2010 End of Year Teacher Gifts

The end of the year snuck up on me this year, but I managed to put together 4 teacher gifts at the last minute. Like literally, the night before. I went with a strawberry/lime pink/green theme.

First I made strawberry and lime solid sugar scrub cubes.

Next I made some pink and green stamped goat's milk soap. I am just learning how to make stamped soap and this was my first attempt at using 3 colors. It was touch and go and I really didn't think it would turn out, but it they actually didn't look too bad!

And then I had already made some strawberry jelly, but had to raid my May hole in the wall, but that's ok since it's June and it's overdue for a change.

Finally I just had to put it all together...

The kids had great teachers and TA's this year, I hope they enjoy these and have a good summer!

Peppermint Hard Candy Soaps

I used my new soap making skills to make these peppermint hard candy soaps to give for Christmas gifts this year. I generally don't like soaps made to look like food. I think it's because if it looks good enough to eat, I want to eat it!! But these were too cool to resist. I used a mint fragrance and added some soap glitter to make them sparkly.

Here they are all packaged up like a proper hard candy.

Finally I wrapped them together with some real goodies (to actually eat).

I was inspired by the mini mince pies that I saw in the UK to make several different types of mini pies (not mince though). I made Apple Cranberry, Coconut, Chocolate Pecan, Chocolate Chip, Dutch Apple and Coconut/Pecan/Chocolate.

Good Clean Fun

This summer to celebrate our anniversary, I signed us up for weekend classes at the John C Campbell Folk School deep in the mountains of NC. Jason signed up for a Blacksmithing class, something he's always wanted to do. I finally kind of reluctantly settled on a soap making class. We both got waitlisted. I got into my class and the more I thought about it the more I looked forward to it. Jason never made it into his class, so I was very disappointed to have to withdrawal out of mine.

Last week I saw an add for a local soap making class and I jumped on it. It was alot of fun! The instructor is Blaire Bothayre from Good Karma soaps (standing in the grey sweater)



This was a Lego mold, I snatched it up to make soap for the kids.



I made the lego soap and the diamond shaped soap in the class. The others were gifts from the instructor.



I left the class and decided to come home and give it a try on my own since I needed to make a gift for a friend for the next day. I went with a brown and blue color theme and a standard bar shape. JW helped me every step of the way and LOVED it. He told me I needed to quit making medicine and start making soaps to sell.

These soaps were made with an Avocado and Cucumber white glycerine soap. Glycerine is an all natural soap that is a humectant, meaning it draws moisture from the air to the skin. The avocado and cucumber are good for the skin as well. I added a cucumber/melon fragrance which has a smooth, calming effect.











This is a bar I made with oatmeal, which is also great for the skin.



Here is a 2 layer bar with a layer of poppy seeds (for exfoliation) in between.



The final product.

I think this is the beginning of a new hobby for me.

There are so many different ways to be creative with this, I love it!

For those of you on my Christmas list this year, you did not see ANY of this.