I've been looking through my beads, trying to come up with Christmas ornament ideas, and have come up blank. All that comes to mind are things I've already done. I usually make all my grand children and great grand children ornaments each year. It's getting to be quite a task. I have 22 to make this year and no ideas yet!
Not being able to come up with new ornaments, I've turned my mind to soap. I have a wonderful trial batch that turned out beautifully. I infused rosemary in extra virgin olive oil and cold processed it at very low temps. I was surprised by the beautiful green! Usually nearly any type of organic green material turns brown in cold processed soap. I've changed the way I make it now.
When I first learned to make soap I was taught that it must cast heat, must go through the gel stage. I've been hearing from other soap makers that it's not necessarily so, so I decided to try it. I stirred it to trace at a bare 100 degrees and poured it into the mold. Then I placed it in the refrigerator to keep it from heating. It made a beautiful soap that lathers sumptuously, and is very mild on the skin. I scented it with rosemary essential oil. I think I'm going to change up the recipe a little bit and make it into a shaving soap. Or I may make some in a round mold and some more in a log mold. I love the scent of rosemary. It's so invigorating!
Then I had a call from one of my wholesalers for something with tea tree essential oil. I have a recipe that used to be a big seller when I was doing craft shows. I think I'll rework that a little and present it to her for approval. But in order to do all that I have to get off the computer.
