Saturday

How To Avoid Salt Ash

      I have noticed I have had several people search about salt ash.  This is a white powder thing that appears on cold process soap.  The main cause is exposure to air during the curing time.  This mostly happens the first few days.  This summer I discovered a really good solution.  Over the last two years I end up mostly making hot process.  It has a faster turn around.  I do have some soaps that need to be made cold.  A friend of mine wanted to give gifts for her sons wedding rehearsal.  We decided on a soap using a mold with a butterfly design.  This meant I could not make it hot.  Too hard to make it without air bubbles.  The first batch came out great but then the dreaded ash started I was getting nervous. I know you can gently wash the soap to get it off but I didn't want to mess up the design.  I was thinking about what to do. I decided since air was the problem that maybe if I covered the bars with the towels I had used to keep them warm after pouring that it would help.  Well, how happy was I to find that it worked.  I did that to all of my soaps after that and didn't have any more problems.  Now just to clarify any doubt.  I used regular bath towels.  Even though you are trying to cut down on oxygen it still needs to breath and dry.  I still stacked my sheets of cardboard with the soap on it.  I just put a towel over the whole thing.  Being me I still ended up washing them just to smooth out the trimming on the bottom.  I didn't want them to look like I trimmed.


This is the pink version.  I used pink kaolin Clay to get the pink color.  It's Lavender Mint.  How can you go wrong.

   
All wrapped up.  The other bars are a purple version.  I strained oil infused with alkanet root powder and added that to my oils.  To get more of a lavender color I added pink kaolin clay.  Worked out perfect.  Nature strikes again.

 I hope this helps you out.  Ash can be so frustrating.  If this doesn't work for you.  I am not sure what else to do.  Good Luck!

Long Time No Post

     It has been way too long since I put a post on here.  Not my cup of tea at times and hard to keep up at other times.  I have been busy doing shows as well as life.  I have two grand babies now.  Alexis is two and Leo is 1.   My daughter Allison is in the middle of her second semester at ECU.  So as you can see my life has expanded.

     In 2011 I decided to go full force and do a lot more shows.  I would like to say they were all successful but given the economy it was rough at times.  I really enjoyed doing the shows but it was hard  justifying all of the work of setting up and breaking down when all you did was under $100 in sales.  For those whom have seen my set up they know how much product I carry with me.  For those who don't it can take neither 2 hours to set up.  If you do craft shows you know how hard it is.  If you don't you may be thinking "She's insane".  I have to say that insane at times is my middle name, but I think you kind of have to be if you  this is what you do.  Don't get me wrong.  I love it!  I meet so many great people and when you have customers come back just for you, how could you not keep it up.

2012 will be an interesting year.  I am going to be doing a few big festivals and cutting back on some of the smaller shows that have not been very productive.  This past fall I was doing at least one show sometimes two shows every weekend.  Some may think that isn't too bad for someone that doesn't have a regular job but you add that in with making trips to WV to pick up my granddaughter at her mothers and then of course taking her back.  It's a 13 to 14 hour day each way.  I still have a son at home in High School and we can't forget all of the things I do at church.  Having my daughter away at school makes it a little tougher because that cuts back on occasional help.  Although I have to say if she isn't working a show with me I do come home with more money.   What can I say, she is my daughter and we love to shop.  I do good at shows now.  If I don't walk around and leave my tent then I am not tempted to buy.  When things are going well I do allow myself a treat every once in awhile. 

      Every year I work on improving myself.  I always want to be a better person and do better.  No exception this year.  I have already started to organize my soap room which will carry into being more organized at my shows.  I do need to adjust some of my products.  Cut back on a few recipes.  I have been doing this long enough that it is time to refine some things.  I have no choice but to keep stocked up better.  I have 5 days in between two really big shows so I can't run low on the biggest sellers.  Not enough time to in between.  Have to have some time to rest.  I can't wait though.  It is so exciting.  I will try to do better at posting more.  I have learned a few new tricks that I would like to pass on.  Also if you are on Facebook like me and you can keep up on my whereabouts.  Donna-Delights

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