Ok - this is something of a brave move putting my face on the line. I wanted to have an honest and open discussion about beauty routines and I couldn't really do that without 'facing up', so to speak.  

Yesterday a lady dropped into my Soaperie asking whether she could place her product here for sale.  She patiently showed me through a compendium of her products yet I found myself drifting off into thoughts of the beer, honey, oat and goats milk bar I was about to pour.  

You see, this person makes a wide range of cosmetic products but the truth is that I use a very narrow range of products.  She'd have to do some really fast talking with copious samples before I could be convinced that I need serums, masks, anti-ageing cream, toners, gels and polishes.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I'm a big fan of beautiful active ingredients.  I study closely the benefits of amino acids, proteins, essential oils, anti oxidants, minerals and many more fabulous ingredients.  And there's no doubt that a trained eye might detect some improvement in my appearance if I was patient enough and dedicated enough to utilise natures wonderful cosmeceuticals. 

But the truth is, I'm a classic type B personality. It's not in my nature to single mindedly stick to a particular morning or nightly routine day in day out.   I have, in the past, become incredibly enthused at the beauty counter about how much better I would look if I'd just use a lip exfoliator or any number of other products. I diligently use them for awhile and then get distracted by whatever else is demanding my time.

This photo was taken at my son, Nathan's, wedding earlier in the year.  I was quite unwell at that time and had an operation the following week.  Since then I've been much healthier and have lost about 6 kilos but I just wanted to be honest to say 'this is me'.  And beside me is my beautiful son.

I'd love to hear about your beauty routine.  Has it changed since you were younger?  Is there a product that you just can't do without?  Is price a factor in your decision making or are your cosmetic products one thing that you refuse to compromise on?

In the spirit of sharing, I'll tell you about my 'routine'.  I'm not saying that my skin wouldn't be better off with other intensive products but I have come to know myself and accept that I will do what works and can be achieved eaily in the time I have available.

I have two soap racks in the shower.  On one, I have a small unscented goat milk bar (priced at $3-00). I wash my face with this bar and it is left feeling soft and smooth with no tight dry feeling that can be experienced with even the most expensive cleansers.  Goat milk reduces the pH of the bar and the lactic acid helps smooth and soften the skin.  

The truth is, most of Washpool Farm's soaps could also be used for the face, but bars such as the Unscented goat milk, Slice of Heaven and Renew Me are particularly good and are just that little bit more luxurious and moisturising.

On the other soap rack I have whatever soap I choose for my body. I've just finished a deliciously scented bar of StarMan and I'm about to start a bar of Lavender, Oatmeal and Honey. 

For some time now I've been using just a couple of drops of oil as my moisturiser.  You probably know that most moisturisers are a mixture of oil and water. Yes, oil and water don't mix - but they do when an emulsifier is used.  So, the basic components of moisturisers are water, oil, emulsifier, preservative and scent.  There's plenty of other lovely additives that may or may not be included, but that's the basic formula.  

I've found that I can use just a drop or two of Rosehip, Camelia or Evening Primrose oil to effectively moisturise my face morning and night.  If I want the oil to spread better I might wet my hands slightly, add a couple of drops and smooth it over my face.  

Now, if anyone is going to get spots it will be me.  The thing I've learned though, is that it isn't the oil I'm using that causes the problem.  At the moment my skin is quite clear but at the time of Nathan's wedding with crazy hormones and health related stress my skin wasn't clear.  I've come to accept that the best things I can do for my skin is drink water, exercise, reduce stress and eat a healthy diet.  

We've established that most moisturisers are actually oil and water anyway so I'm just skipping the water.  Works for me.

Here on the Granite Belt the weather is getting cooler and drier, so I'm aware that the time will come when I want a little more moisture on the surface of my skin. You might know that we've been working on the formula for our all natural bath bombs and I've been one of the willing human testers.

Australian Pink Salt, Epsom Salt, Essential oils and Grapeseed oil are perfectly balanced to provide a relaxing bathing experience that will leave your skin feeling soft, soothed and moisturised.  

So, that's it.  Not complicated, not expensive.  Facial Soap $3-00 to $6-00, Body Soap $6-00, Facial Oil (a tiny fraction of the cost of moisturiser - contact us for details), Bath Bomb $5.00.

Oh, there ARE just a couple of other products that are on my 'must have' list:  Sulphate Free Toothpaste and Calendula Ointment (made locally) that helps keep the occasional dermatitis outbreak under control.  

Your turn to share. What's your beauty routine?

Washpool Farm took a major step during February opening its' doors to clients to drop in Monday to Saturday.  The decision was a tough one, as we considered the demands of a young family and farm but we've always had the attitude that the business should involve the children rather than be an either/or proposition.  

This Dutch style building is perfectly suited to our needs:

1)  It's directly opposite the primary school, so I can drop the kids at school and work until school finishes.

2) It has a commercial kitchen, as it was once a restaurant.

3) It has a separate queen sized room and ensuite where the kids can do homework and guests can stay

4) It's just off the highway and on a major route to the local wineries, so passing traffic is assured during the high season (which is winter, by the way, as visitors come to enjoy good wine and log fires).

The heat of summer seams to have passed and the nights are becoming cool.  We've already recorded a minimum of five degrees so it's a case of lovely fresh mornings and comfortable daytime temperatures.  Dahlias are still flowering in gardens throughout the region. The girls' Grandma grew these lovely specimens for us.

While we're still attending our local artisan market in Stanthorpe we're really enjoying having permanent retail space as it means we can add carefully chosen complementary handcrafted products.  We now stock a beautiful range of certified organic beeswax candles and handcrafted porcelain containers to match.  Research confirms that pure beeswax candles ensure the purest air quality of all available waxes.  These organic beeswax candles make the perfect earch conscious gift when combined with any one of our biodegradable, gentle soaps.

A couple of weeks ago I issued a challenge to a friend of mine who makes beautiful things with galvanised fencing wire.  It's a real struggle to find the perfect soap rack that will allow handcrafted soap to dry out nicely.  Well, this week Jayne, a country gal who can wield a set of fencing pliers with ease, dropped some prototype soap racks off to the soaperie.  This is the counter top version and she's also made an over shower one.  When this soap rack hit our facebook page there was a great response from interested buyers, so watch out for these unique pieces as they are offered exclusively by Washpool Farm.

We've been hand making bath bombs for your bath time relaxation and pleasure.  As our skin is at it's most open and vulnerable while we're soaking in a bath, we decided to stick to natural essential oils for scenting and pigments for colour (as opposed to dyes).  The Bombs also include organic rose hip oil and natural Australian mined food grade sodium bicarbonate.  We plan to expand the line with Australian mined epsom salts for an intensely relaxing bath experience.  Bath bombs are available in the same natural scents as our foaming handwash - Vitality (lemongrass), Love (lavender, mandarin), Drift Away (grapefruit blend) and Positivity (grapefruit and lime). They will leave your skin feeling clean, soft and moisturised.

Other new products to come off the curing rack include a fun range of our own unique cupcake style; Rosemary and Mint loofah bars to smooth out rough skin; exfoliating salt soap made with mineral rich Australian pink salt and an everyday soap range - chunky, no fuss bars of soap made with fabulous ingredients such as shea butter and extra virgin olive oil at a very affordable price.  Keep watching the website for new releases or follow us on facebook for up-to-the-minute happenings at Washpool Farm -  https://www.facebook.com/WashpoolFarm

So you don't like to use soap on your skin?    I can see why you might have made that decision. After all, many of the commercial 'soap' bars on the supermarket shelf are quite harsh and drying.  

What are the alternatives to using soap then?  This week I spent some time lurking in the personal care aisle of our supermarket.  I found some very appealing products with pretty coloured packaging, reassuring words like 'nourishing', pictures of fruit and mention of naturally sweet scents such as pomegranate.

Some brands come in both bar form or liquid, so I could take my pick.  If I was in a hurry, I'd toss these  yummy smelling, nourishing products into my trolley confident in the fact that I'd made a good choice for my family.  With limited time, I'd move onto the dairy department, where I'd carefully examine the ingredients on the spread to make sure I wasn't feeding any trans fats to my children.

But what if I did take the time to turn over my body wash or beauty bars.  Here's a list of what I'd find:  

Liquid - Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate/Sodium C12-13 Pareth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinae, Lauric Acid, Fragrance Sodium Lauroyl Isethonate, Glycerin, Heliathus Annus (Sunflower Seed Oil), Punica Granatum Fruit Juice, Lippa Citriodora, Flower/Leaf/Stem Water, Sodium Palmitate, Sodium Isethonate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Stearic Acid Sodium Stearate, Coconut Acid, Myristic Acid, Capric Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, BHT, Carbomer, DMDM Hydantoin, Methylsothazolninone, Cl16255, Cl 77891.  

Bar - Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Stearic Ac id sodium Palmitate, Aqua, Lauric Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Sodium Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Parfum, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Zinc Oxide, Tetrasodium eDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Alumina Cl26100, Cl 77891.

So, do these ingredients pose any risk to the health of my family?   In some cases you will find these ingredients listed on a number of websites with reference to the 'danger' they pose to human health, based on an experiments on animals.  I'm certainly not suggesting that any of the ingredients I've listed are likely to cause health problems.  

What I am saying is this.  Why use a product with a long, complex list of ingredients when there's a viable alternative with simple ingredients?  Washpool Farm makes soap ranging from single ingredient (extra virgin olive oil) to multiple ingredients (shampoo bars). The difference is that you'll recognise what's in them.  

We don't claim to nourish your skin or moisturise, like we've seen on some cleansers.  We give you credit for being smart enough to know that the purpose of your cleanser, whether it be liquid or bar, is to gently remove unwanted oils and dirt without stripping your skin of its' natural defenses.  

We know you're busy, but please, take the time to read what you're putting on your skin. Ditch the long list of unknown ingredients in favour of simple, natural alternatives.  Handmade natural soap is the informed choice for you and your family.

We're delighted to complete our Palm Oil Free, all natural and Vegan series - for now.  From left to right - Drift Away, Vitality, Positivity and Love essential oil blends.  

Why introduce palm oil free soap, you might ask?  As you may know, Washpool Farm currently uses certified organic, sustainable palm oil.  This oil does not originate from the Malaysian continent, where palm oil trees are grown at the expense of virgin forest and the fauna and flora that rely on that forest for their wellbeing.  

Simply put, we believe in the right of our customers to exercise choice over the ingredients in the products they use.  In a bid to reduce costs, some soap makers give their consumers the choice between sustainable and unsustainable palm oil.  To our way of thinking this still means that the soap maker is complicit in the destruction of native forest, so this isn't the approach we take, regardless of the financial implications.  

Our organic, sustainably grown palm oil is a beautiful product that offers mildness and hardness to our formulations.  We consider that paying more for sustainable product establishes an incentive for growers, co-operatives and communities to take up sustainable practices.  It's important to bear in mind that it is poverty that drives the destruction of virgin forest. 

Having said that, it is possible to make a lovely bar of soap without palm oil and we understand that some of our customers might want to make the choice to use palm oil free soap.  If this is you, you can be confident that you are buying a well formulated bar that is not only palm oil free, but also suitable for vegans (being free of goat milk or beeswax).  All bars in our Naturale range are naturally coloured and scented with pure essential oils.

I'm not the kind of gal to be easily spooked but after a couple of days of these celestial eyes looking at me I found that I just couldn't get David Bowies' Star Man out of my head.  Maybe telepathy, maybe I was hypnotised as I stared deeply into the spirals (when you're trying to avoid doing the paper work ANYTHING is a good distraction).  I hesitate, maybe it's a little sexist to call such a delicious unisex scent Star Man.  But wait - I'd certainly sneak off with him to the bathroom, so why not? And what a fortunate coincidence that Star Man is scented with Star Anise, along with a good size blob of warmly sweet Vanilla Oleoresin.

The charcoal grey swirls have been formed with Activated Charcoal.  I just love an ingredient that functions - not only does it lend great colour and interest to the bar but activated charcoal also has the ability to purify, by absorbing unwanted build up on the skin before being rinsed away.  

I think of this scent as one for grown ups.  The Aniseed and Vanilla perfectly complement each other, with neither dominating.  The scent is delicious and warming without being overpowering.  Every single bar is uniquely patterned and the gentle formula is perfectly suited to normal skin types.

Little did we know that in the same week as we cut 'Olive Crush' for the first time, REM would announce that they were breaking up as a band after over 30 years.  You may have noticed some 'song inspired' titles creeping into our soap bar line up and, we have to admit, that Olive Crush was inspired by REM's 'Orange Crush'.  The title just works for us, because not only do we have a crush on Extra Virgin Olive Oil as our primary soap making oil, but we're also proud to be using oil that results from the first crushing of olives, not some of the more dubious mechanical and chemical extraction methods.

Unlike the Orange Crush song, that refers to the chemical 'Agent Orange' used in the Vietnam War, which caused and continues to cause so much destruction and sickness, Olive Crush is the direct result of a quest for purity and simplicity.

Olive Crush is a 100% Castile soap - in other words it is made with olive oil ONLY.  Now, there are some soap bars around claiming to be 'Castile' that contain a range of other oils, including palm and coconut oil.  Please read the ingredients if you're ever in doubt.  Washpool Farm Olive Crush is 100% pure Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  It was pressed just over the border in NSW in June of this year. How's that for fresh?

Oh, you may be wondering how we managed to achieve the look of olives and olive oil splashes through the bar.  The spashes were made with pure olive leaf powder.  Olive leaves are rich in antixodants - in fact 400% more than Vitamin C.  

Who is this bar suited to?  

Allergy Sufferers - Allergy sufferers needs to narrow down their exposure to possible irritants.  Single ingredient bars such as Olive Crush make life a little bit easier for allergy sufferers to make safe choices.

Facial Cleansing - Olive Crush is suitable as a facial cleansing bar.  Olive Oil is known to be one of the kindest to human skin by laying down a protective layer and attracting moisture to the skin.  Being naturally free of perfumes and other harsh cleansing ingredients Olive Crush makes a great choice for face and all over gentle body cleansing.

Vegans -- Olive Crush is suitable for Vegans and those people opposed to the use of Palm Oil in the products they use.

Babies & Children - Olive Crush is unscented, and is therefore suitable for small children and babies who might be sensitive to ingredients in commercial soap bars and liquid cleansers.

Olive Crush is a lovely everyday cleansing bar suitable for the whole family.

What have I done?   Why oh why would I meddle with a bar that's been hugely popular?  The reason - I'm going to let a little more of my soap 'personality' shine through.  I'm going to be true to myself and what I think makes fabulous soap.  

I used to get in trouble from helpful critics because so many of my soaps were in shades of beige. Sometimes they'd range through caramel to chocolate, sometimes to creamy 'latte'.  What can I say - beige makes me feel calm.

But it would be a dull old world if all of us were the same. Over time, I've had to accept that many of our customers liked their bars to not only smell fantastic, be kind to their skin but to be pretty and a little bit clever as well.  Fair enough, I can do pretty and maybe even clever soap - a quirky soap ball floating through the bars here, a stunning combination of colours in a column swirl there.  

The photo above is our current Slice of Heaven bar - sweet, gentle and soothing.

I suspect that because I'm not a visual person, (don't ask me what I wore yesterday) I don't choose which bar I want to use based on how it looks.  If you check out my bathroom you'll find a number of my soapy favourites such as Slice of Heaven, Oatmeal and Honey and the deliciously gentle wattleseed scrubbiness of Aussie Bushwalk Lemon Myrtle - and yes, a full basket of washing waiting for my attention.

We originally designed Slice of Heaven to be so gentle it could be used to wash your face, so naturally sweet that your skin and bathroom smelled fabulous and so pure and simple that even people with delicate skin would enjoy bathing in its' creamy goat's milk goodness. Some things should never change and Slice of Heaven still delivers.

The photo above is Slice of Heaven - newly poured today.

So what did I tweak?  I swapped out the white mineral colourant that I'd used to make the soap look more appealing - heavenly even - in favour of Australian Pink Mineral Clay.  

Why did I tweak?  I guess I'm testing a question that's going around in my head.  If a customer is well informed about the wholesome benefits of a particular formula, will they choose the bar that is most visually appealing or the one that will provide the best results for their skin?  I should add that Australian Pink Clay cleans and softens the skin and helps to remove toxins and dead skin cells.

Of course, the challenge for me is to make beautiful, visually appealing bars where each ingredients I use contributes meaningfully.  I'd love to know what you think so please feel free to add your comments.

(Photo credit - New Directions Australia, suppliers of quality Australian Clays.)

Oh yes, the sale!

Until current stocks of Slice of Heaven run out, we're offering a discount of 10% off your entire order, as long as it includes at least one bar of this beautiful, sweet soap. Just enter the code 'heaven' at checkout and the discount will be applied. I should add that due to super cool temperatures when we cut this bar last time the bars are slightly irregular, because they chipped a little as we pass the knife through. Same great formula - just a tiny bit 'wonky'. Be quick - this is only while the current stocks last.

Clearly there's two sides to the lovely Miss Jekyll - the gorgeous slate gray of detoxifying activated charcoal on one side and the gentle creaminess of goat's milk on the other.

But don't go thinking Miss Jekyll is unbalanced!  We've selected the very best of skin balancing essential oils to help you even out some of the problems associated with combination skin. You'll love the subtle, fresh scent of geranium, lavender, palmarosa, rosemary and sandalwood essential oils as they go about improving your skin. 

So what's this activated charcoal thing all about?  A teaspoon of activated charcoal is said to have the surface area of 10,000 square feet (pardon the imperial).  Charcoal has the ability to attract impurities on the skin, allowing them to be washed away. 

As for goat's milk - you already know how kind to your skin it is. 

Use this bar anyway that suits.  Try the charcoal side for oily, problem areas and the goat's milk elsewhere or just rub your hands over both sides to work up a fabulous skin smoothing lather.

Sometimes I get a little frustrated with the mis-information that surrounds the subject of soap. On one hand I hear people saying that they'd never put soap on their skin, and on the other I hear people saying that their soap 'treats' conditions like eczema or dermatitis. So which is it? Is soap bad for the skin or an amazing cure for nasty skin conditions?

If you've been following this blog or the Washpool Farm website for a while you'll know that what passes for 'soap' in supermarkets is often what's known in the business as 'syndets' - or synthetic detergents. Typical ingredients include synthetic emulsifiers, animal fats, hardeners, surfactants and scent masking agents. If this is the 'soap' people are referring to then certainly there is little in these bars that would contribute to good skin care.

For some as yet unexplained reason I've started getting dermatitis on my hands. The condition started at Christmas time and has continued, on and off since then. You may just be able to detect the last bumps of a 'flare up' I suffered recently. Naturally, I've been wondering what would cause this problem. Perhaps it was originally stress related - it started during the devastating floods that hit Queenland at Christmas time. Our whole family was 'flooded in' in Brisbane, unable to return to the farm. I also have to acknowledge a hereditary element - my Mother and my Son have suffered from this condition. My research also tells me that people who suffer allergies such as hayfever may also be prone. That would be me.

This week I had reason to submerge my hands in soap suds for an extended period of time (up to an hour) as I was washing the molds we use for soap making. The soap I was working with was our goat's milk formula in nanny goat molds. I thought it would be really interesting to test how my hands coped with such extended exposure to quite a concentrated soap solution.

By the way, people often ask me if our handmade soap lathers well. I'm sure you'd agree that this gentle formula has plenty of lather.

Back to my experiment - hands coped well with soap at much higher concentrations than would normally be experienced during bathing. Three days later I still have had no new dermatitis breakouts.

So, does this mean that Goat's Milk Soap treats dermatitis? I think not. I'm well versed in the benefits of using Goat's Milk in soap - it lowers the pH level of the finished bar closer to that of human skin, it contains vitamins and minerals, it's more moisturising due to the fat content in the milk, the alpha hydroxy acids help remove dead skin cells and soften the skin. All these elements may well mean that quality goat's milk soap is a good choice for people with sensitive skin - but the real benefit is in the ABSENCE of ingredients that can sensitise the skin or dry it out, making it prone to new outbreaks. (When I say quality, I mean made on 100% goat's milk - no added water. It must also be made on the most skin friendly oils - like Almond, Castor, Grapeseed, Olive and Organic Certified Sustainable Palm oil - this is the way we make our Goat's Milk Soap).

In my humble opinion, Goat's Milk Soap helps the skin by not irritating it and allowing the skin to heal itself. I stress that I don't recommend that people with highly sensitive skin expose themselves to concentrated goat's milk soap solutions. I suggest that for children we give the soap a 'swish' through their water or a quick rub on their washer before putting the bar up to dry. For adults with sensitive skin it's fairly similar. More soap is not better - it is simply there to cleanse you, without causing irritation and dryness.

Hope this helps!!

You just know you're in the right job when you wake up in the morning, excited to practise your craft. Warren and I have long been fascinated by the patterns that arise when different tools and methods are applied to soap making. Like glass blowers, we're working with a liquid medium that will later set hard. It's a thrill to capture the beautiful liquid movements of the soap as it makes its way across the whole area of the mould.

A little while back we were asked to prepare a custom soap for a Mother's Day Promotion, to be held at the Cellar Door Cafe. All the Mums were thrilled to find little brown paper packages tied with pink ribbon on their tables when they arrived - filled with Lemon, Lavender and Mint Soap and matching organic lip balm. Nathan and Sarah at the Cellar Door Cafe have told us that their customers have come back looking for the same bars, so we've decided to add them to our regular line.

Another of our wholesale customers, Steff Kennett at Cosmic Jam in Robe, South Australia has also asked us whether we could make this one with goat's milk. We've done just that Steff! Lavender, Lemon and Mint bars are scented with essential oils - no synthetic fragrance. They are coloured with pigments - no dyes are used in Washpool Farm soap. These bars are formulated to be gentle for customers with normal skin. Washpool Farm also makes a wide range of bars for people with allergies and skin sensitivity. Please feel free to contact us to discuss your needs. Lavender, Lemon and Mint will be available on the website as soon as it has cured - approximately four weeks.

A natural consequence of making soap in a kitchen is that everything in sight becomes a potential vessel or tool for doing something new with our soap. The temptation to run our Lavender Goat's Milk bars through the slicer was too great. The effect was as we'd hoped - gently curved slivers of purple to set into a buttery lemon soap batter.

Unfortunately for the dedicated fellas who help out with the wrapping, this will be a case of art getting in the way of practicality. Bumpy soaps are hard to shrink wrap. The usually mild mannered men in this house turn slightly psycho and it's best not too listen closely to the muttering and scrunching that comes from the wrapping table. Errr, think I might need to do some shopping when this little treasure hits the wrap table.

I should add that the bars are arranged in a maze pattern for a reason. All too often Warren has found himself qualifying for the world domino championship when carefully arranged rows get a tiny bump and collapse. After much experimentation (and more muttering, no doubt) he reckons that this pattern is least likely to collapse on the way to the curing room.

Let me apologise at the outset to my Northern Hemisphere friends. I know you've been freezing your butts off and can't wait for Winter to be gone. Five more days, in theory. Ha ha!! It's been hot here during February - hot, dry and now windy. After all the rain we had in early Summer there's a big body of grass on the property, but it's hayed off and really needs some rain. Warren said that just the other day a neighbour was slashing his roads and caused a spark that burned over 100 acres.

This one's for you Connie. When the cold gets too much, just dream a little dream of the sweet juicy tomatoes you'll be growing soon. We've been harvesting our organically grown crop - ox hearts, cherry, an unnamed yellow one, tear drops and Roma. If you look closely you might see the evidence of a minor grub attack or a bird peck but there's been plenty to share. It's very early days in our quest for self sufficiency and we've just about done everything wrong so far - tomato rows too close together, not staked early enough and no clue as to what insect actually deposited the larvae that turned into grubs. Neverthelesss, we've been mighty fortunate to be able to keep ourselves in tomatoes for the season.

Luckily for us, the girls treat the cherry tomatoes like lollies. We've taught them to keep their lips shut while munching, after finding many a trail of seeds down the front of their shirts. The healthy lunch policy at school recommends a daily fruit break and I pack six firm ripe cherry tomatoes for each of the girls each day (occasionally they have locally grown black muscat grapes that are also in season right now).

We think that the Gods of Soap have smiled upon us at Washpool Farm today. We held our breath when the blade ran through the log for the first time, hoping that what we dreamed in our mind was translated in the soap. What do you think of Orange Creme Chai Chocolat? This luscious bar carries notes of chocolate and chai tea, along with essential oils of orange, lemon, bergamot, patchouli, cinnamon and clove.

We may have been in a bit of a soapy rut and felt the need to challenge ourselves with some new designs and techniques. When we first started out making soap we made a huge variety. We'd go to bed reading soap books and wake up with a need to make a new soap. Sometimes it would be designed just for pleasure, other times it would be with a particular need or purpose in mind. Over time our customers have let us know what they like and don't like and we've accepted that some soaps needed to be dropped from the range.

These large, sweet, luscious bars are heading into the curing room today but will be available in plenty of time for Easter (sorry for mentioning the E word in February - just that we need to work well ahead of time to allow for curing). We've also made Berry Chocolate and Peppermint Creme Chocolate over the last couple of days. We'll get some photos of these uploaded soon!! Promise!

Of course, we don't expect things to go exactly to plan EACH day! The first and foremost requirement when making great soap is to use quality ingredients in the right combination. The second requirement is rather more tricky. Temperature. Soapers, the world over deal with an amazing range of climatic conditions. Indeed, here on the Granite Belt we experience temperatures ranging from sub zero to mid thirties (celcius, that is).

Now, our Oatmeal, Goat's Milk and Honey formula heats up more than some other formulas due to the honey and goat's milk. Being Summer time, when we last made it we had some overheating problems. This is an aesthetic thing only - the soap cuts darker than we're used to. It's no big deal really, we just grate up the batch and set it again in a new formula and make sure the temperature doesn't rise too much.

Because the batch looks a little different to usual, we're offering Sale Oatmeal, Goat's Milk and Honey Soap to you for HALF PRICE. This is a lovely everyday soap for everyone - goat's milk, oatmeal and honey is a timeless combination.

As the sun sets on a wonderfully wet Spring, we don't even look like winding down for the Christmas season. Warren has been rained in here at Ballandean so we've been busy working in the garden, making soap, attending to the needs of our cattle, re-housing our chooks and cooking up good things with the bountiful fruit and veges that are in season here on the Granite Belt.

One evening I looked out our kitchen window and saw the walls of our shed cast with a brilliant golden pink glow. We all rushed out and enjoyed a stunning sunset over Sundown National Park.

As with most things, Warren and I work as a team in our soaping adventures. I've really come to rely on him when making soap and he's so experienced now that we can make decisions together to achieve what we're aiming for. This is our very popular Vanilla, Patchouli and Sandalwood. Most times you don't get to see the full effect of our swirling, as each bar only captures a part of the whole. This is what it looks like when we're finished playing with a chopstick on the top. Vanilla, Patchouli and Sandalwood is a fantastic combination and has proven to be a favourite for both men and women.

We've had our first successful garlic harvest this year. Last year our 'crop' was pretty disappointing. I think all the natural rainfall really made a huge difference this time. We've also built up our soil with compost, hay and manure quite a bit over the year. Whatever it was, we're really delighted to be able to throw two whole heads into the roasting pan with our organic lamb from Andrew and Helen Ferrier at Mallow Organic Lamb. The girls love squeezing the sweet garlic onto their plate to eat with their lamb and veges.

Caught without our usual sour cream accompaniment, I made a dressing with crushed raw garlic, mint, lemon and greek yoghurt. Given the positive feedback I think we'll be repeating that recipe.

The girls learned to plait their garlic at their school Garden Club.

Today some of the carrots were dug up, topped and washed ready for eating. I cut up a large carrot with purple skin and orange flesh for the girls to munch on at afternoon tea time. I'll look up my latest edition of Organic Gardening tonight to see what I can plant next in the available space.

Last year I made Apricot Butter using local fruit from Golden Grove Estate Winery. The recipe basically suggested that if I cooked the jam-like mixture for an additional 15 minutes after it reached gel stage I could set it and cut it into wedges or squares to serve on a cheese or antipasto platter. The recipe worked perfectly. I froze the Apricot Butter in portions and Warren is still enjoying the result of our efforts. I have to admit, though, that not all things go to plan around here and we haven't managed to replicate last years success. We waited to get to a gelling stage but it just wasn't happening. In the meantime our beautiful fruit was getting darker. Taste testers have kindly told us our product would be nice in a casserole. Not to be deterred I'll be hunting around for some more apricots in the next few days as I hope to surprise Warren with a successful batch. We can't let a little setback beat us, can we?

I have to admit to being a bit of a 'tweaker' when it comes to soaping....or cooking....or arranging furniture. There just always seems to be some little change I could make to improve on whatever I'm doing. Typically with cooking recipes I'll reduce the sugar or oil a little (not that it helps my waistline - but it's nice to know that if I have seconds it won't be quite as 'nourishing'!!)

Unlike cooking, soaping can take quite a while longer before we can make assessments and implement changes. Sometimes we know when we pour a batch that it 'saponified' a little too quickly. We make a note to reduce harder oils and increase softer oils such as Sweet Almond Oil, Grapeseed or Olive. Occasionally we make assessments at cutting time. If a batch is a little too 'sticky', we may need to decrease the castor oil and increase another. After curing, which can take 4-8 weeks we'll try our soap ourselves. We can make small changes to increase moisturising or creaminess or lather if it's needed.

One of the major changes we've made with our Lemongrass soap had nothing at all to do with formula. A year ago, frustrated with the colour and freshness of our purchased calendula petals, we decided to plant our own. The petals are harvested regularly and air dried in our soap room with the dehumidifier going. The result is these lovely, bright orange blossoms grown without chemicals and as fresh as they can be.

Studies have proven Calendula to have anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties. Calendula petals are also recommended for the treatment of acne and to sooth irritated tissue.

This is one recipe that will be stamped with "DO NOT TWEAK" across it. Our Lemongrass soap is jam packed with healthy goodness, not to mention an earthy-fresh scent. There is nothing more to be done except plant more calendula seeds.

Next year will mark a momentous event in the life of our family, and for two of us especially. Next year our youngest farmgirl is off to prep full time. After twelve years with a little one at my feet, I will find myself alone on the farm for large chunks of time. It's a time I've been dreaming of, planning for and dreading - all at the same time. I can't even imagine how it will feel not to look out the window and see her holding her favourite chook, patting the dog or singing in her dressups on the trampoline.

Of course, I won't quite be alone. There will be cattle to check, dogs to chat to and chooks to growl at for scratching out my newly spread mulch. But none of this will replace my little farmgirl, who chats and sings and makes me laugh. When my eldest son was entering school I could see a time when he wouldn't need me as much, so I made myself busy as a mature age student studying a Bachelor of Education. Faced with that same feeling of impending emptiness, this time I'm planning to fill my time with creative pursuits.

Not too long ago, I dusted off my trusty Janome sewing machine (not literally, although it did take a while to loosen up). With one farmgirl it was still getting quite a bit of use, but when farmgirls two and three came along there just didn't seem like enough time for sewing. Now, it feels different. I find myself wanting to 'play' with fine cottons and pretty trims. I grew up with a sewing Mum. In our home it was normal for kids to play with scissors, pins and little pieces of scrap fabric. I'm sure my son learned to crawl early because he was so determined to get the scissors and pins that were put out of his reach, while Mum and I cut out on the floor.

I've been building up my fabric stash for a few months now, and delving into my Mums considerable reserves of beautiful quilting and dressmaking fabrics. Together, we've been planning, drafting, cutting and sewing. Over the next few weeks we'll be introducing our Modern Country Aprons and Farmgirl Clothes. Aprons will be introduced in a range of sizes 3-5 yo ($15), 6-8yo ($20), 9-11yo ($25), size 12-14 adult ($30), and size 16-18 adult($30). We know that the right style of apron will flatter the female form, so we've taken great care to use fabric and design elements to make you feel good - no matter what the task at hand is.

Three generations of 'women' stepped into the Craft and Quilting fair in Brisbane last Friday -my Mum, my Daughter and I. My eldest farmgirl described it as a 'jaw dropping' experience. This was my first Craft and Quilting fair and I had a ball. I came home with some lovely new variegated cotton thread, some fun 'farm themed' applique patterns, the dainty print fat quarters that grace this blog page, cutting blades, needles etc. As I was busy up with markets yesterday, this was my first day to get these lovelies washed and dry. Luckily for me the clouds parted to reveal a beautiful day. I can't wait to start matching up colourways to make some little farmgirl dresses. (Pretty Fat Quarters were purchased at the Rose Patchwork Cottage stall - owned by a lovely, talented couple and great value for money.)

When the moon hits your eye like a big-a pizza pie, That's Amore. When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, That's Amore. This song has never really left my head since the day I first saw the movie 'Moonstruck', starring Cher and Nicolas Cage. I'm not alone in my love of this great movie as it was voted in the top ten for the 'romantic comedy' genre in 2008, over twenty years after its' release. So, when I pondered a new soap to be released for the upcoming Wedding Expo in Stanthorpe, I just knew it had to be called 'Amore'. This beautiful soap with voluptuous swirls of red-pink through a soft cream base is sure to cast its' spell over you. Amore is scented with the most romantic notes of lavender, citrus, patchouli and rose with hints of coconut and musk.

It's the first weekend of the Spring school holidays in Queensland. There's light rain outside with more predicted. For a family who, like many others across rural Australia, has experienced more than their fair share of drought over the past ten years it's good to have a wet start to the growing season. I want to let you into our world on this Sunday morning. A special day for me - one to be remembered. Not because it's a birthday or some special occasion but simply because we're all here together - happy, healthy and contributing in our own way to life on the farm.

Yesterday Warren and I had a 'play' with Humbug, our popular Aniseed and Spearmint soap. It was already pretty, with swirls of white and black oxide but we were looking for more of a striped look. It's a big risk playing with a batch of seven kilos but on cutting this morning we were delighted with the result. What do you think?

We're a bit spoilt for fresh fruit and veges on the Granite Belt. Although we do sometimes source our fruit and veg straight from local growers, more often we call in to see local character Sam Giacca at The Summit Fruit Shop. Sam sources everything he possibly can locally and clearly labels local product in his fruit shop. Sam also sources quality fruit and veges such as tomatoes and corn that we can't grow over winter in the Granite belt. He's a great bloke with a big heart and he always manages to tuck something extra into our weekly supplies. Sometimes he sneaks out to the car to slip a punnet of strawberries to the girls. This week Sam generously gave us this lovely box of tomatoes with our order, as he knows we love to bottle them or make pasta sauces. Warren and Emily were in charge of removing skins.

Jess and Hannah were in charge of pureeing the tomatoes. Far from being child labour, these girls absolutely love helping out in the kitchen. I suppose jamming whole tomatoes down a shute and watching them come out the end holds a certain fascination for littlies.

I was feeling a little bored with the usual bread I've been making so thought I'd glam it up a bit for Sunday lunch. I was really putting our small kitchen under pressure, with four people already in there but I managed to find a small clean corner to make messy. After making a dough in the bread maker using organic Kialla Pure flour I split the batch in half. I spread the dough and rolled corned meat and pickle in one and a mixture of cinnamon, fruit, apple concentrate and pecan nuts in the other. Being a little chilly due to the rain (and 'cos I always leave it too long before starting my dough) I'm speeding things up a little in front of the fire.

Yesterday I cut out this beautiful Japanese Kokka double gauze fabric I bought from Earthgirl Fabrics. I've really been drawn to these peasant style dresses and Emily was so excited when I showed her the fabric that I got straight too it. Despite my best efforts the pink band was slightly out of line when she did her final 'try on' last night. I nearly let it go because the pattern said this simple dress should take about 2 hours and I was already on overtime but Warren patiently unpicked the offending section and repinned it for me. I'm off to sew the last few stitches in place while the rolls finish rising.

I wanted to share this day with you, but I also want you to know that, like you, we have our ups and downs, triumphs and struggles, happiness and sadness. I know that tomorrow will be different to today. For me, what's important is that this precious moment in time, however mundane and ordinary, is what sustains me during the difficult times. Thank you for visiting.

PS. Our black orpington chicken, Shirley, died today. She'd been quiet for a few days. We isolated her and made sure she was clean, warm and comfortable but sadly she wasn't alive when Hannah went to check on her this morning. All the others seem happy and healthy and I've read that chickens are vulnerable to illness so we're hoping this will be an isolated case.

This weekend we attended the Stanthorpe Agricultural Society Poultry Auction at Stanthorpe showgrounds. We were absolutely astounded at the number of people who had travelled to be there and the quality and diversity of the poultry on offer. My mother in law, Sylvia, came along as she's a poultry fancier from way back, as did the three excited farmgirls. While we've been to plenty of cattle auctions we've never been to a poultry auction. I marked out a number of lots that I thought looked 'nice'. I had done some research but I'm sure it takes some time before a poultry fancier learns to judge the conformation of particular animals. Despite much 'egging on' (pardon the pun) I felt a bit too green to put in a bid at auction. We did, however, get an invite to the property of local poultry addicts, Rod and Lyn Spencer. They told us we could come out one Sunday and take a look and we said 'Tomorrow's Sunday'. Graciously they agreed to let us call in. We were amazed by the range of heritage breeds they carry and impressed by the clean healthy environment they live in. These are the chicks we took home with us.

Now the kids think I trudged all the way out to Rod and Lyn's to get those chickens just for them and they've agreed that in return they should keep the bedding clean the the food and water freshly filled. I wouldn't want them to find out that I'm just as attracted to these little guys (actually gals) as they are. I wouldn't want them to find out that I sat beside them in the sun today having my morning coffee.

After Play School finished Miss Jess thought it would be nice to sit in the sun and do play dough with the chickens. I'm sure they enjoyed the company.

This morning my chicken slaves (aka farmgirls) moved their new friends from their warm 'night box' in front of the fire to their 'day pen', to enjoy some sunshine and grass. Warren has built a bigger mobile pen for them to move into when they're ready to roost.

We were really hoping to raise heritage breeds so we couldn't believe our luck finding Rod and Lyn in our district. We now have a male and female Welsummer, a Silver Grey Dorking, an Ancona, a Salmon Faverolle, a Rhode Island Red, a Black Orpington, a Plymouth Rock, a Gold Partridge Wyandotte, a Gold Hamburg and a Barnvelder. It's like an international roll call of heritage breeds. The idea is that we'll raise these chicks and have a think about which breed we're really enjoying before we decide which breed to continue with. My guess is that there will be different aspects to all of them that we'll love.

Do you ever feel linguistically challenged? I have to admit that when I saw the word 'Bomboniere' in print I struggled for the right pronunciation. I rather guiltily resorted to saying 'Wedding Favours'. Luckily for me, I live in a region rich with Italian heritage and I didn't have to wait long before someone could set me straight. Not too long ago I was tasting a newly released Viognier at Ballandean Estate Wines (a personal favourite, by the way) and the very helpful person presiding over the tasting said just think 'good on yeah!', and you'll remember the pronunciation. Using my newfound strategy I now know that Bomboniere rhymes with 'up the dairy', so I'm set. I did say I'm occasionally linguistically challenged!

Anyhoooow!! Recently James and Sarah from Melbourne asked whether we could prepare a custom batch of soap as wedding favours, eerrrr Bomboniere. After some discussion we settled on Turkish Delight, with soft feminine tones of dusky pink and the fresh but sweet scent of Rose Geranium and May Chang. You can see the two huge slabs in the top photo - that's around fifteen kilos of sweetness. In this photo they've just been poured and will be covered for twenty four hours to do their thing before cutting. The process starts with meticulous weighing of skin pampering cold pressed oils and butters.

We add beautiful natural additives such as French Pink Clay, which soothes and softens even the most delicate skin.

Rose Geranium and May Chang essential oils are added, both of which are considered to be uplifting to the spirit.

We whip all this goodness together until it emulsifies.

In this case we poured a creamy layer into the bottom of each of our prepared moulds. We then gently pour the dusky pink layer on top. After the mixture is poured and smoothed I get to play with the top, making lovely whipped peaks.

This is the slab unmoulded and about to be handcut. I'll let you into a little secret. We know that hand cutting results in slight weight variations between bars. To ensure that no bar falls below the quoted weight we apply a generous weight margin. Now I say 'we' when talking about cutting but actually it's Warren who does the job. My cutting can be a bit like the Playschool Windows (you know -'which window will we get today - the diamond, the square, the rectangle or even the arch').

We wish James and Sarah all the best on their special day and thank them for choosing our little packages of sweetness and luxury to grace the table for their guests.

We would also like to let you know about the Stanthorpe Wedding and Lifestyle Expo on the 6th of November.This event promises to be the 'one stop shop' for organising your Granite Belt Wedding. There will be a Vintage Catwalk at 4pm and plenty of quality displays and gorgeous gifts for Christmas. For further information please contact www.StanthorpeWeddings.com.au

People sometimes ask me whether our handmade soap will last as long as a supermarket style commercial soap bar. This is a good question, given that the handmade bar is often more expensive. (There are many commercial bars that ARE more expensive than handmade soap - I'll return to that point later in the post). As you might expect, the answer to 'how long will a soap last?' is a little complicated. You need to understand something about the ingredients that go into soap to get a complete answer.

Oils such as Palm, Coconut, Tallow, Shea Butter and Cocoa butter produce very hard bars of soap. Oils such as Olive, Rice Bran, Macadamia, Sweet Almond, Grapeseed, Apricot Kernel, Jojoba and Castor oil tend to make softer style soap. Commercial soap bars are predominantly made with Palm Oil, Coconut Oil and Tallow, so they are hard.

So why don't we just use these oils and make a hard bar?

The fatty acids that make up each type of oil display particular characteristics when made into soap. Palm, Coconut and Tallow make great cleansers, removing dirt and oils with ease. The problem is that they also tend to leave the skin feeling a bit too 'squeaky clean', and can make the user's skin feel dry, itchy and sometimes irritated.</p

Softer oils, tend to be more emollient. They soothe, condition, soften and leave the skin feeling more moisturised. Good bars of soap are formulated for particular needs. Laundry soap will contain Palm, Coconut or Tallow for superior cleansing. Bars for dry, mature or sensitive skin will include high proportions of soft oils, and possibly other soothing ingredients such as goat's milk. The truth is, a rock hard bar of soap with ingedients dominated by hard oils is not going to be the best choice for your skin. Now,I don't want to give you the impression that handmade soap is soft to the touch or will waste away quickly in the shower. Artisan soapmakers balance their formulas to achieve the right mix of hardness and gentleness. They will also cure their soaps well. The minimum cure time is 4-6 weeks but can be up to 6 months for specialty bars such as 100% olive oil.

I did say I'd come back to the issue of expensive commercial soap bars. Palm oil, Coconut oil and Tallow are amongst the cheapest oils, yet you will find commercial soap bars ranging in price from $1-00 right up to $20-00 per bar. How can this be? Commercial soap companies use some pretty fancy terms to describe their soap. You may have seen terms such as 'French Milled' or 'Triple Milled' on some of the more expensive soaps. The photo above is a sample of 'soap noodles', which form the base for 'milled' soaps. Noodles are made from hard oils such as palm oil,coconut oil and tallow. Soap manufacturers buy soap noodles in bulk and 'mill' them into a fine powder. Pigments and perfume are added to the powder before forming it into moulded bar shapes. With their dyes, perfumes, artificial additives, preservatives and harsh oils, commercial soap bars bear very little resemblance to handmade soap bars.

You now have the knowledge to examine the ingredients on both handmade and commercial soap bars and make an informed decision about what's best for your skin. In the next post I'll share some tips about getting the longest life out of handmade soap bars.

I know I've been telling you about how lovely it is on the Granite Belt in Winter but I have to admit to sneaking north to warmer climes for a week. It's amazing the difference a few hours drive can make to temperatures. One day we watched the weather and the top was 11degrees in Stanthorpe, while we'd enjoyed a top of 24 degrees south of Bundaberg. The children swam in the ocean every day and even I plunged into the water as the children's ball started heading for the horizon faster than they could swim. The water was so clear and I was surprised to find myself staying in longer than necessary. The ball couldn't be saved, by the way. After a fair bit of swimming I realised that it was travelling faster than me. I could see the headlines 'woman dies trying to save $7- ball' and decided to wish it luck on its' adventure.

Woodgate is an amazing place, sandwiched between a long sandy beach with calm ocean and a national park filled with native flora and fauna. Visitors new to the area will be amazed to see kangaroos lazing in front yards, casually observing passers by. This doe and joey were on our front lawn one morning. The joey was actually too big to be carried in the pouch but it wasn't above putting it's head in and suckling. The doe was alreading raising her next joey in her pouch.

On our way to Woodgate we stopped into Clovely Estate Winery, near Murgon. As we're distantly related to their talented winemaker, Luke Fitzpatrick, we felt it our family duty to call in and try their current lineup. Now, the clear instructions on the Semillon Chardonnay was to serve with Australian King Prawns and who were we to argue with such a specific recommendation? The very helpful person who served us at Clovely Estate suggested we call into Bundaberg Cold Stores for our fresh seafood. She even rang her husband to get clear directions. And so it was, after stocking up on wine, we headed off to Bundaberg to load up with king prawns, fresh Queensland scallops in shell, whiting and smoked salmon to cook up a lunch to be remembered.

This is the stuff of my childhood - the kind of memories I wanted to pass on to our children. I was lucky enough to enjoy pumping yabbies with my Dad, fishing with my Mum (Dad was usually too busy replacing bait and removing fish), running about on the beach and jumping waves with my brother and sister until hunger finally drove us home. Then, we'd always be served healthy food - wholegrain bread, avocadoes, bananas and when we were lucky, seafood. We'd stay inside during the middle of day to avoid the sun and head out again in the afternoons to do it all again.

The girls enjoyed every minute of their time away - you can see they've just been swimming, made a sandcastle and it's getting dark. An amazing Queensland winter, don't you agree? Holidays for farming families, particularly those with animals, can be few and far between. Sometimes we forget just how important it is to take a break and enjoy being together as a family, without the endless list of chores nagging at us. This will be one to savour.

To those of you who have stopped by to read this fledgling blog, thank you. It's such a pleasure for me to share some of the 'goings on' on the farm, adventures with soap, or the everyday thoughts and activities that capture my attention, begging to be explored.

We're taking a a short break away next week. My husband, Warren, grew up on a farm. I, however, grew up close to the coast and while I love having my feet planted in the soil it'll be nice to change the scenery, see new things and meet new people. Our youngest daughter is four, and I think she connects sand with sand pits, rather than the ocean and waves. So it will be lovely to watch her play in the waves and collect sea shells.

I look forward to bringing new thoughts and fresh ideas to the blog on my return. Please feel free to comment, as I love to reciprocate and find out a little more about you.

Two weeks ago we called into Albert Verschuuren's pottery studio on Amiens Road, Stanthorpe. While I enjoy looking at Albert's decorative work, I'm really more of a 'functional' gal. I already have one of his beautiful lidded casserole dishes, a big bowl (that I use for baking bread) and a sturdy candle holder and, to be honest, I really didn't NEED anything. Albert's bird feeders did catch our eye, though. We're blessed with an abundance of wild birds in our garden but we figured it would be nice to put some seed out to show them that they're welcome.

Well, for these past two weeks we've forlornly watched the feeder. There have been galahs, king parrots and rosellas all about but none had found our little offering. Until today! This little guy happily fed for over five minutes this morning. I'm wondering whether he'll tell his mates. Let's hope this is the first of many visits. Sorry for the small image. I had to keep my distance and a zoom lense is still on my wishlist.

When I tell people I live on the Granite Belt their first thought is 'the cold'. I wanted to show you the beauty of this region at this time of year (well, my backyard anyway). This photo was taken last Sunday. Yes, there was a frost but I was standing outside taking this photo with just a long sleeve T shirt. There wasn't a breath of wind to make it cold.

This is a frozen ice 'platter' removed from the top of the dogs water bucket. I say platter, because I have several cheese platters about the same size with similar fluid patterns. I wonder whether the glass maker was inspired by images of winter.

These are my daughters having a picnic (in the shade) later that same day. You can see why I say 'perfect days'. Of course we do have cold blustery days when we need to stay inside (well, I do - the kids still run about). Don't you love the internet? I couldn't put my finger on my favourite play dough recipe, but after a few minutes I emerged with a suitable alternative. The children had a lovely time chatting and playing with dough.

Here's to another great 'Brass Monkey Season'. If you're heading to the region try to plan your trip to coincide with our Market in the Mountains. Make sure you call into the Washpool Farm stall - we'd love to meet you and send you home with something to help your skin through the cold months ahead.

I used to love a good budget. For eight years, from the age of fifteen, I worked for a bank. I enjoyed receiving my pay and planning out my expenses. I'd lay-by items I wanted and pay them off slowly. No credit card. It was a good system. I still crave a budget today but the reality of living entirely off an agricultural enterprise means that our income is very unpredictable.

Our middle daughter is eight and for almost all of her life our grazing property has been drought declared. Occasionally during that time we've had good rain and attempted to increase our numbers, only to have no follow up rain and have to sell stock. Our answer to this uncertainty is to live simply - always. We try to recycle, make do and have reasonable expectations. There are times, however, when I wonder whether the measures we take will be enough. I read my grocery bill with utter dismay. $8-20 for vanilla essence, $10-00 for a kilo of powdered milk and $4-69 for a loaf of healthy wholegrain bread.

I'm guessing that there's all sorts of arguments why this doesn't make economic sense, but I've decided to try to supply homemade bread to my family. After a bit of googling for recipes I managed to assemble the ingredients for a home made loaf, using organic flour, for around $1.50.

This is my first loaf of bread. It was made using the 'no knead' bread making recipe, originally published in the New York Times. The method was simple, didn't take a great deal of time and resulted in delicious bread. I especially enjoyed this style of bread toasted as it becomes nice and crunchy without being dry and crumbly.

The loaf at the top of the post was made using our old bread machine. I've often been disappointed when I've made wholegrain or wholemeal bread in the machine. I think this is because these recipes call for extra water and I think the machine doesn't cope well with baking this type of dough. For this loaf I just asked the machine to make a dough. When the machine beeped at the end of the dough cycle the mixture was over the top of the bread pan. I scooped it onto a floured board and quickly knocked it down and shaped it. I then placed it into a loaf tin to proof. About half an hour later I pre-heated the oven and when it was nice and hot I brushed the dough with water and placed it in the oven. I also placed a cup of hot water into another vessel in the oven, as I've read that good bread is baked in a moist oven.

The girls love the bread and don't seem to mind the more dense texture of wholegrains and wholemeal. With a little time and love I've put organic wholemeal bread on our table for about $1-50 a loaf. Economically justified or not, it just feels right.

This step is optional. I place the soap carefully into the foot of an old knee high stocking. I've found that this step makes it easier to keep everything in place. It's also a little easier for kids to handle. Alternatively, you can just go onto the next step. I sometimes do this when I'm felting so I can see what's happening with the look of the soap and make slight adjustments.

This is my youngest 'felper', as she calls it. I guess that's a cross between a helper and a felter. Fair enough!

Dip your woolly soap into very hot water. Squeeze the water right through the layers of wool so that it is wet all the way through. Squeeze out excess water and then gently start 'working' the wool by squeezing and rubbing in small movements.

When the wool feels like it's knitting together into a single fabric you can start to work harder with your hands. The process of shrinking the felt is called 'fulling'.We use a pool blanket offcut to rub our soap on as the agitation helps the fulling process. If you don't have pool blanket you could try a sushi mat, regular bubble wrap or experiment with other bumpy surfaces. You can even complete the whole process with just your hands - just rub, pat and keep working the bar until the 'fulling' is complete.

After a few minutes you can remove the stocking (if you're using one). The wool won't shift any more. Pat the excess foam away with a towel and finish the process by giving each surface a good hard rub. That's it. You should be finished with a tight 'skin' of felt covering your bar of soap.

Today I'm going to show you the steps I take to felt a soap. Everyone does this just a little bit differently - it's a matter of finding a method that works for you. This photos is the finished felted soap. There are no seams, and the merino wool has shrunk nice and firm around the bar of handmade soap.

Ok. You’ll need to hold your merino top in one hand about 10-12 cm from the end. With your working hand gently grab the wool between the length of your thumb and fingers and pull out a length of wool. With a bit of luck the width of the piece should be the length of your thumb and the length of a combed strand of wool. Place this section onto a mat or table. Repeat the process and lay that at a different angle to the first. Keep going and you’ll build up a cross hatch pattern. The reason you lay at angles is that the fibres will grab each better when you begin to felt.

Keep going in a criss cross pattern until you finish a rectangle. Mine is about 15cm wide and 40cm long as the chunk of soap I'm felting is quite large. It's ok if there a small gaps in the 'mat' as we'll be wrapping it around the soap more than once. I've found that if you don't have enough coverage there's a risk of the soap escaping through a thin spot.

You may have read my earlier blog about a beer and honey soap that went solid in the pot before I could pour it. This is it!. I did force it into a block mould and roughly cut it into chunks. It's actually my husband's favourite soap. Anyway, place the bar at one end and start to roll up the wool. I prefer to push in the ends rather than fold them as I've found folds sometimes resist felting.

There are many ways to decorate your fluffy beastie. This is some hand dyed merino wool wrapped around the bar. I recently felted a bar in pale mauve and wound deep purple merino wool around it and it came up beautifully. Many wool suppliers also sell silk 'hankies'. These are little scrunched up pieces of silk, often hand dyed, that you can spread over your soap. While silk doesn't felt, as such, the wool will grab the silk and hold it in place. Check back for part two of this felted soap tutorial, when we'll shrink and 'full' the wool to complete the process.

I love market days. Even in winter! I’m up about 5.30am for tea, toast and a quick shower before loading the wagon with heavy boxes, crates, baskets and my trusty trolley. As I left Ballandean last Sunday, I drove past paddocks covered in white frost, past Kangaroos grazing on Mr Costanzo’s oats crop and north to Stanthorpe. I’m always relieved to see the ‘Market in the Mountains Today’ sign as I drive into town. Much as I enjoy market day I’m not too keen on going through the whole process to find I’ve got my dates mixed up.

Of course, it isn’t the weather or the scenery that I love most about market day, it’s the people I meet. Like the man who bought a sample bar because he was a bit sceptical about whether my soap could really help his dry, itchy skin. He was back with a big smile this week for the full size. Then there was the lady who handed me a small crumpled soap label asking ‘do you make this soap? I was given it and need more’. It was indeed Washpool Farm soap and I had the bar on hand. This week the customer who really touched me was Jo. She’s a mum trying to find suitable handmade soap for her little boy, who suffers multiple sensitivities/allergies. She specifically wanted a goat’s milk and pure olive oil formula – nothing else.

Now, goat’s milk and olive oil are beautiful ingredients that, when used in combination, make a very gentle soothing soap. The tricky thing with this formula is that both ingredients call for a nice long cure and even then, they won’t be rock hard like the commercial store bought bars. Jo knew all this. She knew what was best for her son and was having difficulty finding it. Sunday afternoon I made a custom batch of goat’s milk and olive oil soap and Monday morning it was unmoulded and placed on the curing rack to harden up. I made an extra batch to have on hand for others struggling to find a cleansing product devoid of fragrance, nut oils, preservatives, sulphates, detergent or a range of other irritants found in many commercial soaps and liquid body wash.

That’s the beauty of being an artisan soap maker. The next customer I meet might want soap made on 100percent virgin coconut oil or low allergy laundry soap with no coconut oil. I can produce a custom batch of around nine bars for about $5-00 a bar (assuming no extremely exotic specifications are given). This represents quite a saving on single bars. Browse our low allergy soap range. If there's something particular you need, please feel free to contact me through the website or by phone. I’d love to help.

The curing racks are re-stocked, my husband’s doing the hand cutting (due to a slight tendency of mine to cut diamond shaped soaps) and the wet weather isn't the best for wrapping. Sooooo, what soapy activities can I do?

Fellow soap makers will understand the dilemma. We lovingly stir luscious ingredients (oils, butters and essential oils) into a batch and for whatever reason the soap isn’t the object of beauty we dreamed of. I’ve got more examples than I care to admit. A beer soap that turned solid in the pot before I could pour it, a lemon myrtle soap that was a beautiful olive green in my smaller moulds but heated up just a tad too much in the larger mould to end up a deeper brownish green. These soaps still work well, smell lovely, but fail in the beauty stakes.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the uniqueness of handmade, hand cut soap. I see beauty in the fact that all my bars are just a tiny bit different. In fact, my lovely silicone bar moulds have been pushed aside because the bars they produce are just a little too ‘perfect’ for my liking.

But I digress. What I really wanted to discuss was wet felted soap - the perfect soapy activity for a rainy day. Felting with gorgeous Australian merino wool and silk is an excellent way to dress up those soaps best described as 'diamonds in the rough'. Yup, my soap addiction has now expanded to a full blown wool addiction, so much so that I managed to plan a trip to Brisbane on the same weekend that the Queensland Spinners, Weavers and Fibre Artists have their annual open day. And what a day it was – my children happily engaged in spinning, weaving and basket making workshops while my ever patient husband and I roamed the ‘emporium’, packed with a diverse range of beautiful fleece and yarn.

You can see Washpool Farm Felted Soaps in the photo, as well as some of my new stash of Australian Merino tops and 'dreadlocks'. In my next blog I’ll break down the process I use to achieve these unique results.

Here at Washpool Farm our goal is to produce quality, natural products in a socially, economically and environmentally responsible way. We certainly don't claim to be perfect, but we are committed to a journey on which we take small, ethical steps in the right direction.

We believe that our first and foremost priority is to provide products made with first class natural ingredients at a price that is affordable and fair. Our goal is to develop relationships with our customers so that we can better meet their needs.

Our products are an environmentally sound alternative to over packaged detergent and petrochemical based cleaning agents. Washpool Farm handmade soap, liquid washes and laundry soap are readily biodegradable, making them a good choice for people who wish to lighten the toxic load on our planet.

We support the use of palm oil that has been sustainably produced and alleviates poverty in developing countries. Our palm oil is certified organic and sustainable - it is not sourced from Malaysia. Palm oil contributes mildness and hardness to our soap, however we do offer a range of excellent palm free formulas.

Have a browse through our handmade soaps.