Moody Mondays- March Hares

Monday again where did the week go?? As you can see we are a bit later than last week posting this, this is due to a busy Monday, we had a someone come visit us today to see about buying from us wholesale which is rather exciting but daunting at the same time!!

Our Moody Monday theme today is March Hares, this month we thought we would join the March Hares group on the forums of folksy and see if we could manage to list an item everyday. Although this is proving something of a difficultly as the soaps are not being made quick enough, it has provided us with the opportunity to look at the other March Hares lovely listings and so today on this cloudy Monday we thought we would share a few.

Dottery Pottery Ceramic Flower Buttons, NOfkants Curios, Crocheted Be-jewelled Corsage

Blue Daisy Glass Dinky Daisy, Crafty Little Wotnots Flower Bookmark

Dottie Designs Tropical Butterfly Guest Book, Maytree Lane Red Brooch

Moody Mondays

Monday always seems to come too fast so to make Monday's a bit easier we have decided to create a moody monday blog full of all lovely things from the online marketplace Folksy, so grab yourself a cuppa and sit back and enjoy ten beautiful items we have found on Folksy this past week!!

 

 

 

All the pictures are linked to the item so just click away!! Have a great Monday

(Makers of the product from top to bottom left to right; Pants & Paper, Cards with a Difference, PatsParaphernalia, fluffandfuzz, JOYSofGLASS, CottonsAndDreams, redbrickglass, OscarCat, Pink Amaryllis and doodlelove)

Lemongrass and Ginger

I made this soap first last year and it has become one of my favourites and judging by how much I make and sell one of yours.  This batch today, I have put bronze hearts through the centre of the soap block and made some small cup cakes ones with flowers.  The smell of the ginger just tones down the lemongrass to vibrant but not overwhelming.  Adding ginger powder gives it this lovely pinky glow, which develops as the soap cures.  My favourite is when I unmold them the next day and see how they come out.

Sunshine

Yesterday was a lovely day and we were busy photographing our soaps.  I am getting involved with an exciting village project, where we take an empty shop, and lots of villages have them, and put in small local business, this gives the village a injection of new life and also allows those who cannot afford premises ways of getting to the wider public.  Watch this space.

                                                            My little bantans enjoying the sun.

Spring and March Hares

Years ago I lived in Hertfordshire and I will never forget looking over the fields at the begining of March and seeing Hares in the field, I felt so blessed that they had shown themselves to me.  I have just been in the garden and everywhere you look the daffodils are shouting spring.  I love this time of year and even in the woods where I walk the dog the daffodils are coming out making us feel so alive.  I live in Sussex and driving along towards Steyning there is a field with the first little lambs, so sunshine and warm days are on their way.  I have a friend who lives near Perth Australia who is moaning about the heat, so I said I would send her a bottle of rain in exchange for a tank full of sunshine and warmth.  Have made some lovely bright spring coloured lollipop soaps, a great idea instead of the mountains of chocolate eggs kids have.  I remember mine never getting through them all and throwing them away, so folksy has lots of goods ideas for spring presents.  Have a look and you will be spoilt for choice.

Mondays

Mondays and rain are not always a good combination.  Anyway to get over the blues I have made some more citrus burst for the orders that have come in and a base of citrus burst with white soap over the top so it looks a bit like lemon meringue.  So will unmold tomorrow and see if it worked.  I am also making blue soap like a ducks pond with little ducks on top for easter so they will look great and found the mold  for making soaps that are flip flops for the summer, so watch this space.

Hair Shampoo

One of my customers has written a lovely blog about my soaps.  I have just made another new one with lemon, lime, juniper and orange blossom for greasy hair.  I always try the soaps out on the family before putting them on sale.  The costs of all the raw materials are shooting up like everything, but we believe in creating the best from the best possible ingredients and trying as hard as possible to keep the cost down to the customer. 

Bunny Rabbits

On Monday I found my rabbit lying on her side unable to move, with her head on one side.  I thought the worse and went to the vet who said it could be an ear infection or parasites. So we started the road of antibiotics and other medicine, on Friday she manged to get back onto all four and to move she does a very strange thrashing.  On Sat she threw her food bowl which is the first time for ages, as this is something she always used to do, and in a very strange fashion tried to clean herself, but found she could only use one paw without falling over. Sunday and she is still on all four paws with her head less on one side.  Not sure if her head will ever be straight, but she is an amazing fighting bunny.

Friday blog spot.

  My chocolate orange soap has been chosen to go on to a blog spot this week so I know that my chocolate orange soap will know how special it is.  My strawberry gateaux also has chocolate in it, but white chocolate, so yummy yummy. 

Check out this lovely blog spot.  www.maytreelane.blogspot.com

Excited

Sooooo excited by my soaps yesterday, was trying out colours and they are lovely.  There is the pink cup cake which I want to say, pretty in pink, and then the peach colour.  I did not ice the tops but spread the soap over and put peaks into the soap and added the soap flowers.  The pink are rose geranium and the peach have ylang ylang a real romantic oil and the deeper note of patchouli.  They all smell divine. 

Valentines Day

For all you girls who have to drop subtle or not so subtle hints to the man in your life to remember, and not at the last minute, how about one of our lovely heart shaped soaps.  they come in Rose geranium or English Rose, with roses on top.  He can order it well in advance, no rushing out to the shop and the flowers will last and so will the message that he loves you.

Pretty

I have a box with lots of bits of soap cut off ends to make them tidy, the box was getting bigger until I learnt to make flowers.  I now take spare bits of soap, mold until soft and then make into a sausage shape, tease out the top edge so it is quite thin.  Take one end and turn it in, then slowly roll the soap around this middle piece, turning the outer edge over slightly to make the rose petal, the soap naturally cracks, giving a edge that looks just like a rose petal.  Pull off excess at end and very gently between the two index fingers, roll backwards and forwards just underneath the petals to thin the base down and pull off the excess, leaving enough soap at the base to be able to put into a soap.  I also gently roll them out and use cutters to mke my daisies. Great fun, easier if you are a cake person.

Flowers

Have been busy teaching myself how to make flowers out of cold press soaps.  Have made some lovely cupcakes and hearts for valentines and also Mothering Sunday.  Our flowers won't die in fourteen days, the chocolate curls on our gateaux soap won't put on weight, the smell will last and make your bathroom or drawers smell lovely.

Christmas

Have not written for a while been so busy, never thought I would be up at 1am making bath bombs for orders.  Can now put my feet up for a couple of weeks.  Thanks to all those who ordered off me and bought from the fairs, also those who came back with such wonderful positive feedback about the soaps, I have no doubts now about my soaps.  Bev.

I want to shout from the roof tops.

Life is very busy up to our ears in making as we make everything ourselves.  Today I have a parcel to post of body butter, made with no fragrance for a little boy who has terrible skin.  Spoke to his Mother who said because of my whipped oils he has been able to go swimming two weeks running, usually his skin cracks and he cannot go, I felt like Christmas had come early.