Soap & Gloria

Firstly, apologies for the pun on this blog's name but I felt I just had to use it!

This weekend I have taken a departure from my usual crafting activities and have not used a needle and thread at all. On Friday morning I was very excited to take delivery of soap making supplies which made a pleasant change from the arrival of online orders of Christmas presents that are being delivered at a steady pace at the moment.

Soap making is not something I have ever tried up until now but having visited a number of craft and gift fairs over the past few months I have been inspired by the delicious scents and textures in handmade soaps that I have seen being sold by very clever crafters.

This year I have decided to have a go at making my own to give as Christmas gifts. Yesterday morning with the help of two of my boys I set to work in the kitchen melting the soap base and adding fragrance and colour. My first attempt was to be a straightforward one and I opted for that old favourite - Lavender Soap. We also added some Lavender petals that were left over from some Lavender bags that I made in The late Summer.

This afternoon having left the soap to set for 24 hours (plus a couple of extra to be on the safe side), I gently prised our soap from the mould to find it had set perfectly! The soap was then cut into bars and  I have to say I am absolutely delighted with the results.

 

Eight beautifully scented bars of Lavender Soap ready to be given as gifts this Christmas. I really think soap making may be addictive and I am looking forward to trying new fragrances and shapes as soon as possible.

Time to move on to the next stage of my plan for these gifts - the packaging which I am looking forward to sharing in a week's time.