New Year, New Technique, New Soap

Well, we're into 2012 and I've decided that I want to try out some new techniques.  Some I've tried, like the In The Pot (or ITP) swirl and others I hadn't ... but I did the other day! I fancied making a soap using the Faux Funnel Swirl I saw first on the Soap Queen blog and I've seen others making it and really liked the effect.  So now it's my turn!

I made my usual formulation soap and decided to use some fab green micas as I was going to fragrance this with a blend of Peppermint, May Chang and Eucalyptus essential oils.  What a blend, fresh and lemony and like a breath of fresh air! Lovin' it baby!

So I went ahead and made the soap the other day and, as I love ungelled soaps, I had it in the fridge for 24 hours and then out, demoulded for another 24 hours.  And today, to celebrate Friday and the coming weekend, Titch and I made a video of me cutting the soap! It's still a little on the soft side but OH. MY. GOD. It's divine! The look, the colours, the fragrance... can you be in love with a soap?

Have a look see and tell me what you think.....



And, if you get this via email, you can click the link direct to the You Tube video http://youtu.be/XI_YAHfWwJ0.  

I Married a Movie Star!

No kidding!

My darling hubs, the love of my life, works as a film extra... he's been in three series of the Tudors and Camelot and movies such as Shadowdancer and Leap Year plus, last year, he filmed with Glenn Close and did a dialogue scene with Pauline Collins in Albert Nobbs.

Well, as anyone who works as a film extra, you'll know that, sometimes, they get treated as "meat props" (a term actually used on occasion and really a nasty one too).  It basically means that they're living backgrounds and not to be be heard (cos then they have to pay you more).  But, sometimes, they get a break and, in Albert Nobbs, my lovely hubs was asked to work on several scenes and was told by the Director and Producer that they loved his work so much they were going to upgrade him to an actor for his work.

We were thrilled but we figured, in the big world of show business, that he might not actually get his name on the credits ... but today we found a list from the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences aka The Oscars, of movies that are eligible to be voted for an Oscar... and hubs is listed!

http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/rules/reminderlist.html

Scroll down to Albert Nobbs (not far down the list) and you'll see Malcolm Blacow listed! We are totally chuffed... okay, you might say, so what? Well, film extras work really really hard, sometimes 16 hours on set, in rain or cold, or fierce heat, they often are called first and last to go home and can be that whole time on their feet (no idea why there are never enough chairs!) and might never get in front of the camera all day.  So, for all that hard work, for all the scenes he's shot that he got no credit for, for all the days of sore legs and exhaustion and sweating buckets in a medieval costume and fur cape in the middle of Summer when they're shooting Christmas scenes beside a roaring fire... for all that work, it's just great that he gets that little acknowledgement, that the Director and Producer did what they said they'd do and that he received his due credit.  For that, I am chuffed as a VERY chuffed thing on a biggest day of Chuffedness in the Chuffed Universe!!!

Malcolm Blacow, I love you, you Goddamn Movie Star you!!!

Now, I need to get my people to call his people to see who's making dinner tonight ....

Cherry Blossom & Kismet

I managed to get into the kitchen for long enough yesterday evening to cut the two loaves of soap you will have seen in the last video ... and then I made a video about them! So here are Cherry Blossom (a floral bouquet of cherry blossom, regal iris, jasmine, rose, lily of the valley & soft freesia on a base of musk & deep amber) coloured with pale pink, pale green and white and Kismet (a blend of patchouli, orange, lemongrass, lavendin, pine, gardenia, sandalwood and musk).

If you watched my other videos, you'll know I was worried that Kismet would be full of mega air holes as the soap set up so quickly on me - this one's a mover (and I didn't use any water discount or anything, full water, cool temperatures etc), but it worked out really well .. a couple of air holes here and there, but hey, don't they help the soap to breathe right?

For the cherry blossom, I wanted to make something that reminded me of my Mother ... not old fashioned or anything but as cherry blossoms were her favourite tree, I just wanted to make something that brought me the feelings I have when I remember her.. hope that doesn't sound to sappy!

Anyway, enough writing... here is the new video.. enjoy!



If you can't view the video directly here, the direct link is http://youtu.be/42Z5psWn2t4. 

Another Video of New Soaps

I've been in a soap making frenzy this last few days and, as I was finishing up my Pink Sugar/Vanilla & The Browning Effect video, I showed a few more soaps I'd made as well.. two lots already cut up and two lots just out of the fridge and waiting a day or two to be cut.  I thought you'd like to see so here you go:



Enjoy! I'm hoping to cut the other two logs this afternoon (once the kitchen is free) and then I might take another video of them too.  Here's the You Tube link if you can't see the video, for any reason http://youtu.be/Z19CDfau7MU.

Pink Sugar & My Vanilla Movie

Hi everyone! I'm back soaping!

I was in a soap making frenzy these last few days and I made a fabulous Pink Sugar soap.  This fragrance is sweet and sexy at the same time, it's described as having base notes of candy floss, caramel, toffee, and vanilla that mingles with middle notes of fig, strawberry jam and violet musk. The fragrance is rounded off with top notes of lemon drops and sweet brown sugar.  It's a stunning fragrance and I've so wanted to soap this for an age.  


Plus, making this soap gave me an opportunity to make a video that I've been thinking about for a while... some vanilla based soaps can naturally turn the soap brown (due to the natural vanillin in the fragrance) and I thought I'd make a video that showed this progression from just made soap to the dark brown colour. So here it is, hope you like it...



For those who subscribe by email, I know you can't see the video, so here is the direct link to You Tube http://youtu.be/ZZ9Y9njpOS8.  

Have a VERY Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Day! Santa has been and dinner is in the oven... thinking about the people who cannot be here, I'm reminded of my Mum's favourite singer, Nat King Cole.  Here's one of my favourite songs ... Merry Christmas everyone!

Pics and New Things for a New Year

I have been very lax about the blog lately and that's annoyed me a lot.

Pretty much, for anyone who makes handmade soaps and body products, from mid November to a week before the Big Day, you're working every hour to make sure that all the orders get out the door on time and that everyone is happy with both your products and, as importantly, customer service.

One area that's really annoyed me is not having enough product photos taken for the website or to show on Facebook or, here, on the blog.  But I hope to remedy that during the Christmas holidays - fortunately I have some time off my full time job over the next week or so, so I'll be actually able to get outdoors during daylight (when I go to work, it's dark and it's dark when I come home... not great for taking product photos!).  I also invested in a good lamp and need to find a good, bright, natural daylight bulb and work on some indoor photos - the key, so often, is good lighting and, to date, I've only been able to do that in natural daylight, outside.

Also I've been planning some new products - I hope to introduce a facial range including a facial oil cleanser, a facial scrub and a new facial serum made from some of the most exotic oils I've found ... and they are utterly crammed with skin loving goodies! Alongside all this, I'll be adding a body serum which will be fragranced to match the soaps so customers can choose either body butters or a body serum (I know that some would prefer a lighter option, especially in the summertime).

So, my New Year's promise is to be more active on the blog and show you more images and bring you more news and products.  I was also thinking of writing some ingredient profiles to show you why I choose the ingredients I choose .. I think this really helps give a context to the products.

So, more to come in the next few months... keep an eye out!

Merry Christmas!

Well the big day is nearing, everybody will be trying to get the last little bits and pieces to make it a very special holiday, and treating themselves to a few things that they might have not been able to afford all year, the tree lights will be on and the Christmas songs playing all the time.  I do love this time of year but it does make me think of family and friends who cannot be with us .. I hope they're all having their own Christmas parties and fun though.

I want to say a huge huge thanks to all my blog readers, my Facebook fans, my fellow Tweeters and, most especially, my lovely lovely customers who've said such wonderful things about our products and who love using them as much as I love making them.

This business isn't just a business to me, it's heart work... something that I cannot be without, everything I make has to be just so.. it's always like it's the first, the best, thing I make.. I cannot do less, be less.  For me, everything I make is a little part of me... my children so to speak, so for people to comment so wonderfully just makes me so utterly proud and happy.

I hope that the joy I get from making everything is translated into the joy others get when using them... that could very well be my most favourite gift of all.

I hope you all have the very best Christmas you can possibly have, have fun and laughter with family and friends, have people you love around you and give and take as many hugs as you can get (there just aren't enough hugs in this world!) and that you smile and smile and smile because you have the gift of those who love you.  For those who we love and can't be with us in person, I know they are watching us, smiling with us and spending the day with us, just as they'd always be.

Merry Christmas everyone and thank you for being such wonderful friends xx

Incredible Review

Firstly, I, yet again, have to apologise for my absence on the blog.  The Christmas season is so incredibly busy and I'm working very late every night for the last few weeks just making, making, making, labelling, wrapping, boxing, posting, making ... well, you know how it is.  


I'm SO not complaining, I'm really chuffed that people want to purchase my products, it really just makes me so happy.

I received this incredible review on my site and I just wanted to show it to you... I was so chuffed and rather blushing to say the least.


"Celine has totally restored my faith in handmade because she is a total perfectionist...no where else will you get the whole package...I love Celine's Double Whipped Body Butter, have loved Pink Grapefruit and Pomegranate is amazing!! One thing I would like to make clear is I have psoriasis and using Celine's body butter along with her fab soaps really do soothe my skin in a way coal tar and other dangerous lotions and injections I use never did! Her beautiful marbled soaps come in the most beautiful packaging and make affordable luxury gifts. It's a joy to receive an I am Handmade order cos even the packaging is so beautiful you don't want to open it!! No order is too small and Celine is happy to source your fav oils and make bespoke items just for you!!! Thanks Celine xxx"


But I have to say, No, Thank YOU Cathy and thank you to everyone who's bought my soaps, scrubs, body butter and lip butters.  I wouldn't be here without you.  

SEO Issues

I've been trying to work out SEO (search engine optimisation for those who don't know) issues for the website to get higher in the Google and other search engine listings. 

I'm not 100% sure what I'm supposed to do (I think SEO is a dark art to be honest) but I've all my keywords in the site, I've titled my images according to what the image is but also keywords such as "handmade soap Dublin Ireland" etc. 

I have my site link in my signature in forums, I post a lot on other people's blogs with the link too (not cos I want to increase my SEO, but because I LOVE reading blogs and responding - nothing like a silent blog to make you feel like billy-no-mates!). 

I've followed all the usual tips and hints and was wondering if there was anything else I should be doing? Any suggestions? And, please.. in plain English... I can just about understand what I'm doing right now LOL!