I owe you some pictures...

Yesterday was the last day of my holidays - I can't believe I had a whole month off and it's gone so fast.  In my day job, it's next to impossible to take any time off during the year but it's much quieter in Summer and so we tend to save all our leave and take it in one good. 

The good side of this is that you get a whole month off together; the down side is that you wait 11 months to take it which can be the cause of mega burn out and spending half the first week of your month off asleep.  Which is pretty much what I did.  Of course, we were in West Cork for the first two weeks and, as regular readers will know, this is my idea of the closest thing to heaven on earth. 

For the next two weeks, we were home and I soaped - a lot! Since coming home, I've made seven batches of soaps; I only make small batches at a time and, due to huge time and space limitations, I get to soap once or maybe only twice a week (if I'm lucky).  But, as other members of the house are away, I have free access to the kitchen any time of the day or night! Sadly, that'll come to an end this weekend as my Dad will re-install himself into his room aka our kitchen/diningroom.  It'll be great to see him back home but still, I'd love to more access to the kitchen more often.  Oh well, a girl can't have everything I guess. 

So, you'll have seen pictures of three of the batches ....

Wild Blueberry

Peony Sorbet

Rum Runner

But I have made four other batches that I haven't been able to photograph as yet - mostly because it's either been raining out of the heavens (hey, it is Ireland in Summer you know!) or, when the sun shone, hubs and I would out enjoying the weather. 

So I know I owe you pics of the next four batches and I know I'm really really bad for not having taken them yet... I know, I'm a disgrace.  But I'll give you a sneaky description of them if you fancy?

Amber Honey Oat - using Sweet Almond, Golden Olive and Avocado Oils, silk and pure Virgin Cream Organic Cocoa Butter blended with finely ground organic Irish oats, goatsmilk and Australian Manuka Honey, this soap is going to a be treat for the most sensitive of skins! Fragranced with a warm and spicy Amber Vanilla scent, it's an absolute delight.  I did get some partial gelling on this soap but, no matter, it's a beauty anyway.

Water Lily - this incorporates Sweet Almond and Golden Olive oils with pure silk and tons of Cocoa Butter and is fragranced with one of my current favourite fragrances .. Water Lily, a divine blend of aquatic and floral scents which is clean and fresh and lingers beautifully (and also scents the room too, bonus!) 

Fig & Brown Sugar - Sweet Almond and Golden Olive Oil with tons of Cocoa Butter, pure silk, Coconut Milk and lots of Manuka Honey are all blended to make my first seasonal soap; the soap is coloured with lots of glistening mica and, if you move it carefully in the light, you can see it shine! Fragranced with a blend of fresh ripe figs, coconut milk, vanilla orchid, jasmine, and drizzled with caramel, maple sugar & musk, it's a not too sweet, very grown up sexy fragrance and is a perfect alternative to the traditional Christmas scents (yes, I did say Christmas!)

Vintage Patchouli - I was looking at vintage styled pictures of French country houses and I loved the muted, natural tones used and it seemed to just match my visual image for this lovely fragrance which is described as a sensual blend of patchouli, bergamot & white flowers on an intense base of woody incense; it's clean yet deep and dark, perfumed and mysterious, a fragrance that makes you think of long held secrets.  Again, I used a blend of Sweet Almond, Golden Olive and Avocado Oil along with my favourite Cocoa Butter and pure wild silk. 

I hope to be able to take pictures of each of these four new soaps over the next two days and be able to show you next week.  Hubs and I will be taking Titch, The Honorary Daughter, to a fabulous garden to visit on Monday (weather dependent as always of course) and I hope to bring the soaps with us to take pictures there.

Hope you enjoyed the sneaky preview of the soaps! Pics soon, I promise!