Look What my Daughter Made for Me!

I was thrilled to come home yesterday to this lovely handmade gift.  Yesterday was my birthday, which I spent visiting my parents.  I came home to a lovely chocolate birthday cake, also made by my daughter, as well as this beautiful jewellery.  She wire-wrapped the pendant herself as well *big smile*

Can you see the smiley face here? ;)

A close up of the wire wrapped pendant.

Work in Progress

I took some pics of my soaps still in their moulds from yesterday's efforts.  Once they are unmoulded and tidied up I will take some more *smile*

9 Carrot Gold and Bay Avocado

Gentle Teddy goatsmilk soap

Happy Australia Day!

....And it has been a hot one too - at least in my neck of the woods!  A perfect day to make soap (as always) *smile*

I have a batch of 9 Carrot Gold Facial soap gelling in its mould right now and one of Bay Avocado Facial soap ready to go - as soon as I have finished my afternoon cuppa.  Gentle Teddy Goatsmilk soap will be made tonight and then I can concentrate on labelling some cured soap ready for my next Soap Spa Party!

Pics will be posted soon......

Haiti......

Time and again, people's world crashes around them.  Time and again, others rally around and completely restore my faith in humanity.  The Asian tsunami on Boxing Day 2004 was one shattering event that allowed people to care for others.  The earthquake in Haiti is another such cataclysmic event and humankind is responding with as much care again.

Being a soapmaker, I want to tell you about an organisation in America which will help the survivors in Haiti in a very concrete way.  This organisation is collecting and recycling soap to send to Haiti daily to help meet the extreme hygiene needs there now.  Click on this link to find out more about how you can help:
http://www.cleantheworld.org/

 Living in Australia, I am not able to participate by donating soap so I have made a cash donation through the Australian Red Cross Society.  This is a wonderful organisation and I know my money will get to where it will do the most good.  Click this link for more information:
https://www.redcross.org.au/Donations/onlineDonations.asp

Most of all, if you pray then please do so for all the survivors right now.  I am sending healing, peaceful thoughts........

FINALLY.....SOME PICTURES!

I mentioned on Dec 27 that I was making some new soap recipes and I have been meaning to take pictures of them ever since.  Now with my hubby back at work I have found time to get it done - yay!

Country Garden Facial Bar - made with gentle Olive Oil and with 10% Camellia Tea Seed oil to help minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles; scented with Rose Geranium and Lavender essential oils

Fantasy - my tester recipe for oily/teen skin as requested by my daughter.  This is a high Coconut Oil soap with coconut milk powder added to nourish.  Scented with a Fantasy (type) fragrance oil and coloured an interesting shade of pink!

 

 

 

Berry Nova - here is another pink one...lol... scented with a wonderful, juicy Black Raspberry and Vanilla fragrance blend

And last, but definitely not least, here is my very first Castile soap.  Castile soap should be made from at least 95% Olive oil.  My version here is 100% Extra Virgin Olive oil with silk fibres and scented with Australian Lemon Myrtle essential oil

 

 

 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Tanya

A NEW DECADE.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Have you made any resolutions to ring in the dawning of a new year and a new decade?  My plans were made as I went along during the past year for my soaping business.  However, plans are not really plans unless they are written down and they only become goals when they have a date beside them.....

The first day of a new calendar year is a great time to write down everything you want to achieve and then give some serious thought to those things that seem the most important to you.  How do you tell what is most important?  Does thinking about it give you a burn deep inside; does the idea of NOT achieving it seem unbearable?  Then those things are your priority.  Decide when you want to achieve them and write that date down too.  Now all you have to do is just that.....DO.

Have a wonderful day, a wonderful year and a wonderful life!

Soaping Withdrawals!!!

I have made my first batch of soap in almost two weeks! Country Garden is gelling in the mould now and I will be making more tomorrow - a new one for teen/oily skin and also my very first castille soap. Castille is usually 100% olive oil soap and I will be using Extra Virgin - for my first time....lol..... 

Country Garden is made using my Camellia Tea recipe and using Lavender and Rose Geranium essential oils as fragrance.  With a mauve and green swirl in the creamy base soap, it evokes in me a walk through an old style country garden.  I have an antique amber glass container inherited from my Grandmother; the lid is painted with a lady in a sunbonnet surrounded by her lovely flowering garden and this inspired my Country Garden soap.  

My new tester recipe for oily/teen skin will definitely be a 'girls only' one.  I am using a Fantasy (type) fragrance oil and colouring it with a blend of raspberry and grape micas, all from Big Tree Supplies in Queensland Australia - so, very girly!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas doing whatever you enjoy doing best, and I wish everyone a Happy New Year and a very prosperous and fulfilling 2010.

 

 

 

Yummy!

I have just finished snacking on some amazing gingerbread people (Mum, Dad and Baby ones!) that my darling daughter made for us today.  She used a very simple recipe that she found on Taste's website ~ http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/20689/gingerbread+people
and they are wonderful with a cup of espresso coffee.....a long black double shot by preference *big smile*.

With Christmas Day so close now I really have to get on to cooking my microwave pudding to take to my sister and brother-in-law's place for Christmas dinner. I will also make peppernut biscuits with my daughter on Christmas Eve....something of a tradition with us over recent years.  Peppernuts are traditional Christmas fare in Germany - you get lots for your dollar and they keep for at least a month.  These too are wonderful with coffee.....

Peppernut Biscuits:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup (molasses or treacle will probaby work too)
1/4 cup water
60 grams butter
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
2 1/4 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp mixed spice
icing sugar

Combine sugar, syrup and water in pan, stir over heat without boiling until sugar is dissolved, bring to boil; remove from heat, add butter and soda, stirring in well.  Cool to lukewarm, stir in egg, lemon rind, sifter flour and spice.  Refrigerate dough several hours or overnight.

Roll pieces of dough on lightly floured surface into long sausage shapes, about 1 cm thick.  Cut into small pieces about 1 cm long.  Place cut side up on lightly greased oven trays (I use baking paper here).  Bake in moderate oven 12 minutes or until browned.  Cool on wire rack, dust with sifted icing sugar.  Store in airtight container for up to 4 weeks.

I usually make a double mixture and give some in jars as gifts.

I have also been stocktaking my handmade soap - I cure my soap on racks in a cupboard for 4 to 6 weeks and then store the soap in cardboard boxes until I am ready to label them.  Do you know how confusing it is to find the exact batch of soap you want next, if you haven't a clue which box it is in?!  A note in top of each box with the contents listed is such a time saver for me now....lol....I currently have stored and ready to label:  Calendula Sunshine, Sweetpea Delight, DeGreased Lightening, Very Vanilla, Gentle Teddy Lavender, Confetti and Coconutty.  Made but still curing in my cupboard are Bluebell Breezes, Heavenly Silk, Dreamy Coffee & Cream, Camellia Tea, Lime in de Coconut, a new unscented Goatsmilk Bastille as well as Summer Nights - a new floral fraganced soap which is divine!

 

No soapy talk today....I have been helping my youngest son sort through his belongings.  You know, what is good to keep, good but not needed, and rubbish.  We found very little he wanted to keep - mostly we found clothes that are too small and toys that he has completely grown out of (he is 14) and very little rubbish in comparison.  We have 5 big bags and boxes of items to be given to our local charity collection now, just in time for Christmas :)

.....Oh, I did cut and bevel some soap and delivered a Christmas order too.....

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Some of my Favourite Soap Pics

I have just finished making an unscented Goatsmilk Bastille (mostly olive oil) soap for sensitive skin, so now I have some time to post some piccies (love taking pics of my soap!).

Here are a few of my favourite soaps.......

Sweetpea Delight - I entered this photograph into an online forum competition....and won!
(As featured in Saponifier Magazine)

Ramblin' Rose (named after the Nat King Cole song)

Camellia Tea - this soap included camellia tea seed oil (green tea oil), a wonderful antioxidant

Buttermilk & Honey Cream

Sand'n'Sea Spa Salt Bar

 

Zen Confetti Facial Bar

And my limited edition Christmas soap - Hollyberry Snow