Tin Tie Bags at Gracefruit.com

I'm really excited about these new tin tie bags. They're completely lined and come without the clasp attached so that they can be cut to fit the product. If you'd like more details, you can see the full range at Gracefruit.com.

A Very Strange Bantam

I was on the phone with one of my customers when I glanced out of the window and saw some movement on the deck. Something rather large and lovely was hopping about out there. I stood up for a better look and was nearly positive one of the bantams from my neighbour's farm had escaped. I quickly excused myself from the call and alerted my husband that we had a guest.

By the time I made it out the back door, the bird had fled. She hopped down onto one of the lower levels of the deck and into a hedgerow. I followed her as best I could, but she eventually ended up under the deck. She was very stressed and frightened, so I thought it best to leave her alone.

She certainly didn't behave like a domestic bird, and once I was close enough to get a good look, I didn't think she really resembled a bantam. Because she's a grouse! A black grouse, to be exact.



Black grouse are a threatened species, but despite this are hunted. I'm not sure if it's grouse season or not, but needless to say, this one won't end up on the dinner table if I can help it. I've put some food out, and I hope she'll return. She appeared to have an injured wing and I'd like to get her some help.

Make Do & Mend

I recently had my TV repaired. A something-or-other tube had blown, and for £60, two nice men collected the TV, took it to their shop, and returned it in working order. Before calling the repair shop, I thought about just buying a new one, but decided it would be frivolous. I'll probably get a few more years out of the set, and it's one less item for the landfill for now.

Having grown up in the overly-consumptive '80s, my first instinct hasn't always been to fix and repair. If something wasn't up to scratch, I'd just throw it out and get a new one. Frugality wasn't really a virtue of mine, but that's changing. I've resolved to waste less, which gives recycling a whole new meaning.

Are there any other frugal mamas out there? I'd love to hear ideas on making do with what you have.

Sheep's Milk Soap

I've probably mentioned before that I love milk soaps. They're so creamy and comforting, and as the weather turns colder, I find myself reaching for them more often. Coconut milk soaps are wonderful, and I'm a fan of goat's milk and yoghurt soaps, too. But my absolute favourite milk soap at the moment is sheep's milk.



The soaps above were made with my standard olive (50%), coconut (25%), and avocado (25%) recipe using the hot process method. After the cook, I added two tablespoons of sheep's milk powder two three tablespoons of oil to make a slurry. This went into the soap along with a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of wheat germ.

These are definitely going into my Christmas hampers this year!

Organic Box Scheme and a No-recipe Apple Crumble Recipe

I'm a bit hopeless when it comes to vegetable gardening. The weeds and the slugs beat me every time. From my small veg patch, I did manage to get some greens and a few yellow courgettes, but my high hopes for corn, beans, cucumbers, and other lovely things were dashed. So I did the grown up thing and joined an organic box scheme. For a very fair sum, I get a box full of local organic vegetables every week brought right to my door. Everything is lovely and fresh, and I feel good knowing I'm supporting local farmers. They should be rewarded at every turn. Growing vegetables is darn hard work!

Fruit, on the other hand, I can handle -- mostly because it handles itself. I cut the trees back every year after the fruit drops, and they kindly make more fruit the next year. It's a very loving relationship.

My apple trees are doing exceptionally well this year, and I've been trying to use up apples as quickly as I can. One of our favourite ways is to make a crumble. It's so easy, and you can use just about anything you have to hand.

Just peel and chop a few apples and bung them into a pan with a bit of butter and some sugar (I don't use much as I prefer a tart crumble)and cook them over low heat. You can also add some spices. I like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Cook the apples until they're slightly soft, put them into a shallow baking dish, and set them aside. In a separate bowl, add equal parts porridge oats, flour and brown sugar (you can use whatever grains you have instead the oats. Wheat germ and bran are both lovely.) and toss it all together with a little melted butter. Use this mixture to cover the cooked apples and then pop the whole thing into a medium-hot oven (gas mark 6) for about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Hitchhiker

I spent the morning in the garden picking fruit -- apples, pears, plums, and a few blackberries. The haul was pretty good, perhaps five kilos of fruit. I'll be making jelly with it later today.

While sorting through my bounty, I noticed this little guy creeping along the edge of the box I'd used for carrying the fruit.



For once, I didn't have to run for the camera to get a wildlife shot. :)

Beauty for Chickens

I'll admit it: I spoil my hens. They're so lovely and they bring me so much joy that I can't help but try to give them the best of everything. They eat organic food (including organic greens daily), and probably have the cleanest hen house in Scotland. With winter coming, I've become increasingly concerned about their comfort. Frostbite on combs and wattles can be a problem during our extreme Scottish winters, so I've read up on how to protect them. Everything I've read says to use Vaseline.

I'm not too crazy about the idea of using petro-chemicals on my girls, especially when I go to so much trouble to make sure they're looked after well. It seemed counter-intuitive to slather them with Vaseline, knowing full well it could end up in their beaks and crops (and eventually into their eggs -- ick!).

So I've developed a 100% natural balm to protect them from frostbite this winter. It's full of wholesome goodies like olive oil, blackcurrant seed oil, and beeswax. It forms an excellent barrier against cold and contains no preservatives, colourants, fragrances, or petro-chemicals. The packaging for the balm is completely biodegradable and can be easily composted after use.



Happy hens and chuffed chickens. :)

Linen Cupboard Blues

Nights are getting colder here in Scotland, so I decided to bring out the winter bed clothes. When I opened the linen cupboard door, I nearly fainted. What chaos! I couldn't find a matching set of sheets for anything -- there were fitted sheets (badly 'folded'), flat sheets, and pillow cases piled in a sort of higgledy-piggledy stack that was ready to fall right off the shelf. I gave up digging and pulled out the entire lot. It was time to reorganise.

I remembered reading something years ago about the best way to store sheets and duvet sets. The advice was to fold up the sets save one pillowcase. Put the folded set into the pillowcase and then neatly stack everything on the shelf. You'll always know where the complete set of sheets is because it will be inside the matching pillowcase on the shelf. Brilliant! I'm happy to report this system works well, and my linen closet no longer looks as if it's going to collapse onto itself. Yay!

Hedgerow Jelly

I love the idea of wild food -- it's fresh, tasty, and best of all, free! I wish I could say that I'm brave enough to hunt for wild mushrooms, but I'm fairly certain I'd end up in hospital if I tried. I'm much more confident about berries and seeds, and I really enjoy taking a basket out for a bit of foraging.

Yesterday, I found lots of blackberries, elderberries, rosehips, and a few crab apples. Using my handy jam maker/steam distiller, I made a lovely batch of hedgerow jelly. The recipe is dead easy. Use equal parts of the cooked/strained juice of your hedgerow bounty and sugar. I didn't use pectin because of the crab apples, but you could add a dash (or substitute jam sugar) if you feel the jelly won't set.

Wee Changes

Just doing a little work on the blog today. I've decided to change the focus slightly, as I've found my interests have slightly changed. I still adore making soap, and will continue to post about it. I've also found some new hobbies -- raising chickens, baking bread, preserving, cooking from absolute scratch, gardening, and trying to live a better (ie, greener and more fulfilling) life.

I hope you'll continue reading as I start this new chapter. I'll start with a photo of one of my girls. This is Toast -- my leghorn cross -- taking a nap in her dust bath:

Sale Time!

I'll be MIA for a few days as I prepare for another 24 hour sale at Gracefruit.com. The sale will run over the weekend and is available to newsletter subscribers only, so if you've not signed up, please do! The newsletter with the discount code will go out very soon.

Jammin'

I'm jam crazy. Jelly crazy, too! Today I made this blueberry jam plus a raspberry-violet jelly. It's time to restock my jam jars as the old damson tree in the back garden is about to fall over with fruit.

Give-Away Winner

A big congratulations to...



Sherrie of Birch Bark Soaps! Please send me your details to gracefruit at gmail dot com and I'll get your goodies right out to you.

Thank you to everyone who so kindly put your name on the list -- and for all of the good wishes. Here's to 100 more posts! :)

Ooh. 100 Posts!

My last post was my hundredth, and as a small celebration, I've decided to give away a little prize -- one of my limited edition fig soaps and a tube of nettle lip balm (given in the goody bags at the 2007 and 2008 Scottish Fashion Awards). Please leave your name as a comment (a nickname is fine!),and I'll put all of the names in a hat (or more likely, a piece of Tupperware) and draw one on Saturday, August 16th.

Best of luck!

More Soap Loaves

Busy days here at Casa Gracefruit. I've been working on quite a few wholesale orders and getting ready for two upcoming markets. Top that with yoghurt making, jam making, and bread baking. I could really do with a few more hours in the day!



Did I mention that we got chickens? Two laying hens who aren't laying just yet, but should start sometime in September.

Random Items

I was tagged by the lovely Heather at Twinbirch. So here goes!

1) Link to the person who tagged you
2) Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading)
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below)
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them (This is only a game)
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up

Random things:

1) I'm not Scottish, which might be obvious to some. :) I'm from Alabama and moved to Scotland seven years ago.
2) Sound effects are a speciality of mine. I can do bird calls, a dripping tap, and make my stomach growl on demand.
3) I used to be a children's etiquette teacher.
4) My favourite food is fried okra.
5) I've lived in the US, Canada, Brazil, Germany, Spain, and the UK.
6) I enjoy sci-fi. My favourite show at the moment is Battlestar Galatica.

I think everyone I know has been tagged, but if you'd like to play along, please do!

Rose Soap

I made this soap for a wholesale customer. It's usually made with embeds, but I've run out and don't have time to make more, so I decided to try something new -- swirly roses. The inspiration for these comes from Bavarian glass painting. It's not quite the same, but it is similar.



Please pardon the messy molds. I tend to pour soap everywhere when trying to be creative. The fast-moving floral fragrance didn't help!

For Teresa -- Fossils!

There are some of our fossil finds from our trip to Wick. Most of these were found around Helmsdale, except for the worked bit of stone. I think it's some sort of Neolithic tool, but I can't be certain.



The smallest fossil looks like a nautiloid. The other is a shark's tooth.



The rock above was imprinted with what looks like a fish. It was too big to move, so we photographed it. I would have loved to have brought it home.

Back Again!

The cutie in the photo is a common dolphin. We were joined by a dozen of them while on a wildlife cruise last week. They put on a fabulous show! There were also puffins, razorbills, and grey seals.

The fossil hunt was a success, too!

Off for a week!

We're off for a week of beach combing, fossil hunting, and gorgeous Scottish seafood. In my limited experience of hunting for ancient critters, I've only ever managed a few prehistoric sharks teeth. I'm getting ambitious this year and going for some fish and perhaps a trilobite or two. Please wish me luck!

I hope everyone has a fantastic week.

E xx

Feature at Soapy Hollow!

My lovely friend DeAnne has done a feature on me at Soapy Hollow. Please pop by for a read. :)

Bad Cocoa Butter News

After watching the price of cocoa butter double in the past year, I was alarmed to hear from my supplier that it will be going up by another 50% in the near future. I found an article that might shed some light on the rising prices:

'Yields are declining all across the cocoa plantations of West Africa, where two thirds of the world's supply is grown, as soils are degraded and the area able to support the crop retreats.'

I thought about stocking up, but perhaps the best way forward is to reformulate.

Summer Hiatus

Summer has arrived! We're off for a fossil-hunting holiday soon, and I'm busy trying to get a few wholesale orders ready before we go. And when we return, it's off to the Highland Games for a weekend of soap selling. Busy times.

Sadly, this doesn't leave much time for blogging, but I'll update when I can. I hope everyone has a fabulous summer holiday!

Shaving Soap with Rhassoul and Hazelnut

After a short break, I’m back with a new shaving soap recipe. This soap contains rhassoul, which has quickly become my favourite soap-making clay. The type I use is beige, and very mild. As well as adding slip and glide, it produces an amazing creamy lather.

Shaving Soap with Rhassoul & Hazelnut:

30% Olive Oil
27% Coconut
21% Hazelnut
12% Cocoa Butter
10% Castor

For every 500g of oils, add ½ teaspoon of rhassoul.

This soap does take a little extra curing time, but the hazelnut adds a bit of extra hardness.

Enjoy!

Accredited Courses at Plush Folly

Led by Sally Hornsey, Plush Folly is the soap and cosmetics industry’s leader in distance learning and hands-on workshops. Based in Middlesex, Plush Folly now offers accredited distance programmes covering natural skincare products, cold process soapmaking, and cosmetic legislation.

If you are interested in making and/or selling soap and cosmetics in the UK, please check out Plush Folly’s full range of courses.

Longcroft Makeover by Toribella Design

I'd like to thank Stephanie and Toribella Design for helping with the redesign of Longcroft Soap Company. I've given the company the slightly shorter name of Longcroft Soaperie. Stephanie -- always the mind reader -- took my sketchy ideas and turned them into the fresh new look of the site. I'm very pleased with the result!

If you're in the market for a new ecommerce site, or would like a new look for your existing shop, please get in touch with Stephanie at Toribella. She's lovely and does fantastic work!

Bulk Oils at Gracefruit.com

I'm pleased to announce that Gracefruit.com is now stocking our most popular vegetable and seed oils in larger sizes. These 20-25kg pack sizes offer great value.

I will also be adding some exciting new products to the website over the next couple days.

Petrol in the UK

I filled my car with petrol over the weekend -- £1.15 per litre. That's $10.18 per gallon, people! I nearly fell over at the pump, and I'm quite sure I wouldn't be alone in doing so.

I am going to ask for one of these for my birthday:

On days I don't have to haul things to and from the warehouse, it would make a great alternative to taking my car.

Saponifier’s LookBook

Published for over nine years, Saponifier is the soap and candle industry's leading trade magazine. And now Saponifier Magazine is offering a fantastic new service to help soapmakers, toiletry makers, and chandlers promote their businesses!

Saponifier’s new LookBook is the premier directory of natural and organic soap, cosmetics, and candle manufacturers. Its mission is to celebrate the entrepreneurs who produce soap, toiletry, and candles by helping them promote their products. Producers are invited to create free portfolios to showcase their products and services. LookBook will ‘present the brands and portfolios of products to the buyers, merchandisers, retailers as well as end customers who are seeking to replace their mass-produced products with natural and organic alternatives.’

Joining is easy and free – and there are enhanced and premium portfolios available for a small fee. I joined and am thrilled with my portfolio. Please pop over to LookBook and add your company!

Safety Assessments at Gracefruit.com

My cat-terrorised arm is healing well, and I have managed to make a few loaves of soap -- and that makes me very happy. I’ve also made some updates to Gracefruit.com, as there has been a surge of interest in the safety assessments I sell.

For non-EU readers, a safety assessment is something soap and cosmetics makers in the EU must have to have to sell their products. Every formula we use has to be reviewed and approved in writing by a cosmetic chemist. The process of obtaining a safety assessment can be daunting. To make the process easier, I liaise with a fantastic cosmetic chemist to help toiletry makers obtain safety assessments. Since I take care of organising most of the paperwork for the chemist, I’m able to offer the assessments at a very good price.

I’ve had a lot of questions about assessments over the past couple of weeks, so I’ve added an Assessment FAQ to Gracefruit.com. I hope this will answer the most commonly-asked questions and make things much easier for those interested in safety assessments.

Longcroft Soap Company in the Indie Quarter!

My little soap company and I have been featured in Indie Quarter. I'm delighted!

Please pop over and have a look.

Injury

Logan T. Cat

Don't be fooled by the sleepy face and cute paws. He's dangerous.

On Thursday evening, he was happily sitting on my lap when a pile of books inexplicably fell of the desk that no one was near or touching. The noise sent Logan into a running, clawing frenzy which ended with my having a vein in my arm nicked. I'll spare you the hammer horror details, but I will say seeing your own arm in that sort of state is enough to make a person faint. (I didn't)

It's still very sore which means I'm not making any soap. :( I need a surrogate soapmaker. The withdrawals are killing me!

Welcome Allerlei Praktisches!

I am delighted to announce that Allerlei Praktisches has joined the Gracefruit.com family of distributors. Based in Brügg, Switzerland and owned by Margarete Fieguth Jacot, Allerlei Praktisches offers a diverse range of soap and cosmetic ingredients which now include Gracefruit fragrance oils.

Please join me in welcoming Margarete and Allerlei Praktisches as Gracefruit.com's newest distributor, and in wishing her every success with her newest venture.

Coffee Butter & Monoi Soap with Squalane

I made this soap a couple of years ago for a fund raiser. And of course, I kept a few bars for myself. I really enjoyed this soap, and thought I'd share the recipe. I'll be restocking this very soon.

55% Avocado Oil
25% Coffee Butter
20% Monoi de Tahiti

I made this 1.2 kilo batch using the hot process method, and I added a few teaspoons of olive squalane to the soap after it had cooked. I also put in a few grams of vanilla oleo resin and some coffee essential oil to boost the scent.

I hope you'll try it and treat yourself!

Gassner Custom Goodies

While perusing Elizabeth's Gassner Custom Soaps blog, I found something I had to have -- Dirty Dog Soap. Our lovely dog Glen is a roller (dog owners will know how awful this can be), and I was thrilled to see such a clever product for spot-washing Glen's smelly shoulders and back next time he decides to wallow where the swans have been.

I also treated myself to some of Elizabeth's Foamy Soap in a gorgeous wasabi fragrance. I've already put it to use after spending the day cleaning the warehouse. My hands were in bad need of some fragrant TLC when I got back home, and this lovely liquid soap worked perfectly.

And there was also a wee surprise -- Champagne Body Frosting! Thank you, Elizabeth! I've not had a chance to try this lovely product yet, but I have had a good sniff and it takes me straight back to my childhood. It has a gorgeous, comforting ginger ale-like scent.

Thank you, Elizabeth, for making and offering your amazing treats. I know Glen and I will enjoy ours!

Fledgling

There was a commotion in our bedroom cupboard yesterday. A little starling had fallen from the loft. Fortunately, he landed on a pile of old clothes that have been put aside for the charity shop.



He's outside now being looked after by two very noisy parents. He's pretty fearless, but he knows to run and hide if I get too close.

And he doesn't approve of shutter noises.



We're keeping an eye on him until he learns to fly, which shouldn't be too much longer. He's able to go a few feet before crashing.

Salt Bar Success!

The babassu salt bars worked out very well. I followed the recipe I posted earlier, kept my temperatures cool, and had no problems. Well, no problems until it was time to take the soaps out of the moulds. That bit wasn't as fun.



I've scented these with plumeria.

Taking the Salt Bar Plunge (Redux)

After my terrible HP salt bar attempt-disaster, I’ve decided to have another go. I’ve tweaked the recipe again and again, and I think I’ve come up with something nice:


85% Babassu
10% Avocado
5% Castor

I have made babassu soap in the past and enjoyed it, so I believe it will work very well in a salt bar. I have added avocado because I love it, and the castor is there to help with the lather. To this soap batter, I’ll add a good quantity (equal to the weight of the oils) of fine sea salt.

I’ve also decided to put a small amount of Rhassoul in the soap. My hope is a touch of clay will help boost and stabilise the lather.

Fingers crossed!

Japanese Soap Books

I'm still busy with the Gracefruit.com sale, but I had to post about an exciting delivery which arrived from Japan yesterday. Two new soap books!


I don't speak a word of Japanese, but I plan to 'read' these tonight (meaning I'll be gawking at the gorgeous photography while searching for inspiration).

Sale @ Gracefruit.com

As my newsletter subscribers will know, I'm having a sale at Gracefruit.com this week, and I'm busy pouring fragrance oils and packing orders for my lovely customers. Sadly, it doesn't leave much time for blogging, so I'll be away for a few days.

I hope everyone has a peaceful, prosperous week!

Elizabeth xx

Japan-Seife

I came across this blog today. The soap photos are breathtaking! I had to stop for a long ogle:

Japan-Seife Suku.Suku

Bye Bye, Babies

I shipped a few soap loaves to one of my regular wholesale customers today, and I was sad to see them go. I suppose it's a bit weird to get attached to loaves of soap, but I do!



sniff

Soap Stones

I'm always at a loss as to what to do with soap scraps. I don't have as many as I used to (back when I had to trim the backs off HP soaps). Since I'm not under pressure to come up with a wonderful solution, I've been turning scraps into stones.



I like the rustic look of soap stones, and so do my customers. I tried for ages to sell soap balls, but they wouldn't move. The stones sell well, though. The stones above were made awhile back using natural vanilla soap scraps. The veins and specks are vanilla paste which was added to the soap after the cook.

Thank You Heather at Twin Birch!

I received the most delightful box of goodies -- all the way from Vermont. The lovely Heather at Twin Birch Bath & Body picked me as the winner of her Spring Pedi Kit with Twin Birch Tingle Foot Products. And they are fabu! There is a foot soak, a foot scrub, a wonderful minty foot lotion, and a few other little foot care bits and bobs. These are going to be put to good use after my next farmers’ market.

There were also two other surprises – a soy travel candle scented with tomato leaf (I must find this fragrance) and a gorgeous bottle of grapefruit lily shea butter cream.



I am absolutely thrilled with my lovely new treats. Thank you so much, Heather! Your products and packaging are fantastic.

International Soap Obsession

When my friends and family travel, they usually bring me a little something, and that little something is almost always soap. I love trying soaps from other places.



These are soaps from the Middle East. The three down the middle are a gift from my father (who lives in Turkey), and the two on either side were brought to me by my friend Ann who has been travelling in Jordan. I'm especially keen on the olive oils soaps. The soap to the far right (with the emu on it) is a 100% olive oil soap. The Komili soap is a blend of olive and tallow.

DaWanda Find: Red Flannel Elephant

I have a thing for note cards, and I can never have too many to hand. They’re perfect for writing little thank-you notes to customers, and I like to include them with soap orders.

Recently, I purchased the most delightful cards at DaWanda from Red Flannel Elephant. It’s run by a very talented artist called Gretel. You can shop her DaWanda shop, or buy her beautiful cards and soft toys on Esty. She also has a blog where she writes about her inspiration.

I love her work!

Do You DaWanda?

I love handmade goods – soaps, greeting cards, jewellery, clothing – you name it. When shopping for gifts, I try to find handcrafted items because the quality is so much better than mass-produced imports. I also feel it’s important to support the artisans who take the time to make these wonderful products.

If you like handmade things, too, I recommend you check out DaWanda. It’s a place for European crafters to buy and sell their wares. I’ve recently set up a shop, but I enjoy DaWanda more for browsing and shopping. There are some unbelievably talented crafters there.

Nettle Soap with Avocado Butter

If you have sensitive skin or know someone who does, I have a great recipe for a soothing nettle soap. This soap has a gentle, creamy lather and is incredibly mild. You can leave it unscented for the most delicate skin.

To get the benefits of nettle, I make a strong tea with dried nettle leaf. Once the tea has cooled, I strain off the leaves and then chill the liquid*. I then use this liquid in place of water when I mix up my lye solution. The solution gives off a strong-but-not-unpleasant dried hay smell, but it fades quickly.

The soap recipe is simple and conditioning:

65% Avocado Oil
20% Avocado Butter
15% Coconut Oil

I superfat this soap at 8%.

If you don't care for nettle, you can easily substitute chamomile, green tea, or lavender when you brew your tea. Marshmallow leaf works well, too.

*never add caustic soda to warm or hot liquid! Make sure your tea is well-cooled before adding the lye.

Spiced Umeshu Soap -- Cut!

I'm really pleased with the way this soap turned out. There was a tiny bit of ash on top, but it wasn't too bad. I wonder if curing the loaves upside down would help this. Ash is a bit of a mystery, but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with evaporation. When my soaps ash, it's always on the top -- not the sides or bottom -- so theoretically, turning the loaf upside down would prevent it.

Of course, this is theory is based on logic, and we all know that goes right out the window when it comes to soap making. ;)

Buttermilk & Cucumber Soap

This is the other limited edition soap I've done for the spring line at Longcroft Soap Company. It's a mild, gentle soap made with fresh cucumber and soothing buttermilk. I love the creaminess of this bar, and I've used half the fragrance I'd normally use. I felt this soap should smell as light and fresh as the ingredients it's made from -- and it does. :)