Neroli, Amber, Rose...oh my! And Mad Oils!

My first order from Mad Oils! So excited!

Over last week, I finally took the dive. I ordered some new supplies from mad Oils, and I absolutely love it! I received rosebuds, hibiscus petals, cornflower petals, and tea tree essential oil. They even included a little sample fragrance oil (It smells like Christmas in a bottle!) and a bit of sample mica. I've already used these in some soaps that you can see below!

So, first off we have my latest Amber handmade soap, scented with Amber fragrance oil from Bramble Berry, along with the cornflower petals from Mad Oils. Gorgeous!

I also made a Neroli & Shea soap, scented with Neroli & Shea Blossom from bramble Berry (I have SO MUCH of this from the samples!) and decorated with hibiscus petals and rosebuds. I love how this one came out, nice and white, no discoloration, and no acceleration. Fantastic!

I also got around to redoing my Etsy store with all my latest soaps, and you can view them here.

I do plan on ordering a bunch of new exfoliants, and I need to restock my castor oil and palm kernel -- order one and run out of two more! Oy.

I also entered Kenna's (from Modern Soapmaking) contest for Gratitude Soapery. I'm very excited for the opportunity, and if chosen will consolidate my Unique Useables with Gratitude -- and have a little leg up in the world to get everything up and going. So many things!

So, my soapy fellows -- anyone tried anything new lately? Let me know in the comments!

Update on Life and crazy happenings..

Man, it's been forever. Or it seems like it.

I'm such a horrible blogger, haha. At least this little break wasn't like the LAST hiatus I had! So to give you guys an update on my current standing...

1. I'm finally out of my old job! No more call center. :)

2. I have a slight break between jobs which will mean MOAR SOAP!

3. I DO have some soaps I've made since the Warm Vanilla Sugar batch, but I still need to photograph them. Namely, I made a batch of Lavender, I resupplied a client with her custom order of my new Energize blend (Lemongrass, bergamot, and listea), and another custom order soap from coworkers, a Lemongrass Mint!

4. I have so many plans for new soaps! I have an order shipping in from Mad Oils (so excited! They're fabulous; find them here)

5. I keep my Facebook more up to date than my blog (sometimes), so if you ladies/gents want, you can follow my page here.

6. So outside of my move form SC to WA, the reason we have been so busy lately is we moved from Bremerton WA to Tacoma WA to be closer to Jay's job, get better pricing on rent, and really just get out of Kidnap County --- oh I'm sorry, I meant Kitsap. :)

7. Sadness for the move, though, because I could not bring my lovely furbabies with me.. They are now happy in another home, and my heart is heavier for it.

Lessa and Ramoth, spooning in Jay's chair.

8. Furbabies that we COULD have, however, included rats! Working with a lovely lady out of West Seattle through Craigslist, I was able to relocate three amazingly cute baby boys!

 From left to right: Larry, Moe, and Curly

I'm sure they will find ways to help me during my soapy excavations. :)

9. So my new job will be work from home, same sort of stuff I did at the call center just different client. And with the advantage of saving 300+/mo on gas and toll costs, it will allow me to focus on my soaping in my free time!

Once again, I apologize for being so busy, but we can all see HOW busy its gotten! Once I get my next batch of soap out, I will post a soapy update!

Hiatus Over! Cherry blossoms, Rain, and Chamomile to soothe the soul..

I am so excited with everything that has been going on in my life. I know, I know, it's been nearly a year since I posted, but guys -- man, have I got some catching up to do!

Instead of the BMW hire I had been hoping to get, I started working at ZF Transmissions in Gray Court, SC. It was a plant job, and I was doing some German translation, which was super cool, but my shifts were 12-hours every single day of the week. No days off, nothing. I made one whole batch of soap for a coworker for a Christmas gift to his family the entire time I worked there. 

A blend of Lemongrass, Listea, and Lemon essential oils with poppy seeds for exfoliant!

After Christmas, I started speaking to a long time friend of mine -- I've known this boy for about 13 years now, we've known each other since we were kids. I really wanted a fresh start, to just move out of the state that seemed to harbor all my troubles. After lots of consulting with friends and coworkers, I decided it was the best move for me. My friend, Jay, lived in Washington state, so it was a daunting prospect. Slowly, between December and January 12, I began giving away/donating my stuff to friends or Goodwill, shipping out necessary items, or giving things to people for safekeeping. I flew out January 12, leaving my car to my uncle and signing it over to him. I landed January 13, with barely anything to my name aside from the stuff I was waiting to arrive and a lot less baggage.

Some people call it running away. I just saw it as a chance to start over.

I got a job in a call center not far from home (it was about a 35 minute walk) to make money while i slowly built up my soapmaking stash again. One of my friends from SC is actually moving up here with me this summer, and he plans on driving the trip, so he'll be bringing some of the stash I left in SC for safekeeping with a friend. On top of the job, I've also acquired a new car! (New to me, of course. I'm broke!)

The move wasn't easy, BUT -- I am here to show you how amazing my life has gotten! With some amazing soaps tied in.

I know I've said it before, I dont usually post personal stuff on here, but I feel like my old loyal readers (Jenny! <3) would like to know why I dropped off to nowhere. I'm here to tell you it was every bit as worth it as it was needed.

First of all, Jay and I have started dating. He was my childhood crush, which we touched on at the time when we were kids, but he was incredibly loyal and was already seeing someone. So I moved on, and we sort of inadvertently kept chasing each other for nearly 14 years. With me starting over and actually living where he is, I figured I would go with the advice my dad always gave me: your soulmate is usually your best friend, and you never even realize it. He married his best friend 23 years ago, and they are still every bit as in love as when they started. So here we are, taking a chance for us for once.

Jay and I out on the bluffs. I havent smiled like that in years! Also, ignore the white streaks in my hair.

I also picked up snowboarding, and ATVing. Which are both as dangerous and crazy as they sound. I can't tell you how many weekends I've spend barreling down the aide of a mountain while cartwheeling, the affectionate term Jay uses for my wipe-outs, considering I tend to fall hand over heels the whole way down.

So with Washington, the first few soaps I made sort of resembled the new change in direction. First, I made a cherry blossom scented soap, with my usual recipe, using the Brambleberry FO (shipping is so much better when you live pretty darn close to it!)

These are EVERYWHERE here.This one is in my friend's yard.

I used the normal recipe with the FO, and then I did a mica oil swirl on top. Inside, I used charcoal for black and a red mica from The Conservatorie to really make it pop, and did a simple swirl inside.

Next, I main a soap using BB's Rain type FO. Appropriate, for the mists that seem to plague WA weather.

This one I did TD on the bottom and a blue swirl on top, also with mica oil swirls. I got on a kick, what can I say?

I also made a Lavender Chamomile Huggies type, which I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE.

It was lightened using TD, mica oil swirl on top of purple, with little sugar pearls on top as well. I learned not to CPOP those like I usually do though -- sugar pearls turn into black blobs when baked. :(

I appreciate all of you for following my blog and being interested in where this crazy journey takes me. My next soaps are going to be an Amber soap, a new Lavender, and Warm Vanilla Sugar! Stay tuned~

Soap Updates: Shaving, Salt, and Lavender!

So I've been making a lot of soap over the past few weeks -- just never got around to posting it! 

First off, here are my cut Goat's Milk bars -- scented with Clothespins, a very delicate, clean fragrance.

Also, here's the shaving soap I made, using Jenny's blog post as a guide: http://lather-be-soaping.blogspot.com/2013/01/shaving-soap-then-and-now.html

I also made a Margarita-themed Salt soap bar, using Kosher salt, with a light yellow-green swirl and kosher salt, with a limey scent

Today, after getting my supplies in, I reused two half-n-half containers, one has Cucumber Mint inside, the other, one of the Bramble blends I received -- I'm calling it Dragonfruit!

And last but not least, my latest take on my lavender soap:

Thanks for checking them out, and happy soaping!

Cherry Goat's milk

Now that I have your attention, an update on soapy progress!

A dear friend of mine's husband fell in love with a MP soap I did when I was first experimenting with soapy stuff. It's called Cherry Swirl, and it smells just like pull-and-peel Twizzlers (my girlfriend always has to have some to eat when I make soap scented with this FO, or she gets grumpy!) and literally bought all of it I had made, minus the two bars one of my Etsy buyers got. 

Cherry Swirl chillin' out on the counter after cutting

It's made with a clear glycerin base with goat's milk base swirlies in it. It's probably one of my favorite MP designs I did when I still had bases to play around with!

After a few months, her husband was dangerously low on the soap, and she inquired about a custom batch. I told her I couldn't repeat the MP soap, but I could give it a try with CP. I explained that since I hadnt made soap with it that way yet, that there was no guarantee it would stick, and if not I'd refund the money, and she could even still keep it if she wanted (as soap is soap is soap!). So I brainstormed for about a week, and made the cute little 2lb loaf!

Mica oil swirled tops!

I alternated pouring red/white/red/white high enough for it to break through and swirl nicely, and just cut the bars today:

SO happy with how they turned out! And they still smell delish, so everyone is happy!

I've also been meaning to try my hand at a goat's milk soap, so I got down to business today. Blended the frozen milk cubes and lye int he sink in a saltwater ice bath, keeping them very chill. I even melted down all my oils the normal CP way, as I usually use the room temp route. Tussah silk, however, will not dissolve in a lye solution that cool, LOL, so this soap is just goat's milk and shea butter. No fancy silk.

Trace came beautifully, though I added a heaping amount of TD to keep it a nice cream color (I bought a ton of very YELLOW shea butter, and MAN does it some through in my soap!) It's so hard to achieve a nice white with it that I may end up getting more ivory shea, as the money I saved buying the yellow I easily will spend on TD coloring it. Lesson learned, Ash. Great way to kick yourself! ;)

And I was even able to make a lovely textured top! I blended some of the dredges of the soap batter with a TINY teensy bit of liquid aqua color, to give a nice off-white look, and blended it into the creamed base, making pretty peaks. It's scented with Clothespins, a very, very brisk, clean fragrance from Rustic Escentuals. I wanted to use lavender originally, as it seemed more traditional, but I already have a lavender soap. Here's the lovely textured details!

Very fun. So how has your week been lately?

Peacocks and Coffee

So today I finally got around to making some soap!

Ten pounds worth, to be exact. I even took some pictures of the "during" to share with you guys. :)

First off, I wanted to make a odor-neutralizer soap for the kitchen sink, inspired by the gardener's soap from Soap Queen. In several books I've read about CP soapmaking, it's suggested to completely replace the water in the lye solution with double- or triple-brewed coffee. Utilizing this technique, while adding the used coffee grounds, I attempt making a kitchen soap. :)

I thought it was cute that my little ball of tussah silk perched on top of my triple-brewed (chilled) coffee. It goes into every batch, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Pouring my (now steaming) coffee-lye mix into my oils to melt them. Room temperature soapmaking is the only way I go, just because I'm too impatient to wait for temps to stabilize.

Mostly melted, only slowly stirring with a spatula. Went ahead and added coffee grounds before stick blending, to make sure it was only a nice exfoliation that was added.

Blending! Random blue tint.

You can barely, BARELY see trace here. Time to pour!

This is after letting it sit several minutes. I wanted a textured top, but my original batter was too thin. I waited, and finally sprinkled fresh coffee grounds over the top of the soap for smell and texture. The soap is scented very lightly with RE's Morning Blend fragrance, a nice, slightly sweet coffee scent. I took a spoon and folded the coffee grounds into the soap batter to make sure they stick, and to add that lovely swirly texture. :)

Onto soap number two!

I've been wanting to do a peacock/boquet style swirl for ages. I tried once, except the scent was a floral and it accelerated way too fast, so I just dumped everything together. My second attempt had the base soap accelerate as well, though my stripes were unscented. It didnt come out as nice as I'd hoped.

I guess third time is the trick, because I certainly succeeded with this one..

Before the bouquet/feather grouping. :) I scented this one using lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus EO (smart move, they move slower) aaaand a hint of musk. :)

I only scented the base soap again, which is a spatula-swirl style with the blue, green, and purple. Colors from the Conservatorie.

And then the dividers!

I can't wait to unmold these! :)

So, is there any technique you tried and tried at again, or one that was difficult to master?

Soap gremlins and Mica swirls

So I wanted to try the peacock/bouquet swirl, and the above photo is the soap I got instead.

"But it isn't even close!"

No, I know. Because soap gremlins.

I HATE soap gremlins.

Granted, I was using a fragrance oil I knew accelerated, I just forgot HOW FAST. Tried adding more water, nope. Got stuck in my soap condiment bottles. Ohmygod. Dumped bottles out into soap, layered, hoped for best.

Instead, I got CRAYOLA BARF. Oy.

So I rebatched, sliced the soap up nice and thin, put it in a crock pot (it was still soft and squishy after 3 days from all the water I added) for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Plopped into mold. Still smelled of Freesia, silly white florals, and had a lovely lavender color to it:

Brushed the top with some oil-mica and glitter.

Decided to try a heavy olive oil recipe with my other planned batches for the day, to slow things down a bit. Soaped a green tea and willow silk/shea soap with french green clay, wanting to try the oil/mica swirl again. I was impressed! Soaped well, smelled beautiful, and look at the SWIRL!

This is after drying a bit. Yay!

Wanting to take the opportunity to use the gremlin-free soap time, I started on another. Purple sandalwood, colored with a purple mica and activated charcoal. Smelled yummy and odd, musky. This is BEYOND my favorite mica swirl to date:

SO PRETTY. <3 Finally, after all those tries, I got it. Took me long enough, LOL. Can;t wait to see the inner swirls with the green tea and sandalwood soaps. Exciting! I'll just have to wait longer to unmold due to extra olive oil. Here's another pic of the lovely purple swirls!

So happy with my soap results today. The gremlins were beating me down for a while.

And here's the paradise soap cut!

Love the hanger swirl, just wish the colors had come out brighter. I'll get usage rates down soon! The green and purple seemed to do fine, so we'll see. :)

Thanks for reading, and HAPPY SOAPING!

Mica Oil Swirl Experimentation

Ever since seeing everyone's lovely soaps for Amy's Great Soap Challenge 2013, I loved the mica oil swirl the most. I recently ordered new micas from The Conservatorie, and I was ready to try them out!

First off, they all blended beautifully into my sweet almond carrier oil. And I love the shimmer they have! Gorgeous. As an over achiever, I wanted to do a four-layered soap using a hanger swirl, with the mica swirled top -- repeating all four colors. I'll tell you now, lesson learned.

I scented the soap with a blend of 2 parts Almost Paradise (RusticEscentuals) to one part Just Peachy (also RE). I was keeping my fingers crossed for NO SOAPY GREMLINS.

Well. So much for that.

The soap base accelerated really fast with NO FO. Oy. It was my first time using tussah silk in my lye, however. I hope that doesnt become a common thing. I seperated my FO blend into four parts, splitting them into the colors, just in case of acceleration.

Good thing I did. I layered green, blue, orange, and then yellow -- by the time yellow was layered, it was THICK. Ugh. I grabbed my hanger, swirled really fast and swirly, then plopped droplets of the mica-oil mixtures on top. Swirl away!

 

Even with the thick batter, it didnt seem so bad for a first try/ The orange and yellow blended into the top layer anyway, and the blue is showing nicely. The green was a tad light, I think I might have been stingy with my mica, but overall I like it. I think I'll call it Summer Paradise.

Layering wise, I was thinking ground, ocean, and then a sunset-ish picture. I'm quite happy with it in the mold, I'll just have to wait until tomorrow to unmold my beauty to see if I REALLY like it.

Thanks for reading, and HAPPY SOAPING!