We love what Paula from PJ’s Soaps did with our Geometric Tutorial. Her little logs of soap are all scented with different unique blends. Paula actually scents each layer separately to ensure full strength blending. That is one singular commitment to personal exclusivity. I shouldn’t be surprised; she told me that some of her creations take up to four hours per bar!
Paula was one of the teachers at our 2008 Soap Intensive Weekend and has an absolutely creative and beautiful way of blending scent and visual art. If you head to her site, be sure to check out her Obama soap. It’s a fun soap for this momentous week. I just received mine in the mail and it’s a stunning work of functional art.
Tweet that you’re reading this post by clicking here and share the soapy fun with everyone.
Anne-Marie says
PJ, You are so giving – thank you for all of the help and information. That is very kind of you.
Marlene, Your angled soaps look lovely and very cheerful on your Etsy site. =)
akaisilks says
beautiful, love these
Paula Kates says
Hi Lynn,
The best way I’ve found to determine how much mica or any other colorant should be added to clear soap is not by volume or weight but by actual look and behavior in your soap.
This can be done by adding a tiny (grain of rice sized) pinch of mica to your clear soap, gently whisk in (without creating bubbles), then dip a white spoon or white scraper (included in BB’s mini tool kit – which also includes a mini whisk) to the approximate depth of the layer you’ll be pouring.
Say I wanted to fix my green layer, what I should have done is to submerge my white scraper to the depth I intend to cut the soap. If the light is going to pass through the soap I will need to see the bottom of my white tool submerged to 3/4th of an inch or an inch (however thin or thick you wish to cut the soap). Had I done this I would have seen very little green colorant against the white of the spatula at that depth and would have known to add a bit more mica to the green layer.
Marlene says
I did the layers as well!! I love Pj’s work!
Check our my Heaven in Seven Soaps on my Etsy site!! I used 7 angled layers each scented individually as well!!
http://shopdavinia.etsy.com
From Athena's Desk says
those are gorgeous!!
Mary @ Annie's Goat Hill says
My eyebrows kept going up and up, and when I read 4 hours per bar…wow!!! Amazing, and scent blended each layer. Must smell wonderful.
Carmen Rose says
Yay! I love the idea of Obama soap, but the idea of using it as a body bar made me pause a little …and then the giggles started! LOL!!!
Lynn says
It’s so great to know that the greats of soap making also have surprises. Just wish my surprises were so nice looking (grin). Paula, what amount of mica would you use next time? I generally add too much.
Anne-Marie says
kat, “full strength blending” is just a random term I made up to denote that PJ’s soap is smelly through and through! And that’s in a good way.
PJ, Thanks for the compliment. You’re such a doll.
Paula Kates says
Thanks guys! Actually the yellow isn’t bleeding, this was my first time using mica to color clear soap base. I didn’t want to use too much as that would impair the lights ability to show off the mica. So the layer between the blue and the yellow is actually made with a green mica. I just didn’t add enough green!
Soap Kitten says
This is really purty. I love the colors and how the yellow bleeds into the surrounding colors, making it look like a gradient of some sort.
Lovely!
Paula Kates says
As always, Anne-Marie of Bramble Berry is leading the soaping world by example. How insanely sweet to wake up and find such a generous shout out from THE Soap Queen to PJ Soaps.
I will remember this feeling and make sure to pass it on, to be supportive of the community.
MWAH!
SingingWolf says
Her work is lovely, as always!
katw0man says
hello evryone,
stopped by for some down time on this intensive website stuff!
now i need to find out what tweeting is and how to do it. suddenly twittering became tweeting and i never got the memo!
also, what is full strength blending……..
ok, i am crabby and it is showing.
pj’s soap is be-u-t-ful!!!!
out
Teresa R says
I have yet to see one of her soaps that doesn’t totally bowl me over. 🙂
Brigette says
Those are really pretty. That is amazing that she can spend up to 4 hours on 1 bar of soap. The end result sure makes it worth it.