Category Archives: Uncategorized

I figured that I would share the pre “sauce” step of the soaps. Seeing them like this made me want to pop another “cake” on top for an ice cream sandwich lol. It was difficult to get smooth and firm scoops even though I used my best melon baller. The whip wanted to melt immediately. I accidentally had my pinky against one scoop while ejecting a scoop onto the next cake and ended up melting some of the whip. Lol. Lesson learned *grin*

Here’s the final version *grin* There are a few things I’ll probably work on improving, but I think it’s a massive improvement. It really does look like it’s trying to be devil’s food cake and the refrigerated bath whip is an awesome “ice cream” in my opinion. The bad part is that the whip is so very soft and moist. If I barely bump them, the scoop gets dented or smears. I think I will end up rolling each scoop in clear melted soap to make a reliable shell, but it’ll be tricky to get both temperatures just right so that the whip doesn’t melt into the soap. I’m not up to experimenting before the event, but I think these are good for the event. I did a blend of soap bases for the “sauce”. The teenie tiny .18 Oz of Shea soap mixed with the clear base made a neat, glossy glaze-like appearance. I will experiment to get the color a little more to my liking. When I look at it I think it would be bubblegum scented instead of maraschino cherry lol. You’d be surprised how hard it is to get anything but carnation pink when Shea soap is involved. *grin* The base is a blend of chocolate mousse and fudge brownie. The fudge gave the base chocolatey scent that we all expect, while the mousse has the soft and sweet notes that I prefer in a chocolate FO. I may experiment with clear base for the sauce, so that I get an actual reddish tint (somehow even red in clear base is at least fuchsia instead of red – so odd and frustrating!). I think these would be cute as an angel food cake for children birthday parties or maybe even a baby shower favor. There are just so many options. I can’t shrink wrap these because the whip would melt, but I think my big jewelry zip bags will work (I’m sorry to ramble off topic but the small ones I typically end up using for everything always make me feel like people think I’m a drug dealer when I buy 5 or 6 packs. What else does the average person use 600 tiny zip bags for? Lol). Worst case scenario I may use Saran wrap, despite not being a solid protective barrier and loses scent so quickly. Until I decide I’m going to enjoy the awesome smell of chocolate covered cherries in my kitchen. I go from a wintergreen and cinnamon blend in one room into the mouthwatering cherry scent. *happy sigh* Some days I seriously love my jobby! (New term they’re marketing..a hobby that resembles a job sometimes.)

I love this new version of my acne soap that I’ve been working on (and love the name I randomly came up with, too!). It’s a half/half blend of Shea and honey soap bases, with ground and whole oats, bentonite clay, an FO (I can’t let it smell only like oatmeal and clay), and lemon powder. The honey gives an amazingly creamy feel to the lather, which really surprised me. I had decided to alter my recipe to see if I could incorporate honey somehow, to pack more natural umph against acne. It has worked amazingly well on me! The original was great, but I saw a difference in my skin. Lemon powder and honey are natural acne and bacterial warriors, while bentonite clay is really great at removing the extra oil while not drying out the skin (for most people, but of course there is Murphy’s Law lol). The oatmeal is a gentle exfoliant and is thought to help with blackheads. This small soap round packs quite a wollop! I have skin irritation from reactions to some gluten foods, plus a genetic predisposition to Keratosis Pilaris, so it made me so happy to make a product that almost completely cleared up my arms. My mom was shocked when I showed her my arms after testing the soap for two weeks. I’m going to make extra for Christmas gifts and send to a few family members. Hopefully it helps them too! So freaking happy with this soap!!

These got repoured and I experimented with coloring to look more like chocolate. This picture gives you an insider’s glimpse into the base. I think I may also just pour to almost covering the middle there, so I end up with soap donuts *grin* I think a little platter of “glazed donuts” would be a cute eye catcher. Maybe even do a wedding favor box with them standing, like in a bakery box.

I got a new silicone mold for filled petit fours (if I misspelled, I’m sorry…sudden brain fart lol, and app doesn’t do the save and come back very well, so please bear with me *grin*). When I saw the mold I immediately thought of mini cake soaps with drizzled “frosting”. I obviously am having trouble getting a decent chocolate cake color (if the clear glycerin version comes out right I’ll post it, but they’re setting up right now). In my mind I pictured little chocolate cakes and what looks like strawberry compote on it and a glaze drizzled down the sides. I experimented with different techniques on each of these and seriously don’t care for the “jam” texture that the soap allowed. I think I’m going to go with the clean version (the small one in the back). I made little black ones in hopes that they’ll look like devil’s food cake, since the bases are not turning brown despite multiple attempts at coloring. I think it’s still a cute soap (not as a grey soap of course) even though it doesn’t have the adorable molten lava cake I see in my mind’s eye. I’m debating doing a small pour onto a cookie sheet and trying to make little balls after the first set up. Put them in the little filling dip and do the other topping pour over that, so maybe I can get a neat texture. At least they’re amusing! I definitely will change the scent profile though. Somehow it smells only like strawberry chapstick instead of chocolate and strawberries. *grin* An amusing challenge!

I have spread to three flats of oils and pigments now! Whoa! I honestly didn’t realize how much I had ordered until I started organizing. Lol. This close up is food and bulk refill FOs. In a flat to the right of it is a small flat that used to hold canning jars and now has a tiny army of EOs, natural supplemental items (like chamomile extract, etc) and all colors. To that flat’s right is another large flat which holds the nature, holiday, mens, and womens FOs. It’s still a little awkward to find the right bottle, but at least I have a starting point now and they’re more protected from accidental bumps. The flats are proving even more beneficial since they soak up any residue instead of it being on the shelf. Btw, I’ve been sniffing brown sugar FO. It smells like maple syrup (not quite expected, but still a lovely scent) and I think it’ll go well with a chocolate FO. Replicate that wave of deliciousness of opening the door to a doughnut case. Lol. That might be a really fun room spray. Betcha if the recliner happens to smell mouth watering on a day that I want to go out to eat, that there will be a spontaneous offer for us to go to Topeka for a bite. Mawahahaha ; )

Yesterday evening I finally felt well enough to organize and find homes for my new supplies. The shelf holding an army of pipettes coming out of the boxes is my oils and salts shelf. Um, I don’t have anymore room for oils after this last delivery! Lol. I will replace what goes empty, but I will not buy any new scents. Please remind me of this declaration when I make my next order. *grin* Jeepers!

My upper shelf holds glass jars, bulk containers like the oats that I grind, the scale, and my sewing machine. Below that is my delightfully fun shelf of ingredients. Below that are different soap, lotion, shampoo, spray, and massage/body oil bases along with a few prepped plastic jars. At the bottom is mostly a ton of empty containers that I have been working at collecting during sales, so that I never have to make a customer wait a few weeks until I have the appropriate container. My purple yarn basket has become a bottle and lids basket for easy access. I thought ahead and got a tiny trashcan to take to events for people to toss sample spatulas, wet wipes, and paper towels. (Cue pat on my shoulder for truly learning from the cancer walk event!) The plastic unit to the left is full of soap molds (going to be a little fuller in a few weeks since I have four more silicone molds I found on sale through a mail order catalog. I figure that the silicone molds are an investment, so if they’re on sale and I can swing it, they shall be mine *failing miserably at the dramatic imitation*). You would be surprised (unless you are familiar with my need for things to be orderly, like my spreadsheets *grin*) how much of a relief being organized and stocked up is. Later today I’ll pull down my lotion-dedicated pots (on that upper shelf too) and start making new lotions hopefully. So exciting!

Okay, my OCD has been satisfied and I gave more of a look at the meh aspects of making my stuff. *grin* I have an amusing (okay, amusing to me at least) pic to add, but otherwise it’s time to drift into a state of tramadol bliss. Lol.

I know it’s not as interesting as the previous two ingredients, but I’m excited to get these. They’re thinly sliced (I’ve read several notes made by crafters that it’s pretty awkward and difficult to cut, especially without industrial equipment, so I didn’t want to try) and I will embed them in soap. I read about the embedded soap being awesome for scrubbing heels and elbows. It’s definitely a more intensive exfoliation than what I typically prefer to make. I try to make everything safe for even delicate skin, but as long users don’t scrub hard, these should still be good for most skin types. I think they look kinda cute in little wheels too ; )

It’s even more difficult to get a decent picture of the vita beads. They’re so small and apparently incredibly full of static, since they are bouncing around on the lid and in the bottle. They are a lot smaller than I expected (especially such a small bottle for not a small cost! There goes that realization of not paying attention to sizes again. Lol). I have a feeling that they will expand and take on a soft look once in bath gel. Right now the beads are tiny, hard rocks though. Definitely one of the most interesting and unique ingredients on my shelving unit!