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!

Boutique Markets @ Hobart this weekend...

It's been a bit of a long haul, but we are finally counting down the days (and products left to make!) till the innaugural Boutique Markets in Hobart this weekend.
Am a bit excited as I haven't done a market in Hobart before so it will be interesting to see how my little range goes, plus I get to see an old friend, Rachael - organiser extraordinaire of the Boutique Markets who invited me.

Have been very busy making candles, soaps, soy melts and bath melts - just a few more bits and pieces to go.

Spent the better part of 4 hours today just labelling!

You really do have to love what you are doing - with handmade goods there really isn't a way to recoup all the labour time in your selling price. Otherwise they would be $20 bars of soap!

Still, I enjoy every batch and my house smells divine!

Hope to see you there.

Hobart Function Centre

Sunday 28th August

9am - 1pm

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.

Once more with feeling.....

Yep! It's that time again.... the St Giles Niche all wrapped up Market is coming up next weekend - Friday 27th and Saturday 28th August.

It's come around really quickly and I just hope that I haven't forgotten anything!

Just a little bit of labelling to do and I think I am ready to go. Having said that, I am already having dreams where I am late for setting up and am as far from ready as can be! Hmmmm...

Here's looking forward to lovely weather and a huge crowd!

On other news, I was very fortunate enough to pick up a new stockist locally. Very exciting!

The Tamar Visitor Centre at Exeter is a lovely space created by Karen Burnett and run with the help of a wonderful team of volunteers. As well as tourism information and bookings, Karen has stocked a great retail space of local goods and crafts and has been kind enough to give my little products a go.

Well worth a drop in when next you are in this area.

Soap on my mind....

Is it just me, or is there something seriously saucy and sumptuous about a big bowl of soap?!

I was taking some new shots of my products and just found myself getting caught up in the moment...

I'm hooked aren't I...........?

"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!

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.

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!!

birds of a feather...

Cloth to Creation

A friend from Brisbane put this gorgeous birdcage she had made for a friends birthday on her blog and it inspired me to find a few other feathery friends to show.....

That Vintage

The Purple Finch

Bespoke Press

**all pictures courtesy of artists websites/blogs**

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.......

new soap on the block...

Just a quick one to show what I have been up to of late. Since we are so hell bent on racing right into the new year as if Christmas never happened, it's been a challenge to find the time to just sit down and write a blog entry or two. Not to worry, am sure I will get back into the flow of things soon.

I have been wanting to get into whats known as Cold Process soap making for some time now. Our kitchen in our old house in Brisbane was so small I had no room and I am not totally sure why it has taken me so long to do this now I have the space here in Tassie - but last Wednesday I got myself a hankering and I made my first batch of soap complete from scratch!!

Cold Process is the age old way of making soap - combining a lye solution (caustic soda + water) with a fat or oil. Traditionally lard or tallow was used along with ashes from kitchen fires. But we have come a long way since then! Check out Erin from Inner Earth Soaps goodies here for an idea of some of the great possibilities!

I have always loved castille soap made from olive oil, so thats what I have made here. It can take a little longer to make and is quite a soft soap to work with, but I am looking forward to its awesome skin benefits when we start using it!

I have been wanting to make hand rolled soap balls for a while as well, so I have had a play with that and have even rolled some of them in poppyseeds to see how that goes. These ones might be good for say, a gardener, who needs a little more help with removing soil and grime.

I scented the batch with a dash of sultry Ylang Ylang, a splash of uplifting Bergamot and a squeeze of zesty Lime.

Now all I need to do is be patient for the 3-4 weeks it will take for the caustic to cure out and the soap to be safe to use! At the moment I still need to use gloves to handle the soaps.

I can see now how these kinds of hobbies can take over your spare room......then your house....then your life!!

Homespun

Just a quick blog to let everyone know I am doing one last market for the year. I'll be at the Civic Homespun Market this Saturday 12th from 10am till 3pm.

I'll be lucky enough to share a double stall with Isis (with her awesome journals) and a few friends, so we should have an interesting range of goods to offer.

If anyone else is like me and hasn't started on their Christmas shopping, with 2 weeks to go..... This is a great opportunity to pick up some very groovy, very different and very appreciated pressies!
Hope to see you there!
Pilgrim Hall, Paterson Street (opposite Myer Carpark), Launceston.

The Great Soap Giveaway....

Just a quick entry to let everyone know about a great giveaway that Erin from Inner Earth Soaps is currently doing.
If you are anything like me, a gorgeous handmade bar of soap is one of life's true pleasures and Erin is giving away a surprise package of soap once a month for 3 months to one lucky person!

Just click here for more info and best of luck!

Bespoke Letterpress Giveaway

This is a brilliant giveaway by the very generous folks at Bespoke. Bespoke produces the most exquisite hand made letterpress paperie and I have been savouring their blog for some time now like the quilty pleasure that it is!

When I came across this blog entry, I had to share (and not just because of the chance to score an amazing prize!), but also to support the work they are doing with emerging artists.

Earlier this year, Bespoke decided they wanted to be able to help launch young designers & illustrators. To be able to have to their work crafted on a vintage letterpress is a dream way beyond reach for most young designers.
So they opened the table for illustrators across the world to submit their work - The only rules were they must be emerging illustrators and they must produce a three colour illustration. See here for the results.

Some of my favourites are below:

So take a peek and see if there's anything that catches your eye.

It's been such a popular blog entry that there are 232 comments - takes you forever just to scroll through them all!

Nook

Back after a lovely warm weekend away in Brisbane (the weddding was lovely, thanks everyone who asked. The newlyweds are spending their honeymoon in Fiji - here's hoping the Tsunami warning didn't come to fruition where they are staying!).

While in Bris, I was lucky to meet Michelle who owns and runs a handmade designs store called 'Nook' in West End. It's only 6 weeks old, but already looking very much at home in this fairly understated, but hip and happening, suburb of Brisbane. Nook runs out of the front of Michelle and her partners home and they have done a great job with its presentation - there's even a rather tasty looking organic garden patch to wander by as you come through the front gate.

Nook already stocks That Vintage and Michelle stocks some of her felt goodies in our very own Ruby Pear!

Also part of the goodie hoard is Hot Toffee - it was great to see some of Nicole's work again.

Kind enough to let me sneak in before opening time - Michelle and I spoke about perhaps stocking some of my candles and melts. I've done up a Vanilla, Pomegranate & Black Currant Soy Candle and a White Tea & Ginger Soy Candle for her and will pull together some different melts for her to play with. I'd would be very proud to have my little candles in her store!

The only thing I am unhappy about is that it opened after I left Brisbane!

All pictures courtesy of Nook's blog