Soap Haul: Week of 19 May 2014 - part 2

Part two of my soaping haul for this week...

I have had a field day getting supplies ready and I am itching more and more to make soap and create something that has some substance and life, not just plain old boring, cream!

4 new silicone moulds have arrived from China. These are fairly small but I happy with the size, they are the same size as the other mould in the bamboo 'holder' that I won a few weeks ago in an auction package. By the way, I AM STILL SEEKING OLD LEGO, DUPLO OR THE LIKE...hint, hint!

I have also had a great colour haul  from Kinibug with glitter, micas and oxides. I do love it when I can get sample packs, especially as a newbie to the field so I can work out what I like and what I don't. I just wish I could get more fragrance sample packs like that. I can only find one supplier so far here in Australia.a

Also, I grabbed a tea strainer for my micas as I would love to make a soap that looks like lapis lazuli with beautiful gold pencil lines.

Last but not least, I learnt a good lesson... I have been searching in various major chain stores for small glass measuring cups, the one that are about the size of a shot glass. Nada, nothing, just the big stuff. Not what I wanted for FO's and EO's. So I went to a specialty homeware store and found them there for around $7. I really should have gone to the $2 store a few shops down (same place I got a HEAP of batter bowls with handles that are of a descent size - 3L). They had those little buggers for $1.50 each! Yep, grabbed some more. They are glass and you never know when you may drop one, or two...

Soapy hugs

Kayla

Soap Haul: Week of 19 May 2014 - part 1

First haul for the week with another to come! A huge Thanks to Kerry from Heirloom Bodycare for allowing me to slip in some last minute oils!

This haul contains some lovely mica samples along with the glitter I have been trying to locate in trustworthy format. Lilac and Dragons Blood FO's.  I really want to. Old ur my soaps with natural colors so I grabbed some alkanet root powder and FINALLY ordered charcoal! My last minute adds were macadamia oil (so hard to find in stores) and coconut oil as I didn't realize how much I would go through. I hope the other half doesn't kill me for using the good stuff? Oh well, he didn't like food cooked in it anyway!

Soapy hugs
Kayla

Love Spell All Cut!

They are all cut and I certainly I need to get the hang of the cutter! Sheesh, so many different sizes! These are all sitting on my kitchen window in the other house happily awaiting their first use.

Still searching for a name, may just stick with Love Spell. 

Hopefully the next batch will be a little more fancy!

Soapy hugs

Kayla 

Sneaky Soaping

As some of you may (or may not) know, I have been banned from making soap until we move. I have been trying to be good, even moved my soaping gear out of the current den of falling everything to the other home. I was good for about a week after moving my stuff over, but...

Let's interject with the graduate soap making course and the amazing scent of freshly made and cut soap sitting around airing itself until the day it can be used. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing by moving over my soaping gear from the current home to my new (old home) to remove the temptation to soap. Well, I could take no more and soaped today all by myself!  No watchful eyes, just me, the Lye and the oils. I know, I should have waited, but I couldn't. 

I currently have cooking, a simple batch of EVOO, coconut oil, palm oil, cocoa butter with the smallest amount of tussah silk, fragranced with Brambleberry's Love Spell (I had two x 10ml bottles). I have two brand new soap moulds being broken in and my new loaf cutter will get a workout tomorrow.

I did work out a few things for myself - need glass measuring jiggers, need a metal spoon to get out the harder butters/oils, I need to break down my cocoa butter as the chunks are still too large to melt easily, move the microwave to somewhere accessible and safe!

But, when all was said and done, I am pretty chuffed that I managed a new recipe all by myself, with no help, no assistance or me cracking wise ass comments...

So, what should I call this soap?

Soapy hugs

Kayla

For those wondering why I am using palm oil... It came as park of an auction that I won on Ebay a while ago. Rather than throwing out good ingredients, I would rather use it until it is gone.

Soap Stamp

Yep, there it is, the results of my new soap stamp from Etsy. It is a brass peacock. Down the track I would to be able to have this as a side business so my partner and I can start a family and at least have anther source of income if possible.

The name of my business is Black Peacock, not sure yet if soapery, soaps or beauty. The logo is yet to be designed but the thought is out there. It will also translate over into my Peacock Noir Bellydance so definitely will be getting a double use of that logo!

The soap was from my last soap course and not a full size so the stamp J U S T fits on the bar. It is a funnel swirl of the natural creamy colour of the batter and a very subtle lilac. I don't like over the top colours especially when it comes to naturally fragranced soap. This has EO's of ylang ylang, bergamot and grapefruit. It smells divine but still has another 3 weeks of curing time. I am intending on having my EO soaps coloured with natural colourants, FO soaps will be in stronger colours and the EO/FO blends...you get the picture.

Soap hugs

Kayla 

The Proof is in the.....Soap!

After our gallant efforts yesterday, as usual, I am itching to unmould and cut the soapy goodness from yesterday...and here they be! Not shown are my little grey salty lumps of surfacting exfoliation and the shaving soap which is under strict instruction to NEVER be cut and his lordship will use ALL of it straight out of the mould (aka plastic take away container).

Gelato

Funnel Swirl

Soapy hugs

Kayla

Graduate Soap Making Course & May the 4th Be With You...

Today was the graduate soap making course with Remington and Emmett. I love learning with these ladies, it is so much fun and they are an amazing wealth of knowledge. Theses ladies are my kind of crazy!

Back to the familiar workroom...

Batches already put to bed and what the heck are we making in those moulds?

Funnel swirl and colour choices...

Before mess...

During mess...

We've been playing with white powdery substances...

Funnel swirl, can't wait to see it after it has gelled and has been cut...

After mess...

Oooooh, little salty bars of goodness...

Post mess...

Nicki and Cheryl cleaning up our mess. There was a LOT of washing up.

Again, a huge thanks to Nicki and Cherly for a great day spent soaping, talking and laughing. Bring on August!

Soapy hugs

Kayla 

The Longest Two Day Wait Ever!

May the 4th be with you!

Yes, that is the day for my next soaping course and I am hanging for it as this will be my first Sunday off in weeks (working a normal job and renovating/moving on the other days constitutes work). I am looking forward to catching up with a friends' Mum, the chickens, the food, new friends and amazing hosts.

Now, I know that I am not supposed to soap until I move homes, BUUUUUUUTTTTT..... if I take my soaping stuff over now, I could  make soap when I am there... Only a couple of batches through as I only have 3 moulds and my days off are split with either 2 or 3  days in between and I want to be able to cut after 24hrs. I can be so impatient!

So here's to another 4 batches of soap on Sunday and some sneaky soap making in a couple of weeks!

Soapy hugs
Kayla