Who doesn't love a deal?

I've been working on updating my site a bit, including some new products here and there. Be sure to check out the Jumble, just listed. It's a great way to save on a collection of soaps. It includes at least 4 full bars and an assortment of samplers and guest bars, for $14.99.

The surprise

I got some really neat color patterns in the M-81 I poured yesterday. All in all, I am very happy with it, and I think going forward, I will use this coloring technique. There was one surpirse, though. Can you see it? It's got a big nose and it's smiling at you.....

I made a mess

By far, the soap that is the messiest to make is the M-81. I'm still modifying my coloring technique of this 'camo' soap, and I gave it another trial today, with a slightly different method. I did equal portions of each color, and half swirled/ half plopped the soap into the mold. It looked gorgeous right after pour, just the look I was hoping for. We'll see what tomorrow brings; sometimes there are surprises hiding inside.....

I surveyed the damage when it was poured. A result of mixing and layering/ swirling 4 colors, bowls, spatulas, wisks, spoons, stick blender, baggies, tape, chopsticks and paper towels almost completly covered my workspace. :) I'll show you the cut tomorrow; I think I'll be really happy with it.

Spa Sticks

I got an email from a customer today, reguarding the spa stick (salt bar) she's been using. Besides the fact that she's loving it, she mentioned that hers has lasted her at least two months 'and is still going strong'.

I had already set up to experiment with my salt bar recipe a bit today, although after that email, I wondered if I should bother messing with success. But me being me, I just had to experiment with it (after all, that's half the fun! {The other half is having it turn out great!}).

Normally I use a 100% coconut oil recipe, but in this batch I used a few other oils as well, still keeping the coconut as my main oil. Generally, I am very conservative with coconut oil, but in the case of the spa sticks, they just won't lather with that much salt in them unless you use really high amounts of coconut oil. Also, I tweaked the salt:oil ratio a tad and added a titch of honey.

I added my (second?) favorite fragrance, an 'Aquolina' duplicate of 'Pink Sugar' (which I also use in a blend for the Pink Sugar Wafer bar ) and was able to cut them in about 2 hours (another reason to make them often; the instant satisfaction of a quick cut).

This fragrance will darken to a chocolatey brown by tomorrow. I'll post results of the modifications I made! Smells so nice.....

A lull

I've had a bit of a soaping lull for a week or so. Amazingily, I haven't made ANY soap in that time. The lull has not been for lack of creativity; in fact, I have an ongoing list of soaps I want to make, need to restock, additives to try, fragrances to blend, etc. The lull has more to do with my lack of a stick blender.

You see, last week, my stick blender went off to the happy soaping kitchen where it will forever rest in peace (the dump). It had a good life, fulfilled it's purpose and did all I asked it to (excepting where it literally fell to pieces in it's final batch of soap). It lasted a good 3 months, which is longer then any other I have had, although maybe it's time to buckle down and get a commercial grade Bosch or something of the like.

Well, while in the meantime while I dream of a high power super indistructable stick blender, I will be using another $15 cheapo from Target. If only I get another 3 months out of this one, I will be ever so happy.

Now, to work on that list that's been anxiously waiting for me....

Site update

I've got some of the newer soaps up on the site, now. Of course, you can only look and read up on Sweet Fall Harvest and 1616. Soothe and Confetti are ready for shipping, though.....Also, be watching for whatever Summer soaps I have left to go on sale in the next month or so.... Gotta make room for the yummy Autumn line-up!

Fall Blissfest and Market

I've got us lined up with a booth for this awesome event in October. Check out their website; Blissful Living Studio looks like something from all my favorite magazines. There's something for the Martha, Betty, Joanne and Coco in all of us gals.


There will also be a raffle the Studio is putting on, supporting one of their instructors who was recently in a plane crash with her husband. If you'll be in the area, come and shop the awesome booths that are sure to be there and buy a couple raffle tickets! There will be some tvala products among the prizes! You'll get a day of pure Bliss, and help pay for the hospital bills and childcare for this couple who are recovering from their severe burn injuries.

'Does this soap contain lye??'

This post is an answer I get to a very-often asked question (that for some reason, I didn't include in my FAQ's post earlier.....).

So, here's my question to you..... Is there live flame in ashes? Nope. There needed to be fire and wood (fuel) and oxygen to eventually get the end result of ashes (which is the fuel, but chemically changed into a new material). In the same way, the original question is answered; does the soap contain lye? Nope. One of the materials needed to make the soap included lye, but at the end, all the materials have been chemically changed to become soap (a new material).

Properly made soap contains no residual lye (just as an old campfire should have no flames). And you can be sure I've done it properly, since I test all my batches myself. Believe me, if there was any lye in this soap, I would know! ;)

Yesterday's pour

....and here's a preview of the castile I poured yesterday. So pure and innocent looking. ;) The color stayed nice and white, despite the goatmilk, which usually lends to a light tan color.



(Just what is 'castile' soap, anyway? Check out some history here .....)

Today I

When I was a kid and kept a journal, this is how EVERY page began, 'Today I.....'. This was before creative writing class, obviously. ;)

A friend called today and asked if she could come by and buy a few bars to put with some 'thank you' cards she was doing. This is just one of the million reasons I love soap; is there anyone who doesn't use it? Anything from you (cards, gifts, teacher appreciation, fundraisers, etc.) can be made better with a bar of handmade soap. It's unique and shows you put a teeny bit more thought and care into the _____ (fill in the blank here) you were giving.

She ended up getting 5 bars (4 for the thank-yous, and one for herself, of course!). I offered separate bags, but instead, she had me put them all in one bag so they could pick and choose between them all. The mental image of a bunch of women pawing though the bag and fighting over the bars of soap made me laugh. ;)

We're starting to gear up for a small show we're going to next month. Not a show, really, but an...event....One of the places that carries our soaps wants us to set up our booth during their Fall kick-off celebration. I am looking forward to it; it's great to meet the people who are buying your stuff and answer their questions. Plus, I love hearing all the chatter between them, things like 'ooooo, smell this one!'.....

I did a small batch of castile, very lightly fragranced with no color added. You have to wait a bit longer then usual for it. 100% olive oil soap takes quite a bit more time to cure; so look for it in a couple months. ;) I'll remind you...

Playing

I had an idea for the M81 soap....I just had to act on it. Really, why should I mess with success? But, I just couldn't help it. ;) I was looking to get more 'blobs' of camo color into a dark green base, instead of it's current swirled camo colors.

This technique went against every soaping instinct I have, because I had to combine the oils and lye much longer then I am comfortable with! The longer you agitate the mixture, the more you cause a collision between the lye and the oil molecules and the sooner it starts to saponify (become soap!). There's a very fine line between being pourable and being 'soap on a stick' (where it becomes a block of soap stuck to your stick blender) and I was looking for that line as my mark to divide the soap and color it. This way, it was more of a thick pudding texture (instead of a soup-y texture).

I kept a larger portion for my base (an oliveish green) and colored 4 other portions with dark brown, light brown, black, and light green. I alternated 'plopping' it all into my mold (much more fun that I had anticipated!) and had to wait very impatiently for it to firm up enough to cut.

Request

There have been several requests for a 'Moonlight Path' soap. I hadn't ever smelled it, but put my trust in everyone that is was good. I got a small bottle of it (just in case) and when I smelled it, I immediately recognized it. It smells just like the 'soothing baby' Johnson's baby wash (the one with lavender and chamomile). I used it on my first few babies and it instantly brought back sweet memories of clean snugly babies wrapped in fluffy towels. I had originally thought of doing something unique with the color, but after I smelled it, I knew it had to be plain and creamy. I gave it an extra dose of shea butter and I love the simplicity of how it turned out.

Color changes

The difference in color between freshly cut bars and cured bars:

Just cut 'Pink Sugar Wafer'......






.....and the already cured bars. I know I shouldn't have favorites, so I'll just say that I am really enjoying this soap right now. ;)

Custom Favors

I was contacted a bit ago by a gal who is an event planner ( from Simply Plan It) to do a custom soap for party favors. What a neat idea! The party is a going away/ graduation party for a girl who is leaving for college, and so I took the fragrance she chose and did the soap in the university colors. The tags are custom, specific for the event, with the name of the soap, and the university logo and her contact info (phone number, new address, email, etc.) for people to keep in touch with her. The favor bars are about 1/2 the size of my standard bars, and look so cute all wrapped and stacked. They're all ready to go out, as soon as they are tied. Pretty unique idea, if you ask me!