52 Projects is an adventure in discovery. Every week, for 52 weeks, do something. Something you’ve never done before. Something you’ve always wanted to do. Something that scares you. Something that inspires you. Something that inspires others. Something that tickles your fancy. Something that caught your eye. Something that just popped into your head. It can be big. It can be small. It can be whatever you want it to be. Find out how doing something can lead you to discover things about yourself, your world, your God. Then, come here on Sundays and share it with others. I'll write about mine here, you write about yours on your blog, then use the tool in my post to link to your something. Please feel free to jump in and participate anytime throughout the year!

Jane


Sunday, January 24, 2010

Let the projects begin! Week 1: soap making


Welcome to the launching of 52 Projects. I hope you’ll join in on the fun. The idea here is to try one new thing a week and share it with us every Sunday. It can be anything from making a tart to taking a self-portrait with your camera to writing a verse of Haiku to learning how to change a tire on your car. You’ll be amazed at how good you feel when you’ve stepped out of your routine and taken a new step.

I’ve been hoarding magazines and clippings of things I’ve wanted to try for over 15 years. Not everything on my bucket list is grand and difficult to achieve. Take my project for this week. I first spotted this soap project 15 years ago. I found it in the December 1995 issue of Handcrafts Illustrated. This was fun and so incredibly easy to make with very minimal mess. The total time was about 15 minutes and now I can add another skill to my repertoire. These are the things I used: a microwave oven, a bar of Ivory soap (which I found a 10 pack for $3.29 this week), lemon zest, oatmeal, some scented oil and a few crushed sage leaves. One bar of Ivory soap produces three golf ball sized hand soaps which are perfect in a little dish next to your kitchen sink or in a guest bathroom. You can customize your soap with a little food color, different herbs if you like and a variety of scented oils. I just happened to have lemons and massage oil on hand. I might also experiment next time by pressing the soap mix in a pan and breaking it in to “bark” pieces instead of rolling it in to balls. If you would like to try this yourself, you can email me at paintedhouse52@yahoo.com and I’d be happy to email you the instructions.


What did you do this week?

17 comments:

  1. Toppage!

    This is gonna be such fun!

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  2. Hey Jane, I've yet to do my project (having just joined), but I already know what it's going to be and can't wait to have some time (while daughter is in school) to try it! Will post link when I'm done! Woot!

    WRO

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  3. Ooops! I love the soap idea...can you post the recipe??

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  4. Woo-hoo!!! Jane, this is so cool! I've always wanted an easy soap recipe that doesn't include lye and those scary chemicals...Awesome & thanks for sharing!
    Great pic.
    *Have a mentioned how excited I am about 52 PROJECTS? !!!!

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  5. I love yummy soaps! (although I do refrain from eating them). I've been attempting a digital collage and it's not working - so if not this week then next week! Thanks - this will be fun.

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  6. Hi
    I'd like to join your challenge, I love to try out new stuff, the soaps look great,I've also been put off by the lye in soap making up to now but might try these.No idea what things I will be doing, I'm not an expert at anything really but lots of things I would like to try so this will give me the push to try some new stuff out.
    I'm in the UK but found you through Boho Mom's blog which I love to read :)

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  7. I'm excited by the challenge of 52 projects. I've posted my first completed project: http://angiebeth.blogspot.com/2010/01/project-1-of-52-projects.html

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  8. I love working with my hands. Embroidery, crochet, learning a piece on the piano... Exactly what I needed to get me started. Thanks

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  9. Quick check in.....haven't started my project, in fact I am still deciding what i should complete! excited to be apart of this, thanks jane!! xoxo

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  10. ~thank you so much for starting this! my head to is in full swing figuring out what i am going to attemtp next. last weekend i sat down and went through all my loose papers with ideas and recipes and then you put this up! you must have sensed my need for wanting to create! love the soap idea and would very much appreciate the recipe...already have ivory soap...brightest blessings~

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  11. Jane - thank you for starting this project. It has given me the opportunity and motivation to get back into the little bit of arty creativity that I have! I have three more different kinds of projects around me now to keep going for this month! And they are things that I haven't tried before - so it will be VERY interesting!
    Love and light
    xx

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  12. Love the idea and am signing up before I get busy with something unimportant and forget. Also signing because my blogging friend Rochelle posted about this challenge and gave me the idea. And she succeeded on hers, despite her comment above. I wrote today about my scary challenge -- I'm taking an acting class. Yikes. Here is the post: http://kablooeyquest.blogspot.com/2010/01/i-didnt-have-to-be-tree-but-i-did-have.html Good luck to everyone on board!

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  13. jane, this is great! i just posted on my blog but put in the wrong link. i quess mr. linky was set to a previous link so i tried it again. thanks...i'm psyched for this challenge!

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  14. I am signing on!

    And I too want the soap recipe!

    Now to figure out what challenge I want to take on this week :)

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  15. What did I do this week? I finally woke up to myself and accepted that certain aspects of my life have to be removed, not totally, but to the periphery where they no longer impinge on my feeling of bliss, relaxation, oneness with myself. It is painful, because it is other people who I am removing to the periphery...however, I find some consolation in the certain knowledge that they were there before I accepted it really, and wanted to be.

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  16. i've picked up the digital art bug just over a week ago and i just can't seem to get rid of it. not to mention there are so many challenges out there to keep me busy.

    I think this was my favourite this week, but feel free to look around my blog - there's plenty of others:)

    i don't know if i look at what you all are up to i'll never stop...sure beats housework lol

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  17. i can email you for your soap recipe...but maybe...because we ALL want it...you could just post it here!

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