To keep myself out of mischief...

...I have a new hobby! A friend of mine recently cleaned off the candlemaking shelf in the shop she owns and very generously gave the supplies to me. She was so cute, saying she knew I liked crafts and wanted "to see it all go to a good home." Now I know absolutely nothing about candles! And honestly, I had never been curious about them until now, although there is a lot of crossover between the crafts of making candles and soaps. Maybe it has to do with the scents, since they are interchangeable?

I've begun poking around at the topic, mostly checking books out of the library. I have to say that it's all a bit intimidating--so many different wicks, waxes, and unfamiliar terms. Last week I got a book on chandling for the absolute beginner from the library....now that's my speed! I'm excited to begin experimenting, probably after Christmas. I like the idea of enjoying some of my favorite scents any time, not just when I use some lotion or soap. And I couldn't help it.....I also got a book on making liquid soaps, shower gels, etc. and one on herbal home spa products, so my brain is nearing overload with so many different ideas!

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Soaping with Madder

I know that any color added to soap can morph into a surprise, but there is an added element of unknown when using botanicals to color my soap. Some people jump out of planes or ski off mountains, but this is how I live on the edge these days. Hmm. If I weren't having so much fun, I'd be embarrassed. I recently had my first go with madder. So....whatsa madder? It's a root--the root of the madder. Ahem. (I love puns...) I infused 8 oz. of olive oil with 2 t. madder root powder for almost a week. This amount worked out to be 20% of the oils in my batch. I wanted something in the way of embeds to add visual interest. I dearly love my soap balls but I don't want to over do a good thing. I've recently done square-shaped embeds, so this time I cut a bar of white soap into slices. I panicked a little that it wouldn't get dark enough--it was kind of a dusty peach--so I added 1/4 t. dried powder right before pouring. Madder powder can get a little

Soap Challenge--Piping

I'm jumping into Amy W's soap challenge here in week 3--piping soap. I chose to make a version of a batch I made last year--my Sweet Pea scented soap. It was really popular for me last summer so why mess with a success? Some soapers assume that piping soap means that it must be whipped, but it's not necessary to whip it first. When I don't want the whipped look (or more frequently, don't want to clean beaters) I just let it sit until it thickens up on its own. (By the way, don't you adore these itty-bitty dishes? I just bought them a few weeks ago. A set of four cost $1 at the Dollar Tree!) I used a Wilton tip #3 to make the little squiggles. I added tip #103 sweet peas and made leaves with a # 352 tip. One thing I love about piping soap....it never leaves even a trace of ash to spoil the design. And then I took lots of pictures (it was a rather photogenic batch). Here are a few-- These will be cured enough to have them at t

Soap Challenge--Dandelion Swirl

This Great Cakes challenge started off, well, challenging for me. I had internet problems (a lack of it) and something went rather tragic in my attempt to cobble together a recipe without access to my online lye calculator crutch or a good saponification chart. Obviously, I need to work on this skill, since my first batch of soap is still not firm enough to cut. I've seen firmer marshmallow cream. I'm estimating that I'll be able to cut it in a week or two or maybe three. The top came out pretty, though, didn't it? Sigh. I wonder what the inside looks like. On to batch number 2. I went for a winter/snowy theme this time, scented with BB's Fresh Snow fragrance. I made a small 6-bar batch. I kept noticing that my divider (a dollar store cutting mat) didn't stay in the center but kept migrating toward the edge with every pour. I was concerned that it would ruin the design, but it held well enough. I know this challenge was all about the inside,

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