Great Cakes Soapworks Challenge - Dandelion Zebra Swirl

After last month's soap challenge organised by Amy of Great Cakes Soapworks, I was excited to give this next challenge a go - the original by Vinvela is absolutely beautiful! She's really talented - check out here blog here. So I studied Amy's tutorial and decided on four colours and a slow moving fragrance - Black Raspberry and Vanilla. I had hoped I'd have enough time to make a few batches and present the best of the lot, but as ALWAYS, I had no time whatsoever to do more than one batch. Compared to last month's gradient soap, I found this one easier and more fun to make, BUT I still have a lot of practising to do before I am truly happy with my results.

 My green mix (chromium oxide) and brown (mica) traced so much faster than the others which made pouring pretty difficult - I kept having to 'push' them down the 'slope', so I didn't quite get the 'smooth stripes' I'd hoped to achieve. Apart from that, I really enjoyed making this one and will definitely be returning to this technique.
I'm sure all the other soapers had as much fun as I did :). And I look forward to seeing all your results.

  Good luck everyone.

Great Cakes Soapworks - Soap Challenge Club: MULTI-COLOURED GRADIENT SOAP

I've been wanting to take part in the Soap Challenge Club challenges organised by Amy Warden of Great Cakes Soapworks ever since they began sometime around May but there have been constant obstacles every time I wanted to and  I simply couldn't participate. Luckily for me, I managed to register for the September challenge and was sure I'd have enough time to 'practise until perfect' and then present the results of my very best attempt .... BUT as luck would have it, tons of things got in the way again and I only managed to make my soap last night!!
 Which is why it is still soooo soft and 'mushy' looking in the pics. It was bit of a challenge for me - I can't say it was easy, but I'm pretty happy with the whole 'gradient' effect and the way it's turned out.

The tutorial was very helpful! I chose a green-yellow-orange gradient, but because my green started out really dark, it needed A LOT of yellow and I ran out before I could get the 'right' shade! Oh well, here's hoping for the best - I certainly would love to win the Nature's Garden $50 gift certificate and FINALLY get to buy some of thier products, but then again, who wouldn't? I've had a look at the other fabulous gradient soaps .... the competition is going to be tough :) !


Good luck to ALL fellow participants - may the best soaper/soap win :).

P.S. It's been raining cats and dogs in my part of Poland and with the dark cloudy weather outside the colours all seem to have come out a little dull. Or perhaps I'm just a poor photographer ;).

 

What's been a cookin'?

Od czasu poprzedniego wpisu jakoś nie miałam czasu dodawać nowych zdjęć lub opisać mydła. Mam nadzieję, że uda mi się w końcu odrobić zaległości .... ale w międzyczasie może zaprezentuję to, czym byłam zajęta w ostatnim czasie :).

Od góry: piwne bezzapachowe (natural Beer soap), z czerwonym

winem (Red Wine soap )

środkowy rząd: sandałowo-waniliowe (Sandalwood & Vanilla soap), z mleka koziego (CLEOPATRA Goat Milk soap)

dolny rząd: jagodowe (Creamy Berries), rumiankowe z aloesem (Chamomile & Aloe Vera soap)

Od lewej: paczuli i pomarańcza (Patchouli Orange soap), lawendowo-rozmarynowe (Lavender & Rosemary soap), pokrzywowo-rozmarynowe (Nettle & Rosemary soap)

Od lewej: lawendowe z mlekiem (Lavender Goat Milk soap), bazylia z cytrusami (Citrus Basil soap), waniliowe (Vanilla soap)

owocowa tęcza (Rainbow soap)

rumiankowe z aloesem (Chamomile & Aloe Vera soap)

 More to follow soon ...


Chętnie odpowiem na pytania, jeśli tylko będę umiała jak odpowiadać :). Komentuj, lub prześlij pytanie mailem.
Any questions? Feel free to ask using the 'comments' option below ... or just send me email :).  

Mydełka

Tym razem będę pisała po polsku ... z góry przepraszam za ewentualne błędy :). 
Chciałabym pokazać i trochę opisać MYDŁA NATURALNE, które ostatnio zrobilam i co w ogóle jest na stanie. Dla zainteresowanych, podaję cenę mydełka.

CZARNA MOZAIKA

CZARNA MOZAIKA

"CZARNA MOZAIKA" to mydło zawierające m.in. masło shea (karite), masło kakaowe oraz olej ze słodkich migdałów. Zawiera naturalny olejek trawy cytrynowej, który posiada właściwości pobudzające i odświeżające oraz węgiel aktywowany, który dzięki właściwości adsorpcyjnych działa antyseptycznie pochłaniając bakterie i toksyny ze skóry. Kąpiel z tym mydłem o pięknym, świeżym zapachu wprawia w dobry nastrój, poprawia samopoczucie i energetyzuje.
Składniki: woda, olej kokosowy, oliwa z oliwek, masło kakowe, masło shea, olej palmowy, olej ze słodkich migdałów, glinka Kaolin, olejek eteryczny i wodorotlenek sodu.
Waga: 110-130g. Cena: 14zł.

NUGATOWE

Mydło "NUGATOWE" to mydło bogate w masło kakaowe, masło shea (karite) oraz olej ze słodkich migdałów. Zawiera kozie mleko oraz mleczko migdałowe i ma delikatny zapach migdałowy

NUGATOWE

(podobny do marcepanu).
Składniki: mleczko migdałowe, kozie mleko, olej kokosowy, oliwa z oliwek, masło shea, masło kakowe, olej palmowy, olej ze słodkich migdałów, glinka Kaolin, olejek zapachowy i wodorotlenek sodu. 
Waga: 110-130g. Cena: 14zł.

RÓŻOWA MOZAIKA

RÓŻOWA MOZAIKA

Mydło "RÓŻOWA MOZAIKA" to mydło zawierające masło shea (karite), masło kakaowe oraz olej ze słodkich migdałów. Zawiera wyciąg z żurawiny (ma właściwości antyoksydacyjne  i spowalnia procesy starzenia) oraz naturalne olejki eteryczne (palmarosa, drzewo różany). Olejki te są często wykorzystywane w preparatach przeciwstarzeniowych ('anti-ageing') przeznaczonych do pielęgnacji cery dojrzałej ze zmarszczkami (uelastyczniają i regenerują naskórek) oraz cery wrażliwej, tłustej i mieszanej.
Składniki: wyciąg z żurawiny, olej kokosowy, oliwa z oliwek, masło kakowe, masło shea, olej palmowy, olej ze słodkich migdałów, olejek eteryczny, skrobia kukurydziana i wodorotlenek sodu.  Waga: 110-130g. Cena: 14zł.

AFRODYTA

AFRICANA

LITSEA CUBEBA 

ARGANOWE 50% 

CEDROWO-WANILIOWE

PACZULI i POMARAŃCZA z peelingiem (skórka pomarańczowa)

LAWENDA z MIODEM 

WŁOSKIE LATO 

FASCYNACJA 

ŻURAWINOWO-ARONIOWE

KORZENNE (mini)

KORZENNE (mini)

'PŁYWAJACE' mini BABECZKI MYDLANE (nie tonie w wodzie!)

(truskawkowo-śmietankowe)

(czarny bez)

Pierwszy wpis

Witajcie ... welcome to my blog!
My handmade products go by the name of 'Furaha delights'. "Furaha" means joy/happiness in Swahili. "Delights" are things that give you pleasure, things that lead to 'furaha' :). The handicraft I create, the things I do and write about here, are ALL made with pleasure ... and for pleasure. Yours. And mine :). 

Moje rękodzieła noszą nazwę 'Furaha delights'. "Furaha" w języku suahili oznacza przyjemność/radość/szczęście. "Delights" to rzeczy o niezwykłej przyjemności, uciechy ... rzeczy, które wprawiają w zachwyt, w stan radości ... czyli w 'furaha' :). Rękodzieło, które tworzę, to co robię i to o czym napiszę tutaj, wykonane są i będą z przyjemnością ... i dla przyjemności. Twojej. I mojej :).

I have lots of interests and pastimes - from DIY projects, interior decorating, art & crafts (decoupage, candle making, jewellery designing) to cooking, psychology, nature, movies ... just to mention a few. My main focus here is going to be NATURAL SOAP. I make natural soap from scratch ... and I simply LOVE IT and would like to share my experiences with you, assuming that there are people out there interested in the same. The very first batch of soap I ever made was in January 2011 and that was melt-and-pour soap. This was soon followed by a few experimental hot-process soap batches. Then, in the summer of 2011, I produced my first bona fide cold-process soap batch .... and I fell in love with cold process! Of all the methods I'd experimented with thus far, cp was the most intriguing, most challenging and, in a sense, the trickiest with the highest 'failure' factor ... but so rewarding! By August, I was hooked on cold-process soap making and what had started out as a pastime became somewhat of an obsession ... one that has seen me through at least 160 batches of soap! I have spent hours, weeks, months lovingly tweaking recipes to create the PERFECT blend for various skin types. My soap has landed in many a bathroom, tested by friends, family, neighbours, strangers ... and the feedback has been very encouraging. I started off with fragrance-free soap, but after a while I started experimenting with all-natural, unadulterated essential oils. These proved highly popular. Then a demand for perfumed soap arose ... and so off I went and produced batches with fragrance oils/blends. Interestingly enough, these have turned out to be the most popular!
Many have asked WHY on earth I chose to start making natural soap. Well, it all started when I was looking ideas to make handmade Christmas gifts in 2010. Amongst the many sites and blogs I scoured at the time were some with beautifully crafted handmade soap. Although I settled for decoupage and food gifts instead, I couldn't get them out of my mind. So, I delved into the matter & after spending some time on YouTube watching and learning the basics, I made my first melt & pour. I moved on to the the more complex hot-process and cold-process methods and began to see the difference between the effects of commercial soap and superfatted homemade soap on my skin. After using my handmade soap, I noticed that I didn't HAVE TO use lotion as often, a sign that it was helping my skin retain moisture. This sparked my interest and I began to do more research on the matter. I discovered tha commercial soap is made from detergents, surfactants (foaming agents) and several synthetic products that are included to increase shelf life and reduce production costs. These can be harsh on the skin causing dry, chapped skin, rashes, allergic reactions or various types of dermatitis. Furthermore, for the environmentally conscious individual, commercial soap poses yet another problem - every time these harsh bars are used, pollutants are washed down the drain, ending up in the eco-system.
I could go on and on talking about natural soap and its benefits, but I shall share my views in further posts. I hope to dwell more on the ingredients I use to make my products and try to point out why I think natural, handmade soap is way much better than what we can find on most supermarket shelves ... and perhaps get you to reconsider your choices when buying your skin care products. 
All in good time :).
To end this first looong entry, I'll post just a few pictures of some soap that I have made in the past. So, until next time it's ... do miłego :).

Neapolitana - zapach czekoladowo-waniliowo-truskawkowy, tak jak lody!

Włoskie lato ... przepiękny owocowo-kwiatowo-drzewno-piżmowy zapach

Włoskie lato

Piękny zapach kwiatowo-bursztyno-waniliowy, z nutką drzewa sandałowego.

Tutti frutti ... owoce tropikalne.

Babeczki mydlane o zapachu cytrusowo-jeżynowym