What soapy thing have you done today?

[shunt2011]

Spending money on soaping stuff. Unable to soap right now so preparing for some major soaping in the near future. Feeling withdrawal.

 

[TeresaT]

My fridge freezes and quits about every 2 months, randomly. Luckily unplugging it overnight fixes it, but I had just bought some goat's milk (I did get 5 bars out of that) and some cow's milk to soap with (among other uses for cow's, but still) when the fridge decided to act out. Spent an hour tossing refrigerated
soap (and other supplies). At least now I know I'm good to buy stuff for a couple months!

Mine was doing that, too, for awhile. When was the last time you cleaned the coils under the fridge? What about the back of the fridge? I had no idea I was supposed to do either of those things. I bought a brush made for that purpose and managed to keep it going another two years. (I was pretty lucky, it was a 1998 model and I replaced it in 2013.)

 

[Misschief]

I'm playing tonight.... I'm trying my hand at a Taiwan swirl using Ultramarine blue in a natural lard based soap, no scent because I prefer my soaps unscented. We'll see how it goes.

 

[JuneP]

Unmolded some of yesterdays soaps

Yesterday I made a batch of Nag Champa soap using rose kaolin for the color. I used a bit more of the clay and am very pleased with the soft pink color.

I had no trouble unmolding the wave mold soaps. That mold is very user friendly, but the oval molds and the square one and the others will have to wait another day.

 

[Consuela]

I have been considering doing a soap party at my house and after tossing the idea around with a few friends, it has turned out to be a list of 7 people thus far who want to come.

I have done this before and I would absolutely do it again


@Shunt - withdrawl is the worst....... are you at least getting your daily caffeine/wine/liquor intake? Would hate to be compounding that w/d.

 

[gigisiguenza]

Yesterday I made a batch of Nag Champa soap using rose kaolin for the color. I used a bit more of the clay and am very pleased with the soft pink color.

I had no trouble unmolding the wave mold soaps. That mold is very user friendly, but the oval molds and the square one and the others will have to wait another day.

June - how very pretty those square soaps are! Is that a mold that gave that lovely texture on top? And I can't wait to get some colored clays. Can I ask where you get yours? That is a truly lovely pink.

 

[spenny92]

After hearing one too many complaints from my boyfriend about how my soap was taking over the entire downstairs of our house, I took the plunge and moved everything upstairs. Our living/dining/kitchen area is open plan, so I had heaps of soap lined up along the kitchen island, soaps curing on a bookshelf, and another bookshelf, and the entire dining table was swamped with soap and recipes and notes. Since the upstairs of our house is totally empty (we moved here a few months ago and the house is just too big for the two of us, but it comes with his job so can't complain!) I figured I might as well make some use of it. Lugged both bookshelves upstairs and packed up all of my soap and packaging stuff. It's very satisfying to have a little space designated purely for my soapy things! Of course, I still have to make the stuff downstairs and cart it back upstairs once it's cut. Phew! I'm so flat out busy, it's hard to take any time to just sit down, relax or plan anything. But de-cluttering is one thing that always, always makes me feel better in general. It's almost like it de-clutters my mind, too!

Oh, and I soaped Rose Jam FO for the first time. I loooove this smell!

 

[skayc1]

I made my September challenge soap today...will start getting pics in a little bit!

 

[not_ally]

June, those are lovely and creamy looking. Is the wave mold a log or individual bars? I love it - perfect for an ocean scent - do you mind saying where you got it?

 

[nsmar4211]

Put some recent test batches away....realized I can't tell two of them apart. Great. I KNOW to label...I know to label.... so, who wants to come guess for me ? LOL

 

[Misschief]

I played around with a Taiwan swirl last night. The soap is unscented and the colour is Ultramarine blue. The colour is a little less intense this morning, thankfully.

Taiwan swirl by Ev Skae, on Flickr

I have a question, too. I spritzed the top with alcohol but this morning, the top is kind of odd looking and sticky. That happened to another soap I made as well . Any idea why that might happen?

001 by Ev Skae, on Flickr

 

[Consuela]

After hearing one too many complaints from my boyfriend about how my soap was taking over the entire downstairs of our house, I took the plunge and moved everything upstairs.

#lifeofasoapmaker

THIS is a real problem that most soap maker’s spouse’s face. It's a constant struggle of:

"Honey, where's the olive oil?" He asks, while ripping apart every cupboard in the kitchen. He was planning on making chicken soup for dinner.

*Innocent Look* "I think we're out? Use Butter."

Meanwhile, there are 25 new bars of Castile curing behind her on the coffee table, which has also been reduced to doubling as her desk/wrapping station/curing racks - on those - you know, wire ones for cooling the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

Which, by the way, she doesn't make anymore because she is so busy making, dreaming, and planning her soaps that she just lost 20lbs and has decreed for the entire house, the new "Soap Makers Diet" which basically means they live off of Coffee. Sometimes a Starbucks because now that they don't eat 3 squares a day, their budget allows for it. (But really, it means that he cooks more.)

"Where's the Soup Pot?"

"What Soup Pot?"

"You know, the nice big one."

"We've never had one of those." she says while counting how many bars of Shampoo she has lined up in the spare bedroom. (102 in case you were wondering - and everyone is getting shampoo for Christmas).

"Really? I could have sworn we got one of those last year."

"Nope."

"Hmm... Guess I'll have to go get one. Watch these onions."

In the meantime, she continues planning her recipes and the looks of her future soaps. She dreams of peaked tops, and swirls, and perfecting the Butterfly Swirl because that truly is the envy of almost every soap maker.

Their dresser is missing drawers, and all the silicone bakeware has been sacrificed. SO pretty much, the oven is only a home for the 4 metal cookie sheets (that she doesn't use anymore, see: Soap Makers Diet) and sometimes she contemplates the CPOP method, but taking over every appliance for her hobby seems........excessive. Almost like she has a problem. She knows, and we know, that she doesn't. Semantics.

Then he walks through the door with a nice big new shiny soup pot...and for a moment...images of two burners going - with two pots of soap....that means double the soap....how efficient.

But the vision is shattered when he starts looking for a spoon - not finding one, he casts her a sideways glance. Raised eyebrows and all. And because she knows him, she knows exactly what he's thinking, so she retreats to the spare bedroom, surrounded by the beautiful soaps - not even half of the creations that she's designed in her dreams...

"Honey... I think you have a problem."

"Yes, I do. I'm out of Lye."

"That's not what I meant... I think that it's time to move your hobby into its own space. It's taking over my life. And yours."

"You're being dramatic." she says, "It's not that bad..."

"Honey...yes...yes it is. There are seventeen bars of soap in the bathroom, six of which are at the sink. There's soap drying in the living room. Shampoo Bars in the spare bedroom... dirty soup pots, spoons, and stick blenders in the Pantry... and we are always out of Olive Oil."

"Well when you say it like that....." she trails off for a minute, but recognizes the opportunity.

"How about I take one of the spare bedrooms for my hobby."

"I think that would be best darling."

And thus begins new dreams....

For a moment, he feels like an enabler (because he is) but then reminds himself that there's worse hobbies/addictions she could have. Like heroin. Or shoe-shopping. Or chocolate...

Wait...who are we kidding...

Chocolate addictions don't exist... because chocolate is a food group.

 

[JuneP]

Gigi here you go;

Gigi, the soap is actually rectangular in shape and the top is formed from the cut out wave pattern at the bottom of the mold. I got the mold on Ebay.

The clay is Rose clay from Brambleberry. The color in my soap will change a bit because the Nag Champa FO has some vanillin in it but it still morphs into a soft, pale pink. I also use Titanium Dioxide in the soap which would also pale it down, so it would most probably be even brighter with the titanium which tends to have a pastel effect on colors.

June

June - how very pretty those square soaps are! Is that a mold that gave that lovely texture on top? And I can't wait to get some colored clays. Can I ask where you get yours? That is a truly lovely pink.

 

[JuneP]

It's a wave mold with 6 separate compartment,
I got it on Ebay. The gal who sells is has a Facebook presence and a web page too. One of her company names is A&N soap supplies (or something similar. The A&N is correct. You can check out her page on Facebook. She has one for her soaps and one for her soap supplies and they have different names; but you can find that out if you check her Facebook presence.

It's a pricey mold but I think it's worth it. It un-molded so easily, and cleanly, and produces a beautiful looking soap.

The next soap I want to make with that will be quite a pale turquoise. My sister-in-law is allergic to scented soaps and uses a glycerine soap but would like to try my soap. So, I'll make a single bar for her to try and I'll add FO to the rest of the batch. I don't have any beachy FO's, so I'll probably pick something like cucumber and melon as a possible name match for the pale green/turquoise I'm planning. I've been wanting to try that in a soap for a while. First I need to get some late season gardening done for a few days.

June

June, those are lovely and creamy looking. Is the wave mold a log or individual bars? I love it - perfect for an ocean scent - do you mind saying where you got it?

 

[JuneP]

Thanks for your lovely thoughts and good wishes. I live by the philosophy that you can't always help what happens in your life but you sure have the option to how you respond to what life throws at you. For me joy is a choice even at the darkest times. Focusing on the things I'm grateful for helps too.

June, you are amazing. Your DH, hip replacement, moving, remodeling and you *still* have time to soap, garden and have friends over? You seem like one of those people that make the best out of everything, I wish I was more like you. I so wish you the best right now, no matter how amazing you are, it is tough when the person you love the most is really ill.

 

[aprice522]

I actually made two soaps today. My kids were playing outside and I decided get some soaping done. I adjusted two different recipes and made a coconut milk soap with peppermint EO, red and white swirl.

Next I did an aloe base soap--and I couldn't decide what EO blend to do...so I have a document saved with a million combos that are all of the EOs that I have on-hand and found one that sounded interesting. It was called "Ocean Blend" 2 parts Lavender, Rosemary and one part Peppermint and Lemongrass.
I made a white and aqua swirl for this one.

I can't wait to see how these turn out. Until I decide on final soap recipe, I am constantly changing things and only making 800g batches. It would be nice to make a bigger batch--since my husband made me a nice adjustable wood mold and I have yet to fill it.

Now I have to wait to see what things look like till tomorrow!

 

[galaxyMLP]

Aprice, looking forward to seeing your soaps tomorrow!

I had an unexpected craft show today. It went OK and the reporters from the university newspaper were there so I'll be in the paper tomorrow with my soaps! That's the second time although the first time was with MP soap!

 

[amd]

I made an HP batch of pumpkin soap. Taking it as a compliment that one of the bf's kids licked the loaf (it was cooled and cut) because he thought it was pumpkin fudge. And when we got home this awesome box of goodies was on my doorstep from Shunt! I love buying soap almost as much as I love making it.

 

[amd]

Soooo pretty!

 

[not_ally]

That is a bundle of happy goodness, it would make me really excited too! Although it makes me nervous, I am sending her a package, and mine is much less pretty than this one