where has the time gone ?

WOW I can't believe it's December already...the time has literally flown by.

Things have been really busy here at LM's...with the new wholesale site opening we just haven't had a minute to ourselves....and we've missed out on some playtime too, so no new creations.

We're hoping to get a unique range up and coming in the New Year with some fabulous fragrances and funky names to match...the new solid scrub bars have been going down a storm lately with some fabulous reviews....if you like a "hardcore" scrub then these are definitely for you.



we are definitely going to expand on this range whilst also improving our more liquid scrubs ...it's quite hard to get the right look with the labeling.


We've also been super busy on our facebook page with lot's of special prize draws and giveaways...we had a mega soap sale last Tuesday and it went down a treat....come on over and have a look if you haven't already.

We would like to wish all our customers new and old a very Happy Christmas & New Year.
LM

Revamp & new goodies

Well Lady Mucks has been having a slight revamp and am loving the way it's starting to take shape. Hopefully it won't be too long until it's all finished...here's the new logo

With a new look website there has to be new look packaging ( which is proving to be a bit of a mare ) and of course new products...so here's a glimpse of things to come...a solid body scrub scented in Red Grapefruit & Sugarcane with the spanky new packaging

If you're on Facebook come along and join me to keep even more upto date with all the latest prize giveaways and new releases just click on the new logo below ...the more fans the merrier and I would love to see some of my blogger followers there too.

July Product of the month

ok it's a hard one this month as I've been busily creating away in the Lady Mucks kitchen and come up with some fabby new Bath Meringues and the Blackberry & Apple sls free soap has been selling really well, sooooo I guess I'll feature both.

Passion Fruit Bath Meringues with a Shea & Cocoa butter filling



Choconilla Bath Meringues also with a Shea & Cocoa butter filling



These have been part of recent prize draws I've been having on the Facebook fan page so if you haven't had a look please do and sign up to become and fan to keep up with all the latest news and prize draws.

And finally...Blackberry & Apple sls free handmade soap



This has been selling so well these last few weeks I've lost count of how many loaves in total I've made.

June product of the month ~ Budding Romance Bath Bomb Heart

This months feature product:
Budding Romance ~ a blend of Egyptian White Musk and blushed pink rose buds. 150g each.

I've had a couple of wedding favour orders for these this month and several individual sales and I can remember why.....Seeing my drying rack filled to bursting point with rows upon rows of them and the sweet musky scent wafting down the hall following me everywhere I go...has had me in the mood for love today.

Simply beautiful

HP OHCP twists

I'm having such a great weekend playing around with soaps and bath bombs I thought I'd share my latest and spread the happiness here at Lady Mucks kitchen.

I saw a technique on the internet and thought I'd have a go so I tweaked my recipes because they are fast tracing and even faster setting and I need slower ones.

I bought some super sweet and creamy Sugar Frosting from one of my favourite supplies and decided it had to be a trademark pink & purple colouring.

Although I had tweaked and was sure of a slower setting mix it still went fairly quickly and had to frantically start the pouring process before it was too thick.

Before the spat in the oven:


after cooking and setting



and finally sliced



So whilst the creative juices were flowing I made this batch also , fragranced in Ocean Breeze

Seeing as a piping craze has hit the UK b & b shores I thought I may have to get in on the act....how pleasantly surprised was I

After a few bumbling attempts with a piping bag ( I am the most un-housewifey/domestic cook the world has ever seen ) I got there with a few lumps and bumps and then got totally carried away by dipping them in my mix.



I would really like to eat them...they are soooo tempting. So thanks Sandie for the fabby name of bath meringues consider it nabbed.

Still carrying on the the feel good vibes from the beginning of the week so I may have a go at a new CP soap tomorrow...

Spanky New Bath Bombs

A fabby morning in the kitchen having some fun kicking back and playing around with new designs and the results:
2 different designs of Passion Flower..I couldn't decide which colour combo worked the best..I wanted them to be a bit more defined rather than blobs but I can work on that.


And here's my other 2..a lemon & lime citrus blast ( will forgo the white central blob next time ) and a 2 colour swirl in Blackberry which I really fancy calling scramble to the bramble..it's a whacky day for me today :0)



Seeing as it's a positively charged start to the week with good vibes flowing I'm back off to the kitchen to have yet another go at a Blackberry ( now re-named scramble to the bramble ..what can I say I'm a sucker for weird and wonderful ) HP or CP loaf.

nightmare day

Ok so today's been a uber bad day with the soaping...well and yesterday too.
out of 4 batches of soap only 1 has turned out with good results.

What did I make ?
Castile
Spearmint scrub
Seville orange & Calendula
Blackberry Sorbet

what a mare it was..I tried to make Castile with the HP method and failed miserably..it took forever to trace and even longer to cook in the pan and even then it started looking weird with these funny oil pockets, so I stuck the blender back in an blitzed like heck. The end result is now a funny marbled white & cream loaf.

The Spearmint scrub was worse and ended up in the bin soon to be joined by my Blackberry Sorbet which has a layer of oil about 1cm thick on the top..the dam FO curdled it rotten.


and just to complete the disastrous day a 50g bag of red iron oxide decided to poof open in my face and all over the worktops and floor covering everything in a gastly red colour.


So the only success is now sitting proudly on the drying tray waiting to be used.


well I did say this blog was a "trial and tribulations of a soaper" and it's been one cock up after another. It can't all be good.
So my lesson from 2 days of disasters is:
HP ~ best for basic one colour or botanical soaps
CP ~ best for Castile and lots of colours and delicate patterns
OHCP ~ thick traced and layered soaps

Hot Process Cracked it

Ok so it's been a little while since I last Blogged but I have been busy in the kitchen trying to crack the Hot Process method and by jove I think I've got it.

I started off with small 500g batches and was so proud of my first successful batch which was fragranced with Bay Rum...plain and simple but heavenly.



Then I tried to be a bit too cocky and went for a 3 coloured layered one, fragranced in Aphrodite which is like a spicy cola. The colours were a nitemare and I ended up with white blobs of soap flecked throughout.



And today's creation is Red Grapefruit & Candy cane..I absolutely love the fragrance and the colours were much easier this time to blend in.


So all in all I am slowly getting there, but will ever aspire to create some of my own versions inspired by the wonderful soaps that are out there.

What a week

Well I tried to conquer the HP method of soap making and failed miserably ...I won't say what it looked like but let me tell you it wasn't nice.

After a good ole chat with another HP maker ( thank you ) I am going to try again...am a little bit more informed now.

So after my HP disaster I turned my attention to other goodies that I wanted to make and have to say I am way more happy with the results.
I made a delicious Body Latte fragranced in Ozone ( my absolute fav F/O at the moment ) and a Lavender & Chamomile infused Body Cream..the colour still needs working on as the infusion turned it to a murky grey.

Ozone Body Latte


My new bottles also came in this week which helped me to transform my Body Polishes, the tired drab looking pots have been replaced with a nice new squeezy Tottle. I can now make them slightly more oilier. Just got to work on the darn labels now..that is probably one of the downsides for me as I hate designing new labels with a passion.

A few fresh goodies

Had a really good morning today with some fabby new ideas and some new fragrances ~ here they are:
Ozone :A beautiful light sparkling blend of fresh aquatic marine notes with just a hint of white florals and foliage, added sea salt which is full of natural vitamins and minerals.

Secret Garden: Cornflower, Rose, Lavender and Calendula petals grace this bathing beauty with a sweet floral aroma.

At last a gorgeous black soap

Whilst mooching around my fav suppliers for new ideas I stumbled upon a Coal Tar fragrance oil. Now this is a bit like Marmite ~ you either love it or hate it ~ me I love it and have already made a load of pamper goodies for myself to try out.

I bought some specialist Cold Process colourants a while back and after a failed attempt at a black and salmon pink marbled soap I threw them in the back of the cupboard and vowed not to look at them again ( I am known for a strop when things don't go my way ) The said salmon pink & black soap came out a lifeless grey and murky pink and ended up being grated and used to wash my floors !

I however will not be thwarted and will strive to perfect the dreaded black soap.

So armed with my new fragrance oil, dusty bottle of black colourant dragged from the deepest darkest depths of the cupboard and some fabby blue clay, I strode with purpose into the kitchen to create something spectacular. 5 mins later I strode back into the front room with a cuppa to work out a new recipe on soapcalc. ( The mind boggles )

Half hour later with my creation resting in the oven I start to think that maybe just maybe I will have the perfect black soap.

Now with the Oven Hot Cold Process method although it speeds things up I am still like an over excited child on Christmas morning and just can't wait to get the soap out of the mould and poke it and prod it. Patience is a virtue I strive to achieve daily.

Several hours later and a nice worn foot path running from the kitchen to the front room this is what my soap looked like ......

It is a true shade of black but I do need to improve my photographic skills as no matter how many angles the flash showed up on the face of the soap..."turn the flash off I hear you shout maddeningly at your screens" .... nope it was too dark in the kitchen for it to have done any justice.

Easter Prize Draw results

***Easter Prize Draw***
Big drum rolll please .......The winner of the Easter Prize Draw is........Joanne Smith......Congratulations your Easter Goodie bag will be hopping along to you shortly.

Bath Bomb Madness

After a fairly stressful week ~ nothing went right ~ I plunged myself head first into supplies and set about making bath bombs with avarice.

I made a couple of nice new ones but had a few disasters ( see I told you everything was going wrong ). My favourite of them all was my two tone kissing dolphins scented in Surf Fresh



Am hoping that next week will be a much better week and full of cheeriness and light but just as productive.

Easter Prize Draw

***Easter Prize Draw***
All* website orders placed from now ( 3rd Feb ) to 3rd March will automatically be placed into a draw for a free Lady Mucks Easter goody gift bag. * one entry per customer. UK residents only. Winner will be announced on the front page of my website

After a hectic Christmas and New Year it's time to slip back into my soaping apron and get busy with some new creations. A couple of new idea's are brewing away frantically in my head ~ just got to decide which one to do first.....

A wider range of Shea & Coconut oil bath creamers ~ Fantastic hand creams made from a combination of skin nourishing butters and oils , these have been a huge success with friends and family aka Lady Muck's guinea pigs ~ shaving soaps, well the shaving soaps aren't an issue just the labels, the round labels !!!! I hate constructing new labels. Maybe the label fairy will come over and give me a hand ????

A new CCCS ( Credit Card Collection Service )option has been added to the website to make paying for your orders much easier, especially if you don't have a Paypal or Google account.