Homemade Christmas Gifts

Skills strengthened:  embroidery, stitching

Skills newly acquired:  french knot

Homestead points:  handmade, homemade gift

Soapmaking Update

A few months ago, I spent several weeks making large batches of soap for the shop.  It's actually been a fairly smooth process.  There was a lot of drama when I was making the small batches for samples, and I figured out why:  they were small batches.  My larger batches rest longer before going into trace, so I have more time to work with any coloring or swirling techniques.  My biggest problem now is lack of time to make more!

I took an entire pantry closet in our kitchen for my soapmaking closet (I say entire, but it's actually extremely tiny).  I added some spice racks to the door to hold my essential and fragrance oils:

Smell wall!

  

My husband calls it my "smell wall."  I find it efficient.  It's so much easier to make soap when you can find everything easily.  The closet has a shelf for my oils; two shelves for bowls, pots, molds, and utensils; a pull-out bin for butters, waxes, clays, droppers, and pre-mixed colors; and two shelves for curing.  Samples, colorants, color clays, herbs, and anything else lives in boxes on the floor.

In terms of efficiency, I also discovered curing my soaps upright--I stand them on end, rather than laying them down.  I can cure so many more now in limited closet space, so I can make larger and more frequent batches.  The two shelves dedicated to curing are covered with cookie cooling racks and those little shelves intended to maximize your dish-stacking space.  I can fit a good number of bars on all of those.

After curing, I store the soap in shoe boxes or brown paper lunch bags, separated by type, so that they don't mix smells.  These live under a side table in the living room.  I need a better system, but there's only so much I can do in a tiny place.

One of the interesting side-benefits to soapmaking that I've discovered is bartering.  I barter soap for wine, soup, cookies, whatever.  It's a nice way to avoid money changing hands, especially between friends.  I really like the idea of opting out of the whole money-system when possible (and it's definitely not always possible).  But in this instance, it's doable and fun.  I find I actually do more "business" face-to-face than in the online shop.  And boy, is it important to have samples.

Another interesting turn of events?  The majority of my customers have been male.  Online, it's almost exclusively male; in person, it's a little more equal.  I fully expected my customers to be women, so it's a nice surprise that soap is so universal.

At this point, I've sold out of one batch, nearly sold out of two more, and am itching to keep experimenting with more scents, colors, and techniques.  I'm hoping to get some time in January to refill the supplies and come up with some new ones.  It's a small outfit I've got going on, and not my primary focus.  But it's a great way to focus my energy creatively, while earning a little money--or wine--on the side.

This soap is called Emma

Sensual Woodsman--sold out!

Mixed Stone-Fruit Jam

There's something pretty unbelievable about the strawberry-vanilla jam I mentioned here.  Mouth-wateringly unbelievable.  But I most often find myself reaching for the jars of stone-fruit jam in the cabinet. 

I make my jam with peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums, and cherries.  The variance gives it a lovely depth of taste.  Buy up the fruit while it's cheap, then process it:  I cut up nice slices for the dehydrater, then save all the chunks for the jam.  The chunks go in plastic bags in the freezer for a day when I am feeling ready to jam.  Spend a little time around the steamy canner, and get the glorious taste of summer in the dead of winter.

Again, the recipe comes from this book.  (It's currently the only book I own on canning, but it's so perfect:  small batches, delicious-sounding recipes, and easy to follow.)

I find this jam sweet but not too sweet; it's perfect in a bowl of plain yogurt or oatmeal.  It's great for gift-giving--if you're willing to let it leave your cabinet.