Soap Talk

Indeed after many months, I am happy to say soap has been brought back to the shop!  It took a while to find the right supplier for a good quality soap base that was sodium lauryl sulfate free which I could then melt, rebatch and add my own oils and scents to .
  For  those not familiar with sodium lauryl sulfate or its other many names, it is a foaming agent added in cosmetic and bath products that is a suspected carcinogen,a strong eye, skin and/or lung irritant and can be toxic for the environment. An ingredient I choose to stay away from altogether in my soap for myself and my customers.

Why a base and not handmade soap form scratch??  Well at one time I looked into creating my own handmade soap from scratch using the cold or hot process method which I love the thought of using a cauldron outside over fire to make (ha-ha) or even by crock pot but I had a problem with the lye used to create these. I know you can't make soap without it and understand the saponification process changes it to where it is not longer active lye but because of my small children around I do not want the chemical in the house and .. I cannot stand the smell of the final soap product .

 Perhaps  there are others out there who feel the same way  but for me no matter who makes it or how much scent is used to create hand made soap this way there is an underlying, acidic and  foul chemical like smell that will never go away. I have friends who make this, I have bought from various reputable companies out there who sell handmade cold process soap and I do agree the the lather and  moisturizing properties of it are fabulous but still  the same  thing for each. That smell is still there and I can not get over it which  to me alters the lovely smell of the soap and makes it unenjoyable. Perhaps it is just me and my nose being super sensitive to this particular scent but my decision is to just stick with a melt and rebatch soap base. With this I know there is not a hint of that scent and I can add ingredients and my oils as I please in very small batches as needed.

 Though technically my soap is not created from "scratch" it still is very much hand made soap. From the heating and melting of the base, to adding all it's natural oils and ingredients, right down to the hand made labels added to a lovely wrapped soap created with love and care by my own two hands. Oh yes, handmade indeed :)

Spingtime Scents

I've been in Spring mode really since February because we had such a mild winter this year .I am not a fan of the cold and so warm weather is welcome anytime. To celebrate the warm weather I introduced two new scents with one really being for spring time the other more of a summer blend . The first is "La Mariposa" A beautiful blue lotus,basil, labdamun and grapefruit blend to give ode to Spring .My vision for this creation was sunny walks in the meadow, taking in the magical sights of new green grass beginning to grow again and springtime flowers and trees blossoming once more while the newly uncocooned butterflies catch the wind and take flight. I love how the basil gives the slight essence of green grass .
Alma Gitana, the second scent is more summer in a sense with tuberose and jasmine,spiced notes of patchouli, tobacco and plum. My vision for this was to capture the sense of gypsy spirit strong and bold with scents that one may encounter on a journey of wood , tobacco , campfires, wild flowers on the roads path and ripe fruit in orchards as one stops to rest on the way.

Indeed, two new creations very pleased with the results and that I am so addicted to that I wear one scent on each arm  for the day ! :)

The Holidays and What I shall do with my time ?

   I can safley say I am done with shopping for Christmas ... whooo the first time ever not to run out on Christmas Eve like a mad woman fighting  lines and traffic for gifts ! On Christmas Eve we are having family over a for a small party and I must say that this is the first year that I am excited about Christmas Holidays and entertaining.  Every year  I am a bit depressed over  being so far away from my family back home in Texas  so I get a little sad during this time. I miss the hustle and bustle of the family get togethers , my grandmother had 16 children and oh my what a family get together it is.I also miss the smell of  tamales  cooking in big witch like pots over the stove and  mexican cookies baking in the oven.  I try to recreate this and I did make tamales this year but not the same.I also miss my dad who passed away a year and half ago  but funny that I could almost feel him right next to me while I was making tamales watching and probably making fun of how I was spreading the masa. 

But over all my spirits for the season have been very high and well it's strange but I seemed to have been possessed by some home making spirit that is mixed with Martha Stewart and an Old Southern Belle Lady  who just loves to cook and decorate for the holidays. Too bad I don't have a Magnolia tree or it would have been stripped of it's leaves to make wreathes and mantle decor for the house!

 I also have the strange urge to make little appetizers, foo-foo cakes, and I  am browsing magazines like crazy to find the perfect holiday table set up .Yes indeed I  even looked into making wassel .. what the hec ? Oh well, I guess I just  should enjoy it and think about how many memories I am making with my two kids in doing this. I still have to convince my husband that I have not been abducted and that the cheese is very much still on my cracker...ooh cheese spread and crackers another thing I can add to the party menu
 (ha-ha!)
 I set the shop up to be on vacation until the 26th of December but  also I will be off from my regular day job until January 3rd.  I am just so over the moon at the time off! Hmm.. what to do  with this time? Well for one spend time with my little family , two CLEAN the house as it should cleaned which means getting out the vinegar and tooth brush , and third, let the creativity flow to make some new things for the store !

 Somewhere in there finish reading my new book on natural perfumery by Mandy Aftel. It is a good read, some parts a bit too poetic for my taste but so informative and gathering so much  from it that it has inspired a new line for Spring! I will keep you posted  I promise.

Well I am off to bake the foo-foo cake  for tomorrow, which is a white layered ,peppermint cheese cake...I posted a picture of  it courtesy of Southern Living Magazine of course.

I do hope that all of you have a Wonderful Holiday and a Very Happy New Year !

**Gypsy Blessings**

~Nina.

Winter Scents

November is barely here and already Winter scents are ready to go :) I had to get these out because the holiday rush will soon start for me . I think you will find that these scents are not the common overly sweet eggnog and pine scents for winter. Using natural material scents are limited to what I was trying to capture from the season. I had a bit of a hard time coming up with something that was not typical holiday and I found out late in the game as well though fresh pine smells are wonderful I cannot tollerate cyprus and fur essential oils! The scents were so nausiating for me and are tricky to work with as they dominate all other notes . I ended up with many little perfume concoctions that favored pine cleaners ..yuck !
I found juniper and cedar wood to quite pleasing so I drew inspiration from those and came up with "The Owl Moon" and "Winter Gypsy"

The Owl Moon is a scent of cedarwood blended with notes of vanilla and amber it has a woodsy smokey scent to this but with notes of sweetness and a powdery drydown to it. This came to be as I took inspiration of the wise owl in the winter sitting perched upon a cedar tree gazing at the moon . This scent I would say is neutral in ways as I think both genders may be able to enjoy it. Cedarwood is a universal scent that allows for that.

Winter Gypsy a very complex scent . This is a juniper blend with pear extract and cider spices . I added cocoa absolute to round it out and give a bit of essence of the season. Juniper took the place of the pine notes but the forest and pine essence is still there with this just not a dominant part. Juniper was so beautiful to work with I love it ! This fragrance inspiration came from the gypsy in winter who takes walks in the forest snow feeling the cold noth wind blow around her .I then think she would retire to her small house or wagon where she would sit by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa or cider staring at the flames with memories from years gone by keeping her company.

Well ,there you have it!Two new scents just in time for winter .Drop by and take a look !:)

New Items ,Prices and Soaps

 

  I added a few more items to the shop as  I'm gearing up for the Holidays offering sample  sets and gift boxes beacause that is almost upon us ! Trio  sample sets of bath salts and sample solid perfumes are now available in your choice of scents. The gift box is not as big as I would have liked it but  I'm so glad I made the choice to go smaller with this as shipping would have been a pain for anything bigger.  This is a small 3x5 black box   that includes a roll on perfume , solid perfume tin and a small bath salt sample all available in your choice of scent.Really pleased at how every thing turned out :)

On another note, many will notice an increase in prices at the shop. Yes,I have been putting it off for a year now and finally had to increase all of my items  as cost of supplies, oils and herbs  have gone up f so making my items takes a bit more now so the increase was inevidable. Soap as well is no longer available. I had a change in supplier midway throught he year and  I was not happy with the service also  the cost went up as well and to make these I did not really realize how much extra scent I had to add  to them  until I opened my eyes at the fact that my perfume oil stock was always running low. It  was not worth it in the end . I know many are dissapointed  my apologies perhaps further down the road I will try my hand at  making soap the old fashion way ;)
 I  think for now I am done with new items until December's seasonal scents .I do however have a plan for another set of oils I am currently working on that  involve sun, moon and stars, mainly infusions of  resins .These are really challenging to work with  but I love a challenge ! :)

 Two new scents for Fall have bewn created and are ready for sale on the Etsy shop  . I introduce to you "Autumn Embers", a bountiful blend of smokey, earth and leaf notes topped by candied spice and Season of the Witch,a dark spiced potion with wooded notes that give way to a haunting incense fragrance. A special blend in honor of the season and the witch in all of us .
These are available in all products accept candles for the time being . I am still working on those photos but they should be ready in a few days . All products in these scents will  be available for sale until the end of November .
Drop by the shop and take a look ! :)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MidnightGypsyAlchemy?ref=si_shop

Perfume Journal Project

Because I tend to lose things every now and then and misplace perfume recipies and ideas, I set out on a journey to create a perfume journal to where I could keep things safe. So with a  little creativity  I finished my project. I used what I had already to give it a personal touch but I bought the journal which was a $2 find at the local craft store.I made the cover from fabric of an old green velvet dress I had , the crow feather I found from our many family walks in the park and the black ribbon and key was left over from my doll making days . I found it all so fitting, so now I have a place to keep my alchemy secrets and recipes!  :)