Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Swiftly Flow the Days

Care to take a guess what this is? While it may look like nothing, it is something and it's not that easy to make.

It's an origami box from waxed butcher paper that I fold, then tape inside my soap mold. It's the thing I like least about soap making and I don't know why since I enjoy making ornamental origami boxes. I hate this part. There. I said it.
This morning I made the soap I call Bar None. It's such a wonderful soap and I've always used a combin-
ation of essential oils to give a citrus scent, thinking that some people might not like florals. So why do I add the lavender flowers? Don't know.

I started thinking that maybe the ticket would be to change to a straight lavender essential oil, since I think of the citrus as being for men and the lavender for women. This is bad time to retool a recipe, when pouring enough for 50 bars.
Today was so busy - so much to squeeze in since we're leaving in the morning. Ian bought me some Mir-Acid yesterday and I had to get it on all of our pine trees - I'm already late. In all of that activity, I stumbled onto this wild pansy. Isn't it sweet? How about those teeny yellow stars, less than 1/4".
All of that, plus laundry and packing, I thought it was only fair that I should have loom play time. I love it when the weather allows me to open the window and hear the wind in the trees and the songbirds. We'll be home a couple of days next week before heading to Oregon. I'm set to start weaving and looking forward to it. I had to stop somewhere so stopped here.

Tomorrow morning I'll cut the soap into bars to cure. After that we will drive to Redding for Ian's grandson's high school commencement, a remarkable and most unusual young man, headed to Oregon in the fall on an athletic and academic scholarship. He hadn't started school at all when I married Ian. Sunrise, sunset, swiftly fly the years~

13 comments:

Marion B. said...

I wish I could smell the soap. I had one bar of handmade soap once in my bathroom. Never used it but it smelled so lovely.

m said...

What a great combination, lavender and citrus.
I make a big jug of tea using sliced lemon and lavender (dried, from our garden) to drink during hot weather.
I suspect that it is the proportions that make that bit of origami hard work, and the need to make it fit the box.

Theresa said...

Soup looks wonderful as does your origami box lining.
I'm impressed especially since folding a newspaper back up correctly is challenging for me!
Just down in Redding? So close yet so far away. Have a wonderful time. It does truly fly by.

re'New said...

Thanks for coming over to look at my stuff! -- Enjoy the graduation trip. It's exciting watching the "kids" stepping onto their new path.

Anonymous said...

Have a great trip. I like the lavender flowers in the soap.

bspinner said...

Swifty flys all our years.

I could just smell your lovely soap.

Have a nice vacation.

Nina said...

mmmm I've not made soap in a while, but there is nothing at all like it. Now that we're setting in to the new house, I can unpack my supplies! Personally, I love the smell of an orange/lavender mix. I make an aromatherapy oil scented with sweet orange and lavender essential oils and it is so relaxing. That's a really nice mould though!

vlb5757 said...

If I hadn't known that you were talking about soap, for one split second I looked at your picture and saw a lemon poppy seed cake. What can I say? I am hungry!

Life Looms Large said...

Lavender and citrus sounds like a great combination to me! It's funny how there are certain parts of tasks that we really don't like. When I make stained glass, I totally love breaking the glass, but I hate grinding the pieces down to fit precisely. It would be cool to be able to enjoy all parts of an activity!!

This is a big graduation weekend here too. We're celebrating a niece's high school graduation and a nephew's college graduation. Our nephew was born the first year that Jim and I were together...so it's amazing to see him turning into an adult!

Love the wild pansy! Happy travels!

Sue

PS: Thanks for helping me overcome my spice cabinet inferiority complex. I was afraid I'd hear that I have too many spices, or that it's too messy. They just accumulate somehow!!

Benita said...

I don't know about lavendar being for women - It's Scott's favorite soap scent.

And just think how the flowers will help exfoliate the skin while using the soap.

Have a fun and safe trip - and take lots of pictures!

Kim said...

Can't wait! And it's okay to say you hate part of making it!

Leigh said...

Actually, that butcher paper is a very clever idea. And your soaps looks really great!

Kathy said...

I used to use parchment paper for my soap mold - the silicone was great and released everything easily.
My basement used to be the best smelling basement around. ;)