Spring and Summer 2021 Soaps--while they last!

Hello all!

Just a quick post to let you know of my latest soaps. I haven't stocked any of my stores with them yet, so you have the chance to snag them first!

Anyway, here's the link to my Etsy store, 10th Ave Shop. and as always, orders over $35 ship free.

I also wanted to give you a heads up that I've been contemplating some changes after 12 years of my little soap business and I hope to implement them this fall. I'm still working on the details but I'll likely be discontinuing a number of fragrances, so get them while you can.

Thanks and stay tuned for more soaps and fragrances this summer!

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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 powder can get a little

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

Soap Challenge--Piping

I'm jumping into Amy W's soap challenge here in week 3--piping soap. I chose to make a version of a batch I made last year--my Sweet Pea scented soap. It was really popular for me last summer so why mess with a success? Some soapers assume that piping soap means that it must be whipped, but it's not necessary to whip it first. When I don't want the whipped look (or more frequently, don't want to clean beaters) I just let it sit until it thickens up on its own. (By the way, don't you adore these itty-bitty dishes? I just bought them a few weeks ago. A set of four cost $1 at the Dollar Tree!) I used a Wilton tip #3 to make the little squiggles. I added tip #103 sweet peas and made leaves with a # 352 tip. One thing I love about piping soap....it never leaves even a trace of ash to spoil the design. And then I took lots of pictures (it was a rather photogenic batch). Here are a few-- These will be cured enough to have them at t

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