Soapmaking course

Castille soap, with Calendula.


I'm planning a soapmaking course in Mullingar Educate Together NS, next Saturday May 28th.
Time - 10:00am to 3:00pm. Cost €60.

Participants will learn how to make soap from scratch, in a safe and playful environment. I will demonstrate, and then participants will get some hands on experience.

We will make castille soap, rich in olive oil, scent it with Essentials oils, and add
organic materials like calendula petals, lavendar, poppy seeds and cosmetic clays, to augment the soaps properties.


Participants will go home with recipes and soap that they made, coloured, and scented themselves.

If you're interested, please let me know asap. If you'd like to learn to make soap, and this time doesn't suit, let me know that you're interested and if you'd prefer an evening course or a Sunday - or a different Saturday.

087 2222562 or annambrowne@gmail.com

Mullingar Advertiser - wrong phone number

Great to have my Soapmaking and Natural cosmetics course (in Mullingar, May 23rd) featured in the Mullingar Advertiser If you've come here because of that - the phone number there is missing a digit - to book the soapmaking and natural cosmetics course phone or text 087 2222562.

Soapmaking and Natural Cosmetics course

Make your own Soap and Natural Cosmetics

Love rich creamy soaps? Love pampering? Adore taking luxurious baths? Love all the beautiful products for creating a home spa experience, but find them a bit pricey? And maybe you’re a little concerned about the additives in the cheaper ones?
Well, now you can learn to create those luxurious products, at a fraction of the price, using ingredients that you can easily find in your supermarket, health food shop, hardware store or pharmacy. Make lots for yourself, and maybe even make a few for your friends for presents. Who knows, maybe you could even build a business selling them?
Following on from the success of this and last year’s courses I'm offering a course in making your own Soapmaking and Natural Cosmetics on Sunday May 23rd in Mullingar Educate together NS from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Cost is €75.
Participants will learn how to make soaps from scratch, using both cold process and rebatching methods. They will also learn to make Body creams, Exfoliants and other natural cosmetics . In addition they will learn to make origami boxes to package them in. The origami boxes have proved to be the hit of previous classes.

All materials will be provided, including a wide variety of essentials oils to scent the products. And they will go home with clear recipes showing how to replicate these at home.

I have been invited to teach this course at The Organic Center in Leitrim later this year. That's almost fully booked, and the last soapmaking course was sold out, so book now!

To book, call/text Anna at 087 222562, or email annambrowne@gmail.com

Bunting

This is what the bunting looks like - I made my own bias binding to string it all together - a first for me - I'm really happy with how it turned out. It will be in use tomorrow at the Belvedere self sufficiency show. Drop by my booth to admire it, and enter my competition.

Getting ready for Belvedere Self sufficiency show

I have a stand at the Belvedere Self Sufficiency Show, here in Mullingar this weekend. I'm speaking both days - about bread making, but I'll also be promoting my other courses - like natural cosmetics, soapmaking, Christmas crafts, Natural beverages.

I was busy last night making bunting to decorate the stand - I have been wanting to make bunting for some time now to use up some pretty scraps of fabric, and finally I found the motivation! It turned out great - will post a photo later.

I'm trying to think of what will be fun activities for the stand - last year I was baking flatbread - it was great for kids - they could roll out their own, and bake it right there and eat it - but it was a load of work, and hard to keep everything up to scratch hygiene wise. And loads of equipment to bring.

This year I have made lots of soap, so if anyone wants to sign up for my mailing list, I'll be giving them some soap as a taster. But that just shows one part of what I do.

So I'm thinking I can have 2 activities:
Making paper pots, and planting seeds - I have lots of purple pea seeds - to illustrate the garden side of the business.

Making bath bombs - for the crafty , cosmetic side of things.

And I'll bring some seedlings and bread to decorate the stand - bunting only goes so far...

What do you think?

Scrub up! Soapmaking course in April.

Get yourself in a lather in Mullingar Educate Together N.S.on Sunday April 11th!

Course begins at 13:30, and goes till 16:30.

You will learn to make soap by the cold process method, and you'll get to try your hand at rebatching also.

We'll use essential oils to scent the soaps, and a variety of natural additives like seaweed and clay to complement the soap's properties.

You'll go home with a comprehensive understanding of how soap is made, recipes for making your own soaps at home, and plenty of samples to whet your appetite.

Cost for the course is €40 - all materials included.

Places are limited, so book your place quickly! email annambrowne@gmail.com or phone/text 0872222562

Photo above is a rosemary scented seaweed soap.

Another Natural Cosmetics course

I'm running another Natural cosmetics class - As before, you can learn to make your own luxurious lotions, exfoliants, bath bombs using natural ingredients. And you'll learn to make beautiful origami boxes to package your products.

The class takes place on March 9th, at Mullingar ETNS 7:30-9:30pm, €35. To book, email me at annambrowne@gmail.com or 087 2222562

Felted slippers

 

So here is the result of a full felting day - one pair of beautiful slippers. Read Nicola's blog for a description of the day, and for more photos. I ended up making a piece of felt large enough to make slippers out of, and later that day, sewed the slippers up, and with Nicola's help, felted them more.

They are warm, comfy, durable, and extremely cute. I'm delighted! You gotta love the little red elf tails coming out of the fronts of them - the kitten has not spotted them yet, but there will be fun when she does!

See more photos at Nicola's Flickr stream, and working at getting some uploaded to mine.

Felting Workshop

You may remember that I headed down to Carlow in October to teach a cosmetics workshop at Nicola's studio.

Now she is returning the favour, and coming here at the end of January to teach a beginners felting workshop.

It's taking place on Sunday January 31st, at Educate Together NS. Cost is 75 euro per participant, and includes all materials. The day starts at 10:00am, and goes till around 4:30pm. Everyone will go home with at least one beautiful completed project ready to frame or stitch into a bag or book cover plus possibly some samples or felt flowers as well!


You can see some photos of previous workshops. Or check out her blog.


If you're interested in the course, please email me at annambrowne@gmail.com or call/text 087 2222562

Make 'n' Bake 2009

 

A lovely day spent crafting, baking and mixing at Educate together on Saturday. We started with truffle making, moved on to christmas decorations, made chocolate macaroons and granola - all before lunch!

After lunch, we made bath bombs, and got back on the crafty vibe with packaging, gift tags and cards for the goods made earlier. Sadly no photos of the truffles, and not because they ended up in our tummies! The class were amazingly restrained, though the same can't be said in relation to the macaroons. :-)

More photos to follow...

Christmas Crafting - make your own gifts

Gertrude Tlou of Umbrella Studios (gertrudetlou@eircom.net) and Anna Browne (087 2222562 or annambrowne@gmail.com) offer you the chance to enter the world of hand made gifts, and realise your dreams of a better Christmas. They will teach you to make a selection of goodies which will delight, amuse and please your nearest and dearest. Choose from a selection of Bath bombs, bath bags, Heat pillows, Neck gaiters, christmas decorations, granola, chocolate macaroons, truffles, Cookie mix in a jar, and go home with recipes and instructions for all of these, and the confidence to make them at home yourself. In addition you'll learn to make gift wraps, gift cards, and cute Origami gift boxes, using recycled materials.


Remember last Christmas? Fighting traffic, stuck in shopping center parking lots? Fighting with the other harried shopper over the last Bath set at the chemist on Christmas eve? Wracking your brains trying to remember who you forgot? Snarling at the family when it's supposed to be such a happy time of year? And then realising you forgot someone very important in the stress of it all? And knowing deep down that you have missed the spirit of Christmas....

This year can be so much different. Imagine a serene day spent learning new crafts, with interesting new people - picking up tips and tricks for creating personalised homemade gifts, and wrapping them in your own individual style?

Imagine spending the last few days leading up to Christmas, relaxed and basking in the knowledge that you have already made all your gifts. Or enjoying the last minute party you have been invited to, knowing you have a unique gift for the hosts in your stockpile. Imagine the appreciation you'll see on the recipients faces, when they see that you have taken the time to make something especially for them? And, best of all, imagine not being in fear of your January credit card bill!


'Make and Bake your Christmas Presents' will be held at Mullingar Educate Together NS on November 7th (leaving you lots of time to put your skills into practice before the holidays), running from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Cost is €75 euro, and all materials will be provided.