Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more
I’ve blogged about my views on t.v. and the small business owner before. Click here to read them.
To prepare for the switchover to HDTV from analog, Congress has signed off on a new $1.5 billion subsidy program aimed at making sure the nation’s couch potatoes continue to get their viewing needs met.
Continue reading more about this new subsidy here.
I got these goodies in my latest Lemming Box Sampler. What a joyous surprise for the season!
First of all, how cute is this soap? It’s a plain box that is wrapped in cellophane with a simple ribbon finish. It looks very festive and gift-giving-ready. Nashville Wraps has some adorable printed cellophane for all seasons.
This little gift pack came packaged nicely in a bag with classy looking insert. It’s a good example of what you can do on a budget with branding (rule: keep it simple and keep it looking similar).
This is a traditional bar of cold process soap that is dressed up with both the nice cut-out box and also the drizzling of melt and pour soap over the top of the finished bar. The “icing” lends a look of sophistication to make this soap stand out.
This is what happens if you try to unmold the 3-D soap early – whoops. The hot portion of the soap splooshed out and ruined a perfectly lovely bar of soap. Patience is your friend when using the 3-D Soap molds.
The beauty of melt and pour is that the colored soap can always be chunked up and used in another bar of soap. A mistake is never really the end when working with a remeltable base.
Click here for Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Three-point-Five Rolling Video, Day Four instructions for more information on the abbreviated instructions below.
1. Melt 5 ounces of melt and pour soap in the microwave. Bramble Berry soap takes one 35 second melt & stir, plus another 20 second melt & stir for 5 ounces of soap to melt.
2. Add fragrance and color and stir well. Add .5 ounces of Liquid Glycerin to this mixture. Stir well.
3. Pour mixture into the 9 x 9 silicone baking pan. Spritz layer with Rubbing Alcohol to get rid of excess bubbles.
4. Allow to harden for approximately 10 minutes or until a very thick skin, capable of supporting another layer, has formed.
Repeat 1 – 4 until there are 4 or 5 layers.
Pop out the entire block of soap. With a firm grip, quickly start to roll the soap up. Massage the soap into a tighter roll. Let the soap sit for three to five minutes and cut gently with a sharp knife.
Let the soap sit overnight before wrapping. This allows the layers to fully adhere to each other and excess moisture to evaporate from the soap.
That’s it! You’re done. You’ll make 18 (or so) adorable, cute, oh-so-complicated-looking soaps in 30 minutes or less.
I totally did not want to run today. The wind was at 18 mph, it was cold, and it’s Washington so the weather was drizzling and gray. But, I’m trying to run 50 miles in 30 days and, this morning (pre-run), I was at a sad 29 miles.
I’m happy to report after the difficult and snail run below (take a look at how slow I got near the end – ugh) that I’ve broken through mile 30 and am all the way up to 32 miles. Only 18 miles to go before Christmas Day.
Click here for Day One (set up)
Click here for Day Two (color & fragrance)
Click here for Day Three (release and video)
As I mentioned in this post (which included a video of the soap rolling), the layers for this Jelly Roll were too thick. You can see that my rolled soap cracked (yes, my head is hanging low in shame). Thankfully, the middle part of the oval roll was usable so all the soap was not lost.
In my 9 x 9 pan, I used 8 ounces of soap per layer. In hindsight, a 5 ounce layer would have been appropriate.
I’ll have final photos and the final recipe for Jelly Roll Soap posted on the blog tomorrow, Sunday.
Remember, all comments (on any posts) this week are automatically entered to win a Starter Kit of Essential Oils from Organic Fusion so comment as much as you can. The kit is a pretty sweet deal.
If you haven’t tried Pandora Radio, head over to Pandora’s site and enjoy the unique Music Genome Project.
Enter in a song that you like and Pandora will propagate your station based on certain song characteristics.
I’ve been listening to a station started with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” for the last few hours and it’s been a very upbeat Christmas afternoon (while cleaning the office).
Happy Weekend! I’m working at Bramble Berry today, along with my dear husband who is working outside in the rain (that’s him, all dressed in his rain slicker and boots) to clear away all of our empty drums.
We’re both cleaning to prepare for inventory. In order for us to count the entire warehouse in 2 days, the warehouse needs to be organized and the plan for counting, deliberate and thought out. So, my fabulous husband who works more than a full time job of his own (he’s a senior engineer at his firm) is supporting me, helping to downgrade my stress levels from High High Red Alert to Medium Orange.
I went running last night after work. I’m trying to run 50 miles in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m close but not quite there.
Contest: Our contest for the week is a good one! All commenters that post between Saturday morning (today) and next Friday morning (the 21st) will be entered to win a starter kit of Essential Oils from Organic Fusion. The essential oils included are: 1/2 ounce sizes of Bergamot, Clary Sage, Litsea, Peppermint, Orange, Eucalyptus, Lemon, Tangerine, Patchouli, 2 oz. Lavender Jasmine blend, and 4 oz. Lavender. The Starter Kit is valued at over $100.
If you’ve missed Days 1, 2 or 3, read them first so you’re up to date on the set-up and secret (shhhhh, it’s liquid glycerin) to making really great jelly rolls.
In the video above, you can see the initial rolling process. Notice that the soap is malleable and
though it is quite thick, it rolls with a minimal amount of effort. Unfortunately, this four layer pour is too thick. The thickness is the reason that the soap looks more like an oval, rather than a cute little round.
After the video cuts off, I spent a minute or so massaging the rolled soap into more of a tight, oval shape.
The final soaps are different and unique but the oval shape is not quite what I wanted. Check back tomorrow for photos of the final soap. Plus, we’ll have photos of the same recipe with thinner layers and a clear concise recipe so you can make perfect jelly rolls at home – every time.
Thanks to Seth Godin for posting the link to this hilarious exchange between Amazon.com Customer Service and a faux-disgruntled customer. It certainly puts my Dad’s exchange with Cinnabon in a less favorable light. Click here to read the very cheeky and smart email from Amazon.com’s Executive Customer Relations Team. It’s entertaining and slightly heart-warming to see such a spunky ray of personality from a massive behemoth like Amazon.
Recently, my Father sent a note to the Cinnabon corporation. If you read the note and understand that it is tongue-in-cheek, congratulations! You can safely assume that you are NOT a Robot. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the Cinnabon customer service ‘bot machine.
My Dad’s missive, sent to the general Customer Service email, on their web site is below:
The only saving grace of being drug shopping was knowing that I could sneak away for a pecan-laden cinnabon. If I am going to line my coronary arteries, it must be worth it. I was very disappointed that you no longer make a true pecan roll, but instead sprinkle crispy, candied nut fragments (and squirt more frosting) over the top of the standard bun. That is NOT the same as fresh pecans, baked with the roll. You have probably managed to break my secret addiction by this change. I suppose my heart and waist should thank you, but my salivary glands and tongue may never forgive you.
He got this in response:
Dear Dr. Faiola:
Thank you for contacting the Cinnabon Guest Response Line. We appreciate our guests taking the time to inform us about their experiences.
We genuinely apologize for the disappointment your visit caused and appreciate your taking the time to write us. Your feedback helps us improve in our mission to deliver the ultimate Cinnabon guest experience.
If you have any other concerns or comments, please do not hesitate to share them with us or with the management at your local Cinnabon Bakery. Additionally, we will forward your comments to our Management Team for their review and consideration. We are committed to earning your loyalty.
Thank you, Dr. Faiola, for sharing your comments. We apologize again and look forward to serving you in the future.
Sincerely,
Jan
Cinnabon Guest Response Line
P.S. Please retain your Thread ID in the message body. This will help us locate your information should you need us again.
I do happen to have one teensy suggestion. Maybe, if they genuinely want to “deliver the ultimate Cinnabonguest experience,” they should consider investing in real people to answer emails.
I love using flexible baking molds for soap. Look how easily the soap pops out of this mold. Flexible molds are important for making jelly rolls. Whatever you use, make sure it has a bit of give and flex (this means no glass).
Click here for Day One (Set – Up for Jelly Rolls)
Click here for Day Two (Color and Liquid Glycerin Addition)
I couldn’t resist this photo. The contrasting colors are striking. The wet, moving Super Pearly White soap seems almost alive with its light catching undulations. Colors that contrast in a wow! way are important to making Jelly Rolls really eye-catching.
Pour each of the layers as soon as the layer beneath it is hard enough to support the new layer. Time is not your friend. The more fresh each layer of soap is, the higher chance you have for the layers to adhere together. After each of the layers has been poured, it’s time to get the soap out of the mold.
Whoops. I can immediately see that this is too thick to roll. But, on the plus side, the beautiful layers are sticking together (the first hurdle), there is no running between layers (the second hurdle) and the soap came out in one piece with no splitting between layers (the third hurdle).
Now, the soap is ready to roll. It’s important to roll quickly after plopping your soap out of the mold. If you wait too long, the soap will harden and become inflexible.
Check back later tonight for a video of the soap release.
