New Year, New Changes

Hey Gang!
Here we are, on the verge of a new year. With a few changes, all positive, to the wagon's production schedule, I will be embarking on a new venture into soap making: cold processing by way of using wood ash. I will be starting this new process within the following weeks and new soap will be available as of the beginning of Feb-curing is very important and several weeks can be involved for soap to set up for nice, firm bars. What soap, along with soy candles and body butters & scrubs, is in stock at this time is what is available for purchase. I will be at the Shelburne Winter Farmer's Market, located @ the town hall gym on RT. #7 in Shelburne, VT, once a month until April. May will be a time of rest, recoup for new product, and preparation for the new open air markets for the summer season of 2010. I will also be releasing more news as of March, for additional changes, events, etc to occur for the wagon for 2010. Stay tuned and spread the word "BUY LOCAL!!!!"
~Momma G
PS-
The next Shelburne date is Jan 9th, 10 AM-2 PM.

Deva Bars-Heaven in the Hand

Yummm....! I still remember the first time I made this soap-yes, it has chocolate in it! My first bars were composed of chocolate, shea butter, and chopped hazelnuts-with a scent almost good enough to eat. Pictured to the right is the large Chocolate/Hazelnut bar, roughly 6 oz. when freshly done, shrinking down to about 5 oz. when "sweating" or curing is complete.

The bars I currently have available are the following:

~Chocolate/Hazelnut (lg. bar and sm. [3.5-4 oz.])

~Chocolate/Mint (lg. bar and sm.)

~Milk N' Honey (lg. and sm.) [created in mind for those with choco/nut allergies]

The ingredients for each bar are the following: (pictured in left hand basket in lt. pic)

~Chocolate/Hazelnut

-Shea Butter, unsweetened baking cocoa, Almond oil, a massage oil blend of essential oils-Lavender & Orange, and chopped hazelnuts.

~Chocolate/Mint

-Shea Butter, unsweetened baking cocoa, Almond oil, Peppermint essential oil, crushed Chocolate Mint leaves-grown in my garden last year!

~Milk N' Honey

-Honey Glycerin (made with VT raw honey), a massage oil blend of essential oils-Patchouli, Lavender, & Orange, Goat's Milk (locally and humanely obtained), Poppy Seeds.

As you can see from posted pics, this soap is a 3 dimensional shaped bar; one side is shaped for massage-notice the "bumps" (it also has the oil blends for skin softening results) and the convex side-opposite is what I've set up for an exfoliant. Future devas are in the recipe drafting process, so stay tuned for the news flash for the complete line of Deva Bars by The Vermont Gypsy Wagon!

~Blessings,

Momma G

Signature Soap, Where it All Began....

So, here we are-back to the beginning but from a different perspective. Website headaches out of the way, passing the word on to come here for the latest news, etc...constantly thinking. Here's a blip on the soap that started my journey as a natural ingredients bath & body product creatress...

Q T Cakes

"The Scentsible Choice For Baby Soft Skin"

Wanting a safe product to use for my child's skin came at the time of wanting to feed him organic/natural/local foods. Yes, there are many, many all natural, organic skin care products out on the market today but who can pronounce all the scientific, periodic table 26 letter contained words? I wanted to know what I was really putting on my baby's skin; after all, if you can't eat it, DON'T PUT IT ON YOUR SKIN!!! Research, research, research; I was accquainted with that element due to receiving my undergraduate degree a year earlier-approximately a year or a little more between the time I received my degree and when my son was born. After months of looking, comparing labels, talking to friends who also make soap, I decided to try my hand at soap making. And this is what I got.....

Goat's Milk, Calendula Oil, Lavender Essential Oil, and Chamomile flwrs-the occasional sprinkle of Lavender flwrs makes for an interesting texture to the soap, along with some second looks, and definitely numerous pick ups and smells. I have used soap mold trays to create bars, have done large container pours for hand cut bars-more rough, natural looking results, and I've also made loaf pours to start my "$ an oz." program; this was kicked off this past summer @ the Farmer's Markets I attended in Shelburne, Burlington's south end, and Winooski. Retail has mainly been on the Vermont front exclusively but I'm reaching out to friends and fans of VTGW to make my products available to a larger audience.

Currently, Q T Cakes (my son's first and last name initials reversed) is available in 4 oz., 2.5 oz., and a 1.5 oz. I like to call my "Try it, you'll like it" bar. I produce my bars to include Chamomile & Lavender flwrs but if allergies to daisies or lavender are an issue, please special order so that I can customize to fit your needs.

Changes for Vermont Gypsy Wagon

There are changes being made for VTGW, of which one major decision was reached just recently. The website for the Wagon is being shut down, due in part to several reasons. Therefore, we ask that all consumers of the Wagon send any requests, questions, suggestions, etc...to the following email address www.vtgwmail4mg@yahoo.com or come here to keep in touch with all the latest developments. All products will be posted here or on FaceBook, of which we have a page there, too.

From the Editor's Desk

Candles and Butter

Tuesday, chance of rain? All the same, its a day to work on more product. I'm off to the market tomorrow, this time on UVM campus here in Burlington, VT. Today I'm finishing up a special order for body butter, Lavender/Patchouli/Rose. I'm also pouring a dozen Lemon/Sage soy candles; I have an appointment to wholesale my products @ one of the local stores here in the area.

Open Season Closing Countdown

So, here it is, the last few weeks until the end of the season for the open air farmer's markets here in VT. My soap and soy candle making has recently been accompanied by two new product lines: body butters, along with salt and sugar scrubs. What started with a kitchen experiment to make a treat for myself, turned into something bigger and an added benefit to my mission statement: eco-friendly, people friendly products for the consumer looking to invest. Short on this post, and more to come. I've taken so many pics this season, needing to download to update, repair, and revise my accounts; website, facebook page, and this page. It's all good....
~Momma G

The Soap Shop

So, this is where it all began. Soap for my now almost two year old, creating a baby friendly product to use for his skin. My friend Anna then decided she wanted natural ingredient soap for her family, of which I made a batch for her; eventually, I custom created a scent for her and extent custom creations to all my consumers. The picture I've posted shows the molded (poured into a mold) soaps that I create; I also make hand cut bars in 3 oz. and 6 oz.

New Beginnings

Welcome, welcome, welcome!
I've long thought about this and now putting thought into action. I am currently continuing to work on my website, experiencing delays, frustrations, etc....A blog page? Yes, as I can still reach those who are interested in the products offered from the wagon and to keep up with any news flashes and such. Its looking to be a adventurous summer, and I'm looking forward to it.