Treefort Naturals 2014 Holiday Events

2014 Holiday Schedule

 

The holiday fairs, festivals and markets are just around the corner.  Here is a list of where you can find Treefort Naturals this season.

 

 

High Hopes Holiday Market, Old Lyme, CT - Sunday 11/16 from 12pm - 4 pm

 

Mystic Arts Center Holiday Gift Market, Mystic, CT - 11/14 thru 12/31 (open daily)

 

Sleigh Bells Arts and Crafts Fair, Colchester, CT - Saturday 12/6 from 9am - 3pm

 

Hometown Holiday Craft Fair, Hebron, CT - Saturday 12/13 from 9am - 4pm

 

 

For more information on shows or how to order products and gifts, contact Jess at treefortnaturals@gmail.com.





DIY Natural Sunscreen

Homemade Sun Protection Cream

 



Looking for a more natural alternative to the chemical laden commercial sunscreens?  Many common oils have a natural sun protection factor...even using straight coconut oil can give you some protection from the sun's rays.

Here is my easy recipe:

6 oz Coconut Oil
5 oz Shea Butter
2 oz Beeswax
1 oz Red Raspberry Seed Oil
.5 oz Jojoba Oil

Essential Oils
1 ml lavender
1 ml eucalyptus
1 ml carrot seed

1.95 oz zinc oxide (non nano)

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a double boiler to melt.  Stir and let cool slightly.  Add essential oils and zinc oxide.  Stir well and pour into jars or tins.  Store in a cool place (cream will melt in the heat).  Apply often and always monitor your sun exposure.

Note:  Feel free to tweak recipe and experiment, research different oils that can be used and safety precautions regarding working with zinc oxide. 

Happy Summer!

DIY Natural Laundry Powder

Super Simple Recipe for natural laundry powder!

 

Making your own laundry powder is easier than you may think.  And it can save you some serious money if you are used to buying those giant jugs of detergent.  Not only are the commercial products rough on your wallet, they are also pretty rough on the environment and can be irritating to sensitive skin.  There are tons of simple recipes online...here is my version:

2 cups Washing Soda (Arm & Hammer makes one you can pick up at the grocery store)
1 cup Borax (I purchase this from www.mountainroseherbs.com - they assure that this sodium borate does not contain surfactants...it is also available at most grocery stores)
1-2 bars of grated soap (approx. 6 oz) - of course I use my own bits and pieces, you can use any natural bar soap.  Best if it does not contain synthetic ingredients like fragrance or dyes.
1 tbsp. baking soda

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container.  Use approx. 1 tbsp. per load.

That's it!  You can do it!

2012 Fall Events

Lots happening and staying super busy!   Here is my schedule for October 2012:

October 6 & 7 - Jonathan Edwards Winery Harvest Festival, North Stonington, CT

October 13 - Brooksvale Park Fall Festival, Hamden, CT

October 14 - Colchester Farmers' Market, Zagray Farm, Colchester, CT

October 21 - Colchester Farmers' Market, Colchester Town Green

October 28 - Colchester Farmers' Market, Savitsy Farm

Wine & Soap!

This past weekend was my first big event with Treefort Naturals.  I spent Saturday and Sunday in North Stonington, CT at the Jonathan Edwards Winery for their Spring Festival.  I was among 13 other vendors in a nice big tent and even though the weather was less than ideal on Saturday, it turned out to be quite fun & even a bit profitable!

My little set up.

The weather was beautiful on Sunday...talked to lots of people, drank some yummy wine, sold lots of soap!  Fortunately the storms held off till the end but I will admit that I did have visions of tent collapse as the winds picked up and the lightening lit up the dark skies. 

All in all it was a great experience and I am looking forward to my next event...though I may have been spoiled by this beautiful location and free flowing wine! 

Need some soap??





The TANK soap cutter!

So I have been making approximately 50 lbs of soap per week for the past month or so in preparation for the upcoming farmer's market season (and the few craft fairs and festivals I have signed on to do this summer).  Etsy sales have been steady so I am in full-on production mode!  While I love making the soap, I admit that cutting it all up the next day was getting old.  After that first gratifying cut, I would be dreaming of a better way...

After much consideration, research and recommendations, I decided to invest in a professional soap cutter.  I settled on the The Tank from http://www.forcraftssake.com/.  It was not cheap and it took over a month to receive it...but it was well worth the wait!

Here it is - ready and waiting to take on my 4lb. log of day old soap!

The wires cut perfect 1 inch bars...not quite as easy as it looks though.  I was surprised that you really do need to put a little muscle into it...especially with my gelled soaps which tend to harden up much faster than the honey & goat's milk soaps.

Perfect!!

I'm not sure how much time this thing is saving me, but let's just say that my laundry is already done for the day!  Amazing!

So would I recommend The Tank??  Definitely!  But be prepared to wait a while...the company cannot keep these in stock and has to make them to order.  Now I have no idea how I ever lived without this cutter!

All Natural Colorants

I continue to be amazed at all the beautiful colors I have been able to achieve in CP soap using all natural colorants!

Here are just a few that I have had success with:
Turmeric powder - golden yellow
Parsley powder - earthy green
Honey - honey beige
Rose clay - pink!
Woad powder - depending on the recipe anywhere from green to turquoise to sky blue
Alkanet root - grayish to lavender to deep purple
Cocoa powder - chocolatey brown
Indigo root - grayish blue to dark denim blue
Madder root - pink to orangey red

I have found that you need to enjoy surprises when working with natural colorants...there are so many factors involved that impact the result when using natural material to color your soap.  Temperature and ph are important factors to take into consideration, especially if you are trying to recreate a previously successful color. 

Next up - Morracan Red Clay for brick red (i hope!)