Christmas is coming...

This is part of what I've been up to over the past little while! (Thanks to Adam for taking a couple of pictures for me.) It's been a busy month, trying to get my soap stuff organized for Christmas, while doing my regular work, and all of the other fun things in life.

I'll let you know again that if you're interested in soaps for Christmas, you have a tiny sliver of time left to let me know what you'd like - send me an e-mail at birchbarksoap [at] gmail [dot] com. Or, you can always visit my Etsy shop and see what's there - to avoid disappointment with Christmas shipping delays, I won't have anything listed in the shop for the month of December - the last day orders will be sent out will be on Monday, November 30. And I will be updating the shop later this weekend, after I get some other orders put together.

And lastly, but definitely not leastly, pop on over to my other blog if you're interested in other stuff I'm up to! I'm much more frequent in posting over there, and have occasional giveaways and other fun things happening.

Indie Icing

I was lucky enough to be included in Indie Icing's Mini Monday today! Break out your baguettes and berets, because we're headed to France! While you're over there, check out some of the other fantastic handmade goodness - I can see where my evening will be spent.

I've been making a bit of soap lately, but not nearly as much as this time last year. I'm glad that I made the decision to skip this fall's craft fairs. Well, I'm not really skipping them - I'll just be there as a customer! I'm excited to see what some of the other vendors have that's new and exciting. And hopefully I'll be able to do most of my Christmas shopping on those visits, too!

Don't forget that if you would like to order soaps for stocking stuffers, or have something custom in mind, send me an e-mail at birchbarksoap [at] gmail [dot] com. I'm getting really excited for Christmas, and I hope you are, too.

Shop Update

I updated the shop today - it's Fall, so Pumpkin Pie Bath Bars are back. I had a batch ready a few weeks ago, and it sold out right away, so I'm glad to have more to offer.

I made a new batch of soap which I cut this morning, and it smells wonderful. I used Bramble Berry's Orange 10 fold essential oil along with a bit of vanilla, for a lovely creamsicle scent. I can't wait to try it out once it's fully cured, and I'm really excited that the orange scent seems to be staying very nicely.

Thinking ahead to Christmas, if you would like to place a custom order for stocking stuffers or for a treat for yourself, get your thinking cap on! I'll be closing the shop for December and sending out the last Christmas orders on December 1. (I'm already excited for Christmas, seriously.) Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

lip balm and fizzing milk bath recipes

Doesn't this lip balm from Mystique Products' Etsy shop look lovely? Image from here. Come to think of it, everything in the shop looks lovely, especially this perfume oil and the herbal body powder. (I love vetiver, although I've never used it by itself as a scent. Lovely!) Head on over and check out the shop!

I had a really fun time on the weekend, teaching a couple groups of ladies to make Fizzing Milk Bath and Peppermint Lip Balm, which I'm guessing is somewhat similar to the one above. I love the simple lip balm recipe below, based on this one from Bramble Berry. It's very moisturizing, and feels amazing on lips. It's perfect to make for little fun gifts with a group of girls, or for stocking stuffers. (I'm excited for Christmas already!) We used the classy lip butter pots with windows from Bramble Berry, which I really like. They're a nice size for toting around in a purse.

Here are the recipes we used:

Fizzing Milk Bath

Makes approximately 3 cups

1 cup powdered milk

½ cup baking soda

½ cup cornstarch

½ cup citric acid (available at Hands on Crafts, here in Yarmouth)

½ cup Epsom salts

Herbs and fragrance or essential oils as desired. (Essential oils are available for excellent prices at Hands on Crafts, on Main Street in Yarmouth.)

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add drops of essential oil as desired, mixing well to avoid clumps. Store in a cool, dry place. Use 2-3 tbsp per bath. Enjoy!

Simple Lip Balm

Makes approximately 4 small pots

2 tsp coconut oil

2 ¼ tsp beeswax pastilles

1 1/8 tsp sweet almond oil

2/3 tsp olive or avocado oil

Melt oils and beeswax together over very low heat in stainless steel or glass pot or container until melted. A double boiler or microwave works best to avoid scorching. Remove from heat, and immediately add 15-20 drops peppermint essential oil (available at Hands on Crafts.) Mix well, and pour into pots. If it begins to harden before the essential oil is completely incorporated, place on low heat again until it liquefies.

Enjoy!

feeling like fall

I have a good excuse for why it's been so long since I last posted - I'm pregnant! Which means in real-life terms that I've been sleeping every afternoon, going to bed early, and not feeling like doing anything at all in between. And many scents and smells have been completely repulsive, so I've been making minimal amounts of soap. And now I'm back to work as a teacher for a new school year, so things will continue to be busy.

I've had lots of requests for the Pumpkin Pie bar pictured above, and I made a batch a few weeks ago. It will be listed in my Etsy shop before too long, and Yarmouth Natural will have a few bars of it in soon, too. It's a warm, spicy, fall scent - definitely one of my favourites, and the colour is from annatto seed. I also have a beautiful Coffee Cake fragrance I'm planning to use in a new bar soon. It's a perfect blend of sweet and spicy, without being too much of either. Yum.

The weather has changed over the past few days, with beautiful, clear sunny days and cool nights. I love it. And I've been feeling a bit better over the past few days, so things are looking up!

Happy September!

Tea Tree Complexion Soap for Oily SKin

I made this soap for my own skin, and I'm quite happy with it! My Carrot Complexion Soap works well for mature and sensitive skin, which is what I designed it for, but I needed something a little lighter and different for my own problem-prone skin. So I came up with this.

From the Etsy description:

This facial soap is made especially for oily and acne-prone skin, with tea tree essential oil, for its antibacterial properties, and peppermint essential oil for its antiseptic qualities. It also contains french green clay to draw excess oils from the skin. It has excellent lather, and doesn't leave skin feeling stripped of moisture.

Having oily skin myself, I find that it works well to keep acne at bay along with a simple witch hazel toner and an occasional deep-cleansing clay mask.

You can see this new soap in my Etsy shop, here. Happy Monday!

Blueberry Etsy Treasury

My blueberry soap has been featured in this lovely Etsy treasury, which can be seen here.