Fresholi | Melting Pot Café

Recently joined the forum, just dropped in to say hi  :hi:, I recognise a couple of names already *waving to Mai & Ann-Marie*.  I am very new to the soapmaking thing, spent the last 3 or 4 weeks reading & researching & am read to go  :pot:  & I can't wait  :hap3:

Don't get too close to the computer I have a streaming cold  :ill:

Best wishes
Karen in Brighton

Welcome to the forum!!

Oh you've got a cold, big  (:hug:)

Word of warning, once you start soaping you'll be hooked it's soooo addictive  :mwaha:

Hope you have fun here!!

Welcome Karen, hope the cold is soon over!

Hi Karen  :hi:

Hope you have fun here.  At last somebody else dahn sarf!  I'm in Brighton too - up near the Dials.  Where are you?

Jo

Hi Karen and a big welcome from me  (:hug:)  ;D

Oh poor you  :(   :ill:  Wishing you well VERY soon!!

So you are new to soaping Karen?  I'm pretty new to soaping too but my goodness, what an addictive activity.  I generally make lotions and potions but am finding myself deeper and deeper under the soaping spell.  Do you make anything else Karen?

Everyone here is really lovely and very helpful and we do have such a giggle on the Non-Cosmeholic board  :mwaha:

Anyway, a big warm welcome and hope you find this as useful a resource as I do  :)

Welocme to the board...and I do hope you feel better soon.... (:hug:)

Hi Karen

sure you'll enjoy it here and it's nice to hear you're getting to soaping....CP I hope? ::)

take care of yourself with that cold  :ill:

Waves to Karen welcome aboard,

Welcome Karen!

 :hi:

Welcome Karen. I am new myself but already love it here! Not a soaper myself lotion and potions are my thing) but I know you will find loads of info and support.

How's the cold today Karen?  Feeling any better?   :ill:

Hello Karen and  :hi:
Hope you have fun (once you are over your cold  :ill:)

Thanks everyone for your lovely welcome.
Hey JoJo I am way up high in Woodingdean, right near the racecourse.
Dahn saaaaarf - luv it.  I'm a Londoner but love it dahn here  ;D

Helen, yes new to soaping but fully qualified in beauty therapy, had a salon, sold it some years ago.   I wanted to start making soap & my own cosmetics about 2-3 years ago but my current mail order beauty biz is busy & what with house building & family & Sainsburys etc it all kind of took a back seat - but I'm raring to go now. 

Never get colds but someone actually sneezed on me in the Post Office queue - gawd knows what strain that was - its retreating now on day 3, thank the Lord! 

Off to make some massage melts as a first tiptoe into my new "addiction"
 :ghug:

Karen x

Hey Karen, you is a BT like me  :yipee:  Do you still practice or did you step away when you sold the salon?

So what's your business?  (I'm soooo nosey lol)

The house building and family I get but what do you mean by Sainsburys?  (Again being ever so nosey  :D)

Glad you are feeling a bit better today, don't it just nark you when people cough or sneeze without so much as a bye nor leave who there doing it on?  I imagine that you are like me, out of force of habbit, I cough into my arm and always away from anything with a pulse & have mastered the art of controlling a runny nose for sustained periods without tissue (as one has to when doing a treatment - unless they fancy having to wash their hand every five minutes cos' they just used a tissue).

Let us know how the massage melts go though Karen  ;)

Hi Karen

Up high in Woodingdean with a post office?  Very posh having a post office.  :mwaha: 
They've just about closed every ruddy one within a 5 mile radius up here.  ;D

Hope your cold's on its way out now.

Hi Helen
Sainsburys (or Asda or Tesco etc) is where you buy food for the family that eats you out of house & home - or do you shop online, I'm too fussy for that  ::)

I stepped away once I sold  the salon - I did a 3 month handover during which time they tried to get me to stay on but I sold for very personal reasons & needed to be home which is where I work from now.  I have an office (read spare bedroom) & a studio at the top of the garden which I had built when I sold the salon & now I shall be experimenting with soap up there when I can.

JoJo, no I don't use the PO up here, I like Rottingdean as I have to go 4 days a week so I can enjoy a coffee & a sniff of the sea before I head back.   Its like living at altitude up here, loads of hills - but great sea views.  I think we're very lucky living in Brighton, you're never far from the sea wherever you live.

Karen

Ah....  Karen, now I see what you mean by Sainsburys & yes, now that I think about it, Sainsburys (or Tescos) forms a big part of my life too - and yes, like you I'm far too fussy for online shopping (especially when it comes to fresh produce  ;)).

I also work from home - I converted the garage and it has made a lovely studio.  Although I've worked at several places, managed a couple of salons and worked in a hydro.  Up until fairly recently I spent near on 10 years teaching at FE but in all this time, maintained a very loyal client list.  My practice is like a first born  :)

I was very close to signing a lease on a shop a few years ago but when I did a bit of soul searching, I realised that too much would change that would affect my family, self and my clients....  I pulled out and I am so glad I did - Its always difficult for mums with a young family to juggle life/work isn't it.  The studio has always fit in so well with everything and has allowed me two maintain a happy medium.

How lovely for you to have some space of your own to experiment though Karen  :pot:- we will wait to see what emerges  :popcorn:

Hey, living so close to JJ, perhaps she could pop round and give you a crash course in Croap Making with Swhirls  ;)

My biz now is mainly geared to hands & feet with some crossover into beauty, I sell to the trade mostly with wholesale too, I have 3 very large companies that buy wholesale which is nice, you'll know them.
I had to leave my clients behind as part of the sale, I had to sign something about a 10 mile radius too!  I had clients accosting me in the street asking where my next salon was going to be.
Garages are ideal for salons, you have to be careful about business rates though, I know someone who's neighbours complained to the council & it all hit the fan.
I have taught too, got my C&G but its a big commitment time-wise, so stopped for now.
JoJo will be in hiding about now  :egad:  ;D 

Best wishes
Karen

My neighbours love the fact that I'm about during the day and very often act as receptionists & know most of my clients  :)

Sad that you had to leave your clients behind.  My clients are like friends, many came to my wedding, few forget the childrens birthdays etc...  Very difficult to charge them  :(

Teaching is indeed time-consuming.  I taught mainly BTec, some HND, some IHBC and occasionally NVQ (although not my preference).  But I volunteered for redundancy as Fresholi was on the horizon, Ive not looked back although miss the relationships with the students.


Ooh!  Now I'm very curious Karen!

I'll PM you

yooohooo Karen I am lilfairylover lol ...I followed Mai here  :ghug:

And before anyone blames me for Karens cold......I live in the North East lol :spbox: so it isn't my germs that caused her flu  :mwaha:

Its amazing how things spread around here....  I caught ir*n-ititis from some members last night, awful it was  :mwaha:

Never had ironitis, not properly.

I can feel mine coming on again for tomorrow.  No cure sadly.

Hi Nicola lilfairylover  :hi: 
My cold is G O N E!!  I upped the natural remedies & took some raw garlic to clear the buggies, makes your eyes water but works, then a hot bath & teeth brushing!  I never catch anything usually, my dad died recently which brought loads of family stress, so I think I was just a bit low & the germs saw me & pounced.  I got my sense of smell back this evening suddenly  :yipee:

Got a busy week ahead, so I'll say goodnight & have a great week all.
Best wishes
Karen x