In The Soap Shop | Annies Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps

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Lotion In The Shop Today

Posted in In The Soap Shop on January 14, 2009| 6 Comments »

I worked in the shop today. It was refreshing to be out there after sitting at the desk this past week.

Today was a lotion making day. I have new scents to put on the website: honeysuckle, vanilla, berry, unscented, plumeria, lavender and baby powder.

I have a very bad case of spring fever! I cannot wait to start my cottage type/whimsical garden. I plan to get canning going again too. I have to make it happen! I’ll write more about that tomorrow.

I love a good plumeria scent. I wish we could grow them here. Today’s photo shows a pink plumeria. I looked at several pictures this morning, plumeria blooms beautiful colors (white, yellow, pink, red and pastels). The plant thrives in the more tropical regions, some of the very southern states can grow plumeria. I also read that the plant can be moved to a basement for the winter. I am not quite ready to try that, but I do hope to start a small greenhouse eventually. The plumeria starts to flower in the summer, stays in flower for 3 months, and sometimes carries the flowering season into the fall.

We have snow coming into Ohio today. I just glanced at the radar. The snow line is about 2 miles away. The pond froze over last night, and it is covered with snow now as well. I hate to see the ducks not have water to play in!

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Goat Milk Lotion

Posted in In The Soap Shop, tagged Goat Milk Lotion on December 26, 2008| 4 Comments »

Today is a foggy, drizzly day on the farm. The goats do not like this type of weather either. But, the reminder is, there is a season for everything. I love the fog, but the drizzle and mud I can live without. What a beautiful Christmas day we had yesterday, and there are more of those to come. 🙂

I spent a few hours in the shop earlier this afternoon. The outcome should make a number of people happy (including myself) with fresh goat milk lotions. The “When will you have it?” question has been asked a few times, and I now have responded. Keep your suggestions flowing, because I want to hear!

I catch myself reading the ingredient labels on everything now. I used to buy a beauty product, such as face cream, because I liked what was written about it on the package, or because I was familiar with the brand name, but now I read the ingredients and find myself grimacing at what we might be absorbing into our bodies. I can see myself never buying many of the mass-made department store body care products again. There are certain ingredients that must be included, such as a preservative, or many of us would become sick, but my goal is to make the best products for the skin with the least amount of additives as possible.

I am heading out now to the shop to put the caps on the bottles. And then I will head to the barn to feed the girls. They do not look too happy out there today! Once they start pulling and chomping on the fresh hay, they will be happy campers again. Quite the characters they are!

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Back To Soaping

Posted in In The Soap Shop, tagged Goat Milk Soap on December 17, 2008| 4 Comments »

It was a dark, gray, cold day in Southwest Ohio. But I got to do my most favorite thing, under the flourescent lights, and that means the sun shined for me! 🙂

Today was also the day to reorganize the shop. I like to recycle materials, especially shipping materials. But do we really need that many packing peanuts? And boy, are they ever fun to bag or box up. I accomplished what I set out to do though. Bag after bag, box after box!

There is something to say for soap crafting, in my book. Being creative, relaxing, and doing what feels good. Knowing that I can share these good things, the end product, with people that I care about.

It is always a good feeling to see soap in the molds!

And as I went to turn off the lights, I stopped and looked at the bulletin board behind my desk. The board is filled with cards, post cards, and other soap and goat related items from well-wishers, family and friends. Thank you! And, God Bless!!!

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Soap Pot in the Shop

Posted in In The Soap Shop, tagged Goat Milk Soap on December 12, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Back in the soap making saddle today. It has been a busy week with many other chores.

The camera went along with me today. This photo makes me smile. The soap shop, a warm place to tuck myself away and create the things that I truly enjoy.

Thank you to my supportive husband, friends, and family, who understand my crazy drive to do what I do! And to my husband (again) for making sure I have the place to do what I do!

Today was the day for batches of lavender and honeysuckle. I try to stay as natural as possible, but despite it being a fragrance oil, the honeysuckle is definitely a mind soother.

Lotion and soaps almost ready for a new shop placement in January. Not quite packaged yet. Some are heading to gift baskets.

Filling the curing racks and storage boxes yet again!

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Fizzie Fizzler

Posted in In The Soap Shop, tagged Bath Products on December 6, 2008| Leave a Comment »

This matches what I am seeing on the ground outside today, did someone bring some in? Wait, no, it sure smells like lavender to me. It cannot be snow!

It is a very good thing that I have a good sense of humor. Yes, I can laugh out loud at myself!

Because I dabble in goat milk cheese, and canning, I remembered having citric acid on hand, and just enough baking soda, and fragrance (and lavender sounded so good), I decided to go on a new adventure. Yep…seems I had everything on hand to make bath fizzies, all but one tiny (but obviously very important ingredient), witch hazel. But was it so important? We were going to find out.

I measured the dry ingredients, stirred and stirred until the lumps went away, added the fragrance, and went for the scrunch up test. Just barely making a formation. Hmmm…the need for witch hazel arose.

No witch hazel…but I do have (shhhhh) water. Water!!!!

Now, for those of us that have a brain that is in gear today, what does a bath fizzie do when it goes kerplunk in the bath water. Uh…yeah…it fizzes!!!!

Hence…the nice, aromatic, concoction of fizzed remnants that I just had to share.

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Mud

Posted in In The Soap Shop, tagged Goat Milk Soap on December 3, 2008| Leave a Comment »

My chosen path in life is to be a farmer. Along with raising livestock comes mud. We go from drought, to fall rains, to frozen ground, and with the thawing during the mild December days comes the MUD. I refuse to wear the rubber boots that I wore throughout last season. I nearly ruined the arches of my feet. Ouch.

On to a much cleaner topic…soap!

Per one special person’s request, I incorporated pink grapefruit and tangerine into a batch of soap today. It looks more like swirled vanilla ice cream and orange sherbert. 🙂 The rose colored batch is a Sweet Pea type.

It felt good to work in the soap room today. Even on days when I do not feel compelled to make soap, once I am out there, with the door closed behind me, I realize how blessed I am to be doing what I love to do…and the peace surrounds me from there.

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