This holiday season we all have people to buy for that seem to have everything already. Or those people who are picky picky and you just dont know what to get them. Soap makes a lovely gift, and its even more special if you made it yourself! Make your loved ones feel pampered with a handmade soap you crafted.

 

 

I am now offering a simple castile soap in shreds for the purpose of rebatching. I got to thinking that maybe there would be some crafters here that would like to make their own soap but are maybe afraid of lye. I dont blame you! I am scared of it too, but I have played with it for so long I respect it and what it can do. If you take proper safety precautions all works out smoothly...but in the beginning when I first started making soap I had some pretty bad disasters!

 

 

Rebatching soap is quite easy, you take a liquid of your choice, coconut milk,goat milk,beer, water, ect...and put a little in a pan with the soap shreds on very low heat. Stir gently off an on to keep it from burning until the whole thing is melted down into a "goo". Then you can add in your fragrance or essential oil, spices, herbs,clays,exfoliants,flowers...the possibilities are limitless! You can also add in "special" oils to the base to make the soap do what YOU want it to do. Lets say you want more lather. Add in a teaspoon or two per pound of castor oil. That will make lots of creamy luscious lather in your soap and its so good for your skin too!

 

 

I made this base very simple so that you can expand on it yourself by adding in those "luxury" oils like Mango butter, shea butter, and almond oil. These butters and oils can make a bar of soap go from "Blah" to "WOW!" in no time! Thru the winter, I rarely need a lotion or body butter because of the ingredients I add to my own bath soaps. You can do the same but without the danger or the hassle of lye. It has proven very hard to locate in my town and I hear from others it is hard for them to locate as well due to the Meth labs out there. Its sad. So not only is it potentially dangerous its also hard to come by. Let me do the work for you!

 

 

If you have a health food store near you they will most likely carry the herbs, clays and other botanicals you may want for your soaps. Most places like this also carry essential oils as well. For fragrance oils you may need to find an online supplier for those. I recommend Wholesale Surplus.com They have very good prices, pretty decent oils and they are pthalate free. Plus shipping there is free right now which saves a bundle!

 

 

I also wanted to note that if anyone out there wanted to buy my base and use it to make their own soaps to sell online, I have NO problem with this at all. You do not even have to mention me at all in your listings! This is a simple base, it will be YOU that makes it spectacular! I am very willing to give a discount on my price for large orders. Just message me or email me at auroras_garden@insightbb.com

 

 

I would be so proud to be an enabler for someone else to make some extra money from home..and maybe it would be just the thing to help someone be a work at home mom! I would be so happy to be a part of helping someone to be able to stay home with their children like I do. It is not easy being a work at home mom, but my children have learned some very valuable skills from me about business, and crafts that may some day be dying arts like soapmaking and sewing clothing. 

I got to playing around with my essential oils again. I just made a new dreadlocks shampoo bar with peppermint in it...so I got to thinking what if...I put peppermint in a laundry soap?? Would it smell nice? So I made a small batch to wash 1 load and tried it out myself. I did a load of towels and tossed them in the dryer to dry while I was out running errands. It was SO nice to come home to such a fresh and bright smelling home! I really do love the peppermint scent in my laundry. I am mixing it with different citrus scents to see what I can come up with and I am having a ball!

 I also tried the spearmint, and it is wonderful as well. Spearmint has a sweeter more fruity mint scent than peppermint. Peppermint is very crisp and cool where spearmint is more laid back and sweet smelling. I like the spearmint with tangerine, both are very sweet scents and go great together! 

To try out my new line of minty fresh laundry soaps just in time for the cooler days of winter coming up, click on the category that says "Essential oil scented LAUNDRY soaps" That will take you to all the minty goodness I have made!I can also make a sample of any scent you would like to try for a smaller price if you just want to try it.

I also send samples with every order, and this week will be sending samples of the minty scented laundry soaps along with some tangerine vanilla and plain ol tangerine! If you have a preferance of sample you would like just message me!

Maylee's second birthday was yesterday 10-15. She turned 2 years old! We had an awesome day with lots of presents thanks to the wonderful generosity of friends who just sent gifts out of love, and the purchases of my precious customers here.

 

Maylee got a surprise in the mail last saturday from an unknown source. All the note said was the money was from her "birthday Fairies" We used this generous gift to get Maylee some store bought things that she loves! Here are some cute pictures     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She loves her blocks and shopping cart. Her brother Tyler seems to like the blocks too hehehehe. We also was able to get a handmade Hula Hoop for her size! I have a hula hoop and Maylee has been trying to use it herself, she is so cute..so we got her a little one thanks to my friend Amanda who makes and sells these locally in the Louisville Ky and Radcliff area.

 

You can click on any of these pictures to be taken to the respective shop that created the item.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We got Maylee a lot of other handmade goods as well. I prefer to buy handmade as often as I can. All of her gifts could not have happened without the love and generosity of wonderful caring people like her "birthday Fairies" Thank you all so very much! 

 Its hard to believe another year has passed since Maylee was born. My sweet baby was a miracle herself. it took us 5 years and losing 2 other babies to get Maylee. She is truly a gift from above! I have so much in my life to be grateful for and I think she is the biggest thing I have to be thankful for.

 For a full report of ALL maylee's awesome gifts with links to the sites they were bought from please go see my blog post on my main blog, Auroras Garden. I have many more pictures there too. And thanks again to everyone who has made a purchase from my shop here. Your business is helping my family get by and live a little where it would otherwise be impossible sometimes. Your business is ALWAYS appreciated here.

Welcome to my blog! I hope to keep you updated and informed on the latest happenings in my adventures in soapmaking here. Stay tuned for pictures of the soapmaking process, and also pictures of the little lady this shop was named for, Maylee.