The Return of the Lazy Weekend Morning

Once we decided to increase the size of our family, early weekend mornings became part of the norm.  Young children being who they are, they weren't always relaxing, no, "relaxing" is not the right word because often they were, "lazy" is the word i'm looking for.  With having to keep up with the energy of little ones, they weren't always lazy mornings.  Lately, the lazy weekend morning has been making a bit of a return.  I am able to stumble downstairs, make coffee and then climb back in bed with coffee and book.  Not for long, just a few minutes.  Until hungry tummies call.

I'm not always alone. . .

and somehow that makes the morning that much better.

By the way, the book of the moment is The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.  I am really enjoying this book.  It is one of those books that you want to carry with you everywhere in the hope that you can sneak in a little bit of reading.

Ooh La La

I've been reading about this technique in soapmaking called hand milling or rebatching.  I've also seen it referred to as French milling.  i love how you can add the word "French" to something and it immediately increases the ooh-la-la factor.  Whatever the object or act is, it immediately seems to gain a certain amount of rustic sophistication.  I mean, think about the french fry.  Okay, maybe it doesn't work for the french fry.  No, wait, it does work for the lowly fry.  In Quebec, they dip fries in mayo, real mayo.  It's really good actually.  And it does make me feel a little more shii-shii than plain old ketchup.  Not that a fry needs a lot of help but I can imagine that I can dip my fried in mayo and still drink a glass of red wine with it.  Anyways, I digress . . .

So back to hand milling.  Hand milling can be used when a batch of soap is good but didn't quite turn out the way you had hoped, thus the term "rebatching".  But what really has me interested in hand milling is that you can continue to add ingredients to your soap after the initial soap making process.  And because the soap has already gone through the saponification process, more of the benefits of the additives are retained.  There is some debate as to how much of the benfits of such ingredients as botanicals are retained after the cold process of soap making.  Another bonus:  it gives the soap a nice rustic look.  Okay, enough words.  Let me show you what I have been up to.

pink grapefruit poppyseed

honey almond milk 

    
I added real honey, milk powder and ground almonds to this soap.  No added scent.  It is just what it is.  it reminds me of Cleopatra.

fudge soap

For my fudge soap, I took the chocolate soap I had made a few weeks ago and added whole milk to it and a little more orange essential oil.  I am so excited about this soap because it looks just how I wanted it to look -- like a big old piece of chocolate fudge.

My soap making adventures this week haven't been just about hand milling.  I also experimented with using PVC pipe as a mold.

The light coloured disc is simple unscented soap.  Absolutely no scent.  The other two discs are vanilla bean with a hint of orange essential oil.

I received confirmation last night that I will be participating in a craft sale in April, just a month away.  I'm really excited because it's my first time.  I'm also really nervous because it's my first time.  With my Etsy shop, there is still a certain amount of annonymity even though I'm putting myself out there.  A craft sale?  it's just me and my soap.

Squeeze, Sniff, Shake

Several weeks ago, I was the lucky winner of a giveaway hosted by Joanie at Nini Makes.  Well, two days ago the above package and pretty little bundle below arrived.  I apologize for the lighting.  They aren't the best photos, especially the one below but I received the package in the evening and wasn't able to open it until later that same night.  I guess I could have waited until the next day when I had better light.  No, I couldn't wait.  You know the person who sites beside the Christmas tree and shaes, squeezes and sniffs the presents?  That's me.  So to wait 12 hours when I wasn't forced by tradition  to wait was not going to happen.

Wrapped in the brown paper was a lavender filled sachet.  I love the colour combination, the fabrics, the scent, and each little stitch of Joanie's.  Enough words.  I'm just going to show you some photos of the little piece of art that now hangs from one of our doorknobs.

Pretty, huh?

And the surprise in that little bundle?  Some vintage crochet thread Joanie had found recently.

I think I see another crochet covered stone on the horizon.

Fight the Power

Oh, I do love my new soap mold that arrived today.  What I am not loving . . .

are the packing peanuts also held within the box.  And you know the regret you feel when you really, well, regret something?  I am regretting the suggestion that they would be a great craft material.

They are kind of great for crafting -- gluing, building, colouring.  Oh, and let's not forget the science lesson inherent in packing peanuts -- the power of static electricity.  It is kind of cool to pick up a big handful and throw them into the cardboard box only to see some of them hover and then jump right out again.

But I am fighting the power, people, the power of static electricity and it is kicking me.  There are tiny pieces everywhere -- on our clothes, our fingers, our hair, the cat`s (ahem) behind.   I sweep them up and as I tilt the dustpan towards the garbage, the peanuts do that little dance of theirs and are now stuck to the wall and the toilet.

If I were a better housekeeper, these peanuts just might drive me to the brink of insanity.  Instead,  I am preparing myself because so far only one little boy has been introduced to the packing peanuts.  There is still one more pair of hands that are going to want to dive into that box.

Just a Good Day

Yesterday was a good day.  Nothing special.  It was just a good day.  You know, one of those days where you seem to enjoy each moment spent with each other.  I think it started in the morning with a little sleep in and then being able to go back to bed for a few minutes with my coffee and book.  Followed by swimming lessons, brunch and leisurely browsing through a gift shop together.  Even the spontaneous Star Wars soccer game in the darkening drizzle was a special moment.  Yep, it was a good day.

simple cafe curtain made from vintage sheet

I also managed to dust off my sewing machine.
 

Tea and Cupcakes Anyone?

I had a request from a good friend for a crocheted tea set for her daughter's third birthday.  I always think of pink and purple when I think of Little Miss Abbie and I love the colour combination.

I thought the birthday girl might enjoy cupcakes with her tea.  Sprinkles, of course.

By far, my favourite part of the tea set are the felt tea bags.

I had to throw a little green into the set.  As much as I like the combination of deep pink and purple, green and purple is still one of my favourite combinations.

In the realm of soap (because I can't seem to stop talking about soap), I am ridiculously excited about the batch of soap I made this morning.  Yes, ridiculously excited.  Why?  I'm using PVC pipe as a soap mold and I simply love the look of discs of soap.  Let's just hope I'm able to get the soap out of the pipe.

A Little Extra Jolt

The adventures of Claire and Jamie have been keeping me up far too late the last few nights.

Waking up a little more bleary eyed than usual has inspired two new batches of soap: coffee and citrus squeeze.  I'm hoping they will provide that little extra jolt on those mornings following a good book.  The coffee soap was made with good strong coffee with coffee grounds for a little exfoliation.  It smells like a great big cup of coffee.  The citrus squeeze soap is actually a salt soap.  I've added fine sea salt to the soap and is scented with lemon and orange essential oils.  Have I mentioned I like to make soap?

I think I'm going to try some kind of chai tea soap next.