What soapy thing have you done today?

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Oh, my, Carolyn! Maybe your sister needs to take some training on how to be a care-giver. At first I was ready to give her the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes falls happen and sometimes the best a loved-one does just can't prevent that. But, then again, with some pretty basic and fairly simple training (by a physical or occupational therapist, for example) learning to assist a fall to the ground properly can prevent serious injury.

Just a thought. If you mom's doctor or other medical professionals could be consulted, maybe they could make a recommendation to get your sister to meet with someone for care-giver training.

So, my soapy stuff: I made soap late on Sunday or maybe it was Monday. My mind is still vague on some things since my longer-than-I'd-like 'illness'. I've been trying to catch up on the forum reading, but there are now 9 pages of new posts! Just a few days of not reading daily, sure does get away from me!
 
Oh, my, Carolyn! Maybe your sister needs to take some training on how to be a care-giver. At first I was ready to give her the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes falls happen and sometimes the best a loved-one does just can't prevent that. But, then again, with some pretty basic and fairly simple training (by a physical or occupational therapist, for example) learning to assist a fall to the ground properly can prevent serious injury.

Just a thought. If you mom's doctor or other medical professionals could be consulted, maybe they could make a recommendation to get your sister to meet with someone for care-giver training.

So, my soapy stuff: I made soap late on Sunday or maybe it was Monday. My mind is still vague on some things since my longer-than-I'd-like 'illness'. I've been trying to catch up on the forum reading, but there are now 9 pages of new posts! Just a few days of not reading daily, sure does get away from me!
Good thoughts Earlene thank you, but I do not think it will work with her. Worst part is I am afraid I will end up taking care of her too

Glad you were able to get some soap made
 
I finally have something soapy to report! I played hooky today so I could get a few things made. This one turned out EXACTLY as I envisioned. That makes me really happy!

I call it Winter's Frost and it's scented with Snowman Poop FO (I love it!) and Peppermint EO. It's difficult to see in the picture but each bar also has a M&P snowflake.
 

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I finally have something soapy to report! I played hooky today so I could get a few things made. This one turned out EXACTLY as I envisioned. That makes me really happy!

I call it Winter's Frost and it's scented with Snowman Poop FO (I love it!) and Peppermint EO. It's difficult to see in the picture but each bar also has a M&P snowflake.
Love them!
 
Snowman Poop is great! I used it last year (from WSP) with a light hand. It smells wonderfully like a melted snowman, hahaha. A piney watery scent.

Soapy things... no soap made. I did bevel the carrot bars, but they are really soft yet. I'm a bit worried that maybe my lye wasn't up to snuff, because my soaps are not usually this soft and this one formed a glycerin film on the top of the bar. It wasn't zappy today so at least I know it wasn't lye heavy... but I'm suspecting a high SF. I will see how the next batch turns out, maybe this masterbatch of lye needs to be used to unclog the upstairs shower. The brewery finally has the new beer on tap, so I do need to get that beer picked up and soap made.

Non-soapy but still kind of soapy: I think I'm done dinking around with my website for the time being. Finally heading to Brookings tonight for soap deliveries and to see my friend. I was hoping that on Saturday I would be playing with shampoo bars (it's supposed to rain so I can't paint at the rental house) but the tracking for my WSP order finally showed up and my stuff won't be here until Monday. Grrrr. Trying to decide when my end date for making soap for the year will be - I thought maybe November 1, but now I'm kind of thinking... Let's just be done now.
 
End date? For soaping? That phrase gives me anxiety

Lol. just for stocking the store. Immastill make it for fun during the next few months. I just need to take the anxiety of "I need to make more soap, need more fragrances/stock to sell" out of my life for a few months. I've been thinking a lot about the way I make soap and where my time goes. This year and next I am trying something a bit different so that I don't feel the need to make soap all the time, better using up the cold winter months for soapmaking and getting to enjoy the summer months a bit more.
 
Trying to decide when my end date for making soap for the year will be - I thought maybe November 1, but now I'm kind of thinking... Let's just be done now.

I was thinking about that yesterday. The soaps I'm making now will be ready at the end of October. We have two markets in November and that's it until the spring. I'm thinking the next two Saturdays will be spent making soap and that will be it for this year's market making.

After that, it will be time to catch up on bookkeeping and time to start planning for next year's market.
 
I'm just entering the I really really need to make soap phase. I didn't keep on top of it like I usually do (husband had hip replacement and just went back to work after 3 months). So, I will be making soap in the next few weeks or so to get my stock up to where it needs to be.
 
Trying to make some simple tools to pretty up my soap tops.
Terri E I love your cupcake tops, can you teach me? :D
Absolutely! They are done with the Russian piping tips and regular piping tips. I used to do this on soap loaves but the tops were too high and the soap bars were difficult to use, lol.

Gorgeous cupcakes Terri E!
Thank you very much!

Love your soap cupcakes as well Terri, very unique :).
Thank you so much

@Terri E Pretty !

I did 7 batches, 2 Gemlit FO's killed me. Sandalwood accelerated to what I thought was going to be a holy space of crap, but once cut it was not too bad. just a few holes on the sides...the one with the bigger hole is mine ;) Top is not the greatest but Meh.
Mac Apple I mixed .60 oz into a NG FO and WHAM ! Riced and sped up. SB the crap out of it to smoothness and crushed it in the mold. Won't cut that till late tonight or tomorrow
Done with the Gemlit FO's, as clearly they are only going for candles so I better learn that :rolleyes:

An old FO from Bubbles N' lights accelerated too but I think it got in the mold ok. It's my FAV scent and the last bit I have, BCN doesn't carry it anymore either :(

My Cedarwood FO took forever to thicken . Why can't this happen when I WANT to do swirls and not a solid let it Discolor FO :mad:

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Thank you!

I made a secret swirl soap called "Rose of Sharon"
Rose of Sharon.jpg
 
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I spoke to my butcher today and asked what he did with his beef scraps. He told me he throws them out so I asked if I could have a couple of kg. He said sure, so then I asked him if he could grind it for me as well (talk about cheeky) and he was more than happy to do that. I guess it is just one of the benefits of being a long term customer of a butcher rather than having to purchase my meat in the supermarket. I usually make lard for one of the dogs who has a problem with acidosis but this time I will make tallow for soap making. I will give a few bars to the butcher as a thank you. Gosh, I hope he does not take it wrong and think I am suggesting he smells!
 
I spoke to my butcher today and asked what he did with his beef scraps. He told me he throws them out so I asked if I could have a couple of kg. He said sure, so then I asked him if he could grind it for me as well (talk about cheeky) and he was more than happy to do that. I guess it is just one of the benefits of being a long term customer of a butcher rather than having to purchase my meat in the supermarket. I usually make lard for one of the dogs who has a problem with acidosis but this time I will make tallow for soap making. I will give a few bars to the butcher as a thank you. Gosh, I hope he does not take it wrong and think I am suggesting he smells!
You are lucky, here we cannot get them to give us scraps because all scraps go to a rendering house. Can very seldom even purchase the trimmings because the rendering houses depend on a certain quota
 
Met with the owner of a new store opening up in our little town next month and she’ll be carrying my soap. Since the store is a new type in our town, neither of us know how much inventory will be needed.....decisions, decisions. I narrowed it down to about 10 scents - 5 basic bars, 2 high tops and three rotating seasonal. Doesn’t seem like that should have been hard work, but it was!
 
Met with the owner of a new store opening up in our little town next month and she’ll be carrying my soap. Since the store is a new type in our town, neither of us know how much inventory will be needed.....decisions, decisions. I narrowed it down to about 10 scents - 5 basic bars, 2 high tops and three rotating seasonal. Doesn’t seem like that should have been hard work, but it was!
Little off your topic but I love the pic of your honey store. Also good luck with sales in the new store opening. Looks like I need to order some honey from you!!
 
I've made two batches of soap and am just waiting for my oils to cool down so I can make my third batch.

Lin, I'm finding that my sales have been lower this fall than earlier in the summer. I'm finding that people are starting to look for Christmas ideas and aren't ready to buy yet. I had a few people say as much at last week's market.
 
I have been feelin like crud on a cracker for days now but im not letting a 3rd soapless weekend go by so I am making a batch tonight. Not to worry, I shall be gloved and wearing a face mask just in case im getting something.
 
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