Fresholi | Melting Pot Café

Hi Everyone, I too found my way here thanks to Tiggy's mention in her tutorial  ;)

My name is Clare, or Clear as friends call me .. I'm originally from Australia but moved to New Zealand (along with the kids) for the 'lifestyle', so this has been home for the last ten years .. I live in a small rural community (semi isolated by mountains) at the top of the South Island, and absolutely love it! 

I've been making soap just coming up a year now and am as passionate (read: obsessed) as the day I got up the courage to try my first batch .. I do RTCP (oils & Lye) as well as make lotions, scrubs, balms, body butter etc .. And I like to use a lot of local ingredients like Goats Milk, Manuka Honey, Herbs/Botanicals, Olive Oil, and even water collected Te Waikoropupu Springs just up the road ..

Anyhoo, that's a brief outline of me, but please feel free to check out my blog for more info - or ask via comments ..

I see a few names here that I recognise so *waves* to those I already know, and I look forward to getting to know and sharing with the rest of you  :-*

Welcome!!! Hope you enjoy it here, the more you post the more boards open up and, in case someone doesn't mention it (cos they're very shy and retiring) we do love pics on here!

Loving the monkey!!!

Emmm did I mention we love pics btw??

Hya and welcome. Theres loads on here and we are a very friendly bunch.

We are goiong al international its getting very exciting

Hi Clare, welcome to Fresholi forum. Please provideHoney with some pics. ::) Looking forward to seeing and hearing about your creations.

Eire

It's not just me!

Yer so mean to me Mrs  :rasp: and in front of company too!  :mwaha:

I wasn't being mean, I was aiding and abetting. ;D

Eire

lol, aiding and abetting - soapers are brilliant at that!

Ok, for your viewing pleasure: A Soap (Desert Rose: Oatmeal, Goats Milk, & Clay Castile)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4353270680_a20be5b178.jpg)
A Scrub
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/4390505901_0e548ccdf4.jpg)
A Balm (Kiwi Kisses)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2421/3659074582_d625f736cc.jpg)
A Lotion /Cream (Aloe & Rose Hip)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2666/3697091952_0db7ae9743.jpg)
And an Experiment (Vanilla Files)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/4371349235_6c4c695c8c.jpg)

*All my soapy p%rn in one spot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/artisansoaps/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/artisansoaps/)
but again, the blog (linky in sig) has regular photo updates - AND all the scent details of the above Vanillas  ;)

PS: Dang if you guys are quick to respond - I swear I only made a coffee and fixed my son an ice-cream cone!  :D

Hi Clare  :buttrf:

I love the description of where you love - it sounds so idyllic and peaceful.  :jealous:

And your soaps are stunning, really amazing, (and brilliant photography too  - I'm getting more jealous by the second here  :D)

I'm off to check your blog for my morning dose soap p%rn (though i've only just realised the clocks went forward to it's not as early as I thought)

Hi Clare,
That is a lot of lovely photo's, should keep Honey happy for a couple of minutes :mwaha:

G'day 'Clear' (te he.....)

It is lovely to have you here.  There are one or two who are originally from Oz but now live in the UK (with one set to return to Oz quite soon).  New Zealand sounds wonderful and it must be such a lovely lifestyle.  When I was little, my dad (who worked for British Gas) nearly took a position in NZ and we all were about to emigrate.  My parents decided not to in the end (a big decision I guess).

You take some amazing pics, they are presented so beautifully.  Those lovely swirls in the soaps and the creams look lovely and rich, smooth and creamy.  I love the look of the scrub and particularly like the lil' puppy dog that is obviously top model  ;)  :buttrf:

Thanks for the intro and for sharing the pics and I look forward to chatting with you around the boards.  :)

Hi Clear!

It's very nice to meet you (and your monkey) :)

I've had a look at your blog and I'm now following it. There are some really lovely posts on there and I love all of the pictures.

I've just started making HP myself and was a bit scared of making castille because of the long cure time but reading your posts has given me the confidence to give it a go. Now I just need to decide on a fragrance...

Kevin x

Hello and welcome!  :hi:

Love your products and the arrangements in the pics.
NZ sounds like a great place to live.  :buttrf:

Hi Clear

Loving the money, your pics are great, hope you are well today  :buttrf:

Hi Clear and welcome and what a fab introduction with all those beautiful pics   :buttrf:

Hi Clear....your location sounds idealic and your soaps look terrific.... :hi: :hi: :hi:  Love the name kiwi kiss.  Is it a lip balm???? It may sound a silly question but I had to ask..... :buttrf:

Hello there Clear - lovely pics!

Hi & welcome - love your pics too!   :)

Hello and welcome !!

I have a nosey round your blog and I love it. Your Vanilla experiment is brilliant. I think I should do one of those over here as well, although we do not have quite as much choice in Vanilla FOs, it would be interesting to see how strongly they discolour. Shouldn't be too hard, I think we only have 5 to chose from from 4 suppliers, lol (and 2 or 3 may be the same anyway).

Your photos are very very nice. They make your products look desireable. Love the doggie in the background of the Kiwi Balm and that Balm looks divine as well. Did you use a Kiwi FO or an EO blend for it ?

Kia ora ! Clear clair....I grew up in hamilton and before that lived in Te Awamutu, north island.Im guessing your in Nelson by the clues?!! my step mum lives in nelson and my half bro is at CHCH uni!!
Love your pics!
M xx
ps was waiting for a kiwi to turn up!!

I think you should too!! :D

There are a lot of fragrances that contain vanilla that would be good to test... A lot of coffee ones, for example.

Kevin x

Hello and welcome.  Yours soaps etc look lovely.

HI Clear! Lovely pics of some yummy looking products. Where in NZ are you? We had an amazing trip there a few years ago. Abel Tasman was wonderful are you anywhere near there?  :buttrf:

Hello Clear! Loving your soaps big style!

Hi Clear, nice to meet you!!  Loving your products  :)

Thank-You Everyone - you guys are all so lovely!!  :-*

@ Kevin - I adore a well cured Castile, and if you do a strong Lye solution strength (say 40%) you can reduce the wait by quite a bit .. I also find that the addition of things like Oats or Clay, GM, Honey etc can really improve the lather .. I always let people know that it's more of a 'lotion like' lather than the bubbles most expect from a bar or soap, and the most common feedback I get is that  "It feels luxurious" .. I hope you like it too!

@ Avril - Yes Kiwi Kisses is a Lip Balm,  however I must say my formula has vastly improved since I made that batch .. I've spent a lot of time working on this recently and think I now have it 'just right' ;)

@ madpiano - hey I know you! And I adore your avatar!!
The Kiwi is a flavour oil, and to be perfectly honest I don't care for it much so I no longer use it .. It's hard for me to get FO's too as I have to import everything, so equally it's expen$$ive .. I'm also testing for scent morphing/fading or sticking (in the soap and to the skin), and will soon be doing lather tests to see if that too discolours  ;D

@ michaela - Lets here it for the Kiwi's *YAY* - though technically I'm an Aussie .. Nelson is my closest City (big town), but I'm actually a couple of hours away, in Golden Bay .. My daughter is currently down in Christchurch studying hairdressing ..

@ Kevin (again) - Ohh you have good Coffee FO's over there? I'm desperately looking for a good strong Coffee scent that doesn't morph and sticks well in CP soap! Please do share any info on this ..

@ nakedtruthbeaut - I sure am near the Able Tasman! I live in Golden Bay = where the walking track ends, or starts, depending on which way you walk :D

Thanks again for the super warm welcome and lovely comments, I'm thrilled to have found this group {{hugs}}

Hi Clear! 

Glad to see you here too **waves**.  Everyone will love your experiments and lovely pictures!!

I've a bit more time to post now - after my brief greeting.

Child and her partner are aiming to come to NZ for a while - they'll need to be reasonably near to some goodly mountains for climbing and S, a doctor, will be looking for a hospital post in Accident and Emergency - Child would want to work in a Community Project - are you anywhere near any goodly mountains?

Hi Uki *waves back* I love your toe nails!!!

Hi ElaineJ - the valley I live in is between two rangers that have each boast a world renowned walking track (Abel Tasman & The Heaphy Track), but neither are what I'd describe as goodly mountains .. And there's certainly no A&E here as we're a small isolated rural community ..

I think they would best look at basing themselves in Christchurch with easy access to the Southern Alps - Mt Cook or even Wanaka area .. Or up on the north island around Mt Ruapheu, Mt Egmont/Taranaki  .. I don't know much about the Northern ones as I've only spent limited time there and an not a mountain climber or skier, but I go down south quite often as my kids grandparents actually live in the Mackenzie district - I love it! ;)

Hi Clear
Welcome, what lovely soaps
 :)

Hello and welcome, love your soaps and that pic of your vanilla experiment is great!

Thanks Clear.

Ooh Clear! You've got me daydreaming now. Such a wonderful part of the world. We stayed at Awaroa Lodge - it was a slice of heaven. Just wonderful. VERY specail memories. :buttrf:

Hi Clear,beautiful pics,very inspiring  :buttrf:

Indeed, it's magical here and I'm extremely lucky to be surrounded by 360degrees of natural beauty and call it home ..

@ ElaineJ - Happy to help!

& Thank-You Samantha ;D

S has been offered a post in the hospitlal in Hawkes Bay.

Child woul like something in Heritage - I said there's been mining in various parts of NZ but she said she's had enough of being underground for the time being (Victoria Tunnel Project in Newcastle upon Tyne) - so what's NZ like on Heritage please?

Not sure I can help on that one sorry as I've never been to Hawkes Bay ..

Maybe this could be of help though:
 http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/historic/by-region/east-coast-hawkes-bay/hawkes-bay/ (http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/historic/by-region/east-coast-hawkes-bay/hawkes-bay/)

Hawkes Bay Volunteer Projects:
http://www.doc.govt.nz/getting-involved/volunteer-join-or-start-a-project/volunteer/volunteer-programme-by-region/east-coast-hawkes-bay/ (http://www.doc.govt.nz/getting-involved/volunteer-join-or-start-a-project/volunteer/volunteer-programme-by-region/east-coast-hawkes-bay/)

Thanks

 :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: