Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more
My last day in San Francisco after the Dairy Goats Convention was amazing and fabulous. It was warm and sunny. And, I even got a chance to visit The Nova Studio. Lori Nova has been a force in the soapmaking industry for many years. She runs an adorable instructional studio and was kind enough to … Continue Reading
Debbie from SoapyLove made this Soap Pop just for me. I can't wait to buy it! There are little cupcakes and even my own Soap Queen crown. There are 7 more left here. Check 'em out and buy your own. The best soap supplies on the internet are found at Bramble Berry. Click here to browse Bramble … Continue Reading
Thank you to Serious Eats and Soap Queen Commenter, Heather, for finding this adorable Halloween Cupcake. It looks (to me) like the ghost is made of rolled fondant. The photographer, Jill, said that there was bright green frosting underneath as the ghost's guts. Positively creative and season … Continue Reading
Thank you PurplePinkandOrange for the crafty shoutout on their indie finds, DIY blog. They said: From now until the holidays are here, you’ll find some great ideas on gifts every Monday. Today, I’m going to suggest checking out Bramble Berry. Several years ago when I worked in a rather large … Continue Reading
Mica is a beautiful colorant that makes glycerin soaps, bath products, and cosmetics shine. But there's another way to use it which will bring out another dimension to your soap designs! When I made the Gloomy Ghosts Soapsicles in the picture above, I wanted to create a faded effect to look like … Continue Reading
Part Two of our Cinnamon Sugar Scrub Tutorial finds us with a big bowl of delicious smelling, exfoliating foaming bath whip. You could use it the way it is - but we have a great idea for making it just a little more WOW! in the jar. If you missed the first day click here for ingredients, set up … Continue Reading
Cinnamon Sugar Scrub Cinnamon Sugar fragrance is our soon to be released scent just in time for your holiday projects. Making your own scrubs couldn't be easier with our Foaming Bath Whip. Unlike traditional oil based scrubs, you don't have to worry about this one separating or leaving a slippery … Continue Reading
Best in Show, Chestnut & Bay LLC Soap. Tara Bukowsky makes one fab bar of soap! Today was a long day - an intense day with back-to-back classes. I taught Goatsmilk Soapmaking 101, Goatsmilk Lotionmaking 101, Cold Process Soapmaking 201 and Beginning Marketing. All in all, I made four batches of … Continue Reading
To complete the set from Monday's post, here is how to make a cool headstone with the same mold used for the Crypt Soap. This is a really fun way to add some technique to a soap but without needing any artistic ability. If you can dab, you will have great results. Try it with the kiddos! What … Continue Reading
I'm teaching all day (that's me, looking oh-so-sophisticated and all goggled-up for this morning's Goatsmilk 101 class with an overflowing 40 students). Debbie from SoapyLove has a fun ghoulish recipe to share with you later today. Look for her fun, kid-friendly recipe in a few hours. The best soap … Continue Reading
That's right, my skin literally peeled off today from all the lotion testing. Here I am, testing the trillionth lotion on my skin. We tested four at a time (hand, hand, arm, arm) and then had to go wash, wait for 15 minutes and do the entire process all over again. But, after all of that … Continue Reading
There's a special place in hell reserved for travelers who do not turn off their 4:45 a.m. alarm when vacating a room but instead, leave it for the next unwitting weary guests to be woken up to. Twice. My Mom is in Rohnert Park with me at the American Dairy Goats Association Annual Convention … Continue Reading
Hello from sunny California where Marie Gale (President of The Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild) and I are judging the *best* Goatsmilk Soap in America. That's Marie Gale on the left with just a fraction of the soap that we'll be evaluating for color, creativity, hardness, lather and more. We evaluated … Continue Reading
Thank you to Jude at Aussie Soap Supplies for these photos and her review. These two Limited Edition Fragrances are available for purchase here. Jude made a delightful and creative soap log out of the Cream Cheese Frosting. Cream Cheese Frosting relies Madagascar Vanilla notes (which naturally … Continue Reading