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Last minute gift idea - Apricot Butter!

12/19/2014

No matter how much we plan, we always need just one more quick last-minute gift! Here’s an easy and quick, handmade goodie that will make you a hero in under 5 minutes!

Apricot Butter

1 stick of softened butter (the real kind!)
2-3 T. Apricot jam
1 cute glass jar with ribbon

Mix butter with jam. Scoop into jar. Tie with ribbon and label. Pair with a cranberry or pumpkin bread, if you’d like.

How easy was that?

Apricot - Cranberry-Orange version:

Add 1/4 c. chopped dried cranberries and 1 t. orange zest plus only 1 T. Apricot jam to 1 stick of softened butter. Mix well. Scoop into jar.

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Lip Balm Anonymous

12/17/2014

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Sooo many flavors!

Ok, so I admit that I used to be a true Chap**** addict. Yes, it's true. I could not function without that little stick of balm in my pocket. My friends and family teased me, yet I just "had" to have it nearby.

I even started to make my own recipe with all natural ingredients and kept getting rave reviews... "It's the best lip balm I've ever used" reviews...yet, I was still stuck on the competition's balm. Try as I might, I could not make the switch. After a day or two of using my own lip balm, I'd find myself sneaking the other. Until my daughter finally said that I really needed to switch. But "Why?" I asked???

Well, for starters, the "other" brand used petroleum products in their balm...ewww. My recipe was all natural except for a pinch of flavoring. So finally I decided to kick my Chap*** habit and use my own. Honestly, I actually had a withdrawal of sorts...my lips hurt, were dry and chapped, and I was just not a happy camper. But then all of a sudden, it dawned on me one day that I was actually leaving the house and forgetting my lip balm in my pocket! It wasn't the first thing I put on when I jumped out of bed in the morning. (Ok, the "jumped out of bed" line might be a stretch) It wasn't something that I used literally a couple of times per hour! Wow! I really was addicted to the other lip balm. And now I was free! How crazy is that?

Now, all is good with the world. I'm using my own natural lip balm which makes my conscience feel better and my lips feel awesome! I'm so glad I kicked the habit. So if you have that nasty little habit, try our lip balms...they come in a flurry of flavors and you really will be doing a good thing for your lips!

And for the record...there really is a website called Lip Balm Anonymous...ha!

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It's a Wrap!

12/1/2014

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Sorry, no Julia Roberts or George Clooney clips here... But you will see what it takes to get your products to you, wrapped, tagged and ready to go!

Anything from Tailored Touches has been lovingly handcrafted one-at-a-time. The most frequent question I am asked is "Have you made all of these things yourself!?" And the answer is Yep!

Researching, creating and making the products is just the beginning of the many steps needed before one of our soaps hits your anxious hands. Once the products are "born" they need to be wrapped and tagged before they are ready to go. Ahh, ya kno, Uncle Sam wants to make sure that you know just what you're buying. Plus we do, too!

A flurry of soaps lined up ready to wrap...

Packaging...
For anyone who has done any marketing, they know that the initial impression of a product can make or break a product no matter how cool it is. So I spend a huge amount of time trying to come up with packaging that is eye-catching, yet won't break the bank. It needs to show you what you're buying, what's in the product, and what it's used for. Sounds easy, right? Not always!

As a consumer, I look to buy products that do what I need them to do, are made with high quality ingredients, that are attractive-looking, and give me a value for the dollar. Now that I'm on the production-side that can be a tall order! But any time I make something new, I look at it from the consumer's point of view. Will it work? Does it smell good? Is it made from as many natural ingredients as possible with no extra added chemicals?

Supplies
Once a batch...or 2...or 3...of soaps are made, they all need to be wrapped to keep them clean and fresh until they arrive at your door! So I use a heat gun, a bunch of shrink wrap, a cutting board and a very sharp knife.

Wrapping
Each soap is taken and fitted with shrink wrap. I then carefully wrap it around before using the heat gun to shrink it all into place. Once it is wrapped, I apply heat in spurts to quickly shrink the plastic to the soap shape, being careful not to melt the wrap or the soap!

To the left, you can see that the wrap is loose around the honey soap...but to the right, after a little heat is applied, the wrap snugs up around the soap! A perfect fit!

Now that all the soaps are wrapped, the labels are created for each one and the final packaging is done.

And that's all there is to it! Until next time, know that your soaps have been lovingly prepared for you to enjoy!

Ahh, now back to the movie...can you please pass the popcorn? :)

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Welcome to Melissa's tailored tidbits!

If I'm not in the kitchen cooking up new items for my shop, I'm sewing fabric baskets or cozy rag quilts, taking care of our honeybees and Ms. Kitty, pitching in on the latest project at my son's, or planning a trip somewhere with my daughter. Here, I'll share some adventures from around the world, fun recipes, and just overall a "day in the life" at Tailored Touches... Life is good!

TAILORED TIDBITS

Last minute gift idea - Apricot Butter!

Lip Balm Anonymous

It's a Wrap!

Welcome to Melissa's tailored tidbits!

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