More soaps from the Curing Rack

Energy

Lavender Breeze

I used Alkanet Root Powder to color this soap and that can be a little tricky. If you use too much it turns a deep purple if you use too little it's a very pale lavender/gray.  I used too little =0(   So you can't really see the contrast between the Lavender and the White swirls as much as I'd hoped. I think it works though because it goes along with the whole "Breeze" motif. This soap makes me think of sitting on a grassy hill near a lavender field and the breeze is carrying the scent over.  It's really cool because you can smell the lavender as well as hints of air and grass. I don't particularly care for lavender but I really like this one. The fragrance is soft and pretty.

So begins my quest for color...

Okay. I'm guilty and I'll be the first to admit that I overthink pretty much everything. I'll make a decision then second and third guess myself. As a result, I often find myself on neutral territory; playing it "safe". After constant urging and (ahem) a very well placed low blow (lol) by my fellow soap maker (and very talented soapmaker might I add) over at the Soap Seduction, I've begun my search for color and creativity. I'm hoping that it will inspire me to step further out of my tight little box and try some new and exciting things with my craft.

So this is my first step out of that box. I'm going to do something that I swore I'd never do and feature a fellow Soap maker. Here's to personal growth!

Who better to start with than the Soap Seduction ;0)  I really like this girl.  Patrice has carved out a nice niche for herself with some bold & and sassy soap names and desriptions.  She creates bath and body products that look down right edible! The creative things that she does with Cold Process soap is actually quite amazing.

Lard-y for the Party

Snicker Doodle Sugar Bubbles

Caramel Apple

My personal favorite. Yummy!

On the Curing Rack...

These are a few of the soaps that are currently on the curing rack.  Right now we have about 20 different soaps that are curing and I am (impatiently) waiting try them and then list them on my etsy shop.

COCOA BUTTER

I've always wanted to try a soap made mostly of Cocoa Butter.  I used raw cocoa butter, which has a great natural chocolate like scent then added Cocoa Butter fragrance oil to enhance it. Smells yummy!

SUMMER MELON SPRITZER

For this soap, I took my husbands advice and finally stepped out of my box to try some bold colors.

STRAWBERRIES & CHAMPAGNE

I'm very excited about this one. It's very true to it's name. I was a bit skeptical about a "Champagne" fragrance oil, but was pleasantly surprised to see that it held up EXTREMELY well in cold process soap.  I really, really, really can't wait to try it.

VALENTINES DAY Handmade Etsy Finds

Looking for some unique gifts for Valentines Day?

Why not try Handmade items from these talented Etsy sellers.

Love In A Bottle

Leogistic

Don't just Say it... Say It with Love, say it with Meaning, say it with Uniqueness.

These bottles are the perfect way to send a custom message of love to that special someone in your life.

8 oz Valentine Decorated Pretzels

sever96

The sweetness of the chocolate and the saltiness of the pretzel is wonderful.

These yummy goodies would be a perfect gift or a delicious snack for yourself!

I Heart U Cozy Mug

vesselsandwares

Share the love! Let them know that you care, everyday.

This lovely mug is wheelthrown and hand-stamped then glazed a really gorgeous red.

6 Crocheted Valentine Chocolates. No Calories.

Lazymuse

What great way to share your love this Valentine's Day

- a guilt free, calorie free gift that will last forever!

Love Valentine Gift Tags Set of 6

BuncoBettys

Love! It's sparkly and soft and well...lovely!

Express your love perfectly with this set of 6 gift tags.

Cherry Heart Truffle

calabasascandyco

This shop has so many tasty delights that it was hard to choose just one, but here it is.

Dainty pink colored white chocolate hearts are drizzled with milk chocolate. Tucked inside is a delicious filling of chopped marachino cherries and creamy white chocolate! The filling is naturally colored with the cherry juice, yummy!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

May peace and joy

be with you

and yours during

the holiday season

Happy Holiday's to you and your loved ones.

Vacation Over...Back to Work

I've had my little vacation thanks to the Twilight Saga (huge sigh) now back to work.  I've started making soap again.  My holiday sales were pretty good. Much better than expected, so now it's time to restock the shelves and start getting ready for Valentines Day.  I know it's a bit early but it takes nearly 6 weeks for soap to cure, so I need to get started now.

I'm waiting for a shipment of fragrance oils, so I started with what I already have here. 

Since I keep a journal of all everybatch of soap that I make, I like to sketch my soaps and plan out the entire process from start to finish before I start a batch. That's why it frustrates me so much when a batch doesn't turn out exactly the way I envisioned it in my head.

This batch, scented with Patchouli essential oil, turned out to be a pretty close match. Yay!

Obsessed...

I'm terrible and I know it. I've been neglecting my blog. Why? Well after much persuasion from my sisters, I decided to pick up a book called Twilight.  I'm sure many of you have heard of it. In fact, I'm sure there aren't too many of you who haven't.  At any rate, Brandon and I  were sitting in the  Raleigh airport waiting for our flight to California by way of Newark for an ACN International Convention (WhooHoo!!, But, that's a story for another day). I knew we had a looong day ahead of us with 3 flights and 2 layovers, so of course I needed to get myself a book. 

I've already read the Dan Browns Secret Symbol.  Unfortunately, I haven't seen too many good reviews from my fellow Outlander fans about the most recent book so I settled on Twilight.  I'm not a fan of horror movies or books.  I don't even like vampires, but oh my goodness!  I've been bitten.  I LOVE this series.  I couldn't put it down. 

Even though we had a jam packed weekend at the convention, I still managed to get the book finished in time to purchase the next 2 books, New Moon and Eclipse, during the return trip home.  I sped throught those then purchased the final book Breaking Dawn.  It took me about a week to go through the entire saga.  When I was done of course I had to see the movies THEN I started reading the books again.  What's wrong with me?!  I'm totally obsessed. Team Edward all the way!!!