For the Love of Fiber

All Over

Just got back to my room following the banquet. So sad to see the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild conference come to a close. It was an amazing four days (or three for the main part).  

Here I am sporting a new T-shirt! LOVE IT! I purchased this shirt, another one, and an apron from Amanda. All proceeds go towards the Beauty in Haiti Project where she volunteers as a soapmaking teacher. What a great cause! 

We had 327 people in attendance and some were from as far away as Pakistan, China, and Australia. Donations of soap were accepted for a local womens' shelter here in Raleigh. The final total was 400 lbs. of handmade soap. Fantastic!

There was the Soapers' Showcase where there were 175 entries for Best Scent, Best Packaging, Best Appearance, and Best in Show. What talent! I loved so many of the soaps! My favorite category was Best Packaging. People are so creative! 

The vendors were wonderful! The guild sold their T-shirts, aprons, visors, and caps, books, pamphlets, jewelry, etc. The Chemistry Store, Lebermuth, Essential Depot, Marie Gale, National Shrinkwrap, etc.  

The classes / lectures I attended include - Good Manufacturing Practices, Search Engine Optimization, Advanced Swirling - The Peacock Swirl, Labeling, Natural Fragrances vs. Synthetic Fragrances, Make Your Own Single Cavity Silicone Molds, Advanced Colorants, The Chemistry and Properties of Fatty Acids and Oils, Retail Realities:
What it Really Takes to Open a Store, and Design, Formulate, Organize Using the SoapMaker Program. WOW! And, this list didn't even include the morning speakers!  

Then, there were the evening activities and the vendors. Friday night, Wholesale Supply Plus sponsored a game show party. All of the attendees were given devices to click in with the correct answers and we were divided into five teams. Then, the top two players from each team competed against each other. Graually the were down to one team's two players and they competed against each other. First place prize was a $250.00 gift certificate and second place was a $100.00 one. The game show set-up was so professional! It was like Pat and Vanna! Why didn't my guidance counselor in high school mention anything about jobs that travel the country hosting game shows!?!

Last night, Essential Depot hosted an English Village Fete. It was great! Traditional food - Steak / Chicken and Kidney Pie, Bangers and Fingerling Potatoes, different cheeses and fruit, Mulled Wine, Hard Apple Cider, etc. There were five games to play - ring toss, ping pong ball toss, bean bag throw, stack the molds, and bocce - and take a chance to win prizes. I won five prizes! Two of their red silicone molds, avocado oil, castor oil, and sodium hydroxide!!! 

Throughout the conference, raffle tickets and door prizes were drawn. I won a great doorprize - similar to what was in our goodie bags - an assortment of butters, oils, fragrances, spatula, etc. from several vendors, and a small mold, coupons, and other goodies from Bramble Berry. It might be time to implement my coupons with Bramble Berry and take care of some of the items I've placed on my wishlist.

There was a luncheon yesterday for guild members where officers were elected and business was taken care of. When we checked in for the lunch, we were given a spatula. I loved it that we voted by a show of those spatulas. How perfect!

A group of us on Facebook got together and organized a soap swap. We were from all across the US - Oregon, Arkansas, Virginia, Ohio, Tennesee, Texas, Wisconsin, etc. Each person brought a soap or other body product they made and we swapped. I took each person a bar of my Sunrise, Sunset soap boxed and in a muslin polka-dot drawstring bag. Everyone brought such nice things!!!! I can hardly wait to get home to try everything.

One of the girls, Charlene (black and white top in the center), is a soapmaker and a cupcake baker. Watch for her (Fat Bottomed Girl's Cupcakes) on Cupcake Wars on the Food Network channel on June 16th.

The banquet tonight was awesome! People were recognized for their years of membership, passing their certification exams, etc. 

Then, the big moment where the 2015 dates and location were announced. GUESS WHERE IT'S GOING TO BE!!!!! Indianapolis, Indiana! That's within just a few hours! 

The 2014 conference is scheduled for Tucson, Arizona. Time to start saving my pennies! 

Tomorrow, I'll be heading back to Ohio. Wish I could twitch my nose or click my heels and zip back to Ohio! 

Whirlwind

This week has been a whirlwind. I left Ohio last Saturday and headed to Richmond, VA. I spent Saturday an Sunday nights with Brian and Eryn. It was great to see the boys and their
families!! Sunday morning was Mother's Day and it was the first Mother's Day I've been with the boys in quite a while. Seeing the grandchildren was a special treat. 

The grandchildren are getting so big! They'll soon be two years old. That's hard to believe! They're so cute at this age but I can't wait until they are a little more verbal. I can hardly wait to hear what they have to say!

My friend, Marian, is moving and gave me this little car and a Little Tikes wagon for Ms. B. and Landen. My car was packed to the roof on the trip from Ohio!

The children were crazy about them! Ms. B. was very good and "pedaling" the car and she didn't want to stop. Brian and Eryn's neighbor is also moving and gave them an adorable playhouse. The grands went wild over it! It's SO nice! Has a kitchen sink, a window box where you can plant flowers, etc. There will be many happy hours spent within its plastic walls.

Sunday morning, Rachael, Landen, and I had Mother's Day brunch at Taylor's restaurant, 525 at the Berry
Burk. There was a Nutella special but I had the strawberry and cream cheese French toast. It was super yummy!

Landen was so cute! He's all boy - very very busy! Rachael and I stopped by Barnes & Noble after brunch and
Landen fell in love with their Thomas the Train train set they had set up in the children's area. I think I know what to get him for his birthday! Guess it will be Thanksgiving before I see them again.

Monday, I headed to Danville to visit with Mom and Daddy. Daddy is doing well after his heart attack in January. He got an excellent heart report recently. Monday night, I got to attend Ktog (knitting group) at Starbucks and enjoyed seeing the knitters. I was also able to meet Jan and Dianne for dinner Tuesday evening. Wednesday, I left Danville and headed towards Raleigh, NC. I stopped in Oxford and met Donna for dinner. We hadn't seen each other since I moved away in 2009 so that was a treat!

I finally made it to Raleigh last night for the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild's annual conference. If you've been reading, you know I've been super-duper excited about this!!!! I've always wanted to go but never had the chance so last fall when I heard it was going to be in Raleigh, I signed up immediately.

The conference really starts tomorrow. Today, they offered three half-day classes. Since I attended one, I got to register today and was presented with one heck of a goodie bag! Just look at all this loot! So many nice things!!!! There are samples of fragrances, colorants, other additives, butters and oils, a spatula, a mold, a lipstick, and much more! I feel like a celebrity with a swag bag!

Today, I took a class on GMP - Good Manufacturing Practices with Marie Gale. It was very informative and basically focused on tracking ingredients from supplier to your finished products, keeping good records, etc. These practices help ensure that your products meet high quality standards each and every time you make them. With these practices in place, it leads to better consistency and enables you to track back if there are questions or problems.

Tomorrow starts early with breakfast and then ends with a game night sponsored by one of the vendors.

Signing off tonight with a "hamming it up for the iPhone" picture of Landen and me!

Wednesday Update

Busy busy here! Trying to get everything done before heading out of town. Tomorrow - work appointment and tons of computer work, new tires for the car, and an oil change. 

I finished knitting the center of the Tweed Baby Blanket. I'm ready to pick up all the edge stitches to start knitting the lace border. I haven't posted a picture of it because all it is right now is just a gray square. When I get the lace going, I'll post a picture.

I checked the Bluebird Boxes tonight and here's what I found.

BB #1 - This doesn't often happen and when it does, it's a treat. For me. Probably scares the h*** out of the bird! I opened BB #1 and there was Mama Tree Swallow in the nest. She looked at me - quite surprised, I'm sure. I gently closed the door a little and then snapped a picture before closing it the rest of the way.

BB #2 - Eyes are open and they're getting big!!!

BB #3 - No changes here. Still seven eggs.

Gotta run! So much to do!  Have a good evening!

I See Spots

Remember the Soap Challenge 2013 that I was participating in? Week 4, the final week, was a technique called Leopard Spots. This is a super cool technique and I am tickled pink - or, should I say tickled orange - with my result.

Meet Sweet Orange Chili Pepper! I think I even see a shape that looks a lot like a chili pepper! 

Making the spots involves piping soap. Now, mind you, I have never piped a thing - icing, cake batter, etc. NOTHING! 

An important factor when using the Leopard Spot technique is to have your soap "batter" just the right consistency. Your "spot soap" needs to be thick enough that it will stand up and not just flatten out or run away. Then, the main soap needs to be thin enough so that it fills in well. If it's too thick, you'll get lots of air pockets. 

I combed the top with the tines of a fork to get this stipey look.

This worked out perfectly! Happy soap dance!!!!

Thanks to Amy of Great Cakes Soapworks for hosting the challenge. I learned four new techniques. Always good to learn something new!

My other soaping effort last night was a third attempt to soap the fragrance oil Cherry Blossom & Kiwi. Fragrance Oils can be tricky. Some cause your soap to do bad things - seize, accelerate, rice, etc. The first batch of Cherry Blossom & Kiwi riced - it turned into something akin to applesauce before I could get it in the mold. My second attempt turned brick hard as soon as I got it in the mold. 

Last night, the third time was the charm but then yin met yang, good met evil, etc. etc. I made two batches - the one in the post above and this one. I was ready for this fragrance oil this time! I was determined to soap this! Everything went great! I soaped at almost room temperature with my oils and lye. Then, I didn't add the fragrance oil until the very last minute before pouring the main part into the mold. I didn't add any fragrance to the green or pink so had lots of time to work with those colors. I sprinkled kiwi seeds to finish off the top.

Then, I put the two batches in the oven on 170 degrees F like I normally do. I set the  kitchen timer for 1 hour and then went upstairs hoping to catch the news for the first time in a month. I sat down and promptly fell asleep! Three hours later, I jumped up knowing something was not right. THEN, it hit me! I HAVE SOAP STILL IN THE OVEN!!!! I had left the kitchen timer down in the studio and didn't hear it go off. I rushed downstairs and turned the oven off. I looked at the soap and the polka dots on my Cherry Blossom & Kiwi batch didn't look good - they were all sunken and the tops of the soap looked very dry. 

So, I had to consider - Can This Soap Be Saved? 

Why, yes it can! I cut the loaf into bars tonight and then cut the tops off of each bar. I lost my kiwi seeds doing this but saved the soap. I don't think it looks too bad. Should feel wonderful with shea butter added.

So, good triumphed over evil yet once again!

Now for the bird update! I didn't get a chance to check on the boxes today so these pictures are from
yesterday. I must check on them tomorrow. I don't like to go too many days without peeping in on them.

Bluebird Box (BB) #1- Mrs. Tree Swallow laid two more eggs since I last checked on her.

BB #2 - The Bluebird babies are looking more like real birds every day! This time, when I opened the box, they were all looking in the same direction - towards the opening of the house. Maybe there were waiting on dinner to be flown in.

BB#3 - Mrs. Fertile Myrtle Tree Swallow is holding at 7 eggs. I just don't know how seven tree swallows are going to all fit inside that box until they're ready to fledge. We'll certainly see soon!

I leave Saturday morning for Virginia and North Carolina. I'll miss checking on the boxes / birds. I'll have to get Andy to check them and report to me how they're doing. He'll be so thrilled to add one more thing to his Honey-do list!

That's all for now! Hopefully, I'll get to do one or two more posts before I leave.

Fertile Myrtle

Well, nature is progressing nicely here. The check of the Bluebird Boxes (BB for short) 1, 2, and 3 yesterday
revealed one surprise.

BB #1 - Mrs. Tree Swallow had added a second egg as I thought she would. She will probably not stop at 2.  I expect she'll lay at least 3-4 more.

BB #2 - The baby Bluebirds have really changed in the week that I have been photographing them. Scroll back to see each day's pictures to see the changes. So many more feathers now! They're also getting bigger. Just wait until you see how snug that next will get. I'll have to be careful opening the door of the box at that point. I won't want to startle them or have one fall out. 

BB #3 - Fertile Myrtle Tree Swallow has added yet another egg to her nest. I thought she'd stop she'd stop at 5 but OH NO! She laid a 6th one and NOW she's added a 7th! I'm not sure how all of these babies will fit. We'll see! Wonder when they'll hatch? 

This week will be busy as all heck! Hair appointment, pedicure appointment, new tires on the car, oil change, soap to make, packing to do, Mother's Day gifts to get together, miscellaneous things to also get together, knitting projects to pack, hotel reservations to make, etc. OH, and there's the real full-time job that needs to be done this week, too!

I'm so excited, I can hardly sit still! I'm leaving Saturday and will
head to Virginia to see my boys and their families. Can hardly wait to see everyone! I just saw them in March for Easter so maybe the grandbabies won't have forgotten me in that two month period. This will be the shortest time I've seen them in a row which will be nice. Then, on Monday, I'll head to Danville to
visit Mom and Daddy. I'll also get to knit with my knitting peeps at Starbucks Monday night. Finally, on Wednesday, I'll head to Raleigh, NC for the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild's annual conference.

The conference is sold out with at least 325 attendees from all over the world. I'm taking one class on Wednesday and then the official conference begins on Thursday and ends Sunday night. There will be classes, demonstrations, lectures, and vendors. Most of all, I can hardly wait to meet the soapmakers I've "met" online in the various Facebook groups I belong to. They have been SO helpful to me answering questions, offering helpful criticism, providing endless inspiration, etc. They are my soaping
peeps! My sisters and brothers in saponification!

OH, I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!! Anticipation is building!

(Soap picture to the right - a stack of my Revive fragranced with an essential oil blend of Euclyptus, Spearmint, and Tea Tree.)

Changes

Big changes for the Bluebird update! 

Bluebird Box (BB) #1 finally has an egg in it! The nest looks kind of puny but there is an egg!

BB #2 - they are getting big! Lots more feathers on Friday. They must have just had dinner before I arrived and opened their nest box because they were all fast asleep. They didn't move at all when I tilted the nest to take their picture.

BB #3 - I was sure that Ms. Tree Swallow was done but no! Friday, when I checked, she had added yet another egg to the nest. Six Tree Swallows eggs! That is going to be one snug little box!

Friday, I was up early so decided to make a batch of soap before the workday started. I got out my 18-bar slab mold that I've had for months but have never used. Each time you get a new mold, you have to figure out the volume of the mold and then configure your recipe(s) to fit it. I have also had a software program called SoapMaker 3 but have never used it. So, I decided it was high time to get that going, too. 

To use SoapMaker 3, you have to enter your materials. Once set up, the program will do everything but make the soap for you! You enter the cost, amount, supplier, etc. then you make up your recipe. The program will tell you how many grams/ounces of each oil and additive to use in your recipe. It will provide the INCL name of each ingredient and also put them in order of weight. It will also figure out how much it costs you to make that batch of soap and give you a per bar cost, too. The program will also track your
inventory. It's a pretty cool program for a soapmaker to have.

I wanted to do a column swirl for this batch. This is a technique where you place something tall in the middle of your mold and then pour the soap onto the top of the item. The soap runs down the sides of the item into the mold. Once done, you remove the tall item. You alternate colors to make your design. To do this, the soap "batter" has to be relatively thin. Mine became a little too thick to pour and run down so it didn't work as planned. Most of my color ended up in the middle so I used a skewer to move it around. 

Soapmakers use all different shaped molds. I usually use log molds. There are also slab molds, block molds, and
round molds. As you can see from the pictures, a slab mold gives you just that - a flat slab of soap. After I pour my soap into the mold, I lower my dividers into place. Once all the dividers are in place for this mold, I have neatly sectioned off 18 bars of soap. This particular mold has a pink sillicone liner in the bottom which makes it super easy to unmold my bars.

The fragrances used for this batch - Lavendin Grosso, 10X Orange, and Star Anise. I call this "Sunrise, Sunset" because the colors remind me of stunning sunrises and sunsets I've seen. It smells absolutely wonderful! I love the touch of Anise to the mix.

Look for more soap pictures this weekend and, of course, updates of the baby birds. 

Update

Here we are at Day Three of the Bluebird updates. Today, everyone was hungry! Four out of the five, at least. When I open the door to the nest box, the babies get jostled. This makes them think that dinner has arrived. As you can see, they're ready and waiting to eat! Today, you can see more feathers and better wing definition. 

In Bluebird Box #3, Ms. Tree Swallow has laid yet another egg bringing the count to five! I wouldn't be surprised if calls it a day with these five. As these birds hatch and grow, that box is going to be very full!

Tonight, I took a soapmaking class. Yes, I already know how to make soap but you can never know it all and you can always learn something new. It's good to be a student. Even when you know a lot about the subject.

I met Margaret (Nature's Touch Soaps) last year at the Ohio Soaper's Gathering and we became better acquainted this year when we shared a table for the day. She mentioned that she taught classes at various locations of Greene County Library and had a couple classes coming up. I signed up for Soapmaking 101 as soon as I could. 

The class was fun - well organized and full of important information for the beginning soaper. The class started at 5:15 PM and ran until 8:00 PM. Class size was ten and she was full. Some people had taken classes from her before. Others were strict newbies.

First, she did a safety talk and then she demonstrated making a batch of soap. The ingredients she used could all be obtained at the local grocery store. This was great for people who might just want to make a batch or two. I was wondering about equipment but Margaret provided everything for each table - scale, stick blender, cups, spatulas, etc. She brought a lot of different additives so people could personlize their soap. 

Once all questions were answered, we headed to our tables and got to work! I was paired w/ Debbie and we decided we'd use the Wildflowers Fragrance Oil and color our soap with ground rosemary. We used small milk cartons as soap molds and cut and then taped the end up with Duct Tape to hold them in place and prevent leakage. They made perfect soap molds! I couldn't let well enough alone so added poppyseeds to the tops of my soaps. In the picture to the right, my three soaps made tonight are in the middle, a piece of Margaret's lavender soap is in the lower left, her honey almond soap is at the top, and another bar of her soap is at the lower right.

Everything went so smoothly! Ten people making soap together! Very cool!

Afterwards, Margaret took the lead again to show us several mold ideas, to let us cut a recently made log of soap, and to pick a bar of other soap to take home. She also gave out hand-outs that were neatly tucked in plastic sleeves. 

In all these years of soapmaking, I have never taken a class. I found it very interesting watching and listening to the other people. I enjoyed seeing the soapmaking experience through other people's eyes and enjoyed their questions. 

Margaret, thanks for sharing yourself with the community! You're a super teacher!

Tomorrow is FRIDAY! It couldn't get here soon enough!

The Difference A Day Makes

I checked the Bluebird Boxes (BB) tonight.

BB box #1 looks about the same as yesterday.

BB box #2 - The baby Bluebirds look a little less new today. They have a few more feathers and are a little more "with it". They are holding their gigantic (well, to them) heads up a tiny bit better today. One of them is obviously very hungry! I think I can see his tonsils!

BB box #3 - Mrs. Tree Swallow has added a fourth egg to the collection. I love her feathery nest!

I looked out the kithen window today and there was a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak at the feeder. He's very attractive. 

We fed the fish tonight and the big catfish from last year is SO big this year! He is HUGE! We have about four in the pond and they weren't put in there on purpose. One is tremendous and the others are a little smaller. Doesn't anyone want to come and catch them and fry them up for supper?

I need to make soap but there's been no time! I have new molds and want to experiment with them but that takes a little extra time to figure my recipes to fit them. So, I'm going to do that right now! Even if I don't have time to actually make soap tonight, I'll at least have my recipes ready to go. 

Happy Wednesday, everyone! We're sliding into another weekend!

Babies And Beginnings

Twenty-five years ago today, I met a plane. A plane that carried two little boys. Two very special long-
awaited little boys. My sons.

That plane had flown from Seoul, South Korea to San Francisco, California, to Detroit, Michigan, and then, finally to Philadelphia, Pennslyvania. Andy, my parents, and I were all there anxiously waiting. 

Then, there they were. Two scared and hot little boys walked into the waiting area with their Korean escorts. At that moment, my life changed forever. I became an Omah (mother in Korean). As I introduced Andy (Ahbah), my mother (Holmonee), and my father (Halrabojee) to the boys in Korean, I realized that all of our lives had just changed forever. Our family had grown. The long wait for them was over. 

Now, twenty-five years later -- OH! what they've achieved!!! Learned a whole new language, lots of soccer games, Boy Scout meetings and an Eagle Scout, graduated from college, great jobs with lots of skills/talents, fell in love, and had babies of their own! Wow! What a full twenty-five years it has been!

I wish I had some of those first pictures of the boys to add to this post but I have yet to unearth them from our move to Ohio. They're somewhere packed safely away --- so safe I can't find them! So, you'll just have to settle with a newer version of the boys. (This picture was taken last June at Taylor's restaurant. Taylor (younger) is on the right holding Landen, his son, and Brian is on the left.) Mental note to self - take more pictures of the two of them on my next trip to Virginia!

Happy 25th Airplane Day, Brian and Taylor!!!!  

Now, for babies of a feathery kind. The bluebird babies have hatched out in Bluebird Box #2. They are all beaks and feet! I love their little beaks when they are first hatched. They definitely have to grow into them. Bluebirds make neat 
dense nests. This one is primarily made from dried grasses and then lined with horse hair. 

The Tree Swallows are getting serious now. Bluebird Box #1 has the start of a nest and they've placed a couple of fluffy
white feathers in it. So, they're getting down to business. I read once that they will fly many miles to scavenge feathers. Their nests are interesting and so pretty. When they leave the nest, they cover the eggs with the feathers.

Bluebird Box #3 has a full nest and three pearly white eggs. Wonder if she's done or will she lay more? Either way, the wait begins. 

Babies and Beginnings - both are quite wonderful!

It's A String Thing

This weekend, Lebanon, OH, The Golden Lamb, and Abby Franquemont of Stringtopia (and here) hosted a spinning retreat - Spring String Thing 2013. This is the third year for the retreat and my second year attending.

We are lucky to have Abby, author of Respect the Spindle and demonstrator in many YouTube videos, in our area. In late 2012, she opened Stringtopia Fiber Arts Studio where she teaches spinning and other fibery arts. There are social nights where people come to spin, knit, kumihimo braid, etc. 

Last year, I took classes all three days of the retreat but with work pressures, I only took two days this year. Both of my classes were with Beth Smith of The Spinning Loft. I took Finish That Skein where we learned different processes for finishing skeins of handspun yarn. We worked with merino top and horned dorset roving. Who knew a plunger had another use besides unstopping a toilet?!? The second class I took with Beth was Woolen and Worsted. We worked with Romney fleece, top, and roving all day. We carded, combed, and flicked it and then spun it using both woolen and worsted techniques. 

Morgaine, of Carolina Homespun, provided the shop which was packed with all kinds of fibery goodness! I was going to be very strong but succumbed to a blend of yak and silk top and another top of cashmere and silk. That was NOT my fault! The strongest fiber artist couldn't pass up these two combos. A couple or few spindles might have also found their way home with me, too. Oh well, it only comes once a year! Morgaine stopped in Ohio for the retreat on her way to Maryland Sheep & Wool. I was so tempted to hide away in her YarnV for the trip. I haven't been to MS&W since 2008 and that's too long!

We had an interesting addition to our
Woolen and Worsted class. Morgaine demonstrated how to use the Clemes &
Clemes Blending Board. What cool rolags you can make on this board! You "paint" the board by loading it with fiber and then roll it off with a dowel which results in rolags. She made one for me and I spun it up. Very cool! In the picture above are my skeins from the Woolen and Worsted class and my little blending board skein. Wish I had taken a picture of the rolag from the board before I spun it. It was so interesting to see the rolag and then the spun skein.

I have to say, this year's goodie bag was top-notch! So many nice things!!! Here are just a few contributors - Knitifacts, The Painted Tiger, Seven Yaks, Faerie Mountain Fibers, and so many more! Morgaine / Carolina Homespun was very generous, also! Martha, my neighbor from Cedar Grove Farms, contributed bags of her Jacob fleece. There were coupons, samples, a free knitting pattern --- just oodles of stuff!

The retreat was a fun time! It's funny how empowered I feel by knowing how to spin and knit. I feel the same way with making soap. It's almost like I have super powers! Knowing how to make soap out of lye and oils,a sweater from wool off a sheep, a shawl from the threads of a cocoon, hook a rug out of an old wool skirt, or whatever - things that are basic, useful and needed. Yep, super powers! Knowledge is definitely power!

I have six more work reports to do by Monday night but tomorrow really needs to be a soapmaking day! I need more hours in my days.

The countdown is on for my trip southeast! I can hardly wait!