Two recent soaps

It's the same recipe, but these two soaps turned out totally different in texture due to crackling from the titanium dioxide used  in one.  Some people like this look. Me? not so much.

BUT, the fragrance is amazing. I used Earthen Oak for the first.  It's from Moonworks and is what I'd call a unisex fragrance.  Lots of depth and I'm just sure it's going to hold up through curing.  I think I'll name the batch Ashen Oak.  

The second fragrance, also from Moonworks, is Native Princess.  A Sioux would be offended by that name, but I'll come up with an alternative.  Thinking Oglala Cloud.

I've ordered several more of Rhonda's fragrances and am sure they'll perform and smell amazing!!

Hey all, may I ask a favor? If you have a minute, please go to: 

http://americanmade.marthastewart.com/profiles/andrew-fuller-836

and cast a vote for a fellow artisan soap maker and a talented guy, Andrew Fuller. He's a finalist in the 

Martha Stewart contest and has mega style - I think he deserves to win and your vote would be much 

appreciated. Thanks!! Suzy

Labor day Applejack 'n Peel !

I'd received some Applejack & Peel fragrance oil and decided today was the day to give it a try. I have another bottle coming, but this one is from Soapsupplies.net.  I have to say, it's one of the strongest fragrances I've purchased, which is great - you don't need to use as much!  After I'd made the soap I put it out in our sunroom and shut the door.  We left to go hiking with the dogs and I could STILL smell it in the house when we returned.  It's a wonderful Fall fragrance that's described as  "The perfect Holiday scent! Warm and welcoming aroma of baked apples, cinnamon, spice and a twist of citrus. Nice and strong with a scent that holds for a long time."  So far, I'd have to agree.  I just love this fragrance and look forward to trying more.  

I was shooting for pumpkin/candy corn colors of green, orange and cream. The colorants I used lightened on me some...a problem I've had recently and am really frustrated with. Wet they look strong and vibrant - once cured and cut they've faded.  Any comments or suggestions would be welcome !!  I'm at a loss.  Again, I'm without a camera right now, so please forgive the iPhone photos that just aren't very sharp. 

Here's Applejack 'n Peel, a subtly colored hanger swirl soap.  I'm all about bold and bright normally, but my husband says he really likes these subtle colors.  Diversity !!

Soaping Saturday Sept. 1st, 2012 !

The wife of the owner of the company I work for LOVES lavender. So, when the owner's wife loves lavender - you make lavender!!  I actually made this loaf for his wife and the girl's in our California office and hope they like it. 

I used Violet Mica from TKB Trading for the top half and a cream color on the bottom with a mica line dividing them. Lavender is sprinkled on top - of course.  

This recipe contains olive oil, organic sustainable palm oil, coconut oil, canola oil, cocoa butter and castor oil.  I used cream and Tussah silk as well.  The fragrance is Lavender and Herb from Bramble Berry.  

You can't see the purple under the cream colored soap on top, but I'll be sure to post pictures after it's cut !

 

Nothing knock-your-socks-off-super-amazing, but a nice bar of lavender soap!  Cream on the bottom, lavender above it with a bronze mica line dividing the two.  More cream soap on top and a sprinkle of lavender buds.  I'm hoping *fingers and toes crossed* that my color holds as it cures.  My last batch of lavender turned the fugliest shade of brown/gray that I've ever seen !!   I hate throwing out a batch, but there was no rescuing that one.

I'm thinking I'll make one more batch today.  I keep an inspiration folder on my desktop to inspire me when ideas just aren't flowing.

Enjoy the Holiday weekend !!   xx  Suzy



 

Minnesota State Fair beeswax and honey soap entry

It's been awhile since I've posted and I apologize for that. I've had some personal issues going on and, frankly, just haven't felt like soaping much.  Hard to believe, right??!!??  BUT, I did commit to entering a soap in the Ag-Hort-Bee division of the Minnesota State Fair and I don't like to back down from commitments.  This was my fifty-third year attending the fair and, as I said in a prior post, I've never entered anything for competition in the fair before.  I decided my beeswax and honey recipe was a good fit and here's my entry. I'm without a camera, so excuse the iPhone pic - it at least gives you an idea.  There were five entries in my category and I placed third.  I'll give it a try next year and know more of what the judges are looking for.  The winning entry was colorless and more rustic, so that's the route I'll take when I compete next time!

The Minnesota State Fair officially began in 1849 

 The Minnesota State Fair is the second largest in the country, next to the State Fair of Texas. Ours is a mere twelve days, theirs twenty-four, so I'd have to brag and say that by attendance comparison  alone, more Minnesotan's actually attend our fair !  This is the Bee-Honey entry in the Horticulture Building, a gorgeous piece of architecture. 

Here's the Horticulture Building.  The tower in the back actually lights up with different flashing colors at night and is a landmark on the fairgrounds. 

Here's my soap entry.  My stamp, a replacement as the first arrived from China missing the "i",   arrived three days before my soap entry was due.  I made this loaf at the last minute so it was soft enough to stamp and worried it was too soft to stand up to the heat and handling. It wasn't cured, but it was hard enough to handle come fair time. 

You can't see my white third place premium ribbon (the yellow fifth is for the jar of beeswax lotion next to mine), but I'm happy to have placed !!  I wrote an explanation of how soap is made that I thought might be useful.  I had no idea how soap was made before I started making it, did you?  Yep, that's a little bee on the front bar.  I struggled with whether to use it or not, but he was just too darned cute to pass up. He's made of sugar.  The top of the bar has calendula that I actually wish I'd left off - a little didn't look right and what I used is too much.  Overall a lot of fun to enter and I look forward to next year !!!