What soapy thing have you done today?

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I made a batch of soap and thought "Why not use yellow?". After I made it, I saw the November soap challenge, but hadn't photographed my split batter. Oh well. I did a hanger swirl and it reminds me of birds. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.
 

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I just finished making soap! Third batch after a hiatus. It's an Ione swirl, pink, black, white, lavender scent and a double batch. Got to play with my first laser thermometer and my replacement stick blender.

As I was measuring out my lye, I was &$^%#@* -- I mean kitten-loving -- 26 grams short! Why, why, why, do I continue to hang on to that useless inventory guy?! So had to do a quick run to the big box store. Grrr.

I've been so outta the soapy routine. Late last night I remembered I had to turn curing soaps!
 
I just finished making soap! Third batch after a hiatus. It's an Ione swirl, pink, black, white, lavender scent and a double batch. Got to play with my first laser thermometer and my replacement stick blender.

As I was measuring out my lye, I was &$^%#@* -- I mean kitten-loving -- 26 grams short! Why, why, why, do I continue to hang on to that useless inventory guy?! So had to do a quick run to the big box store. Grrr.

I've been so outta the soapy routine. Late last night I remembered I had to turn curing soaps!
I love Ionie, she has a new video out, doing a Christmas soap if you want to watch.

@Zing, looking forward to the cut, love the swirls.
 
I just finished making soap! Third batch after a hiatus. It's an Ione swirl, pink, black, white, lavender scent and a double batch. Got to play with my first laser thermometer and my replacement stick blender.

As I was measuring out my lye, I was &$^%#@* -- I mean kitten-loving -- 26 grams short! Why, why, why, do I continue to hang on to that useless inventory guy?! So had to do a quick run to the big box store. Grrr.

I've been so outta the soapy routine. Late last night I remembered I had to turn curing soaps!

Can't wait to see the cut!

Replacement stickblender? Which kind did you get this time?
 
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3rd batch of soap, 1st drop swirl, 1st full gel! I took the advice I received last week to use less water and it worked out great! I went from a 2.5:1 water:lye to a 2:1 ratio. No glycerin rivers that I can see. Definitely having trouble with air bubbles (my tiny batch size makes it very difficult to keep the stick blender fully submerged but I’ll keep working at it).
 

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3rd batch of soap, 1st drop swirl, 1st full gel! I took the advice I received last week to use less water and it worked out great! I went from a 2.5:1 water:lye to a 2:1 ratio. No glycerin rivers that I can see. Definitely having trouble with air bubbles (my tiny batch size makes it very difficult to keep the stick blender fully submerged but I’ll keep working at it).
Those are beautiful!
 
Can't wait to see the cut!

Replacement stickblender? Which kind did you get this time?
Same old, same old. Cuisart Smart Stick has never steered me wrong. The old one still worked but was a victim of the Great Beeswax Lava Explosion of 2024. You know how electric cords have that little indent crease the whole length? Yeah, that.
 
Made a batch of soap colored with pink clay. Decided to try out an idea I had to make pink toe beans in these paw molds. It *almost* worked. I poured the pink in and tried to squeegee it out of the main cavity. It was super messy. I’m going to try again using a squeeze bottle. Will definitely be fiddly, but you know when you have your mind set on something. I also think I will make the main part of the paw a darker color like black or gray. Nobody better challenge me to do tabby!
 

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Same old, same old. Cuisart Smart Stick has never steered me wrong. The old one still worked but was a victim of the Great Beeswax Lava Explosion of 2024. You know how electric cords have that little indent crease the whole length? Yeah, that.
Did you try using mineral spirits?
Oops, I just noticed you already gave it to Sting.
 
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I've managed to hold on to the soaping bug for several days straight this time! I've made 4 batches of soap this week. I made a beer soap and totally forgot to boil the beer before freezing it. I was worried about the lye reacting badly so I had the container my beer ice cubes were in sitting in a tub of ice water to keep it cool and prevent problems. Apparently that was overkill as I had to put the container in a tub of hot water to heat it enough to dissolve the lye crystals! I also decided to add honey to the lye/beer solution. Bad idea. It looked like it dissolved beautifully, but when I added it to my oils it has become a gummy mess. I have very noticeable honey spots in the finished bars. Adds to the rustic look I guess!

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I've managed to hold on to the soaping bug for several days straight this time! I've made 4 batches of soap this week. I made a beer soap and totally forgot to boil the beer before freezing it. I was worried about the lye reacting badly so I had the container my beer ice cubes were in sitting in a tub of ice water to keep it cool and prevent problems. Apparently that was overkill as I had to put the container in a tub of hot water to heat it enough to dissolve the lye crystals! I also decided to add honey to the lye/beer solution. Bad idea. It looked like it dissolved beautifully, but when I added it to my oils it has become a gummy mess. I have very noticeable honey spots in the finished bars. Adds to the rustic look I guess!

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Honey is an advanced technique - but your soaps look great. I love the term "rustic" which covers a number of unpredicted outcomes. All are beautiful. I had to get sunglasses for the last one.
 
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