“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”
-John Ruskin
New Friends
“The language of friendship is not words but meanings.”
-Henry David Thoreau
Halvah Cheesecake Part Two: The Cake
Here’s part two of the Halvah Cheesecake from my dad’s 25 year old IOU! Check out the full story of the IOU and how to make Halvah from scratch tutorial here.
Ingredients:
16 ounces of softened cream cheese
3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 tablespoon spelt flour or all-pupose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped halvah [Read more…]
Budding Chef
“When you are truly comfortable in your own skin, not everyone will like you, but you won’t care about it one bit!”
-Unknown
Curiosity
“Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.”
-Samuel Johnson
Reimagining Honey Ale Soap
It’s fun to take a stroll down memory lane by looking at the archives of the Soap Queen blog (well, if you’re into soaps and crafting, that is). There are a few ways to search for posts past; if you remember the title, type it in the search bar and click “go!”. If it’s a specific type of project you’re looking for, say Melt and Pour or Soaks and Scrubs, you can click on one of the headings in the left column. If you’re looking for something by season or other key words, you can search for favorite posts by date or tag by clicking on the “Archive” tab above. Now that I’ve offered up enough ammo to keep you distracted for the rest of the week (tee hee!), let me show you what’s caught my eye recently: Honey Ale Soap! Such a great way to celebrate Octoberfest traditions by making this non-alcoholic homage to a local favorite, the micro brew. I’ve reworked this fun technique to pay homage to the *other* beery holiday of the year.
25 oz Honey Melt and Pour
0.8 oz Honey Ale Fragrance Oil
5 Tablespoons Natural Castile Liquid Soap
8 oz White Soap Base
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3D Psychedelic Double Pour Swirl
I’ve been loving on Bramble Berry’s exclusive line of 3D molds lately. I especially appreciate the versatility of the simple shapes. What a great way to show off your soaping skills! Here’s a technique that I discovered by accident while attempting another project. I had wanted to create a fabulous background to feature some of the adorable Hamster eraser toys (hence the picture below) but as I started creating, another idea developed in my head and I went with it. Ever happen to you? I’m pretty happy with the results!
Note: The 3D Orb Mold and 3D Pear Mold have been discontinued and replaced with our 4 Sphere Silicone Mold and 6 Bar Oval Silicone Mold.
Recipe:
6 oz. White Melt and Pour Soap
14 oz. Clear Melt and Pour Soap
Electric Bubblegum Color Block
11 mL Red Apple Fragrance Oil
OPTIONAL: 4 Surplus Blue and Grey Soap Ropes (not in Buy It Now button kit)
Buy everything you need for this project with the click of a button!
Firsts.
On the eve of Jamisen’s first haircut…
“Every goodbye is the birth of a memory.” -Dutch Proverb
Jack-O-Lantern Melt and Pour
I think fall is officially here in the PNW (Pacific Northwest for you out of town readers). It may seem too early for some, but I actually had to wear a jacket this morning (rough life, I know). The chill in the air that can only mean one thing…it’s jack-o-lantern season! So dust off your pumpkin soap molds and grab your pumpkin spice fragrance oil. It’s time to “carve” your soapy pumpkins!
18.2 oz Clear Melt and Pour
(Note: This mold has been discontinued.
It has been substituted with the 12 Bar Round Silicone Mold.)
0.5 oz Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil
Injector Tool (optional)
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[Read more…]
Color Block Rainbow Soap Tutorial
This fun and whimsical soap is perfect for anyone a little unsure of working with powder colorants because it uses Color Blocks! Color Blocks are pre-mixed, intensely colored little nuggets of soap. You just shave off a bit to get the color you want and mix it into your melted soap. There’s no pre-mixing with oils or glycerin and the colors work well every time. For this project, we went rainbows mixed with books; the colorful stacked blocks embedded in white soap kind of remind me of a perfectly disheveled book shelf. Stacks of read and well-loved books are one of my favorite sights ever (and you can always see what I’m currently reading here).
Recipe:
72 oz Clear Melt and Pour Base
22 oz White Melt and Pour Base
Electric Bubblegum Color Block
Shimmer Amethyst Purple Color Block
1.8 oz Pikake Flower Fragrance Oil
5 Pound Slide Bottom Wood Log Mold
Get everything you need for this project with the click of a button!
Baby Got Remote
Happy Labor Day everyone! We finished one urban hike (that’s my fancy way of saying I pushed the stroller up and down hills in the neighborhood and then pushed it into town, baby included), brunch with friends, a long nap (we’re in nap transition – 2 naps to 1 nap) and are getting ready to head to the lake to catch those last rays of sun and the last hours of the day. I’ve been reading all your comments on the ‘Baby Got Sand‘ post and it’s funny that so many of your children liked remotes too. Go figure. It’s a universal (remote) thing! Above is Jamisen and his favorite toy, sleeping. Notice the button is firmly pushed down, even as he sleeps. [Read more…]
Baby Got Sand
Jamisen has had a busy few weeks, trying to pack in all the glory of summer in fifteen days (or less). Summer came to Washington State a few weeks ago and we have done our best to introduce Jamisen to all things sun, water, and sand related. Throwing rocks in the water is his new favorite pastime (well, that and finding any remote and immediately absconding with it). [Read more…]
Curious
“I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt
Bellingham All-Stars Baseball
Meet the U11 Baseball State Champs!
My wonderful Bramble Berry team told me that I had to be back in the office by 2:30 last Wednesday. What the heck did they have up their sleeves? I had no idea at the time but I played along and planned my workout around meetings and was back to the office right on time. To my surprise, I was honored with a guest appearance from the Bellingham All-Stars 11U baseball team, AKA the Cal Ripken State Champs! Great job boys!
