What is everyone "cooking" this weekend?

[Soapmaker Man]

So what is everyone cooking up this weekend in your soap pot? Anything new and super revolutionary? I'm taking the day off from the TOG Shop and doing a batch or 2 of some new FO's in a tweaked recipe. Making up about a half gallon of my super thick emulsified body butter cream unscented base. I use shea and kpangnan butters and 4 oils, e-wax, stearic acid and a few other top secret "goodies" in the recipe! :wink:

Paul

 

[Tabitha]

I have really neglected my shop since Christmas. My husband & I have been re-arranging it for the past 2 days & will continue through the weekend. We have 3000 sq ft of retail area & we are condensing that down to about 2000 & making the other 1000 function as children's classroom/crafting area. Since retail economy is down we thought *maybe* more classes would help supplement. The city parks & rec dept made contact w/ us last week & asked us to host an art camp this summer for them which will be good exposure & free advertisement! That's what got me motivated.

 

[Soapmaker Man]

That is good news for you Tab! That is great public exposure. Nothing beats "free" advertising. Good luck on resizing the shop too. Your Etsy shop is so organized. I just had to take a break from the TOG Shop and soap today to clear the mind. I sit in my soap room and dream about what I'll make next and what colours I can come up with. I get to play today with my new Select Shades colours I just got in from Tradewinds! Cool!

Paul

 

[CPSoaper]

I've got my lye and oils ready but I am having trouble deciding which scent to soap. Hmmmmmm, decisions, decisions, decisions...

 

[Becky]

I'm going to go thru my FO collection & soap some of the scents that I have bought, sniffed, and not touched again. I have decided that I am allowed no more FO's until I have soaped every one in my collection.

I won't be ordering FO's for a good long while...

 

[PhillipJ]

Just sittin here thinking about food additives in soaps. Seems like just about everything is used at some time or another. Might try making some soap with an egg added just to see what happens. Either it will, or it won't! Probably best to add it as part of the liquid.

 

[WilsonFamilyPicnic]

i feel like the lye is going to "scramble" aka denature the egg proteins....

 

[WilsonFamilyPicnic]

i had planned to make soap today, but it didn't happen. i am going to give bath bombs a try for the first time!

 

[Guest]

nothing at the moment, tomorow the hubbs and I are going to do some rearranging in my kitchen. I need to get it a little better organized so my kitchen doesn't feel so much like a lab when i'm trying to cook dinner. :shock:


But if we get done early enough I'd like to get a batch of soap made or or something...... LOL


But I need to get everything better organized now that I"m keeping a larger stock of supplies around.

 

[Tabitha]

I have decided that I am allowed no more FO's until I have soaped every one in my collection.

I won't be ordering FO's for a good long while...

I am doing this too Becky w/ the exception of replacing my top 10 scents as needed. I started last fall & it's goinf very well.

 

[morsedillon]

I'm 'cooking' up a circuit for a new soap-mold idear I have

One part Atmel microprocessor, two parts FR4 PCB board, a dash of thermistor, a measure of nichrome, one LCD display, some miscellaneous other 'ingredients'...and voila - new invention

I'm also spending some quality time in the woodshop to polish off the mold I was building for my sister.

 

[Lane]

I am packaging the donation soaps for January! I finally came up with a good, stable way of packaging... I usually package my soaps on tissue paper, but I thought with them shipping and moving and going to different donation centers...more than likely, the tissue paper will rip... I am trying out shrink wrap but having a HECK of a time making it look nice and smooth. :x I have WSP 6x11 pouches that I cut into three strips...ANY advice how to make the shrink wrap look nice??

And I am TRYING to get motivated to finish a RTCP batch I get started last night... Berry wine, with purple berry scented shreds added.

I also still have to cut my lavender bars I made a couple of nights ago to donate for March.

Plus I am working on a canola recipe...

AND I have to finish pictures for my website...

Sheesh... I think I need a nap....

 

[dragonfly princess]

I am making like 4 loaves of soap for next weekend show/whatever its called. I made my foot balms and now I need to do some lotion sticks

 

[Guest]

ANY advice how to make the shrink wrap look nice??

practice practice practice

I used my clear rotary cutter ruler (that I use for quilting) to help me determine how long to make them. I cut them 1 1/2" longer than the actual bar of soap, and then center it in that space. But it takes practice to get them right.

Another thought is to use fabric. I have wrapped mine in pretty fabrics. (good thing I've kept many of my scraps left over from all the quilts i've made over the years) And then I wrap the bar of soap like I would a box. And then I use the wide clear packing tape to secure the sides and bottom. Only my bottom isn't my bottom it's the top since I use a sticker label and cover the tape on the bottom with my label. And my label just happens to be the exact size (more or less) as the bar of soap. And then all you see on the bottom of the soap is the solid fabric. I'll wrap a bar up and get some picts.....

*dashes off to look for some pretty fabric*

 

[NEASoapWorks]

Nothing this weekend. But next week — a new recipe with Sal Butter and Grapeseed oil.

 

[Guest]

Since I used the scraps I thought I would share a picture of the quilt that it came from. Showing the pillow sham that I quilted to match the quilt....

This is the bottom of the bar of soap, showing the fabric.

This is the top of the bar of soap. Showing the seamed side that is taped with wide clear packing tape. The sides also have tape on them to hold the sides just like you would wrap a gift box with paper. But you cover the taped side with your label.



Dont forget that walmart has the dollar fabrics that are a buck a yard. And the scraps bin as well. I highly suggest a clear quilters ruler as well to get straight lines.... And I just use a black sharpie marker to mark my lines...

 

[WilsonFamilyPicnic]

the soap wrapping looks really nice faithy! i got a bar wrapped in fabric for xmas, it was so nice.

i decided to get wild this weekend so I made bath bombs and whipped shea for the first time!!!!!!!!!!!!!! soooooooo awesome!!! i pressed the bombs into soap molds (sunflower and cameos) and they actually came out looking like what the molds were. i was expecting blobs, just using them because they were a convenient size....but such a nice surprise! if they actually fizz that will be icing on the cake!

and speaking of icing! i have been hearing whipped shea this whipped shea that so curiosity got the best of me and i made 2 little batches of it....and i am in love! my hands are not super duper dry and its so much fun to make! (except now there are little greasy handprints all over the place!!! )

 

[Lane]

Faithy! That looks great! They have to be labeled...but I bet putting the label under the tape and over the seems would work perfect!! My labels for these soaps are about the same width as packaging tape!

On the shrink wrap...IT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY! I have wasted SO much of it already... My hubby has a heat gun, which works WAY better than a blow dryer, but it gets too hot and the shrink wrap tears it's self! ARGH!! :x

 

[Guest]

Lane, I use two things for my labels. I use the two part labels that I bought for my shipping labels that are sticky. And I use www.openoffice.org to type on for my labels, making my own boxes to make my labels on then I cut around the labels. But I go to www.onlinelabels.com to get the right template for the two part labels that I have and work from there.

Or I go to www.onlinelabels.com and find the size of template that I need so i have the right sized boxes to fill in so they are the right size. And then print them out. And when I cut them I use a ruler to mark around them where the sides of the label would be since I'm using a solid piece of paper rather than sticky labels in the size determined by my template.

But if you wanted to use regular paper, you could tape up the soap in fabric then cover your labels with clear packing tape or contact paper, (i use clear packing tape) and then cut them out and tape the label on the soap bar.

That way you weren't trying to tape the label on and the package closed at the same time which might get a little hard to do.

But the fabric sure makes a pretty way to give the soap. And it breathes!!!

Plus with wal-mart having so many cute fabrics for under $5.00 a yard you can sure get a whole lot of bars of soap wrapped or just buy a half yard or a 1/4 yard of several prints. And don't forget the bin of $1.00 per yard fabrics as well. You can often find some cute prints in there as well.


ok have I confused anyone yet......

 

[CPSoaper]

Faithy! That looks great! They have to be labeled...but I bet putting the label under the tape and over the seems would work perfect!! My labels for these soaps are about the same width as packaging tape!

On the shrink wrap...IT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY! I have wasted SO much of it already... My hubby has a heat gun, which works WAY better than a blow dryer, but it gets too hot and the shrink wrap tears it's self! ARGH!! :x

If you can, buy an embossing gun. They cost about $20.00 and can be bought at any kind of a craft store. I've had mine for about 5 years and it is still going strong. They are not as hot as a heat gun nor do they blow as hard as a blow dryer. I find that it is a perfect alternative.

I think that soaps wrapped in fabric look so adorable. It has such a homey feeling to it. To me it says that it was made with care. I like that. Isn't it time consuming to cut and wrap the soap? ughhh. I would think it would be. I think I would be too lazy. lol

I like the idea of fabric tied with twine and a hang tag. I think that would look cute too.