Wow, I cannot tell you how absolutely AMAZED I am at how well everything is going now that we are in full swing this summer!
This is the first year I have tried my hand at making soaps, and I don't know about you, but all the research, reading up and learning from others' mistakes made me so stressed out and nervous to try it! I found a really great website called Miller Soap, and if soap had a bible, that would be it! I finally got the gumption to try out a recipe, and I'm not gonna lie, I was waiting for disaster. All the things that can go wrong while making soap, it's insane! The worst part is, I am the most impatient person on Earth, and knowing that making soap takes time and patience above all else, still knowing that I am one of those "oh! look!!! SHINY!!!" kind of people, I still gave it a try. My first recipe was a modification of a stock recipe, and I made it my own by adding pulverized orange peel (that I dried myself, thank you very much! Want to break your food processor? Give this one a try!) and Sweet Orange Essential Oil. Not knowing until weeks later that Orange or Citrus is, like, THE best way to start out, because it is essentially fool-proof, I expected a chaotic mess. See, when you mix the lye and fats together, you get "trace", which is this pudding-type consistency. Here's the catch, there's such thing as "false trace" and there's such thing as over stirring your soap. There is really no gray area. So, here I was, stirring the heck out of this pot of sludge, and wondering if I already went too far, I think I have a trace, I'm not sure, why isn't this dummy-proof? How do I know how to pour it? Blah, blah, blah. And here's the kicker: you have to cover it, and wrap it in towels, and not peek and leave it alone for 24 hours. At least. Man, you have no idea how many little peeks I stole, how many times I wanted to rip those towels off that mold, and then, 24 hours was up. I couldn't believe it, gel stage complete, saponification acheived, I have made soap!!!! It came out SOO perfect, I couldn't ask for anything more! I couldn't wait to make my next batch!
The unfortunate side effect of mixing soaps and candles and all these smelly smells in your kitchen is the fact that your house starts to smell like a Bath and Body Works with Hyperactivity....My husband Jason would walk in after work, and, after being bnombarded with smells of orange, patchouli, sandalwood, juniper, Nag Champa, and florals and fruits, the poor guy would still come over to the kitchen, and his poor overstimulated nose would get stuck in everything I had made that day. That's ok though, my wallflowers ran dry about a week into this, and I didn't even notice because my house smells so....uhh...perky!!!
Not to mention this guy has put up with me taking over his man cave of a basement to turn a corner into a tie dye studio, all the chemicals that entails, the UPS guys knows me by name now, and a whole pantry in the kitchen is full of things like lye, citric acid, urea, and soda ash. I'm waiting for a black SUV to come passing by wondering what weapons of mass destruction I am blueprinting.
So now here we are, six weeks later, trying out the soaps, making sure they're everything they're supposed to be, and the tie dye is down to a system that I have never had so organized, and I couldn't be happier. We just finished week two of the Grayslake Farmers Market. I am so impressed with the diversity of the vendors, the customers and the crowds. It's absolutely amazing.
And, I finally broke down, only took me two weeks. I started the custom orders back up. I wasn't going to offer it this year, but the fact that I get such a rush realizing someone's idea for a design is too much to resist. I can't believe the overwhelming welcome I've received in Grayslake, and how impressed everyone is with my work. It is truly humbling. I've never received so many compliments about the dyes, and it only motivates me to work harder and better to make more daring, vibrant designs. I think I truly have found my favorite place!
If you have a free Wednesday evening, please come check out the market. Dogs are welcome, it is extremely family friendly, and the vendors are so unique, it is astounding. You will find everything from wine tasting, to an olive vendor, olive oils, bison meat, seafood, the most lush produce, homemade breads, and of course, sno cones, shaken lemonade, dog treats, and a HUGE baloon vendor for the kids. As soon as I close my mouth to stop from drooling at the sights, I will remember to take pictures and put some on here. What an awesome experience.
You can get more information at www.grayslakefarmersmarket.com, or just stop on by in downtown Grayslake from 3-7pm Wednesday nights all the way through October. The whole block is shut down at Slusser and Center Sts, but you can find municipal, free parking less than a block away on all sides of the market.
Hope to see you there, until then, Have a great June!!!
