What started out as Green Tea and Gardenia Soap ended up being something quite different…! But before I ramble about how this happened I will tell you about the new recipe I tried that I am really happy with even though it will be another 3 weeks before I can try it. Jessie, aka Rabid Little Hippy commented on my first soap post that I might like to look up The Greening of Gavin‘s site for lots of good soap info. She was right I did like it 🙂 For a start he has a great recipe, you can find here for a very economical soap containing Olive, coconut, grapeseed and sunflower oils. Secondly he tells how he got into selling it which is what I would like to do because now I obsess over soap making and all it’s possibilities and ideally some sort of small market (if I ever get good enough)would be really nice to offload what I can see is going to become a problem hobby otherwise 🙂 and thirdly, he has a fantastic blog!!!! His soap recipe provided the nicest textured soap from the three I have tried, it’s very economical, it also came to trace the fastest of the three – this was quick to make.
Lessons learned: I wanted to make a small batch to trial the recipe. I had read you can get a nice pale green colour seeping green tea bags in boiling water and using that as the water content. My plan was to scent with gardenia oil. Didn’t check what teabags I grabbed and it was black tea…which actually makes a beautiful brown. I had to rethink what would go nicely with this new unplanned colour and rushed through my box choosing an apricot/musk blend. I had read that cheap oils would lose their smell and possibly be synthetic rather than natural essential oils but forgot all this as I grabbed up one of the cheapy bottles I had. It used a whole bottle with only a light scent.
Message to self….check everything twice before you rush in, concentrate, because if you can’t do that you shouldn’t be working with lye Wendy.
Anyhow, what I ended up with was the most delicious looking soap that looks just like Russian Fudge that smells lovely but not lovely enough.
quarteracrelifestyle 
………..and that is the story of our lives! 🙂 It’s all grist for the mill and you will soon have everything you need lined up in an orderly fashion – and still make bloopers 🙂 Or at least you will if you are like me …… At the very least you could off load it as a dog soap as it will clean without nasty chemicals and they don’t care to smell that nice anyway. I’m excited watching this progress – you could even get yourself some nice moulds and shape ’em up all fancy like – I’m thinking biscuit cutters and patty pans……
And dang it I keep meaning to visit the rabidlittlehippy and get side tracked constantly!
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Yes, story of our lives 🙂 🙂 lol
Pauline, I lie awake every night thinking soap! Shapes, perfumes, natural colourants, potential disasters…I am excited watching this progress too lol. I really do enjoy it and think it’s just a shame it took me years to get the nerve. I bought some decent sized tins and wooden things I can use as molds at garage sales over the weekend so I can make big batches!!! And yes, I have been eyeing up some heart shaped ones…
Visit Jessie, she’s a smart young mum.
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http://rabidlittlehippy.wordpress.com/ 😉
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Ooh, I did something wrong somewhere?! Better check, ta 🙂
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When I saw the photo come up in the reader, my first thought was ‘Wendy’s been making fudge.” So I am glad that you also think your soap looks like fudge.But fudge is good, so the soap will be, too, I am sure, even if it isn’t exactly how you intended it to be.
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I used to be a big fudge-maker many years ago…still get an occasional phone call from my son asking me to make a batch and post it to him 🙂 I eat one piece then package it quickly…this so made me want to make some just for me lol. Even in efforts to eat healthy there are occasional things that tempt..even soap!
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Perhaps to put your taste buds off fudge, you could nibble some of the fudge-like soap. That might stop fudge thoughts in their tracks.
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Lol, why didn’t I think of that 🙂
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Wonderful and yes we often learn through our mistakes.. ( It still looks good ) but thats all part of the fun.. I have just subscribed to Gavins site.. what another interesting site.. Sleep Happy in your soap bubbles.. 🙂 and so enjoyed reading.. Have a brilliant day 🙂
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I love his site now I have found it, have done lots of reading there 🙂 I think I have it down pat now and my two batches yesterday with no mistakes lol. As a person who seems to do everything while thinking of other things it’s a good hobby to learn to focus on the NOW and that certainly won’t do any harm 🙂 You have a good day too 🙂
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beautiful! They look like fudge when I first looked at them-lol…so pretty:-)
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They look yummy ay? 🙂
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🙂 yes they do, I had to read it to find out it was soap..lol..if I saw it alone on the counter I may of eaten some-lol!!!
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Oh, it was tempting lol
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Your excitement is palpable Ms Wendy and now…the narf simply MUST make her own soap! Ms Jessie just sent me some of her precious and most gorgeous scented soap and this little black duck needs to learn how. I will be off to Gav and Kim’s site faster than you can shoot a frog in a ging (to any children reading this comment…do NOT shoot a frog in a ging. This is an old term used by old people from last century and in no way endorses the shooting of frogs or any other amphibian life from gings…). I have a secret lust for the smell of musk. It is gorgeous stuff and if you can toss it into a soap then narf is there! Same goes for patchouli, the smell of the feral hippy…you are DEAD right about that soap looking like fudge! I would have to label each piece (or tie rhubarb to the top) to stop Stevie-boy from accidentally sampling a bit! I can feel that old familiar excitement rising up inside me…I just read a post by Celia of the wonderful blog Fig Jam and Lime Cordial where she was explaining that she keeps having “new enthusiasms” and that’s what is bubbling inside the old narf right now…”soap enthusiasms” and it wouldn’t even matter if they ended up being stashed in my failed (crafts) “enthusiasms” cupboard as they would smell amazing! Twitch…twitch…lucky I just finished my ice cream. Time to struggle myself out from under the bed and channel all of this newfound enthusiasm into research…”Tally HO!” 🙂
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I keep having “new enthusiasms” too Fran and honestly….make the soap. It’s affordable, beautiful and a real treat. i have become so obsessed with soap I am actually spending money!! And researching plenty….Pinterest Fran!! I have so many ideas I have started a book to write them all in. LOVE IT! I wish I had tried making it years ago, I have missed out on such alot of fun!!! I am hoping I can sell some because if I can’t we are going to have issues here lol.
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Forgot to say I also love musk and my latest batch is Patchouli and Indian Love Oil 🙂
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I did a list a couple years ago…
I wanted to learn to make soap, ink, and paper… ( I have plenty of geese feathers for quills)
you have now got me thinking about that list again…Thank you…
and Thank you for sharing your soaps and the links, I will check it out…
Take care..You Matter…
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( I now want fudge as much as I want to try making Green Tea and Gardenia soap 🙂 )
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Lol. I have been craving fudge since I made this and that was two weeks ago 🙂
I would like to make paper too and flower ink I reblogged over a year ago…too many ideas!!
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