Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more
SoapyLove just posted a photo showcasing a few of the projects we did at the Soap Intensive Weekend 2007.
Her cameo turned out fabulous. Her Bivalve Soap also looks wonderful. It’s actually a series of layers, with heavy use of tools to achieve the striping and shading. Look for the tutorial on making these snazzy soaps in the next month.
The Mineral Makeup Blog reviewed our Mineral Make up Kit and the results are in:
They loved it! YES!
They especially liked one of Bramble Berry’s own creations and described it as a “gorgeous shimmery light brown”. It’s one of our favorites here as well. We had a blast testing and creating different eye shadow recipes for the book (see previous Mineral Makeup Play) and I am relieved and pleased that they appreciated the color.
In other Monday news, SoapyLove, Alicia Grosso and Paula from PJ’s Soaps are all safely back to their homes. It was a mad-dash day of airport hopping and travel planning. But, there was still time for soap. Bramble Berry’s custom cupcake molds arrived today and I just made the first batch this evening. They didn’t turn out perfectly but it was a good first attempt.
Capping off a hectic but pleasing Monday, I ate a leftover cupcake from the Soap Intensive weekend for dinner and am currently delightedly reading over Alicia’s notes from class. You can see her write up here.
The second day of the Soap Intensive Weekend is over and we are all leaving tired but enriched. Some of the comments after the weekend were, “I learned so much, my head is spinning. And, that’s in a good way” and “I would recommend that anyone interested in soap and starting a business come here first.“
We started day two of the Soapmaking Weekend Intensive with Cold Process Soap Basics. Alicia Grosso, author of The Everything Soapmaking Book, covered things like fragrance oils, using colorants and mold options before guiding the class through a by-the-books cold process recipe. After a short break, she got right back into it by deliberately trying to seize, rice and otherwise ruin three perfectly good batches of soap. The entire class cheered when she achieved “soap on a stick (blender)”. The goal with Alicia’s Advanced Cold Process class was to push the soap batches to their very extreme limits. It was freeing to try to ruin the soap and a sense of wild abandon accomponied these experimental batches.
Check out the unmolded soaps from Paula’s (PJ’s Soaps) Melt and Pour classes yesterday. These nuggets of artist expression were made by students that had little or no experience in making soap.
They are astouding in their detail. She achieves all of this through her tool kit. It makes teensy little precision work much easier.
After a delightful lunch break, Debbie from SoapyLove taught two soap techniques – Sillouette and Alien SpaceShip Soap. It is a testament to the expertly designed projects that every single student made perfect Sillouettes and Alien Soaps. Debbie’s style is very fresh, modern and fun. She posts her creative musings on her blog here.
We finished the day with a short graduation party, complete with four types of cupcakes and graduation certificates. The Tiramisu Cupcakes went the fastest. I was left with six Chocolate Chocolate cupcakes to take home. The hardship duty didn’t feel very … difficult.
Thank you for sharing the weekend with us in blog and twit-pic history. In the upcoming weeks, I’ll cover each of these projects in more detail, giving you an opprortunity to follow along to create wonderful soapy works of art in your own home.
Day One of the Soap Weekend Intensive was jam-packed with information, laughter and learning. After a quick beginner Melt & Pour class, Paula from PJ’s Soaps jumped right into things with an instructional, hands-on class in making her Bivalvia Soap and Crescent Moon Soap.
After her hands on instruction, the class took a break to explore the Farmer’s Market in Bellingham. We were gratified to hear one soaper say, “Wow! This is better than the Market in Berkley!”
After lunch, Jill Heuser from Northwest Scents (a long time lotion teacher for Otion) taught Lotionmaking I. She covered basics like preservatives, sterilization and labeling. Each student made at least three bottles of lotion and received a solid foundation in making lotions.
Alicia Grosso, author of The Everything Soapmaking Book, wrapped up the day with a lecture about designing a lotion based on a variety of factors, including line and color. After this theoretical discussion, she went about systematically experimenting with various emulsifiers like BTMS-50, Agar Agar, Bentonite Clay and a Beeswax/Borax mixture. There was a wide difference of opinion among students as to which lotion came out the best. It turns out that lotion needs are intensely different and uniquely personal to each person.
The day was jam-packed and we all left buoyed by the community and spirit of sharing. Tomorrow is Cold Process I & II and SoapyLove’s melt and pour soap. We’re going to learn how to make Alien Soaps and Silhouette Soaps. I can hardly wait!
Next year, we hope to see you in Bellingham for the 2nd Annual SoapmakingWeekend Intensive.
The Soap Weekend Intensive is fully underway with a full house of students.
We’ll be twitpic-ing all day long. You can see photos, practically in real-time, on the right hand sidebar of the blog under: Soap Weekend Live!
If you miss any (the sidebar only displays three photos at a time), you can see the entire day here.
We wish you were here. It’s an amazing learning experience and we’re only midway through the 2nd class!
Yes, I am wondering how she does her Writer’s Block too. It’s a creative head scratcher. Get your Writer’s Block Soap here. She’s even getting custom soap dishes made that fit the soap perfectly.
We are in full swing getting ready for the Soapmaking Weekend Intensive. The t-shirts, aprons and bags are in and our first teacher (SoapyLove) lands tonight.
Lohtse was more interested in showing her cute mug rather than displaying her shirt. You can see the design more clearly below. There’s also a link so you can similarly outfit your animal children and friends.
Doggie Shirt $12.90
We’re excited to have you follow along with the weekend. We’ll be posting updates and photos as the weekend unfolds.
In other Canines-in-Outfits News, I attended a birthday party for little “Bella” the other night. We made her doggie shampoo fit for a queen (Suspending base, Baby Rose fragrance, Rose Pearl Mica & Sparkles). Doesn’t she look like a little queen in her regal birthday outfit?
Check out what Otion did with the Play Dough Soap technique. Isn’t it attractive? The display is for the gender neutral Kentish Rain fragrance. I like that they used blue in a flowery setting to cater to everyone.
Alicia Grosso, author of The Everything Soapmaking Book, sends her greetings:
We are so excited to have her teach at the Soapmaking Weekend Intensive happening next weekend in Bellingham at Otion. Alicia will be teaching Advanced Cold Process Classes and an Advanced Lotion Class focusing on emulsifiers.
If you’d like Soapy Schwag from the weekend, t-shirts, buttons, aprons and totes are available here. 
Remember, if you subscribe in a reader or via email, Alicia’s video will not play. Head to Soap Queen to view it in full.
I had the great pleasure of mentoring two very special little girls today – Isabelle (in navy) and Eden (in pink). Isabelle especially is interested in being her own boss someday. She’s so interested in entrepreneurship that she’s started not one, but TWO businesses. Isabelle sells handmade jewelry to her parents’ friends and has a small concession stand at her Daddy’s biathlon races. She was intrigued to hear about Etsy as an outlet for her handmade jewelry. The impressive thing about her concessions business? She started it, on her own initiative, at the tender age of 7.
I met her Daddy (Dave) on a long plane ride to New York. We ended up talking so much that the poor guy in between us (in the dreaded middle seat) finally switched with Dave so we could jabber away with impunity. When he told me of his daughter, 9 year old Isabelle, and her natural inclination to make money, I was impressed!
It was an honor to host the entire family today. They took a tour of the Bramble Berry warehouse. Isabelle diligently took notes on unfamiliar terms (such as COGS, low cost provider, commodity) while her younger sister Eden added little nuggets to our conversation.
We finished the day with the fun part – making soap at Otion. The girls made creative and colorful soaps based on their interests (ponies and fish). They were a delight to be around at all times, quick witted and exceedingly bright. They both have impressive futures awaiting them.
Thank you Isabelle and Eden for an enjoyable afternoon. It was a pleasure to spend time with both of you. Isabelle, I’m looking forward to watching your business grow in the upcoming years.
Yesterday was a productive soapy day at Otion. I had the privilege of teaching a Cold Process class, witnessing an inspired first timer at the soap bar and starting on my Fourth of July submission for the TeachSoap forum.
The Cold Process class went well. The students liked the bright colors that oxides achieve. Several of them will have soap that lathers colors. Their children will undoubtedly be happier than Mom about the colored lather.
I also tested a lovely Green Apple fragrance and did a two color swirl with Fuscia Labcolor and a green test color. Notice the lovely green? Yeah, neither do I. The green disappeared within three minutes. That’s one green color we won’t be adding.
I also started my Fourth of July CP soap project. I’m not entirely sure where I’m going with the project but I’m picturing some sort of checkerboard or brick pattern? It’s a work-in-progress.
Two friends came into Otion on Saturday to make soap. Spending their soap set up time wisely, they made a morning of it and headed to Bellingham Famer’s Market. Upon returning, they were thrilled with their soaps. They were soap naturals. Check out their multi-layered Daisy soap. It’s an excellent first soap.
Here’s to hoping today will be half as productive as yesterday.
(email subscribers: there’s a video on the blog)
There are only 4 spots left for the Soapmaking Weekend Intensive. For more information and to register, click here.
Wow! What a great weekend, both professionally and personally. First things first, Otion sponsored the local Monologue Competition. Here Erik (Otion Store Manager) and I are with the fabulous (and oh-so-young!) winner, Elizabeth.
Erik was so excited about the talent that young Elizabeth displayed that he invited her and her entre family down to Otion for a gratis soap bar. We’re hoping they are able to make it. If she’s this creative with her verbal skills, we’re betting she will make some amazing soap. Elizabeth beat out 17 other (adult) competitors to win the Monologue compeition. Her choice of pieces was excellent. She performed Victor Borge’s “Phonetic Punctuation” piece, from memory with verve and flair.
The highlight of my weekend was meeting the CEO of Ford Motor Company, Alan Mulally. He is the former CEO of Boeing; a local (Seattle) boy who appears to be on the right path to saving Ford from the financial morass of the other US automakers. He was gracious, happy and incredibly fit. I was buoyed to see his slim and upright stature and inspired to look as good after 40 years in the business. I’m a CEO geek; I brought my Fortune 500 magazine to have Mr. Mulally sign his photo.
One thing that particularly impressed me about Mr. Mulally’s tenure is his commitment to a “One Ford.” He’s working on getting more Ford Cars built on single chassis to help save on customized labor costs. In fact, before he arrived, only 30% of the Ford cars were build on matching chassis. Now, over 80% of the cars are built on the same chassis. Here is our local newspaper’s take on his visit.
We spent the rest of the weekend painting our (hideous) pink house. If you missed that little breakdown, you can read about it here. I am relieved that the new blended color (3 parts Sherman Williams Sand Dollar with 1 part Warm Cappuccino) tones down the pink wonderfully while still keeping the warmth of the original hue. There are only 3 walls to go and our house will be bearable.
I finished the weekend by making a springtime loaf soap. I will blog about the colors, technique and final reveal later this week. I hope you had equally fulfilling, creative (soapy) weekends.
The Otionites are so very creative. This display utilizes Bramble Berry melt and pour base, Milky Way molds, rubber molds, sand from the beach and non-bleeding pigments. Using non-bleeding pigments was ultra important to this project to ensure that the colors did not fade and morph into eachother.
Otion created a dioroma of the ocean floor using a food cafeteria tray. I love the creativity that they displayed in using melt and pour as the canvas for affixing more soap to. It took over 5 pounds of soap to make this very large display. The overall “Wow! Is that really soap!?” effect makes it totally worth the extra soap.