Some New Soaps and Some Tried and True Favorites!

Almond Cookie

Green Tea and Lavender

Apple Rose (New and so feminine)

Spearmint Eucalyptus (Bath and Body Works Type) Smells very manly!

Beer Soap with ground hops.

Magnolia and Orange Blossom. Is that a giant orange in the center? Nope, just partial gel phase was reached, but I think it adds to the beauty!

Back to more soap making. I have been having a blast making new soaps. I am trying to replenish stock rapidly so I can reopen my Etsy shop. I should have the shop up in running in about a month....darn curing time!

I have tried some new recipes, and materials, which is fun and frustrating. Some fragrance oils just don't behave! This wastes time and resources and can be heart breaking! I have learned how important it is to use reputable distributors who sell fragrance oils that have loads of reviews so you know what to expect. I like to be prepared and know what I am in for when I am making a soap......no seizing please! Also, I am not a fan of fragrance oils that turn my soap brown either!

Also, as you can see by the last photo I posted, my soap partially gelled. I actually like the result, but I know that soap makers know what really happened.

I have made a few soaps with beer recently. My husband Joe is a home brewer, so he was quite interested in this process. He provided me with some beer and ground hops. It was fun to make, but that soap heated up very fast. Even throwing it in the freezer did not stop in from going through gel phase. I am happy to report that I think this will be a lovely soap.

I have also started duplicating my favorite recipes from the past. I have selected soaps that were universally loved, so these will be my staples. They are: Almond Cookie, Green Tea and Lavender, Minty Fresh and Good Day Sunshine. I am pleased that I have been able to recreate them successfully.

New Year, New Soaps

Spearmint Eucalyptus Soap

Calendula Sunshine Soap

Amaretto Creme

Amaretto Creme

Citrus Bar

Happy 2013! I am really hoping this will be an amazing year. This year is off to a rough start for the Morris family, but I are so grateful for all our blessings. I have 2 amazingly smart and beautiful children and a loving and supportive husband, who also happens to be super cute and funny too.

I have started the new year making some soap as well. I have made some basics since I am out of colorants, but to be honest, most Oregonians like things "crunchy and natural," so I am taking this opportunity to use all natural ingredients. I made an all natural bar using spearmint and eucalyptus essential oils and coloring with ground parsley leaves for a color swirl. It smells divine!

I also made a bar with calendula petals. It looks too natural for my taste, as does the bar I made with orange, lemon and clary sage essential oils. It smells great, but looks almost too organic! Oregonians won't mind! In fact, they prefer a bar that looks this way, but I prefer a more polished bar.

I have to admit that I am in love with the Amaretto Creme bar. I accidentally used Macadamia Nut Oil instead of olive oil. I checked my soap recipe calculations after making this mistake, and it seems as though the bar will be fantastic, but this was a very expensive mistake to make as mac nut oil is a luxury oil and quite expensive.

I am eagerly awaiting a new order from Bramble Berry. They are now offering new natural Brazilian clays which I am so excited to try. Their fragrance called Sleigh Ride is also on super clearance. I combined Sleigh Ride with Almond fragrance oil to create one of my top sellers at the Christmas bazaar: Almond Cookie. I am also eager to make my other top seller again: a combo of Lavender Green Tea and Sensuous Sandalwood. I am eager to see if I can duplicate the same bars again. They were my favorite and I miss them!

I am including a few photos of my beloved family, who inspire me everyday. I love you guys!

Next post will feature my beer soaps!

My sweet Somerset Rose was sitting in my lap when I wrote this post. She asked me to take her photo, and here it is!