Lavendine

It seems I can't stop soaping at the moment, must be the beautiful spring weather! People keep asking me for single scent soaps at craft fairs, so I made a lavender soap today. I have to admit that I much prefer blending essential oils, it is so very fascinating, but I don't mind making a few with just one essential oil. Rose geranium next, yum, I love that gorgeous fragrance, so I am quite looking forward to making that one. Now, what other essential oils would be good for a single scent bar? It is really difficult for me to pick just one essential oil, I just wanna grab a few of my bottles and blend, blend, blend.

As I couldn't be creative with the scent, I decided to be creative with the look, blended the colours ( blue, pink and purple UMs ) to produce a (hopefully ) lavender colour, and used plain shredded soap to liven things up a bit as well. Fingers crossed, I hope it turns out ok.

Here is the Lavendine soap, just poured. It is now sleeping under its blanket, and I have to practice being patient again, sigh, I suppose there is no way I can unmould it until tomorrow.

Midnight flower garden

I found this absolutely gorgeous vintage necklace the other day at a boot fair. The beads are firepolished AB crystals in a very dark blue, and they sparkle like crazy. I couldn't bring myself to take it apart and use the beads for something else, so I decided to embellish it with lucite flowers and leaves. It is one of my favourites so far.

Heaven or Hell?

Well, you have probably realised by now that I am MILDLY interested in beads, BEADS, sigh, those glorious, smooth, tactile, shiny, tiny little things which come in hundreds and hundreds of beautiful and totally irresistible colours. It was a lovely morning yesterday, so hubby and youngest son accompanied me ( somewhat under protest, and only with the promise of the pub afterwards to make it more palatable ) to a boot fair. I had my usual slow womble through, picking up an old necklace here and there for "recycling" and thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere. All was well until, nearly at the end of the womble, I came across a stall which made me gasp............. BEADS!! Glorious beads, hundreds of packets of beads in all the colours of the rainbow, and in all shapes and sizes! They had come from the workshop of a professional beader, who had worked on dresses for the stars for many many years.

It was heaven for a while, picking up bags and studying the contents, rummaging through boxes, piling up goodies which just had to be bought. The stall holder very thoughtfully provided me with a tray when my hands couldn't hold my treasures any longer, lol. And then I began to realise it wasn't heaven after all, it was sheer hell, because I had to leave so many gorgeous beads behind!!! I was very strict with myself and had set myself a limit on how much I would spend, so I constantly had to make heart wrenching decisions which baggie to put down again, because I had just found an absolute must-have. But in the end, I did walk away with a lovely stash of seed and bugle beads and a HUGE grin on my face. So here they are, in all their glory, I would say that was a fiver well spent ( and I am not trying to wind up JJ, honestly!!! )

Amelie's secret revealed

Being the very patient person that I am, ahem, I actually lasted til about 6.30am this morning, but that was it, I just had to cut the soap to find out whether it was anywhere near what I was hoping for, before I set off to do the Craft Fair. I was pleasantly surprised, it is not far off what I had imagined, I am really quite pleased with the look. I had hoped for something similar to the crackle effect of the Mignonette soap, and it worked out well, the kind of crackle seems to surround the soap shreds in the blue. Also, the shade of blue is pretty much what I was hoping for as well.




The Fair went really well, but I have some serious soapmaking to do this week to restock, I almost sold out of at least 4 different soaps and most of the others are running quite low as well.
The "Lovliest Customer of the Day Award " has to go to a gentleman who stopped at the stand with his lady wife(?) and spent, oh probably half an hour, very enthusiastically sniffing his way through all the soaps, back and forth, and making the most wonderful comments. I have never seen a guy so happy to sniff soaps, and chatting with him was so much fun. He walked away very happy with with soap purchases. The nicest thing about doing a craft fair, or market for that matter, is that you can actually talk to your customers and explain about your soaps etc., and it makes me feel so good when people show a real interest in how soaps or serums are made, and what the various ingredients do etc.

Amelie's Secret

Spring is most definitely in the air and seems to have done a good job of getting me off my butt and soaping again. Two soaps in two days, woohoo! And another one already planned out for Monday ( would do it tomorrow, but I am doing an Easter Fair ). This one is called Amelie and does indeed harbour a little secret, but you ( and I, dangnabit ) will have to wait until tomorrow evening before I can reveal it. Maybe even longer, as I didn't reduce the water amount. I HATE WAITING, WAAHHH. And this one I am really curious about, I so wanna get it out of the mould and cut ASAP!


PS - I have been such a good girl, haven't touched any beads!!! Well, might have touched some, cos they are smooooooooooth and shiny, and luverly, but haven't spent ages making anything, so there.

Spring has sprung.......

the grass has ris,
I wonder where them oilies is

teeheee

The lovely sunshine this morning had motivated me to make soap today. It had to be a new batch of Clementine, of course, a) because of the gorgeous sunshine yellow colour and fresh citrus scent, and b) because it is almost sold out, I only have one bar left!

This is it, freshly poured and swirled, hopefully I will be able to cut it tomorrow.



PS - Haven't touched my beads in days! See, not addicted at all.

Pretty in Pink

Yes, yes, alright, I know what you are going to say, this is a soap blog, so whats more jewellery doing on here? Thing is, I can do this sort of thing in the evening, sitting in the family room with my darlings, sort of watching telly, so it is not something I am doing INSTEAD of making soaps and all the other goodies, it is just something I am doing IN ADDITION to all that.

I had promised my almost-daughter-in-law to make her another "rattly"ring, this time in pretty pinks, and here it is, made with the sweetest little lucite flowers, imitation pearls rescued from a broken 1950s necklace, baby pink beads from broken 1960s necklace and various other little beauties -



Thats it for now, there are a few more pics of other bits of jewellery knocking about somewhere, but I'll leave those for another day.

Couldn't help myself,

I just had to have a little play with the beads earlier, they were calling me, honest! My almost-daughter-in-law loves funky jewellery which "rattles", lol, so I thought I make her a ring to go with the orange necklace I made for her a while ago. Darned fiddly, trying to get loads of teeny weeny beaded pins hooked onto the ring base, and I may have used some unladylike language once or twice, but.......... "rattle" it does, and she totally adores it! Now it seems I have to make a girlie pink version of it as well, lol.

Wow, sold out again!

It always amazes me how quickly the facial polish and facial serum sell out at fairs and just through repeat custom. It is immensely satisfying to have customers come back asking for more and obviously really liking the effect it has on their skin. So I am making new batches today, as I am completely out of the facial polish ( love, love, love it ) and most of the facial serums as well. And because Spring is in the air and the sun is shining, I decided to take a couple of new pics as well. Here they are -

One of the facial serums




and the much loved facial polish



Spring is so inspiring, I find, I have so many ideas for new products, for new soapies, and yes, for new jewellery as well ( darnit, beads are way too addictive, they oughta carry a warning!!! ). Now all I have to do is turn those ideas into actual products................. yeah, right, lol, I need somebody to give me a mighty kick up the rear again....... where are you, JJ???

My beautiful doggies are full of the joys of spring as well, boy, do they keep me on my toes! This week is particularly difficult, as Andy and Nick have taken the car to France and the doggies can't go nuts in the Firehills or on the beach. So they go nuts in the garden and the house instead, lol. Hector is turning out to be a right little Houdini as well. I put him in the indoor kennel crate while I did some food shopping, and left Poppy in the family room, only to come back and find them both greeting me very enthusiastically at the door! He had taken the crate door and side off the hinges and squeezed through!

Butter wouldn't melt in their mouths, right? -

Heads up! Hair Soap

Although my family has been using this soap for 3 years, I hadn't added it to my range before as it is not suitable for vegetarians. However, I come across so many people who have the same sort of scalp problems as my husband, for whom this soap was originally formulated, that I have decided that it is time to let others experience the benefits of this soap as well.

My husband had been suffering with psoriasis and eczema for 20 odd years, and his itchy, flaky and angry red skin used to drive him nuts. For his skin he now uses my LCR Balm, facial serum, shaving soap and shaving oil, as well as any soap he can pinch from my stock cupboard, and for his long suffering scalp he uses nothing but this amazing soap and ( now only occasionally ) the specially formulated scalp oil. I cannot make any medical claims because these products have not been tested in medical trials, but I can certainly speak from my husband's and many friends' experiences. My hubby's skin is smooth, free from red, itchy patches and his scalp is itch and flake free.

A carefully selected blend of essential oils, which include tea tree, rosemary and eucalyptus amongst others, helps to combat the symptoms ( again, speaking from personal experience, not medical trials ) alongside the very special oils used in this soap. One of the ingredients, however, is emu oil, which makes this soap unsuitable for vegetarians, but it is such a vital part of the formulation that it cannot be left out.

The soap may make your hair feel a little heavier and thicker, and it will take a few washes before your hair and scalp get used to such a radical change. On his short hair, my husband doesn't ever use a conditioner or rinse, I only use conditioner occasionally on my longish hair. On rather longer hair it might be best to use a lemon water rinse and/or conditioner to remove the feel of heaviness. Something else I have noticed after using this soap for a few years now - I don't get split ends anymore! My hair is very slow growing and I am not very fond of hairdressers, so I only have it cut every two or three years and it used to break and split terribly. It has been over two years now since I last had it cut, and amazingly, still no split ends, can't be bad, eh?

Do I really need another hobby?

I really blame a very dear friend for the latest hobby, well almost addiction, of course I can't name names, I'll just say that her initial is JJ, surely that won't give anything away, could be almost anybody, right?

This, ermm, hobby is so very tactile, it involves a lot of fondling and stroking, and NOOOOOOOOOO, its not that at all, get your mind out of the gutter! I am talking about jewellery making, and I can tell ya, handling those beautiful beads is something else. The smooth finish of semi precious stones, the wonderful sheen of freshwater pearls, the sparkle of Swarovski crystal......... sigh, you just can't help playing with the beads. So I made a few things, like bracelets and necklaces, for prezzies. Probably enough for at least a year's worth of pressies for female friends and family members, but once you start, its impossible to stop. They are all pretty simple pieces, but they are so much fun to plan and make.

This necklace, with Japanese seed beads and lucite flowers and leaves, was made for my (almost) daugher- in-law, to go with an orange jumper she loves -


This was the first "dangly" bracelet I made, again for my (almost) daugher-in-law -


The beautiful beads in the "dangles" are rhodonite rounds, mother-of-pearl hearts and tiny round beads, rose quartz heishis, Prehnite baroque beads, freshwater rice pearls, fire polished crystal beads and Japanese seed beads.

The next one was made as a birthday present for a girl friend, a three strand twisted necklace with rose quartz focals and chips, and a variety of delicate green and pink beads, offset with silver round beads -


I love using vintage beads, and the following necklace, bracelet and earring set was made using vintage beads covered with the finest strands of pink silk, together with light pink freshwater pearls ( also from a broken vintage necklace ), faceted crystal bicones and beautiful light pink howlite tear drops -


Oh, and then I got some absolutely mouthwateringly delicious lemonstone beads! The colour of those stones is just gorgeous, and I couldn't help myself, I had to make three necklaces to see how the lemonstone beads would look combined with different beads -

The first two necklaces were made with lemonstone rectangles and a big oval pendant drop. One is contrasted with ( black ) hematite beads, for the other one I used Prehnite baroque beads and faceted amethyst crystals -


The third lemonstone necklace is a three strand one, with 2 strands of peridot chips and tiny silver beads, and of course one strand with those beautiful lemonstone rectangles, interspersed with faceted green crystals -


Phew, I think thats quite enough for now, otherwise you could think I really was somewhat addicted to this jewellery making lark, lol. I'll save the pics of the others for another day.

Doesn't Time Fly?

Goodness, I can't believe it has been nearly 5 months since I last posted on this blog! Well, a few things have kept me somewhat busy. I did a couple of Christmas Fairs in November and December. I was petrified to start with, as I had not done a craft fair before, but it was a great experience. Being able to talk to the customers directly and being able to explain in a bit more detail what my products are all about was immensely satisfying. Here are a couple of pics of the stand with my products -




So, there you have it, weeks of preparations for the very first fair kept me well and truly busy.

In November, our beautiful granddaughter Grace was born, and made Christmas even more special. She is such a gorgeous little chubbycheeks, she was just a few weeks old in this photo -


In January, our faithful companion of 14 years, Harry, died, and left a huge empty space in our family. Poppy missed him so much, and desperately needed company, so we started looking for a new friend for her. Finally, after weeks of searching, we found another Ridgeback, a boy this time, again through the Northern and Midlands Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue. And so Hector joined our family. He is almost the same age as Poppy, and the two of them hit if off immediately. They are inseparable now, and are the bestest doggies anybody could ever wish for, even though they keep me busy 24/7. I wish I had just a tenth of their energy, they are forever playing tug-o-war with their toys, which usually entails racing up and down the stairs, bouncing off the walls and the settees and generally creating havoc!


Well, I guess thats enough of an update for now, the post would really get way too long if I didn't stop myself from going on and on. I'll save blogging about the latest hobby for another time.......... now, its back to labelling 100 lip balms for a wholesale order.

Lipsmackingly good!

I am one of those people who can't live without lip balm, no matter what time of the year it is, summer or winter. Especially on a car journey I have to apply lip balm, otherwise my lips dry out so much and even crack. And now that the central heating has finally come on, I need it even more, because the dry air does horrible things to my lips. The dollop of shea butter in the lip balm certainly helps a lot to keep my lips soft.

I have now added lip balms to the range as well, in a variety of flavours, peppermint for that lovely tingly cool feeling, sweet and lushious strawberry and delicious chocolate.

For the labels I have once again gone with the Art Nouveau theme. It was not easy getting all the information you have to list, as well as a little Art Nouveau design, onto such a tiny label, but I think this one works quite well.

So here you go, the La Croix Rosion Strawberry Lipsicle!

All wrapped up

Some of the soaps I have made over the last few months are perhaps a little more unusual than the normal run-0f-the-mill plain bars. Nothing wrong at all with plain bars, they are fabulous, but every now and then I get the urge to do something different.

The Le Satyre soap, which looks as if it is topped with spilled quicksilver is one example, the funky funnel soaps I made are another. So I decided to make a bit of a feature of them and put them into these cute little window cardboard baggies.

Let me know what you think of the packaging, please! Are they attractive enough for little prezzies/stocking fillers?

Goodness, how time has flown! I haven't updated my blog in ages, so I'll try and write up at least a few of the things which have happened since the last post.

The Saponifier is a long established and very popular American online soapmaking magazine, so I was absolutely delighted when I was approached by their Showcase Editor about an article on the La Croix Rosion soaps, and in particular their unusual style of labelling. Anybody who knows me will know that I love everything Victorian and in particular the Art Nouveau style, and the labels for my products reflect this, of course. It was nerve wrecking waiting for the Sept./Oct. 2008 issue to come out, and when it finally arrived in my inbox, I was soooo excited! And there, on the contents page was a picture of one of my soaps, Clarisse, and in the Showcase, a wonderful article written by Elizabeth Carnahan and more photos. I was simply gobsmacked, was she really talking about me, lol, little me?

These are the photos which were shown in the article -




And here is the article, written by Elizabeth Carnahan for The Saponifier -

When Valentine’s Day rolls around again, thoughts are set to turn to love, romance and, in the case of soap makers everywhere, preparing your business for the big day.Of course, you’ll want your packaging to reflect this great elebration of romance, and hearts, chocolates, flowers and teddy bears might be just the job. But what if you want something just a little more sophisticated, something designed to set you and your products apart from the sea of sameness that has invaded the holiday? This issue’s featured soap maker has created a line of packaging that does just that. Liz Waring has taken her love of romantic style and built her entire business around it, from her passion for the sensuous style of Art Nouveau to her love of life in France.

Liz, who operates under the name La Croix Rosion, splits her time between Hastings (of 1066 fame) in England and her 150-year-old farmhouse in Burgundy, France. “The name of the company is taken from the old name of our cottage in France, and that dictated the names of my soaps,” reveals Liz. “To me the French language is the most romantic in the world and perfectly suits the sensuous Art Nouveau style,” she continued. “Therefore, they are all old fashioned French girls’ names- with the occasional boys’ name for the soaps for the men in our lives.” Those names give only a hint of the seductive soaps underneath Liz’s lovingly-crafted packaging. ‘Natalie’, contains hemp and avocado oils with nettle; ‘Clementine’ boasts lashings of shea butter and a bright citrus fragrance, while ‘Oriane’ is a luxurious concoction of silk and a delicious cocktail of essential oils. La Croix Rosion’s best-selling ‘Clarisse’ contains cherry kernel oil and luxurious mango butter.

Alongside the soaps, the company’s tempting range of products includes facial serums, masks, scrubs and balms – all created and packaged with the same keen instinct for visual impact and sensual effect. Ironically, this unity of style comes from Liz’s magpie nature. When staying in France, she loves shopping at the Vide Greniers, the French equivalent of a flea market. “I am a terrible hoarder of weird, wonderful, and romantic old objects,” she said. “I love anything made of fabric, and have a huge collection of Eiderdowns, Durham quilts, beautiful old linens and laces and embroideries.”

Particularly in evidence in France are the luscious lines of Art Nouveau, which has been a strong influence on Liz’s creativity. “That has to be my favourite period,” she says. “I find the art of that period so very romantic, with the beautifully flowing, sinuous floral and female forms. This period has been the inspiration for the labels on my products.” Drawing on such a rich source of inspiration certainly sets Liz’s creations apart. When asked about the difference between her product design and others, she replied, “I do realise that I am bucking the trend, everywhere you look the clean, sharp, minimal modern look is very much in evidence, but I have to be true to my romantic self, so for me the only style possible is Art Nouveau.”

Teddy bears, hearts, chocolates and bouquets may have cornered the market as visual symbols for
romance, but there’s still plenty of room for something a little different – even if the roots of the idea are firmly in the past. Liz’s labels are something special – far from your typical hearts and flowers. Liz’s creations can be found at her web site, www.lcrsoap.co.uk. Or if you’d like a bit more information about Liz and her company, please visit her blog at lcrsoapcompany.blogspot.com/.

(photo credits Liz Waring)