Its been awhile but Ive been busy...

I have failed to tend to my blog but I have been busy making soaps.  Just a real quick post to show you a couple of the successes in my soap making endeavors.

A couple of my Holiday scents are Warm Vanilla Sugar which I really like! I love the way it turned out.  With the colors and the swirls.  If you are a soapmaker then you know it doesn't always come out as you plan.  This would be the experience of my next holiday soap.

This is my Warm Vanilla Sugar and smells delightful!

The next is a soap that didn't quite turn out the way Id hoped as far as the color goes.  Its nice, just not as colorful as I would have liked.  Still the smell is amazing! The next is my Holiday Pomegranate.

My next holiday scent has become my daughters favorite.  She came home from college at Thanksgiving and after her first shower came downstairs and said "WHAT is the scent of that soap in my bathroom?!"  I couldn't even remember what I had placed there, so asked her to describe it to me.  So yea, it's a nice one that turned out not too bad.  Brown Sugar Fig would be the name of this soap.

So there you have it, my holiday scents thus far.  I just made a couple more today and I'll try to be more dilligent about posting on my blog. :)



This weeks YAYS! and whoes :(

So this week I made 3 different batches of soap.  I always get so excited when Im making a new batch and am so anxious to unmold it the next day and cut it.  So the first batch I made this week was a YAY! I decided I wanted to make a bar with Activated Charcoal and scented with Tea Tree Oil and Peppermint.  I kinda wanted a frothy top just so it wouldn't be all grey so i used Titanium Oxide for the top and Activated Charcoal in the lower part.  I can't wait to try it! It looks kinda cool and smells really good!  I also used a new Silicone mold from Natures Garden which I adore! Decided that is the way Im going to go as far as molds go, I will definately be getting more! This is my Activated Charcoal batch...

Pretty, right?

My next batch was a whoe, and not "whoa"! Although somewhat comical at my expense.  So recently I purchased new fragrance oils from Natures Garden Candle and Soap Supplies.  Two of which are Sparkling Mojito and Pink Berry Mimosa.  So here is how my fail went down.  I decided I would use the Pink Berry Mimosa for my fragrance and I was going to add Lime (you will understand at the end lol).  Of course with the lime I decided to use my citrus green coloring because I didn't have a good Pink choice.  Of course at this time it didn't dawn on me that maybe Lime wouldn't be a good choice with a Pink Berry fragrance.  Anyway, I used an awkward shoe box for the mold which I discovered was awkward when I had to cut it, but whatever.  I did a swirl with the true Citrus Green along with the green mixed with a portion of the soap that I lightened with Titanium Oxide. Then I also made some with just white.  All that turned out not bad, not great but not bad.  The next day I cut the bars and had it out on my kitchen counter.  A day went by and every time I passed that soap I felt like something just wasn't right.  It wasn't until the second day that I was in the kitchen looking at the bars, smelling them and thinking about the name of the fragrance that it HIT me! Mimosas are not Green and don't have Lime in them!  You see Iam not a drinker and while I pretty much know the names of basic drinks at the time of making my soap I had a "brain fart" and thought Green and Lime.  So I realized that what I meant to fragrance it with was Mojito! So it will be a wonderful bar of soap for my family to use, aren't they lucky!



My final batch so far this week has been my favorite.  Its simple, no color added (thought it best to avoid color this time) and made with only 3 oils, the largest percentage being Olive Oil.  It was 70% Olive Oil, 20% Coconut Oil and 10% Castor Oil.  I used another Natures Garden fragrance oil Honeysuckle Blossom, which I love! It turned out the be the best one for this batch, the olive oil gave it a natural creamy yellow color.  This is probably my favorite thus far :)

Also Ive decided to follow Sharon's advice from OB Soaps and take my photos outside.  I think she's on to something with that.  I really like the natural light and the way it shows off the soap! So thanks for that great tip Sharon! Im a newbie and I'll take all the advice I can get! :)

Yay for successful soaping!

So this last week I had to make another batch of Goat Milk Soap because I was running out of stock.  I have friends that rely on it and cannot run out! So last week I made a batch that ended in ultimate fail! I did a couple things different that I had done preciously which I think was probably a big mistake.  I ended up with complete separation! First time ever! So I brought out the crock pot and decided to try and salvage it by cooking it.  This would have worked fine if I hadn't left it and it got a bit too hot, which gave it a roasted scent, (no scent added).  I had a friend that really needed some so I brought it to her hoping the scent wouldn't be repulsive and thankfully she liked it!  So anyway this past Sunday I had to make a new batch and it turned out fabulously! 

With this batch I added a tsp of Titanium Dioxide which lightened it up a bit, and I added Colloidal Oats for exfoliate.  I cannot wait to use this soap! Its so creamy!

The next batch I made was a Coco Butter soap, with Veg Shortening, Olive Oil, and Castor Oil.  I scented it with Gardenia and Lime and a touch of Champagne, it turned out heavenly! I wanted to use my Chromium Oxide for the green and then I wanted a touch of yellow and some white.  The marbling turned out a little different than I planned however I kind of like it.  And the soap is so creamy and silky, I love the way it turned out!  I feel like with each batch I am getting so much closer to a great looking bar of soap and maybe even a little closer to a work of art. 

That of course is my goal.  To create a soap that is silky, and creamy awesomeness for you skin and yet creative and artsy to look at.  There is so much inspiration out there!

Working on beautiful soaps

I have seen so many beautiful soap creations and it's both inspired me and made me feel inadequate.  I am really wanting to sell my soaps online, however I realize to do this I need to step up the presentation of my product.  Up until now the quality of my soap has been spectacular, everyone who tries it loves it.  But it has lacked in appearance.  I would like to think Im getting better.  I really like the last 2 batches I made this last week. 

This one is made with Shea Butter, Coconut Butter, Soy Oil, Castor Oil, Palm Kernal Oil and Olive Oil. It is scented with Love Spell and Champagne FO.  I love the way it turned out! It smells divine and I am happy with the delicate colors.  

This batch is made with the same oils.  The scent is Citrus, a combination of Orange, Lemon, Lime and Pink Grapefruit.  I had made some soap balls the other day when I made a batch of Coconut Lemongrass soap and decided to try my hand at soap embeds.  I also added grated Lime peel, which of course didn't stay green.  I kinda figured it wouldn't.  This soap smells intoxicating and Im in love with it! Can't wait to try it out in 21/2 weeks. 

Cold Process results getting more dependable

So last night I decided to make 1 large batch of Shea Butter soap and split it for 2 different fragrances.  Very exciting, for me because for the last few years of making soap Ive not used a stick blender and most of the time had a finished product that wasn't bad, it just wasnt what I was looking for.  So almost everytime I would re-batch it in the crock pot.  But the last few batches that Ive made since using the stick blender have been amazing and predictable.  Im still working on my artistic skills as far as making my bars look pretty.  So I was really excited this morning when I unmolded the two loaves and the design that I attempted actually kinda looked like my plan. 

I love it when that happens! They smell amazing and the colors are crisp.  I am so excited I can't wait to make my next batch tomorrow!  The only issue I had with this batch was this morning when I went to unmold them they were still somewhat soft.  So I left the lids off and kept them in the molds untill I came home from work.  Then I was able to take them out of the mold.  Can anyone give me pointers on insulating?  Do you remove the lids or covers after gell stage or do you keep it on the whole time?  I really could use some tips from you pros out there.  Pretty please....

Exciting Soap day for me!

Today I woke up anxious to get to making soap.  I just recieved an order from Bramble Berry on Friday with some new stuff that I could not wait to get into!

So I knew I wanted to make Shea Butter soap and scent it with my new Coconut Lemongrass along with a touch of Lime.  So I did this, even attempted a swirl.  We will see how that turned out tomorrow, but I think it will be nice enough.  Certainly not the level that I see in some of you amazing Soap artist out there, but hey Im getting there.  I will post pics of that tomorrow as I didn't get a pre-insulation photo, not sure what I was thinking.

After I got that batch in the oven, I just couldn't not stand the idea of not doing another smaller batch. Decided this time to use some Patchouli that I got at the Health store close by. Since I wasn't real found of the scent by itself I tried adding some BB's Orange EO and I liked it! So I decided on a Coco Butter recipe for this which also called for Coconut Milk. Brought the temps way down on both the Lye and oils before putting them together, Im actually not sure if it is a true "Whipped Soap" but it was very whipped!

I love it! It is so creamy and poufy! I almost wish I had added color, but I couldn't decide what to color it with.  I would love any imput that you all might have to help this amateur soap maker.  Everytime I see some of your blogs and all your beautiful soaps I get inspired.  Sometimes I wish I didn't have another job and could do this more than just Sundays.  Maybe I'll have to come home from work and make soap instead of dinner.  Wonder how that would go over, hmmm? Yea, I don't think it would.

Successful batch with stick blender

So since this whole stick blender was new to me I knew I had to conquer, and make another batch of soap.  My next batch was again mostly vegetable shortening, large amount of cocoa butter and small amounts of castor oil and olive oil.  I decided I wanted to give the whole "swirl" thing another try so I colored 1/2 the batch with pink.  My scent was going to be pink grapefruit, with a hint of honeysuckle and champagne.  The smell was pretty fabulous!,  and I was pleased with the color.  It didn't trace nearly as quickly as the first batch.  So while I said I liked the color right after adding it, after 24 hours I wasn't as pleased.

Not too bad, but I'm hoping it will calm down just a little after it cures more.  Also I noticed it is getting a little ashy on the top.  I realize this is only cosmetic and won't at all affect the quality of the soap, however it bothers me. 

First batch of soap with stick blender

So yesterday I said to myself "self, you need to get a stick blender!" so since I was so convincing, I went right down to the store and bought one,  along with a digital scale.  I know right about now you let out a gasp, surely she hasn't been making soap with a regular food scale and mixing by hand?  Well... yes, I have.  I now know what Ive been missing, although it has been a bit of a learning experience. 

First batch I made was a recipe largely made up of Vegetable shortening and coconut oil with smaller amounts of castor and Macadamia nut oil.  I had planned on coloring it with a lavender and slight vein of green, since I was going to scent it with lavender, sage and a touch of lemon.  Well I added the lye to the oils and almost immediately noticed it starting to trace.  So I mixed with the Stick Blender off, and then pulsated it a couple times.  Thats when panic set in, as I knew it was setting up quickly.  I separated some for 2 different colors and then without even thinking put the uncolored in the mold (no scent!) then attempted to swirl in the other 2 colors.  I covered the mold and just left it on the counter, no insulating.  This afternoon when I came home from work and took it out of the mold it was so hard! Not to mention the colors did not turn out the way they were intended.  So the only thing to do was rebatch it.  So I started cutting it into the crock pot, then decided it was so brittle Id grate it.  Which made it like powder.

This would be right out of the mold less than 24 hours later.  The lavender color turned pink and the green turned a yellowish color.  Yea, not exactly what I was going for but hey, now I know. 

Once it was all grated in the crock pot it was very pretty, a soft yellow with slight pink.  Would have been perfect for laundry soap if it was scented.  I'll post photos of what the end product is after rebatching.  Thankfully soap is almost never a fail.  Still I am in love with my new stick blender and digital food scale!

New at This

As Ive been browsing Handmade Soap blogs I have found myself a little intimidated.  I make an awesome soap, I am confident in that, but there are artsy soapmakers out there that I hope I can aspire to.  I love looking at all the beautiful creations out there, getting ideas.  The thing that I need to get better at is the cold process.  I get so impatient and want to use it NOW! that I find myself slicing it thin and putting it in the crockpot.  But I know if Im going to produce larger quanities of soap I need to stop fussing with it and let it cure. 

Any advice from some of you more experienced high volume soap makers would be very welcome! Im excited there are people following me and excited to become part of the blogging community.  Again all advice is appreciated.  :)

New to Blogging

Ok here I am giving this whole blogging thing a try.  I follow countless blogs and thought to myself, "self" I think I might want to try this whole blogging thing".  Mostly I will blog about Soap making, however I enjoy doing lots of things that might sneak their way into this blog from time to time.  I hope you will stop by and find something that keeps you coming back.  Id love to hear from you about things you've learned about blogging or soap making.  This could be fun, I think :)