Hey there, Craftsterland!

I've been so super busy that I haven't had time to make much soap in the last few weeks. I finally sat down and made some this weekend. I use the hot-process method in my crock pot.

First up, I have Lavish Lemon Poppy Seed. I used coconut oil, olive oil, and palm oil. Essential oil is mostly lemon, with a smidge of rosemary and tea tree thrown in for variety. I'm loving the way the poppy seeds exfoliate! They are perfect- just enough sloughing without hurting or making anything raw.




Next up, I have Walk In The Woods. It's got ground sage for color (as well as oily skin problems!) and pine, cedar, and rosemary essential oils. It reminds me of roaming the woods as a kid with my Papaw. I used olive, coconut, and sweet almond oils.




Finally, I've got Summertime Citrus Mint. Olive and coconut oils combined with unrefined shea butter and non-deodorized cocoa butter make it super moisturizing. It was also the first time I super-fatted anything. I used a pinch of ground ginger, and grapefruit, lemon, and peppermint essential oils. I think this one may be my favorite of the three.



I would love to hear your thoughts! What do you guys think?

I need some help, Craftsterland!

I put together this gift basket for a friend who is getting married. Aside from the basket itself, I made it all-



There are some bars of soap, tub tea, bath melts, two puffs, and two pair of knit socks. I'm going to add a set of felted wool dryer balls and two lip balms. Friend and Hubby-to-be have been living together for two years now, so they've pretty much set up their home and don't need a lot in terms of that kind of stuff. They are very eco-friendly, crunchy folks. I feel like I need to add more stuff, but I don't know what to add!

What can I add to this basket to make it super duper awesomesauce? ANY AND ALL suggestions are APPRECIATED! 

Hey there, Craftsterland!

Again with the hot process soap making in my crock pot! A friend and I made this one. She came up with the recipe for the essential oil blend- it has orange, vanilla, and tea tree essential oils. We were hoping for a creamsicle sort of scent, but no dice. Even though it doesn't smell quite like creamsicles, the scent is quite lovely. It's very light and citrus-y, with just a hint of vanilla. You can't really smell the tea tree at all. We added poppy seeds as a gentle exfoliant. This is some of the best soap I've ever made or used!





What about you guys? Any success using essential oils to come up with a creamsicle scent? My biggest problem is that the vanilla IS SO DARN EXPENSIVE! We refuse to use fragrance oils, we're sticking with just essential oils.

C&C always welcome!

Hey gang!
I call this soap Mucho Minty. It's hot process, I really am addicted to making soap in my crock pot. I used organic dried spearmint to give it the green color, and peppermint essential oil adds scent and tingle! I used coconut, olive, and grapeseed oils.





What do you think? C&C always welcome!

I've been wanting to knit socks FOR-EV-ER (say it like Sandlot). I'm terrible at knitting, so I broke down and bought a sock loom. Here are two creations....





And baby sockies!

Hey guys!
I think this is my first time posting on this board! 
I've been having entirely too much fun making hot-process soap lately. My previously despised crock pot has become my best friend!

I call this batch survivor soap- I made up the essential oil 'recipe' for a batch of melt and pour I made for my partner during the Post-Apocalyptic Survival Swap. This is the first time I've incorporated the essential oil blend into lye soap. Because of the properties of the essential oils I used, this soap is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, pretty much anti-everything. It has a very light, clean scent with notes of citrus. I also made tiny guys in a mini-brownie pan- the idea is that I can stash 'em in my glove compartment, tackle box, rifle case, bug-out bag, whathaveyou so that I can disinfect on the go.

First, the biguns....



Then the smalluns...




C&C always welcome!

Hey gang!
Yet another crocheted hat. I'm having entirely too much fun making these. This one's none other than the great Willie Nelson! I was going to put my cowboy hat on it for effect, but my hat lives in my classroom (don't ask).



I couldn't decide if he needed a regular bandanna headband or a crocheted one. I may end up changing it later.

I made these boots for Jexxican in the ongoing Pinterest swap. Since she's received, I figured I'd post 'em. They're hexagonal granny squares in different shades of blue. She says they're really comfy!

I have a very dear friend who is a very talented singer. She's been kicking around the San Antonio/San Marcos/Austin music scene for a little while now, and has decided to move up to Nashville to try her luck. I made her a Texas hat so she doesn't forget her roots!



And some star detail....




C&C welcome!

Crocheted this up for a friend. My whole family are Aggies, so I have am in the process of making many, many more.



And up close of the letters:




I'm currently working on a pattern for a UT one, and possibly a Texas Tech one, as well.