Here it is! I’m very pleased with the way it turned out, and there are fewer air pockets than I thought!
For next time, I think I might do one third of the batch in the colored imbeds. It would help to have more of the base soap to hold it together. I chose half because it was easier to figure out the batch size.
I’m still deciding on the name. I’d like to make a matching lotion for this scent, but I’m not sure someone would buy a lotion called “Celebration.” (That was the name of the soap I was trying to duplicate.) If you have any suggestions, let me know!
And what you’ve all been waiting for: This soap will be available for purchase Saturday, September 20 (at the latest) at the Olathe Farmer’s Market. I’ll try to have it available on the website before then. Stay tuned!
Category: Making Soap | No Comments »
Ok, today’s process is fairly easy. Start by chunking up the colorful soap. I discount the amount of water that I use upfront in my soap recipe so my soap is ready to cut the next day. If you don’t use less water in your recipe, just wait the usual amount of time that you need to cut your soap. Otherwise you might have a smooshy mess!
In case you hadn’t noticed by now, I’m making a pretty large batch. These are all my soap chunks - half my batch of soap.
I also shredded up the leftover shavings. There is no waste! Now get ready to make the other half of your batch of soap and get the mold ready that you would normally use. I use log molds myself.
(If you aren’t a soapmaker and you are just reading this for fun, you can skip this section. It just says blah, blah, blah if you don’t speak soap-ese.) Remember how I said that I melted all my oils yesterday for this batch? As you can see, they are now room temperature - 75.5 degrees. I will also cool down my lye solution to room temperature. I do this because the discounted water method speeds up trace, and I don’t want a solid block of soap before I can get it into the mold! Starting with cooler oils and lye solution will help slow the trace back down to a more manageable time to work with the soap. I’m so glad Elizabeth of Gassner Custom Soaps introduced me to my new favorite gadget from Cabela’s. Now I can check the temps of both the oils and lye solution with the touch of a button!
Once I got my base soap to a light trace, I added more of the same fragrance and some FD&C red to make a medium pink. I poured a thin layer (about an inch or so) in the bottom of my molds. Then I started adding a layer of soap chunks. I had to do it this way because my soap pot wasn’t big enough to put all the soap chunks in with the base soap. I would recommend just dumping the chunks of soap directly into the pot if you can and stirring with a spoon. Tomorrow we’ll find out how many air holes I ended up with by doing it this way!
After doing the first layer, I did dump the rest of the chunks into the soap pot and stirred it up. I did a lot of smooshing into the mold to try to fill all the crevices around the soap chunks.
Stay tuned tomorrow for the final reveal! I can hardly wait myself!!
Category: Making Soap | 4 Comments »
I set out to make a duplicate of this colorful soap that I made as a test batch called “Celebration”. I believe it sold quickly first and foremost because of the beautiful colors. It also smelled really great, so I’m using the same fragrance that I used before. However, I’m using a different process to make this colorful soap into full-sized bars of soap, rather than the half-sized frosted cakes of soap. The frosted cakes are cute, but look more like decoration than something you might use in the shower. The method I’m demonstrating is fairly simple. I am going to use colorful chunks of soap in a single colored base. (I am making the assumption that if you want to attempt this method, you have some knowledge about making cold process soap and have made a batch or two.)
So far today, I started making a batch of soap like I normally would, only using half the amount of soap. Once the soap got to trace, I added the fragrance. Then I separated it into three mostly equal parts and colored each part differently, using the same colors I used for the frosting part of the original soap. My colorants were FD&C red, FD&C yellow, and chromium green oxide with a hint of ultramarine blue added to the green.
As you can see, the FD&C colors are a bit brighter than the oxides, probably because I used more colorant. I put the soaps in three separate rectangle shaped molds so that when I chunk them up tomorrow, they will be cube shaped. I covered each one with plastic wrap to keep out the air and prevent the white powdered ash that can tend to show up on uncovered soap.
I also melted the oils for the other half of the batch that I will make tomorrow as the base…
Category: Making Soap | No Comments »
I’m so excited to show you the Pumpkin Pie soap! It turned out wonderful! Fortunately I made enough for you, your neighbor, and your neighbor’s dog, should you all need some.
There are several benefits to adding real pumpkin puree to the soap. According to Lori Van Wormer, L.E., “Pumpkin’s acids, along with Vitamins A, C, E, minerals and replenishing enzymes make it a great exfoliant, breakout inhibitor, and pore refiner for your skin.” While I don’t recommend this as a facial soap because of the synthetic fragrance oil, it will make a wonderful body bar. Fresh goat’s milk contributes to the super creamy lather.
The scent is good and strong, so even if you don’t want to use it right away, your bathroom will still be fragrant. I’m going to tell on my friend Sarah. She bought this soap from me last year and used it as a hand soap in her bathroom - only after warning her husband not to use the “pretty side”.
Category: Currently Curing | 1 Comment »
I’m sorry to inform you that the Pumpkin Pie soap just isn’t ready to cut yet. Too soft. I attempted to start cutting, and realized that I would have sticky soap all over my cutting blade, so I laid it aside for another day or two. I love this soap! It is made with fresh goat’s milk and a whole can of pumpkin, and the scent is oh-so-wonderful. I also plan to use the really cute pumpkin stamp that I acquired last fall. But, alas, as much as I talk about it, there is still no soap for you.
Category: Making Soap | No Comments »
Last night after she went to bed, my oldest decided to wiggle her remaining front tooth until it popped out. Apparently she placed it under her pillow for the tooth fairy, but she hid it so well, the tooth fairy didn’t find it! My daughter found the tooth and showed it to us this morning, then proceeded to lose it again… Suffice it to say the tooth fairy might be getting a note tonight.
Edit: We found the tooth again this afternoon!!
Category: Just for Fun | 2 Comments »
It’s Angie Platten’s “Currantly Citrus”. A very cute play on words, and also a perfect description of the scent. Congratulations, Angie!
This was NOT an easy decision. Really, I could have picked any one of the names - they were ALL good! However, I have two criteria that I like to use and seem to work well in terms of selling the soap:
1. The name is (at least somewhat) descriptive of the scent
2. It will catch the customer’s attention enough to make them want to sniff it.
Angie will be the first to receive a Currantly Citrus soap as soon as it’s finished curing -around August 30th. The rest of you can get your hands on some after she gets hers!
Apparently I’m not the only one making this soap. Check this out! I just wish she had posted a picture!
Category: Giveaways | 1 Comment »
Yes, it’s true! The Cucumber Melon soap is in stock and ready to go. I haven’t made this soap for a couple years, and I had forgotten how much I love it! This is definitely the perfect summer fruity scent. Not too sweet, just fresh and juicy. There are little flecks of the pureed cucumber in the soap, but no added colorants, so the only thing that isn’t all natural about the soap is the fragrance.
Category: New Product Announcements | No Comments »
The Green Apple soap made its way to the Great Cakes Soapworks website today! It turned out a bit differently than most of the soaps I make - I had to use the hot process method after my “incident” with the fragrance. Thus, the edges are more rough, but the overall soap turned out quite nice. It has a crisp, green apple scent, a lovely mottled green color, and a beautiful shimmery white apple stamped on the front.
I plan to have the new Cucumber Melon soap available tomorrow!
Category: New Product Announcements | 1 Comment »
I’ve been tagged by Sarah at Ladybug Soapworks
These are the rules:
1) Link to the person who tagged you
2) Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading)
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below)
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them (This is only a game)
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up
Random items:
1) I have made 234 batches of soap since November 18, 2002.
2) I was a youth pastor for the first three years out of college, and still thoroughly enjoy being involved in youth ministry as a volunteer ever since.
3) Thursday morning is pancake day at our house.
4) My parents still live on the original homestead of my dad’s great-great-grandfather who came to Kansas from Sweden.
5) Just finished reading “The Shack” by William P. Young. I highly recommend it!
6) Most embarrassing moment: walking to class my freshman year in college, and having a boy point out the pair of dirty underwear falling out of my pantleg.
People I’m tagging:
1) Sarah of Rah Rah’s Ramblings
2) Sharon of Happily Ever Lafter
3) Amy Sue of My Happy Crazy Life
4) Sheryl, aka Transplanted Sheryl
5) Robin of Creations Anew
6) Krystal of Soap Sushi
Category: Just for Fun | 5 Comments »
Here it is! I’m very pleased with the way it turned out, and there are fewer air pockets than I thought! 
