I'll Pour: September 2011

Monday, September 26, 2011

Soaping Weekend

Sunflower Hot Pads Made with sunflower decorated fabric.

Belly Up to the Bar Beer /Salt Soap

Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce

Soaping weekend. I planned on going to Topeka and selling my wares. Instead, I stayed home with a bad cough. It is a good thing I stayed home since someone charged on my debit card and the bank thought it was suspicions activity and put a hold on my card. I am grateful for the bank catching the illegal activity, but I pay for everything with the card. I would have been stranded in Topeka unless I could find a bank that was open. Instead, I made two batches of soap. One was Belly Up to the Bar which is a beer salt soap and Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce. Oh what heavenly smells came from my home!!! I also crocheted a couple of sunflower hot pads too. This fall weather is wonderful!!!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Under the Lilacs

I made a new soap and I call it Under the Lilacs. I was a little disappointed with the color. The oxide I used did not work correctly for cold process soap so the lavender color came out a gray color instead. In some of the bars, I tried angle coloring with some marbling, and only marbling in others. The top is decorated with freeze dried lilacs and glitter. I added a little lavender jojoba beads as well. Even though the gray showed up, they are still beautiful.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

As I approach an older age, I will wear lace, lace, lace.

As I approach an older age, I will wear lace, lace, lace.
No, not just the weathered and beige,
all kinds and colors and styles;
even the funny ones that bring on big smiles!

I will wear it as much and as often as I can,
some made by machine and some made by hand.
While making my outer shell look gentle and refined,
it is covering the flaws of old age and time.

Poem by Dawn Jones

Blessings to you and yours! Dawn

Liquid Soap

Today, I am making one large batch of liquid soap in two crock pots. I am observing differences in the way each crock pot cooks. One is a little smaller and it cooks hotter. The larger one required more stick blending to thicken.

I have to get masked up and gloved up since lye will burn your skin. I can still wear pink gloves!!!


Just starting to thicken. Crock pot 1

It is thickening and becoming a little translucent. Crock Pot 1

The soap mixture is looking applesauce color. Crock Pot 1

Beginning to thicken. Crock Pot 2


Thickening, but not translucent. Crock Pot 2

This is the second crock pot and you can see where it is becoming a little translucent, but not as translucent as the other crock pot. This crock pot was mixed for 5 min. longer. Crock Pot 2

The translucent mix will break into clumps and eventually become thick liquid. Shown in this picture is the mixture with Borax and

Coloring Added. The clumps are almost broken down. I added fragrance. Nice consistency and suds!

I start with oils and butters and then I add water and potassium hydroxide, (lye). I am using shea butter, coconut oil, sunflower oil, and palm oil in the soap. It should be wonderful to use on the skin. In this batch, I added coconut oil to my regular recipe and I hope to see more suds. These ingredients are mixed and cooked in the crock pot until they become thick and translucent. Once translucent, I add boiling water, Borax, fragrance, and coloring. Then the soap is placed into containers and is ready to use.

My last batch of liquid soap turned out wonderful but............... After a month or so, it developed spots. I decided that the spots were probably due to mixing the Borax in hot water, opposed to boiling water. The soap smells and looks very normal except for little white snowflake like spots.

Thank you for viewing and may you and yours be blessed! Dawn

dogs in a blanket

My son, the big dawg, and the little dog babies sleeping with him on Grandma's couch. They have to curl up with him for bedtime. Isn't Yang's little ears sticking out cute? He is totally wrapped in blanket except for part of his head. Joy woke up when I took the picture.