tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70899454524585645442024-03-19T09:52:19.672+02:00Happy Tiny BubblesAdventures of two soapmakers.Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-5608396971802093682020-06-27T15:58:00.004+03:002020-06-27T17:08:36.121+03:00OLIVE OIL SOAP TRACE<div>Olive oil soap takes a really long time to trace. Sometimes you start to wonder if it is going to happen at all. The trace is the point where a stable emulsion has emerged, and the soap has started to thicken. Higher temperatures speed up the process and you reach trace sooner.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We did a batch of soap in which we used 94% olive oil. Just to show how the process looks like, I took a video while Suvi was mixing the batter. Even though the NaOH solution was boiling hot when we added it to the oils it took nearly 5 minutes to reach light trace. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz5vb6Uq6hDrRJzwerk0cHU-ViYuzz28vkozlMxYd18CGlH7IKzxvMlPPjkzM6_YNf0LYAwZAcu6vPAIfzXJA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In this recipe we used:</div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>94% olive oil</li><li>5% coconut oil</li><li>1% almond oil</li><li>25% water as percentage of oils</li><li>Lavender, lime and bergamot essential oils<br /></li></ul><div></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR06_2EUKs0XmP1B2Yxj1xkKhtKkdYxwdWbKJnOm5xbr-dapsmXit4K3XwQYpltShy9QlQPZzdsev6_PcPcXYlaE_753oZ5ZErLqJItt4na7eNgj7lhwPGsUum-haaOD_Ho9SGctZCaD46/s4032/20200626_175920%255B1%255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR06_2EUKs0XmP1B2Yxj1xkKhtKkdYxwdWbKJnOm5xbr-dapsmXit4K3XwQYpltShy9QlQPZzdsev6_PcPcXYlaE_753oZ5ZErLqJItt4na7eNgj7lhwPGsUum-haaOD_Ho9SGctZCaD46/w625-h281/20200626_175920%255B1%255D.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 40px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR06_2EUKs0XmP1B2Yxj1xkKhtKkdYxwdWbKJnOm5xbr-dapsmXit4K3XwQYpltShy9QlQPZzdsev6_PcPcXYlaE_753oZ5ZErLqJItt4na7eNgj7lhwPGsUum-haaOD_Ho9SGctZCaD46/s4032/20200626_175920%255B1%255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-65720899107572217342019-07-24T11:18:00.002+03:002019-07-24T11:18:49.220+03:00OUR BEST SOAPY SECRETS IN A BOOK!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/All-Natural-collection-handmade-recipes-ebook/dp/B07VDTZ5FP/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=rajam%C3%A4ki&qid=1563954358&s=gateway&sr=8-1"><img alt="You can find the book here." border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="288" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJZzBi0-69w4-LDt5Zr5ogFSYajXzAnzT7wlUEXxXllnetlGQKcAmLjiicw6JCLr5aF168unvYY_XIZpQUKUbO9fdT4_Lt9wkPp64waxerVikJUqxSYKsrGHSzFOR6rflxGExrMNyLs0c/s320/kansi.JPG" width="226" /></a></div>
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It's been a long project, but finally it's here: our soap recipes published in a book. Check it out from Amazon! <br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/All-Natural-collection-handmade-recipes-ebook/dp/B07VDTZ5FP/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=rajam%C3%A4ki&qid=1563954358&s=gateway&sr=8-1">All Natural: A collection of the best handmade soap recipes</a></div>
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In this book you find the best-selling and absolute favorite soap
recipes that we have produced to our customers during our years in soap
business. After retiring from professional soapmaking we decided to
share our secrets with you. You can read it free with Kindle Unlimited.<br />
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The book contains recipes for:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Mango Butter Heart - Unbelievable amounts of thick, creamy lather!</li>
<li>Citrus & Lime - Use this both as a soap and as a shampoo bar</li>
<li>Tea Tree & Charcoal - A soap especially for a problem skin</li>
<li>Mandarin & Coriander - Abundance of mild scented light bubbles</li>
<li>Beeswax soap - Oven hot process method</li>
<li>Jojoba & Lemongrass - Soap especially for gardeners’ hands</li>
<li>Olive - Gentle for sensitive skin</li>
<li>Spicy Mint - Invigorating and moisturizing shover bar</li>
<li>Cinnamon & Vanilla - The christmas favorite hand soap</li>
<li>Coconut stain removal soap - Effective stain removal soap</li>
<li>Eucalyptus and Lavender - Fresh and breezy salt soap</li>
<li>Lemon Verbena & Salt - Unbelievable amounts of fresh invigorating lather</li>
<li>Lavender - A traditional style laundry soap</li>
<li>Aloe Vera - Calming and healing soap for irritated skin</li>
<li>Rhassoul - Luxurious rhassoul clay with oriental style scent </li>
</ul>
Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-75366444358423700002018-06-24T19:44:00.002+03:002018-06-24T20:39:47.513+03:00BEE HAPPY REVISITED<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGk0Gb7-SiHcTS4KAl4bu94QJGsyWTG0cezWzyHsFR1Bw-9JIBHTEWJ1df884rQkYV58L9BeWMfesZ01dpTLV7SpzEr3gYMH72iUI7CQ_4V7uFWuPO7FmrDL6ux0O5Ap8F6fIw8zi_-tw/s1600/kuva1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1210" data-original-width="1600" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGk0Gb7-SiHcTS4KAl4bu94QJGsyWTG0cezWzyHsFR1Bw-9JIBHTEWJ1df884rQkYV58L9BeWMfesZ01dpTLV7SpzEr3gYMH72iUI7CQ_4V7uFWuPO7FmrDL6ux0O5Ap8F6fIw8zi_-tw/s320/kuva1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Recipe: </b><br />
Coconut oil 40%<br />
Olive oil 30%<br />
Beeswax 20%<br />
Castor oil 10%<br />
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38% water as percentage of oil weight<br />
15% superfat<br />
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<b>Method:</b> oven hot process, 100C for 60 minutes.<br />
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Few years back Heidi created <a href="http://happytinybubbles.blogspot.com/2010/04/bee-happy.html">Bee Happy</a> all natural handmade soap. We loved it because of it was so good for dry skin.<br />
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Today we planned to make this same soap, but using slightly different oils for even more bubbly and moisturizing soap. We substituted rapeseed oil with olive oil to get a nicer texture. Cocoa butter was substituted with castor oil for extra moisture. We expect to have a softer soap than the original Bee Happy although we reduced superfat percentage whic should harden the soap. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjM0osB8ehAnMugkdoM1u12CyG7v5tbyGh3du4_HNLRo0fjmTP3wRU_47E5FqMFMNSd7lpzgKL_1tU2nf0YHsIBA656vb4gzy4-WVPMxwPRRjA0Us9hvy6EvwNrmLnPUpzdUoA5dUHlZkb/s1600/kuva2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1139" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjM0osB8ehAnMugkdoM1u12CyG7v5tbyGh3du4_HNLRo0fjmTP3wRU_47E5FqMFMNSd7lpzgKL_1tU2nf0YHsIBA656vb4gzy4-WVPMxwPRRjA0Us9hvy6EvwNrmLnPUpzdUoA5dUHlZkb/s320/kuva2.JPG" width="227" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">We'll update you in couple of weeks how the soap turned out.</span>Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-34161851252359507942014-08-01T14:01:00.001+03:002014-08-01T15:32:56.165+03:00GOOD 'OL HOMEMADE SHAVING SOAP<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTkv3SSn7SoLUbg3zDsZSYNJndetK22hThiTC_SwB1UjlIaw1VpbzKyoBS929oGWvkZM89Oqf5IsILl1bkNe_4tqh7DuYquPqkEBKQBt-OCdJNcKd1hPj7uv001n9k1C4G2GWz70vmrXa/s1600/pic2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTkv3SSn7SoLUbg3zDsZSYNJndetK22hThiTC_SwB1UjlIaw1VpbzKyoBS929oGWvkZM89Oqf5IsILl1bkNe_4tqh7DuYquPqkEBKQBt-OCdJNcKd1hPj7uv001n9k1C4G2GWz70vmrXa/s1600/pic2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Couple of months ago the most implausible thing happened. I ran out of soap! I called Suvi and she volunteered to whip up something new for me. She knows that I just love soaps that give lots of really dense foam and that is exactly what I got.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-d3d13jx-u7RBfvpTj6R9M3t9MlvZ-BEQcxJGULY7OIRvKuxT6uMS4eTeK752hdlaEIdoI0BKOqHg0OM6QKJER5yYiZJGuznRys-UtliOC_-kBuvYbLwGH0S0KtmDF9kJzU1dhTMH9Yp/s1600/pic3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-d3d13jx-u7RBfvpTj6R9M3t9MlvZ-BEQcxJGULY7OIRvKuxT6uMS4eTeK752hdlaEIdoI0BKOqHg0OM6QKJER5yYiZJGuznRys-UtliOC_-kBuvYbLwGH0S0KtmDF9kJzU1dhTMH9Yp/s1600/pic3.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is perfect recipe for a basic everyday soap, because all the oils are easily available and not too expensive. Because of the dense and long lasting foam it is great for shaving. The texture is quite nice and even though the soap has very high percentage of castor oil the soap is quite hard. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsI1Drho3qTWFk3FHTcD03al0xnEmU5cI2G4NegxTmQhmpT2Da0-9HiD0scLY0E7XVC9Tspa1NYd6A3M2QlBcJ00nIShWwtXABMdo62uabIPL_bGBKjmKDbPbSrYYl87iGUZkvlLJYld_/s1600/pic1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsI1Drho3qTWFk3FHTcD03al0xnEmU5cI2G4NegxTmQhmpT2Da0-9HiD0scLY0E7XVC9Tspa1NYd6A3M2QlBcJ00nIShWwtXABMdo62uabIPL_bGBKjmKDbPbSrYYl87iGUZkvlLJYld_/s1600/pic1.JPG" height="236" width="320" /></a></div>
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I think the green color is really nice and matches with the little mysterious woody scent that she had mixed for this. I think I'm going to try this recipe but will make it yellow/orange with uplifting citrus scent.<br />
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<b>Recipe:</b><br />
17% Cocoa Butter<br />
17% Castor oil<br />
33% Olive oil<br />
33% Coconut oil<br />
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Poppy seeds<br />
Green Argiletz clay<br />
Chlorophyll paste Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-63317501917107747492014-01-26T22:12:00.000+02:002014-01-26T22:12:05.699+02:00MMM...ALOE VERA!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vQEvdYystxcAY7UlVtHcS9YS7eqo5wQq5grRuERWm_CKJ3TyQxdfV1D-Y99V4IEG9c0Sw3Xc47IbZEqD-DCKab_VquSY-P287NJ4Ehk_BKHMC8lqUyZU6JzlO8Z5QNSnZ8h5bi5S_yA/s1600/IMG_0761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vQEvdYystxcAY7UlVtHcS9YS7eqo5wQq5grRuERWm_CKJ3TyQxdfV1D-Y99V4IEG9c0Sw3Xc47IbZEqD-DCKab_VquSY-P287NJ4Ehk_BKHMC8lqUyZU6JzlO8Z5QNSnZ8h5bi5S_yA/s1600/IMG_0761.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /><br />These delicious round little babies are Aloe Vera-soaps. The soap base is almost exclusively olive oil soap, with just a little bit of coconut oil to break the 'slimy feel' of pure olive oil soaps. I used aloe vera gel in these, and a generous SF percentage of 10%.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Aloe Vera, with the Castle of Castelsardo in the background.</span></div>
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Aloe Vera calms irritated and burnt sking (we get plenty of sunshine in the summer here in Sardinia), helps little wounds to heal by promoting tissue renewal, and alleviates itching. Aloe Vera is also mildly antiseptic and antibacterial. This makes Aloe Vera soap a great choice for anyone with skin problems.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8P8czt80qlvFTVXqAXJkxqK5Q9sphDBUbl0bCE1m2MyKb74gyaI8TdfNglfBwP0fXz3eQHiRFMYKmfuvPqEj8N5DgyJu_TDKlCz9i95dvomAhZUK-ldlC_55VP54EzQozh7gXa4lkmZI/s1600/IMG_5505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8P8czt80qlvFTVXqAXJkxqK5Q9sphDBUbl0bCE1m2MyKb74gyaI8TdfNglfBwP0fXz3eQHiRFMYKmfuvPqEj8N5DgyJu_TDKlCz9i95dvomAhZUK-ldlC_55VP54EzQozh7gXa4lkmZI/s1600/IMG_5505.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
This is me me cutting some of my mother in law's Aloe for sunburnt visitors a few summers back.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzExlusY3eLUB4i8H4Rm6cOcPS_dXeBGEjLvj4f9-aqz6Yg7SGWXT0h-lrM4B-7h19iLY0w_5iNNNpMA6WktZvO3F-jsbgFXlr42Ku4ghULjhlP7YkyoZ2miMqN6hEbgV6SHh748xqk0/s1600/IMG_5510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzExlusY3eLUB4i8H4Rm6cOcPS_dXeBGEjLvj4f9-aqz6Yg7SGWXT0h-lrM4B-7h19iLY0w_5iNNNpMA6WktZvO3F-jsbgFXlr42Ku4ghULjhlP7YkyoZ2miMqN6hEbgV6SHh748xqk0/s1600/IMG_5510.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
And this is Heidi rubbing fresh aloe on her burnt face. Unfortunately it later turned out that she was, ah, allergic to fresh Aloe, so we did not repeat the experiment. Luckily she's OK with aloe soap though!<br /><br /><span id="goog_633842866"></span><span id="goog_633842867"></span>Suvihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08088325700490697773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-25875077709415797122014-01-11T21:02:00.001+02:002014-01-11T21:03:33.790+02:00IT'S TIME TO MAKE VALENTINE'S DAY SOAP!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MbdKNToNmOhnxVw5ZNzuwBBtBxFhg6hrjDEx93MiNJlyEDdCjuR832jd_kVlg1kXva_6Zdls8FiJXLlOvgO63rpsk2kGhH7dfKsT5eVnfcad5hPzgzmBQJZ3Pl9K7S3A_T0b2EH_qk4d/s1600/photo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MbdKNToNmOhnxVw5ZNzuwBBtBxFhg6hrjDEx93MiNJlyEDdCjuR832jd_kVlg1kXva_6Zdls8FiJXLlOvgO63rpsk2kGhH7dfKsT5eVnfcad5hPzgzmBQJZ3Pl9K7S3A_T0b2EH_qk4d/s1600/photo2.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now is the perfect time to make soap for Valentine's Day! There is still a month or so to go so it will be cured and ready just in time.<br />
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One of our all time favourite soaps is white heart shaped <a href="http://happytinybubbles.blogspot.fi/2010/03/lemon-verbena-salt-soap.html">salt soap</a>. We pour the soap batter in silicone molds, this way they will be nice and smooth. We also made red ones that we coloured with red clay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3bmWcpSPviqPcexWnNkOS_YKnLpRypNfh8oNyBem05EwFjSVJOxgSmK7NsCI2mygpUUyBzUZZh0EGkbET2efWEU2OpMa9mDQmY3up4B2KLf77RO_JiZBVlxOF16jvv43zmjTEB2-NMj0/s1600/sydamet2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3bmWcpSPviqPcexWnNkOS_YKnLpRypNfh8oNyBem05EwFjSVJOxgSmK7NsCI2mygpUUyBzUZZh0EGkbET2efWEU2OpMa9mDQmY3up4B2KLf77RO_JiZBVlxOF16jvv43zmjTEB2-NMj0/s1600/sydamet2.JPG" height="320" width="246" /></a></div>
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Individally packed soaps make nice gifts and they also sell really well in craft fairs.Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-8288720167840258092013-07-03T21:45:00.003+03:002013-07-03T21:45:46.999+03:00NEW SOAP!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7l8IwCp44Z-Ur8pcJxB-bociIQgZhyphenhyphenqesqvqORGxJRPUuGIQI9sfzYdRr7bZ5xlgpGOD-nhK2K5RzUn5vpu3NNeJgB0Z_ileBGmItsz0cUsPs2m7s1FU8V7bQDnFt4X83DUrX9EIKEvG/s1600/aloe+vera.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7l8IwCp44Z-Ur8pcJxB-bociIQgZhyphenhyphenqesqvqORGxJRPUuGIQI9sfzYdRr7bZ5xlgpGOD-nhK2K5RzUn5vpu3NNeJgB0Z_ileBGmItsz0cUsPs2m7s1FU8V7bQDnFt4X83DUrX9EIKEvG/s320/aloe+vera.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Some of my readers might remember that I started a soap business with my sister Suvi under the company name Saponina. Even though the customers have loved our soap, the situation right now is that we just don't have the time to handle the manufacturing, storing and the delivery of the soap. We can't run the business part time because it needs to be done in larger scale to be profitable. So we have decided to run down the production. The question is what to do with all the recipes of our soaps. Maybe we try to publish the recipes in some format... While we are figuring out what to do I thought I'd share my latest soap!<br />
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This is 100% olive oil soap made with coconut milk. To make it even more gorgeous I added Aloe Vera powder in it. I added the powder in the oils and then used a beater to mix it in. I was a bit worried that it might not dissolve but it came out ok.<br />
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I have saved a few grams of Neroli essential oil for some time and decided that this soap was fine enough to be scented with it. I combined it with lime essential oil and added a few drops of patchouli to fix it. The scent is expensive but sooo lovely.Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-12792005730842519342012-02-03T20:56:00.000+02:002012-02-03T20:56:52.190+02:00Salt soap with Himalayan salt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYH3UNbie7F6gHASM2WXuDoStXaePc8mYFcrJF6JeZaIbT9JtuPWgV-NjDKyAl5YwOBmVb-GpvhtVrMK-1-6JeLj6xYB23vGz6c-SjBjWBFdQEmWVJpOzpPnJiAfUHCOc4JnE-i37mTHYX/s1600/IMG_8257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYH3UNbie7F6gHASM2WXuDoStXaePc8mYFcrJF6JeZaIbT9JtuPWgV-NjDKyAl5YwOBmVb-GpvhtVrMK-1-6JeLj6xYB23vGz6c-SjBjWBFdQEmWVJpOzpPnJiAfUHCOc4JnE-i37mTHYX/s320/IMG_8257.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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It's been a while since my last post. Please check out our <a href="http://saponina.blogspot.com/">business blog</a> for more frequent posts. It has been very busy with the soaping business. It seems that at every fair we sell out our whole inventory and then we panic and try to make more as quickly as we can. Only to sell out at again at the next fair. So unfortunately, the webshop inventory is embarrassingly limited all the time. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fXSIKgu74RqYUbn-Z0qK7kaLqovfz34LpAWeJJNT4H9C7PE2srqagDMuZQwtiFTGARL7yv47AtHC_bjcXXQMewU-OPIIRlF8ZtvI17Ph0Gvc02pIFgMFZJ5DICbSeQ25P3OOqsDrenLO/s1600/IMG_8250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fXSIKgu74RqYUbn-Z0qK7kaLqovfz34LpAWeJJNT4H9C7PE2srqagDMuZQwtiFTGARL7yv47AtHC_bjcXXQMewU-OPIIRlF8ZtvI17Ph0Gvc02pIFgMFZJ5DICbSeQ25P3OOqsDrenLO/s320/IMG_8250.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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This is something I made today. It's my regular <a href="http://happytinybubbles.blogspot.com/search/label/sea%20salt">salt soap</a> with some Himalayan salt sprinkled on top of it. I padded the Himalayan salt a little with a spatula so that it would stick into the soap. We'll see in a few days how that's going to work out. I scented the soap with Palmarosa, Rosewood and the adorable Rose Absolute. I also added some Bergamot as a fixative. Suvi has used a similar blend before and I think the Bergamot gives a nice edge to the blend.Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-2859033089714593132011-07-28T16:58:00.000+03:002011-07-28T16:58:14.428+03:00VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwaB_zHhYv1dUKkd48gVeSg4Tipw_EeUBxsQlvuifAkycpZt24bVvG3cQyOnd19HM1ycYcbz9NXHE7vHCFmHHs1PEk5M8mpJRaC99Cb-xhcLpnKj-r-Kd8_gbaSdCEOV_rBaQ5TFYsG9EW/s1600/the_versitle_Blogger_award4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwaB_zHhYv1dUKkd48gVeSg4Tipw_EeUBxsQlvuifAkycpZt24bVvG3cQyOnd19HM1ycYcbz9NXHE7vHCFmHHs1PEk5M8mpJRaC99Cb-xhcLpnKj-r-Kd8_gbaSdCEOV_rBaQ5TFYsG9EW/s1600/the_versitle_Blogger_award4.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Thank you <a href="http://sapuhusid.blogspot.com/">Ambra, writer of NaKIN soap blog</a>, for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award! <br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">The rules of the Versatile Blogger Award are:</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">1 – Make a post and link it back to the person who gave you the award</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">(and include their website address)</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">2 – Share 7 random things about yourself</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">3 – Award 7 recently discovered bloggers with this award and</div></div><div style="text-align: center;">contact them to let them know they have won.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
The seven random things of myself:</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
1. I have two sons and a daughter. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">2. I love gooseberries and homemade gooseberry jam.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. I am training for my first Triathlon (sprint distance). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">4. I suffer from difficult asthma. FOs give me an attack, EOs don't! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">5. My favorite plant in my garden is the adorable Rosa 'Karen Blixen'</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
6. I love quilting almost as much as I love soaping.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">7. I met my husband at high school. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Ok, now the nominations. Some of these are my recent discoveries and some are my favorites that I have been reading for some time. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><h1 class="title" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://arte-jabon.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: small;">El arte del jabón</span></a></h1><h1 class="title" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://caterinaimparalarte.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: small;">Impara l'Arte</span></a></h1><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://jabonesnaturalesdemayte.blogspot.com/">Jabones naturales de Mayte</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<a href="http://seifenbrise.blogspot.com/">Seifenbrise</a><br />
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<a href="http://saarak.vuodatus.net/">Pienen tuoksukaupan tiskin alta</a><br />
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<a href="http://claudia-mold.blogspot.com/">Claudia's Welt</a><br />
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<h1 class="title" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://enjaboname.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: small;">Jabones: Alquimia de las plantas</span></a></h1></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-88595231332227272702011-07-25T16:34:00.000+03:002011-07-25T16:34:13.659+03:00THINGS HAPPEN, COLORS CHANGE...I absolutely love Sesame seed oil in soap. It gives wonderful lather but still feels moisturizing and conditioning. It's no wonder it has been used for healing skin conditions for thousands of years. Yet, I have been thinking of giving up on sesame seed oil in my soaps. I am suspecting that it contributes to the color change of the soap. I have two examples. What do you think about these?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyhzALmN8oq5t8LqwwGJE5ZPmS-9wb1GUpQHF_kLB-TwS14lzy4r7iDv1pLxgWG43UHbAm8zllGAzEmGOA5YtoteKWT-o9ipuNcL5kruqvW8wEG_hBUhdo4dbfPQ-gXbZnPN6xBJR076P/s1600/Seesami2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyhzALmN8oq5t8LqwwGJE5ZPmS-9wb1GUpQHF_kLB-TwS14lzy4r7iDv1pLxgWG43UHbAm8zllGAzEmGOA5YtoteKWT-o9ipuNcL5kruqvW8wEG_hBUhdo4dbfPQ-gXbZnPN6xBJR076P/s320/Seesami2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Soap 1: Before</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRMtIVKrVN4I5w5rZptABXxRB2lgwakGNQ7246G2NtXDMqJrKK-vTZl6T_jItJK0j-ajODJKyoyLqOU3OY23pp7_SkmNcVYli3p-RBliRmC-4hKPyDf7yUJHY6oM9jDJp3uigOM_n9g_s/s1600/seesami3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRMtIVKrVN4I5w5rZptABXxRB2lgwakGNQ7246G2NtXDMqJrKK-vTZl6T_jItJK0j-ajODJKyoyLqOU3OY23pp7_SkmNcVYli3p-RBliRmC-4hKPyDf7yUJHY6oM9jDJp3uigOM_n9g_s/s320/seesami3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Soap 1: After</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbfG8ZUkl95tV0Aa8MtpuMGx3ypdg1BlDJlW4XsWhSeKErO_tA1J5y9kp-i94zKIVeTX4Slor1_0DyRNVfzmQDF0VoNon-gPYr8Dsvm66w7EOmeNJwy7plPh7fBamzsaA6uukb3qp_qwg/s1600/kasvomandariini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbfG8ZUkl95tV0Aa8MtpuMGx3ypdg1BlDJlW4XsWhSeKErO_tA1J5y9kp-i94zKIVeTX4Slor1_0DyRNVfzmQDF0VoNon-gPYr8Dsvm66w7EOmeNJwy7plPh7fBamzsaA6uukb3qp_qwg/s320/kasvomandariini.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Soap 2: Before</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzNldjikRuw8oqmMN24gjf2m2wSE-9OFAkESgPzq7diDgMcMFZf90wJ_M0nRHVZQTIqbxLzxOeQRIfWDzuY1Hv5kK2OXNzR4SJRATfgWMEZ228VS6VE94PDgT_53hCEwr1W_w0OF5xy4L/s1600/kasvoKaneli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzNldjikRuw8oqmMN24gjf2m2wSE-9OFAkESgPzq7diDgMcMFZf90wJ_M0nRHVZQTIqbxLzxOeQRIfWDzuY1Hv5kK2OXNzR4SJRATfgWMEZ228VS6VE94PDgT_53hCEwr1W_w0OF5xy4L/s320/kasvoKaneli.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Soap 2: After</div><br />
Here are some things I have considered:<br />
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<b>Rancidity of the oils</b>: The sesame seed oils of these soaps are from a different batch and both from the reputable supplier that has always delivered top quality oils. Therefore I think that the oil quality is not the cause for this.<br />
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<b>Rancidity of the soap</b>: Both soaps have been properly stored in a cool, dark and dry place. There is no scent of rancidness in either one of them. The change of color happened quite soon, about 10-12 weeks after the soap was made. Also, the color change does not look like soap gone bad.<br />
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<b>Discoloring EO</b>: The essential oils in Soap nr. 1 are palmarosa, rosewood and lemongrass. Soap nr. 2 is scented with bergamot, mandarin, coriander, sage, lemon, grapefruit and marjoram EO. The only thing common in these two EO blends is a high content of linalool.<br />
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Right now I'm pondering two options. Does the sesame seed oil itself make the soap change color? Or does linalool somehow react with the sesame oil causing this... Any suggestions?Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-68048761938366407012011-03-26T22:13:00.000+02:002011-03-26T22:13:45.820+02:00WHIPPED ANTI-WRINKLE CREAM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAe-tdO8-i1aAw8fnn-UBWu1c_rvboYV-SHBOJNSL0Hxm00B-4xt00vNJ-12-tCU1pNdZREqA0YUWTBFf6aW0iJ1piDhGmeecefdp6AYcXfntbZnjMjEzHQ0ezJsnPU0SxNwyqzKjXvkk/s1600/cream2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAe-tdO8-i1aAw8fnn-UBWu1c_rvboYV-SHBOJNSL0Hxm00B-4xt00vNJ-12-tCU1pNdZREqA0YUWTBFf6aW0iJ1piDhGmeecefdp6AYcXfntbZnjMjEzHQ0ezJsnPU0SxNwyqzKjXvkk/s320/cream2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I whipped up my first batch of facial & body cream today! A few weeks earlier I was having dinner with some of my friends and they were talking about all the special facial creams they had. I have no experience in those kinds of products because of my allergies so I've always had to use just the basic unscented creams from the pharmacy. I decided that it was time for me to have one of those lovely scented miracle creams that turns you 20 years younger over one night :-)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vXsYW9pJKyT9Sx3qA_eskRRvBQhH_umATg-tG3C6-8noDj8TuK-JxVvLH2Uo5fTzNwvJmFs0STnEB6NLjB_ndc2vpspDeKV_8icDVBoihvXOX6hNzuT2babyCXTagXPGGkUTsXM4kd6_/s1600/cream1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vXsYW9pJKyT9Sx3qA_eskRRvBQhH_umATg-tG3C6-8noDj8TuK-JxVvLH2Uo5fTzNwvJmFs0STnEB6NLjB_ndc2vpspDeKV_8icDVBoihvXOX6hNzuT2babyCXTagXPGGkUTsXM4kd6_/s320/cream1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I did several tests and the final recipe still needs some tweaking, but below are the ingredients I used:<br />
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<b>Castor Oil</b>: stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, softens and hydrates skin, rejuvenates, natural treatment for wrinkles, gives skin a youthful appearance. <br />
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<b>Coconut Oil</b>: anti-oxidant, slows down aging, smoothens irregularities and moisturises efficiently.<br />
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<b>Horse Chestnut Oil</b>: anti-inflammatory, prevents capillary fragility, balances circulation, promotes clear skin and even complexion.<br />
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<b>Mango Butter</b>: emollient, moisturizing, anti-oxidant, regenerative.<br />
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<b>Rose Hip Oil</b>: reduces wrinkles and fine lines, repares damaged skin cells, rehydrates dry skin, rich source of Vitamin A, omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids.<br />
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<b>Wheatgerm Oil</b>: rich source of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and protein, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, regenerative, improves circulation, reduces scarring.<br />
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<b>Lemongrass essential oil</b>: revitalizes body and mind, reduces cellulite.<br />
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<b>Palmarosa essential oil</b>: helps with scar tissue and wrinkles. <br />
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<b>Rosewood essentail oil</b>: cell stimulant, rejuvenates skin, reduces wrinkles.Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-81677609103124743382011-03-01T22:16:00.000+02:002011-03-01T22:16:07.872+02:00CHLOROPHYLLIN & SEA SALT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGICdjMWojD8FlMTwWEoiTD7YFkOsMC9m1W6Aq0vC_lr0liFiVT9bkB99y8Xs5IH9J0Z6Z5UpbK-b25cTrHwm-48sVtgKOWyqPGgNh03bBRcal-sUeH2-FS2FSsXnjZ1l_YeqxemLV3sP/s1600/EUKALYPTA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGICdjMWojD8FlMTwWEoiTD7YFkOsMC9m1W6Aq0vC_lr0liFiVT9bkB99y8Xs5IH9J0Z6Z5UpbK-b25cTrHwm-48sVtgKOWyqPGgNh03bBRcal-sUeH2-FS2FSsXnjZ1l_YeqxemLV3sP/s320/EUKALYPTA.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Just to have a little fun, we asked the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Saponina">Facebook fans of Saponina</a> to describe what their dreamsoap would be like and promised to create excatly those soaps. One of the wishes was a Eucalyptus scented soap. When I think of eucalyptus it brings to mind something green and fresh. As we all probably know, fresh and vibrant colours are not easy to produce using only natural colorants.<br />
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This time I used few drops of chlorophyllin and then added some fine sea salt into the batch. I think it gives really nice, fresh green texture. It seems that I cut it too late since the soap is a bit crumbly.Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-33466821855609359042011-02-21T21:57:00.000+02:002011-02-21T21:57:17.252+02:00WINTER TORPOR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivp_Jh1S6HhTOEjBivFV-ta9Rk0G3ol7dXixJO69cpfbcmMKjfq1z4Yw1Xe3PL0ikPSULOPJ3GYpZ-DTh9fHQ5ibj3uP8EN68BOjVp5edJ4Xsh8JCmwcFwucZXTlFJ-Yp1wCG-IFMHAXBC/s1600/photo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivp_Jh1S6HhTOEjBivFV-ta9Rk0G3ol7dXixJO69cpfbcmMKjfq1z4Yw1Xe3PL0ikPSULOPJ3GYpZ-DTh9fHQ5ibj3uP8EN68BOjVp5edJ4Xsh8JCmwcFwucZXTlFJ-Yp1wCG-IFMHAXBC/s320/photo1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
These are pictures taken by my 9 year old son on our way to my soaping room today. It's actually at my father's house so I usually take the kids along. It's a great arrangement because the kids get to spend time with their grandfather and I get a few quiet hours for soaping. Soaping is also a great excuse to check on my father who has not completely recovered from the cerebral aneyrysm rupture he had a couple of years ago.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-fOeRuB8fmQCRN-9wrB3APAJcZSgt5VVtH1fHu3x7ffTHDUTryCojK8UFhzAFBrcZNadqTFzvn6AMSuZ_OKhJEZNbwluoo2s9ljYWXRobUAbUJI1LAkOsP4iY7lCn2uN9rMgg-ERzJOe/s1600/photo3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-fOeRuB8fmQCRN-9wrB3APAJcZSgt5VVtH1fHu3x7ffTHDUTryCojK8UFhzAFBrcZNadqTFzvn6AMSuZ_OKhJEZNbwluoo2s9ljYWXRobUAbUJI1LAkOsP4iY7lCn2uN9rMgg-ERzJOe/s320/photo3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The temperature here has been below -20 celsius degrees for weeks now. It has been too cold to make soap as I usually mix the lye solution outside. Today it was a couple of degrees warmer so I decided to finally make some batches for the upcoming market.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRExRxKhjyEGOK4zaNAcSt0ZSB8C-Q8yAWPwHNHewNJLu0QCXp4NcXpkoBLduiiq1FXO5xuUJenIJHhFPv6gJ5SKi1W5bT1tMZi6HMkB49mrW8hQZlZEXDN9G63qf_gDbzEXGuwSEm-3TR/s1600/21022011041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRExRxKhjyEGOK4zaNAcSt0ZSB8C-Q8yAWPwHNHewNJLu0QCXp4NcXpkoBLduiiq1FXO5xuUJenIJHhFPv6gJ5SKi1W5bT1tMZi6HMkB49mrW8hQZlZEXDN9G63qf_gDbzEXGuwSEm-3TR/s320/21022011041.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I think the cold had made me slow and dormant. I didn't remember where certain oils and additives were, filled in wrong oils in the lye calculator and struggled with simple percentage calculations. It took me almost two hours before the first batch was in the mold! But after that I started to wake up from the winter torpor and made three more batches: Coffee soap, Rhassoul clay soap and refreshing Eucalyptus soap. Let the spring (markets) begin, I am stocked up!Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-57854355766003731852011-01-20T19:50:00.001+02:002011-01-20T19:54:24.292+02:00REBATCHING SOAP: TUTTI FRUTTI!!<p$1>I must admit that until recently when I started to make larger quantities of soap I used to just toss all the odds and ends away. Now that the quantity of the leftovers is increasing it just does not feel good to throw away such a large amount of soap. So I cut the soap in pieces, some larger, some smaller.</p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Meu20Wew2_xLg3DwdXjZ7ojADiShhDkOz5S3oegq_26e394m1PamMPBn9sZWdaIBCeB8k_1oEy5jq1j32iVG-YeK7wEmKTOkY9lc_YqyQJOA5daM_LobVnTqII72jDXNtxjK8o_MGxSR/s1600/tf1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Meu20Wew2_xLg3DwdXjZ7ojADiShhDkOz5S3oegq_26e394m1PamMPBn9sZWdaIBCeB8k_1oEy5jq1j32iVG-YeK7wEmKTOkY9lc_YqyQJOA5daM_LobVnTqII72jDXNtxjK8o_MGxSR/s320/tf1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<p$1><p$1><p$1>Then I put them all into a pot together, add some water and put the pot into an oven heated to approximately 90 C. When about half of the soap cuttings have melted I stuff it into a mould. </p$1></p$1></p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAIVIbqrjuf2B6FME-CSZOiQnCbwQVJaQNptej5190IFjDCow_42MVx88Iq-nPmx4bTk6EnjZ1BU-XnfXHkow8qO39OyLyViO-OMz_KGt7io47DMmFDc2JwN9yB-SfUS5E4z3bBunymiBu/s1600/tf2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAIVIbqrjuf2B6FME-CSZOiQnCbwQVJaQNptej5190IFjDCow_42MVx88Iq-nPmx4bTk6EnjZ1BU-XnfXHkow8qO39OyLyViO-OMz_KGt7io47DMmFDc2JwN9yB-SfUS5E4z3bBunymiBu/s1600/tf2.JPG" /></a></div><p$1><p$1> </p$1></p$1><br />
<p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1>And here is the result: My exclusive "Limited Edition" Tutti Frutti soap :-D</p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fnf6X2tlE2OTATa_mgifZa-vF6lhFbRq30DPL2je9i2EV6hM8ZVrVshAWJZQzYUug5yhI1iTXWpFLS2MJdaGpcSiJvfgGBIno__lwtPQ7iRPrx6M9sFk0Qktw7sA41Cb1Q_SlEM14MM3/s1600/tf3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fnf6X2tlE2OTATa_mgifZa-vF6lhFbRq30DPL2je9i2EV6hM8ZVrVshAWJZQzYUug5yhI1iTXWpFLS2MJdaGpcSiJvfgGBIno__lwtPQ7iRPrx6M9sFk0Qktw7sA41Cb1Q_SlEM14MM3/s1600/tf3.JPG" /></a></div><p$1></p$1>Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-71250411071173551462011-01-08T19:06:00.005+02:002011-01-08T19:10:10.834+02:00IT'S IN THE RECIPE: THE CASE OF A SWEATING SALT SOAP<p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwSoCPIRZstAuRTkudVtA6LE0O9BKYIBIXhMdDAFrBY-OwDhmTYO1KxTt2CoHzKj-g-j7fADlCBUyaRLd7V9FhsT1doRAjK9h_Q4S0LHXsy8ihGaDQZx5AwyOl_950PRIV1-rgodJsjNq/s1600/sweat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwSoCPIRZstAuRTkudVtA6LE0O9BKYIBIXhMdDAFrBY-OwDhmTYO1KxTt2CoHzKj-g-j7fADlCBUyaRLd7V9FhsT1doRAjK9h_Q4S0LHXsy8ihGaDQZx5AwyOl_950PRIV1-rgodJsjNq/s320/sweat.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<p$1><p$1>Wow, it's first time that it has happened to me! The salt soap is sweating! I have made salts soaps in summer and winter, humid and dry weather but never had sweat on salt soap. I believe that the only explanation is the recipe since this one is totally different from what I have done before.<br />
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In my <a href="http://happytinybubbles.blogspot.com/search/label/sea%20salt">salt soap recipes</a> there is usually a very large percentage of coconut oil and then some butter. The lowest that I have gone is in the <a href="http://happytinybubbles.blogspot.com/search/label/beeswax">Summer Spa</a> where I used 50% coconut. <br />
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</p$1></p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1>This recipe has 30% coconut oil and 70% rapeseed oil with 5% superfat. It is a test batch I made with my sister Suvi to experiment how different percentages of sea salt affect the soap qualities (I'll let you know about the results once we have thorougly tested the soaps). Patience is not one of my virtues, so we used <a href="http://www.teachsoap.com/ohp.html">oven hot process</a> to be able to test the soap sooner. After the soap came out from oven, we divided it in four parts and added different amounts of sea salt in each. The one with no sea salt did not sweat but even the smallest amount of salt resulted in sweating! <br />
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</p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1><p$1>All this makes me conclude that the recipe or certain oils in the recipe might cause sweating. What do you think?</p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1>Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-1548351028233163982010-12-14T13:09:00.000+02:002010-12-14T13:09:37.689+02:00RAPESEED OIL IN SOAPMAKING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cOdlQdzQh5s-F_ghHm8kc77_drJLVHvx3uRIEmjHiacbx0c_KZBe9yQ4z-uAq0iGQ2eUF10u6GDsIwKvYudTDuqel1u-OK6f90oKkXrrgCjf1wPJUppg37HFtO8BW2wSkrwV6K3QAIk5/s1600/rypsi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cOdlQdzQh5s-F_ghHm8kc77_drJLVHvx3uRIEmjHiacbx0c_KZBe9yQ4z-uAq0iGQ2eUF10u6GDsIwKvYudTDuqel1u-OK6f90oKkXrrgCjf1wPJUppg37HFtO8BW2wSkrwV6K3QAIk5/s320/rypsi.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
A few days ago I found from my stash this soap that I had made some months ago. It is a soap in which I had just dumped all the remaining oils I had that time so I did not expect very much of it. However, I was extremely amazed how good the soap was! So lovely for my winter dry skin. The thing different from my regular soap recipe was that this one had rapeseed oil in it. I had abandoned rapeseed oil earlier since it has been said to be prone to spoilage because of the high amount of linoleic and linolenic fatty acids. That has never happened to me, but I just wanted to be on the safe side.<br />
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After trying this soap I started to look more closely into the issue and found out that there are so many good things regarding rapeseed oil that I am now considering taking it back as one of my soaping oils.<br />
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Firstly, rapeseed is one of the rare plants that is grown in Finland for vegetable oil production and thus one of the rare oils that I am able to source locally. It is also very beneficial in crop rotation where it improves soil and effectively prevents plant diseases. In addition, usually in the oil production, the crop is pressed once a year and the oil is stored as ready-made until the next harvest. On the contrary, rapeseed oil is pressed from the seeds year round, so it is always available freshly pressed. The vitamin E content of the Finnish rapeseed oil is relatively high (<a href="http://www.foodfromfinland.com/index.phtml?s=209">19 mg/100 g*</a>). The coldpressed rapeseed oil would be the best choice since it is pressed from the seeds and then mechanically filtered many times before packing. The regular rapeseed oil is purified using chemicals and heating the oils which causes oxidization. <br />
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In soap, rapeseed oil is extremely moisturizing and contributes to creamy lather. It is slow to trace so it's a blessing when doing swirls, layers or other complicated patterns. And I just love the shiny and smooth texture it gives to a soap.<br />
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<b>Recipe: </b><br />
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36% Olive oil <br />
32% Rapeseed oil<br />
21% Coconut oil<br />
11% Mango seed butter<br />
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7% superfat<br />
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Scented with essential oils of bergamot, geranium, mandarin and lavender. <br />
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PS. You might have noticed that I am not using Shea Butter any more. My new favorite is Mango Butter instead. The reason is that I have become allergic to Shea Butter. Even a small amount of it in soap gives me a horrendous itch!Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-36584251973552366222010-12-12T21:07:00.000+02:002010-12-12T21:07:07.036+02:00If you have any chemistry related questions...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygEb4K9Sp99v33lGZKnhzhPJ4CP4JPj3TCx7BZTlIogHTw9gh5oCCMfhcR8VkfgVs64hjGhL1dL3BfYf6k74ht2dR14CcG6tMAKkoKokMCzKWvHdri6JnMOsENkAynrangMf4MilhLQnc/s1600/saponina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygEb4K9Sp99v33lGZKnhzhPJ4CP4JPj3TCx7BZTlIogHTw9gh5oCCMfhcR8VkfgVs64hjGhL1dL3BfYf6k74ht2dR14CcG6tMAKkoKokMCzKWvHdri6JnMOsENkAynrangMf4MilhLQnc/s1600/saponina.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I wrote some time ago that I've got a licence to sell soap, which required that I would need to found a company. The company is called <a href="http://www.saponina.com/">Saponina</a> and that's our logo. (It's designed by<a href="http://gaccuworld.blogspot.com/"> Antonio</a> who you are more than welcome to contact if you need a logo etc.)<br />
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I was very lucky when my sister Suvi agreed to join me in the soaping business. She holds a PhD in synthetic chemistry and even though we are using my recipes, she is able to provide all the information we need to be sure that our products are safe and that we adhere to the good manufacturing practice.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlT6pY7nqamR2PtIW8VATvpmif2XOGyV8tUcwEajQA0zZTVZ-px5KjlwPl3JaoAQU-uZI79xpZdRknOsnTETKvmpbc3_NrcfoRh-lRdzXB1v4gjdYzKhGvOzkY-1vNj_dAJb0euUgOiRb/s1600/MMinttu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlT6pY7nqamR2PtIW8VATvpmif2XOGyV8tUcwEajQA0zZTVZ-px5KjlwPl3JaoAQU-uZI79xpZdRknOsnTETKvmpbc3_NrcfoRh-lRdzXB1v4gjdYzKhGvOzkY-1vNj_dAJb0euUgOiRb/s200/MMinttu.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Now that we have finally opened an <a href="http://www.saponina.com/">online shop</a>, I realised that I really wouldn't have been able to do all this without you, my fellow soaping bloggers. I have learnt so much from your experiments! So we - me and Suvi - thought that we would want to give something back. Therefore she has agreed to answer any chemistry related questions about soapmaking.<br />
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So if you want to ask something about the chemistry of soapmaking, please post a question to the discussion board on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Saponina">our Facebook page</a>. Suvi will be happy to answer all the questions she can!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFrwKUBTHP1DB_Q187GgQ0tvU66WozePiC4PC8_QbyPSksI9QzIRrcj8MttN7nCzGiqbhRaewtd916NJ3FqooS4r-jZyW-2ZtZgl0Y36B1AllfqmHIn1NtxpP7h1F6PshRWyHWT40RyZJ/s1600/kasvoKaneli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFrwKUBTHP1DB_Q187GgQ0tvU66WozePiC4PC8_QbyPSksI9QzIRrcj8MttN7nCzGiqbhRaewtd916NJ3FqooS4r-jZyW-2ZtZgl0Y36B1AllfqmHIn1NtxpP7h1F6PshRWyHWT40RyZJ/s200/kasvoKaneli.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-42349745423446310942010-12-06T21:47:00.000+02:002010-12-06T21:47:49.516+02:00MUSINGS ABOUT CRAFTS FAIRIt's been amazing the last five days. I participated in a crafts fair that had about 380 female exhibitors who sold mainly handcrafted items. During those days I met some wonderful and extremely talented female crafters and entrepreneurs. In addition, I received lots of advice and tips from more experienced entrepreneurs for my soap business. The atmosphere was really warm between the exhibitors.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiJ0HHXhZw4V_u5CEvx8mfIi7CWFV-5nZjsrJYupuQY2r5zOVGp4_VpeH7H0KxPnjaHWyhxp5KyDskaplOTqub0zlw1OJEHOw5i6TVbG8g8H2Z-Rg6FgznTPhUKqMcif6LBKitE6-GJQv/s1600/nj8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwiJ0HHXhZw4V_u5CEvx8mfIi7CWFV-5nZjsrJYupuQY2r5zOVGp4_VpeH7H0KxPnjaHWyhxp5KyDskaplOTqub0zlw1OJEHOw5i6TVbG8g8H2Z-Rg6FgznTPhUKqMcif6LBKitE6-GJQv/s320/nj8.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My table is the third on the left.</div><br />
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I just love the older ladies, about 70+ years. They just came up at my table, checked out the soap and picked a few to buy. It seemed that I did not have to give them my usual speech about the benefits of handmade soap, because they knew all that perfectly well already. Most of them told me that their mom or aunt had made soap when they were young. I think it is amazing how soap in a sense can bridge the gap between generations.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHJsg85x5xFZbMMMTgj2_iPj-IhXD_8Js714se-lsdUQPBLSk8HeD66DiHiBJZqNIVLROnNr16uUszIFxkvI7-SbfxhgEjCwChB7oI-rncz53f2q1JyoKtKgHQzqgd3vWyDkmHMDiCz7K/s1600/nj7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHJsg85x5xFZbMMMTgj2_iPj-IhXD_8Js714se-lsdUQPBLSk8HeD66DiHiBJZqNIVLROnNr16uUszIFxkvI7-SbfxhgEjCwChB7oI-rncz53f2q1JyoKtKgHQzqgd3vWyDkmHMDiCz7K/s320/nj7.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is my table. </div><br />
There were also some other soapers exhibiting their products. Seeing their soap made me even more asserted with the choices that I have made: to use only plant based natural ingredients. The other soapers had beautiful soaps with beautiful bright colours and scents of yummy foods. Still I found the rustic and natural looks of my soap more appealling. And I sold really well too ;-)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUyAwGc1IHsW2IvyqG69fDCib_iGSm4CqLXuhL57sQHfN6j89ZCWh5sXuE7yLFtS_BBdjHWJHLqwolTuyizD78eEb7CGP2Gx21X0Cs2K-5VzMP057frbQSqPe5GhIQyhvLRRjn4YCEsbf/s1600/nj9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUyAwGc1IHsW2IvyqG69fDCib_iGSm4CqLXuhL57sQHfN6j89ZCWh5sXuE7yLFtS_BBdjHWJHLqwolTuyizD78eEb7CGP2Gx21X0Cs2K-5VzMP057frbQSqPe5GhIQyhvLRRjn4YCEsbf/s320/nj9.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My first attempt of cake shaped soap.</div><br />
Ooops, I had one exception in my "all natural" policy. This soap cake had allergen free fragrance oil Dark Chocolate. I decided to make it so late that I had to use <a href="http://www.teachsoap.com/ohp.html">oven hot process</a>. I mixed the scent only to the bottom and coloured it with cocoa powder. The top is unscented and uncoloured.Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-20426891889200423222010-11-30T15:49:00.000+02:002010-11-30T15:49:27.484+02:00PREPARING FOR A CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR<p$1>I am sorry that I've been a lousy blogger lately. The reason is a 5-day Christmas Craft Fair I am going to. Here are some of the little soap packages that I have prepared for the fair in addition to my regular bars of soap.<br />
<p$1><p$1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRHZvIonR1gx44TVtuaV_YGWbY_k5uGPRLK-0QpZ6TvFYpFrt2H1bm75uGjk28CieA8SEaZeA-u8njEzXxeWqI68IWTpPvwWzGTrxhpPsSvmedKpBL_DJJ5Iy2hk2vyhMH35-ji48gqWB0/s1600/nj1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRHZvIonR1gx44TVtuaV_YGWbY_k5uGPRLK-0QpZ6TvFYpFrt2H1bm75uGjk28CieA8SEaZeA-u8njEzXxeWqI68IWTpPvwWzGTrxhpPsSvmedKpBL_DJJ5Iy2hk2vyhMH35-ji48gqWB0/s320/nj1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p$1>The bigger ones are 350g and smaller 240g. The soap is still soft enough to be cut into bars.<br />
<p$1><p$1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAHR22zdLW9r-mYedp55PrGNwPROfqBSpOveuYTx2efezukRQn5y7kKA2CIFrbFdkZx7FWzngq4m5BboYi4S5pqYzwXoP-ZFBTnOOORxLw220Ai7lrPYTEZ-dCk43IdvjW_qooPyluJV_/s1600/nj2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAHR22zdLW9r-mYedp55PrGNwPROfqBSpOveuYTx2efezukRQn5y7kKA2CIFrbFdkZx7FWzngq4m5BboYi4S5pqYzwXoP-ZFBTnOOORxLw220Ai7lrPYTEZ-dCk43IdvjW_qooPyluJV_/s320/nj2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p$1>My regular shower soap & small salt soap bar. These adorable little salt soaps didn't sell at all on their own. I'm curious to see what happens now that they are in package.<br />
<p$1><p$1><p$1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy89ZG__erzR_jGXKlsP3ap0Et_6kk92xcTjAyZIGkQpEgN37-6kD-qr4-PgzO5gIHW-7BumtIBL7O5brVFG-SKtBS8qbqryml0qMi7zYES27xO5rzotOceYJBOuB-C7Ydu4ojcmSQTdbg/s1600/nj3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy89ZG__erzR_jGXKlsP3ap0Et_6kk92xcTjAyZIGkQpEgN37-6kD-qr4-PgzO5gIHW-7BumtIBL7O5brVFG-SKtBS8qbqryml0qMi7zYES27xO5rzotOceYJBOuB-C7Ydu4ojcmSQTdbg/s1600/nj3.JPG" /></a></div><p$1>Some of my wonderful but ugly soaps cut in pieces and stacked on top of each other. Not bad I think!<br />
<p$1><p$1><p$1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRjldsBThLinhuiD0yQqCB7KZadIIOEp_STw8RGTEiU3tQ16zwmH7Rbn2IEkCezq1qkD-OCUWliOS6Sv5zERDlvGeblhJkK5fFwWx2QM7G4LRBsoFQxFprGQsxXxdE5KiIRCE4PuxmSdZ/s1600/nj4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRjldsBThLinhuiD0yQqCB7KZadIIOEp_STw8RGTEiU3tQ16zwmH7Rbn2IEkCezq1qkD-OCUWliOS6Sv5zERDlvGeblhJkK5fFwWx2QM7G4LRBsoFQxFprGQsxXxdE5KiIRCE4PuxmSdZ/s1600/nj4.JPG" /></a></div><p$1><p$1>Little chocolate scented hearts. These have sold well before. The scent is allergen free Dark Chocolate. The next time I'm going to use a hint of cacao powder to get a darker color.</p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1></p$1>Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-16337518876573214912010-10-23T21:53:00.000+03:002010-10-23T21:53:04.655+03:00THE COLOR WHITE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrX6vAsPvs9DsWjtjstJWko3EEyAv2Xe4DLK83GO_MSx6cGCCo9spxqik17F9PlvyyRbutyxLXW3etmfuJjxR7UeyDpattOmaNCht1XOxFr6v706yS2x6DQo1SeURxkqQUZ99tYUPbCpNj/s1600/jojoba1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrX6vAsPvs9DsWjtjstJWko3EEyAv2Xe4DLK83GO_MSx6cGCCo9spxqik17F9PlvyyRbutyxLXW3etmfuJjxR7UeyDpattOmaNCht1XOxFr6v706yS2x6DQo1SeURxkqQUZ99tYUPbCpNj/s1600/jojoba1.JPG" /></a></div>I have always loved beautiful white bars of soap. Unfortunately, with natural colorants pure white is not that easy to produce. So I decided that it was time to try titanium dioxide for the first time. I have been a bit puzzled about the titanium dioxide. Some say that it is a natural colorant but I doubt that those that are sold in stores are in fact synthetic. That's why I probably will not use it anymore, but it was interesting to try!<br />
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These are all <a href="http://www.teachsoap.com/ohp.html">oven hot process</a> soaps made with <a href="http://happytinybubbles.blogspot.com/2010/09/jojoba-wax-experiment.html">the jojoba wax recipe</a>. In the picture the first bar on the left is from a batch in which I mixed the titanium dioxide diluted in small amount of water after the cook.<br />
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Then I wanted to have a more even color and made another batch where I added it in the oils before mixing in the lye solution. I was a bit worried if it would speed up the trace, but that didn't happen.<br />
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I wanted to compare the result with some natural colorant. I had read from several sources that also Kaolin clay gives white color. The one on the right has Kaolin clay added before the cook. The color is not even close to white! It is tan or maybe even beige and after it cured it actually became even darker. I wonder if there are different qualities of Kaolin that would produce different tones. Also, the weirdest thing happened, the batch with Kaolin came out really soft. I have no idea why!Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-79754469278326018812010-10-03T12:26:00.000+03:002010-10-03T12:26:37.330+03:00ORANGE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_O4hA8-95NK0/TKhEAVWLlCI/AAAAAAAAAHE/gXjaHWMLC7s/s1600/yellow%20%26%20orange.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_O4hA8-95NK0/TKhEAVWLlCI/AAAAAAAAAHE/gXjaHWMLC7s/s320/yellow%20%26%20orange.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We agreed with <a href="http://sapuhusid.blogspot.com/">Ambra</a> and <a href="http://jenorasoaps.blogspot.com/">Jen</a> to work on orange color. Check out their experiments, they're just great! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Here is my first experiment. I decided to try a new recipe that I plan to use for a shampoo bar. The soap traced fast, but it didn't seize so I had plenty of time to add the clays and betacarotene little by little to get the color right.<b><br />
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<b>Recipe:</b><br />
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35% Castor oil<br />
25% Mango butter<br />
20% Avocado oil<br />
15% Coconut oil<br />
5% Jojoba wax (solid flakes)<br />
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Beta-carotene paste<br />
1 tsp Pink Argiletz clay <br />
1 tsp Red Argiletz clay<br />
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8% superfat<br />
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I diluted the clays in a small amount of avocado oil to ensure that it would disperse evenly into the soap batter. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>At trace I added a couple of drops of betacarotene into the entire batch. Then I poured half of it into a mold. In the other half I wanted to see the difference of using Pink or Red Argiletz clay. So, I added the Pink Argiletz clay and poured most ot the soap into a mold. Into the remainings, I added the Red Argiletz clay.<br />
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In the picture the small yellow bar of soap is the one with only betacarotene. The upper part of the bigger bar is the one with pink clay and the bottom stripe is the one with the red clay added also.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-49427454135049003782010-09-28T10:35:00.000+03:002010-09-28T10:35:45.162+03:00GREEN WITH CHLOROPHYLLIN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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Here is my green soap that I've coloured with chlorophyllin that I got from <a href="https://www.soapkitchenonline.co.uk/acatalog/Natural_Colours.html">The Soap Kitchen</a>. I aimed at lighter color, but it seems that it is really difficult not to use it too much. This soap has been exposed to light for 8 weeks now and I can not yet identify any fading of the color. In the first picture the soap is dry and in the second one it's watered.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6XyGiuDB2GM_ZuQB7uDRjTSPEeIw7q2fHNLPxACyJZAArKuXF6IMhrkyR6vWbax0QoACuKOoCPVazXJqHypuAjQAZDKmTXO7VIEptUyBV6bPk_1Zeqru7yf7TkOWHRa5I7RZ4YdypRJW/s1600/green1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6XyGiuDB2GM_ZuQB7uDRjTSPEeIw7q2fHNLPxACyJZAArKuXF6IMhrkyR6vWbax0QoACuKOoCPVazXJqHypuAjQAZDKmTXO7VIEptUyBV6bPk_1Zeqru7yf7TkOWHRa5I7RZ4YdypRJW/s320/green1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkuvLS3ODSd-iyxafQGPb35QyM-j9DWX8bFEpIGAkYiLg2ec_sPMgAgaTUBM6GWhSZjrms0s2eXsDUC1xloP68t7AK1xOWD4_HW6iVufoNaKBWQ-8fu3eMKGw-_SfquIQs-LZn3ODR0ErT/s1600/green2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkuvLS3ODSd-iyxafQGPb35QyM-j9DWX8bFEpIGAkYiLg2ec_sPMgAgaTUBM6GWhSZjrms0s2eXsDUC1xloP68t7AK1xOWD4_HW6iVufoNaKBWQ-8fu3eMKGw-_SfquIQs-LZn3ODR0ErT/s320/green2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-65105754111116349042010-09-20T22:41:00.000+03:002010-09-20T22:41:28.089+03:00JOJOBA WAX EXPERIMENT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiPGkfvMlEoCCEVbNWR9I2_jUIdvfDr1njH8Y1Zz9qpEY85vNh1ZTi86BTuTY_BL6uQksuaaOxvdSFxXnYyFSw1x0l4PcyEnepUhCG4Gid9-fshbwFCJJXbFOE2uOl9CacUwIV8QErVJ-/s1600/jojoba2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjiPGkfvMlEoCCEVbNWR9I2_jUIdvfDr1njH8Y1Zz9qpEY85vNh1ZTi86BTuTY_BL6uQksuaaOxvdSFxXnYyFSw1x0l4PcyEnepUhCG4Gid9-fshbwFCJJXbFOE2uOl9CacUwIV8QErVJ-/s320/jojoba2.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I have made some nice soaps with beeswax before so I have long wanted to also try some other kinds of waxes. I bought some Jojoba wax at <a href="http://www.gracefruit.com/">Gracefruit </a>a while ago but have not been able to find any recipes with Jojoba wax on the Internet.<br />
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So I contacted Gracefruit customer care and asked for instructions on how to use Jojoba wax since I was not sure if I should take the wax into the lye calculation or not. In addition, I was not able to find the SAP value for it anywhere. I was really happy when I got an almost instant reply telling that if the Jojoba wax is being used at more than five per cent, it should be taken into the lye calculation and the SAP value of 0.160 should be used.<br />
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I decided to try it with a very small amount at first. I also chose some affordable oils just in case something would go wrong. <br />
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<b>Recipe: </b><br />
55% Rapeseed oil<br />
30% Coconut oil<br />
10% Castor oil<br />
5% Mango butter<br />
<br />
6% Superfat <br />
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I added 2.1% of Jojoba wax as a percentage of the oil weight. So this time I did not take it into the lye calculation because I only used such a small amount of it. <br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
Oven hot process<br />
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After the cook, I added a couple of tbsp of Titanium dioxide diluted in a small amount of water. I was not able to mix it evenly as you can see in the picture. The soap came out surprisingly soft but that might be due to the high amount of rapeseed oil. I'll have to try this recipe without the Jojoba wax to be able to compare. Anyway, this soap has a wonderful dense and creamy lather but leaves a bit sticky feeling. That might change when it cures.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-18772389974545042772010-09-03T22:22:00.000+03:002010-09-03T22:22:49.162+03:00FIRST TIME AT THE MARKET!I have a secret. I have spent the summer making the paperwork so that I could sell my soap. In the EU it is not that simple because the production of cosmetics is under licence. I had to find a safety assessor and then the government officials needed to judge if she was qualified or not. Everything turned out ok and I now have a licence!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2e85xJejnMO3QgW-s3PigRKxdCF1nPFBop3pfyIsFqvbcAdxC4MjKijOO7qSzQ6bXJ_f7LQt2B6ESOUzDN0wfBGr2MgbAkUtOH1yVJYzA0ax-RIJcgEbskousUwx6O28mkNQGeUnMmg4/s1600/pic1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2e85xJejnMO3QgW-s3PigRKxdCF1nPFBop3pfyIsFqvbcAdxC4MjKijOO7qSzQ6bXJ_f7LQt2B6ESOUzDN0wfBGr2MgbAkUtOH1yVJYzA0ax-RIJcgEbskousUwx6O28mkNQGeUnMmg4/s320/pic1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I had my first market sale last weekend and another on Thursday. They were little community markets that had small sections for crafts. At the first market there were only three of us at the crafts section. At the second market, there were about dozen or so. Yes, that is me in the picture wearing a down jacket in August!! Oh my, I really have the highest respect to people who do markets every weekend. It was really really cold. <br />
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During those two days I sold about 150 bars of soap. I don't have the experience to judge if that was a good or a poor result but it was nice to see so many people interested in my soaps. Anyhow it was fun to meet different people and other sellers who were really friendly and helpful.Heidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05034786954898543441noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7089945452458564544.post-75259370035907089422010-08-10T19:05:00.000+03:002010-08-10T19:05:10.843+03:00SUMMER'S BOUNTYSome pictures of what I've been doing besides enjoying the extremely hot summer. These are all salt soaps! Some of them have coarse and some fine sea salt. In all of them I used full water and 75% sea salt as percentage of oils. Using low temperatures and pouring at very thin trace it was possible to get the soap even into the tiniest molds. <br />
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The lions have been coloured with betacarotene and the round ones have green clay although they look more greyish than green.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xx1GloaboD7SbybH86Pb6XjXH3AUKHVEecZ5I-4DsVtfntoAPYkrtrlYwbUqjkSWsc0UA9BtxHpgn7qm01j28fupjNOBZvG2lbDyGtgVTCmEdR1BYNFl_e6CBHfNXZfLQHfFV8K-l-mX/s1600/pienet+kukat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xx1GloaboD7SbybH86Pb6XjXH3AUKHVEecZ5I-4DsVtfntoAPYkrtrlYwbUqjkSWsc0UA9BtxHpgn7qm01j28fupjNOBZvG2lbDyGtgVTCmEdR1BYNFl_e6CBHfNXZfLQHfFV8K-l-mX/s320/pienet+kukat.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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