Share your 2016 Soap plans!

[MrsSpaceship]

As far as my soaping, I want to work on my formulations to improve my recipes so I can get a few more tried and trues.
Work with milk.
Improve my color work.
Improve pour techniques.
Try cream and liquid soaps
I also want to get more into bath & body.

Outside of the soap room, the biggest thing is to try and manage my health. I have fibromyalgia, but it's pretty well managed as long as I don't push it too hard. I get to start physical therapy in January, so I'm hoping that will help immensely.
I want to get a garden in once it warms up again, my wonderful hubby built me a garden box a couple of years ago, and I wasn't up for gardening last year.
I want to get my craft room organized. That will play a huge part in how well I'm able to work on projects. I hope to work on Copic coloring for my card making, and my drawing as well. I've a few unfinished knitting projects as well as some batts that need to finish being spun, and I know I have more than a handful of sewing/quilting projects that need to be finished.

As I think about this, I am realizing how many unfinished projects I have and it's rather sad. I just need to set a goal of one finished project a month and see how far I get.

Edited for words.

 

[BlackDog]

Great thread topic!

I've only been soaping since summer, so my soapy goals for the upcoming year are:

settle on a go-to recipe for my lard bars and salt bars, now that I've tried umpteen different concoctions

try my hand at liquid soap

get my wrapping and labeling process streamlined so I can spend less time fiddling with kraft paper and and more time soaping!

 

[LoveOscar]

For 2016 in soaps:

I want to discover my mistakes. I'm 3 batches in, and so far so good. But if it can happen, it will happen, and I'd rather it happen sooner. And I'd like to STOP making the mistake of over estimating my amounts and assuming I have enough oils, knowing the place I got it from doesn't weigh their oils, just fills pre determined sized jars by eye. roblem:

I'm into the natural soap trend. I'd like to develop my repertoire with natural colorants and tea and oil infusions. :razz:

I just made my first milk recipe, and if it goes well, I'd like to make more! So many milk options! :mrgreen:

I would like to make a trip to the butchers at some point in the first half of this year so I can get my hands on some suet to render, and make some tallow soaps. :-D

There are other things; shampoo bars, pet friendly bars, etc, but those are side projects, not necessarily goals right now.

For the rest of 2016:

Go outside! Hiking, riding, yoga, working on my motorcycle! I need the balance because I was inside working to much in 2015!

Be more present. I've wished for 2015 to fly by because it was so full of disappointment. I will make this year better.

 

[amd]

Masterbatching for more consistent soap schedule. Continue exploring color and fragrances. Growing my business.

 

[Arimara]

I want to do the following:

-Send my soap up to a friend
-Finally make a lard soap (I've been having back pains and I'm not an old woman yet)
-Test my 75+% OO bastile
-Use up the CO that I bought from BA

Not a long list but I never had too many long term goals in life.

 

[doriettefarm]

I'd love the recipe!

Adding a link to the recipe forum
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/newthread.php?do=postthread&f=36

 

[traderbren]

I want to make a New Year's castile soap.
I plan to continue making my Dad a monthly shaving soap.
I want to try my hand at liquid soap, although I hope to start that today or tomorrow.
I want to perfect a body lotion for me, since this year has already been rough on my skin, and it's not even cold yet.

Non-soapy goals:
Run 2 10K's and hope for PRs. Run a few 5Ks with the 8yo daughter.
Finish knitting my first sweater.
Spin and knit my first handspun sweater.

 

[cinnamaldehyde]

Ahhhh goals...

- play around more with oil infusions
- experiment more with essential oils that bring out the original notes and aromas of the beers that I use in my beer soaps
- grow my business
- develop some new swirling skills. I'm a hardcore ITP swirler

 

[Deedles]

Soapy goals.....

1. I want to lesarn to be more careful about the FO's I buy, specifically checking reviews for acceleration. I think that's been my biggest problem with getting thin batter in order to work with colors.

2. Once I do that I want to learn more about using colors.

3. I have a good GM recipe so I want to branch out and try lard and salt soaps.

Other goals....

1. Plan a couple of long motorcycle trips to areas I haven't been to yet.

2. Downsize my sewing/craft room and organize my knitting stuff so I can find it when I need it!

3. Lose 20 lbs by June so my wetsuit fits better for our annual Honduras dive trip.

 

[CTAnton]

I want to
1. embrace my one pound mold for my research and development soaps.
2. Take better notes. There was a soap I made this past February that one fussy tester loved with a clove orange fragrance. 10 months later the clove scent is still real nice and the soap quite nice, my grandmother would say "Grand!" It took me an hour but I found the recipe only because it was the only batch with that scent. I smiled and thought of so many of you when the recipe contained 40% lard.
3. Knuckle down and do a thorough cost analysis of what these soaps cost me to make , not forgetting to pay myself.

 

[gigisiguenza]

Hmmmm my soapy goals....

- settle on 3 reliable recipes that I like (one for super sensitive skin, one for more normal skin, and one for oily skin)

- learn to better control colors in my soaps

- experiment with design ideas I have in my head but haven't had skill and/or time to try yet

- start master batching my oils so I can more easily soap when I do have time and energy

- learn to make bath bombs

Non soapy goals...

- go to see my mom and my kids

- Build or acquire a loom large enough to do bigger pieces

- finish at least one of the ufo quilts

- conquer the fear and put my various art pieces on display and/or for sale