Homemade : Soap

If you saw the homemade bath bomb post I did on Tuesday, you'll know I'm making my mum some bits and bobs for mother's day on sunday and today I made the next thing for her little basket of goodies I'm constructing!

Homemade Soap!

Here's what you'll need this time:

1. Soap base - Hobbycraft £5.39 for 1kg

(I wanted a white base but got a clear one because that's all they had)

2. Surgical Spirit - £1.80 From the local pharmacy

3. Spray Bottle 

4. Fragrance/essential oils of your choice 

(I'm using the same ones that I used for my Bath bombs)

5. Decoration - Blue Malva Flowers £3.29 

(and the rose buds I used for the Bath Bombs) 

6. A Soap Mould - I'm just using some ramekins I had in the kitchen.

7. Coloured dye (optional, I'm not using any)

Here's what you do:

• Depending on the size of your moulds you're using, cut out some of your soap base with a kitchen knife. Don't worry if you don't cut enough to begin with, you can always add more.

• Melt the soap base in the microwave, I do quick 15 seconds bursts and then check on it. Keep doing 15 seconds until the soap has become fully liquid. If you over heat it, it may discolour, so be careful!

• Once melted add your fragrance and essential oils. I didn't measure mine, I just added each until I thought it smelled how I wanted it to. Mix thoroughly to spread evenly. This is when you'd add your colour if you wanted to.

• Next, I poured a thin layer of soap in the bottom of my mould, I then stuck the rose buds in facing down.

Once you've fully covered the bottom of the mould with the rose buds, fill the rest of the mould with your soap solution.

• Now using the spray bottle filled with the surgical spirit, spray the top of the soap. It's to remove any bubbles.

• Leave until fully set.

• Once done carefully remove from the mould.

If you're not planning on using the soap pretty much immediately I would suggest wrapping it up in cling film or in tupperware so it doesn't get wet.

 And you're done! 

I also did the same thing again but instead of the rose buds used the Malva flowers, these flowers actually dyed the soap blue so I'm not sure whether they will dye your hands slightly if you use it. I'll just have to warn my mum before using this one!

That's it, simple!

These make really nice, quick, easy and quite cheap gifts! Perfect for the likes of Mother's day!

What do you think? Will you be giving this a go?

Do you ever make your own soap?

As always, Thank you for Reading!

Birds in Blossom x

Homemade : Bath Bombs

One of the things I'll be giving my Mum this mothers day is some homemade bath items, well some bath bombs and soaps at least.

Today I'm making the bath bombs!

So, here's what you'll need to make a Bath Bomb!

(Oh! before I begin, you can probably get these items cheaper elsewhere but I was pressed for time and wentfor I went for convenience, though I didn't think most of these things were poorly priced at all!)

1. Bicarbonate of Soda - Wilkinson's, £1 for 500g

2. Citric Acid - Wilkinson's, £1 for 50g

3. Fragrance - Hobby Craft, Rose Fragrance £3.86 for 25ml

4. Essential oil - Wilkinson's, Lavender Oil  £1.25 10ml

5. Decoration (optional) - Hobby Craft, Rose Buds £2.96 per pack

6. 1 or 2 mixing bowls

7. Measuring scales

8. Spoon for mixing (optional)

9. Water, preferably in a spray bottle

10. Colouring (optional) - eBay, Rosebud Pink mineral pigment powder 

£2.50 for 5g

11. Bath bomb mould - eBay  £3.99 for a 6cm round mould

The mineral colouring powder hasn't arrived yet so today I'm just making white rose scented bath bombs with lavender oil.

• So first, measure out about 75g of the bicarbonate of soda and sift into a bowl, then add about 35g of citric acid and mix using your fingers or a spoon until fully combined.

• Next,you can either split the mixture in half and add about 2g of colourant to one half, OR you could colour the whole mixture, OR like me leave it white.

• Then, add about 2ml of your rose fragrance, I just squirted a little bit into the mixture until I thought the fragrance was a nice 'strength'. Also add a similar amount of your essential oil, in my case I used lavender to make a really floral scented bath bomb, which relaxing tones.

• Here's the tricky bit, you use your spray bottle to add water, little at a time until the mix becomes damp. If you make it too wet the mixture will start to fizz and effervesce, I did this on my first attempt, it was super messy and didn't work. So you want the mix to start to stick together, it will sort of look and feel like fake snow.

• Now fill one half of your mould with your mixture. You can alternate your coloured mixes to make a stripey pattern if you want, but as mine is all white I just filled the half fully pressing in down so there are no air spaces. Leave a little mound of mix at the top of the half so when you press the two halves together they'll merge. 

• I then did pretty much the same to the other half of the mould but before putting the mix in, at the bottom I put about 5 rose buds, so they'll poke out of the bath bomb once complete. Then I joined the two halves together with a little force so they'd set together.

• I left the filled mould for about 10 minutes so the mix would set (but I leave them overnight before properly handling them). To remove carefully take one half of the mould away, your bath bomb should have formed so only the mould is removed. Then cup the non-mould half of the bath bomb in your hand and carefully lift of the other side of the mould. Your bath bomb is complete!

I really enjoyed making these, they were super quick and easy to make. I know my Mum will love them!

On Thursday I'll make a homemade soap post!

What do you think? Will you give these a try?

Have you ever made your own bath bombs before?

Thanks for Reading!

Birds in Blossom x

Just Some Good Ol' New Years Resolutions.

Happy New Year Everyone!!! Source

I hope those of you who went out are managing to nurse hangovers effectively (how many of you have a resolution to 'NEVER drink again' I wonder?).

Anyway I thought I'd just start the year by sharing my new years resolutions with the internet. Most of them are just your plain, same old stuff but there is one that slightly out of the ordinary, at least I think so, and I really am going to try to work at it because it could, if it works, be really good for me.

Here, I'll list them:

Eat healthier! (surprise, surprise!)

My diet is so, so bad at the minute, full of junk food, sugary snacks and fizzy drinks, it's doing my physical and mental health no favours and is in MAJOR need of sorting out!

More Exercise! (another shocker)

I was going the gym regularly (and lost a stone in 3 weeks!!) just before the summer, but I've piled it all back on, and then some, since July and I'm just not feeling good about myself, so exercise (and a healthy balanced diet) will help me get back into shape. I'd like to say that I'm not aiming to be a skinny minnie, just a more toned version of my self, I am a naturally er... bulkier? girl, meaning I have always have muscular thighs and slightly broader shoulders than other girls but I've never really minded that everyone has a different body style, I just say I have a amazonian build (without the height though!).

Save money more efficiently

With money I am lucky to have very supportive parents, but now I'm out living with my boyfriend I have to be much more careful with my spending as I can't just ask for a quick loan from the olds. Last year I did manage to save a couple hundred over a few months but then I had to dip into it one time and it was like the floodgates opened and it was all gone over a single weekend (whoops!), that's also something that falls under this as well, not spending so frivarously that is. I have a terrible habit to go out for a particular item and end up on a full blown shopping spree!

Be more resourceful!

By this I mean that I really should make more things myself- DIY all the way! This was really brought to light over Christmas when I spent £500+ on presents for people when I know that I have the skill and the creativity to make things for people that are just as nice, if not better, a fraction of the cost, and in my opinion much more thoughtful/meaningful (and thanks to Pinterest I have thousands of ideas to work with!).

Be more organised!

I am actually gradually getting better at this, but I'm still occasionally forgetting deadlines for university assignments, losing important documents or missing appointments, oopsy daisy. I think my room also falls under this, two of us share a room (me and the boyfriend) we are still, sort of, in the early days of living together but it's constantly a mess and things are getting broken or lost so I need to implement some kind of organisation here, though getting him to follow them will be a challenge in itself!!

Last but not least, the one I think is not quite your usual resolution...

Take more selfies!

Okay, so it's no ground breaking idea, but for me, it's a HUGE ask!

This resolution stems from me being terribly camera shy, I'm always that girl that dodges the camera like it's a loaded gun, and I'll usually avoid being in photos by offering to be the person to take the picture. To most people you probably wouldn't think being camera shy is such a big deal, but for myself, it's such a sad thing, I mean I can look back over years of photos of holidays or outings with friends/family and not find a SINGLE one with me in it, and it can sort of feel like I'm not part of the memory. There are so few photos of me in existence and so I have decided to be brave and try to take photos of myself more often, especially if I'm out and about with friends or family, you know, start being a presence in the more physical aspect of memories.

BUT!

I also want to see if this can boost my confidence a little because it's been pretty darn low these last few years, mostly being a self-esteem thing, and though it's seems a simple ordinary thing to just feel comfortable in front of a camera and happily be in photo, I know it would make such a difference to me.

That's it really for resolutions for now, though I may think of a few more in the days to come, but you should never be too critical of yourself (advice I really need to take) as you'll find yourself fretting over little things and it can make you miss out on living life! At times you just need to be you and love yourself for just that.

Here's a selfie I've just taken to get myself started, and yes, I AM THE HAMBURGLAR!

Keep smiling!

BirdsinBlossom x