A Different Kind of Cooking...round 2

We woke up yesterday to snow covering the ground and chilly temps outside. It was as if the weather dictated our day. I had been looking for some time to set aside for crafting, and a chilly, snowy day seemed ideal. 

Earlier in the week, a friend of mine posted this on his Facebook wall:

Pay it forward in 2011! I promise to send something homemade by me to the first 5 people to comment, but they must promise to repost this and do the same for their first 5.

Always a fan of homemade crafts, I eagerly signed up and reposted the message on my own profile. I soon had five people of my own to craft for, and I got to work, trying to figure out what to make. I decided that food was out since most people were probably overstuffed from the holidays. After struggling with my sewing machine for the potluck gifts, I decided I wanted to steer clear of any crafts that required a stitch. 

I finally settled on a craft that I have been doing for a while now: soap making! I've been dabbling in soaps for quite some time, and have made soap completely from scratch (using lye and vegetable fat) as well as the heat & pour glycerin base soap method. Since I had an eager helper that's not quite 4, I decided that crafting some glycerin based soaps would be best. 

Using a ready-made glycerin base soap is fun and easy and allows you to really focus on all the fun add-ins you might want to use. 

You can pick up 2lb bricks of glycerin soap at most craft stores or online

The first step is to chop up the glycerin. I have tools (knives, pots, etc...) that are completely relegated to soap making so they don't get mixed up with my food ones. To fill one mold you'll need about 1/3 of the soap block all chopped up.

If you have a microwave, the next step is even easier, but since we don't have one, it was double boiler time for us! I put the chopped up glycerin bits into a sauce pan and then placed that in a pot of water, heating it up slowly.

The key is to keep it going low and slow and stir continuously. I use a wire whisk and stir the melting soap frequently. If you're using a microwave, nuke the soap in a glass dish at 30 second intervals. As the soap gets more liquid, nuke it at shorter intervals, (10-15 seconds) and stir in between. 

Almost fully melted

Once the glycerin base has melted the entire way, it's time to add the fun stuff! In the past I've made a variety of soaps from herbal scented ones to citrus or even oatmeal. For this batch we decided to go with a lavender/rose combination. I also decided to add a little grapeseed oil for a moisturizing effect. 

Dried rose petals, dried lavender, lavender essential oil & grapeseed oil

I used to live in a town that had a fabulous herb store and I was able to find good quality dried herbs and various essential oils at excellent prices. I would much rather buy them from an herb store than a craft store. Craft stores tend to sell "scented oils" which have more chemicals than actual herbs and don't really save you that much money. If you don't have a local herb store near you, there are plenty of great sources online. Two places that I love are Useful Weeds and Mountain Rose Herbs.

Rose petals and lavender - all crushed up together 

Once the glycerin based has fully melted, you can then add your herbs and oils. You really don't want to "cook" the herbs or oils, so at this point, shut the heat off. I eyeball the amounts to add, but it's about a tablespoon of each herb and a few drops of lavender essential oil.

Again, continue stirring as you add the herbs/oils

Then it's time to pour into your molds. Over the years I've acquired tons of molds and yet still find myself buying more. Molds are pretty cheap and there are a lot of different kinds. If you're just starting out, getting a couple different mold trays from your local craft store is your best bet.

I used 1/2 of a block of glycerin base, so it filled 6 molds

I will give the soap a quick stir or two with a knife a few minutes after I've poured it into the molds. That way it helps to evenly distribute the herbs so they don't all settle up at the top.

I love how the herbs lightly color the soap.

Allow the soap to firm up for a couple of hours before you gently pop them out of them molds.

Handcrafted soap - a product of a snowy day!

After popping them out of the molds, I let them rest overnight and then wrap them up in pretty paper or cellophane. 

Today we woke up with another dusting of snow...as if it was a sign I should keep making more soap. It looks like today's batch will include some calendula and apricot kernel oil. After they're all done, I'll wrap them up and send them out to the 5 friends who signed up. I love this idea of craft exchanges...what a great way to share homemade treats, even across state lines. I can definitely see myself initiating something similar again soon.

If you're feeling crafty, perhaps post something similar to your own Facebook or Twitter account, or even suggest a craft exchange among a group of local friends. Happy crafting!