Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more
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Welcome Martha Stewart Radio listeners! Thank you Regina and Shannon for phoning in questions live while I was on-air.
If you’re looking for the Eco Chic Soap concept we talked about today and how you can use simple plastic containers like yogurt and tupperware for soap molds for your easy starter melt and pour recipes, you can find it here. Other resources for you: TeachSoap.com and the TeachSoap.com Forum.
Tools:
Mixing bowl
Electric mixer or whisk
Piping bag, cookie spritzer, or knife for spreading the frosting
A few notes: The meringue powder is powdered egg white which gives the frosting body and also helps it to harden (which is why it’s frequently used in royal icing). The SLS makes bubbles – so really you’ll end up with a Bubble Bath Bomb. Using an electric mixer is the easiest way to make a smooth fluffy frosting – but you can also make this recipe with a whisk and some elbow grease!
Directions:
1. Blend the Meringue powder and 1/2 cup water together and mix until you have a smooth lump free consistency.
2. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well until you get a smooth, stiff frosting. You can add more water or powdered sugar to adjust the consistency if necessary. The thicker the frosting, the easier it is to maintain a tall frosting swirl with a distinct pattern.
3. Fill up your piping bag (see instructions how on our sugar scrub tutorial) or try using a cookie spritzer gun like we did. Alternatively, you can always just use a knife to give your creations that authentic bake sale look.
4. Allow the frosting to harden for at least 24 hours before you sell, use or give away your fabulous creations. If you are shipping the product, shrink wrapping the entire bath bomb cupcake ensures a safe arrival to your destination.
Click here for Day one – the cupcakes – tutorial
1 lb. Citric Acid
2 lbs. Baking Soda
spritzer filled with Witch Hazel
Fragrance: Anything sweet – we like Hello Sweet Thang! or Buttercream & Snickerdoodle
Silicone Cupcake Mold (NEW!)
Cupcake Liners
Step 4: Mix the color and fragrance in thoroughly. This is important as clumps of fragrance or moisture can turn into wart-like protrusions on your bath fizzy.
Step 8: Let the fizzies harden inside the mold. You’ll frost the cupcake bath fizzies while the bath bombs are still inside the cupcake baking sheet.
Check back tomorrow for our super duper improved frosting recipe. It has SLS in it to fizz, whirl and easily melt away in the tub.
Ready for the frosting? Click Here
Click here for SWI 2009 details! Don’t miss the second annual Soap Weekend Intensive in Bellingham Washington. Join me and special guest teachers like Debbie Chialtas from Soapy Love, Jill Heuser from Northwest Scents and Lori Nova from the Nova Studio.
Learn how to make these Soapy Cookies and Soapy Plaid by Soapy Love herself!
Here’s What You’ll Need
Layer 2: Melt 12 oz. of clear melt and pour. Add fragrance oil and a pinch of heavy metal gold mica. Spritz the first layer with rubbing alcohol (to make sure layers adhere) and pour your second layer. To achieve the texture in this layer, stir the soap in the mold until it cools (2-3 minutes), creating a chunky type layer. Give it a spritz with alcohol 2-3 times during the cooling process to eliminate bubbles.
Tip: Before pouring your second layer, make sure the melted soap has cooled to 120 degrees. If it’s any hotter it will melt the bottom layer of soap.
Layer 3: Melt 12 oz of clear melt and pour. Add fragrance oil, a pinch of Gold Sparkle Mica and stir. Spritz the textured layer before pouring the soap and spritz again with alcohol to eliminate bubbles after pouring.
Layer 4: Repeat step 3 using the Cellini blue mica. Remember to give the soap a final spritz to eliminate bubbles.
Final: Once the soap has cooled, turn your soap mold upside down and pull the edges away from the soap to break the air lock. Once the air lock is completely broken your soap loaf will fall out of the mold.
I am soooooo excited. We’ve figured out a new recipe for Bath Bomb Cupcakes with a frosting that more easily melts and fizzes in the tub. Though I am traveling to Arizona in the morning to learn from the great Jim Collins about how to build a company with lasting significance and legacy, there will be time tomorrow (at some point, in between airports or hotels) to post this exciting and new recipe. It’s the next evolution of our original fun recipe and I can’t wait to share it with you.
Click here for the bath bomb recipe
Click here for the frosting recipe
Shaving Brush – The old fashion shaving method is coming back! This brush lathers any shaving soap brilliantly and is gentle on the skin. Give the man in your life the smooth shave that he deserves! The diameter of the brush handle is 1 1/4 inches and the height measures 4 1/2 inches. $4.00
Blush Brush – This brush is made with real goat hair and is perfect for evenly applying rouge for that sophisticated and glowing look. The diameter of the brush handle is 3/4 of an inch and the height measures 3 3/4 inches. $5.50
Foundation Brush – DIY mineral makeup is all the rage these days. Apply your handmade foundation or bronzer with a brush that’s made with real goat hair, soft to the touch and will help you create an even skin tone or sun-kissed look. The diameter of the brush handle is 1 1/4 inches while the height measures 3 3/4 inches. $9.00
Soap Box– This soap box is a fabulous find and fits our log mold soaps perfectly. This white, one piece box is easy to put together and will hold a bar that is 3″ x 3.5″ x 1″. It’s a blank canvas for your custom label! 12 boxes for just $4.00
Have a question about this blog post? Come join us at Bramble Berry’s Facebook page and we can help you out with any of your soapy questions!
I just wanted to share this cool site I came across via my fabulous father. Disaboom is an online disability community to “share stories, learn from others and create a supportive network of friends.” This site also has some great information on health in general. Check it out and read some amazing and inspirational stories!
Well, today was the day. I walked into the office only to see a single ray of light beaming down on a cardboard box. I dropped my purse, squinted at the box and made out the word “cupcake”. I could hear the faint sound of angels singing in the background, “aahhh”. Then reality set back in as I quickly ripped the box to shreds. I was over the top excited!
The overall marketing scheme and presentation of the cupcakes was a 10! Brilliant! I honestly don’t know if it could get much cuter than this. The pink box came with individually wrapped cupcakes, tiny containers of frosting, sprinkles and spreading utensils- it’s a full meal deal!
Now for the taste test. I delicately spread the caramel frosting on the vanilla cupcake. Because the frosting was cold it was tough to spread, but I forged ahead and got the job done. The cupcake was okay …6 out of 10. It wasn’t the best cupcake I’ve EVER had but it did in a pinch. And whatever, the whole unwrapping, cute packaging and action oriented project made up for the so-so oily cupcake. I am still in high spirits with my purchase and I would totally send this as a gift in the future. The whole concept is right on the money.
Here I am blissfully tasting the costly treat. Yes, the experience was worth it!
We did our first-ever DIY Mineral Make Up class at Otion. Throughout the 3 hour class, I kept telling the class attendees that the process was super simple. At the beginning of the class, they looked dubious. But, by the end of the class, everyone agreed and was excitedly chatting on about what they were going to make next. Blush was on most attendee’s to-do list.
The biggest success of the day was definitely the foundations portion of the class. Mixing a truly custom blended foundation can be absolutely daunting and take up to 45 minutes. An intricate understanding of the Color Wheel is essential for a successful foundation match. Thankfully, fabulous Johanna co-taught the class with me and she is pure genius with mixing and matching.
To make things just a little easier, we had each of the foundation base mixes in the “Making Mineral MakeUp Guide” pre-mixed for everyone. There are 12 different blends in the book. Amazingly, everyone left with perfectly blended foundation and only 2 people needed some extra oxides added to the basic bases to get the perfect blend. So, perhaps that need for a truly custom blended foundation is nil because most everyone found their perfect match in our handy pre-made recipes.
Eye Shadow was the big crowd pleaser. It’s the easiest to make and of course, with eye shadow, anything goes so there were some fun and crazy colors that were made.
Everyone left with 4 eye shadows they made in class, 1 custom color match foundation, make up applicators and the Mineral MakeUp Guide. More importantly, they left with the knowledge on how to create all of these goodies for themselves at home.
If you want to do this yourself at home, you can! It’s easy (I swear). Buy the book here.
| Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession is what you were put on earth to do. With such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling. –Virgil |
Our mineral makeup kits are a great excuse to get the girls together! The kits come with everything you will need to make 10 pampering eye shadows in vivid colors or neutral and metallics. One kit will be perfect to share with your friends on your next playdate. Get your Mineral Make-Up Kits HERE.
Everyone has down times and our challenges to overcome. We all walk the path of life’s ups and downs and sometimes the up path can be steep.
This is where friends, family and community come in again. People with close friends, family and a strong community recover faster from down times, failures and sadness. Studies show that isolation exacerbates unhappiness whereas friends and family and community lift our spirits.
With friends we share our achievements, failures, strengths, and vulnerabilities. Good friends are there in good times and bad. We participate in each others’ lives. We share our feelings. We don’t go it alone.
When we’re going through our troubled time, we have our daily plan. We don’t have to think about all our decisions because we’ve done the roadmap – our goals and our vision for our life. So, it’s easier to eat well, exercise, spend time in nature, write in our gratitude journal, and spend time with positive friends. All these things nourish us and we recover faster.
Finally, there’s laughter. Laughter sends endorphins into the bloodstream and relieves pain, both physical and mental. Laughter has been described as “inner jogging”, “respiratory gymnastics”, “the stress fighter”, and “a tranquilizer with no side effects”. Well, it all sounds good! Hurray for those great giggles we’ve had at the craziest times and hurray for our friends who make us laugh!
Sure, we find ourselves in the doldrums sometimes, but we don’t have to dwell there.
We can just choose to shift gears. Helen Keller said, “When one door closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”
Happiness tips for the doldrums:
PS – This overview post above is meant for those of us that have normal bouts of anxiety or sadness. If you are clinically depressed, these are good and helpful tips to consider in conjunction with vising your doctor for a more serious chat.