Melt And Pour Wizardry At Its Finest

Soapylove:: the book

A how-to guide for making glycerin
melt and pour soaps with pictures GALORE!

Debbie Chialtas is THE W i z a r d of all things soapy in the melt and pour world. Really really. Instead of keeping the beauty all to herself, she has decided to share her oh-so-crafty-talents with the world. In this rockin' book that I was so fortunate to receive, Debbie demystifies the "bite" from the Popsicles, cookies, and her jelly donut soaps. I always wondered how those bites were made. I mean, I'm no dummy, but I never could get past the thought...."what could make that bite shape?" Then I'd be stumped and move along with my day. Although, I hate to admit this, I have to tell you that if you asked me today how to make that bite shape and I hadn't open this book and learned how Debbie made them, I'd probably say: "Dentures?"

So....back to the book: Some of the fun soap projects include embedding cool shapes like dots, stripes, scenery, cameos, balls and aliens in rocketships, creating "bites", adding fragrances, colors, swirling, blending, layering and cutting. In the book, Debbie makes the most intricate and difficult looking processes look super easy with step by step instructions with plenty of big, bright, colorful pictures showing exactly what to do and how the final outcome should look like. Some projects are harder than others. There are beginner projects all the way up to more advanced ones. Using a craft knife, for instance, and carving out intricate designs like a flame, might be hard for some (ahem). You know...eye hand coordination/patience with detail... That sort of thing. What is great about this book is that there is something in it for everyone. The crafts are fun, inspiring and beautiful! Following these steps can make you a pro!

Debbie, thank you. I really love the book! Anyone who loves crafts, has children or wants to try a new hobby should get this book. And the price is crazy at $13.50 for 125 awesome pages.

The book is available on Amazon.com or at Brambleberry.

Soapylove, the website: where you'll find anything and everything about Debbie including where her stuff is sold, how to find more things she sells, how to get in touch with her...etc.


Debbie Chialtas blogs: Soapylove Daily Ditties and The Soap Lab

dreamy

A Little Help Here

Quickie question.....

I made cp soap last night.

The fragrance was a mix of Carrot Cake, Graham Cracker and French Vanilla (hungry yet?).
I covered two loaves with saran wrap and then a towel and left the soap"leftovers" in a silicone pan uncovered. This morning, I found the covered soap loaves to be brown and the uncovered soap an autumn orange. Sadly, I would have liked all the soap to be an orangey hue.

pourquoi?
warum?
waarom?
なぜ？
чому?

Did you know how pretty "why" was in all these languages?

:)

If I find my camera, I will post pictures later..... thanks in advance for posting comments if you have any ideas and if they will change.

A Longer Process

So I thought it would take me two days to determine a winner for the coconut contest. Boy, was I dreaming. Ha! Sorry folks, it's going to take me much longer. There were some last minute entries, and I want the opportunity to try each and every one to make a determination. Smelling the soaps right out of their boxes aren't necessarily fair.

Give me a week. I brought them all home and smelled them all again. I will lay them all out and start soaping up today, tomorrow and picture taking, too.

Thanks to all of you who spent the time participating.

Dye Porn

I don't have any soap porn for you right this minute. I have dye porn.

Yes, last night, along with 3 twelve year old girls watching, I bleached and dyed my hair. I had fun and I like my hair the way it came out. I have been dying my hair crazy colors since I was 14. Now, I still think I am 20!

My son saw me last night, did a double take and said, "Mom, you look cool. So beauuuuutiful."... And touched my hair like in the romantic movies. Does it get any sweeter than that?

Unfortunately, all I had today was my computer camera under florescent lights so you get what you get....in the dullest of locations. Yeah, baby! My undecorated side office in my shop.

So here I am, sans lipstick, being porn-riffic, dontcha think?

;)

yea-YAS, I am laughing out loud. No lols here!

The Coconuts Are In

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Coconut Challenge. I know it was pretty bad timing for most of you cold processors being that you all are probably trying to prepare for the holiday season and I had to go and throw a wrench in the works, or as I say it in THIS house, a bone in the fan. Yes, for those of you who don't know why my husband's blog is named bone in the fan, that is why. Because I can't ever remember idiomatic expressions and I come up with ridiculous expressions that imitate or try to imitate the real ones, except I think they are the real ones at the time.

Anyway, back to what I was saying, thank you. I received a small handful and I am pleased with the results. Straight out of the boxes I think I have a winner and a runners up, But I will examine more thoroughly and with my full attention tomorrow on my only real DAY OFF. Perhaps Monday or Tuesday I will have the winner results.

Stay tuned.... and in the meantime, I might surprise you with a bit of porn between now and then.

:)

Happy Saturday!

Pass The Fork, Please

Beware: Foodie soap porn.

I don't know about you, but the amount of soap pastries on the market have multiplied and I have been craving sweets the more I see them out there. Who's pants are getting tighter?

Halloween Cupcake Soap by Machine Gun Lullaby


Bubbles Variety Shoppe has Cupcake Soap in Cranberry Sugar.....

Strawberry Cheesecake from Australia at Funky Bunches. Mmmm. and another from Funky Bunches...
Chocolate curl muffin

Cupcake Soap and High Tea Cake Soap by b. Gentle soaps in Australia (woah, extraodinary!)
also in their line of goodies (had to include it because it's fantastic looking!!)

Block of chocolate:

Isn't that chunk o' choco unbelievably real looking? I love it and want that right now, thank you! So there you go. My favorite subject: sweets. Subjects: Soap and sweets. ;)

Enjoy your day. May visions of sugar plums and ooey gooey chocolate dance in your head.

muwahhhh ha ha!

Wrap It Up - Retailer Ready

Wrapping soap is a dilemma for me and probably for many other soap makers. It's a constant tug-o-war between style and practicality. If you are thinking about selling your soaps wholesale to customers who want your soaps labeled, this is something that needs to be weighed.

I know I want my soaps to be seen and the artistic nuances to be admired and to have the soaps exposed so people can smell them. On the flip side, if I were to provide soaps wholesale in bars (right now I offer wholesale in loaves), I'd need to weigh all of my options. Exposed bars aren't necessarily what the retailer wants and it might end up damaged....then what?

Wrapping a bar completely allows the bar to be packed consistently for shipping, minimizes damage during any shifting...whether it be in shipment or shelf shifting...etc. In this way, your soaps are not seen so your packaging must be so appealing that it blows people away, or your bar will remain a lonely dusty skeleton on that shelf until it is thrown away. Do we want that for our babies? OK, this choice means serious artistic uniqueness. It can be done and the choices are HUGE!

Here are a couple of examples of beauty that I came across with all sorts of wrapping jobs.

------

Here are packaging ideas for soap makers provided by The Ponte Vedre Soap Shoppe website. Each packaging idea is marked with a number. If you are interested in finding out more, go to their site to see the details of the wrap job.

(pvsoap)

This person from Memory Makers bought soaps plain from Good Fortune and decorated them herself for her own wedding. They are so cute!

I went to Good Fortune so I could show you their soaps, but I couldn't pull a graphic from the site. They wrap their soap with a card and what looks like a hair tie to hold it all together. Very smart.


Here is an example of a full wrap with no band or personal touch. Still...quite elegant.

Tokyo Milk Paper Wrapped Dragonfly Soap at South Moon Under

There's a do-it-yourself tutorial at Creature Comforts, where they show how to wrap soap with step by step instructions (measuring, cutting, ribbon, stickers....)




Then there is the tissue wrapped soaps:

Soap by Gianna Rose



The metal box (which I haven't yet seen) done by Scottish Fine Soaps

There's the boxed soap/ A dear friend of mine, Lisa Devo, is co-owner of The Soap &Paper Factory and their line is stunning looking. Their soap in a box is shown here:



Fabric is a beautiful choice as well:

Wrapped in hand batiked fabric at Me Naturally

So how do you wrap your beauties and are you thrilled with the outcome? Do you have a blog post you'd like to share? I think wrapped soaps are beautiful any way you slice it, styles and difference are fantastic. I love to see it all.

But I'm extra hungry today.
;)

The Coconut Challenge Is A True Flop

What happened to this challenge? I certainly was hopeful about people entering a contest, but I am embarrassed to say, I have received 3 entries.

Wow.

I guess contests aren't something we should conquer here at The Soap Bar. Maybe it's too stressful or competitive for you guys. Perhaps the coconut challenge really is a challenge and very few people have found a true coconut scent.

Whatever it is, I am here to remind you that you still have ten days to get a coconut bar to my shop. The soaps must be received by me no later than Friday, September 25th by 6 pm.

The address for mailing:

Product Body Shop
xxxxx
U.S.A.

To read the post with the concept and "rules" check it out here.

*

Scrumptious Samplers That Are Heavenly

What is better when you can't decide what to pick and hate the idea of dropping dough when you aren't sure if you're going to like a scent or not? Soap samplers are the perfect solution! These are some very beautiful ones that I found today. (this was no easy feat!) I will start offering this as well. Everyone should. It is brilliant.

noncommittal

noncommittal by Dirty Sanchez
I love the ingredients she lists: Soap, sarcasm, love, awesome.
Nuff said. =)

The Soap Sampler by Hartley Soap on Artfire

Extra large goats milk sampler by Lily Pond Soap
I like the tower and wrap


Soap Sample Pack by Fresh Cut Soap Co. in Australia
I just discovered their soap this evening and I really love the looks of them!

Want a gorgeous crinkled french fry? ;) These are so cute in a bowl! Misty, of Burnt Mill Soap has made her soap available in cute sample sizes. 10 oz. of soap for only $7.00. Deal of a lifetime. Her soap is great and is also some of the most colorful soap I've ever seen.

haus of gloi
sample 4 stack. You can choose from any of these scented soaps:

1. Satyr - Blood Orange - Black Vanilla
2. Lavender Sugar - Sweet Sugar - Lavender
3. Depravity - Golden Amber - Wine - Sandalwood - Coconut
4. Envy - Red Sandalwood - Basil - Bamboo
5. Absinthe! Soft Mint - Sugar Lump - Touch of Moss
6. Elevenses - Orange - Sugared Almond - Black Tea
7. Imp - Passion Fruit - Pink Grapefruit - Mimosa
8. Apothecary - Cedarwood - Rosemary - Lemongrass
9. Honey Tree - Honey - Black vanilla - Rare Woods
10. Madcap Garden - Black Tea - Honey - Sweet Green Peppermint
11. Aduwa - Ginger - Hot Cream - Coffee Grounds

I have some deep respect for this young soap artist. I don't know much about her, but I am ready to talk to her, pick her brain, check out her soap. She is going to be known, folks. If I lived in Portland, I'd ask her to meet me for coffee.

So what do you think? Shouldn't we all get one? Offer one? They are all so pretty pretty!!

You Guys Are Awesome!

We made it past 50! Wahoo!!

We are actually into the first round of the "Judging Phase" for Shine A Light.
Who knows if we will make it past the first go around. I'm sure thousands have entered, but Product Body sure could use the award money for marketing, staff a sales person... we could really be efficient! And anyway, we may be inspiring enough....

I love you!

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