Search Results for: colorants

Dyeing for that Marbled Look

March 29, 2010 Filed Under: Home Crafts

Easter is this Sunday. Have you dyed your eggs yet? Check out how you can use your soapmaking LabColors to dye your eggs, too! I got the marbled idea from the fabulous and creative Martha Stewart (I heart her). What are your great egg dying techniques?

Ingredients
Soapylove Jewelry Box Colorant Set
(LabColors or food coloring will work too)
12 eggs
Sweet Almond Oil
Vinegar
Skewers, spoons and forks
Small mixing bowls
Plenty of paper towels (trust me)

One: Hard boil your eggs anyway you like. I put my eggs in a pot, cover them with cold water and turn the heat to high. Once the water starts to a boil, I let the eggs cook for about 10 minutes. Then I immediately submerge the cooked eggs into cold water to stop the cooking. Set your eggs aside while you make your dye.

Two: In a small bowl, use your Soapylove Jewelry Box Colorant set to make your egg dyes. In 8 ounces of water add your Jewelry Box Colorants and 1 tablespoon of Vinegar. Mix well and pop your egg(s) into the dye for 1-2 minutes, until you get a nice solid base color.

Three: After all of your eggs are colored, it’s time to create the marbled look. Add 1 tablespoon of Sweet Almond Oil to the remaining colors and give it a whisk with a fork. Carefully drop your egg in the mixture and use your skewer to roll the egg around in the bowl (the egg will only need to be in the colorant for about 10-15 seconds).

Four: Remove the egg from the dye with a spoon and let it dry on a paper towel (or in your old egg carton). Pat it dry with a paper towel.

Tip: Remember to pick colors are going to pair well together. I love how my pink and orange combination turned out. The white and blue looks great too because it’s such a dramatic contrast.

“Eggcellent” Colorant Recipes

Yellow
25 ml Sunshine Yellow
8 ounce of water
1 Tablespoon of Vinegar

Orange
9 ml Sunshine Yellow
2 drops of Ruby Red
8 ounce of water
1 Tablespoon of Vinegar

Purple
4 ml Fiery Fuchsia
5 drops of Turquoise Blue
8 ounce of water
1 Tablespoon of Vinegar

Neon Green
3 ml of Sunshine Yellow
1 drop of Turquoise Blue
8 ounce of water
1 Tablespoon of Vinegar

Red
4 ml of Ruby Red
8 ounce of water
1 Tablespoon of Vinegar

Blue
5 ml of Turquoise Blue
8 ounce of water
1 Tablespoon of Vinegar

Water Soluble Paper – Using a Silicone Baking Tray

March 24, 2010 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Melt & Pour Soap

I was going through my old photos, cleaning out my sadly overstuffed Flickr account, and found these photos. While this was one soap that didn’t make the final taping for the Microsoft Small Business Summit (didn’t see this series back in 2008? Check it out here), I wanted to share the technique with you. This is a good way to embed larger photos using Water Soluble Paper.

Step One: Pour a thin layer of Clear Melt and Pour Soap down. Don’t spray alcohol. Alcohol makes the ink bleed. When the Clear Melt and Pour has slightly set up, gently set the photo down. The goal is to not allow the soap to get the water soluble paper wet. Wet paper = bleeding paper.

Optional Step: 24 hours before embedding your Water Soluble Paper page, lightly spray with a very fine drizzle of hairspray to help set the color on the paper.

Step Two: When the Clear Layer is fully set, gently pour cool temperature opaque soap on the back of the paper. Why cool temperature? The cooler the soap, the more viscous and thick the soap is. The thicker soap doesn’t make the ink bleed as much as freshly poured, very wet soap. You don’t have to keep the soap totally straight white either! You can lightly color the soap base to make a light pastel. Blue based tones look best. Warm tones seem to enhance the natural yellow of the clear soap base and yellow out the photo.

Step Three: When the soap has fully set up, gently peel away from the mold.

Step Four: Use a sharp large butcher knife to cut the soap into the shape you want.

The photo I was able to embed using the Jelly Roll Pan is double the size of a standard soap mold. It’s just one more use for this amazing, versatile product.

Soap Queen TV – Whipped Soap Cupcakes

March 18, 2010 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

They look like cupcakes, they smell like cupcakes, but don’t be fooled, they’re soaps! Learn how to make soap cupcakes with whipped frosting in this episode of Soap Queen TV. Using the same technique Debbie shared on the Soap Queen blog (in this tutorial), I make a soapy replica of the Lavender Vanilla Cupcake from Cupcake Royale.

How to make Soap Cupcakes with Whipped Frosting from Soap Queen on Vimeo.

Here’s what you’ll need for the cupcake base:
40 oz. White Melt & Pour Soap
1 1/2 oz. Vanilla Select Fragrance Oil
1 1/2 oz. Vanilla Color Stabilizer
6 ml Canary LabColor (diluted)
SoapyLove Scalloped Round Mold

Here’s what you’ll need for the soap frosting:
16 oz White Melt & Pour Soap
8 Tbsp Natural Castile Liquid Soap
9 ml Royal Purple LabColor (diluted)
1 oz Lavender Fragrance Oil
SoapyLove Jojoba Bead Mix

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!

Soapylove Tutorial: 2 Scoops, Please!

March 8, 2010 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

Anne-Marie and I are so excited to release the newest design in the Soapylove supply line – the Ice Cream Cone Mold! With polka dots, layered ice cream scoops, and an adorable “cake” cone, you will have so much fun designing your own flavor combinations. Here’s a quick tutorial to get you started!

Supplies:
1 lb Bright White soap base
Sweet Treats Colorant Set
Poppy seeds
Delectable Desserts Fragrance Set
Ice Cream Soap Mold
Cutting board, knife, bottle of rubbing alcohol, Pyrex cup

Directions:

Melt 1 oz of white soap base. Stir in several drops of Bakery Beige color until you get a nice milk chocolate color. Spray mold with rubbing alcohol, then pour soap into top “scoop” area. I found that if I poured the soap close to the rippled edge then filled in the rest, that I would get the best coverage without overflow. Allow to harden.

Next melt 1 oz of white soap base. Stir in a few drops of Pink Frosting color, then a tiny sprinkle of poppy seeds (you can also use the Rainbow Sprinkles! Very cute!). Spray the chocolate soap and the mold with alcohol, then pour in pink soap filling the second scoop area and covering the chocolate scoop. Allow to harden. If you do have overflow, wait until soap is hard then cut excess away with a sharp knife.

Melt 1 oz of white soap base and color with Buttercream colorant. Spray mold with alcohol, pour soap into cone area and cover both scoops of ice cream. Allow to harden.

* If you want incredibly cute guest soaps or embeds, you can stop here. Let the soaps sit in the mold until completely cool then flex mold to release an edge. Pull soap out of the mold.

For a complete soap bar, melt 4 oz of white soap base and add any fragrance you like from the Desserts F.O. set. Use equal portions of fragrance and vanilla stabilizer. Stir well and allow to cool to 120 degrees. Spray set soap with alcohol, then fill mold. Allow to harden completely either overnight or put in freezer for 10 minutes, and unmold!

You can’t go wrong with this mold. As long as you use non-bleeding colorants, you can do anything! Try using non-bleeding micas for a “sorbet” look, or try marbling 2 colors for a rainbow sherbet effect. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Debbie, Soapylove

Soapy Nesting – Easter Soaps Part 2

March 5, 2010 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

Today we make the nest. If you still need to make your Play Dough Soap Eggs for this Easter project, see yesterday’s post here. This recipe was originally created by Debbie of SoapyLove for the frosting on her soap cupcakes. Let’s get started!

Making the Nest Ingredients

12 oz Clear Soap Base

2 Tbsp Natural Castile Liquid Soap

Colorant of your choice (pictured are Liquid Green, Liquid Orange and Liquid Brown)

Silicone Cupcake Mold

Play dough machine with a spaghetti attachment

Electric or Hand Mixer

ONE: In your mixing bowl, combine 8 oz of clear soap base, 2 tbsp of natural Castile liquid soap base and your colorant of choice. Mix on high until the mixture has fluffy peaks and it looks like frosting. Ooh and ahh over how great the fluffy peaks look, then mix a little bit more until it looks grainy and less appealing. The picture to the right is a perfect consistency to work with.

TWO: Press the mixture into your play dough spaghetti maker and pull the lever down to make the “spaghetti strings” come out the other side. Let your strings sit in the open air for about 30-45 minutes; they will be easier to work with if they can cool and dry.

THREE: Melt 4 ounces of clear soap base and (if neccessary) cool to about 130°F. In one cavity of your cupcake mold, pour 1/4″ of clear soap and layer in a handful of your spaghetti soap. Fill up the mold about half way and press down the middle with your fingers to make room for the eggs. If necessary, drizzle some soap around the edges to ensure all of the pieces stick together.

FOUR: Pour another thin layer of clear soap in the middle of your nest and place 3 eggs into the soap. Repeat this process for all 6 cavities.

FIVE: Let the soaps cool, pop them out of the mold and smooth the edges with your finger.

Make them in all colors of the rainbow. We tried a lot of color combos and they all looked cute!

Cold Process Soapy Sunday

February 28, 2010 Filed Under: Personal Ramblings

A big thank you to my soy latte (the 2nd serving of caffeine in four-five months; I’ll admit that I’ve missed it) and energetic film crew for getting me through a long day of shooting Soap Queen TV. I’m so excited for you to see this cold process series. It’s going to be great for beginners and aspiring cold process soapers out there; learn all about colorants, fragrances, lye safety and basic CP vocabulary. The first episode of the series airs in April so keep your eyes peeled.

Don’t you love the new set? It’s so happy, chic and Soap Queen-y. It makes me smile (grin).
Have a great week everyone!

You, Too, Can Color with Confidence

February 17, 2010 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Congratulations to random number 104 and blogger known as Saponify.

You’ve just won the Color with Confidence Contest (applause).

The winning comment: Oxides, Oxides, Oxides!!!!! I love my oxides. Micas and some ultramarines and labcolors can rock my cold-process soap socks, too. I had the best coloring experience a short while ago when I was able to get a 6 color marbly-swirl going on with my oxides and labcolors. Pickmepickmepickme!!!

Wow! The six color marbly-swirl sounds amazing. Swirling cold process is not an easy task, let alone SIX swirls! Email me at info(at)brambleberry(dot)com and we’ll send you the Color with Confidence PDF Prize (retail value of $39.00). Enjoy and good luck with your swirls!

If you want your own copy of Lori’s definitive work on colorants, you can get your own copy here. Or, better yet, check out our new Color with Confidence Starter Kit– For just 49.99 you get the E-Book AND Lori Nova’s top 10 colorants to experiment with!How can you resist?Happy Coloring!

Less Can Be More – Using Sheer Colors

February 13, 2010 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

We know that when making multi-colored glycerin soap styles we need to use non-bleeding colors, which are usually made of powders that block light. It seems like we can only do two things – use clear bleeding colors or use opaque non-bleeding colors, but we actually have many choices in between! They’re called “sheer colors.” Here are some tips on how to achieve them (they all use clear soap base to start):

1) Use non-bleeding micas, just a pinch at a time to get a light tinted shimmer that still has clarity. In the Woodgrain Soap above, I used just a hint of cappuccino mica. The engraved design still shows up beautifully and the mica doesn’t bleed (you can find the full tutorial here). In the Daisy Bars on the right, I used a touch of opalescent mica as the background color. It’s still pearly without looking too heavy.

2) Use oxides and pigments with a very light hand. It’s best to start with liquid colorants since it’s easier to add the color one drop at a time, but you can also dilute your powders and add by drops, too. You can see in these Ice Bars that I was able to get a clear blue center that won’t bleed into the white frame. Ultramarines (the blue, purple, and some pink pigments) are very fine powders that keep their clarity very well if used lightly. But remember – one drop at a time!

For a quick reference of which micas and pigments Bramble Berry carries that are non-bleeding, check out Anne-Marie’s recent post here. And for some more great projects using sheer colors, pick up your Soapylove book here! Happy coloring!

Debbie, Soapylove

Shea Butter Soap Cupcakes – Cold Process soap

January 23, 2010 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

Hi Everyone! Please welcome Erin from Naiad Soap Arts who generously offered to help me out while Anne-Marie is away. Erin’s soap craftsmanship is mind boggling, not to mention beautiful. She created this amazing tutorial just for Soap Queen, enjoy! ~Amber

Have you been drooling over all of the cupcake themed bath and body treats lately? I have! Here is another to add to the collection – a deliciously sweet Cold Process Soap Cupcake scented with Strawberry and Cream cheese! The end result smells just like a cupcake!

If you unfamiliar with Cold Process consider this DVD or this Book. For your safety please do not try this until you are familiar with the Cold Process method of soap making and are familiar with safety precautions when handling Sodium Hydroxide. Many thanks ~ erin

Now let’s get started!

Soap recipe for 6 cupcakes:
7.5 oz. Coconut oil 76 degree
7.5 oz. Palm Oil
6.25 oz. Olive Oil Pomace
2.5 oz. Castor Oil
1.25 oz. Shea Butter
7 oz. of distilled water
3.5 oz. of Sodium Hydroxide
1 oz. Cream Cheese Frosting Fragrance Oil
1 oz. Strawberry Fragrance Oil
we will be soaping at 100 degrees
There is a little extra soap incase you want to add more frosting than I did!
If not, have a small plastic container ready for extra soap!

Other supplies:
• Round Cupcake Silicone Mold
• 6 paper cupcake liners
• Flamingo Pink High PH Lab Color
• Iridescent Glitter
• Disposable Cake Decorating bag
• Plastic Star Cake Decorating Tip or stainless steel decorating tip
• Stick Blender
• scale

• safety goggles

• gloves

• plastic spoon

• stainless steel whisk (for thorough stirring)

• one, 2 cup microwave safe glass measuring cup

• one, 4 cup microwave safe glass measuring cup

• one, 8 cup microwave safe glass measuring cup

• one, 2 cup plastic or glass cup for measuring sodium hydroxide. (I have one measuring cup I use for sodium hydroxide and nothing else and I suggest you designate a sturdy measuring cup for this task)

• thermometer(s) that reads up to 200 degrees

• box large enough to fit the mold, and at least 6 inches deep.

For all supplies without a link you can do a web search to find them and many of the cake supplies will be available in a local craft or baking store. The measuring cups can be found at any big box store that sells kitchenware.

1) Get everything out and within easy reach. Line the cupcake mold with paper liners, cut the tip of the plastic disposable decorating bag so that the plastic star tip fits in it, weigh out your 1 oz of fragrance oils and set aside ( I like to save empty fragrance oil bottles for this), double check that you have all of your supplies ready.

2) In your 8 cup measuring glass, weigh out your Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, and Shea butter. Microwave until melted about 4 minutes

3) Add your olive oil and castor oil and set aside.

4 ) PUT ON YOUR SAFETY GOGGLES AND GLOVES. They will be on from here on out. 🙂

5) In your 2 cup glass measuring glass weigh out your water, set aside. In your 2 cup glass or plastic measuring cup weigh out sodium hydroxide. VERY IMPORTANT: in a well ventilated area mix the sodium hydroxide into the water (never the other way around). Be sure not to inhale any of the fumes as they are toxic. Stir with your plastic spoon until the solution is clear and all of the sodium hydroxide is dissolved – about 2 minutes. Set aside with your thermometer and wait for the temp to reach 100 degrees. Start with ice water to expedite this part!

6) Once the sodium hydroxide is just above 100 degrees, take the temperature of your oils and make sure they are also at 100 degrees. If it is too hot pop the container in an ice water bath and if it is too cool pop in the microwave for just a few seconds at a time. NOTE: temperatures can be within 5 degrees of each other.Slowly mix the sodium hydroxide solution into the oils while mixing with the same plastic spoon you used to mix the sodium hydroxide solution. Finish off by mixing with your stick blender until you achieve a light trace (looks like thin pudding). This took me about 1 minute.

7) Separate out 18 oz. of soap into your 4 cup glass measuring cup, add 1 oz of Cream Cheese Frosting FO, stir well, pour into your cupcake mold, and tap on the counter to level out soap. Set aside.

8) To the remaining soap add your 1 oz of Strawberry FO, and 40 drops of Flamingo Pink labcolor or until you get a pink that you like. The soap should be getting pretty thick at this point. Stir with your whisk until the soap is very thick and can hold shape.

9) Fill your disposable decorating bag with the strawberry pink soap. Make sure you hold the decorating tip securely in the bottom and keep it in place until the bag is full of soap. Twist the top or secure with a twist tie.

10) Begin piping frosting onto the tops of your cupcakes in a circular motion, building up tapered layers as you go. Repeat with all six cupcake soaps. I used a small star tip to get a tight ridge on the frosting but a larger tip will make for the big fluffy frosting look you have probably seen!

11) Sprinkle with glitter when you are finished.

12) Place a box over the top of the mold, tall enough for clearance for the soap frosting. Cover with a blanket and let sit undisturbed for 24 hours. After 24 hours your cupcakes should be very firm and easily removed from the mold. You can peel the paper at this point or keep it on. Let them cure for 4 weeks in a cool, dry place!

Afternote: the Cream Cheese Frosting FO will start to darken the soap because of the vanilla in the fragrance. I think the end result is going to be a tan color and you can see that starting to happen in the photo. If you do not want this to happen choose a non-discoloring Fragrance.

Happy Soaping!

Soapylove tutorial: Rainbow Carnations!

January 21, 2010 Filed Under: Home Crafts

The weather outside might be cold and unfriendly but these Rainbow Carnations will warm up any room! Plus they’re a great project when you’re stuck inside. All you need are a bunch of fresh white carnations (baby or full size are fine) and your set of Jewelry Box Colorants. Now let’s get started!

First, get 2 cups of warm tap water and 5 or 6 glasses. Fill each glass about 1/2″ full then put 3-4 droppers full of colorant in each (use each color individually, plus mix them to get other shades. Check out this handy color mixing chart here). Pour remaining water into a bowl, then cut your carnation stems about 6″ long, at an angle, under the water. Immediately put your cut flowers in each cup.

Depending on how fresh your flowers are and how intense your color mixture is, you may start to see color in as little as one hour and get full color saturation in 24 hours.

To arrange your flowers in a pot like in the photo, take a small pot, a plastic cup, and a block of oasis. Cut your cup down so the top is below the rim of the pot. Then cut your oasis with a knife until it’s slightly bigger than the bottom of your cup. You should push it down so it’s wedged into the cup. Now start sticking your flower stems into the foam, working from the outside edge into the center. Then fill your cup with water. Ta da!!

SHORTCUT!: If you are feeling impatient and want to see some seriously instant results, cut your flower just below the bud (under warm water!) and put in a tiny cup like a shot glass with warm heavily colored water. I started seeing color in 5 minutes!! Have fun!

-Debbie, Soapylove

Valentine Cold Process Soap

January 14, 2010 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

This advanced cold process recipe is for the patient soapmakers our there. But I promise your patience will be rewarded with a beautiful and detailed bar of handmade soap. This recipe is divided into 3 stages and is actually a combination of 3 separate recipes. So take a deep breath, grab your ingredients and let’s make some Valentine’s Day Soap!

Cut-Out Heart Recipe:
7.8 oz. Olive Oil
7 oz. Coconut Oil
6.5 oz. Palm Oil
1.2 oz. Beeswax
3.18 oz Lye
7.43 oz. Water
1-2 teaspoons Burgundy oxide
Flexible Brownie Pan Mold

Layer One Recipe (pink)
18 oz. Olive Oil (16 + 2 oz.)
2 oz. Coconut Oil
2 oz. Palm oil
2.9 oz. Lye
7.22 oz. water
2 oz. Olive Oil
1.8 oz. Baby Rose fragrance
2 teaspoons Pink Oxide
2 teaspoons Fuchsia LabColor (diluted)

Layer Two Recipe (cream)
18 oz. Olive Oil (16 +2 oz.)
2 oz. Coconut Oil
2 oz. Palm oil
2.9 oz. Lye
7.22 oz. water
2 oz. Olive Oil
1.8 oz. Baby Rose Fragrance
1 Tablespoon Pearly White mica

Helpful Notes

The entire recipe fits two 2 lb. molds or one 4lb mold. You may have some extra soap left over too so have another little mold on hand (check out some of our heart molds).

Baby Rose fragrance oil tends to accelerate trace, so this recipe is specifically formulated to reach trace slowly. For this reason it’s important to prepare layers one and two in separate batches rather than making one big batch and splitting it (which is what you’ve see me do in the past).

Safety First! If you’ve never made cold process we highly recommend reading this blog post and watching this DVD or reading this book. Please do not make Cold Process Soap for the first time with just this blog post.

Instructions

Put your gloves and goggles on now. Are they on? You shouldn’t be making soap if they’re not.

STEP ONE:Make the recipe for the cut-out hearts by combining and heating your oils, mixing in your lye water followed by the Burgundy Oxide. After reaching trace, pour 1/4″-1/2″ of soap into the Flexible Brownie Tray. Let sit for 24-48 hours or until the soap is firm enough to remove from the mold. Use a cookie cutter or craft knife to cut 9-10 heart shapes and smooth the edges with your finger if needed.Set hearts aside.

STEP TWO:Line your wooden mold(s) and have an extra mold or storage container on hand. We used freezer paper with the shiny side up (towards the soap) so it peels off easily. Learn to line your mold here.

STEP THREE: To start the second recipe, sprinkle the lye over the water in a heat safe container. Stir well taking care not to inhale any fumes. Set aside and allow to cool until the water is clear with no bits of lye in the bottom.

STEP FOUR:Measure out 2 ounces of olive oil in a head safe container. Measure out 1.8 ounces of Baby Rose Fragrance Oil.Set aside but keep with in arms reach. We’re going to add these both at the very end.

STEP FIVE: In a microwave safe container that will hold at least 2 pounds, melt the Coconut Oil and Palm Oil (making sure to mix the palm oil well). Add the remaining 16 oz. Olive Oil and mix well.

STEP SIX: Mix the Pink Oxide with a tiny bit of Olive Oil to work out any clumps and set aside. Keep your diluted Fuchsia LabColor close at hand too.

STEP SEVEN: (Are your goggles and gloves on? Keep ’em on!) Slowly add the lye water to the oil mixture. Gently mix using a stick blender in short bursts. Add the Pink Oxide mixture and Fuscia Labcolor and blend until fully incorporated. What you see for color is what you will get so if the color is not dark enough, add more Fuscia Labcolor until it is your idea of a perfect pink color.

STEP EIGHT: Heat up the 2 oz. of Olive Oil for 45 seconds in the microwave. Add your fragrance oil to this warmed up olive oil. Add the fragrance and oil mixture and stir with a spoon. Then gently use your stick blender to give it one or two bursts. Baby Rose accelerates trace even with the extra gentle addition method and careful stick blending so be prepared to pour quickly.

STEP NINE: Once trace is reached (which will happens fast), spoon the soap into the mold filling it only half way and tamping it down on the table to get rid of any air bubbles.

STEP TEN: For the third recipe, repeat steps 3-9 using the Super Pearly White Mica as your colorant.

STEP ELEVEN: Place the heart cut-outs at even intervals through out the soap, leaving the tips of the hearts peeking out of the top. The spacing depends on how wide you want your soap slices to be.

STEP TWELVE: Insulate and allow to set-up for a few days before cutting.

Cutting the Soap: Remove the soap log(s) from the mold. Using a sharp non-serrated knife slice the soap so there is one heart on the front of each slice. You may need to trim the bars a little to clean up the hearts.

Allow the soap to cure for 4-6 weeks

Soapylove Tutorial: Ombre Heart Soaps

January 7, 2010 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

At the first ever Soapmaking Weekend Intensive held at Otion in 2008, I had the great pleasure of meeting Paula Kates of PJ Soaps. She is an incredible glycerin soap artist and I learned a little method from her that I haven’t used until now. The interesting surface design on these Ombre Hearts uses her deceptively simple mold-tipping technique. I think you’re really going to like it!

Supplies:

2 oz. Bright White soap base

12 oz. Naturally Clear soap base (or Clear M&P)

Jewelry Box Colorant Set

Candy Jar Fragrance Set

Striped Heart mold

Knife, cutting board, bottle of rubbing alcohol

Directions:

1. Prop top left corner of mold up on something about 1″ tall.

2. Melt 2 oz of white soap base. Spray mold with alcohol, then pour a small amount of soap into mold at the top curves of the heart, allowing soap to run down stripes and pool at one side. You only want total coverage of white soap over 1/2 of the design. Allow to harden.

3. Melt 12 oz of clear soap. Color with 1 or 2 drops of any color from the Jewelry Box set (Fiery Fuchsia and Turquoise Blue are shown) and a sprinkle of Sparkle Dust. Fragrance with 2 dropper fulls of any scent from the Candy Jar set. Allow soap to cool to 120 degrees.

4. Place mold flat on table and spray white soap with alcohol. Slowly pour colored soap into mold, aiming the stream at the edge of the mold where white soap is thickest. This will protect the thinnest area from melting. Allow to harden and unmold.

Although the Jewelry Box colorants are bleeding colors, the white area may become a pastel shade of the colored soap but will always look bright and distinct.

Stay tuned to the Bramble Berry and Otion sites for info about the next “SWI.” It’s a great weekend that you should not miss!

-Debbie, Soapylove

Non-Bleeding Colors from Bramble Berry

January 6, 2010 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

What is a bleeding colorant? Bleeding colorants are usually dyes or FD&C colors that tend to migrate into other layers of your soap over time (see picture below). Sometimes it can look super cool if you’re trying to blend your colors (a la tie dyed soap), but usually it just looks a little sloppy.For sharp, clean lines, pick from the list below!

Bleeding Colorants

Non-Bleeding Colorants

Want to learn how to make the soap above? Check out Soap Queen TV for a step by step tutorial!

Micas…

Antique Blue
Copper Sparkle
Light Gold
Merlot
Opalescent Green
Opalescent Turquoise
Patina Sheen
Red Blue
Rose Pearl
Sparkle Violet
Vintage Grey
Luster Black
Aqua Pearl
Blue Green Mica
Cappuccino
Mauvey Gem
Silver Mica
Sparkle Violet
Super Pearly White Mica

Liquid…

Black
Blue
Brown
Non-Bleeding Red
Liquid Red (brick red)
Non-Bleeding Violet
Deep Purple
Pink
White
Yellow
Green

Sweet Treat Colorant SetOxides…Yellow
Burgundy
Green Chrome
Brick Oxide
Ultramarine Blue
Hydrated Chrome Green
Ultramarine Violet
Black Oxide
Brown Oxide
Titanium Dioxide

Violet Oxide

Soapylove Tutorial: Checkered Cookie Soaps

December 14, 2009 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

On this very rainy and chilly day, baking cookies sounds like the perfect project. But there’s just one problem – the last thing I really need right now is a jar full of cookies staring at me. As Oscar Wilde said, “I can resist anything, except temptation.” So today I’m bringing you the fun and satisfaction of iced cookies without the calories (or the dough that refuses to roll out nicely!). Enjoy!

Supplies:
1 lb Naturally Clear Soap Base
Sweet Treats Colorant Set
Delectable Desserts Fragrance Set
Soap Injector Tool
Checkered Heart Mold
Pyrex cup, 4 small mugs or cups
Spray bottle with rubbing alcohol, knife, cutting board

Directions:
1. Fill one cup half full with hot water.

2. Now melt 1 oz of soap base in a cup (15 seconds in the microwave). Stir in a few drops of Pink Frosting colorant, then a drop or 2 of White Icing colorant. Draw up some soap in your injector tool and very gently fill the checker indentations.

TIP: If you spray the mold with alcohol before you start filling the squares, the soap will flow into the corners much easier.

3. When done, squeeze excess soap back into mug, then draw up hot water to clean.

4. Repeat for other colors, using Buttercream Yellow and White Icing colors. Any pattern looks great – you can’t mess up!

5. Allow to harden. If you dripped onto any squares accidentally, use a toothpick or skewer to pick soap off. If the edges seem harsh, use your finger to smooth the soap lines back down.

6. Now melt 12 oz of clear soap base. Color with several drops of Buttercream Yellow. You don’t want to start with Bakery Beige because sugar cookies are a soft color. Add one drop of Bakery Beige to get a more tan tone. It’s better to be light in this case. Now add 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Frosting fragrance oil and stir well.

7. Let the soap cool to 120 degrees. Then spray your checkered soap with alcohol and pour in beige soap. Only fill half way so they’re more like real cookies. Allow soaps to harden overnight and pop out.

Put these in pretty treat bags and tie with ribbon. Your friends will LOVE this no-calorie surprise!

-Debbie, Soapylove