Creation|Collaboration & Soaperstar Blog Hop Week 2

Welcome to Creation|Collaboration's 2nd Women Wednesday blog roll, hosted by Beads & More by Lois, Soaperstar and Plans and Presents

Creation|Collaboration was set up by eight women, all existing friends, who run small businesses from their homes. We have started Women Wednesday blog roll to link up with other women in business, spread the word about Creation|Collaboration and basically just have fun visiting all of your interesting blogs!

We are also in discussions with regard to listing features companies (on a regular basis) as part of our promotional campaign so by joining in with the blog roll we can get to know you and your business and maybe you could be one of our first features.  Don't forget to check out the Creation|Collaboration Blog on Friday's to read about our "Feature Friday's"!

Here's how you can join in with Collaboration Women Wednesday:

• Link up your blog name and URL to your Women Wednesday blog post using the McKLinky below (you only need to add on one blog to be seen on all of the McKLinky blog roll's). Please note that this for blogs only and not links to your websites or shops.
• Follow our Creation|Collaboration blog and the hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.
• Grab our Women Wednesday button and feature it on your blog or Women Wednesday blog post.
• Follow and comment saying you're from Women Wednesday on as many blogs as you likes listed in the McKlinky box.
• Follow back any new followers from Women Wednesday!

It's that easy and a fun way to discover new and interesting blogs and us women at Creation|Collaboration get to meet other women in business!

Competition Winner!

We recently ran our first Soaperstar competion to win a fab t-shirt and a soap of the winner's choice.  We got lots of replies and I had to rope the hubby in to help me judge ... and the winner is.... Anita Karir. 

People were asked to have a look at our Soaperstar website, check which one of our handcrafted luxury goatsmilk & glycerine soaps they would like to win and why. 

Anita wrote "Colour Bomb as I love rainbows, can teach my baby daughter colours using it, and it is so bright and cheerful and will put a smile on my face brightening up my dull life" - I'm sure your life is far from boring Anita, with a little Selena to take care of!

Anita wins our Soaperstar t-shirt and a Colour Bomb luxury glycerine soap.  Congrats Anita, hope you love them!  

Can I be really cheeky and ask for a pic of you in the t-shirt?!!

You want to quote me? Wow!

I came home after a rather stressful day and checked my various favourite pages on the net and found I'd been sent a lovely message on Facebook - you might have heard of a Facebook Page called What Women Know.  This page was set up to promote and describe a book that's currently being written by Michelle Jackson & Juliet Bresson.  It will be a book of empowerment and stories from real women that want to share their knowledge with other women and will be published by Hachette Irl and available September 2010.

On the Facebook page, they posed a question about plastic surgery and I responded - well, they seemed to love the response and have asked if they can feature it in the book! I thought that was really very cool indeed... it's nice to be noticed and it just proves that everyone's opinions counts. 

My comment read "I think the cosmetic surgery industry plays on our innate fears of our own physical and mental view of ourselves and manipulates them so that we think we're not good enough . . . it makes us judge ourselves against some supposed societal views of the norm that are damaging emotionally, physically and mentally. Whilst there is always the case for plastic surgery for those who actually require it (burns victims etc), I don't believe that this cynical marketing used by cosmetic surgery firms should have a place outside of medical requirements".

Best of luck to Michelle & Juliet and can't wait to see the book in print!

Soaperstar is Creation|Collaboration's First "Friday Feature"

I'm chuffed that Soaperstar has been the first "Friday Feature" for the new Creation|Collaboration blog... please check out the fab new blog post here!

Soaperstar featured in the Mr Site Newsletter April 2010

As I previously posted, Soaperstar won the Mr Site Website of the Month for April 2010 and I said I'd post the newsletter article when published - well, it dropped into my mailbox this evening and you can read it online here, just scroll down to "Website of the Month".  Fresh off the press!!

I'm still chuffed!

Welcome to our First Women Wednesday Blog Roll!

Welcome to Creation|Collaboration's 1st Women Wednesday blog roll, hosted by Beads & More by Lois, Soaperstar and Plans and Presents.

Creation|Collaboration was set up by eight women, all existing friends, who run small businesses from their homes. We have started Women Wednesday blog roll to link up with other women in business, spread the word about Creation|Collaboration and basically just have fun visiting all of your interesting blogs!

We are also in discussions with regard to listing features companies (on a regular basis) as part of our promotional campaign so by joining in with the blog roll we can get to know you and your business and maybe you could be one of our first features.

Heres how you can join in with Collaboration Women Wednesday:

• Link up your blog name and URL using the McKLinky below (you only need to add on one blog to be seen on all of the McKLinky blog roll's)
• Follow our Creation|Collaboration blog and the hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.
• Grab our Women Wednesday button in your blog post.
• Follow and comment saying you're from Women Wednesday on as many blogs as you likes listed in the McKlinky box.
• Follow back any new followers from Women Wednesday.

It's that easy and a fun way to discover new and interesting blogs and us women at Creation|Collaboration get to meet other women in business!

Creation|Collaboration

In these tough recessionary times, networking with other businesses is becoming more and more important to any business success. 

Using the concept of synergy (the interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual parts), some of my fellow businesswomen (and friends) decided to set up a network to promote our products and services to a wider audience.  We felt that, together, we could pool our resources, knowledge and experience to market our businesses but also to try and advise new woman managed/owned/run businesses starting out. 

So we set up Creation|Collaboration as a Facebook page originally but extended this to a Twitter account also.  We officially began yesterday and we already have over 100 fans on our Facebook page! Synergy works baby!!!

If you'd like to join us, just click for our Facebook Page or our Twitter Page - let's see how well networking works!!

If you would like your company/product or service featured, please email creationcollaboration@yahoo.com with your details plus your website address.

Soaperstar Competition!

To celebrate Soaperstar winning the Mr Site Website of the Month, we've decided to hold our first ever competition!!! Yay!!!

What do you need to do? All you have to do it check out the website at http://www.soaperstar.com/, look through all our fabulous Goatsmilk & Glycerine soaps and choose your favourite and tell me why.  The answer I like the best will win our fab Soaperstar tshirt and the soap of their choice!

It's important to remember to post your response on our Soaperstar Facebook Page - only responses on Facebook can be entered into the competition. Make sure to join us as a fan when you're there!

We can only have one winner I'm afraid & the competition will end at 6.00 pm (GMT) on Monday 26 April (soap availability will be dependent on stock levels) - Best of luck to everyone!!!!

Remember, if you would like to treat yourself to any Soaperstar product, check out our Soapestar Online Store - we'll be delighted to see you there!!!

Soaperstar Wins!

Well, I got home yesterday evening after a long hard day, and jumped online to check my emails ... and what did I find in my inbox? A fabulous email! Yes! But fabulous how? Fabulous because I'd just been told that I've won the Mr Site Website of the Month!! I was thrilled, such good news. 

And, even better news... they've also asked to use my site on their sample pages, to show people how a Mr Site website can look! I am really honoured about this ... when I started out, I didn't have any idea at all how to make a website, what information I'd need, or even what to do about those funny websitey languages?? But I did know I wanted to make it myself, I knew how I wanted it to look and I wanted to be able to update it myself, whenever I needed to. 

For those who don't know, Mr Site is a template driven site ... you choose a template that you like and you can input your own content on it; but you can also change almost every aspect of it to make it your own (because who wants a website that looks like everyone else's?!) and, if you learn a little HTML coding, you can certainly change a lot of the format of it.  The content is all down to you of course!!

Mr Site publish a monthly newsletter and Soaperstar will be featured in this - can't wait to see it!

Don't forget, if you like any of our fabulous Soaperstar products, check out our Soaperstar Online Store - we'll be delighted to see you!!!

Mmmm Summer sunshine... Pineapple Beach anyone?

With the hope of some fabulous Summer sun, I've added to my Summer range by making a fabulous new fruity, delicious soap - Pineapple Beach another of our luxury handcrafted goatsmilk and glycerine soaps.

To keep with the tropical theme, I've added pure Organic Coconut Oil, which has been called the healthiest oil on earth - it has incredible abilities to moisturise your skin and is particularly good with dry or mature skin.

To increase moisturisation and to give you even more fabulously soft skin, I've also added my usual skin hydrating Ecocert additive - you'll know by now this is a vital ingredient in all my soaps as it adds yet another vital luxury element.

This summery soap is fragranced with a delicious, fresh, sweet & juicy pineapple scent - for a real tropical Summer! And I've used a blend of two different natural micas, specially imported from the US, to create a true juicy pineapple colour. These micas glisten gently in this wonderful soap - perfect for those warm Summer days!

If you are interested in purchasing this truly Summery soap, check out our Soaperstar Online Store - we'll be happy to see you there!!

Colour Bomb!!!

With the delivery of my fab new POP micas (from TKB Trading), I have been wondering how I could incorporate all the colours together in one soap... and I did it this weekend! I haven't tackled stripes in the past and this was fun to do, if not a little scary!!!

Colour Bomb is another luxury handcrafted pure glycerine soap which is perfect for all skin types, especially those suffering from dry skin conditions.

To the naturally moisturising soap, I have added pure Coconut Oil, which has been called the healthiest oil on earth - it has incredible abilities to moisturise your skin and is particularly good with dry or mature ...skin. Along with that, I've added a skin hydrating Ecocert additive that increases the level of moisturisation in your skin.

Colour Bomb is fragranced with a soft aldehydic scent with citrus top notes, a floral heart with base notes of musk—a really soft & clean perfume.

I used six different natural micas to create our Colour Bomb; from the top - Lemon Drop Yellow, Tangerine Orange, Apple Green, Raspberry Pink, Blueberry & Grape! These micas glisten brightly in this softly perfumed soap which will gently scent your skin throughout the day.

I really love this soap and I'm hoping that you do too!!! If you're interested in purchasing, don't forget to check out our Soaperstar Online Store today.

Happy Easter everyone!

Just a quickie to say Happy Easter to everyone! I bet you're all stuffing yourselves to the gills with chocolate today.. and why not, if there was ever a day for it, today's it! I've been off chocolate and all matter of naughty munchie type things for 12 days now .. currently now changing my addiction from chocolate to oranges! Yep, I am a freak.. so far it's not been difficult at all to be honest - I love most fruit and veg anyway (not the hugest fan of green vegetables in the main though) and I'm not a big meat eater usually (in that I do eat meat but I often only want a small portion of it). 

My problem is comfort eating so I'm trying to replace that with more healthy choices without going too mad about counting calories or doing stupid stuff like weighing myself everyday.  I didn't even weigh myself at the start of this - I'm just going by how my clothes feel (they were starting to get tight which I really hate).  I'm going on hols in August and wanted to drop a bit before I went (I've a lot to drop I'm afraid but something is better than nothing right?!).

Anyway, I digress (as usual)... just wanted to say Happy Easter to all my Soaperstar's .. hope you have the best day and enjoy that choccie .. think of me whilst I have another orange!!!

Fancy treating yourself to some fabulous luxury handcrafted glycerine & goatsmilk soaps? Go no further than our online store for more details!

Two new Summer Soaps from Soaperstar

I've not soaped in a while and I really wanted to get started on my Summer range - I also really wanted to use the new POP micas I have specially imported from the US, a great range of seven fabulous brightly coloured mica powders that I have been drooling over for quite some time (not literally of course, that'd be gross!)

Both soaps have a blend of the purest, highest quality goatsmilk and clear glycerine soaps (which are natural humectants - they attract moisture from the air into your skin) to which we've added our special additional skin hydrating element which provides your skin with increased hydration and provies excellent moisturisation.

Mango Island is wonderfully fragranced with the sweet exotic tropical fragrance of Mango - a beautifully perfumed, not too sweet fruity fragrance. Reflecting the natural yellow and orange fresh sweet Mangoes, we have coloured this luxury soap with tones of yellow & orange glycerine and white goatsmilk soaps - we've also added natural mica, specially imported from the US, to give a glittery sheen, reminding you of sweet delicious mango juice.

To make it even more luxurious, we've also added exotic Mango Butter (what else could we have used?!) which is rich in beta carotene and Vitamins A & E. Mango Butter is highly moisturising and has excellent softening and regenerative properties, with the added bonus that it is thought be protective against UV rays. It is claimed that it can help to reduce the degeneration of the skin’s cells and help to restore elasticity, so makes an excellent ingredient in products for mature skins.

Lazy Summer Sunday is wonderfully fragranced - a heart of jasmine, orange blossom, lilac & rose, supported by a woody base of cedarwood, patchouli, vanilla & musk. The floral elements appeal to women and the cedarwood/patchouli to men (or vice versa!) .. this is very clean, almost "soapy" fragrance (and it's my husband's current favourite!).

We wanted to use colours to represent the concept of a Lazy Summer Sunday, and choose deep tones of blues and purple natural mica, specially imported from the US, to create a luxury soap that is reminiscent of your favourite lazy Summer Sunday afternoons.

To make this an extraordinary luxury soap, we have incorporated the finest Organic Unrefined Nilotica Shea Butter which is considered a premium shea butter and is the creamiest, most luxurious version available. This butter is superb in helping to retain skin elasticity and is incredibly useful for treating very dry, cracked and sun damaged skin as well as psoriasis and eczema.

I hope you love these soaps ... I adore their vibrant colours and I have to admit, my kitchen smelt just fabulous after making them! If you're interested in purchasing either (or both) of these soaps, please don't hesitate to drop into our Soaperstar Online Store - we'd love to see you!

Want to treat yourself to a little bling?

Well, you don't have to look too far because I know someone who makes the most beautiful handcrafted jewellery... Lois Bartley of Beads and More by Lois, designs and hand produces the most fantastic jewellery - rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces... the works!!!

Artic Sunset - Earrings

She also makes home decoration items such as napkin rings and wine glass charms.  And even better, she will create one off designs based on your own ideas - I commissioned her to make some fantastic wine charms and matching napkin rings for my brother and sister in law this Christmas and they were just stunning and, I like to think, the hit of the present giving!

Aura - Necklace

My husband also spotted some fabulous jewellery in blues on her site and she delivered them in time for our holidays (as my birthday fell during that time).  I just adore her use of colour and I just wish I could buy everything in her fabulous online store!

Warm Sands - Bracelet

If you are interested in checking out more of Lois' fabulous work, you can check out her online store today!

Rainbow Cluster - Bracelet

Happy 1st Birthday to Plans & Presents

I just wanted to take some time out to say Happy 1st Business Birthday to Plans and Presents - Plans and Presents is a Glasgow based wedding and event company started by Alison Tinlin one year ago today.  Alison originally trained as a nurse but it was her dream job to organise peoples' weddings... she is an organiser extraordinaire and just adores taking care of every aspect of wedding and event planning, far more than most people would be able to do.  She has a huge interest in her clients and goes out of her way to accommodate them .. she's been featured in several wedding magazines and even recently was offered an audition as a presenter for a wedding programme!

Ali has two very small children and one rather larger one (sorry Neil!) and her family is her life - Plans and Presents is her other baby too, she has cherished this idea of running her own wedding planning business for years and, this day a year ago, achieved it! I am always stunned at her level of energy, interest and passion for event planning and I would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone who's considering an event or wedding. 

You can contact Ali at http://www.plansandpresents.co.uk/ - she'll be delighted to hear from you!  Or check out her blog at http://www.plansandpresents.blogspot.com/ for a HUGE range of ideas - you can see just how creative she is!!!

Happy Birthday Plans and Presents and good work Ali - you're one in a million!!!

Soaperstar Launch our new Sheer Luxury Body Butters!!!

Today we are delighted to announce the launch of our new Sheer Luxury Body Butters!

Our new Body Butters are lightly whipped to create a soft and creamy butter that glides onto your skin, giving you that silky sensual feel whilst gently fragrancing your skin. 

We use a blend of the highest quality Shea Butter, Organic Coconut Oil and a mix of both Cocoa Butters - the creamy white coloured version plus the dark unrefined organic version (a chunk of which smells exactly like pure chocolate!).

We add oils and whip carefully in order to create a light, airy, creamy butter that will hydrate, soften and protect your skin. 

So what is different about Soaperstar Sheer Luxury Body Butters? They contain 100% butters/oils which give you 100% protection, hydration and softness and treat your skin to the total luxury it deserves!

There are several fragrances available including some using natural Essential Oils .. check out the images below for more details:

 Our Belgian Chocolate Sheer Luxury Body Butter blends the best quality Shea Butter and Organic Coconut Oil with a divinely decadent milk chocolate aroma, wonderfully rich and creamy and reminiscent of the deepest, smoothest Belgian Chocolate that money can buy!

The fragrance will softly linger during the day, bringing you all the pleasure of chocolate without all the calories!

 Our Citrus Sunshine Sheer Luxury Body Butter blends the best quality shea butter and organic coconut oil with a sunshine blend of essential oils including Mandarin, Tangerine and Litsea Cubeba (May Chang).

Essential Oil fragrance elements:

Mandarin - Sweet, citrus aroma with slight floral undertones

Tangerine - Citrus fresh, tangy yet sweet aroma

Litsea Cubeba (May Chang) - Fresh, slightly sweet but strong lemon aroma

This is such a warm, sunshiney, happy and uplifting fragrance, perfect to wake your morning up!

Our Rose Geranium & French Lavender Sheer Luxury Body Butter blends the best quality shea butter and organic coconut oil with a wonderfully floral blend of Rose Geranium and French Lavender Essential Oils.

Essential Oil fragrance elements:

Rose Geranium - A green, sweet fragrance that be sometimes rosy and sometimes softly minty

French Lavender - Fresh, clean and floral/herbaceous aroma with woody undertones

Rose Geranium is a particularly good choice for more mature and is soothing to dry and sensitive skin. It is also thought to stimulate sensuality!

French Lavender is a healing oil which can help to prevent scarring and is good for all skin types, in particular dry, sensitive skin. It is particularly good for sunburn.

This is very soft, floral/herbal fragrance - calming and soothing with a wonderful perfume that will softly linger on your skin throughout the day.

 Our Silky Cocoa Butter Sheer Luxury Body Butter blends the best quality shea butter, organic coconut oil and dark unrefined cocoa butter (which smells like a hunk of chocolate!) with a smooth, seductive cocoa butter fragrance, rich but light and delicately chocolate-y.

The fragrance will softly linger on your skin during the day - you'll smell so sweet and sensual!

Our Vanilla Caramel Sheer Luxury Body Butter blends the best quality shea butter, organic coconut oil and dark unrefined cocoa butter (which smells like a hunk of chocolate!) with a fragrance that is reminiscent of vanilla, rich and creamy with tiny hints of cinnamon and deep, rich, luxurious caramel.

The fragrance will softly linger on your skin during the day - you'll smell so sweet and delicious!

If you are interested in trying out our new Sheer Luxury Body Butter, check out our Soaperstar Store.