The devil is in the details

I'm trying to build a website. I hate building websites. I used to have a clue, but not lately.

Sure html is the same, but there's more than html now.

Using templates isn't working. They don't have the graphics that I want. Or need.

But I do have the website. The name of my new company is Fireweed Soap Company. Right now there isn't much there, except a coming soon sign.

I'm feeling out of my league with this website. I'm such a control freak that I don't want to hire anyone to do it for me. But I think I'm going to have to get some help.

I made another batch of soap today. This time it was a test batch for an order that I have. She wants kelp in the soap. Okay. I found some ground kelp at Cadre Feeds in Soldotna the other day. I wanted the base oils to be palm, olive, coconut and palm kernal with a touch of castor. I decided I'd superfat it with walnut oil.

I knew going in there would be one major problem. Kelp stinks. In the package it doesn't, but once the lye water hits it, it smells worse than low tide. It's rank. I knew I'd need a strong essential oil mixture to over power the kelp.

Added to that mix is my palm oil. I'm still using the red palm oil I bought at the health food store. It has its own odor that isn't pleasing to my nose. I know from personal experience that in time that odor will disappear. In about three or four weeks.

I guess I'll have to wait on the fifty pounds of palm oil that is coming via a very slow boat to Alaska.

I'm getting a little frustrated. I want to up the size of batches I make. It takes just as long to make a one pound batch of soap as it does a five pound batch. I feel like I'm wasting time, but I know I'm not. All this is doing is showing me early what the best oils are and I know I have to wait for them to arrive before I can do the large batches.

Tomorrow is a day off. I hope all the mothers out there have a great Mother's Day.