Check out some of my favorite pins from the last week. I can’t wait to enjoy the sunny weather we’re supposed to have this weekend; I see a playground or five in my future!
I wholeheartedly agree with this Julia Childs quote.
This avocado pasta looks dee-lish!
Super fun and yummy April Fool’s day shenanigans with these undrinkable (Jell-o) juice cups.
I also had a fun soaping week with this Tiger Swirl soap for a fun soapmaking challenge that SOAP Panel participant and long-time soaping compatriot Amy from Great Soapworks started.
The lowdown on what I used to make the design and the fragrance that gave me the time to make it happen? Easy!
Crisp Apple Rose Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Crisp-Apple-Rose-Fragrance-Oil-P5484.aspx
Electric Bubblegum: https://www.brambleberry.com/Electric-Bubble-Gum-Colorant-P4966.aspx
Fizzy Lemonade: https://www.brambleberry.com/Fizzy-Lemonade-Colorant-P4965.aspx
Titanium Dioxide: https://www.brambleberry.com/Titanium-Dioxide-Pigment-P4040.aspx
Activated Charcoal: https://www.brambleberry.com/Activated-Charcoal-P4956.aspx
Love the soft, pretty colors!
I thought so too, Carol! In this particular soap, Anne-Marie used some of our great neon colorants, but added a pinch of Titanium Dioxide to help lighten them up a bit. =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Sweet swirl Anne Marie! Those are the colors in the challenge kit, lovely demo of what they can do. Thanks for sharing. 😀
Thanks for stopping by, Melissa! We are super excited to see what people will be doing with this weeks soapy challenge. If you are participating, we’d love to see how yours turns out. You can share pictures with us on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page. 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/BrambleBerry
-Becky with Bramble Berry
I’m re-pinning that Julia Childs quote!
Your Tiger Swirl came out great–very spring-like. I recently tried the Crisp Apple Rose that I got as a sample with an order and it is yummy.
We are so happy you like the Crisp Apple Rose as much as we do, it’s one of our new favorites to work with. Have you checked out our other new fragrances Waterlily Orange and Lavender Forest? They are both fabulous and have a very distinct, but great scent to them.
Waterlily Orange Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Waterlily-Orange-Fragrance-Oil-P5485C162.aspx
Lavender Forest Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Lavender-Forest-Fragrance-Oil-P5483C100.aspx
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Speaking of Waterlily-Orange, I ordered some but haven’t used it yet because it says “May accelerate or cause ricing in cp soap.” So, is there anything you’ve found to prevent those issues, like soaping at higher or lower temps, or stay away from certain oils? I would love to use it soon, but I’m kinda scared to!!
Good morning, LuAnn!
There are a few things you can do to prevent ricing and trace. First, make sure you are soaping at lower temperatures, 120 is a great place to start. You will also want to make sure, that your recipe checks out 100% with the lye calculator and you are using your full water amount. If you discount your water, your recipe will accelerate faster. You’ll also want to use your whisk after you stick blend (only for about 30 seconds) to prevent accelerated trace. Another way to prevent it is to use softer oils in your recipe like Olive Oil.
Lye Calculator: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Lye-Calculator.aspx
And, last of all, make sure that you have everything ready to go, just in case your soap batter does start to accelerate. I hope this helps! Let us know if you do end up using it, we’d love to hear your feedback. =)