A Soap A day Project Days 9-11

 I want to continue more on this Mother of Pearl thing. I was browsing the interweb and came across a Mother of Pearl inlay box and then searched for Mother of Pearl and the look translates well into Melt and Pour Soap! The possibilities are endless!

I was desperate for this one! I was hanging out for the Cold Process class at the Soap Weekend Intensive, helping to clean up and realized I hadn't made my soap for the day! I scraped out all of the leftover soap from the mixing bowls students were using, and managed to put together enough soap to make this little 2 ouncer! I used a paper coffee cup for the mold and random micas that were laying around to attempt to do a swirl on top. It is scented with lavender and peppermint - two of my favorites, so I may end up using this one! I am definitely adding a Lavender peppermint to the all natural line!

This was made on Sunday after teaching a scrubs class. Debbie of Soapylove taught a Neon Melt and Pour class earlier in the morning which was so fun so when I saw this mold at Otion I just had to do something with it! I love the detail in the mold! It was fun to play with!

Soap Weekend Intensive 2012 Preview

I am so excited to be invited back to Otion to teach at the Soap Weekend Intensive this year! I will be teaching 4 scrubs (and am including a bonus recipe)! Also teaching are Debbie Chialtas of Soapylove,  Kat Hackney of Otion, Jill Heuser of Northwest Scents, and Anne-Marie Faiola of Bramble Berry, Soap Queen, Teach Soap and Otion. I can't wait to see Anne-Marie and family, Kat, Courtney, and Amber and finally meet baby Jamisen! 

I am working on recipes and here is a preview of one of the scrubs I will be teaching.

I know you are curious!

SWI will be held Friday June 15th through Sunday June 17th, 2012 

There is still room left!

To sign up go to the SWI page at brambleberry.com

Column Swirl

So, this video of a painting by Holton Rower has been going around and made it into the soap community via Soapylove's Facebook page where Debbie noted it might be inspiring for Cold Process soap makers. Boy was she right! Amanda Griffin of Lovin' Soap posted pictures of her attempt to do this with soap - as far as I know the first person to try it out with soap as the medium. Since then I have done it as well as Holly Port from Lotion Bar Café!

Click here to see the original video reposted by Non ci posso credere. The video is beautifully done! 

Here are my results:

 just poured soap. The colors are made using natural cosmetic clays. I used an essential oil blend for the scent so this one is all natural!

 Gelled Soap 18 hours later

Clay colors

Column cross sections. These are really cool - I think they look like sediment lines.

Cut Bars. There is a lot of variety and the bars from the edges of the mold didn't get much color. These are mostly from the middle of the mold.

 

 

The Art of Soap - a book by Debbie Chialtas of Soapylove

I am constantly amazed by how much people love soap! I get emails, chats and posts on my Facebook fan page from lovers of soap, users with new appreciation and budding soapmakers looking for advice, all praising the idea of soap and the process of making it. Since its invention soap has been here to stay. Soap, that utilitarian staple of human cleanliness (modern usage also for cats and dogs), that modest brick in standard scents like “Dove” and “Irish Spring”. After entering the world of soap making almost four years ago, I felt like I was stepping into the beginning of a soap revolution. I have watched soap making evolve into an exploration of custom fragrances, exotic and ancient ingredients, and wild to mild colors, with soap makers pushing the boundaries of artistic soap design, each with a unique visual perspective – an intimate expression of themselves. After all, as soap makers don’t we all dream of making what we ultimately would like to bathe with?

Soap is no longer modest but is screaming to be front and center.

A woman at the forefront of this soap revolution is Debbie Chialtas of Soapylove, a good friend and a master artisan of glycerin soap. She has conceived an idea in the process of fruition. A book dedicated to the varying aesthetics in soap and the stories behind the bars. Simply: The Art of Soap. When she asked me to photograph the book I didn’t hesitate.

Follow the progress of the book here: http://theartofsoapbook.blogspot.com/

You can see Debbie's amazing soaps here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/soapylove/

Debbie's blog: http://soapylove.blogspot.com/

Hot night, glass of wine, first blog post, way too long!

So I am, or was, and perhaps still will tell you a little about me but the heat is getting to me, making me reminisce about age 16, summer vacation, midnight hanging out with friends, grounded for sure, 85 degrees and humid, but you still get a chill up your spine when the boy you like sits down next to you, kinds of thoughts. Maybe it was the sticky sweet soap I just made; luscious berry, passion fruit, peaches, vanilla kind of fruit punch for adults that made me think of 16.
FYI: There is a roll on perfume in the works!

So I make soap, primarily, but venture into other yummy B&B treats. The daytime is for responsible production, with schedules, deadlines, phone meetings, shipping – but the nighttime is for half asleep euphoria inspired research and development!

How I make stuff:
The scent inspires the bath and body medium. I rarely make say, a cold process soap, a glycerin soap, a bath mousse, etc., all in the same fragrance (much to the dismay of my customers I am sure, but I am trying to get better about it!) I mean, Key Lime Pie and Orange Sherbet work SO much better as a creamy dessert like whipped bath mousse rather than a bar soap – I think. And French Lavender, in my opinion, is better as a rustic traditional bar of bubbly cold process soap, rather than a bath product the consistency of frosting (though lavender butter créme frosting bath mousse sounds pretty good to me right now – see I AM working on it!)

How I started:
As many soap makers can relate, I started making glycerin soap, or melt and pour, as a hobby on crafty weekends with friends, loved that I had a homemade alternative to the (mostly) commercial junk in the stores, and was utterly obsessed with soap making from the very first pour. I thought about soap all of the time, even dreamt about it, and would get up in the middle of the night to work on new ideas.
(I went to school for fine art, photograph and design so being inspired in the middle of the night and obsessing over creativity is something I have been at for a while) Every new creation was a love affair, my first and most long standing being the chocolate mint soap bars – Ahhhh

Long story short, I got laid off from my job and was encouraged by my awesome boyfriend and family to take the business full time! I can't tell you how much support I have received! I was also fortunate enough to meet Debbie Chialtas from Soapylove® who has been a friend and inspiration since! I don’t think I could have done it without her!

“And they lived happily ever after”
THE END ☺