# My new soap curing cabinet!



## ShariLynn

My darling (and handy) hubby made this great soap curing cabinet for my birthday.  I told him what I wanted and he made it happen.  







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It's completely enclosed in fine mesh screen, including the door, and the 10 removable racks are vinyl-coated wire closet shelves cut to size, which were gathering dust in the garage.  He even put casters on it!  The cabinet will hold 400 bars of soap, or about 120-130 pounds.  

This evening, I filled up the top three racks with soap that had been curing all over my dining room.  Now I keep going to the cabinet and admiring the rows of soap, fussing over them like they're my babies.


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## morena_mama

That is fantastic! I'm jealous  :wink:


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## Hazel

I agree that is fantastic! You're lucky to have a handyman husband. I'm very envious of your curing cabinet. My soaps are still all over the dining room.


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## Soapy Gurl

I am going to third that fantastic.  You are so lucky, what a perfect gift!


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## Relle

What a lucky girl you are   .


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## Pretty n Plain

:shock:  I love love love it! you are so blessed, I could only dreeeeeam for something like that. What a clever man you have.


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## Traceyann

OMG how lucky are u ....we need a "like" button on here lol


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## ShariLynn

Thanks everybody!  I was so excited to have it, I just had to take pics and share! 

I am truly a lucky woman to have such a great hubby.  He's one of those "jack of all trades" kind of guys.  The best part is that he enjoyed making this for me, and is so pleased with how thrilled I am to have it.  

Took me 3 tries to find the right husband.  :wink:  Third time's the charm!


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## cinta

Lucky you! That's awesome!


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## Bubbles Galore

That is A BEAUTIFUL THING.  :wink:


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## Cuckoo Bananas

ShariLynn said:
			
		

> Took me 3 tries to find the right husband.  :wink:  Third time's the charm!



LOL! You know I so want a husband like that AND your soap rack!!!

I have some serious soap stand envy right now - that looks fantastical!!!!

Show us a pic with your soaps in it, there is just something real nice about seeing the soaps all lined up ...sometimes I just go out and look at mine for a while - I love looking at them like that ...should I stop talking now before I start sounding nuts or is it too late already lol


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## ToniD

very nice design and well built!    Great!


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## dOttY

Golly gosh!   That is what dreams are made of!

I'm lucky to have a handy hubby, and my birthday is in December, so maybe... LoL

Thanks for posting the pics.  Enjoy that sexy cabinet!


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## fiddletree

I am SO jealous!!!!!  That is a snazzy cabinet.  Unfortunately, my husband isn't very handy, although his father is, and I am to a certain extent.  Maybe I'll have a soap/Italian version of a barn raising.... a soap curing cabinet making party!


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## khermsen

AWESOME!


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## Stinkydancer

That is gorgeous- nice work!


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## MsSharLee

Wow!  What an awesome blessing to have a hubby that is handy and takes pleasure in making things for you.  The cabinet is awesome.


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## debbism

Phoenomenal cabinet.  I want one too!  Is he for rent?


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## soapbuddy

That looks awesome!


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## ShariLynn

debbism said:
			
		

> Phoenomenal cabinet.  I want one too!  Is he for rent?



Ha!  Sorry, no -- I have way too many projects for him to be able to spare him!


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## Donna

Wow!  The cabinet looks wonderful. What a space saver.

Do you rent your husband out?

I've just sent the pics to my husband's computer as a (not so subtle) hint.

He will be thrilled (NOT)!


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## skyeaussie

I'm in love!!!!


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## ShariLynn

Lol - I just gave him my next request:  a cutter that will slice an entire loaf at once!  I found several models on the web as well as a couple of YouTube videos that he can use to design it.  He pretended to groan when I emailed the links to him, but he's already started researching it.  When he finishes it, I'll post pics!


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## ShariLynn

skyeaussie said:
			
		

> I'm in love!!!!



With the cabinet or my hubby?


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## Padamae

This is so great my husband and I have been trying to come up with a design because we don't have a dining tadle and my soaps are all over the kitchen then he went and bought those plastic drawers from wallmart to get them out of the way. By the way my husband is the stay at home dad. I am the one that works. It is so dusty here he didn't want the soaps covered in dust we came up with a plywood box that we will put computer fans in to pull air through the box but still protecting it from dust. We were wondering if wire shelves would be ok. Thank you so much for sharing. You have a wonderful husband.


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## LauraHoosier

Great cabinet!  Keeper hubby


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## Bama

Absolutely love the cabinet. Perfect for soap curing. I Need me one of those. I want a soap cutter too. I may have to save up for a tank on that one though. your blessed.


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## ShariLynn

Padamae said:
			
		

> It is so dusty here he didn't want the soaps covered in dust we came up with a plywood box that we will put computer fans in to pull air through the box but still protecting it from dust. We were wondering if wire shelves would be ok. Thank you so much for sharing. You have a wonderful husband.



I'm happy to share, and yes I have an absolutely wonderful husband!  I'd gladly share the plans with the forum, except there weren't any.  He made it up as he went!

I had thought about computer fans to circulate air and possibly speed up the curing process.  He's designed it so the fans can be added if necessary.

Wire shelves are great as long as they are coated.  These are coated in vinyl, which doesn't react with fresh soap.  I wouldn't go with plain wire unless it's stainless steel, and we priced those.  Outrageous!  This was much cheaper, even if we'd had to buy them.  Fortunately, they were just sitting in the garage (an abandoned project from several years ago).


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## ShariLynn

LauraHoosier said:
			
		

> Great cabinet!  Keeper hubby



LOL - he's DEFINITELY a keeper!!


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## ShariLynn

Bama said:
			
		

> I want a soap cutter too. I may have to save up for a tank on that one though. your blessed.



I had thought about buying a tank, but then I realized that David (hubby) could probably make one for lots less, and he'd have fun doing it, and I'd have fun bragging on him a little!  :wink:   He's a terrific fellow, and I'm truly blessed to have him in my life!


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## ShariLynn

Please feel free to send the photos to your personal handyman!  Maybe the pics will be enough to given him an idea of how to proceed.  If you need larger images, you can email me and I'll be glad to send the larger version which might give more detail.


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## skyeaussie

If he can build stuff like that, possibly both!  Lol


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## Padamae

My husband does the same no plans or anything I was a drafter for years and I will say I will draw it up so you can duplicate it. He tells me no need he knows what he needs to do.

It is so wonderful to see there are more great couples and I have seen many posts about caring spouses helping support the hobby. I am glad I found this forum.


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## ShariLynn

Padamae said:
			
		

> My husband does the same no plans or anything I was a drafter for years and I will say I will draw it up so you can duplicate it. He tells me no need he knows what he needs to do.
> 
> It is so wonderful to see there are more great couples and I have seen many posts about caring spouses helping support the hobby. I am glad I found this forum.



David and I are a good team.  We're opposites in many ways, but we complement each other in a way that works for us.  

I wish I could draft plans (jealous!) but I usually describe what I want, give him the relevant dimensions, plus any specific ideas I might have (like using the wire shelving for the racks).  After that, I leave it up to him to create the finished item.  And then we joke about how I'm "quality assurance" along the way.     Periodically he'll come ask me for an inspection - makes sure we're both "on the same page."


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## Padamae

There is a tool my daughter has used since maybe 10 called google sketch up it os free


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## Soapsugoii

Woahs. That cabinet is AWESOME! I need me a handy hubby ^^


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## HollandHomestead

*Gorgeous*

I just sent this to my husband .. it's terrific. I currently have a 12 tier baking rack but have quickly outgrown it!  This is wonderful. You're super lucky!


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## Deda

Very nice!


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## Cristy

Wow, I love it!!


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## dieSpinne

ShariLynn said:
			
		

> Please feel free to send the photos to your personal handyman!  Maybe the pics will be enough to given him an idea of how to proceed.  If you need larger images, you can email me and I'll be glad to send the larger version which might give more detail.



YOINK!!!

Totally stealing this idea... this is AWESOME!


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## Padamae

I love it. I showed my husband last night I was going to use the plate racks in the interim but when we went and priced them, he said it would be cheaper to buy the closet shelving instead of paying 10 for one two foot shelf. Again thank you for sharing.


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## ShariLynn

Padamae said:
			
		

> I love it. I showed my husband last night I was going to use the plate racks in the interim but when we went and priced them, he said it would be cheaper to buy the closet shelving instead of paying 10 for one two foot shelf. Again thank you for sharing.



You're welcome!


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## chibilightangel

That's a lovely curing rack! I'd love to see pictures of it with your soap in it.


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## maya

omg. i am SO INCREDIBLY JEALOUS!!!


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## Iris Reola

... I am ridiculously jealous.


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## simplymcghie

WOW. . . WOW, I want one.  I think I might show this to my hubby.  That is exactly what I need.  Thanks for sharing!


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## ShariLynn

chibilightangel said:
			
		

> That's a lovely curing rack! I'd love to see pictures of it with your soap in it.



I've been doing LOTS of experimenting lately:  bar size, textured tops, colorants (micas, oxides, ultramarines, and natural) and have also been tinkering with several of my recipes.  That's why there's such a hodge podge.  The half-size bars were 1-lb experimental batches.  Here's the soaps on the rack:







Top row:  the purple and off-white layered soaps have a wonderful lavender and patchouli eo blend, and are topped with organic lavender buds; the wide bars on the right have frankincense and bergamot eo with organic calendula petals.

2nd row:  on the left there's a delicious soap made with rose floral wax and an eo blend of geranium, palmarosa, and rosewood (the color didn't come out pink like I wanted); in the middle is a recipe and color experiment and believe it or not the color doesn't bleed!; and on the right is a 95% coconut/5% castor soap with 20% superfat, Himalayan pink salt, and peppermint eo - one of my faves!  Feels wonderful on the feet and rough elbows, and smells good enough to eat. 

3rd row:  the first two columns are 100% castile unscented which I get a lot of requests for; and on the right is a rebatched soap that I don't think is ever going to cure (but it smells wonderful with clove bud, sweet orange, and cinnamon leaf eo).

Bottom row:  two more recipe and color experiments!  Both are unscented.  As you can see, the blue has a little soda ash (toothbrush will take care of that) but I love the color and it doesn't bleed.  On the right is a mega-shea recipe that's incredible IMHO but the natural color (turmeric powder added at trace) doesn't float my boat.  Well, not the color so much as the fact that it's blotchy - must not have blended it in well enough.

In the last couple of days I've made color infusions in olive oil with alkanet, annatto seed, madder root, paprika, black walnut hull, turmeric, red sandalwood powder, and woad.  I'm a little doubtful of the woad, but we'll see what happens!


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## fiddletree

beautiful soaps!  (and I wish I had requests for castile... I can't convince people around here that it is good for anything except laundry, so I can't even hardly give the stuff away! Funny how different cultures view soap....)


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## Bubbly Buddha

Wow!  That is amazing!  I showed the pictures to my hubby and will now start bugging him to make me one too!  Awesome!


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## ShariLynn

fiddletree said:
			
		

> beautiful soaps!  (and I wish I had requests for castile... I can't convince people around here that it is good for anything except laundry, so I can't even hardly give the stuff away! Funny how different cultures view soap....)



Wow - that surprises me!  Wonder why?  Castile is my husband's favorite.  He tests my other soaps, but always comes back to the castile.  If I'm running low, I've been known to make a hot process batch just for him so he doesn't have to wait months and months for it to cure.


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## ShariLynn

Bubbly Buddha said:
			
		

> Wow!  That is amazing!  I showed the pictures to my hubby and will now start bugging him to make me one too!  Awesome!



LOL - a few other forum members have also shown the pics to their hubbies.  There's probably half a dozen husbands out there who now hate mine.


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## IrishLass

Wow! That's awesome! Thank you so much for sharing!  And yes- I just showed it to my hubby (tee hee)  :wink: . He was _very_ impressed and already I can hear the wheels spinning in his head (he's the handy type, too). I hope that means that I'll have something similar soon (oh please, oh please!). Right now I cure my soaps on a bunch of stackable Pampered Chef cooling racks in an out-of-the-way place, which works fine enough, but it would sure be nice to be able to just pull out a shelf to get to my soap easily instead of unstacking and restacking my racks or crouching down on all fours and reaching my hand in to get to my bars.

IrishLass


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## ShariLynn

IrishLass said:
			
		

> I just showed it to my hubby (tee hee)  :wink: . He was _very_ impressed and already I can hear the wheels spinning in his head (he's the handy type, too). I hope that means that I'll have something similar soon (oh please, oh please!). IrishLass



Good luck IrishLass, and all the other soapers who've dropped a hint to their hubbies!  :wink:


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## alwaysme07

what an awesome job he did!! enjoy your present!


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## JackiK

ShariLynn said:
			
		

> Took me 3 tries to find the right husband.  :wink:  Third time's the charm!



Maybe that's my problem.  I quit after two :twisted: 

LOVE the drying rack.  It'd ALMOST be worth getting married again.


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## tryanything

I wish I could try and get hubby to make something like that.  But alas, I am the handy one in the house.  And I just don't have the time now.  I can dream though.


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## aussie girl

WOW, That is a handsome cupboard!!


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## Padamae

I just got remarried for the third time. He is awesome. I guess it just takes some of is a few times to get it right. We say to eachother that our past was prep for meeting. It was just fate it is so perfect. I was not looking to date when I met him but I just could not stop myself from falling for him.


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## Padamae

Sherrylynn your soaps are so pretty.  I havent thought of adding lavender buds to the top of soaps. I have added them at a light trace but those soaps crumpled some.


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## ShariLynn

Padamae said:
			
		

> I just got remarried for the third time. He is awesome. I guess it just takes some of is a few times to get it right. We say to eachother that our past was prep for meeting. It was just fate it is so perfect. I was not looking to date when I met him but I just could not stop myself from falling for him.



Congratulations!  I feel the same way.  We've been together for almost 13 years now, and every day is a blessing.

About the lavender buds - I've tried adding them to the soap batch for a little exfoliation, but they turn brown and I find them a little scratchy.  On the top, they're mostly for decoration, but they keep their color.  I try not to overdo it though - I pesonally don't want lots of botanicals clogging my bathtub drain!


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## sarawithouth

jealous! it's gorgeous.


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## DMCC

Beautiful!  Your husband did a fabulous job.  I just showed it to my hubby and he said that's exactly what he had in mind to make me.   We had been talking about his design for a curing cabinet last week, so, hopefully, I will have one soon.  He's very handy and also made my fabulous displays for the shows and festivals I attend.  Your rack and soaps are very nice.  I'm happy for you!


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## ShariLynn

DMCC said:
			
		

> Beautiful!  Your husband did a fabulous job.  I just showed it to my hubby and he said that's exactly what he had in mind to make me.   We had been talking about his design for a curing cabinet last week, so, hopefully, I will have one soon.  He's very handy and also made my fabulous displays for the shows and festivals I attend.  Your rack and soaps are very nice.  I'm happy for you!



Thank you!  I'm happy you're also getting one!  It's so great to have handy hubbies, isn't it?

I would love to see pics of your displays.  I've been think about having him make some for me, but I've never done a show before and am not sure what I would need.  Thanks in advance.


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## DMCC

ShariLynn said:
			
		

> DMCC said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Beautiful!  Your husband did a fabulous job.  I just showed it to my hubby and he said that's exactly what he had in mind to make me.   We had been talking about his design for a curing cabinet last week, so, hopefully, I will have one soon.  He's very handy and also made my fabulous displays for the shows and festivals I attend.  Your rack and soaps are very nice.  I'm happy for you!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you!  I'm happy you're also getting one!  It's so great to have handy hubbies, isn't it?
> 
> I would love to see pics of your displays.  I've been think about having him make some for me, but I've never done a show before and am not sure what I would need.  Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...


Yes! It is absolutely a wonderful blessing to have a handy husband!  He's extremely handy in addition to being a fabulous wood-worker.  He's made lots of items that enable this never-ending soaping obsession.    

I am out of town for the next 2 days, but when I get home I will send pics.


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## ShariLynn

Thank you!  Enjoy your trip and be safe.


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## dOttY

ShariLynn, I loved your hubby's efforts so much that I had mine make me a similiar model!

Not as 'crafted' as your's but it works a treat!







Half full:


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## ShariLynn

Nice job!  Glad my cabinet inspired your hubby to make this for you!  Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine.   And your soaps are beautiful - love the colors!


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## Padamae

I love it. 

An aside question I have been working in getting the whipped tops. I know I really need a loaf mold but do you have any more tips fir me.


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## ShariLynn

Hi Padamae - I don't know if you've seen it, but one of our members (Lyn) did a YouTube video of how she does her textured fluffy tops.  The video is at [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBwBeXafR-o"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBwBeXafR-o[/ame].  I believe she pours at medium trace and then uses a popsicle stick to do the technique in the video.  

I sometimes use that technique, and other times I use the back of a spoon to make peaks and valleys.  I've also used a small spatula and when I pull the spatula out of the soap batter I give it a little twist.  

Another hint - I don't gel my soap (and I don't think Lyn does either).  If the soap goes through gel, it might generate enough heat to make all the fluffy tops collapse.  Can't be sure about that though, since I don't gel!  Anyone else want to weigh in on this?

Hope this helps.


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## Hazel

Yes, gelling causes the top to collapse.


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## Maythorn

It's exactly what I want but I don't have that many successful soaps yet!


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## ShariLynn

If you or your hubby is handy, you could always make a smaller table-top version and "grow into it!"


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## saltydog

that is flippin' fantastic!


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## FOhoarder

Ditto!  That is just what I need!  I just showed my hubby...maybe for Christmas!    I think alot of hubbies are going to have to become very handy very soon! lol


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## tryanything

My hubby is not handy like that.  I am though.  I just don't have the time now.  Maybe next summer I'll make a small version.  Those are so nice though!


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## trilloneal

where can i get the plans?


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## Cindy2428

What a beautiful cabinet and a "Whoo-Hoo!" shout-out to your supportive hubby. Sounds like he gets his favorite dinner in the newly freed-up dining room.


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## shunt2011

Don't know if you noticed this original posting from from 3 years ago.


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## angel01

I want one of these


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## Dayleeyah

*Wow!!!*

I am very new to soap making, started late February this year.  I wasn't going to join any soap forms but you best believe I've been stalking them...lol...especially this one.  The advice provided..amazing...anyway, I had to post a reply.  This cabinet is the best I've seen.  I'm happy for you and jealous at the same time...lol  You are blessed.  Tell your husband this is genius.  The fact that it's enclosed with the mesh..WOW!!! I want one


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## shunt2011

Dayleeyah said:


> I am very new to soap making, started late February this year. I wasn't going to join any soap forms but you best believe I've been stalking them...lol...especially this one. The advice provided..amazing...anyway, I had to post a reply. This cabinet is the best I've seen. I'm happy for you and jealous at the same time...lol You are blessed. Tell your husband this is genius. The fact that it's enclosed with the mesh..WOW!!! I want one


 
You likely won't get a reply to this as it's from 2011.  Hello and welcome to you though!


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## Loralei

Oh my goodness- that is simply to die for!! Lucky you!!!


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## shunt2011

Loralei said:


> Oh my goodness- that is simply to die for!! Lucky you!!!


This post is 7 years old......


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## Loralei

shunt2011 said:


> This post is 7 years old......


Lol!! I saw it on the main page and didnt realize..  still, lucky girl.. and I'm using the design for inspo


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