Pumpkin Porn

meggie bar by voda (New Haven, CT)

pumpkin lavender by haunt (Camillus, NY)

Pumpkin soap. It's getting to be that time of year where Autumn is approaching and soapmaking is moving out of the sweet and tart summer flavors and into the apples, spices and pumpkin fragrances. I have been thinking non-stop about how to make my next batch of pumpkin soap. I have cans of pumpkin and I am itching to use my pumpkin and graham cracker fragrances - yum!

I found some lovely soaps from soapmakers I haven't seen before and I'd like to share their beauty with you.

pumpkin pi soap

by epically epic soap on artfire (Chicago, IL)

pumpkin pie soap by Sarva, but is not available now.

It was a seasonal soap last year. They make beautiful soap. You can see their website here.

breakfast at tiffany's by intentions on 1000 markets

breakfast at tiffany's close up

pumpkin spice handmade kokum butter soap

by hansen soap co. on etsy (Montreal, Canada)

sweet pumpkin handmade shea butter soap

by Lotions and Potions on Etsy (Columbus, Ohio)

P-p-p-p-p-umpkin. I'm ready! Especially for pie with handmade whipped cream.

Reminder:: The Coconut Challenge

The Coconut Challenge entry delivery deadline is friday, September 25th which is still over three weeks away, but I am just a little worried because I have only received only ONE soap entry so far.

ONE.

Maybe this challenge wasn't hard enough. Or maybe you are all too scared. Or maybe there really ISN'T a good coconut scent out there and we all know it!

No. I know there is because I've smelled it in really overrated bath and body company's creams. I just don't know how they got it.

:/

A Javelin In The Brain Makes It Hard To Do ANYTHING

Yeah, really. That's what is feels like. Then there is also some pounding and some big metal band around my head squeezing, too.

Joy.

I have a theory why this migraine is the longest most heinous one I've had in ages. I know you are all like, yeah, Jo, tell me, I just have to know. On my birthday (July 11th), I got sick with stomach pains which is no stranger to this woman. The next day I was still in serious pain, finally went to the hospital and it turned out my Crohn's Disease was just having a major flare up. OK. They shot me with some crazy narcotic that almost made me throw up and made my legs feel detached, and shot me with steroids and told me I could go home.

Since then, I was put on prednisone (steroids) to keep the inflammation in my intestines nonexistant due to the crazy 3 location party (small intestine, large intestine and stomach) my body was throwing. Last week it was time to gradually taper off of the prednisone and finally, on Wednesday, I was finished. My migraine started on Wedneday night and has gotten progressively worse each day. My friend came up with a theory that maybe the prednisone was keeping all inflammtion in my body down and when my body had no more of it, my blood vessels in my brain flared up, inflamed and went full on big-time kaboom, to full capacity. Does that make sense?

There really is no need to go into the ins and outs of how I've been treating it other than I have been under the care of my neurologist , so don't worry, I am taking care of myself.

So I write this post to explain that I am not writing the soap reviews until my headache is completely gone, because I want to give it my full attention and not be fogged by my pain which is all I can see, really. I can look at soap porn and I might just post some of that today since I am pretty much stuck in this bedroom because the damn sunlight feels like skewers being poked in my eyeballs. Luckily I slept at my mother's last night and the kids are swimming in her pool and making a clubhouse with a tarp and some chairs and a floatie and are actually getting along. Dare I say it.

But I am in pain and feeling a little sorry for myself and wish my coffee was magic morphine or whatever that would take the pain away.... :(

Upcoming Soap Reviews

Blueberry soap with poppy seeds

Amber's Ambry



and

p.u. baby
Purple Urchin Soap

They will be posted in the next few days (over the weekend most likely).

Delirium & Co. - Scarlet Grapefruit Candle

Delirium and Co. Candle
Scarlet Grapefruit

Guest Review by Kim Pilla



Delirium’s Scarlet Grapefruit scent, to me, is masculine and evokes a vintage era. Can I start with the box? I loved the packaging of this candle. It is modern and the box is beautiful and reflective. Perfect for a gift for him or her. Open the box and I smell this citrus cologne, so delicate and beautiful. I don't know about you, but an overpowering scent for me can lead to a headache, and yet I do not want a wimpy scent, either. This soy blend candle is poured into a silver mirrored container. Once lit it throws a light and graceful blend of scents. It burns wonderfully with no black smoke or discoloration in sight. It is a slow burning candle, and I have enjoyed this scent throughout my home. It has evoked in me a silver screen.

Quite frankly dear, I feel like an old Hollywood movie star when burning Scarlet Grapefruit.


Written by Kim Pilla
firefly-foto.com

Delirium & Co. Scarlet Grapefruit candle is a crisp sensual merger of ruby red grapefruit, red currants, apple, mandarin, jasmine and amber.

• Approximate burn time: 55+ hours.
• Net weight: 7.9 oz.
• Soy blend wax.
• encased in a translucent, reflective silver glass.
• $38
  

Simply Stick It Discount For The Soap Bar Readers

Marcia, of Simply Stick It would like to offer 10% off to YOU ALL through Labor Day...The Soap Bar blog readers on this website .... code= SOAP.

So generous.

This is the vinyl lettering I mentioned a couple of days ago that I love....



and there are other designs that are so cool.....

circle plant


Monogram - Twirl

"....Soap Duds"

As you know, there are always soaps in my shower that aren't ones I've made. I am always trying out 6 bars at a time, and of course, my husband just has to deal with whatever is in there. I try, as he's requested, to keep patchouli, sandalwood and lavender out of the bathroom all together, but still, his complaints persist periodically with the bars that arrive in his bathing haven. The man showers at least two times a day, so his showering experience is very important to him.

The last soap I stuck in there prompted a blog post on his blog that I think you'll appreciate, to say the least.

;)

That is, if you want a giggle....

*

I Want This For My Shop

Isn't it gorgeous?

Vinyl lettring made by Simply Stick It Designs on Etsy. Only $14.99.

Cool.

Using Melt & Pour Toppings to Decorate Hot Process Soap

by Emmy Gabriel of The Natural Beauty Workshop

I was inspired to try something different while making a batch of soap for an autumn swap last year. I wanted to incorporate the beauty of autumn leaves into each bar, but I still wanted to create soap "from scratch" as opposed to using a full melt & pour recipe. I noodled over the puzzle for a while, but eventually inspiration struck.

Armed with clear Melt & Pour Soap Base, 3 cookie sheets, and a butter knife, I got to work. I split the Melt & Pour Soap into three batches after it was melted, scented each batch with Autumn Woods Fragrance Oil, and colored each with a different shade of Pearlescent Mica. I poured each batch of soap onto a cookie sheet, allowing them to cool into thin, solid layers. While I was waiting for them to cool, I quickly sketched out 3 leaf shapes onto card stock and cut them out. I used these cutouts as stencils, and carefully traced leaf shapes out of the Melt & pour soap with my butter knife. This would have been a LOT easier if I'd had the foresight to buy some mini cookie cutters, but "C'est la vie". My little leaves were well worth the extra work.

Once my leaves were finished, I whipped up a batch of hot process soap, also scenting it with Autumn Woods Fragrance Oil. I gave the soap a few minutes to cool after I had popped it into its mold, and then began to carefully insert my MP leaves into the top of the log. The soap was just hot enough to melt each leaf slightly as it entered the top of the soap. This helped adhere the leaves more permanently, but if the soap had been any hotter, it may have melted my leaves completely. Thankfully, I seemed to have caught it at just the right temperature. Should I repeat this procedure, I would definitely record the temperature of my HP soap log for future reference.

After covering the log in a forest of tiny leaves, I allowed the log to continue cooling. I spent the next morning excitedly slicing bars for my swap. The soap was so pretty that I almost hated to use my test bar, but I did! Autumn Woods lost a bit of its top note during soap making, but it rounded out into a very delicious, nutty scent. The Melt & Pour topping helped to boost the overall aroma by showcasing the untouched aroma of the Fragrance Oil, making the whole soap very enjoyable to sniff.

This technique offers just about as many combinations as you can imagine. Some things made of MP that I would love to see topping an HP log would be plant shapes, fruit shapes, or maybe some funky geometrics. I would be very curious to see what other folks come up with when they combine such different soap making techniques!

Thank you so much, Emmy! You are a true inspiration with all of the work you do, the beautiful photographs you take, and excellent ideas and recipes that you share at The Natural Beauty Workshop Blog. It's an honor to have you be here with me.

Be Delicious, Hartley Soap!

Be Delicious Prize

You are the winner of the DKNY Be Delicious Pop Art Yummy Apple Fragrance Perfume Give Away! Hartley Soap Hartley Soap! Ya Ya YA!
Since the winner owns a soap company, I am am SO obligated and wildly excited to pimp her shop. Just click on Hartley's banner and catapult to her 1000 markets shop to see the pretty soaps she makes. Hmmm. I don't think I've tried her soap yet. I read her bio and she and I should meet up one day and ride motorcycles into the sunset when life slows down a bit.

Hartley Soap's Apple Destination Friday Determination

**

Delicious Give Away

This is a delicious give away that you are going to L-O-V-E. I received a bottle of the new Delicious Art Eau De Parfum Spray (3.4 oz) from DKNY that is sold out everywhere I've looked. True. It's currently unavailable at DKNYfragrances.com and at Sephora.com. I'm sure there are some places you can find it, but they are going like hot cakes. All the rage, folks.

DKNY Delicious Art Eau De Parfum Spray
Retails at $70.00.

The DKNY apple is transformed into its comic counterpart, filled with ben-day dots and thought bubbles. The limited edition bottle is filled with Be Delicious fragrance. Take a juicy bite of a scent that is innocent, sexy, wholesome, provocative.

What a refreshing, sweet innocent scent! Apple-y without being so sweet my teeth ache and smelling like a teenager in Claire's. I am not big on perfume. It's usually too heavy or heady for me and it usually gives me a headache, but this one is easy to wear. The bottle makes me happy, too, every time I look at it.

OK. There are four ways to get an entry into this give away.

1. Leave a comment along with your email address so I can contact you if you win (if you don't want to leave your email then you must check back after I post that you've won or you forfeit your prize and I will pass the winnings to the next person)
   
2. Twitter about this give away with a link to it, then come back and post that you did just that...(leave your link)
3. Blog about this giveaway and come back and post that you did just that...(leave your link)
4. Facebook. Tell all of your friends there, too. Let me know.
   

The winner will be chosen on Friday afternoon, August 21st (3 days!).

1.2.3...go!

***
;) Teresa....

Update On The Coconut Challenge Contest

Update on the Coconut Challenge:

I got a bunch of emails from some of you saying that you know you don't have the perfect coconut scent so you aren't bothering sending it but look forward to seeing the contest. Hmmm. Perhaps with THAT attitude, there won't BE a challenge! Have some faith and I have added a Runner's Up prize so get your butts moving. (motivate)

I will also be crowning a Runner's Up with one month's free advertising (graphic ad).

The Coconut Challenge For You

I have been searching long and hard (for 5 years) for the perfect coconut scent, and other then the actual coconut or virgin coconut oil/cream or coconut powder straight up, I have not been able to find it.

So!

I am putting the coconut scent challenge over to you. If you want to participate, here is how it's going to work.

The contest will have to extend over 5 weeks so you all have the option to make your soap any way you want to (melt and pour, hot or cold process...) and still get it to me. It's okay if it's not straight coconut, but I would prefer it, so I can get the true nature of the coconut base, but again, not required if you think the blend is truly worthy of the extra notes. I'll let you be the judge of that.

The winner will get two months of advertising for free on The Soap Bar plus an interview/feature blog post right here where I will scream from the roof tops! YA, baby!
The contest starts right now and the soaps must be received here at the shop no later than Friday, September 25th by 6 pm.

Update on the Coconut Challenge:

I got a bunch of emails from some of you saying that you know you don't have the perfect coconut scent so you aren't bothering sending it but look forward to seeing the contest. Hmmm. Perhaps with THAT attitude, there won't BE a challenge! Have some faith and I have added a Runner's Up prize so get your butts moving. (motivate)

I will also be crowning a Runner's Up with one month's free advertising (graphic ad).

Good luck to all of you. I look forward to smelling the coconuts!

The address for mailing:

Product Body Shop
xxxxxU.S.A.

***

Pass The Mojito, It's Summer, Baby!

photo courtesy of http://drinkhealthydrinks.com

Mmm. I don't think I've had a mojito in months and months. I almost forget what one tastes like. I wonder if any of these actually smell close to the real thing or if they are just visions of beauty that's easy on the eyes.

Ah, I have missed the searching for beauty. Good thing it's always out there to gaze upon you all. =)

Essential MOJITO soap (vegan), by bunny butt apothecary

Caribbean Handmade Natural Spa Soap by Alchemic Muse

Mint Mojito and Hawaiian Sugar Soap by Nature's Edge Farm

Mojito Cold Process soap with shea butter - Lime + Mint united perfectly
by Crowley's Manor bath. body.

Lime Mojito Salt Bar by Inaru Bath and Body

mojito.
lime mint sugar rum scent. soap. vegan. cold process. 4-5 oz.

from our friends at DIRTY LOVES CLEAN

Yes, soap porn, soap dope....it was due!

*

I'm Baaaack

I forgot to mention on this blog that I was taking a week long vacation from everything. Sort of stupid, being that I just asked everyone to divulge their feelings, open up and help me to give you what you want and then I just up and LEAVE!

That is like a bad relationship thing to do. Man o man. Well. With real life going on and me being fairly spun out over here in my own head, I hope you can understand that I just blanked. I mentioned on my other blog...I put a message on my shop phone and put a message on the website... just forgot The Soap Bar.

So, want to know where I went? Not a Caribbean cruise! Not a trip to Paris! I took a road trip with my husband from my home in little Tequesta, Florida (where a whole lot of NOTHING goes on), up to Charlottesville, Virginia, where a whole lot of nothing goes on) to pick up our two children. Nina and Desmond spent one week with their Aunt and cousin for one week with no TV, video games or us. I think it was good for them to have a decompressed, back to nature, no stress week. It was all about nature, baking, hiking, creativity and play without electronics. That is how their Auntie and cuz roll in Virginia and we were all about it for our kiddos.

Our trip was awesome! I feel revived and pretty worn out from the whole trip. We have pictures and I will be sharing them with you... You can pass them by and not look at them. I know family pictures are pretty darn boring if you don't the people or if you want to see my freaky family, you can peek. I'll post them in the next two days or so if I can tear the camera out of my husband's hands... =)

I'm glad to be back and I will be looking for some porn to share.......


hehe