This little Corn Dolly is about 17cm/7ins deep (without the loop) and will be going onsite shortly.
I wanted a the heart shape which a double loop provides but didn't want to make the more usual Mordiford Dolly.
Sunday, 11 January 2009
Santes Dwynwen and Valentine
Santes Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers and her day is January 25th and then Valentine's Day will be here before you know it.
This little Corn Dolly is about 17cm/7ins deep (without the loop) and will be going onsite shortly.
I wanted a the heart shape which a double loop provides but didn't want to make the more usual Mordiford Dolly.
This little Corn Dolly is about 17cm/7ins deep (without the loop) and will be going onsite shortly.
I wanted a the heart shape which a double loop provides but didn't want to make the more usual Mordiford Dolly.
Saturday, 10 January 2009
Scrub Up For Spring
"A bit premature" you may be thinking!
February, however, is the start of Spring in the old Celtic calendar - it is the month when green shoots start to appear and the snowdrops, Fair Maids of February are in flower. The beginning of February is also Imbolc/Oimelc (Oimelc = Ewes' Milk) when the first lambs would be born (although today there will have been some already).
My three new scrubs will be onsite from the start of February - a good idea for preparing yourself for Valentine's Day (or for a Valentine present!)
All three have had excellent reports from the testers, with no firm favourite. From left to right they are:
(must keep my eyes open for a goodly clump of snowdrops to take a pic)
February, however, is the start of Spring in the old Celtic calendar - it is the month when green shoots start to appear and the snowdrops, Fair Maids of February are in flower. The beginning of February is also Imbolc/Oimelc (Oimelc = Ewes' Milk) when the first lambs would be born (although today there will have been some already).
My three new scrubs will be onsite from the start of February - a good idea for preparing yourself for Valentine's Day (or for a Valentine present!)
All three have had excellent reports from the testers, with no firm favourite. From left to right they are:
- Hey Mango! a medium textured cornmeal scrub for most areas of the body with Mango Butter, Papaya oil and a natural Mango Fragrance.
- Karakorum a more vigorous saltbased scrub with Himalayan, Dead Sea and Atlantic salts in a base which contains Kokum Butter and Black Seed oil - a really luxurious and exotic scrub with a fragrant spicey blend of Essential Oils.
- Face the Morning with powdered Cardamom, Fair Trade Golden Caster Sugar and Grapefruit Essential Oil in Jojoba and Grapeseed oil base. The majority of testers found this suitable as a facial scrub/masque.
(must keep my eyes open for a goodly clump of snowdrops to take a pic)
Sunday, 28 December 2008
Soap Mould from Germany
Corrie of Lomond Soaps (see blog list) arranged the purchase of some of these partitioned moulds from Germany so I tried a batch of HP Castille.
I put my soap into the mould end of the afternoon and demoulded about 10.30pm (went out to eat with Child and S in Shotton on (the unroyal) Deeside.
I used 1300 oils (olive with bit of coconut for Castille) but will have to arrange crockpot (5.5ltre) the other way round next time as I couldn't lift it to pour the way it was and had to use a ladle - so despite banging a few times the batter didn't level completely.
When I pushed the dividers down the edges of the soaps curved downwards - so they've not sunk in the middle at all.
De-moulding was no problem 'cos it's cold in the utility and I just pushed the soaps down and out.
Parchment had wrinkled on the base - I'll cut a piece of teflon oven liner to fit before next lot. The tops of these will have to be planed but if I'm making a scrub soap I'll sprinkle a layer of oatmeal or whatever on the top.
On second thoughts perhaps I won't plane the tops - it's quite a nice texture and there's a potential here for swirling (my HP soap batter is quite fluid as I add Sodium Lactate at trace.
I put my soap into the mould end of the afternoon and demoulded about 10.30pm (went out to eat with Child and S in Shotton on (the unroyal) Deeside.
I used 1300 oils (olive with bit of coconut for Castille) but will have to arrange crockpot (5.5ltre) the other way round next time as I couldn't lift it to pour the way it was and had to use a ladle - so despite banging a few times the batter didn't level completely.
When I pushed the dividers down the edges of the soaps curved downwards - so they've not sunk in the middle at all.
De-moulding was no problem 'cos it's cold in the utility and I just pushed the soaps down and out.
Parchment had wrinkled on the base - I'll cut a piece of teflon oven liner to fit before next lot. The tops of these will have to be planed but if I'm making a scrub soap I'll sprinkle a layer of oatmeal or whatever on the top.
On second thoughts perhaps I won't plane the tops - it's quite a nice texture and there's a potential here for swirling (my HP soap batter is quite fluid as I add Sodium Lactate at trace.
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