Banana, Kiwi, Vanilla, Peach and Cucumber Soap

 

Some days ago, on 6th of September, just before heading for my long work trip I made a new soap!!! It’s curing well, I was so happy when sow it again last night when got in!

 

 

Some nights before my trip I could not sleep and one of those sleepless nights  I just got up and started making soap with what I could find in that very moment. So I used some rather unusual combination of banana, kiwi, vanilla, peach, cucumber and, of course, pure olive oil. OMG, it was such a revealing experience! When we feel urge for creating we should surrender to it, no matter the time.

 

 

Ice Cream

In between stressful and anxious moments of checking my ticking time bomb in form of cellular work phone I managed to make some ice cream. I guess  the recipe I use must be the simplest recipe of all and no chemicals added if it wasn't for whipping cream.

I remember this recipe from times when I was a little girl growing up on the island whose shops those years did not sell any ice cream at all (due to transportation problems at those remote times!) so my mother used to make it for us on the occasion. She used whipping cream in powder form. Even that one was hard to find, of course.

I have no idea am I doing it right or not but the final result is always delicious anyway.

I used what I found in the fridge at that particular moment of inspiration, so the ingredients in this case are just basic, really. Normally I also use some fresh and colorful fruits, as well as different nuts, chocolate chips, coffee etc. It's almost the same fun as soap making. (I have much more fun while making soaps, however!)

I used whipping cream that comes sweetened already, therefore not much sugar cca 2 tablespoons  just to mix up with yolks, some eggs (never know the right quantity but in this case eggs were pritty small and whipping cream 500 ml so I tought I should better use 8 eggs anyhow). And that's all you need. Mix white of egg separately, yolks with some sugar separately, whipping cream  separately too, than mix all 3 together and there you have the basic mixture that can already go to the freezer! Well, that could be rather boring ice cream therefore you can add some more things to get different flavors. As this time I did not have much spare ingredients I picked up one lemon directly from our lemon tree in the back garden, grated it a bit and added it to one part of the basic mixture. In another part I put some cocoa powder and in the rest some vanilla sugar. 

And there you go!
Not bad at all!

Apricot, Blackberry & Vanilla Soap

Did not have much time to post photos of my last (apricot, blackberry and vanilla) soap, so it’ll be about time to do it, finally...

I’m a bit surprised by the colour of both apricot and blackberry, but I am pleased with the final result, however.

Soap

It’s been for quite some time I think of making some more soap! I’ve been thinking of some juicy soap with summer fruits available at the moment, so I bought me apricots and some blackberries from local farmers on the market yesterday morning. But, then, I got a phone call from a friend who invited me for a late lunch so I went out instead. It was a lovely afternoon & evening and food was delicious! Weather, too. It was cool and cloudy and I could breathe freely without sweating under that terrible summer heat! Even though I come from a sunny and warm Mediterranean island I have to say: I’m sorry but I am not a Summer person at all! Not at all!!! (Not-at-all!)  

I’ve made my very first soap in the afternoon on 03.03.2012. It was a pure experiment that came out just great!!! I was so happy! I thought I would make it just natural without any scents whatsoever, just natural things, pure and simple, if we exclude lye, of course... So I used lemon and rosemary from my mother’s island garden and the smell was like Heaven itself! Unfortunately, after 4 weeks of curing all that Mediterranean perfume evaporated but that beautiful soap was still there, anyway!

Some weeks after my lemon & rosemary soap I made another one: chocolate, strawberry and vanilla!!! That was an adventure, really! Again: no colours, no scents, just pure olive oil (olive oil I use comes from the island, too, and is made by my parents!!!), dark chocolate, fresh strawberries, some vanilla beans...

After that I’ve done some more soaps using apple, ginger, cinnamon, bananas... I’ve been giving my soaps away as gifts to my parents and my nieces and some really close friends of mine. To my surprise they are all so delighted with them! I’m so happy because of that! So, so happy!

From my first (burning!) desire to make soap till the first time of actual making almost entire year has passed in between! First of all I didn’t have anyone to show me how to do it, I did not have any idea of how to make it, no shops around with such theme and not to mention the rest like, for instance, people telling me I was silly having such ideas and so on, and so on...

But, lucky me, there was internet! Thanks God! There I found it all: ingredients, right quantity measures of oils, water and lye, there I watched people making soaps... And so I could finally start experimenting! My favourite soapmaker of all I’ve found on internet is Amy from GreatCakeSoapworks. I’ve found her accidentally but never stopped following ever since! Thank you Amy! I love your work and your beautiful soaps! Thank you so much!  

And, yes, today I’ve finally made my new soap using apricots and blackberries, it got a little bit messy but I did it. I can’t wait to check how it looks like!

Alice in Wonderland

I really, really like my new apartment! I love it! It is the perfect picture of what I’ve always imagined. It’s so amazing! I’m so grateful for such manifestation in my life. I’m truly, truly grateful! I’m especially grateful for the spare room I have now and always longed for and which is as big as the whole apartment itself! Funny that I’ve noticed it all only after moving in!!! It’s spacious attic, clean, light and huge!

There are also some spare furniture that I can use there too, such as cupboards, tables and chairs, sofas and a couch as well. All in perfect, tidy and clean conditions! I am a crafty girl; I am Alice and that attic is my Wonderland! Now I have place and space to put my imagination on display! To spread it all over the place and than to enjoy creative chaos and let it to grow freely and continuously! And newer to tidy up afterwards! Now I have the place for all my “toys”: my sowing machine, my fabrics, my wools, my knitting needles, sowing needles,  my paintings, my paint brushes, my colours, my craft books, my soaps, all the gadgets that go with it all...Oh my, oh my...

I even have the space for the gym corner! Actually this evening I spent ½ hours on the excercise bike, did some stretching and other exercises I felt like doing after a long, long time, and all that helped with music I’ve found on the radio that matched just perfect! The view from the tiny little attic window felt like magic, too. Cathedral lights so bright under the night sky...

The whole weekend to enjoy now! I’m so happy!