What soapy thing have you done today?

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Beveling, beveling and more beveling. Good news is, I am finished cutting and beveling everything I’ve made recently so it’ll all be ready to package up at the end of February. In other news, a local microbrewery asked me to use one (or more) of their products in a soap so I’m headed there after work tomorrow to sample and decide!

I did that a couple of years ago. The microbrewery sold the soaps I made with their ales around Christmas. They were very popular!
 
I did that a couple of years ago. The microbrewery sold the soaps I made with their ales around Christmas. They were very popular!

That’s good to hear. We’ve got a bit of a boom happening in town with several breweries/meaderies planning on opening in the next year. I am hoping to develop a line of soaps using their products. One of the places has a ginger beer which might be fun to use as a starting point
 
That’s good to hear. We’ve got a bit of a boom happening in town with several breweries/meaderies planning on opening in the next year. I am hoping to develop a line of soaps using their products. One of the places has a ginger beer which might be fun to use as a starting point

This was one of my beer soaps made with something they called Blackstrap Ale. It went over really well.

http://sudsnthings.blogspot.ca/2015/11/time-for-cutting.html
 
Making another try at the hidden heart swirl (though it's not going to be ready in time to enter) using toilet paper tubes. Decided I'll try my indigo infused olive oil in the main part, and scent it with the coconut pulp co2 extract I got to try out. Got my oils measured out, now just need to warm them and get my lye going. I split the recipe into two 'batches' since I was using the indigo infused oil, and didn't want to do complicated math. SoapCalc is far less prone to errors than I am.

As a side note, the coconut on my fragrance strip is STILL going strong, after almost a week. Only other scents I've seen be that tenacious on a fragrance strip are sandalwood and patchouli, though rose absolute hangs on for a few days.

Update edit: soap is in the mold. It looks like the indigo infused oil is going to be a complete bust. The oil was such a gorgeous color, but the soap batter is slate grey. :( I also don't have much hope that the coconut is going to survive the lye monster, but that's still a wait and see. The scent was going weird when I finished getting soap into molds.
 
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Beveling, beveling and more beveling. Good news is, I am finished cutting and beveling everything I’ve made recently so it’ll all be ready to package up at the end of February. In other news, a local microbrewery asked me to use one (or more) of their products in a soap so I’m headed there after work tomorrow to sample and decide!
That's so neat!!
 
I worked on creating a vertical mold using a tall wooden box I bought at the Goodwill yesterday. The box is about a 4-inch square and about 5.5 inches tall on the inside and quite sturdy. It cost me 88¢. I also spent 88¢ on another wooden item that by taking out some screws I ended up with a board that fits inside the box to block off part of the center, but not enough for a desirable soap size. I used the board as a template to cut corrugated cardboard to size and with a few layers of cardboard plus the board, I believe I have come up with a size for soap that will fit well into the hand. All I have to do now is wrap them up tight and cover then with Freezer paper. Then create a freezer paper insert and I can make my next rimmed soap in a vertical rectangular mold. Total cost: $1.90 with tax plus my time.

I want to try a more brightly colored rim next time.

At the Goodwill, I also bought a Rockwood mitre box for 88¢. They are selling for $9.99 and up on ebay right now, so I was happy to get this one. I had been looking online for something I can take with me on trips because cutting soaps uniformly has always been a challenge for me. It's well made and sturdy, plus I can fit a silicone loaf mold inside it, which might be handy. I think I found some nice bargains! (On my last soaping holiday, I brought my multi-cutter, but it's really too big to bring along most of the time.)

Another plan for today is to play around with my soap dough. I have no idea yet how it's going to work out.
 
earlene, you are not alone in the cutting problem. I bought on eBay a box, but is a box specifically for soap. Is awesome. Does the beveling too!

I made mermaid tails soap today. I do not know why my batter was perfect, and when I started mixing the colors, it got thick so quickly! Could have been the FO, or the coconut milk I added at the end? Needless to say, my design plan probably did not work. I guess I will see when I cut it.
 
I haven't made any soap today... yet... but I did take another picture of my morphing colour Rose Quartz soap. Now, I'm really not sure what to call it because it isn't pink anymore.

NotPinkQuartz.jpg
 
I haven't made any soap today... yet... but I did take another picture of my morphing colour Rose Quartz soap. Now, I'm really not sure what to call it because it isn't pink anymore.

This is why I suggested Spring Queen, because it wouldn't matter too much if the color morphed even further than it had. That's a pretty purple, hope that color holds. I see the owl/cat, too, swooping around in the middle.
 
This is why I suggested Spring Queen, because it wouldn't matter too much if the color morphed even further than it had. That's a pretty purple, hope that color holds. I see the owl/cat, too, swooping around in the middle.

I think that may be its new name, Kittish. I am finding this quite interesting, seeing how it changes. I do hope it doesn't change much more because I'm really liking this shade of mauve. It's so delicate and pretty.
 
I haven't made any soap today... yet... but I did take another picture of my morphing colour Rose Quartz soap. Now, I'm really not sure what to call it because it isn't pink anymore.


you may have mentioned it before, but what type of color did you use?
 
Misschief, right now it reminds me of blue lace agate, but as it continues to morph who knows what it will become! Maybe it's going to be like one of those magic cups that changes as your drink temperature changes.

But it sure is pretty!

Today, I continue to watch youtube soaping videos, many different kinds of soap. Right now, though I am trying to focus on soap dough videos. Saw a really nice one about making Eeyore with soap dough that made me think of my next project for a visit with my granddaughter. She is very very artistic and I think this is something she would really enjoy. So making soap dough sculptures certainly seems like a kid friendly activity. Of course now that she is 16 and planning for college, I am sure she doesn't think of herself as a kid anymore! :)

Also working intermittently on shrink wrapping soaps, but the sun is so bright through the window, I take breaks to sooth my eyes now and then.
 
I used FD&C blue. Yup, blue.


oh, blues are very temperamental... Most dark blues become purple - ish. I usually mix my dark blue with a lighter blue mica, or even a neon blue. But I like strong bright colors.

Blue gets darker with yellow. You may want to experiment adding a little yellow. That would work too.

But I agree, is still so pretty.
 
I don't own much in the way of colorants and, those I use, I tend to use conservatively (usually). I want to build up my colorant inventory but am happy to do so gradually.

To be honest, I'm a little afraid of over-colouring soap. I've made an orange soap in the past that, while gorgeous, coloured my wash cloth orange and that's not what I want.
 
My Nurture order arrived today, yippeeee! This is my first time ordering their FOs and I gotta say, it was love at first sniff. Wow. Beautiful complex notes. They make WSP smell like cheap perfume. Can't wait to soap with them.

My faves OOB are:
Awaken
Vanilla Cream
Flame Tree
Juicy Apricot
Jeweled Fir
8th & Ocean
Earth Meets Sky
White Tea and Pear

IMG_20180127_192653_595.jpg
 
This was one of my beer soaps made with something they called Blackstrap Ale. It went over really well.

http://sudsnthings.blogspot.ca/2015/11/time-for-cutting.html

Nice! I made one a few weeks ago with a Black Mocha Stout and it came out a mid to light brown with the creamy top. I thought with the sugars it would have come darker so closer the shade yours is. I ordered some brown mica this week to help coax the color out. THey have a stout made from NC sweet potato’s which they are going to save the bottom of the keg for my soap.
 
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