So, my adventures with glitter. I contacted the company about buying a small amount of their biodegradable, cosmetic glitter and discovered that their idea of a small amount is a couple of kilos, of a single colour. So then I found an ebay seller and bought the tiny quantity that I needed. However, then I realised that if this lovely glitter were more readily available in Australia more people might stop using the polluting plastic variety and start using the biodegradable sort.  I imported a number of kilos of glitter and now sell it on ebay, on this website and in my etsy store.  It's priced so it's comparable to the plastic glitters because I really want ocean safe glitter to be used by anyone who loves glitter and wants a bit of sparkle in their lives.  As to the 'other things' of the title of this blog post, it's mostly about gearing up for the end of the year and wishing I had the time to play with all the soaping ideas I have.

There are times in your life when once you know something, you can't unknow it, no matter how much you want to.  This has happened to me recently with glitter, which I use on some of my soaps for a bit of sparkle.  I knew about the issue of microbeads which are widely used in cosmetics and even toothpaste.  They are too fine for waste water filtration systems and are released into the ocean where they pollute and degrade the marine environment for many years.  But then I realised that the cosmetic glitter I was using is made of the same substance and that it is polluting the oceans in the same way. Obviously, knowing that I couldn't use it any more, so I started experimenting with other, safe ways of trying to get a sparkly effect.  I was about to give up when I discovered Bio-Glitter, a biodegradable, compostable, cosmetic glitter made by a company in the UK. It is perfect. 

I've been dithering about making this website for a couple of years almost exactly.  The domain name I bought two years ago has just been renewed. So here we go, (better late than never?) I have tried though, and been defeated a number of times.  This time there's enough coddling from the hosting company, involving online help in real time, to mean that problems can get solved quickly.

I decided I needed a logo. I didn't know what I wanted except that I knew I didn't want something with bubbles. I've always loved the tree of life motif and all the ways it can be expressed in art.  And I love the colour green. Merri Creek Soaps was born out of a desire to be environmentally sustainable and to honour and value the natural world, so this representation of the tree of life seemed right.                                                

Natural colourants are what I've been thinking about in terms of soap design.  If the colourant itself has useful properties all the better.  Last year at the CERES market a customer told me about something called shungite.  I'd never heard of it before so did some research on it. And it appears to be most amazing. Wiki describes it as 'a black, lustrous, non-crystalline mineraloid of more than 98%weight of carbon'  It has been used in medical treatment since the early 18th century, and has water purifying and anti bacterial properties.  It is also used as a pigment, which is how I intend to use it in soap.

I ordered the shungite from Russia and then trusted to the system.  My package had a tracking number so I could see how it moved around Russia which was rather interesting in itself.  Then, almost three months to the day, my shungite arrived, the blackest, finest powder. And now the fun begins..  I'm planning a shungite and indigo soap, but just have to work out what essential oils will match it.