It's Summer Time......

.....in the Southern Hemisphere and I love getting ready for Christmas while cicadas are singing and my wonderful gardenia is blossoming

Can't you just smell these?


One day I plan on visiting the Northern Hemisphere to experience a white Christmas, however until then the white of my gardenia flowers will suffice *smile*


What are your plans for Christmas?  Will you stay home?  Travel?  Do you have any special traditions you follow?  Up until now my husband's parents have come to us and spent several days visiting.  My children loved to wake them up on Christmas morning so they could watch the present opening ~ fun!  Now that they have both passed we will be having a quiet Christmas morning at home and then will be hosting relatives for dinner.  This year I will be cooking turkey, slicing ham and putting together salads.  Oh, and making my microwave pudding.  I have almost perfected changing it over to gluten-free without it being too dry.  Maybe this year it will be just right!


Have a wonderful Festive Season, however you celebrate it.  Take care on the roads if you are travelling and stay safe, happy and healthy ~ Namaste

Shaving Soap!

Do you have a special man in your life (or men) who prefers to shave with a razor?  Well I do, so I have made my first Shaving Soap!  I am really excited about it and look forward to my testers feedback.  Of course, girls shave too don't we, so I encourage you to lather your legs with this luscious, mild and moisturising soap *smile*

This first tester is scented with crisp, fresh notes of citrus, cucumber, passionfruit, wasabi, cilantro and fern; teamed with moisturising glycerine and aloe vera juice; a generous amount of avocado oil and shea butter for a nourishing boost; and with tussah silk and kaolin clay included for excellent razor glide.  A mild shaving soap allowing you to build the perfect lather.  It will be available for purchase early in 2011 and will be individually scented with your preferred fragrance, by the pot or solid puck.

 

 

Have a wonderful day!

Finally Took A Pic......

.....of my latest batch of Light Body Nectar.  I wanted to develop a luscious, moisturising body and hand lotion that spreads well yet sinks in fast with a lovely, light after-feel.  My result was even better than I had hoped!

It is made with a generous amount of aloe vera juice teamed with my favourite skin-loving oils of rice bran, soybean, jojoba and with some yummy cocoa butter to help protect your skin.  If you would like to try some you can find it on my Facebook page.


Now it is time to sit here with my cuppa and browse some of my favourite websites, so 'bye for now and have a wonderful day! *smile*

Christmas is a'coming!

Christmas......a time of gatherings and good things to eat and presents and love for family and friends.....one of my most favourite times of the year!  To celebrate I have made two special limited edition Christmas soaps 

~ Hollyberry Snow (a revamp of last year's version)

~ and Christmas Mint

Both of these soaps are made with lashings of olive oil and with tussah silk added for truly silky lather, as well as shea butter (for Hollyberry Snow) and cocoa butter (for Christmas Mint).  You can find both of these limited edition Christmas soaps available on my Facebook page HERE


Have a wonderful day!


Tanya :)

Scented Teddy Soaps are ready!

You may have seen my 'Loopy Teddy' soaps several blog posts ago and now they are joined by four more scented teddies!  Here they are all together.....

From left to right:-  Rosey Teddy, Berry Teddy, Juicy Teddy, Loopy Teddy and Snuggly Teddy.


And here is the full Teddy range including my original, unscented Gentle Teddy .....

All of these Teddy Soaps are made with lashings of mild olive oil and goats milk, formulated especially for those with sensitive skin and children.  If you would like to make these Teddies your own you will find them on my Facebook page very soon.


Have a wonderful day!

Thick and Luscious Cream........

I have just made a batch of my Goats Milk & Oatmeal Cream....and remembered to take pictures this time, yay!  I love making lotions and creams.  It is quite magical to watch them thicken and become something smooth and creamy or thick and luscious ~

Here are my melted oils, butters and emulsifing wax:

Once combined with the water-based ingredients everything turns milky white:

After time and cooling, the mixture becomes gorgeously thick!

Here is some in a jar, almost ready to be labelled:

This gorgeous, thick cream spreads well and sinks in fast with a lovely velvety after-feel. Made with a generous amount of soothing aloe vera juice; teamed with skin-loving oils and butters chosen for their anti-oxidant properties; and including colloidal oatmeal - for its soothing relief of dry, itchy or sensitive skin; and powdered goats milk - for its soothing, smoothing and moisturising properties.  This is best used unscented if you have a sensitive skin or certain skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis.  If you would like to try some you can find it on my Facebook page and also in my Ethikl store.


Have a wonderful day!

A Few New Creations....

It seems like simply ages since I have posted here....and I have been catching up on photographing my most recently added soapy creations, so I'd like to share them with you *smile*



Copacabana soap ~ scented with a refreshing spa fragrance to transport you all the way to sunny Brazil! Teamed with gentle olive oil, silk and with shea butter added for extra creaminess. 

Oat Milk & Linseed soap ~ scented with a refreshing essential oil blend; teamed with oat milk and silk to soothe and soften; made with added linseed (flaxseed) oil which is high in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and a generous amount of castor oil. This soap may also be used as a gentle shampoo bar.

Heavenly Silk soap ~ scented with may chang and lavender essential oils to uplift and sooth you.  This soap has Australian pink clay swirled through to gently tone your skin, teamed with aloe vera juice and silk to soothe and soften; with a generous amount of mild, gentle olive oil and rich, nourishing cocoa butter for added creaminess.

Puppy Wash Bar ~ dogs skin has a pH averaging around 7.4 - similar to human babies and higher than a human adult - so they need a very mild and gently cleansing soap. I have used oils with higher linoleic and linolenic acid profiles to develop my Puppy Wash Bar specifically for our canine friends.
Lightly scented with essential oils to discourage ticks and fleas; teamed with neem oil for its insect repellent and skincare properties, oatmilk, silk and with a generous amount of castor oil added for shine.

You can find these and more on my TITANIA'S DREAMY DELIGHTS  Facebook page and they will soon to added to my ETHIKL online store.


Have a wonderful day!

Creamy Fruit Salad Teen Facial Bar.....

I recently added this soap to my Current Range of Soaps album on my Facebook page and thought I would share it here with you as well.

This is a lovely cleansing & balancing soap full of antioxidants, especially created for troubled teen skin. Scented with a fresh and fruity scent combining mango, passionfruit, papaya, apple, citrus and sweetpea; teamed with fresh pureed mango and strawberries, herbal tea and a blend of oils and butters that contain anti-infammatory and calming properties. For normal to oily skin ~

You can see the strawberry seeds if you look closely.  I included my favourite rice bran and macadamia nut oils in this blend along with mango butter.  This recipe was developed with my daughter's help when I first began cold process soapmaking.  I asked her what ingredients she would like me to add to a batch of soap just for her.  "Mango and strawberries" she replied.  I was surprised to say the least as I didn't even know if fruit would work in CP soap and envisioned my batch overheating or even erupting into a soapy volcano!  All that fruit sugar had me worried, so I poured it into individual moulds and kept it cool.  

The result made a lovely cleansing soap that my daughter found soothed and helped her facial skin by minimising the redness associated with blemishes.  When I researched I found that the combination of oils and fruits we used are all known to have skincare benefits.  I just love serendipity!


Have a wonderful day *smile*

...And another Aussie Soaper Shout Out!....

While I am on the subject of Aussie Soapers, I also have been drooling over Kathy's soaps over at Beguile.  Kathy's soaps have a distinctive textured top ~ very tactile and flowing ~ that I love.  I ordered Infuse, Potion and Delish soaps and the smell when I opened my parcel was amazing!  Beguile soaps have a wonderful silky lather that lasts and lasts ~

I have also just heard that Beguile Soaps won gold in the Hunter Valley Olive Show this year.  Congratulations Kathy!


Have a wonderful day *smile*

A Shout Out to Another Aussie Soaper

Earlier this year I succumbed to my longing to try Sharon's wonderful soaps from Platypus Dreams.  Sharon makes soap in a wide range of scents and styles and many of her soaps are works of art! 


Sharon's packaging and presentation is elegant and her soaps are even more beautiful in the hand than on the computer screen.  They smell wonderful and their lather is thick and velvety and lasts the whole shower long.  I ordered Velvet Rose and Citrus Blossom as well as the Soap Sampler ~

Thank you for a wonderful soapy experience Sharon!


Have a wonderful day *smile*

Spring!

It is a delightful Spring day here and I have been out and about in my car ferrying children to and from their various workplaces....although I did take the time to photograph some lovely blooms surrounding my driveway!


My jasmine vine (needs a good trim however I will wait until it has finished blooming) ~

Gorgeous, sweet-smelling freesias.  I have always adored these flowers and remember them growing in grassy banks near the lake when I was a little girl ~

Can't you just smell them?  Now to find me a true-to-scent freesia fragrance oil and I will create probably my most favourite soap *smile*


Have a wonderful day!

Gondwana Dreaming.......

I want to share some photos of a new version of my Gondwana Dreaming soap with you.  I make this soap with 'Australiany' ingredients and decided to give it a face lift......oh, all right, I got lazy and did an in the pot swirl instead of fiddling with nice even layers *grin*


Gondwana Dreaming is made with 60% Australian extra virgin olive oil along with coconut and avocado oils and luscious mango butter for a moisturising boost.  Australian pink, yellow and green clays colour the swirls and the fragrance blend includes Australian bush essential oils of lemon myrtle, eucalyptus blue gum and rosalina.

Just for contrast, here is a picture of Gondwana Dreaming's previous incarnation.........

Have a wonderful day!

Prairie Creations

Earlier this year I participated in a product swap with a wonderful soapmaker from the USA - Kris of PRAIRIE CREATIONS.  Kris spoiled me with a wonderful goodie box and her products are divine!  Each of Kris's soaps lather amazingly with just about the silkiest lather I have ever known and her Body Polish and creams are beautifully made and very well packaged.  She also sent me a huge bubble bar and just a small piece of it, crumbled into a running bath, results in bubble utopia!

I have been enjoying some other wonderful soaps from my fellow artisan soapmakers recently and will be sharing their lovely products with you soon *smile*


Have a wonderful day!

If You Go Down to the Woods Today............

............You may find Teddies playing amoung the trees!


My Gentle Teddy  unscented goatsmilk soap shapes are formulated especially for children and those with sensitive skin.  Here they are now ~

I have been creating some friends for them recently too.  With pretty pastel colours and fun fragrances to delight the young (and young at heart).  Here are the first special new ones - Loopy Teddies!

Loopy Teddy soaps smell just like the fruity cereal rings many children love....yum!  I will also be introducing Juicy Teddies, Snuggly Teddies and Berry Teddies very soon.  Gentle Teddy soaps are made with over 70% olive oil and include jojoba for it's skin loving properies as well as goats milk, so they will gently cleanse skin without irritating.


Have a wonderful day!

Party Hard! Soap.....Cut pics :)

I promised to post pictures of this crazy tester soap once I had cut them....and then found my batch was taking a loooooong time to harden enough to cut as I was testing a new recipe - as well as scent and a four colour swirl!  Gotta stop testing so many things in one batch *wink*


Anyway, I am happy with my swirlies for a first attempt at four colours (plus base soap colour) and I now know to save this particular oil recipe for my divider slab mould....as I don't need to cut those!


Here are some pics for you *smile*

Have a wonderful day!

Party Hard!

Here are a couple of quick and dirty pics of my newest tester soap log. My small tester mould was made by my youngest son and I can get 6 bars from this. I used a sweet vanilla berry fragrance oil (a dupe of a L*sh fragrance) which smells sweet, vanillary and fruity all at once - lol - and it is gorgeous!  If this fragrance sticks well it will definitely become part of my range.
I will post cut pics when I get them too. I thought an explosion of colour best suited this soap - what do you think? :)

Have a wonderful day!

A Love Story.......

My daughter entered a competition to win a designer dress on facebook and needed to write a love story to qualify. Here is the story she wrote - about her grandparents:


This is not my love story, but that of my grandparents...
It's Sydney, 1940 and they are both 13, childhood sweethearts, completely inseparable. He's a larrikin, always wearing a grin from ear to ear and she's a stubborn, proper, young lady.

Fast forward a few years to when they're 16, they have a falling out, neither could recall over what, but he hurt her feelings and so she snubbed him.

A few years she finds herself completely swept off her feet by a tall, dark and handsome stranger, it's only a matter of months before they are wed and she begins her 'perfect life'...

Alas, this man is not all he appeared to be, he cheats, he's callous and his love leaves her wanting. It's the 1950's and divorce is a long, painful and shameful process, but that'd never stop someone as determined as her. And he's waited all this time, her childhood sweet heart, has never stopped loving her.

The 28th December 1958, they are married. They begin their life together and the doctors say that due to a medical condition it will be impossible for her to conceive. They are content with each other and can get through this together. Just a year later it comes as a surprise and shock when they discover she is pregnant and it takes a while to come to terms with the news and it's impact on the plans they'd made. But in 1960 they are blessed with a son and a few years later a daughter...
Their life is far from perfect, they argue and stir each other up almost constantly. They have their ups and downs, journeys, challenges and adventures. They struggle and stumble, there are health issues, fights, and many memories created. Through everything they are always there for each other. They watch their children grow, they welcome grand children into the world, she has a lot of health issues and her leg has to be amputated, he is always there for her, through everything.

In late 2004 he is diagnosed with cancer, it's in it's final stages and has spread to his bones... It's terminal.
She's there for him, she doesn't cope, they fight, they're in denial, they love, they enjoy the moments they have, they continue to make more memories. He's cheeky until the end, always pushing her buttons, always getting a reaction.

Christmas 2006, and he's fading fast, we can all see it, yet all try to deny it. On New Years Eve we get the call, he's been rushed to hospital, and she's by his side. They say he probably won't make it to morning, won't see 2007... She can't let him go yet and makes that point well known. He stays, for her, he waits.

It's late January 2007 and he's a shadow, his body is failing him, he's losing conciousness, but whenever she holds his hand, he changes and he grips her hand right back. On February 2 she realises she has to let him go, as hard as it is to say goodbye. She has her children there with her.

"You can go now". Within half an hour of her uttering those words, their son in law gets a phone call and leaves the room, their daughter in law leaves to make a call. By the time they return, he's passed away. He waited for her to let him go, and for a moment to be with his little family, alone.

On Valentines Day this year, my grandma had been in hospital for a little while when they took her into emergency surgery, her chances of survival were extremely low, but she made it. How ever she never made a full recovery and she passed away a few months ago. I know that whatever there is next, he would have been waiting for her, he was always waiting for her.
I love you grandma and grandpa, your love inspires me every day, because it was real, it was hard and it was so very worth it all.

One day I want a love story like this. I want a, crazy, unforgettable, challenging, rewarding, enduring, everlasting love like you had...


The competition finished a short while ago and casey WON!!! Of course, I am not surprised as I believe Casey write's beautifully. 

Oh, and the dress is called Love Story - you can see it here on the Lucy in the Sky facebook page.


Have a wonderful week! *smile*

All People Dream..........

All people dream, but not equally.
Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind,
Wake in the morning to find that it was vanity.

But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people,
...For they dream their dreams with open eyes,
And make them come true.

~D. H. Lawrence

 

A Few of my Latest Creations..........

I have been playing with new soap recipes, fragrances and colours and these are my latest soapy creations.....



Yoghurt & Aloe soap - made with greek yoghurt and aloe vera juice to sooth, soften and revitalize your skin; teamed with silk and a generous amount of avocado oil and shea butter for a nourishing boost.

Tomato Creme Facial soap - made with tomato paste – one of the highest sources of lycopene, a very efficient antioxidant which can neutralise free radical damage - sour cream, honey and egg yolk to sooth, soften and revitalize your skin and including camellia tea seed oil, avocado oil and shea butter for a moisturising boost.

Blueberries & Cream soap - scented with a lovely and realistic fresh blueberry fragrance; teamed with gentle olive oil, silk and with shea butter added for extra creaminess.

My next project is refining my new Goats Milk & Oatmeal body cream recipe *smile*

Malaspina Soap Factory

Last Christmas I had the great good fortune to be involved in a product swap with a wonderful soapmaker from the other side of the world to me - Lindalu of Malaspina Soap Factory 
  
Lindalu is based in Powell River, BC Canada and you can also find her lovely products in her FACEBOOK SHOP


I received 3 wonderfully lathering soaps, Sparkling Cranberry Lotion, C-Mango Lotion Bar and Honey Lip Balm.

Linda's soaps are made with lashings of moisturising olive oil and smell divine!

My husband actually said to me "you should make your soap like these ones".........higher praise I cannot give!!! *grin*


The lotion bar is unscented so the lovely oils and butters shine through and it is very moisturising and protect on my hands, especially right now during winter.  The lip balm is naturally scented with real honey, feels smooth on my lips and a little goes a very long way.  The lotion is gorgeous!  It not only smells wonderful, it also spreads well and sinks in quickly.


Thank you Linda!

Nature's Art

I recently felt the urge to lather up with a Santa Fe Sun Baked Soap, made by my soaping friend Kimberly of NATURE'S ART Handmade All Natural Soaps & More.  I ordered the Crisp Pear Olive Oil Soap, the Tooth Cleanser Soap with China Clay and a wonderful Green Tea Facial Mask.

The Sun Baked soap is gorgeous, with a lovely fresh, warm pear scent and thick, fluffy lather which left my skin feeling velvety soft.  Tooth cleaning soap is a product that goes back to at least early last century and I was pleasantly surprised at the taste (not soapy!) and at how squeaky clean my teeth felt after using.  In fact, my teeth felt as if I had just had them professionally cleaned at the dentist.  The green tea and clay mask comes as a powder that you mix to a paste with your choice of wetting agent.  I used plain water although you could use your favourite toner, aloe vera juice, yoghurt, pureed fruit, or whatever takes your fancy.  This is an excellent way to buy a mask. The powder stores very well in its tin with no preservative required as you only blend up enough for a single use.


Nature's Art also has a FACEBOOK SHOP where you can buy her lovely products.


Have an awesome day!