeal, soap, Soap & Clay Kids, vegan

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2712 6th Ave
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