Here’s a kind note I got from Sue Harris of Little Mama Products
Congratulations on your 2nd place finish, Sue!
Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
Here’s a kind note I got from Sue Harris of Little Mama Products
Congratulations on your 2nd place finish, Sue!
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
The soap artist says this about their work:
A bar from each of the batches of soap I’ve made so far. They can be bought at agape1.net/store/catalog/ except for that lavender one. I’m not really selling that one since it was my first batch and doesn’t even smell like it’s supposed to.
I love the bottom right soap – the swirl is very crisp and clean. And Gapey, don’t worry too much about your first batch of soap not smelling like you wanted. It happens to all of us.
Filed Under: Bramble Berry News
Thank you Joanna at Product Body for a wonderful ego-enhancing post about Bramble Berry, this blog and (eyes downcast modestly) me. Click here to read the post.
And then DesperateHorseWife (aka Tracey) has a very nice post, complete with awesome photos about her experience with Otion, Bramble Berry and soaping. It’s a well-written funny missive (just like Tracey is when you meet her in person). Click here to read it.
Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap
Oatmeal Melt and Pour Soap Recipe
(1) Melt 8 oz. of white/opaque base
(2) Melt 8 oz. of clear base
(3) Optional: Grind up 1/2 oz. of Oatmeal in coffee grinder for a smoother, lighter exfoliation. Also, the smaller the particle, the easier to suspend in the soap.
(4) Combine the two bases
(5) Add your fragrance oil – approximately 1/2 oz. (Oatmeal, Milk and Honey is a good one!) and stir in well
(6) Optional: Add colorant
(7) Add the oatmeal and stir. Wait 20 or 30 seconds – is the oatmeal sinking to the bottom of your bowl/Pyrex or is it staying suspended. If it is staying suspended, skip to step 8
(8) If the oatmeal is sinking, this simply means that your base is not thick enough to support the oatmeal. Either cover the bowl/Pyrex with saran wrap and wait for the base to cool, or stir the melted base until it is becomes thick enough to suspend the oatmeal.
(9) Pour your oatmeal soap into molds
(10) Spritz with alcohol to finish the soap and break up any bubbles on the top of the soap
(11) Wait 2 to 3 hours (or even better, overnight!) to pop the soap out of the molds. Wrap with saran wrap and you’re done!
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
A stunning photo of Oatmeal and Honey Soap from Blossom Sundries.
The oatmeal is a particuarly nice tough on top of the soap; it provides texture and an artistic look.
The Soap Artist has a great recipe for an Epson Soaking bath over at her blog here.
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
Thanks for the comments yesterday about our hilarious wildlife. The little critters make us laugh every morning as we drink our coffee. Here are a few more videos of the squirrels eating and playing.
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
Our chipmunks and squirrels have become happy (and complacent?) on our deck, eating gifts of peanuts (shelled and unshelled).
Despite my husband’s fears of our squirrel’s imminent starvation, they eat enough peanuts to empty both feeders every week or so.
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
While these aren’t the chipmunks at our house, ours have been out in full swing all morning. I will post a video or two of them later.
We’re busy today, catching up on the mundane that doesn’t get done during the week (cleaning, washing dishes, actually speaking longer than a brief “Hi” and “Goodbye!”). Sadly, today won’t be spent playing with soap and toiletries because the dirty clothes hamper calls. Our kitchen is safe for another few days.
Upcoming this week: Ranting about Business 2.0’s lack of female business covers, photos of a fun soap party at Otion, and a new contest! Look for the Lake Samish Chipmunk videos later today.
Filed Under: Home Crafts
Final Tips and Tricks:
1. Thank you to the Anonymous poster for writing and telling us her experience with hot wax on her hands. She recommended wearing gloves when making candles to protect hands from burns. I find gloves cumbersome and bulky but might consider them for future projects. Third degree burns are never pleasant!
2. Wick trimming is important. Trim the wicks down to 1/4 inch prior to burning and continue to trim them after burning if the wick gets too long. Wicks that are too tall will cause smoking and high flames, which could be a fire hazard.
The photo below shows wax seepage between a first and second pour. When the wax congeals and cools, it will shrink considerably. Beeswax does not need a second top-off pour like paraffin wax does. If you try, the result is below. The wax seeped down in between the glass and the beeswax that has shrunk.
And a big thank you to Mark F. Small from “Small Bees” for his thoughtful email today. I appreciate him sharing his tips and tricks for working with spilled beeswax! Here are Mark’s tips below:
1) Allow the beeswax to solidify. Ice is not necessary, especially on wooden sufaces. The water will only damage the wood.
2) Once the beeswax is hard, use a stiff plastic blade putty knife or a stiff plastic vinyl applicator (this is what we use, found in sign shops to apply vinyl letters to banners) to scrape most of the wax off of the surface. Using the stiff plastic tools suggested should not leave gouges or scratches on virtually any surface. If removed effectively there should be just a fine film of beeswax left.
3) Now break out the hair dryer or heat gun and turn it on medium to medium high. As the beeswax softens and melts use a terry cloth towel to rub the area affected. You may need to keep using different areas of the towel as it absorbs the wax. Continue until all wax is absorbed. Done!
You should experience no gouging or wax buildup if you follow this procedure. Some beekeepers do use mineral spirits for removing fine films of beeswax, but I have found the approach above to be much more effective.
Thanks Mark!
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
The soap geniuses at Otion made this plate of kiwi and cream soap. It looks edible and smells delicious. Melt and pour is a wonderful medium to work with; it gives great artistic freedom and creative options for crafting with.
Filed Under: Business Musings
I have the privilege of speaking at CraveParty in Seattle next weekend. If you’re in the area, please stop by! The scoop: CRAVE Show ’07 is Seattle’s premier indulgence and style event for women. CRAVE Show ’07 showcases nine themes for smart, urban-minded women. To empower and inspire CRAVE Show ’07 features lifestyle experts, a fashion stage, fitness studio, décor design stations, spa services, cosmetics counters, travel desks, culinary delights, a connection café for friendship and networking, and much, much more. Above all CRAVE means enjoyment, enlightenment, indulgence, health, fashion and above all sophisticated, feminine fun!
Click HERE to see the calender for the show on November 3rd and 4th. The panels I’m participating in are at 12 noon on Saturday and Sunday and 4 p.m. both days.
So, if you’re in the Seattle area and want to meet hip, smart and connected women, stop by!
Filed Under: Home Crafts
For Candlemaking Set Up, click here.
For information on wick and fragrancing, click here.
For wax spill cleaning, click here.
Once the wicks are anchored and centered, fragrance added and your wax is colored. You are ready to pour. Pouring has been briefly discussed here already. Most cotton core wicks will stand up straight when exposed to the hot wax. If you happened to purchase a wick that is drooping, consider using a CD series wick. They are specially designed for high melt point wax and will stay firm under the deluge of hot wax.
Here is another photo of pouring from the melting container to the pour container. Notice that we’ve finally covered the table with newspaper! There is approximately 3 pounds of melted wax in the double boiler pot. That much weight requires a steady hand (no caffeine before the pour!) and a strong wrist. Always work within your limits for weight; if you have a weak wrist, melt smaller amounts.
When the wicks get warm, they do tend to droop just a bit. Here we have propped up chopsticks to help keep the wicks standing up straight. It takes approximately 30 minutes for the beeswax candles to harden and be safe to move. Tip: If you try to move the wax while it is still congealing, it will ripple on the surface of the candle. Your candle will not have a smooth even look if you try to move the container too quickly.
Check back tomorrow for final touches for your candles and some general tips and tricks for making your candle crafting as fun and easy as possible.
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
There were over 80 entries to the Soap Contest that the American Dairy Goats Association sponsored. The Handcrafted Soap Guild designed the contest rules about what makes a “good” bar of soap. Some of the criteria included:
Fragrance
Color
Even Texture
Lather
Residue
Feel when soaping
Density and Stability of Lather
Creativity
Water Absorption Test
To read more about the Water Absorption Test, click here.
After lathering up with more than 80 bars of soap, Harriet Schieb (a small soapmaker from Denver, Colorado) and I independently filled out review forms. Each criteria had different points associated with it. The entire judging process was done over two days. Our hands are a testament to how nourishing goatsmilk soap is. Even after lathering with 80 bars of soap and using no lotion, our hands were fine! There was no excessive dryness or cracking!
The best soap in entire show was (drumroll please!) a soapmaker from Texas!
The winning soap was made in a Mini Mold using AppleJack Peel fragrance.
Congratulations Caroline Lawson from Franklin, Texas!
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
From their site: cheerful, colorful avians, two by two. freehanded on felt, so every bird is one-of-a-kind, like you. two-line saying in lovebird cursive (neat, carefree handwriting).
The cards are $42 for a box of 12 which seems pricey but when the work to cut out the felt birds and the custom printing is taken into account, it seems like a fair price to pay for all that labor!
Cake and Milk Paperie has lots of other card options if you’re looking for personalized cards. Check out their site here.