Just when I thought things were settling down after my mother’s passing, our maid tried to run away a few days ago. After sending her back to the agency, and without a viable replacement in sight for at least 3 months, my husband and I have been neck deep with house chores and managing the kids. The initial 2 days were madness but we’re getting used to all the juggling now.

So I think up till early next year it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to run any bazaar stalls for Kinder Soaps. I’ll miss meeting you all in person. But I’ll still be taking orders over the phone and through this website, so don’t worry if you need to restock your soap supplies, or even make that Christmas hamper you’ve been thinking about.

Another reason why I have to slow down a little is because I’m expecting baby number 3. :”> I’m about 9 weeks along now so managing energy levels is a tricky business at the moment. And it’s also interesting (and amusing) how some essential oils that I used to like now make me feel like throwing up.

Ah, Life. You take care now, and have a wonderful week ahead.

So I’d like to have this time to spend with her and my family instead.

I’m sorry if this causes anyone any inconvenience. The online store is always open so please feel free to browse here. Do take care, everyone, and have a good weekend.

For a quick overview of what the bazaar was all about, check out the Star news article here.

Just to be sure I get to the right place too! Notoriously bad at directions, I am. Now I know it’s a bit daunting to be around the Bukit Bintang area on a public holiday… But as an alternative way to spend the day with friends and family, it probably doesn’t get more entertaining on a small-scale, personal level as this. Hope to see you there!

Have you ever heard of the No Plastic Bag Bazaar? If you like the idea of environmentally-friendly shopping, then head over to Noble Banquet along Jalan Bukit Bintang this 31st August for a first-hand experience.

There’ll be plenty of pre-loved fashion items for sale and celebrities have even put up some of their own pieces for auction. Plus you can adopt a pet right there at the event! Now how’s that for a fun family day out?

I’ll also be selling my soap there, along with my soon-to-be-made whipped cocoa body butters. Will be showcasing my home-made soap batches which are quite different from what I currently offer, as I’m including organic vegetable and nut oils as part of my ingredients.

Sharing the table with me will be Andrew Kit of Ndevo. I *promise* I’ll get a photo of this handsome young chap, whose keen eye for beauty and detail has won his gift shop a loyal following. Latest by Tuesday next week, okay?

Oooh, I can’t wait! Especially since I’ll get to meet with some old friends whom I haven’t had the chance to catch up with ever since my kids came along. It’s gonna be one fun afternoon! Please do drop by and support this event, would love to see you there.

Making new friends is by far the best thing about setting up stall at the bazaar for me. This time around, I shared the rental of a stall with these two lovely aunties, the Madams Tan (the taller one is Helen, and her sister is Mrs Wong):

They even had _their_ 89-year-old mother drop by the bazaar! This spritely great-grandma was a joy to watch, as she was almost perpetually smiling and walking around so briskly. She speaks Hokkien though, so I failed at having a proper conversation with her.

Here are a few more photos of what my stall looked like.

‘Specialty’ soaps (for face and for babies), the lucky draw basket and the general catch-all surface. Using the narrow shelf on the right created precious display space that was also attractive to look at.

For the rest of my soap selection. Decided to place the soap in neat stacks, as opposed to the messy-on-purpose piles I did last round. I think I’ll keep to this arrangement from now on.

This was an instant hit with customers and passers-by. Noone who walked away holding it was without a smile. I’m glad you all liked it! It would also be awesome if you could e-mail me and tell me what you think of the little sample, as it is a new recipe I have just tried and I’m deciding whether or not to make it en masse for sale. Thanks.

In between speaking with customers, there was ample time to read my book, Awaken The Giant Within, chat with my neighbours—and on Saturday, I finally hunkered down to finish my long-overdue paper-cutting project:

My stall was on the fringe of the bazaar area, along the major walkway directly in front of True Fitness’ main doors—a great spot to be placed at because of the high traffic flow there. So when there weren’t many people about and I sat down to peck away at my project with my craft knife, people invariably came over very close to see what I was doing. It was an excellent conversation starter, and yet another way for me to connect with strangers.

When I was trimming off the last little feathers and bits of the peacock’s legs to release the design from the A4 sheet it was cut from, I was grinning from ear to ear while being SUPER CAREFUL not to tear anything! It was such a thrill to know that I had well and truly completed a project that I started, even though it has taken this long to do. I didn’t give in to laziness, which I think I am wont to do. Go me!

There were a couple of things I managed to observe over the course of the weekend, but I have to leave that for another post, when I can actually see my computer screen clearly. Good night, and once again, thank you all so much for your kind support for what I do.

Here’s what I’ll be readying for sale at my booth at this weekend’s Jaya 33’s bazaar, starting tomorrow:

• Cocoa Butter
• Just Lavender
• Tea Tree, Lemongrass and Lime
• Goat’s Milk (Unscented)
• Goat’s Milk and Patchouli
• Olive, Wheatgerm and Honey
• Eucalyptus
• Floral Herbal
• Pour Homme
• Charcoal Tea Tree

If you’d like to know more about how these soaps act to sayang (love) your particular skin type, visit my Catalogue and Prices page. And as always, I can do custom gift baskets for you—just come by the stall for a chat, or e-mail me at michelle@kindersoaps.com. Looking forward to seeing you there!

I’ll be setting up shop at Jaya 33’s weekend bazaars twice in July:

July 9th - 12th

July 23rd - 26th

Lots of friends have been asking when we’ll next be setting up stall. June has been a busy month for me with the family—attending a personal development seminar, spending a weekend in Bali, and tackling my kids’ bout of food poisoning this weekend (they’re already on the mend, thank goodness). So yes, it’s about time I get back into meeting all you lovely people in person and see how I can help your bath times be kinder to your skin.

If you’d like to pre-order any soap, have a gift pack specially made, or would just like to have a chat, e-mail me at michelle(at)kindersoaps.com. Assuming my internet connection is stable, I won’t take longer than 3 business days to reply, I promise!

Take care now.

Soap + Water + Toddlers = MAYHEM!

I’ll be setting up a little table at Educare Section 16 (where my son absolutely enjoys learning!) on May 31st to support the playschool’s “Earth Day Carnival”. It’s an even organised for the public, so EVERYONE is most welcome to join in the fun activities! Among other things, there will be carnival games, face painting, henna art, a recycling project, some earth-themed F&B and plenty of squirmy children going nuts over the hubbub!

On my part, I’ll be bringing a limited array of soap to be sold. More importantly though,  is that I have to dream up of some hands-on activities for the kids and adults to do with my soap to inject a bit of a fun element to my stall. Hmm… any suggestions, apart from using cookie-cutters to stamp out soap shapes?

Please do come and support this event. If you have children, bring them along - I can testify that the teachers at Educare truly care about their wellbeings and love all their charges to bits. Oh, and if you have plenty of old newspaper and other recyclable items that need to be cleared from your home, drive them over to the Carnival too. Remember to provide your own shopping bags and food containers, or you can purchase “Green Earth” bags at the Carnival and funds collected from these sales will be channeled to WWF and UNICEF.

EDUCARE’S EARTH DAY CARNIVAL

• Sunday, May 31st 2009
• 0800hrs - 1200hrs
• Educare Child Development Centre,
  42, Jalan 16/6,
  43650 Petaling Jaya,
  Selangor
• Theme: The Green Camp

See you there!