Spring cleaning...

Today the sun is belting down outside and up here in the North East, it's around 20 degrees!! that's good for a summer day never mind one in March!! Please don''t burn yourself out before we have a real summer Mr Sun...

I've recently been designing some all new fantastic soaps to add to the range. Some older ones will be dissapearing for a while to make room for their new gang members.

I've always wanted to have a go at salt bars, these are fantastically scrubby and really good for buffing up tired winter skin and boosting sluggish circulation. They can be used as invigorating all over shower soaps, foot scrubs, or as a pre-waxing exfoliation for your legs. Basically they will help buff up your bod ready for it being bared in the summer (GULP!!!- note to self...LOTS more belly dancing and long bike rides required before then!!  ;)

Sooooooo.........Introducing 3 new salt bar soaps, names to be confirmed...

Detox spa bar 

 

Detox Spa Bar - coloured with Spirulina (seaweed powder) and fragranced with  purifying essentail oils of Juniper, Rosemary and Lemon. As Spirulina is a very natural ingredient, I'm hoping it will hold it's colour and stay this vivid green, fingers crossed for me.

Clay Spa Bar

Clay Spa Bar - with green clay for extra cleansing, Chlorophyll extract for the green hue and fragranced with  Sweet Fennel, Rosemary and Peppermint essential oils...

Lemongrass, Salt and Pepper layered Spa Bar

Lemongrass, Salt and Pepper layered Spa Bar - coloured with annato extract and fragranced with Lemongrass, Coriander, and Black Pepper essential oils.

These three ladies will be cured by the end of April and available from their own special section on the website www.oakwoodsoaperie.co.uk

There are plenty more new and exciting creations in the pipeline but that will have to keep you going for a bit ;) They will all be revealed in good time, anyhoo, the sun is blazing outside and it's calling me out to bask in it for a bit, so TTFN xxx

My New Spangly Soap Workshop - guided tour

Spring is underway and what better time to reveal my newly re-fitted workshop? It has taken a while but at long last, I now have a fully functioning and lovely (well, I think so) workspace to design, make and wrap all my lovely goodies just for you.

The Design Hub (well,  really just my desk ;)

I love to have inspiration at my fingertips so any beautiful things I find get put onto the heart rack, for reference later on. You can even see one of the lovely calendars I got made up at Christmas time perched to the side of my screen, birdie keeps a close eye on it for me so I don't forget which day it is!!

Storage, Storage, Storage!!

I now have tonnes of MUCH needed space to make, wrap and store everything, it's already filling up nicely. You can see my crates under the bench - these come to my regular craft fairs around the North East...spreading the Oakwood Soaperie lurve out there...I have space for 12 in total, I think this will do me for a while!!
The far side of the bench has an open cupboard for all my equipment and soap oils, better for easy access mid soaping. All my ingredients are over on the racks in the corner (don't look too close, they need a tidy!)  while this side is my wrapping and postage half...with doors to prevent the labels etc. getting all bits on them when I'm making goodies.
At the back are my new curing towers - I LOVE these, lots of space and good ventillation for curing soaps / drying bath bombs / bubble bars etc. Each basket easily holds around 40 bars...that's a lot of soap!!!

Online stock storage for Folksy, WowThankyou and my new Website

Here are my new shelf units too, when you order from one of my online shops or the website, this is where all your goodies have been waiting for you, ready to be re-homed. As well as the storage shelves above, I also have a space specially for larger orders and wholesale / retail allowing me to have everything in one place. It's much easier to see what I have now and what needs replenishing. I plan to get more stacking boxes to utilise the shelves a bit better but that is the easy part.

Well that's it, tour finished...I hope you have enjoyed a sneaky peek behind the doors at Oakwood Soaperie, it may be small but it's mine and I'm very proud to have done every bit myself, including laying a new floor, all the painting and sourcing and building all that storage. I think it's time for a nice cuppa and back to some soaping...thank you all for coming round :)

TTFN xxx

Happy Valentines Day! (and some new makes for our new website)

Today it's been all go here at Soaperie Towers :)
Bath bombs are now drying on the racks and soap is almost ready to pour.
Todays makes include Green Tea and Rice bran Bath bombs and St Clements - Orange and lemon bath bombs ( both with a new secret bubbling ingredient)

Green Tea and Rice Bran Bubbling bomb

St Clement's - all wrapped up

Yesterday I made new batches of our best sellers - Floral Heaven (Jasmine & Ylang ylang) and Heather Honey bath bombs, this room smells AMAZING!! I can't wait till tonight, as I get to use up all the little end bits and crumbs that are left - soapmakers treat :)

Our bath bombs make lovely Wedding Favours and can be tailored to suit the theme of the wedding or special occasion, I can even rustle up some custom labels too, (if i'm feeling particularly clever!)

Floral Heaven Bath Bombs

Heather Honey Bath Bombs

I'll be pouring a new batch of Sweet Pea soap this afternoon too, hopefully it should look like this when cured.

Sweet Pea Soap

These will all be listed on our new website as soon as they are wrapped and ready.

More updates to follow very soon -

TTFN - time for lunch xx

Seasonal Spendour...

Apple of Temptation Bubble Bar

Japanese Plum Bubble Bar

Today has been dedicated to seasonal products here at Oakwood Towers...in between batches of my hubble bubble bars being made up for a lovely order I received the other day...namely new "Japanese Plum" and "Apple of Temptation"...I have been stirring my soap cauldron.

Pumpkin Spice Halloween Soap

 
May I introduce to you, all new and Haloweenified (yes that is a word...I've not just made it up!) Pumpkin Spice handmade soap...It is made with Olive, Sunflower and coconut oils, cocoa butter, carrot tissue oil (for colour and it helps reduce scarring and is very high in Vitamin A) and black mica. The fragrance is a blend of creamy fruit and spice with a hint of cinnamon. It should be nicely cured by the end of September...just in time for All Hallows Eve...





I have also been concocting a new creamed soap for the winter time. Whilst the soap was still liquid, I whipped it up until it resembled whipped cream. It will make for a moussey bar with a very different texture to the usual cold process soaps I make...I fancied something new...This one is aqua coloured underneath with a layer of sea green mica through the middle and white whipped topping...It is fragranced with a blend of pine, eucalyptus and mint. Because she resembles a lovely snowdrift, the kind I could't help jumping in when I was little - (not to mention just last year), I am calling her "Snow Day" I can't wait until she is cut up...I'm thinking extra chunky bars this time. What do you think?

Well, I'd better be off, there tea to get going, and baths to be had...TTFNxx

Time for a spot of indulgence...

         Well, it's full steam ahead here at Oakwood Soaperie. I have been developing some all new recipies and re-vamping some not so new ones. As you may know I was revising the recipie for 'Buttered Rose soap' recently. I must say, I am delighted with the results so far.

Buttered rose - before...pale and interestingly floral

and now - Kapow!!  - in a new guise...

 

        
        I have been experimenting with a new ingredient for me...Madder root. this is traditionally used in dyeing fabric and wool but works very well in soaps too. Instead of infusing in the base oils, it goes straight in with the lye solution and turns it a vivid berry red...

Dried and ground madder root in lye solution.

          Once this has cooled, it gets filtered and mixed into the oils as normal. I had initially intended to make the red only as a swirl through the soap but loved the colour so much went for the whole bar.
I have also added a silkening ingredient in the form of Hydrolised Oats, a vegan alternative to tussah silk fibres, this should give the soap a gloriously soft feel and silky lather - I hope.
          I have also tweaked the essential oils too making them a slightly stronger and more exotic blend of Rose Geranium, Benzoin, Cardamom and black pepper, this mix is wonderfully aromatic, floral and spicey and a bit turkish delighty...my workshop smells divine. The change was such a big one I've also had to think up a new name...so, here we have, introducing her on her debut...

Turkish Rose Madder...I think I'm in love.

           After the success of this one, I also had a think about some new bath melts now that autumn is just around the corner. I have 2 new ones specially made for when the night start to draw in...Beddy Byes and Aahhh....
            Beddy Byes bath melt is specifically designed to pack in as many pampering and sleep inducing ingredients as possible, as well as being an indulgent treatment. It is crammed with cocoa and shea butter to moisturise and lock in the goodness (also one less step before you can collapse into bed), fragranced with calming and relaxing oils of Lavender, Sweet Orange and Tangerine to comfort and soothe. There is also a scoop of tapioca starch in there as this helps soften the water and give a silky feel to it and you. These just go straight into the bath where they melt and realease their magic.

Beddy Byes Bath Melt

   
        Aahhhh..... bath melt is named after the noise we all make on climbing into a well deserved bath. It is a little nugget of pure pampering wonder. The main ingredients again are cocoa and shea butter with a touch of bicarb for a gentle fizz and to help disperse the butters as well as a water softener. The essential oils are the same blend I have included in my Ylang, Sweet Orange and Patchouli Sugar Shower Scrubs. I love this combination and the fragrance lingers on your skin really well. I'm undecided as to whether I should paint the tops with gold mica for extra luxury...what do you think?

Aahhh...bath melt

Once you're in the bath you will have trouble getting back out - I speak from experience, this one is a keeper, I'm loving it.

Well, I have a tonne of soap to get wrapped, I'd better be off, I couldn't resist sharing these little lovelies with you...TTFN xx

Ohh, new stuff....

Well, another busy day at Oakwood Towers...I've been waiting in for my deliveries of new supplies...still one more to come, shouldn't be long now.

To keep myself entertained I have been coming up with some new products and re-vising some of my older receipes to give them a new lease of energy for the run up to Christmas. I'll get to the new ones in a bit but first to the revamped ones.
I have been working on including some luxurious ingredients into my Natural soap range to make them even lovelier. The first one for a re-vamp is SOS Facial bar.

SOS facial cleansing bar with Bentonite clay

 

 

 

 

 

It is made with 2/3 pure olive oil, shea butter and coconut oil and enriched with Avocado and Jojoba.. It also contains Bentonite clay and this is deep cleansing whilst being gentle on the skin. There are essential oils in there to to help sort out any spots or oily areas, these include Lemon, Lavender and Tea tree.

I decided however that this little bar was far too unassuming for it's effectiveness so I have made it more dramatic by adding another combination skin saviour - activated charcoal powder. This gives it a beautiful black colour as well as helping draw out excess oils from the skin, as well as providing a bit of scrub. I mixed it into half of the soap while it was liquid, then poured them into the mould in layers and swirled the black and white liquid soap together. I always love texturised tops to handmade soap so I had to do that too. The end result is below. I will cut this in a couple of days, I'm hoping it will be lovely and swirly black and white inside. I'll cut it into chunky blocks as before, fingers crossed it looks good. This will be fully cured around the 10th September.

SOS # 2 - just poured and glossy.

Next for the re-vamp will be Buttered Rose:

Buttered Rose

I'm really pleased to have at last found UK supplier who sells Madder Root, a dried plant root used to give colour to natural wool as well as soaps. I have been dying to get my mits on some for ages. The plan is to infuse some of my oils with the madder root and then use them to give a gorgeous natural red swirl through the middle of this bar. I am also changing the essential oils a bit as well, so the new version will be creamy and red swirl fragranced with rose geranium, black pepper and cardamom. Reminiscent of Turkish delight I'm hoping :o) Watch this space for further updates...

I have also been concocting some all new bubble bars. These have done so well since I brought out a selection earlier this year, I've decided to add to the range.

First of all we have Japanese Plum - A plum coloured bar with handpainted flowers on the top for prettiess. The fragrance is decribed as "A warm spicy Oriental accord with top notes of fresh lemon and tangerine, leading to a spiced heart of clove, cinnamon, ripe plum and tuberose resting on a base of rich incense, patchouli, soft moss, amber, caramelised sugar and vanilla" It is trully lovely, a girl could become addicted!!

I have added lashings of Rice Bran oil to moisturise and the majority of the foaming ingredients are naturally derived and made from Coconuts.

Japanese Plum Bubble Bars

 

 

Secondly...Mystic Bubble Bar. A turquoisey blue with sea green mica for a bit of mysterious sparkle. Fragranced with a blend described as "A sumptuous blend of pomegranate, raspberry, and plum underpinned with spicy pink pepper, and grounded in a base of patchouli and frankincense."

I have added a good gloop of coconut oil for moisture to this one - just crumble under running water, lie back and relaaaaax...

Mystic Bubble Bar

Well that's all for now, keep checking back for updates on the new versions. They will all be for sale in my Folksy and Wowthankyou shops very soon...TTFN xxx

Today's Makes

Well today I've been taking the opportunity to catch up on making for a bit. I have a string of regular craft fairs coming up and some things needed a top up. I thought you might like to see what I've been up to...

So, today I have made...

Orange Blossom Bubble bars.

 

 

 

Honey Buns soap with real Northumbrian Honey, coloured with tumeric.

Peppermint & Poppyseed, freshly poured and glossy.

Lavender & Clary Sage, coloured with Alkanet Root

Spiced Cinnamon Fig, coloured with cinnamon and cocoa powder, with poppy seeds for texture.

The soaps should all be fully cured and ready by the end of August, when they will be wrapped and labelled up ready for re-homing.

TTFN,

Another Busy Day at Oakwood Towers

Gosh what a manic couple of weeks!
Apart from attending another craft fair at Gibside last weekend - lovely as ever, apart from the thunder and lightning!! I have been a very busy bee. I'm gearing up for a packed summer of fairs and events starting off on 21st May back at Gibside, then 18th June I'll be at the Ovingham Goose Fair, 72 stalls and counting! - just need to sort out an apron & mop cap as it is a historical themed fair, so stallholders must be in 'uniform' - now don't laugh...be kind x.
After that is the 1st craft fair held at Segedunum Roman Fort in Wallsend (i.e Hadrian's Wall's End) near Newcastle, a two dayer that should be HUGE!! This falls over the weekend of 25th and 26th June - just before the hubby's birthday, wonder if I can talk him into helping out???

Needless to say, I have been soaping to within an inch of my life I thought you might like to see the results of all my efforts and have a sneak preview of the goodies in store...see below.

Extra Gentle Shea Castile with Goat's milk & Chamomile

Marbelled Chocolate Truffle Artisan Saop

English Rose with pink clay and calamine powder

Ginger nut coloured with paprika and cinnamon

Moroccan Hammam Artisan Soap with Rhassoul Clay

Peppermint & Poppy seed soap - Woah bit bright!!

Red Sky at Night Swirled Soap

SOS Facial Soap with Lavender & Tea Tree oil

These lovelies and more besides, will all be ready to wrap in early June, just in time for the big days out!! I have my work cut out I think. See you there if you can make it xx

TTFN

Love, Ceri
Oakwood Soaperie