Skip to main content

Makeover in Progress (and a Soap)

 I've come to the realization that this soaping thing is getting Very Serious, and I am in need of more space.  My work table is becoming more of a storage table and my actual work space is getting smaller every day.  I'm not the only one that noticed.  Lookee at what the Mister did in my soap room this week!
a coat closet that has held totes of cake pans for several years


Ta-Da!

I'm still arranging and re-arranging everything and filling up my new shelves. I've heard rumors of another shelf project and I plan on repainting the room so it should fit my needs better and look great for my upcoming year of soaping!

And finally, one of my last batches of the year, newly cured.  It's scented with China Rain and I only have a couple of bars left--most of them were spoken for when I made it.

Comments

  1. Amy, I have learned that the space for soaping is never enough! I have taken over a whole bedroom and organize it at least twice a month. I may sleep on the floor of my studio while my son sleeps in his room but I wouldn't have it any other way!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hee-hee! You are SO right Melissa! I've already taken over the downstairs kitchen (my soap room) and two closets around the house. And I've really tried hard to be careful about what I buy, knowing I have to store it. But I wouldn't have it any other way, either!

    ReplyDelete
  3. How exciting to get shelves and have your own special spaces for everything! Your China Rain soap is beautiful xxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. It IS exciting to be able to expand (and fill up my new shelves)! ;D

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My plans for 2019...

...also known as A Loose Idea of How I Imagine the Year Will Go. (Because who actually has things go as predicted? Not this girl.) I started selling at the Monroe farmer's market way back in 2012. That first year I was at the market every Wednesday afternoon. By the next year I was going both days a week--Wednesday and Saturday--and continued to be a "full-time" vendor for several years. In 2018, I decided to slow down. I had to, actually, because I had so many "life" things that needed my attention as well as a number of family commitments that fell during market hours. For someone that once rarely missed a day in a 50+ market season, vending even once a month became hard to fit in. After a lot of recent thought, I've decided not to stretch myself as far as I've done these last few years. I know for sure I won't be vending at any of the indoor market dates through April. But beyond that, all my markets and show dates for 2019 are to be dete...

Soaping with Madder

I know that any color added to soap can morph into a surprise, but there is an added element of unknown when using botanicals to color my soap.  Some people jump out of planes or ski off mountains, but this is how I live on the edge these days.  Hmm.  If I weren't having so much fun, I'd be embarrassed. I recently had my first go with madder.  So....whatsa madder?  It's a root--the root of the madder. Ahem. (I love puns...) I infused 8 oz. of olive oil with 2 t. madder root powder for almost a week.  This amount worked out to be 20% of the oils in my batch. I wanted something in the way of embeds to add visual interest.   I dearly love my soap balls but I don't want to over do a good thing.  I've recently done square-shaped embeds, so this time I cut a bar of white soap into slices. I panicked a little that it wouldn't get dark enough--it was kind of a dusty peach--so I added 1/4 t. dried powder right before pouring. Madder powd...

Loofah--from vine to soap

If you've followed my blog for a long time, you've already seen a post on one of my favorite things to grow--loofah, but I think it's time for another one.  People are often surprised when they learn that loofahs are grown.  No, a loofah isn't a sea sponge, but the mature "skeleton" of a zucchini-like plant.  Everyone knows they are good for the bath but they also make great natural pan scrubbers in the kitchen.  They are so popular that I have to remember to tuck away any that I want to keep myself. I raise three or four plants every year.  Like a zucchini or a cucumber, it likes to spread out with little regard to another plant's personal space.  Here is last year's crop. Early in the summer, the loofahs remained neatly on the trellis: But then they wandered over to the basil: Cozied among the tomatillos: And hung out with the butternut squash: Harvest time was a regular treasure hunt.  But I ended up with about 20 loofahs fr...