Business Cards

How exciting!  For the last few days I have been hyper focussed on creating a new business card.  In the past I have used two local printing companies and, more recently, Vistaprint.  I have a fancy new Mac with all the fancy new software (that I am struggling to learn how to use).  I figured that it wouldn't be a big deal to design my own business card just like the "big guys" - the high-paid graphic designers that I wish I had the money to afford!

I also wanted to create a "Green" Business Card.  Because of my personal beliefs I want to use recycled paper and soy ink.  I have struggled with using Vistaprint because the company seems to be strangely like an internet version of Walmart (wow, I love that analogy - you can quote me on that!).  Even if it costs a little more, I want my business card to reflect my own philosophy of being environmentally friendly.

This is a Jpeg of what I came up with. I actually did this in a pdf format, but it would not upload like that. My actual business card will have rounded corners.

If anyone is interested in where I ordered my cards, email me or give me a call!

Liquid Soap Update

This is what my liquid soap looks like 2 weeks later! This is normal - it will probably take another few days before it is clear. This process is called sequestering. I added more glycerin and borax to my liquid soap after I tested the ph level. Sequestering comes from the Latin word, sesquestrare, which means to remove, set aside or separate.  The clouding of the soap is caused by insoluble fatty acids.

Once the soap becomes brighter and less cloudy I will add the essential and fragrance oils. I plan on splitting this batch into three parts. One I will fragrance with Pink Grapefruit essential oil, one with Lavender essential oil and the last with Patchouli essential oil and Raspberry fragrance oil. When I add the various fragrances it will be interesting to see which ones will turn my soap cloudy again.

I think it is pretty neat to see the entire process of making liquid soap.  It is very different than when I make my normal soap!

Liquid Soap Adventure!

I am trying my hand at liquid soap again. I made it about two years ago using Catherine Failor's book, "Making Natural Liquid Soap". This is a great book to use as a reference.

This is a picture of what the soap looks like after you combine the oil and butter mixture with the potassium hydroxide and water.

I used the paste method where you end up with a very thick, paste like substance. Using a stick blender, it doesn't take long for the mixture to turn into a glue-like consistency.

You dilute this using distilled water and it can take up to three days. I started out using a version of my regular soap formula and ran it through the lye calculator at The Sage. One of the tricks to making clear liquid soap is to use a "0" superfat. This means that all of your oils are saponified leaving nothing extra. Normally you would want to superfat your soap somewhat so that your soap has the conditioning benefits of the oils. When I make regular soap I always superfat my batches so that my soap is more moisturizing (well, as moisturizing as soap can be while still being cleansing).

It is imperative that you have an accurate scale. I went to a soapmaking class a few years ago just to see how it was being taught (and I was nosy). I cringed when the instructor said that a few ounces here or there was no big deal. It is a big deal! In soapmaking you need to be very accurate or your soap will be either lye heavy or a greasy mess. I am sure everyone has heard stories about their grandmothers making soap out of lard. Lye heavy soap is extremely drying and hard on your skin. On the other hand, a soap too heavy on the oil/butter side will not be cleansing and leave an oily film on your skin. So it is extremely important to measure your ingredients very accurately!

I did superfat my batch of liquid soap. I plan on using opaque pump bottles so it is not important to me if my soap is clear or cloudy. I wanted to leave some of the oils and butters unsaponified to make my soap less drying and harsh.

The soap above is what the paste looks like. It is so thick that you can't stir it and can barely get the spoon out.  I used some lovely oils and butters in this batch so I hope it turns out to be a nice, luxurious soap.

The ingredients I used are: Babassu, Avocado, Sweet Almond, Castor, Shea, Cocoa and Kokum Butters, Macadamia, Olive and Rice Bran. I have now diluted my paste and plan to add some Jojoba.

I can't wait to try it! I plan on splitting this batch and doing half with Lavender and the other half Patchouli Raspberry.

Homemade Raw Sauerkraut

I actually made something besides soap last night. I met a new friend this winter while selling soap at the Winter Farm Market. My friend Linda (who also makes soap) and I went over to John Ulness's (Benefit Options) house after the market last Saturday. He makes Kombachu Tea and showed us how he does it(more about that in another post). Anyway, he peaked my interest in raw fermented foods. I inherited a 10 gallon crock that came from my grandparents' dairy farm so I decided to try and make sauerkraut.

Fermented foods contain helpful probiotics that restore the body's natural enzyme balance. Some of the health benefits include:

• Protection from cancer, especially colon cancer
• Improved digestion
• Increased longevity - eliminates body toxins by helping to rejuvenate cells and strengthens immune systems
• Helps restore the body's natural enzyme balance
• Rich in friendly bacteria
• Cleansing!

What Are Probiotics?

Probiotics are basically live bacteria that are beneficial to your body. This type of bacteria helps inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. They aid in the digestion process and in the absorption of nutrients. They also help support a strong immune system. The sour taste in sauerkraut is not vinegar but lactic acid. Lactic acid is formed when the bacteria ferment sugars in the cabbage. Sauerkraut as we know it comes from Eastern Europe. Sauerkraut originally came from China. Kimchi is another form of sauerkraut from Korea. It is generally very hot and spicy. If my sauerkraut turns out I will try Kimchi - I love it!

Here is the recipe I used:

Grated cabbage - 3 heads and

Grated carrots - about 10

- to make 7 lbs.

2 Chopped Jalepeños

2 Tablespoons minced garlic

2 Tablespoons shallots

1 Ginger Root chopped

4 1/2 Tablespoons Celtic Sea Salt

- I use Celtic Sea Salt because of the nutritional value

I mixed it all together and placed it in my crock. On top of the mixture I put a layer of Saran Wrap. On top of that I filled up 2 gallon size Ziploc bags with water and placed them on top of my vegetables. This acts as a weight to squeeze out the water from the cabbage mixture. The cabbage will start to ferment in about one day. You need to let the cabbage sit for maybe a month depending on your climate. I put my crock in the basement. I guess it should be rather cool because it is better if it ferments longer.

I will keep you updated!

Emulsified Sugar Scrub

I love my new Emulsified Sugar Scrub!

Their is a difference between an emulsified scrub and a regular scrub. Emulsification is when you combine different waxes, butters, oils, etc. to create a cream or lotion. The process of combining the waxes with the liquids and oils in the correct proportions is what creates a homogenized product. After heating the oils and waxes you mix it for a long period of time to make it stable enough so the water does not separate from the oils.

I employed this concept and applied it to a scrub. The result is very unique. When you use a small amount and water is added, it turns the scrub into a lotion-like substance. I use pure, finely ground cane sugar. This is a very gentle exfoliant which leaves your skin soft and glowing. A major difference that I noticed was that this scrub is not oily or runny like some other scrubs that I have used.

My "Bergamot & Lemon Body Polish" is rich and hand whipped. It has the consistency of a heavy mousse or a creamy mascarpone cheese. I would like to thank "Cookiebug" from the Soap Dish Forum for her generosity in sharing her formula. It was her "recipe" that inspired me to come up with mine.

Ingredients: Organic Olive, Castor, Apricot, Meadowfoam & Palm Kernel oils, Emulsifying waxes, Palm Stearic, Pure Cane Sugar, Jojoba Beads, Fair Trade Organic Shea & Cocoa Butters, Mild Preservative, Bergamot, Lemon & Grapefruit Essential oils.

Another thing I'd like to mention is how much I really like www.onlinelabels.com. I have been using their clear labels for a couple of years now. I have a laser printer and I really like the way the labels adapt to my printer. The quality of the labels is excellent. The price is great and the service is top rate! I used Onlinelabels.com clear laser labels for my sugar scrubs. I need to order more labels next week and will definitely be ordering from onlinelabels.com this week!

Absinthe

Absinthe! An intoxicating blend of essential oils that have the same hypnotic allure as the famous liquor. One thing I love about working with essential oils is the technique of blending. Just like with the original Absinthe, my essential oil blend is unique to me.

Ingredients: Saponified Oils of Olive, Rice Bran, Babassu, Coconut, Palm, Palm Kernel, Hemp, Avocado & Castor, Shea & Cocoa Butters, Coconut Milk, Water, Colorant.

Essential Oil Blend: Star Anise, Litsea Cubeba, Rosemary Verbonne, Palmarosa, Dalmation Sage and Clary Sage.

"Absinthe is the aphrodisiac of the self. The green fairy who lives in the absinthe wants your soul. But you are safe with me!"

~ Count Dracula

Absinthe has always intrigued me. I suppose it is because I have always been attracted to the Bohemian culture associated with it. Absinthe was originally created in Val de Travers, Switzerland in 1792. Other countries in Europe also have a history of producing it including Austria, The Czech Republic, France and Spain.

The major ingredient in Absinthe is Wormwood. The plant is naturally rich in terpene thujone, a powerful hallucenogenic. Wormwood is purported to induce clarity of thought, enhanced creativity, inspiration and increased psychic awareness and experiences. However, long term effects are brain damage, renal failure and addiction. Personally, I would not be adverse to trying the real thing once or twice to see for myself! I have always been an advocate for all-natural and have avoided herbicides, pesticides and chemicals. Wormwood, though - well, yeah, I'd try it!

Famous Absinthe Users: Edouard Manet, Oscar Wilde, Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway.

Absinthe Quotes:

"Got tight last night on absinthe and did knife tricks. Great success shooting the knife into the piano. The woodworms are so bad and eat hell out of all furniture that you can always claim the woodworms did it."
~Ernest Hemingway

"Let me be mad...
mad with the madness
of Absinthe, the wildest, most
luxurious madness in the world."
~Marie Corelli

"After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world."
~Oscar Wilde

"Absinthe has a wonderful color, green. A glass of absinthe is as poetical as anything in the world. What difference is there between a glass of absinthe and a sunset?"
~Oscar Wilde

"The first month of marriage is the honeymoon, the second is the absinthe-moon."
~Voltaire

Come, the Wines go to the beaches,
And the waves by the millions!
See the wild Bitter
Rolling from the top of the mountains!
Let us, wise pilgrims, reach
The Absinthe with the green pillars….
~Comedy of thirst, Arthur Rimbaud

Absinthe & Patchouli Lavender Soaps

I made two new soaps - Absinthe and Patchouli Lavender. The first one, Absinthe, actually surprised me. I wasn't sure I was really going to like but it smells awesome! It is an essential oil blend of Anise, Litsea Cubeba, Rosemary Verbonne, Dalmation Sage and Palmarosa.

I was trying something new with this soap and the Patchouli Lavender. I was trying to get a layer of blue on top of the Absinthe and a layer of gray on top of the Patchouli Lavender. I guess I should have waited for the bottom layer to set-up longer before I poured the top color. I was afraid that the layers would separate on me. Oh, well, I kind of like how they turned out. Especially the Absinthe - very funky looking!

The Patchouli Lavender is an essential oil blend of Patchouli and Lavender essential oils. I have had a lot of requests for this blend. Now I just need to find some nice artwork to use on the labels. I am thinking of one by John Waterhouse for the Absinthe and am not sure about the Patchouli Lavender.

Ingredients for the soaps: Organic Olive, Coconut, Palm, Palm Kernel, Hemp, (Macadamia in the Patchouli Lavender and Avocado in the Absinthe), Babassu & Castor, Organic Fair Trade Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Water, Coconut Milk and Colorant (oxides).