Shout Out To My Peeps

Hey everyone!  I just wanted to send a little shout-out to my Peeps near and far to tell you an itty biddy (ha, ha, ha . . . get it, little bitty) Story today.  On our Blue Ridge Facebook group, Mr. Bill posted a link to a silicone mold for making ice cubes.  It was called "Quack The Ice" and had 6 little ducks.

The minute Momma Sharon saw it, her mind started turning and I knew she was cooking up something.  If she took that mold out of the box, you would swear it was peeps, not ducks.  And knowing that she doesn't put ice cubes in her drinks, it took me a while to figure out exactly why she wanted it.

SOAP . . . she is going to make soap that looks like peeps!!

We are 49 days away from the Blue Ridge Rally and that will give us just enough time to get soap made and cured in time to sell at the Market on Saturday morning.  There's a package coming from Bramble Berry Soap this week with some soap supplies and in that package will be a new-to-us fragrance oil called "Daisy Chain".  It has notes of violet, strawberry, jasmine, vanilla and musk so it will be the perfect mix of floral and fruity.

Mom will add some colorant to make those soap peeps a pretty yellow and we are hoping that they will be a hit at the BRR.  Who knows, the 6th Street Soap Company might get adventurous and branch out from our standard bars.  Wouldn't it just be too cool to find some way to make a bar of soap that looks like me!!

I will keep you updated and until I am back for another itty biddy Story (tee hee),  always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, & Peeps!"

Squeaky Clean Campers

Man oh man, does it ever smell good out in Momma Sharon's Studio!  I haven't mentioned it, but she's been on a soap making rampage (that explains why I've gotten so much computer time lately).  All week long there have been containers of oil, mixing bowls, utensils, and bottles of essential and fragrance oils taking up space on the kitchen counter.  

At the recent Saturday morning Blue Ridge Rally Flea Market, we sold soap…LOTS of soap.  We sold so much soap that it just about wiped out my Camper Mom's supply!  We sent lots and lots of Blue Ridgers on their way with bars from our little 6th Street Soap Company.  Squeaky clean campers for sure!!

With the MD DOG and Coastal Caravan coming up, we've got to make sure that our camping buddies have a good supply to choose from. Mom's soap notebook has a whole lot of new recipes to try, so there will be squeaky clean goodness to be shared.

The drying rack in the Studio is now full with 80 bars of luxury that will be curing and drying for the next 6 weeks.  If you are wondering what "flavors" she made, take a look at these..

Fireside: a blend of cedarwood, sandalwood, leather, amber, & musk

Dreamsicle:  a blend of orange citrus & vanilla

Bergamot & Mandarin: a blend of bergamot & mandarin

Calypso Sun:  a blend of mandarin, white peach, & mango

Sweet Luxury Bar:  a blend of orange, peppermint, & spearmint

Tangerine & Almond:  a blend of tangerine, almond, & orange

Got No Scents:  fragrance free

Bayberry & Sage:  bayberry essential oil in olive oil with a sage infusion

These eight soaps will be ready by the first of August, just in time for our big trip up to Cunningham Falls State Park in MD for a big Dutch oven gathering with our Chef friends.

The creative juices continue to flow around our part of the camping world and I'll have another Story ready soon to tell you all about it.  Thanks for dropping by for my Story Time.  Until we meet again, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, & Squeaky Clean Campers"

Soap Week

Hello Readers of my Stories on this sunny Saturday in the foothills. I'm sure you've heard of Shark Week on TV, but around my house this week, it's been Soap Week.

Momma Sharon has been on a soap-making tear off and on since late November.  Back then, she made 5 turns of soap:  Cinnamon Sugar, Cranberry Fig, Lavender Forest, Rosemary Mint, and Sandalwood Vanilla.  That soap has fully cured and is ready to use!

New Drying Rack Is Working Beautifully

In late December, she created 3 batches of soap:  Coconut Lime Verbena, Colonial Confetti, and Patchouli.  Those bars are curing and will be ready by mid-February.  For the Colonial Confetti Soap, she grated a bar of leftover peppermint French-milled soap from Williamsburg and incorporated it into the recipe.

Leftover Soap From Williamsburg About To Be Grated

Two Ounces Ready To Incorporate

This week she experimented with some colorants and tried five new recipes:  Bayberry Forest, Double-mint Castile, Green Tea & Cucumber, Peach Mango, and Peppermint Tree.  Those bars will be ready by the first of March.  She also got to try out her new soap cutter for the very first time.  It cut ten absolutely perfect 1-inch bars at the same time.  My Soap Mom also found a great new mixing bowl and spatula at Bed, Bath, & Beyond that make mixing and pouring easier too.

Beautiful Oak Soap Cutter From Bud's Workshop

Ten Perfect Green Tea & Cucumber Bars

Good Grips Bowl & Spatula 

Lately, Momma Sharon has been concocting her own recipes, blending together her favorite oils and fragrances.  She has a book where she writes down her recipes and her notes about each batch that she makes.  She got to finally use her half cylinder molds on the Cranberry Fig batch.

Recipe Book With Measurements & Notes

Trying Out A New Recipe With Red Palm Oil

Cranberry Fig . . . Miss Elaine's Favorite

Needless to say, her Studio smells heavenly!  We are both looking forward to our camping season starting back up in March and making sure our Camping Peeps are well supplied with soap from the 6th Street Soap Company!  Three batches are still in the molds and will need to insulate under that blanket for another 24 hours.  Then they will get cut and will cure for about 6 weeks.  Eventually they will all be stored in plastic containers for easy transport to our rallies.

Controlling The Temperature During Saponification

November's Soap Is Ready

That's all for today y'all.  Until I am back with another little Story, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, & Camping Soap"