Really now. It's not like I don't have anything to say.

By now you know that blogging is something that I do in fits and starts. I had a particularly productive week last week so, you know the back of the mind says, "Cool. Stuff to blog about."

No good deed goes unpunished though, and as a result I've been having image issues. Not "that" kind of image issues... the jpg kind. Sheesh.

Anyway. No images will upload to my Sandbar Soaps Facbook page directly from my computer. This is a complete hassle since I keep everyone up to date on the soap thing there.

So with no further ado... let me attempt to introduce you, for the 48th time, my most recent soap baybee!

Coconut Rose

Hooray. It worked. So this tells me that this is a Facebook problem. So for the short term... I won't be able to share my photos right to my Facebook wall. Wah. But for those of you who like me to blog... I'll be spending a little more time with you.

And of course, as I type, I am hearing the FedEx guy THROW my soap materials delivery on to the porch (and I'm a little worried about broken glass.) So until next time... adios. -H

Knitting yarn soap

I tried a new glycerin soap yesterday. I love the mold (I got it from Bramble Berry) the bars are a lot bigger than I thought. Which is a good thing considering the detail on it.

Not the greatest picture, but I was in low light and I haven't had the opportunity to take more yet.



I scented it with Buttercream and Snickerdoodle, just because I thought is was fun. They smell yummy.

I almost forgot to update you on my cool treat from the Farmer's Market in Friday Harbor!




This is called "Bone Garden - Summer" I love it. Some people view this as "gothy" but I don't. It's more themed around Day of the Dead art than anything I suppose, but I'm not the artist so who am I to say. Anyway, I love it. It's one in a set of four. There is one for every season, and this one is the summer print. When fall hits I am going to get the fall print and so on until I have all four. (Collect them all!!!) Har. The artist is Rosa Blair who is here in Friday Harbor.

- H

Gah! I am like, so bisseh!

Or at least it feels that way.

So, you know when you are looking through your pictures and you think, "oh, I need to blog about that." Or, "oh, I totally forgot to blog about that." Those are the times when you've been ignoring your bloggy duties.

Granted, blogging isn't going to get my laundry done, or mow the yard so... I mow. Instead of blog. (Hey! Wake up out there! I'm talking!)

So this week, I'm working on soaps for Compost It. Compost It is a shop here in Friday Harbor that carries all sorts of neat stuff. Huge variety of things that are fun, handy, local goods, environmentally sound goods, you get the picture. Really good stuff.

I've been buying a good chunk of essential oils from them for my soaps. Did I mention that they are selling my soap in their shop? How cool is that? They carry mini bars of mine, and also my Orca Soaps.

The shop!

Look! A composter that says "Compost It!" Clever sharks.

So when you come to Friday Harbor, and I know you will, go to Compost It.

Did you know, that when I make an oatmeal soap, I hand grind the oats so that you get yummy exfoliation without getting too scratchy? Well. Know you know.

I know I've got much more to blog about, but I'm plum out of words. You know where to find me. - H

And that's a wrap!

Phew! Got the wrapping all done! Thanks so much to all of my friends who gave me input. It really helped. If all of the pieces fall where they are supposed to... I'll get these delivered today!

Not sure if I'll have anything to post until Monday at the soonest... so enjoy your weekends! - H

This is what we think of hotel soap.

Get the picture?

Seriously though, I used to really look forward to hotel soap. But those days are over. We're on a little road trip today. We stopped in the town of Leavenworth, WA and guess what I saw... a soap shop! It was closed though. We got there after 6:00 so many of the stores were closed. But we had brats, and a good time was had by all.

Curious how I am going to blog on soap while I'm on the road? So am I! - H

Spa Bar Results

This was a very interesting soap experience for me. I did a bunch of new things all at once and learned a lot. But it was also a success, so I'm happy. First of all, I used the molds that I made out of tape, cardboard and hot glue. And then any leftovers went into little silicone bowls.

I lined the molds with freezer paper using a folding method that is supposed to prevent your soap from leaking onto your mold. Mostly a success... but there's a little leaking in the corners. But it doesn't mess up the end shape of the soap. So, who cares. Due to my glue gun fest on the edges the leaks didn't go through, and that would be a real mess.

So there you have it. Shampoo bar on the left, and salt bar on the right. Interesting to note... I tested the pH of these and they are a little more alkaline than a normal bar of soap of mine is. The good thing is that I know why. Normally, my molds are pretty well insulated, but since these were made out of cardboard the heat escapes a lot quicker. The chemical reaction takes longer in a colder bar of soap. These guys will be just right after they cure. I'm pretty jazzed to use them.

I'm running out of clever blog titles... Bubble Gum,

This is the latest bar of mine to come out. It's a new formula that's heavier on Palm & Coconut Oil. It also has almond oil, shea butter and avocado oil in it. It makes a harder bar. This one I'm calling Bubble Gum. I blended essential oils (vanilla, pomegranate, melon) and a fragrance oil from Brambleberry called Energy and the bar smells like... Bubble Gum. It has little chunks of Vanilla Pomegranate soap in it.

Now for some big news... my molds came today!!! Yay! There are three pictured... but I bought six. This is really going to help me produce at a level that I am happier with.

Later this week I am going to try to make some 4th of July themed bath bombs. I can't wait to show you how they turn out!

Infusing Lavender.

Well, I'm back from a fun weekend. This morning I went out to water our struggling peas and went out to check on my lavender. I have two types of lavender, but I don't know what either type is, really.
But this is the kind that is blooming. I have one bush of this type and three bushes of the other. I've got plenty of lavender through the summer. I usually just trim the bushes back and use the trimmings for kindling. This year, a big windstorm blew all of my kindling lavender around the yard. It's still everywhere. Just useless.

This year, I'm going to be infusing the essential oils!

First, I picked the blooms and put them in a bag. Next, I took a stone and sort of hammered the bag gently to release the natural oils. Then I put them in this cute mason jar.

I used avocado oil as my carrier oil. So the lavender blossoms will soak in the oil for 24 hours. Then tomorrow I will strain the oil and add more fresh lavender blossoms. I'll do this for 3 or 4 days. Then, I'll have lavender oil! Hooray!

I made my spa soap this morning. No pictures yet. Unfortunately for me, I forgot to scent the soap. So it'll be an unscented spa experience. Meh.

Ah! But I was also poking around the yard to see what other flowers might be good to infuse and I found tons of wild roses. They smell heavenly and they're cute.

Every single one of the petals was a perfect heart. Enjoy! - 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