Custom Candles

I know our blog has been a little quiet this past year - our little business sanctum has been keeping me very busy and the year is flying by.
Having said that, we did manage to squeeze in some custom candles for Milkbar Cafe here in Launceson and for a regular candle buyer.
These first candles are all vanilla!  Our house smelled amazing when they were all made up!

I love the different shapes and forms of these candles - always fun working out how to fill them.
The Milkbar candles were all poured into vintage cups that one of the owners, Isis, had found.  Because of this and the fact they were going into a cafe for sale - we decided to go with 'traditional' cafe fragrances such as Vanilla, Hot Chocolate, Matcha Tea and Turkish Mocha.

I particularly like the Hot Chocolate ones - they almost look like the real thing!

what we've been up to today....

Today has been a candle making day.

I haven't done one of these for a little while - I often don't get the time to take a whole day out and just concentrate on the one thing.Most of these are to restock my little sanctum but I also started on the lovely Isis' order for her and her partners' new venture 'Milkbar' here in town. Find their blog here or their facebook page here.
The house smells like a dozen different fragances and they are all mixed up in my head now. I know them all so well, but I couldn't tell you which candle is which at the moment - maybe tomorrow when my nose has 'reset' itself!

Luscious Lips!

Our lovely Lip Balms are back in stock - delightfully ensconced in their Vintage Tins.

I don't have a good reason for not making them for so long, just that 'life' got in the way and the past year flew by!

I still adore these little tins with their different images on the lid - the only thing is that they may not be the tightest seal on a container, but keep them upright and you'll have no trouble from them. I often sell them with a small organza bag, that way folks can keep them safe and sound.

I made them in: Rose and Gold Mica, Vanilla, Peppermint & Lime and Mandarin Mimosa.

In store at sanctum now....

Oh, and I've managed to get hold of some more of the beautiful Moroccan Tea Glasses to make in to candles as well - I think I've got some different colours this time too!

just can't help myself......

It's an illness.... I'm sure of it...

I just can't help it..... I'm obsessed....

I swore I wouldn't.... but I did....

I bought more new fragrances!!!!!

It's partly Erin's from Inner Earth Soaps fault really - she was offering some fragrances she doesn't use anymore up for sale and led me to a whole new supplier I hadn't known about!

Based in Queensland Big Tree Supplies has a huge range of goodies for us soapers and candle makers to revel in.

So far I've bought:

Asian Pear & Lily - top notes of nashii pear, apple and leafy greens, middle notes of jasmine, lily of the valley and rose petals and finished with pear nectar, musk and peony blossoms

Green Apples - an amazing true Green Apple fragrance - tangy, sweet and delicious!!

Black Raspberry & Vanilla - delicious dark raspberries with warm vanilla - sweet, juicy and very moorish

Ginger Lime - warm, spicy ginger teamed with freshly squeezed lime

Manuka Honey & Lavender - freshly harvested lavender, with a hint of bergamot and a dash of manuka honey

Orchid Bouquet - a unique blend of fresh orchids, peony blossoms, water lily, aloe vera and bamboo

So now I have even more fragrances to play with for my candles and soaps.

Such fun.....

back in stock...

Our very popular Fragrant Reed Diffusers are back in stock at sanctum, after a sell out weekend at the last Niche market.

These guys have been a bit of a surprise hit at both the markets and in at sanctum.

Fair warning though folks, I've needed to increase the price from what I had them for as my suppliers have raised theirs as well.

Still for only $25.50, they are the perfect way to fragrance a space by simply setting them up and forgetting about them.

The one I have going in sanctum is still going as strong as ever, even after 6 months!

We have some great fragrances in like:

Honeysuckle Jasmine - a heady combination of these two florals

Peppermint & Eucalyptus - lovely fresh notes with hint of sweetness

Very Vanilla - a firm favourite for so many people

Mulberry Tree - fruity and perfect for freshening up a stuffy room

Frangipani - for those of us who are trying to hang onto summer

Plus more!

There are generally only one of each fragrance in stock, so get in quick!

Apologies for the 'spacey' blog entry, I seem be having trouble with either having too many or no spaces in the entries of late!!

new soaps on the block....

A few posts ago I mentioned a new soap I had batched up. It's been curing nicely these past few weeks so Ifinally got to take a few snaps of it to show.
I've actually done up a second batch since then and am just waiting on more ingredients to arrive (namely my coconut oil) and I will be right into making even more.
This first batch is a new fragrance - am loving citrus-sy fragrances right now so this one is Lemongrass, Ginger and Pink Grapefruit.
The fragrance has turned out really lovely. Of course the first thing that hits you is the zesty, herbaceous lemongrass then the warm tones of the ginger comes through with the pink grapefruit tying them togehter. Can't wait to get this one in the shower!
Instead of rolling the soap in to balls, as I've done in the past, I've sliced the batch into different sizes and shapes. The idea is to have a range of sizes and therefore prices for people to choose from.
I love big, chunky blocks of soap - but I have friends who prefer the thinner, rectangles. Each to their own.
This second soap is a fragrance combination I've done before, but again I've chopped instead of rolled.
This is my Red Tea and Linden Blossom soap. Such a wonderful fresh, green aroma! It sold really well as the soap balls, so I am hoping folks will take to the more rustic looking blocks.

They won't be cured in time for the Makers Market at Festivale, but I hope to have them ready for the next Niche Market (if I get accepted) and in sanctum. Am now starting to plan my next few batches of soap. Looking forward to seeing what I end up with.

soaking away the new year....

Welcome to the New Year!!!
It's hard to believe we have already started on 2011.
sanctum is open as of tomorrow and we already have appointments booked in for the upcoming week. Very exciting.
We are looking forward to the challenges that this year will bring.
Recieved the application for the next Niche market in April and also chatted to the folks running the Design Centre Market, during Festivale, about being part of that as well. So am already thinking on my little production line here at home.
Whipped up a double batch of Olive Oil soap yesterday - using Lemongrass, Pink Grapefruit and Ginger to fragrance it with. Very zesty and uplifting aroma's. Will post some pictures when I get it out of the mould.
Also made up some detox bath salts for a promotion I am running at sanctum. Along with a great value Massage Treatment pack, I will be giving a bath salts to each person that takes part in the promotion. See the sanctum blog for more info.
The salts are a blend of: Coarse Sea Salt; Milk Powder, Green and White Clays as well as; Lavender, Frankincense, Sweet Fennel and Lemon Myrtle Essential Oils.
It's quite a stimulating blend, so caution needs to be taken with any skin sensitivities or pregnant women.
The idea is to kickstart the body with a course of Massage and support this with the bath salts used at home.
Wouldn't mind doing it myself!

Tea for Two...

My house is smelling pretty amazing right now. As with many other soapy folk, I have a rather deep seated obsession with fragrances. My latest is called Linden Blossom.

From the awesome Bramble Berry fragrance range - it has this amazing sweetness to it that blends citrus notes with the Linden Blossom and light florals as well. Mmmmmm..

Now.... what to team it with....?

Well to be honest, this pairing came together simply because of the name.

Red Tea and Linden Blossom

Rolls off the tongue quite nicely doesn't it?

So off I went to my local wholefoods store, bought myself some beautiful Rooibos (Red Tea) loose leaves and away we went.

Instead of using filtered water for my lye solution, I used the infusion of red tea. It started off this amazing russet red colour and I didn't think to add any other colourants to the batch. As it has cured, it's become a lovely soft cream. To give it a little 'zing' I dabbed dried red tea leaves onto each soap ball. What do you think?

soaking my troubles away...

How exciting it is to create something new....

I've been wanting to do something like this for awhile - ever since I first found something similar at Lush in Brisbane.

These are Bath Melts - they work on the same principle as Bath Bombs, as in you pop them into your bath water and they 'melt' away.

I finally found a recipe that I could tweak and be happy with. I am pretty darn pleased with how they have turned out - especially after the obligatory home trial.

Ahhh.... toasty bath.... candlelight....glass of wine..... Mmmmmmm.....

Jammed packed full of cocoa and shea butters, olive and vitamin E oils, sea salt and lavender essential oil - these left my skin feeling super soft and yummy!

Great for these winter months when your skin just can't seem to keep the moisture in. Half a melt does a good sized bath so they are pretty economical too.

I plan on introducing them at the next Niche Market in August, but if anyone is keen to try beforehand, just let me know.

Bliss.....

"Won't that make your face go black...?"

This was the comment from the lady in the wholefoods store, when she found out what I wanted to use the charcoal powder I was buying for.

Soap.... yep, soap!

I would like to go on the record as saying, I didn't pilfer the charcoal from our open fireplace or from the last crumpet that didn't survive the toasters' ministrations - this is 'activated' charcoal and is used quite widely as an internal supplement in the natural therapy industry. Charcoal has amazing absorbant properties - ie, if you have swallowed something you shouldn't have, charcoal will absorb the nasty stuff and carry it out of the body. It is also present in 90% of our water filters.

Externally, charcoal acts as a gentle, but effective excess oil remover and helps to purify and exfoliate the skin. Teamed with Australian Tea Tree, Lavender and a spash of Lime and you got yourself one heck of a cleaner that even the boys will love!

This will be a good soap for anyone with problematic or oily skin - people who suffer conditions such as acne would benefit from using a soap like this as well as any grubby hubby's!

I love the colour contrasts between the black/grey and the white - can't wait for them to cure so I can try one!!

This is a batch that didn't make it.

I used organic honey throughout the mix and then got a bit creative and threw in some bee pollen granules at the end (thought it might make an interesting texture and colour contrast). It was not to be! A few minutes after pouring into the mould, I came across a gooey, sticky, jelly, bubbling, overcooked mess! Hmmm.... back to the drawing board!

Love in the 'Round'....

Ever done a victory dance in your kitchen? I have... last week in fact...

After spending, on average, up to 4 hours straight stirring soap batters, waiting for them to emulsify together enough to pour into a mould, I tweaked the recipe using different oils and voila!, I now have it down to 45 minutes total!!!! WAHOO!

Hubby walked in on me wiggling my way around the kitchen in soap maker joy, shook his head and walked out again. Some people just can't appreciate a good saponification when they see it...

So, armed with this new, improved recipe, I have been making more and more soap batches and playing with colours.

These are my Vanilla Rose soap balls, but instead of rolling them in rose petals, I swirled pink clay throughout the batter so you get patches of colour and plain white. I'm quite happy with these for my first try.

These ones are a new soap, but an old favourite fragrance - White Tea & Ginger. This time I used a yellow oxide (won't 'bleed') against the white - what I hope to happen, is that as the soap cures, it fades to a stronger white colour and the yellow areas will stand out more and more as times goes by.

On a completely random tangent, but still with the 'round' theme.. this is a dandelion (I think!) that's growing in our back garden. It just looked so perfect that I had to get a few piccies!

rebatch...remill...reuse...revive....

I had made up a batch of Ylang Ylang, Bergamot and Lime olive oil soap a few weeks ago (ignore the pineapple people, it's got nothing to do with this!) - unfortunately I didn't think the aroma came across strongly enough to grab peoples attention.
So I decided to try my hand at 'remilling' the soap so I could add more essential oils.
This can be done to help 'salvage' poorly cured soaps or even on purpose (heard of triple milled soap?) to refine the texture of the soap to make it smoother and lusher.
The good news is it's pretty easy to do.... the bad news is you've got to get out the cheese grater and elbow grease!

The soap balls grated down really easily, and it was interesting to find that my right arm was a wimp compared to my left! I think I got through 3 balls with my right before it cried 'uncle' but 13 with my left and it was still raring to go! Must be my past life in hospitality coming back - all those plates I carried!

Will have to see how they turn out when I roll them (again!). For some more information about 'rebatching' check out Inner Earth Soaps blog entry here.

Wrapping things up....

Have been wanting to get around to this for awhile - especially since I started making the hand rolled Olive Oil soaps.

Thinking of the best way to present and package the soaps, I wanted to keep it in the 'rustic' theme - the soaps are not perfectly round or even, so I didn't think the packaging should be ultra 'glam' either.

Muslin..... how simple it that?!

It also means the soaps can continue to air out and customers can easily smell the fragrances as well.

Thanks goodness that muslin is really cheap to buy - the only fun is cutting out all the squares!!!

Still curing are the Orange and Sandalwood soaps and a second batch of the Ylang Ylang, Bergamot and Lime soaps.

I''ve been playing with the recipe as well and have also done up a batch using a portion of coconut oil in with the olive. That batch is another Lavender and Geranium too. Just rolled them today in lavender flowers - can't wait till I can start trying them all!

Bubba-licious Orange Balls of Fun!

Yep.... these are my latest soap 'play', Orange and Sandalwood Olive Oil soap balls.

It's been quite therapeutic to sit down at the table and just roll away - I still need to wear gloves as the caustic hasn't yet cured out of the soap, but it's always exciting when you see the batch starting to come together.

Next time I might have a play with adding a dash of orange colour somehow, perhaps even using fresh orange juice in the base? It was a bit of a challenge to get the orange segments to stick securely, and I will wait and see if any 'pop off' as they dry out! Ahh.... live and learn.....

Who knows? It's all fun and I am happy to see how each batch I make up turns out.

Sunday in Tasmania...

What do you do when you've got a few hours free on an autumn Sunday in Tasmania??
You make soap of course!!

I whipped up a new batch of cold process Olive Oil soap - this time I have scented it with Sweet Orange essential oil, Australian Sandalwood essential oil and a Vanilla infused oil. I hope the soft, citrus aroma lasts for me. Might need to put more in next time..... we'll see.

Thinking of how to add some 'jazz' to the soap balls when I roll them, I decided to oven dry slices of fresh orange and I will quarter them up, I think, and press one into each of the finished balls.

Hmmm... will keep you posted....

melt my heart.....

I have to say I am having some trouble keeping up with this year (and my emails, and my mobile messages, and my blog!!!!!!), but I have managed to squeeze out a new version of my very popular fragrant soy melts.

I have been making little individual melts for markets and will continue to make these as people can mix and match to their hearts content, but I feel these guys will make it easier for any retail outlets to sell and display.

I have also scored some yummy new fragrances (it's like an addiction I tell you!!), that I can't wait to try out at the markets and get some feedback.

Lavender Vanilla: an earthy, musky blend of herbal Lavender flowers teamed with the soft overtones of Vanilla. A soft, subtle fragrance, that reminds me of an old fashioned linen cupboard with crisp, starched linen and the aroma of yesterdays.
Mulberry Tree: a fruity, berry blend with cherries, apples, peaches, strawberries and tangerines, and a hint of vanilla. You can almost see the purple mulberry stains on your fingers!

Lime Spritzer: this tropical citrus and fruit blend begins with notes of tart lime, refreshing orange and crisp apple. The fruity floral heart is a rose and black currant fading to a sweet vanilla plum.

I've made up some of the new melts with these fragrances but haven't had a chance to do too much else.

I am back at the Civic Homespun Markets this Saturday (13th) from 10am till 3pm and am looking forward to catching up with the other stall holders and chatting to the people coming through.

See you there!!

moroccan magic....

This is a new version of my old fave, Moroccan Rhassoul Goat Milk soap.

Flashied up a bit for the Design Centre's Makers Market this weekend, I've layered it in two pours and added a touch of glamour with a seam of Gold Mica through the middle!

With all the bars together, the log looks like a big latte or a hot chocolate!! Mmmmmm.......