Fun Florida Destinations

Sanibel Island

Why We Love It
This Gulf Coast barrier island, where seashells and wildlife are the star attractions, is paradise for eco-adventurers. Dolphins leap in the spray of the Sanibel Thriller high-speed catamaran, a fun option for tweens (sanibelthriller.com). Bike paths wind throughout—pedal, hike or drive the iNature trail in J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge to spot gators, spoonbills and other residents, scanning smartphone codes to learn more (fws.gov/dingdarling). Watch for manatees on Tarpon Bay Explorers' guided kayak tours (tarponbayexplorers.com), then celebrate sunset at the Mucky Duck restaurant, on sister island Captiva.

Where to Stay
The Gulf-front Sundial is the largest condo resort on the island and has the most amenities—golf, tennis, kayaking, biking, a fitness center and several restaurants. Easily zip from beach to pool and back for family volleyball games and logrolling contests. Nightly rates from $179 for fully equipped one-bedroom condos (sanibelcollection.com/sundial_resort). The more sedate West Wind Inn offers simple motel-style rooms (some with kitchenettes) just steps from the beach; the pool's casual snack bar is perfect for eating in your swimsuit. Nightly rates from $149 (westwindinn.com).

Fun Side Trip 
Kids on nature overload will enjoy spending a day in Fort Myers, just across the causeway. At Skatium's ice rink, admission includes rental skates on Saturday evening, which is teen night (cityftmyers.com/fmskatium). Or BYOB (in this case, board) to Fort Myers Skate Park (cityftmyers.com/skatepark).

More Info

• fortmyers-sanibel.com

Orlando Florida

Why We Love It
In theme park central, the latest is Legoland Florida, a must-do for the younger set (florida.legoland.com). Universal's Islands of Adventure Wizarding World of Harry Potter is expanding, while next door at Universal Studios a 3-D Despicable Me attraction is set to open (universalorlando.com). Disney's Hollywood Studios (a teen fave for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and American Idol Experience) has updated Star Tours with 3-D effects (disneyworld.disney.go.com). And SeaWorld has a third stomach-churning coaster, the face-down Manta (seaworldparks.com/seaworld-orlando). For nature-based adventure, pedal the Cypress Canopy Cycle through the treetops (floridaecosafaris.com).

Where to Stay
The Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld has a new water park with a tween/teen zone. Hotel guests get early entry to SeaWorld on select days and front-of-line access. Rates from $149 (renaissanceseaworld.com). Or spread out at a fully equipped villa or vacation home at Reunion Resort in nearby Kissimmee. From $220 for one-bedroom villas that sleep four (reunionresort.com).

Fun Side Trip 
Take a break in Daytona Beach. Surf, Jet Ski, parasail and, of course, visit the famous speedway. Stay at Shores Resort & Spa, where you can play in the Atlantic by day and gather for s'mores at night. From $119 (shoresresort.com).

Benefits of Handmade Soaps

conventional soaps available in stores today are not really soaps at all, but detergents. Detergents are petroleum-based products that tend to leave your skin feeling dry, itchy and tight. Thankfully there is an alternative soap that offers multiple benefits when used.  Because handmade soap has become affordable, its popularity is growing rapidly as a chemical free alternative to conventional soaps.  

Get Back to Nature

Handmade soaps are made with natural ingredients instead of cheap imitations which may cause irritation.  Coconut, olive, and palm oils are carefully blended to create a skin smoothing concoction that cleanses the skin without drying it out.  A variety of natural fragrance oils can also be added to the handmade soap for additional moisture locking effects.  An example of the types of fragrance oils used include: orange, vanilla rose petals, almond, avocado, jojoba, cottonseed, etc.  Most importantly, homemade soaps are respectful of nature by not testing their products on animals.  

Quality Supersedes Quantity

Handmade soap manufacturers take pride in the quality of their products. Most ingredients are hand-picked, sorted, and manufactured to produce a top quality product.  Unlike conventional soap, it is said that homemade soap may even contain healing properties due to the lack of chemicals in the ingredients.  People who suffer from skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema can find relief by switching to an all-natural and chemical free handmade soap.       

Handmade Soap Does a Body Good

The skin is the largest human organ as well as the body’s first line of defense against dehydration, temperature, infection and harmful substances. Handmade soaps give your skin the care it deserves by gently cleansing and locking in moisture. The fragrances used in these products can also stimulate health.  Cinnamon, for example, has the ability to increase blood flow.   

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Spa-like Luxury

Life can be hectic at times and a humble luxury like a special bar of soap can be rewarding.  A fragrant, handmade bar of soap is a simple indulgence that fosters a feeling of relaxation as well as the ever important feeling of being pampered.  Handmade soap is a luxurious tool in keeping your skin healthy.  With its creamy lather, wonderful fragrances, and now affordable prices, pampering yourself has never felt so good.


Creative Works of Art

Perhaps the most appealing factor about homemade soaps is that they allow the soap manufacturer to be creative and experimental with different natural products. Adding oils, essences, natural exfoliates, and creating new and exciting designs and shapes.   Nowadays, homemade soaps are able to have a variety of looks and the possibilities of ingredients are endless. Bars of soap can appear to have glass swirls or can even be embedded with chunks of oatmeal.  

Homemade soap is nothing like the chalky bars of the days of yore. Modern soap manufacturers have turned making soap into a marketable hobby that produces the finest, silkiest bars that look and feel luxurious.  The secret ingredient to handmade soap is imagination.  From intricate designs to beautiful aromas, handmade soaps are a simple luxury that nobody should do without. 

Great Places in Florida to buy homemade products

Ybor City 

        Saturday Market

1901 19th Street
Tampa, FL 33605
ph: 813-241-2442
ybormarket@yahoo.com

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Operating since 2000, the Ybor City Saturday Market is the largest continually operating outdoor market in the Tampa Bay Area.  Centered in Tampa's Historic District, the market is one of the most popular shopping desinations for locally produced items unique to the Tampa Bay Area.

The Ybor City Saturday Market offers a unique opportunity for customers to meet the artist as well as see one of a kind pieces created in the artist’s booth as well as purchase locally produced gourmet foods representing the area.  

            

 Fresh Baked Breads 

   Fruit Cups  & Smoothies

         

Parke Family HydroFarms

Paint It!

  

 

Florida Produce Select

Organic & Specialty Produce

Ken Andrews Photography

The Glassy Lady

 

The Happy Baker

 

Grandma Grace's Goodies

MISSION STATEMENT

The Ybor City Saturday Market will improve the accessibility of nutritious and affordable, regionally grown produce and ornamental plants, arts and crafts, pre-prepared foods, and locally produced products unique to Hillsborough County. 

The Ybor City Saturday Market will stimulate entrepreneurial activity among local residents and create a venue for local artists, craftsmen, and specialty product producers.  

Wild Essence soap is the brainchild of Tooie Vosburgh and is made from natural vegetable glycerin with the added ingredients of Aloe and Vitamin E & Shea Butter. There are over 50 varieties including 5 holistic bars that include that healing properties of Eucalyptus, Peppermint and Oatmeal. A body scrub made from sea salt and sugarcane plus bath salts from the Caribbean Sea complete the current line of product

s. Tooie's wish is to make bath time one of healing your skin with Wild Essence natural ingredients and artistry. Available mainly in an oversize bar, there is also a small sample packet of three. Wild Essence soap bars are colorful, smell delicious and look good enough to eat. Tooie became interested in soap making after seeing a demonstration at a craft show in 1990. She was impressed with the use of different colors and natural ingredients. Her interest was peaked because, having spent years living and doing business in Jamaica the Rastafarian Faith has become a major part of her life. The ability to make soap that did not include pig fat or alcohol provided a great opportunity. An artist within her own right, it was important to put her personal art work into her soap making. "Every bar is an original work of art" . Tooie has now affectionately know as "The Soap Lady of Clearwater" Wild Essence THE ART OF BODY CARE "Not only makes you feel good but also good for you"

Mango Peach Soap

Benefits of Shea Butter in Soap

The fat of the nut of the African Shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) is the source of Shea butter. The traditional use of the butter is to reduce the appearance of fine lines, scars and stretch marks, and to ease a variety of skin irritations, such as psoriasis, eczema and sunburn. Makers of cosmetics also mix this natural substance with other botanical ingredients. Shea butter is ideal for the topical application of cosmetic and medicinal formulas, because it melts on contact and is readily absorbed into the skin, without leaving a greasy residue. Healing Qualities The healing qualities of Shea butter are due to the presence of several fatty acids and plant sterols, namely oleic, stearic, palmitic and linolenic acids. These oil-soluble components are nonsaponifiable, meaning they do not undergo saponification, or convert to soap, when introduced to an alkali. Shea butter possesses a significantly greater nonsaponifiable fraction than most other nut oils and fats, which lends the substance greater healing potential for the skin (see References 1). Anti-Inflammatory Properties Shea butter contains several derivatives of cinnamic acid, a compound common to cinnamon and balsam trees. In the May 2010 issue of the "Journal of Oleo Science," Toshihiro Akihisa and fellow researchers published the results of a study that investigated the effects of four triterpene acids and four triterpene cinnamates isolated from Shea butter on tissue swelling in mouse skin. The scientists reported that Shea butter not only demonstrated anti-inflammatory benefits, but one compound, lupeol cinnamate, also prevented tumor development in a carcinogenesis test, a procedure in which cancer cells are literally "grown" in a culture dish (see References 2). Antioxidant Content Shea butter contains vitamins A and E, as well as catechins, plant antioxidants also found in green tea. While it is unclear how well vitamins A and E in raw Shea butter are absorbed, there is evidence to suggest that cinnamic acid esters in Shea fat help to prevent skin damage from ultraviolet radiation (see References 3). Other Uses Shea butter softens and conditions leather and wood, so musicians use it to improve the flexibility of leather tuning straps, and the pitch and timbre of animal skin drums and other percussion instruments. Africans use Shea butter in cooking. In other parts of the world, manufacturers add Shea butter to margarine. Precautions Shea butter is available in different grades, which depend on the extraction method. For best results, unrefined Shea butter, or grade A, is preferred. If you have a known allergy to other tree nuts, you may experience a reaction to Shea butter. Consult your physician or allergist before using this product, if this is the case.

Today I will be making quite a few new soaps.I will be taking pictures along the way to give you a idea of what it takes to get them done . There is so much more to making soap and trying to sell them then what you would think I will try to show you the different

step this month from making to wrapping to going out and selling .

Soap for all the Scenes