Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more
When I started making soap at 16 years old, I rendered my own fat and started my foray into all-things-soap with cold process soap. That was messy. Ingredients were hard to come by. And there was zero instruction out there. My first five batches failed. Then, I made melt and pour. It wasn't the … Continue Reading
Vibrantly-colored leaves are one of my favorite aspects of autumn. These Vermont Maple Melt & Pour Soaps celebrate the changing foliage with plenty of color. Yellow, orange and red soap is layered into each cavity. Then, the soaps are dusted with mica to really help them pop. The mica will wash … Continue Reading
Bee of Sorcery Soap (also known as "The Soap Witch") creates amazing products with hand molded details and shapes. She uses her own soap dough recipe to create horses, flowers, birds, books and gnomes (and so much more). Bee shares the techniques on her YouTube channel as well as her soap blog. I'm … Continue Reading
Happy Sunday! For the past week, the family and I have been soaking up the last bits of summer. It has been a perfect 70 ° F, although this weekend the weather is taking a turn. Looks like we might be going into the rainy season. One of the best investments this summer has been a huge plastic tarp … Continue Reading
This week we introduced the new Autumn Frost Fragrance Collection. It includes four non-traditional fragrances: Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil, Vermont Maple Fragrance Oil, Sparkling Snowdrop Fragrance Oil and Cedar and Amber Fragrance Oil. We tested hundreds of fragrances and found the best … Continue Reading
Washington state is known as "The Evergreen State" for the abundance of trees in the area. They have a fresh scent and vivid green color throughout the year. These Cedar & Amber Cold Process Soaps were inspired by the evergreen scenery of the Pacific Northwest. Classic fall colors are layered … Continue Reading
Cocoa butter is a vegetable fat extracted from the cocoa bean. It naturally has a warm, chocolatey aroma and a firm, brittle texture. Learn more about cocoa butter here. I was inspired by the decadent properties of cocoa butter to create this body mousse. Melted cocoa butter chunks and jojoba … Continue Reading
Traditional scents like Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil are always a favorite when fall rolls around. However, sometimes it's nice to switch it up and try something different. That's where the new Autumn Frost Fragrance Collection comes in! It includes four unique fragrances that are perfect for fall … Continue Reading
Staying a season ahead is important when crafting. This is especially true if you have a small business. If you haven't created your fall projects, now is the time! It's also the ideal time to start making holiday projects. The holidays may seem far away, but nobody wants added stress in … Continue Reading
This week was all about fall. When the temperatures start dropping, a cup of hot coffee or tea is a perfect start to the day. Coffee and tea are also great in soap. They give bars a warm color and subtle scent. You can also use coffee grounds to exfoliate the skin and coffee butter to moisturize … Continue Reading
Are you in the "yea" pumpkin spice camp, or the "nay" pumpkin spice camp? While I understand the desire to hang onto summer, I'm in the "YAY!" pumpkin spice category. I just love the change of seasons and crafting with fall-inspired scents. If you're ready to celebrate fall, these Pumpkin Spice … Continue Reading
Here in the Pacific Northwest, it's starting to feel like fall. The leaves are changing, the temperatures are dropping and it's getting dark earlier. If that wasn't enough, Starbucks has started serving the ever-popular Pumpkin Spice Latte. There's something so comforting about hot coffee and a warm … Continue Reading
It's crazy how many different types of swirls you can create with cold process soap. Crazy awesome that is! It's impossible for me to choose a favorite, but if I had to choose my top five, the Circling Taiwan Swirl would probably be included. It's a variation on the classic Taiwan Swirl that was … Continue Reading
Happy Labor Day! I hope you're able to take a few hours to relax and recharge. Today I'm planning a healthy mix of work, family and downtime. The weather has cooled down from the past few weeks, which has actually been wonderful. We can't take too much sun up here in the Pacific Northwest! =) Today … Continue Reading