Soap withdrawal

I realize...I'm addicted to soap. Well which soaper isn't? After moving back to India (in September 2011) and having a sale and making a few batches of soap and dreaming of starting my own line of soaps, my husband broke the news to me!! We had to get back to Austria again for a few more months. Whaaat??

So here I am back in Austria. Packing up 13 kilos of soap in my bags was quite a task (had to throw away so many clothes of mine). Just couldn't leave behind any of my soaps, so I took the whole lot back to India. We will be here in Austria till the end of April and I don't want to throw away any more of my clothes, so I'm not going to soap for the next few months. It has been only 3 weeks since I got here and have serious soap withdrawal symptoms...LOL!! I don't want to give up on blogging and also want to keep this blog dedicated to something soap only. Let's hope I don't bore all you lovely people out there with my posts. :D

Here is the link to the article on my soaps published in the Yo!Vizag magazine in Dec 2011:

Article in Yo! Vizag

Have a pleasant day!! 

To the market

After many months of contemplating we (my candle-making cousin and I) took our wares to the market to see how our products would fare at the fair. It is one thing showing soaps to a very supportive family (who 'oh-ah' about the scent and look of every soap), but it is something else when it is unbiased strangers who have to part with their money. Luckily they did...and happily too. In about 2 hours my cousin sold quite a few of her candles and I sold a decent number of soaps. Some people also wanted to know if we would take up custom orders for corporate gifts as well. We passed around our business cards and hope they get back to us.

This sale was an amazing experience and also opened up my eyes to the no. of hours and days of work it takes just to get organized (although I normally am a pretty organized person) and remember to get everything in place in time. The feeling of receiving money from my first customer...I have no words to explain. It wasn't just the thrill of making money, but more that someone likes what I created.

Having a loving aunt and niece who turned up unexpectedly, just to be there for us, to help in any possible way...I was so touched, I could have cried. The niece who came to sale in the evening was the same one who sat up with us till 4:30 in the morning  to help us wrap and pack our soaps and candles. Aren't they the sweetest? My niece was born when I was 10 years old and I love her to bits. Her mom and I share a very special bond and we used to speak into the wee hours of the night before I got married and moved out of my hometown. I love my family!! <3

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of our stall at the Christmas market, but I promise to put it up once I get it from my uncle's camera (uploaded).

Have a great new year everyone!!

All set and waiting. My cousin on the right and me on the left

Had a bit of a problem with the light in our stall for a while

I'm alive!!

After the disappearing act from the blog world I am back again!! Life was hectic but also a lot of fun the past couple of weeks...so hectic I couldn't even share pictures of the last soap I made. And when I want to share, I realize I have just one not so great picture. Will talk more about the soap in a bit, but let me first tell you about the fun I had with my family. We (hubby, his parents and I) went on a road trip to a lovely private beach, an old temple constructed by my husband's great grandpa, a man-made dam and a boat ride in the reservoir to reach a partly submerged hill that now has a museum with pre-historic artifacts and also relics from a Buddhist stupa and monastery that once adorned the hill. While driving, we passed through some of the most lush green paddy fields. It was the most beautiful green carpet with coconut trees, small ponds, gurgling streams and happy birds as far as the eye could see. Paradise for me!! We have my dear father-in-law to thank who drove all the way and for this wonderful trip I will forever cherish. 

Another thing that happened while I was at my parents...I was interviewed by a magazine called Yo Vizag (Vizag is the city where I was born and grew up) and they wrote an article on handmade soaps, which will feature in this month's or the next month's publication. I was pretty nervous as that was the first time I was showing my soaps to anyone other than family or friends. And while the two young and very talented guys from Yo Vizag admired the soaps, scents and packaging, I relaxed a little and got through the interview in one piece (though I can ramble on for pages while writing, sitting face to face with someone has my tongue in knots). I read the final edit and now have to wait for the article to be published.  

Moving on to even more soapy stuff, here is the last batch of soap I made. Scented with Lavender and Orange essential oils and swirled with turmeric. Base oils: Coconut, Palm, Olive and Sesame. The color from the turmeric is quite different from what I expected but I decided to name it Orange twist anyway. 

Will post about the new packing later. 

Have a great week people!!

Soaps for my aunt!!

Here are the cut pics of the two batches of soaps ordered by my aunt for her husband's 60th birthday. Thankfully I could make the soaps she ordered for in two batches instead of three. 

First batch of soap: Scented with Orange, Grapefruit and Rosemary

These soaps didn't gel, which was quite strange
considering the daytime temperatures here

Soaps from the first batch

Second batch of soap: Scented with Bergamot, Lemon, Peppermint and Rosemary

These soaps didn't gel completely,
but came out a little darker

A flower shaped soap...one from each batch

Soaps on top: Batch 2
Soaps below: Batch 1

I like the soaps which didn't gel, coz they have a creamier white color. They were a lot more crumblier while cutting though. The soaps from my first order are curing and will be ready in about 4-5 weeks from now. I hope the guests at the party like them!! 

It's an order!

I got an order!! I got an order!! My aunt placed an order for 40 soaps for my uncle's 60th birthday party. She is a wonderful person with a very kind heart and is extremely supportive. Her plan is to have a candle(made by her daughter) and a soap(made by me) packed nicely in a box as giveaways for the guests at the birthday party. In Andhra Pradesh (a south-Indian state, where I was born) a guy who reaches sixty marries his wife again in a traditional wedding ceremony. The whole event is so much fun, especially for the younger ones who missed the couple's first wedding ceremony, because they weren't born yet. :) My uncle and aunt won't be having the whole elaborate wedding, but they will have a party for family and friends.

All the soaps are going to be round and speckled with Calendula petals. The first batch of about 15 soaps were scented with Grapefruit, Orange and Rosemary EO's. The second batch which is resting in the Pringles can is scented with Bergamot, Lemon, Peppermint and Rosemary EOs. Both blends are really lovely! They smell fresh a little herby and beautifully camphorous. I still have to figure out what the third batch of soap has to scented with. I am out of Rosemary EO. I have a lot of camphor EO but have never used it in soap...don't know how much of it can be added as it could be harmful in large quantities. Have you used camphor in CP soaps? If yes can you please share how many grams of Camphor EO per kilo of oils.

Will post pictures of the soap soon!! Today we celebrate Diwali....the festival of lights. 

Here's wishing everyone a very Happy Diwali!!