Problematic weather patterns....

Finished a batch of vegetable glycerine soaps of the other week and have been waiting for them to cure. Unfortunately, this is one of the problems you can have when you make your own soaps....

It's called 'beading', 'sweating' or 'just plain annoying'!!

Often it happens when too much moisture is lost when making the batch (overheating or not enough added into the mix). This time it's actually due to the hot and humid weather we are having here in Brisbane at the moment.

Sometimes you can get away with no troubles whatsoever, but other times......

Best case scenario, the beading is not bad (or fatal) and you can salvage the batch... worst case, the beading ruins the entire batch and you either rebatch or start from scratch.

Introducing Hot Toffee + Peg & Kate

Just come back from the Melbourne Cup version of the Designers Emporium Markets (bit quiet) but got to chat to some of the other awesome stallholders, so not a loss at all!

Two of the talented folks are Nicole from 'Hot Toffee' and Cathy from 'Peg & Kate'.

Hot Toffee (http://www.hottoffee.com.au/) is an amazing collection of fired glass jewellery inspired by Japanese Art and Design and influenced by Australian Beaches. They are wonderfully colourful and quite intricate when you get to look at her pieces up close.

Working from her home studio west of Brisbane, Nicole creates little pieces of art, that you can wear!

She has stockists throughout Australia - in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales as well as Queensland. She has just joined us at Designers Emporium Markets and is wonderful company!

Peg & Kate (http://www.pegandkate.com.au/) has been created by the lovely Cathy ('Peg' was her Grandmother, no longer with us and 'Kate' was a nickname she used to call Cathy - much to Cathy's mothers dismay!).

Cathy hand sews these great rolls for childrens colouring in pencils, chair bags, book covers and also sells the best colouring in pencils (Lyra) that make me want to sit down and colour in all day!

Her kits are very popular and she is doing well at the Markets with the littlies.

Her daughter, Rose often comes along to different markets with her - but I believe Rose likes to see what other stalls are doing and is very good at borrowing money from Mum to buy lots of goodies!

Thats what I am finding is one of the best things about doing markets - the people you meet. What a clever and friendly bunch of people. Now I just need to make some money so I can buy all the lovely things from other peoples stalls!

The Markets hit TV!

Just got a call from one of the lovely ladies who organises the Designers Emporium Markets - we are doing a Melborne Cup special market tomorrow - she let me know that the local Brisbane television show, 'Extra', from Channel 7 will be coming along as well to shoot footage of us all.

'Very exciting' was my first thought, followed very quickly by, 'what does one wear for their first television outing?!'. Actually, my second... the first was a TV ad for a spa I once worked at!

I beleive they are doing a special on Christmas Markets around town, so fingers crossed it will mean a rise in business for us all, as the past few weeks have been a little quiet.

I am in the process of making up another batch of one of my favourite soaps - the 'resting woman' soap.


I fell in love with the picture of the mould from one of my suppliers and she is even more lovely in the 'flesh'. I chose to scent her with beautiful Ylang Ylang, Lime and Bergamot essential oils and colour her a soft, pale green. Just sublime!
As much as I would love to have her out for all the world to see, I package her in a clear bag for her own protection, but have a small sample soap for people to smell available.
I don't usually go for moulded soaps, but she is one exception.
I hope others love her as much as I do!
Ciao for now!

Annie