Goodies In The Post

I'm so excited, that I have to share this pic.  Some new silicone moulds I ordered arrived via post today.  I can't wait to try them out.  I'm sure tonight I will go to bed with thoughts of soap embeds drifting  in my head 😆😆

Happy soaping everyone 😄😄

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.

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 .