Cold Process Soap

I finally had the courage to make Cold Process Soap.  The lye factor scared me, but after hours and hours of research, I bought my materials, had my wonderful husband watch the kids, and made my first batch of soap.  I couldn't have done it without The Soap Makers Companion, by Susan Miller Cavitch.  I must admit, it was a meditative adventure... it was a first time in awhile that I was completely present and not thinking of anything else, but what I was doing at the moment.

I used Cavitch's "Soap Essential's Bar II" recipe: olive oil, coconut oil, and palm oil.  I added vanilla EO to it... but suprisingly, I couldn't really smell the vanilla.  It was the olive oil that took over.  After some reading, I learned that maybe I should use the extra light olive oil.  I will try that for my next batch.
Here is a picture documentary of me soap journey!  The final soaps did come out looking like unfrosted cake...  hope that's ok....  Would love to here your thoughts!

Measuring the Sodium Hydroxide

Adding the Sodium Hydroxide to the water to make the LYE

Adding the Lye to the melted oil

Stirring it until it traces

Quickly adding it to my mold

Insulating it for 24 hours

Cutting it in bars and letting it cure for 4 weeks!

Onesie Bouquet Basket

Ok... so I'm not Martha Stewart, but I think I did pretty good with this one.  My girlfriend is having a baby at the end of July. She is going with a garden theme for her shower and baby's room.  So, I had to try Martha's bouquet tutorial... it would go perfect with the mother-to-be's theme.  But no such luck for me.   I could not, for the life of me, wrap the floral tape around the thicker socks or onesies.  So...  I made what I could into flowers, found a basket, stuffed the bottom with diapers (to hold the 'flowers'), and stuffed what I couldn't wrap the tape around into the basket as well.  Viola... a onesie basket!!!!  And the mommy loved it!