Autumn Spice

One of my favourite essential oil blends... this creamy-lathered, long-lasting soap has a hint of cinnamon and cloves but also quite a strong earthy note. All my soaps are 100% vegan, scented only with essential oils, and contain no artificial colouring or fragrances.  

Soap and Such

I've been soap-making again.  

The sights and smells of the soap process are my favourite part of this hobby-turned-pocketmoney-making venture.  Watching the saponifying cloud spread as I add the lye water to the hot oils and butters; then stirring, blending, seeing the completeness as the soap mixture arrives at the legendary, pudding-like "trace" is so satisfying.  I love the scents of cocoa and shea butters, and all the essential oils, but I also appreciate the tangy smell of the lye as it blends with the oils, and together they become "soap".

This is not your typical moneymaking craft project, something you can sell and make a small profit from easily.  I use good quality oils, butters, and essential oils, and they're not inexpensive! I'm hoping to at least recompense myself for what I've spent on soaping supplies this year at a semi-local craft fair in December. 

Because, of course, we use the soap I make.  Every once in a while a few bars go away as a gift, but usually every single bar is eventually put into use in this household.  

I've never sold soap on any measurable scale before, and I'm a bit daunted by all the insurance discussions on my online cold process soap-makers group. Should I word some type of disclaimer for the less discerning, or trust customers to make their own decisions about the soap they buy?  Every recipe has been in effect tested by us, as it's the soap we use daily.  Recipes that dry our skin or go soft too quickly are in my "tried but not our favourite" notes.

The craft fair will take place in four weeks, so my last few batches will be underway this week as they'll have time to cure properly before they're ready to sell.  And hopefully, I'll catch the time I need online to blog more about this latest venture.

Olive Palm Soap

This was a quiet evening of soap-making --very necessary, too-- as our last bar is rapidly vanishing in the downstairs' toilet's "soap-shell".  

My friend Becky, inspired to make her own cold-process soap, came round to watch the entire procedure.  

I tried a new recipe: "Olive Palm Soap" from Anne Watson's inimitable book Smart Soapmaking.

I used patchouli, sweet orange, clove, cinnamon, and sage essential oils to scent this soap.  It's deliciously spicy, with an olive bite.  I'm guessing that the tang will soften in time, as this is one of those soaps that needs to ripen for a while before being used. My two favourite recipes so far from Smart Soapmaking, "Anne's Longer-Lasting Soap" [cocoa butter, avocado butter, palm oil, coconut oil, and shea butter] and "Anne's Shea Butter Supreme" [coconut oil, olive oil, and shea butter] have been ready to use right away and I've never left them to dry out for a few weeks before trying.

Becky and I discussed the possibility of making milk soaps.  I looked up Anne Watson again, and sure enough, she's been there already!  Her book, Milk Soapmaking, is now on my Amazon wish list.

"Mummy, take a picture of me with the soap!"

Handmade Christmas

A peek into 2011 Christmas cookie madness

After a decade of baking piles of cookies at Christmas, I decided to take a break from them this year.  As much as I love trying to beat my own records of how many cookies I've made in previous years, it was time for something new.

Two years ago, I invested in soap and candle making supplies with the intention of making soap and candles as Christmas gifts. However, Christmas cookies took precedence and I didn't have time for anything else, and the same scenario was repeated the year after!

I decided this year was going to be different, and scratched "Christmas cookie making" off my holiday "to do" list.

I started making cold-process soap in the spring, and we've enjoyed using it throughout this year.  A few extra autumn batches were enough to use for gifting.

The unused candle supplies were tempting me, too, especially after my friend Katy gave me a homemade candle for my birthday.  I decided to completely scrap Christmas cookie-giving this year, and instead pour all my creative energies into candles, soap, and lip balm. Eventually homemade granola was added to the list of "giftables". After finishing eighteen container candles, two batches of soap, three of lip balm, and five of granola... I was ready to drop, but it was worth it!

The usual round of holiday sewing included "dress-up" bags for all four kids. These have been in the works for a while, but Christmas giving was the impetus I needed to complete them.  They are large enough to contain the boys' wooden swords and bows, close with a drawstring, and have a strong loop to use for a handle or for hanging them from a hook. The boys' bags are sewn from Ikea Tidny black on white fabric and can be coloured in with Sharpies to personalise. Coo's bag is bright and cheerful Fredrika, at £4 per metre great value for money.

When Coo asked for "my own tiny bunting" for Christmas, I could not refuse.  It was the smallest string of bunting I've made yet, and she was over the moon about it.

Using the Soap Mould

A beautiful, untreated pine soap mould was my birthday present from Dan.

And the first time I've used it?  Tonight, for a recipe I've not tried yet until now: a blend of coconut oil, palm oil, avocado butter, cocoa butter, and shea butter.  Fragranced with woody patchouli, sharp sage, flowery lavender, warm clove and spicy cinnamon essential oils, this batch smells deliciously and distinctly Christmasy.

I chatted with Dan's mum, put Coo in her bed, and had a short pause to make a cup of coffee to drink halfway through, but managed to combine the lye solution and the melted fat without the aid of my digital thermometer, which died a watery death when I dropped it into dishwater last week.  Instead, my old-fashioned candy thermometer worked just as well --better, even!

Soap-making = addictive.  Who knew? But I guess I could have chosen worse things to become addicted to!

The windows are frosty with cold, the sky is clear and well-lit by a bright moon, and the Christmas tree casts a relaxing, warm glow around me as I sit here in our silent lounge, writing.

The satisfying thought of fresh soap saponifying and cooling in the new soap mould just makes the evening perfect; and now the news of a royal baby on the way, too!  I think it will be a girl; but we shall see...

Homemade Candles

After two years of storing candle-making supplies, I finally worked my way through enough of the other projects on my creative bucket list to justify using them!

With caution, as Coo was working on her own paper doll project nearby, I melted soy wax flakes in a double boiler over a low heat.  "Double boiler", in my case, is a stainless steel pot filled with water and a stainless steel bowl fitted over it.  While the wax melted, I hot-glued pre-tabbed wicks to the bases of glass jam jars, using the tube part of a dismantled ball point pen to stabilise them.  Then I clipped each wick end with a clothes peg and balanced it on the jar opening to ensure the wick stayed straight.  These prepared jars were placed inside the oven on its lowest heat setting to warm.

When the wax had finished melting, I checked the temperature [150-180F is apparently best] and stirred in the fragrance oil, about 3ml of fragrance per 100g wax flakes.  The molten wax poured as easily as water into the hot jars.  I checked the steadiness of the wicks and set the candles aside to cool.

Five hours later, I re-heated a small amount of remaining wax to 180F and poured a thin layer into each cooled candle.  The next morning, the candles were completely solidified and smelled delicious!

Later, I re-read for the umpteenth time an account of 1850's candle-making in Laura Ingalls Wilder's book, Farmer Boy. Almanzo's mother didn't purchase her candle-making supplies on eBay or Amazon.  All the ingredients for her dipped candles, which were necessities, came from their farm and were fully sustainable.  

As much as I've loved these forays into homemade soap and candle making, I can't help but think that I'm hardly homesteading it!  

However, Coo is here with me, busily colouring and cutting out her own paper doll clothes as I write while the candles are solidifying.  Her paper dolls have tons of clothes and hats and accessories.  But she is not satisfied, and insists on creating her own clothes for the dolls.  

And I realise that she soaks up the "make-it-yourself" philosophy as we work together, me on candles and she on paper doll clothes, just as I did myself many years ago with my own mother.

If you enjoy reading about DIY, making do, homemade and handmade, click below to visit Red and Honey, and view links for a community of bloggers who post about their greener solutions every Thursday.

{All of my candle supplies apart from the soy wax were purchased from eBay shop Candles and Aromatics.  The eco soy container wax came from eBay seller Torbay Supplies, and although I initially bought it in smaller amounts of one kilo, it's much cheaper in the long run to fork out a bit of extra money and buy a box of ten kilograms!]

More Soap-making

Another month, another batch of soap.  This is my fourth session of soap-making this year, so far.

I'm still using recipes from Smart Soapmaking, by Anne L Watson.  Tonight, it was the "All-Veggie Grocery Store 1", mainly because it uses only olive and coconut oils, of which I have plenty.  It felt a bit like Christmas when, before tea this evening, I discovered a little stash of unrefined coconut oil and extra-virgin olive oil in my under-the-stairs cupboard.  They had fallen behind my box of soap supplies and were overlooked during my last two soap-making endeavours.  

This soap turned out great, as usual.  Anne Watson's recipes just don't seem to fail, so far.  I am learning to read the signs of the soap changing instead of continually checking the thermometer as I work, and find it easier each time to complete the soap without going over the instructions again, particularly around the initially tricky lye-mixing step! This latest batch was scented with equal amounts of patchouli and lavender essential oils. I love that addition of earthy patchouli; the floweriness of lavender on its own is too sweet for me.

I need more shea butter for the next batch of soap, and a few more essential oils.  A soap mould would be nice, too, as the cardboard box I've been using is starting to show signs of wearing out.  I've added a wooden mould especially for cold-process soap to my Amazon wish list, so we shall see!

I'm meeting up with other crafting friends soon for a craft afternoon, one I've been attending regularly.  Originally, I meant to take along my sewing machine, but instead I'll be working on our family's Christmas cards.  I've been sending cards with enclosed family photos for the last ten years, mainly for the benefit of faraway family and friends.  Most years, I've purchased cards, but for a handful of crazy Christmases, I've made them.  It's a bit like giving birth.  You forget about the intensity of it until you go through it again. So yes, this year I'm making cards. In spite of the work, it is satisfying to see the result and know that somewhere in the world, loved ones who aren't able to connect with us often will be appreciating those handmade cards and photos.

Since I've been going on about all this homemade stuff, check out more eco-friendly ideas from Beth, one of the hostesses of Your Green Resource.  She's gathering plenty of great links from other bloggers centring around real food recipes, upcycled and repurposed projects, organic gardening, thrifty solutions, and natural/green DIY.  If you share any of these interests, you'll love this concentration of information from other bloggers.

Reading Corner

There are many library memories hidden away in the recesses of my mind, but this one is so vague that it's tricky.  I might have dreamed it, or day-dreamed it, or wished it.  Anyhow, I am recalling a library corner that had a round wicker basket of toys and some of those large soft cube-shaped cushions.  I remember sitting in this corner holding a beginner's reader called Owl at Home, by Arnold Lobel;  I'm not sure if I'm actually reading it in the memory or just looking at the pictures.

I love the idea of a reading corner.  There's something so cosy about a place of comfort set aside just for reading.  It's the furthest from reality for me, nowadays, when I'm reading.  

For instance, today I finished Crazy Love, by Francis Chan.  It was on my to-read list here, ages ago, so I'm excited that I've finally finished something from this list!  So, I'm finishing up this book and playing with Coo and the ancient Fisher Price Little People at the same time.  The floor is cold and hard, and there is a clattering of background noise from the three boys, who are playing football in the hall.  I'm reading quickly, but every minute or so, I zoom the red motorbike across the floor towards Coo, and make Little People walk around, or fall over.  She loves it and doesn't seem to notice the book in my hand.  Probably because she's used to it.  And she loves books herself.  If we don't follow our morning, post-naptime, and evening reading rituals, Coo always protests firmly.

I'm thinking of creating a proper reading corner, though.  A cosy one, with cushions and comfort.  We could also use it as a quiet thinking spot.  Oooh... inspiration!  A quiet thinking spot in our home would be quite a feat!

Tonight, my plans included letter writing to grandparents and the construction of a concise, organised poster detailing specific daily jobs for the miniature adults in our house.  However, after thirteen hours of non-stop activity with those very same miniature adults, I'm enjoying some unstructured time.  I've been playing with a soap calculator, trying to settle on a combination of soap ingredients that I'm happy with.  Now, I'm finally off to write some letters.  

And of course, start a new book.