Counting My Blessings

Last night was Bubble Class #2 with the Blessings Craft Club. This group is perfectly named! Each one of the five ladies is sweet, funny, kind and uber~crafty! Last night's class was a mixture of fun and hard work as we kicked through 3 projects. We made melt & pour projects, re~usable dryer sachets & (my favorite) shea & sugar scrub.

It's so fun to get to know someone based on their sensuality. I'm not teetering on nasty talk, I mean getting to know which fragrances, colors and textures appeal to one's senses. I'm not as good at guessing as I'd like to be. The Blessings Girls cover the spectrum. The best, BEST thing is watching someone's face when they get it just the way the like it! It's a magic moment. Just look at their beautiful work! Fragrances like Oatmeal, Milk & Honey, Bonsai, Creme Brulee and
a really yummy China Rain, Vanilla & Rose blend (courtesy of Brambleberry) filled the air!
Life is so good!

Thanks again to all of you girls! I may "teach" the class, but you all make it so fun! These are evenings that I really look forward to!! :)

Teacher! Teacher!

Does anyone remember that song from .38 Special? Well, I get to play teacher tomorrow night and I'm so excited!! There's a craft club of 5 or 6 women here in Randolph. It's the coolest idea. From what I understand, they get together regularly and do different crafty things. Doesn't that sound like a blast? Anyway, one of the ladies, Sadie, asked me a little while ago if I was interested in teaching them how to make soap. Who wouldn't be?

Initially, I thought they'd want to do a little melt and pour soaping. You know, it's quick, instant gratification. That shows what I know! These girls are hard core! They opted for the CP class, complete with goggles and gloves! Well, we are going to each make a 1 lb batch so my students :) can take home their soap right away and stare at it while it cures.

So today I did my last practice run to make sure that my recipe would behave itself. Can you believe I've never made less than a 4 lb batch of soap? I am so happy with the one pound recipe I used. It's in Alicia Grosso's Everything Soapmaking Book. See here to read about how much I love her! It's simple and manageable. I'm only worried about how to get everyone emulsified.
I have 2 stick blenders, so we'll probably just take turns.

This batch has Brambleberry's Kumquat FO, Wholesale Supplies Plus Yellow Iron Oxide & water soluable titanium dioxide. I topped one with calendula, inspired by Joanna's Bath Bomb photo and the other has cranberry seeds just for fun. The Kumquat was perfect to work with. No acceleration that I could note and the scent (so far) is nice and bright! I think I'm in love!

I'm so excited about class! I'll let you know how it goes!