# Craft weekend - whatchya doing?



## jcandleattic (Mar 8, 2018)

It's been YEARS since I've seen a "what's in your pot" type of post here on the forum, so I thought I'd revive it... 

What is everyone up to this weekend - I love hearing about others' projects. I didn't know where to put this, so I threw it in the General section.  

This weekend I have several projects planned however, execution of those plans will depend on the weather. If it's as nice as they say it's supposed to be I may be outside all weekend! LOL 

So here's what I have planned - 
My St. Patrick's Day soap - yeah, WAY behind the 8-ball on this one, however, they will be for me, and any I don't use in the next several months I can keep for craft shows next year.  

Dante's Inferno - a jet black soap with a blood red swirl, scented in a mix of Dragon's Blood and Smoke 'n Mirrors. 

Palm wax containers made in an ocean scent in a seashell container. 

Palm wax pillars to test wicks. 

Doesn't sound like much, but it'll keep me busy for sure. 

What is everyone else doing?? I'd love to hear!


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## amd (Mar 8, 2018)

Is this similar to the "what soapy thing have you done today" thread? or do you have a different expectation for answers than what gets posted there? (sorry if I'm all confused... it's been a very long week and I just sent my husband an email telling him he is in charge of dinner and the children tonight because I am locking myself in the office with coffee and chocolate.)


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## jcandleattic (Mar 8, 2018)

amd said:


> Is this similar to the "what soapy thing have you done today" thread? or do you have a different expectation for answers than what gets posted there? (sorry if I'm all confused... it's been a very long week and I just sent my husband an email telling him he is in charge of dinner and the children tonight because I am locking myself in the office with coffee and chocolate.)


Sort of, but I think that one is more about what you have done, and not what you have planned to do.
Also this one is about all crafts you may be doing, not just soap. 
If it's too similar this post can be deleted.


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## dixiedragon (Mar 8, 2018)

This Saturday I am babysitting my 7 year old nephew and 11 dogs. So I won't be doing anything productive! I may have enough time to put on some pants.


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## jcandleattic (Mar 8, 2018)

dixiedragon said:


> This Saturday I am babysitting my 7 year old nephew and 11 dogs. So I won't be doing anything productive! I may have enough time to put on some pants.


*11???? *Oh my... LOL


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## artemis (Mar 8, 2018)

No soaping or other crafting for me this weekend. We're taking Omnia to visit a college. We're hoping after the visit her choice will be obvious!


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## shunt2011 (Mar 8, 2018)

Making sugar scrubs, roll on perfume special order  and a couple soaps Saturday morning, watching my granddaughter Saturday night for a sleep over while my daughter takes my grandson to Monster Jam, then Sunday going to brunch and to play Drag Queen Bingo with two of my daughters and some friends.  Full weekend ahead


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## Misschief (Mar 8, 2018)

I really should be organizing my spare room this weekend. It's looking like a hoarder lives here. Somehow, the things that were meant to be disposed of last year ended up back in there. That said, however, I'll probably end up making more soap. Because it's fun. And relaxing. And organizing a spare room isn't.


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## SunRiseArts (Mar 9, 2018)

My sons are leaving for the spring break, so I have a busy weekend with no crafting 

I may turn in a soap.  But I do not have plans.  I do need to finish a couple of drawings.  I seriously need to get back to painting, I am dedicating all my free time to soaping .... yep.  I am obsessed.


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## lizzysoap (Mar 9, 2018)

I am planning on making a white and green baby's breath soap. Shopping for a strawberry soap mold and looking for an answer to fo discoloring soap. There is an additive for mp soap that will keep some FO from discoloring but from what I have read it doesn't work well in cp.


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## Nao (Mar 9, 2018)

I have a bunch of mosaic projects planned and should really get the last stuff ordered so I can cross that off the list. But it's so hard to get properly inspiered and when that finally happens you can't decide on a design, lol.


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## shunt2011 (Mar 9, 2018)

lizzysoap said:


> I am planning on making a white and green baby's breath soap. Shopping for a strawberry soap mold and looking for an answer to fo discoloring soap. There is an additive for mp soap that will keep some FO from discoloring but from what I have read it doesn't work well in cp.



I've been testing BCN's (Bittercreek North) Vanilla Stabilizer.  However, I make CP so not sure it works in MP. Someone who uses it for that purpose will hopefully pipe in.   It came highly recommended by a few other soap makers here and on another site who swear by it.   So far so good, but I'm only 3 months into it.  Made a Pink Sugar and Vanilla Champagne which both go medium brown normally and they are still the colors I made them.


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## jcandleattic (Mar 9, 2018)

lizzysoap said:


> I am planning on making a white and green baby's breath soap. Shopping for a strawberry soap mold and looking for an answer to fo discoloring soap. There is an additive for mp soap that will keep some FO from discoloring but from what I have read it doesn't work well in cp.


You need a vanilla stabilizer. There is a good one for CP from BCN that will stave off discoloring for 9 months up to a year, or longer, depending on the discoloring agent. It works even when there is not vanilla in the soap because people tend to forget that vanilla is not the only scent that can/will discolor soap. I've had very good luck with it over the years.

Meant to add - I believe that BCN has one for M&P as well.


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## lenarenee (Mar 9, 2018)

It's been a very busy week of special school events so none of the soap or candles I wanted to make were made - hoping to at least make 2 loaves of salt bars and some lavender cp this weekend.


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## Rusti (Mar 9, 2018)

I'll have glitter cups on the turner for resin and I think I'll make one more batch of soap for my cons coming up at the end of April, they should be acceptable by then.


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## NsMar42111 (Mar 9, 2018)

Thinking of buying an easel (they have a great sale at michal's) so no more excuses for not painting. Always just painted in my lap before. If that happens, continuing to reorganize the "craft" room (i.e. storage) so I can access my paint box easier, make some coconut oil vegan soap, and go find a shadowbox for another project....


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## lizzysoap (Mar 9, 2018)

shunt2011 said:


> I've been testing BCN's (Bittercreek North) Vanilla Stabilizer.  However, I make CP so not sure it works in MP. Someone who uses it for that purpose will hopefully pipe in.   It came highly recommended by a few other soap makers here and on another site who swear by it.   So far so good, but I'm only 3 months into it.  Made a Pink Sugar and Vanilla Champagne which both go medium brown normally and they are still the colors I made them.


Thanks I will look into it. I dont currently make mp just read about it in the description of the one I was looking at.


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## navigator9 (Mar 10, 2018)

I hope to find some time to work on a necklace I'd like to make. I saw this picture, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/349169777352321999/  and I'd like to try this using chain, instead of fiber. I finally got all of the supplies together, but I'm having some friends over for dinner this weekend, so finding time will be difficult.


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## SunRiseArts (Mar 10, 2018)

Well, I could not help myself, I did make soap.  But I started a drawing and a little oil easy oil painting challenge. 

Vanilla stabilizer works on MP.  I have used it.  I have the one from bramble berry.


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## jcandleattic (Mar 10, 2018)

Not sure I'm going to get anything I wanted done, done. I have cleaned my lab/basement, but Haven't had time to get anything else done due to real life rearing it's ugly head. 
I'll try to do something tomorrow, but we'll see..


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## Misschief (Mar 11, 2018)

My plans haven't come to fruition either. Husband's plans came first. Today, though, I'm making soap while my idea is still fresh in my mind.


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## lenarenee (Mar 11, 2018)

I had a nice rainy (those are rare in So Cal) to make 3 loaves of salt bars. Correction: 2 loaves of salt bars and 1 loaf Spiced Amber Ale saltless soap bar (because I was busy oohing and aahing over the beautiful color from MM Summer Bronze and forgot to add the salt!)


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## shunt2011 (Mar 12, 2018)

I accomplished very little.  Husband didn't work, baby sat my granddaughter, so we went out and did some fun stuff.  Next weekend will be a must do things weekend.  I really, really need to get my soaping room storage area reorganized.  It's such a disaster right now.


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## jcandleattic (Mar 12, 2018)

I got my lab cleaned, and then realized I was out of masterbatch oils. So, I need to do some masterbatching before I can make anything. Didn't get any candles made either, so maybe this weekend. However, since this weekend is my anniversary, I probably will get nothing done then either.


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## Lin19687 (Mar 12, 2018)

My "crafty" thing today was shoring up the fence so the NEW FOOT + of snow coming doesn't flatten it out like last week.
Set up the Auto Chicken coop door
Finished laundry


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## amd (Mar 14, 2018)

I've been uninspired this year to make soap (I've ranted about this quite frequently the last few months on the What Soapy Thing Have You Done Today thread, so I'll spare y'all my heartache here), so I decided that I would do more of the other things are that I love until I get over my soapy slump. One thing I have always loved is reading. Up until 2011 I read 90-100 books a year - then I bought a house which doubled my square footage for cleaning and gave me a huge yard to maintain, so my book reading declined to 40-50 a year. And then I discovered soap making and my reading declined to 10-20 books a year. (I use GoodReads to keep track of my books, so these numbers aren't in anyway exaggerated.) When my slump kicked in, I decided to refocus some energy on reading. The result? Books read since January: 10. TEN.BOOKS. That's 4 books less than I read the entire last year and it's only half way through March. Reading is my "crafty" thing, and I'm kind of excited about it.
Just finished: Still Missing by Chevy Stevens. 4 stars. Read it in 2 days. 
Just started: About the Night by Anat Talshir


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## lenarenee (Mar 14, 2018)

amd said:


> I've been uninspired this year to make soap (I've ranted about this quite frequently the last few months on the What Soapy Thing Have You Done Today thread, so I'll spare y'all my heartache here), so I decided that I would do more of the other things are that I love until I get over my soapy slump. One thing I have always loved is reading. Up until 2011 I read 90-100 books a year - then I bought a house which doubled my square footage for cleaning and gave me a huge yard to maintain, so my book reading declined to 40-50 a year. And then I discovered soap making and my reading declined to 10-20 books a year. (I use GoodReads to keep track of my books, so these numbers aren't in anyway exaggerated.) When my slump kicked in, I decided to refocus some energy on reading. The result? Books read since January: 10. TEN.BOOKS. That's 4 books less than I read the entire last year and it's only half way through March. Reading is my "crafty" thing, and I'm kind of excited about it.
> Just finished: Still Missing by Chevy Stevens. 4 stars. Read it in 2 days.
> Just started: About the Night by Anat Talshir



Maybe you can help me.  I can't find anything interesting to read. As a kid I read all the time. As an adult I couldn't find anything appealing. I enjoyed fantasy; but adult fantasy was too battle oriented,  young adult are too....juvenile. Oprah's book selections usually too morose; I don't want to read about fictionalized suffering (husband left, parent has cancer, etc.  and drama. I've long outgrown romance. Oddly enough I read tons of JR Ward for a couple of years, but had enough.  I love mystery...but not murder ones and that's all there are ....murder mysteries!! The last book I read I did enjoy; was a diary kept from the Observation project in England during WWII; Nella Last's War.  Can you think of any suggestions off the top of your head?


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## dibbles (Mar 14, 2018)

lenarenee said:


> Can you think of any suggestions off the top of your head?



It's hard to find a mystery that isn't a murder mystery. But I've read most of Tana French's books and enjoyed them. In the Woods was the first. While not a series, at least one character is in the book that follows chronologically. It doesn't matter if they are read out of order. If you haven't read any John Sanford, Rules of Prey was good. Ken Follett's Eye of the Needle was good also. If you want something outside of mystery, I read A Man Called Ove about a year ago - even DH liked that one. The Rosie Project is one still on my list, but DD recommended it to me. Kane and Able (Jeffrey Archer), The Pull of the Moon (Elizabeth Berg) and The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan) were books I remember as books I liked. If you aren't opposed to a long book, The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett) might be my all time favorite. And then there is the John Grisham plethora of legal thrillers.


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## SunRiseArts (Mar 15, 2018)

well, I started my paintings, and made a soap in between!

Not done yet, though.


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## amd (Mar 15, 2018)

@lenarenae Have you read anything by Sarah Waters? I recently read Fingersmith which is a dramatic mystery. There us a slight lesbian theme in the book but I didn't find it obtrusive and handled tastefully.


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## shunt2011 (Mar 15, 2018)

Okay,  I really may be having senior moments more frequently these days.  Received an email confirming me for a show this Saturday.  I don't remember sending the application or payment.  I can't find my checkbook (rarely use it) and I have an application but it's blank.  So, do I do it or not?   I've done this show in the past but it's been awhile.


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## Lin19687 (Mar 15, 2018)

I would check the Checkbook first.
I guess you have 2 choices.... If you didn't pay but have a TON of stock and Want to go, print off the Confirmation and go.
2) if you don't really have the stock nor want to go and you didn't pay for it.  Call them and say there is a mistake.

 

is it a good show ?


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## jcandleattic (Mar 15, 2018)

lenarenee said:


> Can you think of any suggestions off the top of your head?


Not a mystery by any stretch, but one I am enjoying at the moment (just started it yesterday) is Born a Crime by Noah Trevor.


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## Serene (Mar 15, 2018)

Soap room coming along (for about 2 months now, ugh) I have been a total slug lately and cant seem to get motivated to do the 894878203775 batches I want to try for testing purpose.   I have yet to send Sunrise her mold even though its sitting here looking at me and screaming "send me already".    Took a pic of completed molds and thats as far as I have gone.    I also need an intervention so I can stop shopping for FOs and Micas.   Please help, somebody!!


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## SunRiseArts (Mar 15, 2018)

Shunt if you have good stock, do it!  I feel like Serene lately ... but then you force yourself, and bam!  Maybe you will have a good time, who knows?

The only bazar I did, there was this couple next tome, and the husband had me cracking all day.


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