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I have 72 bars of handmade soap curing on my shelves. It smells soooo good in here! The soap in the above photo is from last summer.
Last month I realized that we were out of soap, and as much as I love to make it, I usually prefer to do a lot all at once and then wait a long time before doing it again. The reason I wait is because I don’t have a place to store all my soap-making supplies upstairs, so I keep them in the basement. And it’s not very easy to get all the stuff back up to the kitchen, so I just prefer to go crazy making soap for a few days. So that’s what I did in early October.
With Christmas coming up, I wanted to have some to give away, too. So, I made three different scents: lavender with dried lavender buds, peppermint with crushed peppermint leaves, and holiday spice, which was a mixture of several different things, including (if I’m remembering) orange and clove oils. And cocoa powder for some texture and color. It looks more like a food than like soap.
My mom dropped by while I was cutting the soap, and when she saw it on the table, she thought I was baking! And, yes, I did a terrible job of cutting this! I was in a hurry, and made a huge mess of it. But it smells so good, and it still works the same. If I decide to give some of this away, I’ll have to trim it up a bit. My soap is very rustic-looking, but we still enjoy it. One day I’d like to get a soap cutter-thing so it would turn out prettier.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Oh I love this! I'd love to learn how to make soap – and that is a fantastic item to give away as a gift. That last one does look like a yummy dessert 😉
Blessings,
Nicole
workingkansashomemaker.com
It's not as hard as it looks, Nicole! You could learn! I love giving soap as a gift since it's useful and doesn't create clutter! 🙂
So would you mind sharing with us newbs how you do it? I know there's tons of recipes out there, but I am scared. HAHA!!! I've been buying from an online source, but I know my girls would adore making some.
A very good visual for learning soap making is the West Ladies' Art of Soapmaking DVD. And then "The Soapmaker's Companion" book is good for recipes and ideas. I found just seeing someone make soap really helped me get a mental grasp for how to do it. Once you actually start doing it, it's not as hard as it seems! 🙂
You really don't need to worry about how they look; they're beautiful. I'd be so impressed if I received one of these for Christmas! I think you're probably not going to send me one to the UK though;) I wonder if there is a way o make homemade liquid soap?
mrsdbliss.blogspot.com
Aww, thank you, Mrs. Domestic Bliss! I've seen recipes for liquid soap, but I haven't tried it yet. It would be neat, though!
Your soap is so pretty! I love the rustic look! <3
Thanks, Tabitha! ♥
Your soap looks wonderful! It is certainly gift-worthy! I love making our own soap, too. 🙂
Thank you, Leah! 🙂
Oh, love it! I also made soap this year. With goatsmilk and lavendel, honey and goatsmilk, and honey with oatmeal. It's so nice to use your own soap! Much better than showergel or anything like that from stores. Love your blog. Greetings from Holland, Marike.
Oh, goats milk soap! That sounds lovely. And I agree, using your own soap is so much better than store soap! Many blessings to you, Marike!