103 Years Young

Grandma & Granpa celebrating their 75th wedding anniverary, June 2013

 

I didn't get a chance to make any new  soap over the weekend,  but that's okay as I was visiting my granddad who has just turned 103.


 My grandparent's recently celebrated their 76th wedding anniversary and are such an inspiration to me.  Having been a military wife until my husband left the armed forces in 2011,  I have the upmost respect for the love and strength that my grandparents shared during the six years they spent apart. Read the article from the South Coast register via the link below.

Ernie and Dorothy Celebrate 76 years of marriage

It is humbling to think of all of the experiences they have shared and how many momentous events they have lived  through.  I am truly grateful to have had the privilege of having two such wonderful people guiding me in my life.

Grandad, a British World War II veteran participating in his local ANZAC Day parade

Soap To Swirl For

I really enjoyed making this palm oil free soap using a spoon to create the swirls.

It was fascinating to see how each slice when cut from the loaf came out slightly different.  Truly unique?

What's A Girl To Do?

Hmm, I had a little problem to solve today.  I had just unmoulded a batch of honey and oatmeal soap and wanted to try using an acrylic stamp to stamp into the soap.  I looked high and low for my stamp block to no avail.   I thought I would have to give the stamp a miss until I spied a small jar of vegemite on the shelf, which I promptly put to good use.  I think the stamp didn't turn out too bad.

In All Things Of Nature There Is The Marvellous - Aristotle

I just had to share this picture of a pelican I took locally.  Even though it is winter here in Australia, I was taken by the richness of the colour of the sand coming from underneath the crystal clear water at the Ettalong to Palm beach ferry wharf.  I would love to recreate the rippled texture on a soap that I would like to make.

Pencil Line Technique

This is the first time I  tried to make cold pressed soap using the pencil line technique.  what I envisioned was the bottom layer coloured with cocoa powder,  a thin line of activated charcoal with the  top layer being a pastel blue coloured using indigo powder.   Time will tell if the colours will settle down to how  I envisaged them turning out.

The soap has been scented using vanilla, lavender, chamomile and rose geranium essential oils.

Cupcakes Version 2

The second batch of soap cupcakes have been made using a round nozzle, hmm not sure which one works out best.

Caution, Caution, Caution

They say that accidents happen for a reason and I can't agree more.   When it comes to making cold pressed soap, it is crucial to take care and weigh your ingredients carefully and  be stringent in making and handling the lye solution in a safe manor.   I am careful when using the lye solution but will put my hand up to say that I was very complacent when mixing my colourants  when I  prepared them.  Why I thought a plastic cup could hold up a mini frother is anyones guess.  Needles to say, the cup tipped over and colourant spilt over the floor, on the fridge and on me.  My saving grace is that I hadn't added to colourant to the lye solution.

Cupcakes Galore

 Whew, my first attempt at making cupcake soaps, 24 are happily sitting in my spare room hopefully going through the gel phase.  I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see how they have turned out.  A few are a bit wonky, but overall I think they have turned out okay.  

As they are for my niece and her baby shower, the top has been coloured using powdered indigo and the bottom using powdered Dutch chocolate.  The essential oils blend is: Rose Geranium, Ylang Ylang and Vanilla.

What's In A Name?

Where does a name come from and how do we know if it is right for us?

I have always been drawn to use the of botanicals to make products.  Even as a young child there was something about plants and trees that was alluring to me.  One of my earliest memories was being caught making a 'witches brew' in the bathtub using rose petals and other flowers from the garden plus unfortunately my fathers pot of black Indian ink.

Blue wrens are one of my grandmother's favourite birds even now at the tender age of 97 she recently painted this gorgeous picture of a pair of them..

 Growing up, I was always my grandparents jennywren and now like my beloved grandmother, I have grown to be attached to these flighty little birds.

Baby Shower Soaps

I'm excited about the idea of making soap as thank you gifts for my nieces upcoming baby shower in August.  I'm planning to use a combination of Rose Geranium, Ylang Ylang essential oils as well as vanilla thrown into the mix.

Extra supplies have been ordered. My thought is to make half as cupcakes and the other half using a swirling technique in a loaf mould.  Fingers crossed this will work .