Frankenmolds.

The glue on the bottom here is to make the box level. Pretty!

Amazingly, I still do not have the flu. Everyone around here is getting better (for those of you who want to know) but they aren't well yet. They are however, circling the refrigerator like sharks wondering when the jello will be done. That's a good sign.

After everyone went to bed last night I stayed up and got some soaping done, so pictures will come soon. Otherwise, today I made some box molds!

I have a couple of box molds that I love. They have liners in them and all I have to do is make the soap, and not worry too much about the lining. Well, I wanted more. So I bought more. But something went all wonky with the vendor, so I haven't received them. Wah. So... I sat up googling trying to figure out a work around. However, I want my work around to not involved spending any more money. So that eliminates buying 20 pounds of liquid silicone. Maybe next year.

I found this really interesting article on how this taxidermist makes silicone molds for his... er... dead things... using 100% silicone caulk and acrylic paint, so that is a nice little DIY project that I may try.

So at any rate, I took a cardboard box, did some measuring and made myself two molds today. I wrapped each side of the box in packing tape to help protect it from soap leaks. Then... I got my glue gun and sealed up all of the edges. I then line the box with freezer paper. Once the soap hardens, you just lift the freezer paper out with the soap. In theory... this should work great.

We'll find out! - H

Beware! Beware!

I realize this isn't soap, people. (Hmmm... but maybe it could be! *note to self*)

No soap today. Everyone but me at my house has the flu. The bad one. I don't know how I am the last (wo)man standing, but I am. So if I drop off of the face of the earth for a few days, you'll know why. But I have lots of fun soapy news to share... so stay tuned! - H

Mr Bumble turned out beautiful!

So as you can see, Mr Bumble's Soap turned out just dandy. Made with cocoa butter, avocado oil, almond oil, coconut oil, palm oil, beeswax, oatmeal, and scent. Smells yummy.



The big bar will go into my Etsy cache, and the smaller bars will go into a sampler pack I'm putting together.

Frankensoap

Peppermint up top... chocolate on the bottom. I'm going to cut it tomorrow, I think.

When will I learn though? Leave the soap in the mold for at least two days. This soap is fine... it just would have sharper edges and a smoother surface if I wouldn't touch it!!! Gah!

I swear I'll stop taking pictures of these now.

Lavender - These guys are pretty. The swirl is good and goes all the way through.

I know I've been doting on these two bars this week, but I've had a setback. So they've been getting all of the love. I tried to make a CPOP batch and failed.

CPOP is when you make the soap as usual, then put it in the oven for... er... I thought 2 hours. But now I'm not sure. I ruined it and now it's in my trash bin. Along with all of my hopes and dreams of shortening my cure time. *sigh*

So this morning I got back on my horse and made a batch of cocoa... and a batch of what I'm calling "Mr. Bumble's Oatmeal Soap." Mrs. Bumble (me) forgot to put milk and honey in... so instead of being Oatmeal, milk and honey... it's just oatmeal. It will still be good though. My mind must be somewhere else today.

The Morning After...

I took the the freezer paper off of the lavender this morning. It looks great. Now I put the molds somewhere *where I won't touch them* because I poke & prod until I'm fully dissatisfied. So they're hiding in a safe place.

Let's Give Them Something to Blog About...

I didn't make any soap today. The day's not over, but I think sleep may win out tonight.

*BUT* I had a great soap day! Let me tell you why. The other day I read this post on Anne-Marie's (of Brambleberry) Soap-Queen Blog. There are some super cute soap molds with knitting yarn on them. I immediately thought of my friends at Island Wools here in Friday Harbor.

I love Island Wools. When we moved here it was cold! Last winter with the help of Theresa on YouTube (tjw1963) and Island Wools, I taught myself how to crochet. Friday Harbor can feel pretty small when you have a new baby so I always looked forward to going in to Island Wools and figuring out what was next. (My favorite yarn is Puffin by the way.) Check them out when you're in Friday Harbor. They're right on the main drag (Spring Street.)

At any rate... I showed Rusti the molds and she loves them. Hopefully, I will have some pictures of knitters soap bars to show you soon. We shall see! So that was fun.

Now a confession. I peeked. I shouldn't have. But I did. This a lavender bar I made last night. There's freezer paper on the top of the mold there, but through it, you can see that the swirls looks good!

I peeled the paper back, just a little and then put it back. I really shouldn't look at it for another two days. Nighty, night! - H

I'm a comin' for you, bear.

"Ooooh noooo!"

Mondays are often times a day that is devoted to catching up with myself after the weekend. I suppose it is that way for most people. I did make some lavender soap today, so I'll have a fun picture to share later in the week.

Meanwhile, I did a lot of thinking today about what my next project will be. I'm definitely excited to dive into a oatmeal, milk & honey project. But I'm unsure if I should do a layered larger box mold, or make multiple smaller bars that have a bottom oatmeal layer with a top honey layer.

Anyone care to toss me out an opinion or suggestion? Meanwhile, I lined a box in case I decided to go with that. I have yet to do a home made lined mold. Looks fine to me.

Box mold? Or sarcophagus?

- H

Thunday Thanks-uary.

Ith Thunday!

Boy am I thankful today! I just (yesterday) got my first shipment of soap supplies from Brambleberry!

Understand what I'm saying here. For months, I've been squirreling away bottles of oils into my grocery cart. Trying to look innocent as I tuck yet another 14 oz jar of coconut oil behind the 8 oz bottle of Avocado Oil. By ordering bulk items, I'm not just saving money... I'm entering into a committed relationship. I am saying, "Soap, we're in it for the long haul."

I heart you Brambleberry

That's beeswax in the measuring spoon.
You know what that means... honey soap! Buzzzzzzzzzzzz!
Cheers! - H

p.s. Since I'm just a baby blog... Brambleberry is my first shout out! Yay!

Fun with scraps!

Happy Saturday!

At the the moment I have two sizes of soap. The round one here is about 3 oz and the square ones you've seen are between 5-6 oz.

Lavender - Yes. I cut a hole in this and hung it from a tree. It is so pretty and scented with Lavender Essential Oil. Made with all vegetable oils including Almond, Apricot Kernel, Avocado, Coconut and Olive Oils. Soap is pretty cool in that soap scraps, like what's left from the hole of that lady lavender there, can be used for other purposes. Nutty people like me can find the humor in soap. Like maybe... special talents... like, being able to balance soap on your chin.

I tell ya, those Yoga people can do some pretty impressive things. No? Not funny? Hm.


Scraps like these can be used. I can give bigger ones away as samples. Of course, I use them myself too. So "scraps" translates into "mine! mine!" sometimes. Other scraps like the cool pink ribboney ones in the photo can be put in soap bars. Pictures to come of results of that in a future blog, I'm sure.Some us though, just like to stick our faces in a cup of soap scraps and just take a big whiff.

Time to mow. See ya! - H

Don't eat me beacuse I'm beautiful.

Really. Don't. Unless you have a mouth like a sailor. What? You *are* a sailor? Well pardon me.

Dutch Treat - This is one of may favorite soaps to make. And if you know me, you already know why. This baby is made with all vegetable oils (do you notice a pattern here?), Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter, Almond Oil, Avocado Oil, Dutch Coffee (yes, there is a difference), Dutch (as in Droste) Cocoa.

No colorants or scents are added or needed in this naturally rich and fragrant bar. It kind of smells like brownies. Yum. I like the texture of it so much that I am going to be formulating a lot of my soap recipes around it.

I have to say about the picture, I love it. Yeah, I know, I took it myself so, I shouldn't toot my own horn, but, look! Do you see the little Delft piece all snug in there? And who's wondering about what flowers I used? CHIVES!!! My chives are going to seed and the flowers are so darling. I had to use them.

Lunchtime. Gotta go. - H

OK... Here We Go!

So, yay. This is my Soap Blog. Why blog on soap? Well frankly, it's my most recent obsession.

My first foray into soap came because I am a cheap bugger. I didn't like how much I was paying for laundry soap. So I looked to see if there were any homemade alternatives. There was. After a few months of that I figured, that wasn't for me. But that got me curious. And when I'm curious... look out. The Quest was on. After many trips to the library, hours of web searching and putting together all of the right tools, I was ready to try making soap. So I did and haven't looked back. (I have yet to attempt my own laundry soap, although I've eyed a few recipes. Ill let you know if I ever do it.) So after making a few successful bars of soap, I began giving them as gifts. Soon, people were asking to buy my soaps and so Sandbar Soaps was born.

I make all of my soaps using the cold process method. I've tried the hot process, and I prefer the end product of the cold process better. The short version is that I make a batch of soap and pour it into molds. The soap then sits in the molds for about three days. Then they come out of the molds, dry and mellow out. The harder the bar... the longer it will last. I like my soap to dry out for six weeks. I can't ever wait that long though. :)

In this first post, I'm posting the pictures that I've taken of some of my soaps.

Lemon Creme

Yes, that's "creme" not "cream." If this was a milk soap, it would be "cream." This soap is made with all Vegetable oils, Almond Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Avocado Oil, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil. The freckles come from a lemon tea blend and it is scented with lemon essential oil.

This is the end of my first post. I have to go watch the LOST Season Finale. That said, if you are interested in any of my soaps I would be delighted to make you some. Just e-mail me at: sandbarsoaps at gmail dot com. More to come! - H