Breakfast…Colonial Style

One of the things I LOVE about homeschooling is getting to incorporate the lessons in surprising ways.  Caitlyn and Jacob are learning about early American history so I thought it’d be fun to sample some foods from the Colonial era.  We feasted on a breakfast of dressed eggs and Johnny cakes.

Dressed eggs are fried eggs that are then placed under the broiler to “set” the yolks.  Then they’re “dressed” with a dash or two of nutmeg.  Johnny cakes are liked fried cornbread.  They’re easy to make and they traveled well during the Colonial days.

We also dined on a Colonial dinner of chicken pudding and sweet potato and apple casserole.  Our recipes came from this cute American Girl book we found at the library called, Felicity’s Cooking Studio.  It has great information about cooking in Colonial times.

One really enjoyed the breakfast!

One…did not.  All in the name of education. 

GIVEAWAY!!

I’ve got an awesome giveaway!  As you may know, I’m giving a portion of all soap sales to the Loraine family to help them raise money for their adoption.  Well, Erin Loraine’s favorite soap is Oatmeal, Milk and Honey, so I thought it only fitting that I give away a bar of Oatmeal Milk and Honey soap.  But this isn’t just ANY bar of soap!

It’s a tractor!!  Isn’t is cute!?  It’s 3.5 oz of Oatmeal, Milk and Honey soap and contains Avocado Oil and Oat Extract.

But wait!! There’s more!!  (Do I sound like an infomercial, or what?)

I’m also giving away a coupon code for 15% off your next order in my etsy shop!!

That’s right, folks!  You have the chance to win a super cute Oatmeal Milk and Honey tractor soap AND 15% off your next soap order.

Here are the ways you can enter the contest:

1.  Blog about Catie Beth Bath and Body.  Provide a link on your blog to my etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/catiebeth) and then post a comment on here, along with a link to  your blog post, to let me know you entered the contest.  Every time you blog about Catie Beth and let me know about it, you receive another entry in the contest.

2. If you follow Catie Beth Bath and Body on  Facebook, suggest to all of your friends that they like Catie Beth, too!  Then post a comment on this blog to let me know you suggested that your friends like Catie Beth.

3. Twitter about Catie Beth Bath and Body.  Post a comment on here to let me know you Twittered about us!  Include #catiebethbath in your Twitter so I receive it.

4.Visit www.etsy.com/shop/catiebeth and add my shop to your favorites.  Then leave me a comment here on my blog telling me which soap you liked the best.

The more times you spread the word about Catie Beth Bath and Body, the more times you enter!

The contest ends Wednesday, September 14 at midnight!  Good luck!

Soapy Preview

I’ve got three great soaps that will be ready in September!  Here they are:

Oatmeal Milk and Honey Soap with Oat Extract.  This is by far my most popular soap.  It’s warm, fragrant and super-moisturizing.  Oat Extract is used in the treatment of such skin problems as acne, pimples, blemishes, eczema, and dermatitis.  Look for this soap in my etsy shop the second week of September.

Applejack Peel Soap is the quintessential fall soap with scents of apple, cinnamon and cloves.  And with Sweet Almond Oil and Avocado Oil, it’s perfect for itchy fall skin.  Look for it the around first of fall.

And for when you start to miss summer, Hawaiian Tropic soap will bring the smells of summer to you.  Coconut, Vanilla and a hint of Mango will remind you of sunny days on the shore.  Its moisturizing abilities will wash away dry, winter skin.  Look for it toward the end of September.

Check out all the other wonderful soaps that are currently available in my etsy store.  A portion of profits help the Lorraine family with their adoption.

Sheer Freesia and A Lesson Learned

This picture really doesn’t do Sheer Freesia justice.  Though it looks nothing like how I had intended it to look (I’ll get to that in a minute), it took on a loveliness all its own.  It has hues of pink, lavender and purple and smells as wonderful as Freesia should smell.  It reminds me of an amethyst crystal.

My intent was to do in-the-mold swirls with purple and pink.  However, I was also working with a new ingredient: Palm Kernel Flakes.  The combination of the Palm Kernel Flakes and the fragrance oil caused the soap to trace very quickly and by the time I got it poured into the mold, it was a big, gloppy mess.  I poured my chunks of pink and purple soap on the top and did my best to swirl it around, but it just wasn’t going to happen.  All I could do was cover it and wait.

So, maybe it wasn’t what I intended, but the colors still look great and you can’t beat the soft, floral smell of Freesia!  And, I learned that I shouldn’t experiment with two things at once: swirling and a new ingredient.

Sheer Freesia is for sale for $4.  A portion of proceeds go toward the Loraine’s adoption fund!

Ginger Blossom Soap

Among the veggies growing in my garden is a lovely, and rather large, Calendula plant. I’ve been harvesting the bright yellow flowers all summer and drying them with the intent of using them in soap. 

And here it is! Ginger Blossom soap with Calendula petals (from my garden) and Calendula Extract Oil.  The Ginger Blossom is a nice, green floral fragrance.  Calendula has long been used to heal skin irritations and is great for reducing skin inflammation and healing eczema.  I’m not claiming my soap will do all of that, I’m just letting you know what Calendula is often used for.  This soap also has Avocado Oil in it; a super-moisturizing treat for the skin.  It should be ready for sale mid-August.

Soaping with Purpose

Ah, gorgeous Orange Grove Soap, freshly poured into the mold. 

I love to make soap, but even more than that, I love to help unite forever families.  I’m so glad to now be donating a portion of my soap profits to the Loraine family!  They are adopting another sweet, little girl!  I hope you’ll visit the Loraine’s blog and learn more about this awesome family!  And, of course, I hope you’ll buy lots of soap or donate directly to their adoption fund!

New Soap!

Energy Soap!  It smells as bright and cheery as it looks.  It’s a stimulating blend of Citrus, including Grapefruit, Lemon and Lime, with hints of fresh Cucumber and Jasmine, and a touch of Pineapple, Blackberry and Champagne. Energy is an exciting mix that's perfect for spring and summer.  It’s chock full of moisture-rich oils, including Calendula Extract Oil.  It’s currently my favorite bar of soap! 

I no longer have the Catie Beth website and am working on setting up an etsy shop.  If you’re interested in buying soap, you can email me or message me through Facebook.  I should have my etsy shop up soon!  All soaps are $4/ea.

Bramble Berry Soap Swap: Sheer Freesia

Once again, I’m participating in Bramble Berry’s Soap Swap!  Above are the soaps I’m swapping: Sheer Freesia.  The way the swap works is, I send in 12 bars of soap and then pay for the shipping of 12 different bars of soap to me that other soapers entered in the swap.  I hope the recipients of these lovely bars enjoy them!  They smell sooo good!  I can’t wait to see what I receive in April!

FAQ About Handmade Soap

I thought I’d answer some of the questions I’m often asked about my handmade soaps.

How do you make your soap?

Soap is basically a chemical reaction between a fatty acid and a caustic alkali.  This can be accomplished by a number of methods.  I combine plant-based oils (fatty acids) with sodium hydroxide mixed with distilled water (caustic alkali known as “lye”).  The chemical process is called “saponification”.  When the saponification process is complete, only soap, water and glycerin remain.Isn’t Lye harmful?

Yes, Lye is very caustic and extremely harmful when working with.  However, notice what is left after the chemical reaction between the oils and the lye…only soap, water and glycerin.  There is no more lye in the soap. 

Are commercial soaps made with lye?

Yes, commercial soaps are made with Lye.  In order for it to be soap, it must have been made with lye.  If you look at the ingredients on a bar of commercial soap you’ll find the words “Sodium Tallowate”, which is sodium hydroxide combined with animal fat, or lard.Why is handmade soap better for my skin than commercial soap?

Remember, after saponification is complete, we’re left with soap, water and glycerin.  Commercial soap manufacturers remove the glycerin and replace it with synthetic detergents.  They can then sell the glycerin at a high price to other skin care manufacturers.  Handmade soap retains its natural glycerin.  Glycerin is important in skin care because it is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture to your skin.Why does it take so long for your soap to be ready for sale?

I like for my soaps to cure for a minimum of 4 weeks before I sell them.  Most of the saponification process is complete within the first 24 – 48 hours, but the process will continue slowly for another 2 weeks.  I let them cure for an additional 2 weeks so that water evaporates from the soap.  This leaves a harder, longer lasting bar that is rich in lather.

Featuring Jade Lotus

My favorite soap lately is lovely Jade Lotus.  It’s made with Lemon Balm and Lemon Verbena-infused Olive Oil.  Both Lemon Balm and Lemon Verbena have astringent qualities and are good toners for the skin.  This soap also features Avocado Oil!  Avocado Oil is rich in emollient properties and soothes dry skin.  Jade Lotus has pink and green swirls and is scented with Ylang Ylang EO, Orange Valencia EO, Lemongrass EO and Basmati Rice FO.  It smells like a sweet and floral tropical island!  Give it a try if you need a breath of spring air!

S.O.A.P. Floral Fragrances Arrived!

I was doing my happy dance yesterday when the FedEx truck pulled up and my box of floral fragrance samples were delivered to my door step!  I was selected to be a part of Bramble Berry’s S.O.A.P. panel (Soap Opinion Awesome Panel).  My mission (which I’ve accepted) is to sample 10 floral fragrances in whatever product I want, take notes of how I used the sample and how it reacted, and then return a survey to Bramble Berry by April 4th.  I hope my mission isn’t top-secret because I plan to share as much of the process with you as I can. 

Being the “nerd” that I am, I immediately created a spread sheet with a list of each fragrance and spaces for taking notes.  Once that was complete, I opened each jar and took a whiff (stopping to smell coffee beans in-between).  The first notes I took were about my first impressions of the fragrances.  Some I loved right away, others were familiar, and a few just weren’t to my personal liking.I make primarily Cold Process soap, so I plan to test all of the fragrances in CP soap.  I’ll use a basic CP recipe without colorants.  I have three questions when I use a new fragrance: 1) Will it cause my soap to trace too quickly or seize up?  If it traces or thickens to quickly, I can’t create the pretty swirls that I like to create.  If it seizes, well, back to the drawing board. 2) Will it discolor the soap?  Is it going to turn the soap brown?, and 3) How strong is the fragrance after the soap has cured a few weeks?  These are the three factors I will take notes on, in addition to answering the survey questions.

I’ll start the first rounds of testing this weekend!