RobsCreations

Spoiler: it worked!!! Anyway, it's worth going through the entire post for comments and the final soap test! An incredibly important step: wooden mould lining ! If you don't do it in the correct way you can have spills all over your working surface and this is definitely not good when working with a very caustic emulsion (lye+oils are still not fully saponified when you pour the emulsion in the mould so they are still highly caustic ). Looking on the internet I found this  amazing   video  and...voilà! I managed to line my mould in few minutes and in a much safer way than I've ever done before (when doing M&P it happened to me to lose a lot of soap because of holes in the corners!!!) I've chosen the Beer soap (Shaving soap) recipe from Janice Joyce  'Make your own soap' book. Thing is, that I didn't have a flat beer at home or the Kaoline clay so I went for distilled water and finely ground bamboo powder, respectively. This soap

I have been preparing soap  only   with the Melt&Pour method so far (see the following post  for more details) but I always wanted to try the grand-mother-way of making soap (Cold Process or CP)    too .  I allowed myself to take some extra time and to organize things properly before starting.  Ahead of my first CP soap making session I have tried to gather as many info as I could, I bought a small booklet with recipes, the safety  equipment  and working materials. For details on LYE safety and safety equipment please refer to this amazing and detailed post  from Soap Queen TV bog (The original blog of Brambleberry (R) ). Recipe book... I bought this one from TheSoapKitchen.co.uk for less than 9 Euros. It's a handy and nice booklet with suggestions, tips and 11 recipes. Only a small negative thing: it suggests to exchange opinions, experiences and recipes on a blog that actually doesn't exist... in their defence I have to say that the forum is probably a third pa

An easy and light dessert! Here is what you need: 125 gr of raspberries 45 gr of sugar 3 x sheets of gelatin (to be softened in cold water  in advance ) 1 glass of water  Wash the  raspberries  and then dry them with a piece of kitchen paper, Blend the raspberries with a kitchen  blender, Add the water to dilute the puree and then transfer it in a small casserole, Add the sugar and the gelatin and gently warm the liquid up to allow sugar and gelatin to melt, Remove the casserole from the stove and let it cool down a bit before pouring in small glass containers Leave the glasses in the fridge for at least 3 hours  Tips: You can filter the raspberry puree (before adding sugar and gelatin) if you want to get rid of the seeds Remove the dessert from the fridge 15 minutes before eating it  Add a couple of drops of a great balsamic vinegar Comments: GREAT!!! No negative comments this time! :-) 

My handsewn rice warming pads...in their orange version! For more details see here !

...I haven't been making any candle since before Xmas time... but yesterday I was definitely inspired! The name of these candles comes from an ice cream I used to eat when I was a kid: Twister ! I absolutely wanted to try the cute ice cream mould I received, as a surprise gift together with my order, from  WhysperFairy Molds . The cone looks real isn't it? As always, it is all soy wax with a bit of painting...

  Delicious and health-friendly!  Salmon is know to be beneficial to health in many ways and Chinese cabbage, besides being low in calories and salt, it's rich  in antioxidants and vitamin C. Below you find seven reasons why you should be eating salmon: (full article @  http://www.chatelaine.com ) "1. Eating salmon is beneficial in the treatment of osteoarthritis and other inflammatory joint conditions.  2. Eating salmon makes you smarter and happier.   3. Eating salmon increases your cardiovascular health.   4. Salmon protects your eyes.   5. Salmon helps build children’s brains.   6. Salmon’s an excellent source of vitamin D.   7. Salmon helps you sleep." This is my salmon and Chinese cabbage  giant  roll! Here's what you need: One Chinese cabbage Two slices of fresh (not smoked) salmon One puff pastry sheet Sesame seeds   Wash, chop and boil the cabbage for 10 minutes, then drain as much wa