Poppie is prepping for laminating, I made french milled soap in my new molds.

We took advantage of the cloudy rainy morning, Poppie is taking all the stripping off the walls and numbering them with his marker, so he knows where to put them back on.  We have decided we will do it half at a time, one side and then move the furniture on to the completed half to finish.  Poppie is going to put the stove on the porch, we haven't been burning it for a couple weeks.  I am making inroads into changing my kitchen around, putting all my soap making supplies into the laundry room.  I think it will give me some more room in my kitchen but still accessible for making soaps.  I am moving the girls cookbooks into the hutch and the canisters to the counter top.  It should end up being more orderly. 

I got my new mold this week.  I have always drug my feet about using mold, I have lots and have used them but they have always looks so pretty and precise that I didn't really feel they were the right fit for my soaps.  I call my soaps Udderly Natural and want them to be just that.  I don't use colorants, I use no chemicals other than the sodium hydroxide or the potassium hydroxide either of which are required in all soaps, so don't be fooled into thinking your soaps doesn't have one or the other.  I just don't use additional chemicals and both of these are sponified and complete transform in the soap if the recipe it right and the process is done right.  I like the cut soaps the best so decided I would compromise,  I bought molds that you cut.  Sort of a best of both worlds so to speak.  I have no trouble selling soaps when the purchaser can touch and smell it.  It sells itself.  It is more difficult to sell on line.  It is rustic looking, on purpose, but it is hard to photograph and since you can't touch or smell it not always a pretty soap.  I have decided to use the new molds and see how they sell.  I got ones that are just cut ones much like my upcycled molds, one that says Handmade, one the says goatmilk, the last has a baby goat a butterfly and says goatmilk soap.  I made up two batches of rebatch or french milled soap.  The thing that I like about the french milled is that you get to add oils to the process, these oils never go through the sponification so never touch the lye.  They are in the soap with all their good natural qualities still in them and intact.  I put my extra money into these soaps and not into the ones I sponify.  I will end up with 4 batches, I cut up some of the soaps I had on hand that were not as good as the other, well they were good soap but they didn't have smell any more or I didn't like something about them.  I have finished two batches one tea tree scent and one a spearmint.  I added almond oil, vitamin E and vinegar to them, they can be used as shampoo or nice body bars.  They are the riches soaps I make.  I am going to make two more today, will add almond, glycerin and vitamin E to them, no sure what scents today, but probably girlier ones.  The ones yesterday were nice and manly, sort of, Poppie liked them. 

More prep today and maybe we will start the laminating.  I am moving my office around to be the sewing room and will end up putting the PC in the front room.  I want it out in the open now so that it is not an issue when the girls get to an age where they might want to be more sneaky on it.  Doing it now makes it a more natural transmission and not as big an issue.  It is raining so the morning will be well used and when the sun comes out we can make some progress on the Cabin..... tomorrow.