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Wow, it's an oily business!! My whole kitchen is slightly greasy, but my hands sure are soft. I'll be the best-moisturized bake in the store this winter!

My money has been tight lately, as I have been off work for several months on a medical leave. And, because I kept being sent from doctor to doctor to doctor, my disability payments were delayed. In fact, I got my payment for the entire 3 months all at once, on the day I went back to work. So...

This weekend I am going to a show of local artisans & crafters. Usually, I work every weekend and don't get to go to things like this, so I am really excited. I hope that there will be a couple of soapers there, so I can check out their products and maybe chat, if they have the time. For...

I feel stupid asking this question, because it seems like it would have an obvious answer, but it sure isn't obvious to me. For those of you who use shrink bands for your CP soaps, do you put your cigar bands/labels/whatever you use under the shrink band or outside? I can see doing it either...

I thought I saw a recent thread on red colorant, but I can't find it now. I'm going to make a peppermint soap for a friend for Christmas, and I need to get a red colorant. I have used several kinds in the past, but I'm interested in hearing what everyone likes to use. I figure since I'm out of...

I had an order for 100 of these, so I made about 120 cupcakes, and at least 150 owls, because the owls are so fragile. The owls are made from white chocolate, colored with candy coloring, and piped out onto parchment. They are so much fun to make!

My life got a little overwhelming for the last month or two, and yesterday was the first batch of soap I have made in about 6 weeks. It felt so good to be soaping again! But the reasons I couldn't soap were good, too, just not timed very well. I took a catering order for 100 cupcakes with...

I made some castile soap at Christmas and tested a sliver of it yesterday. It is smooth and hard as a brick, with a thick layer of soda ash on top. The lather takes a little bit to get going, at least in cold water, but it makes a pretty decent lather. I don't get the "slimy" quality that...

Oh, I have fallen in love with my newest batch of soap! I love the way each bar is different from the others.

When I started making soap this morning, I realized it had been weeks since I had made any, what with craziness at work, sickness, etc. I made myself go slowly, because I was afraid I had forgotten how! I'm pleased with the way the top looks, but I want to see the cut bars.

I'm thinking of buying a planer/beveler, though probably not for a while longer. Of course, I have looked at the wooden one that it seems like everyone has, and it looks like a great product. But I'm wondering if anyone has used an acrylic planer. The one advantage I can think of is that it...

Here are some new soap I made. The first is a tangerine swirl, the second one I am calling Mountain Meadow, and the third is cherry with glitter on top. I learned a few things from these pictures. One, I need better lighting for my photos, and two, I need to clean up my bars before I take...

Can't I stay home & make soap instead? Whenever I work til 7:00 pm, like today, I tell myself I'll make soap when I come home, but I don't. And I just got in new fragrances, too. I really NEED to make soap!

The only lard I can find in the stores here is hydrogenated. Can this be used interchangeably with plain lard? Does anybody know?

I live in a rickety old house that is impossible to heat, so in order to keep our heating costs down, we keep the house VERY cold--right now the thermostat is set at 63 degrees. The last few batches of soap I have made (since the weather got cold) have traced way faster than usual, even with my...

I'm planning to make a honey soap soon. I have seen soap where people put bubble wrap on top to give a honeycomb pattern. Has anybody tried putting bubble wrap in the bottom of the mold? Would that make it tend to overheat, even in the freezer? Also, what have you used to get that beautiful...

Ok, not exactly soap related, but I have only seen DOS once, so this was interesting to me. The back of my pantry is almost inaccessible, so when I was cleaning it out yesterday, I found an ancient can of shortening. I opened it, and was hit with a horrible rancid odor. And the shortening had...

Does anybody make hp castile? I'm going to try it this week. I just wondered about the cure time. Anybody have any advice for me?

A few weeks ago, I made a small test batch of Chocolate Goat Milk soap. It's not ready to use yet, but it looks, feels, and smells wonderful! Just like a big slab of dark chocolate. So I decided to make a larger batch with a gold pencil line for the soap swap. Maybe I should mention that I...

I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be getting a set of rainbow micas for my birthday soon. Usually, I start with the FO, then let the scent dictate the colors. I don't think I have ever started with color and then tried to figure out a scent. So what do you think a rainbow smells like?