Hello friends!
I hope you all are enjoying spring. I am one dose away from being fully vaccinated against covid and then I'm taking myself to the nursery to get flowers for my yard. Last year we were in lockdown, so I missed out on my annual greenhouse run. This year I plan to go hog wild and turn my backyard into a blooming oasis.
"Fawna, you just got your Covid vaccine! What are you going to do now?"
"I'm going to the Nursery!"
Some of you may be too young for that reference. When I was a kid, hearing the winners of the Super Bowl say, "I'm going to Disneyland!" always left me slightly jealous. I can remember wondering why going to Disneyland was such a big deal for football players. I thought it was a little strange that they chose to go there since they were adults, but I rationalized that by thinking that if it was me, I would go to Disneyland too, even if I was an adult.
Okay, let's get down to business. Let's talk soap.
This month's release is not exactly what I was planning, but it turned out fun. I ended up having to wait on some supplies to arrive in the mail and we have been in the middle of some home renovations, so I've had to move my soaping area and we had to build cabinets, shelves, etc. The good news is that we are settling down and I can focus on soap again! I might have a couple of surprises to release later in the month so stay tuned for that!
Let's start at the top.
Lilac City - This is a restock for all of you lilac fans. This is a popular one and I can see why. The scent is a true lilac scent and doesn't have that chemical note that a lot of lilac scents have. Hopefully these last until the lilacs start blooming so you can grab one to compliment your lilac bouquets!
Coffee - I made this soap with freshly brewed coffee in place of water to give it a little something extra. It is scented with a great coffee scent. Coffee scents are notorious for either being gross or not sticking in soap, but this one is spot on. It isn't too strong, but that sharp coffee scent is there and it is fabulous. You'll like this one if coffee is your jam.
Green Tea - This soap happened one day by accident. I was making tea for myself and realized that I also needed to make some tea soap to go with my drink soaps. This one is also made with freshly brewed green tea in place of water and it has dried green tea leaves in the bottom half of the soap for scrubbiness and decoration. It is scented with a tea fragrance oil that smells amazing, just like a hot cup of freshly brewed tea. You can't go wrong with this one.
Carrot - This is an unscented bar for those of you who are sensitive to scents. I have wanted to make a carrot puree soap for a while now but realized that I didn't want to make it smell like anything since it was pretty great all on its own. This soap gets its gorgeous color from the organic carrot puree. It is such a nice bar of soap, you won't miss the lack of scent.
Root Beer Float - When I was little, the root beer float was a big deal among me and my siblings. My mom was a stickler about soda and sugary drinks, so we rarely got to have them. It was usually when my grandparents would visit or someone would have a birthday that we would pile into the car and pour into the grocery store, excited to be able to buy a six-pack of soda. The thing was, my dad drank Coke so we always had that in the house, but it was only for him. We would occasionally be allowed to have a Coke Float, but that wasn't the same as the coveted root beer float. It is the gold standard in floats after all! I had to make this soap when I smelled the fragrance oil. It is pure root beer and literally smells like the real thing. The little straw that is sticking out of this soap is made from paper, so make sure you remove it before you use the soap.
Kentucky Bourbon Big Bar - I almost didn't include this one in the release. I ended up adding it since it really is a lovely bar of soap but it just looks, well, pretty rustic. Maybe that is alright? Not everyone cares about a pretty bar of soap, I suppose. This is made with coconut oil and shea butter. It is rich and creamy and smells amazing! The fragrance oil is one of my favorites. It reminds me of my grandpa. It doesn't really smell like his aftershave but it has that rich scent that we all associate with those sorts of scents. This has notes of leather, tobacco, and bourbon.
Lavender - I'm long overdue for this one. Lavender is a classic. I think it's probably a rule that if you are a soap maker you have to make a lavender soap. I wanted to make this for the new year but ended up having my order of lavender essential oil go on a joyride around the lower 48. I finally had to reorder lavender essential oil and it got to me in a week. Go figure.
Margarita - There are a few drinks that I couldn't live without. The cold, icy margarita is one of them. I don't know who invented this cocktail, but we should give them a medal. There are taste profiles out there in this world that are perfect and this is one of them. I blended two different margarita scents to get this exactly the way I wanted it and I feel like it smells as close to the real thing as possible. Make sure to remove the paper straw before you use this beauty.
Slayer - One day, I realized that my daughters had been hanging out in my youngest daughter's room for hours. I was so charmed. They are growing up, my oldest is 19 and my youngest is almost 14 so they don't always spend as much time together as they used to. It turns out they were watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer together. I was pretty excited when I discovered this. Buffy is one of my favorite shows. This soap is scented with a fragrance oil called Bite Me. I had to use it, no matter what it smelled like, right! Luckily for us, it smells like fruit punch. It is a delicious scent and I think Buffy would approve, too.
Poppy Fields - This soap smells light and floral but with a tiny bit of complexity that is hard to pinpoint. The fragrance oil I used has notes of citrus, opium, cedar, and sandalwood. It's a solid floral scent, so if you like florals, you will like this one.
Taurus April 20th to May 20th - Note: Grab a drink and settle in. This ended up being longer than I planned.
Taurus is the first earth sign in the zodiac journey and is ruled by the planet Venus. The goddess of love bestows on Taurus the appreciation of the physical creature comforts, such as food, art, textiles, and entertainment. Basically, Taurus loves all things that please the senses, which in the sign of Taurus, usually manifests sort of like that song by Jack Johnson called Banana Pancakes. If you don't know it, go listen to it. After I heard that song for the first time, I remember thinking that Jack must be a Taurus. He is, and that song should be the Taurus theme song, in my opinion. Ha!
Venus also rules money and beauty, so it is common for our Taurus friends to have lavishly pretty homes. They will probably have house plants and lush furnishings if they can afford it. My Taurus daughter wakes up each day, makes her bed, straightens up her room, and turns on her battery-powered candles if she is going to be home all day. Her room is always put together and pleasant. It smells nice and there always seems to be a cat snuggled up on the bed. Sometimes there is also soft music wafting out of her bedroom to boot!
This is not genetic; I have no idea how this happened. I was a monster when I was a teenager, and my oldest daughter, well let's just say she's much more like me.
My husband is a Taurus and so is my youngest daughter. They are both incredibly sweet and nurturing people. They are always giving me hugs and bringing me food and drinks. This is one of the best things about this sign. There is also a silent strength to them. They can sit still for hours in a meditative state if they are comfortable and relaxed. Touch is immensely important to a Taurus as well. If you have a Taurus child, they need hugs and kisses. It is their love language. If your mom or dad is a Taurus, they probably were always giving you hugs or feeding you while you were growing up. They were most likely, stable, straightforward, and really comforting.
It's common for Taureans to bring you little gifts just because. For example, my husband always brings me some kind of greenery or some small treat every time he goes to the store. It could be a tiny aloe vera plant or candied nuts, and he does it just because. My daughter always brought me the first dandelion of the season when she was little. These little gifts are often symbols of great love. If your Taurean loved one does this, make sure to hug them and tell them how much you love it. They love you and are letting you know by presenting you with something they feel is a small treasure.
Taurus isn't a talker; think the strong, silent type. They will talk once they decide that they have something to say, but watch out, once they start speaking, they won't appreciate interruptions. Taureans aren't like air signs who love talking like butterflies, fliting and dancing all over the place. Nope. There is a point to what they are saying and there is a beginning, middle, and end. Wait until the end to say a word in response and definitely don't imply with your body language that it's taking a long time for them to get to the point. Taurus is notorious for speaking quietly and slowly. Sitting still and not fidgeting while my husband gets to the point can be painful. It's worth it usually, as Taureans, for the most part, have little to say but pack a punch when they do.
Did I mention stubbornness before? Well, I don't like to be negative, so I'll just say, stubbornness can be a good thing, right? A Taurus isn't going to give up when things are tough; they will push through like the bulls that they are. For example, Taureans don't usually like to spend money on things they feel are not worth it. My husband has no problem dropping dollars on things he feels are valuable, but home improvement projects... If he can do it himself, then why would he need to hire someone? Thank God he's stubborn because otherwise, well, let's just say, it wouldn't be pretty.
Once, he decided that instead of hiring someone to excavate the crawlspace in the basement, he'd just do it himself. Our home was built in 1909, and the crawlspace was a horror show straight out of a 1980's horror movie. That man dug out his threadbare clothes that could still be worn (no reason to throw them away, they used to be his favorite in high school), got every available receptacle, and began methodically removing the dirt from the crawlspace.
This project took this man two years to finish.
Each weekend he would throw on his old clothes, head down into the basement with his headlamp on, and roll around in the pits of spider hell just to save a dollar. He finished it and now the crawlspace can fit a grown man and there is no more soil touching wood or weird places for mice to sneak in. That story pretty much sums up the Taurus spirit. Slow and steady wins the race. Count yourself lucky if you have a Taurus in your life, but remember, don't talk too much about frivolous stuff. Food is serious business, and definitely remember that once a Taurus comes out of their shell, NEVER, no matter what, even if the house is on fire, interrupt them. 😉 Just kidding (sort of)!
Oh, almost forgot, I scented this with a fragrance oil called Sugar Cookie.
Grape Soda - The final soap of the April release. Since I was doing drink-themed soaps this month, I had to include a grape-scented one. I mean, I am pretty sure this is the universal kid coveted flavor. One of my favorite things as a kid was saving my money until I had a big pocketful of change, hopping on my bike (with a sparkly banana seat), and riding to the corner store to get candy. If I had enough, I would also get a grape soda to drink on the way home. It was wonderful, sweet, fizzy, and purple. This scent has all the artificial grapey-ness that is needed for your nostalgia receptors to light up. Don't forget to remove the paper straw before you use it!
Well, that sums up this month's release. I hope you all find something you like in this group and I wish you a very happy spring!
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