OK, not entirely. I only have to wait 4 weeks to bathe
with this soap. This here is a sneak peek at what currently resides on top of my refrigerator. It's my first ever attempt at soapmaking. The soap takes at least 4 weeks to cure. And with a toddler in the house, just about the only safe place to let these bars sit, is on top of the fridge.
They're not evenly cut, but they smell nice - peppermint, of course. If they turn out well, they'll get us all clean, even in their clunky state.
Through a thrifting treasure hunt, I slowly started accumulating all the necessary soapmaking supplies, including: a stainless steel pot for $4, two utensils at .25 cents each, a hand blender for $2, two soap molds (a mini loaf pan for $4 and a tupperware container for $2,) a pitcher for .77 cents and a leftover pasta sauce jar for measuring the sodium hydroxide.
I found
The Soapmaker's Companion by Susan Cavitch at my local library. Essentially, this is the the go-to source for soapmakers. Also handy was
this link which showed me how to properly mix my solution to make lye.
We are trying to stay
sulfate-free and had been buying fantastic (and highly recommended)
Sparta peppermint soap from etsy. But now, at $5 a bar, I thought I'd try my hand at soapmaking. Since 15 bars of soap would run $75 (yikes!) we're coming out ahead with our $50 investment because it includes reusable supplies. And we have soap for a year.
In 4 weeks time, I'll report back to let you know how, and if, my soap turned out. Stay tuned.
It's time for another thrifting update... I've acquired so many goodies lately, that I'll have to break it up into several posts. These Italian-made Sudini boots are my greatest find. Although I have a similar pair, I could not pass these puppies up. Knee high, black italian leather, great condition and exactly my size. For $5.00. Plus, they were 30% off. So, after tax, they were $3.50! Searching online, I found a similar style of Sudini boots for $133.00 on sale. I think I got a good deal. Here's a picture of the boot sole...
*blush* - yup, they're italian all right.
At a recent estate sale, I dug through an enormous box of jewelry for 30 minutes, then threw a few goodies in a small bag to check out. The woman running the sale charged me a flat rate. It's one of those things you don't know will happen until it happens. That means I walked away with this vintage Monet sterling silver bracelet for .60 cents. (It's much more sparkly in person.)
Last December, I tried on a black and white micro-plaid shirt at a department store. It was $50 and had 3/4 length sleeves - which I do not like because my wrists get cold. I put it back. At the thrift, I found this perfect condition shirt, in black and white micro-plaid, for $4.00. Bingo. Waiting 2 months saved me $46.00.
It works perfectly with my new boots, a pair of jeans and my shiny bracelet. If I'd bought everything new, my outfit would have cost over $200. But this thrifty gal only spent $8. Not bad!
And so is this apron :) 
