Snickerdoodle Coffee Morning Bar

I had a customer requesting the coffee soaps.  I had made some last year.  Those were done by rebatching some older soaps.  This one is totally organic.  Fresh brewed Snickerdoodle Coffee (which I did drink some) and the grounds from the filter to add some exfoliating to the soap.  A touch of chocolate fragrance to add some more fun to this bar.  I'm in love with this new recipe it's a slow ish traced one so you can work with it when doing colours.  Olive, castor, coconut, I subbed the coffee for Distilled water, lye. And again use soap calc.  I did olive 10 oz, Coconut 10 oz, Castor 7 oz.  The rest you go to soap calc.  If you want to learn you've got to do it yourself.  Right? Right.  I didn't use a stick blender on this one I added the lye and coffee mix to the oils and stirred with a spatula to just thourghly combine.  Poured 1/2 into another bowl added tbsp titanium dioxide to lighten it up.  Stirred till blended.  I use water soluable  TD by the way.  There's a difference it doesn't clump up.  Then got my moulds ready. 

Poured it in looked like mocha! 

I double batched it so I got two of these.  This recipe is so good it set fast over night I didn't unwrap tho for 24 hours.  Came out of the moulds perfectly.  I've been using plastic bags by the way to line my moulds it seems to work well adds some texture to make your soap rustic looking I think.  But freezer paper is always good for that smooth look.  I'm rustic so to each there own.  So these turned out perfect.  I didn't make them tall as I had to split between the two moulds so I cut them into two inch cubes.  A good bulky coffee  bar.  Nice for your morning shower. Thanks for reading and looking and following me.  

Maybe I'll add a rope to these.  Need to borrow hubby's drill.  :)) keep coming back!!! And check out my new website www.shop.com/withlori   Shop online earn cash back on your purchases. No more brick and mortar.  Thank You

Soap Challenge: Embedded Soap

Seeing pin after pin and soap queen and you tube videos of all these beautiful soaps I challenge myself to try and do what I see.   This is a challenge.  I've embedded before but just kind of threw pieces in random.  With out a theme.                 I belong to The Leadung Ladies group in Thunder Bay where our goal is to mentor other entrepreneur women to succeed in business.  A place to support each other  and network.  So one of our top leaders, Kaylan asked me to make bubblegum soap for her girls.  They needed to be perfect.  My idea was to create bubbles to embed inside the soap loaf.  I saved a gift wrapping cardboard tube and constructed a soap mold out of it.  I could buy a round one but why when I can make my own.  Take your tube measure out freezer paper to the same size and roll making sure the shiny part inside (so soap won't stick).  Place that inside the cardboard tube. 

See the freezer paper sticking out of top here in photo above.  Now to secure it.  I took a cardboard box and a plastic take out container (from taco time) hey you gotta eat too right?!  Turned it upside down and hot glued it around the base of the cardboard tube.  The hot glue melted the plastic sauce container and as it melted I pushed that tube in holding it until it stood firm.  I went around that tube a few times to really seal it well.  No soap leaking outta here. Then I really glued the rim to the cardboard box.  I had all my oils and lye ready. My fragrance, my colour.  Neon Pink from Natures Garden. Perfect bubblegum colour! Now to make soap.  I'm loving this new recipe it makes a small batch perfect for this.   Be  prepared for a bit of left overs.  I always keep a milk carton handy.  Those are perfect to use.  

Olive Oil 10.0 oz, Coconut Oil 10.0 oz, Castor Oil 7.0 oz.  Distill water, sodium hydroxide.  Go to soapcalc and get your percentages ok!  That's how you learn.  I love soapcalc it's the only one I use. Mixed together all oils, fragrance, colour to light trace.  Poured it down the tube tapping it down.   Constant tapping it down and pushing it with a spoon handle.  I was glad I had the box at bottom for spillage I ended up with some.  Not much but some.

Here it's full nice pink.  Let it set.  Ok so next day 13 hours later.  I left the tube and I took out the soap from the milk carton of the left overs.  Still soft but that's good because I wanted to roll out small soap balls out if it. I cut into it rolled in my hands to form balls 

                I got lots!! 

Oh.... Chinese take away lol love Manchu Wok cause you gotta eat.  :)) I left these over night to harden up more.  Boy this is a long post.  Day three up at dawn, first coffee brewing, took the tube felt hard unravelled it.  Perfect !!!! 

Here's the bubblegum tube.  The length of my kitchen table!  Wow!!!! I will let this sit for the day and harden up.  Tonight, finish up the soap.  I have the soap ingredients ready.  I don't use temperature thermometers anymore.  I do everything at room temps.  Then it's all the same.  My receipe for the rest of the loaf will be same as above.  It's a good one.  Conditioning, Bubbly, Creamy.  Making soap is a process for sure.  You should be challenging yourself too.  The more you practice and trial and error the more you will grow as a soaper.  

Pretty cool!!! I'm happy.  Come back for the final results.  I'll update this post when I'm done. Thanks for looking and reading.  Update:  finished.  I had to work fast so I mixed my recipe divided into three batches.  Green, lime, yellow soap colourants from Natures Garden.  No stick blending.  Poured lye into oils and gave just a quick stir to slight trace.  Added the bubblegum fragrance.  Couple of stirs.  No more just to blend.  Added the colours to each quick stir to mix and then poured.  Did a couple of passes into mold, banged out any air bubbles layed down the big tube of soap (which I cut by the way) I have the other half.  Sprayed with witch hazel.  Poured again alternating colours,to cover big bubble then layed a row of bubbles on top in the centre.  Poured remaining  soap, actually spooned it on as it was setting up now.  Fluted the top and added another row of soapy gum balls to top.  Like a cherry.  Sprinkled with body safe irredecent sparkle!  Love this stuff!  Love making soap! Check it out:

Happy Soapin !! 

 

 

Blueberry Sparkle CPSoap

I am now ordering from my favorite suppliers in the United States.  Ones I've been drooling over for months.  Now that I have a parcel pick up in Grand Portage 45 mins away, my shipping is cheaper and I can have a fun drive down.  Yesterday picked up order from Wholesale Supplies Plus.  Today I made a blueberry fragrant soap with my new soap supplies.   Like Natures Garden, I'm very pleased.  Love.  This one Red Palm, olive , soybean, crisco, castor, coconut oils.  Shea and cocoa butter. Sodium hydroxide, coconut milk, bentonite clay. Blue lab colour. (I hope it turns blue) the red palm is very orange.  Seperate the batch added blue to 1/2 that turned algae green.  Alternating colours in the mold and finished off adding ground steeped blueberry tea leaves on the top. Just stripe down the middle.  Love the blue flecks in this tea and the scent.  Pushed it into the top just a bit, fluted the top with my wooden skewer spatula, and sprinkled with irradescent body safe glitter.  

How pretty.  Come back to see the reveal thanks for looking 

Natures Garden and Me

                       (2 by 2 inch block.) 

I've been dreaming of making a soap on a rope and if you've been following me I just got a big first time order from Natures Garden soap and candle.  I ordered the Wild Wild West fragrance and love!!! It smells like leather.  This is gonna get that lasso around your cowboy ladies!  I have a new recipe I love which you'll find in my previous post.  A good working recipe and again everything at room temps.  This has the addition however of instead of 7 oz of castor only because I ran out at 3 oz :( I threw in 3oz of orange butter.  That came from New Directions. It set up a bit quicker then the previous batch of cherry bomb but still workable.  With that said I separated the batch in half used brown oxide for colour in the one and added white titanium oxide in the other.  I did the brown first then mixed the white just from the stick blender (I spatulad the excess) some brown turned the white tan.  Perfect!  Poured in a bit of tan on one side of mold, then brown on the other side after two good pours I put in ready tied natural jute rope tied with a good knot like a lasso. Pushed them in to where I thought was good spacing between each other and then spooned remaining soap alternating colours.  I used a small wooden skewer with a spatula end (I save them from kabobs I buy at Walmart) they are a perfect tool 

See the end that's what I use and the pointy end for details swirling etc.  save them!  This was a bit messy and tedious getting around the rope but as I spooned I secured the rope as I went along.  I had dried orange peel and cloves that I ground real fine and sprinkled on the top after I was satisfied with the result and am pretty pleased so far I can't wait now to open it up.  Come back and see and thanks for reading and following me along.  Looks kinda creepy right now but also pretty cool !  Giddy Up Y'all

Natures Touch and Natures Garden

 (2 x2 block) I think I will add a soap rope to these.  

I have been drooling over Natures Garden Soap and Candle for the longest time. I'm in Canada they are US so shipping was out of the world until Grand Portage opened up a parcel pick up.  A 45 minute drive from Thunder Bay.  Finally I can order from my favorites now and save on shipping and take the fun drive across the border I can gamble at the casino there too but I don't as I stay away from the slots.  Long story short.  I ordered a whack of stuff and made my first batches of soap with NaturesGarden   ingredients!  And.....love! First one is Wild Cherry Bomb.  Love the scent.  Easy recipe olive, coconut, castor 10oz, 10oz, 7 oz. Lye and water use Soapcalc ok for the percentages.  This makes the perfect amount for a large milk carton.  Love using them.  Then I just pour in my fragrance. You can add your fragrance anytime.   Roughly 2 oz.  Lab colours ultra violet purple, pink, and just the soap.  Divide batch into three, mix your colours into each and mix.  This recipe gives you time to work.  Don't over mix just to light trace.   Put in squirt bottles and pour. Alternating colours. I did plain, light pink, purple and the squirt bottles give a fine pour.  I had more of left over purple and just spooned it on top and skewered it around to finish the top.  Smells fantastic!  Workable recipe, set up nice.  My trick is to let everything go to room temperature then work no taking temperatures anymore.  

Beautiful colours!  Natures Garden.....I love you ! Thanks for reading.  

Sophronia's Secret

I was commissioned by head of the leading ladies group, who owns a nail and beauty salon, to make a soap she found on Pinterest.  Very similar to to the Egyptian bar I make.  Activated charcoal, bentonite clay, olive, castor, and coconut oil.  Distill water, sodium hydroxide.  A simple recipe but active ingredients.  Sophronia's Secret.  A deep cleansing facial bar.  I had all the supplies.  They will be for sale from her shop only In Thunder Bay or you can get from me.  I wrapped them in birch bark and natural jute twine.  Made a label with Avery labels online, love that site.  Easy.  Beautiful recipe for the soap and wonderfully presented.  

Think they would make nice wedding favours

Ultra Violet Fruity Lishous

Wow!  I had a customer ask me for avocado soap and coconut oil blend something yummy.  Here's my concoction.  With added cocoa butter and shea.  Citrus linen fragrance mixed with left over winter sleigh ride.  Smells very fruity.  Blue lab colour, white titanium dioxide.  Olive oil was infused  with beet root powder.  Split the batch Added the blue lab colour it turned algae green.  Added white titanium dioxide to other half and it turned grey.  Whatever I thought.  We'll see.  It set up overnight.  I used two juice cartons for the mould.  These cartons had the turn cap on the spout which are perfect for closing it up to saponify.  When I revealed them I was happily shocked at the result.  Funnel poured.  Gorgeous Design.   

$6.50 each.  I think my client will be pleased with these !! 

New Venture

My goal is to be independent I am now a member of the biggest marketing group that's so global. Get paid to shop check it out www.shop.com/withlori 

Coffee Filters equals Wreath

This has nothing to do with soap.  I have been loving the coffee filter tutorials on YouTube and thought I'd give one a try.  I purchased pink petal Rit dye and with the perfect size bucket that fits coffee filters (I keep all my buckets if they are a good size), (this bucket held shea butter at one time), mixed it and dunked coffee filters in to colour them up.  I did a handful at a time.  By the end I had no dye left the filters just soaked it up.  The last bits were more pale so I stuck them under the stacks of darker ones and poured the rest of the dye to sink in.  There wasn't much left in the bucket.  This is 500 filters I bought cheap no name ones.  Cost 3.99 for dye and 2.50 pk for filters.  I bought a small cheap straw wreath micheals crafts for 4$ and already have glue sticks so far cost 12$ add tax $15.  This is going to be a Valentines Wreath.  Love to hang wreaths on the door. But never wanted to buy them too expensive. It's fun making your own at half the cost.  Fun! 

Pretty in Pink. Loved that movie. :) 

It's a work in progress.  TIP:  it was taking forever to dry the coffee filters so I put them in the dryer.  On low heat,ten minute intervals, didn't want them getting overdone. I used the Air Fluff setting in the last round in the dryer.  When you open the dryer door don't be shocked like me !  Holy there is a mound of filters staring back at you.  Don't worry stuff them into a garbage bag and don't worry about them being scrunched up and wrinkled because that's going to add texture to your finished wreath.  Have lots of glue sticks, and turn on your tv and start gluing.  Here's a basket load.   See how they are Scrunchy, looking like rose petals already.  

Here's how I fold them 

First in half then half again 

Dab just a dab close the flap and press with thumb. Just at the tip base.  Fold and then dab glue on the back at the tip base .

  Then glue onto wreath.  I'm doing a pattern of three 

And really stick them in.  That way they are tight together.  I have been fluffing them up everytime I'm done for the time being.  Go in pull the filters apart at the folds 

They puff up and start taking shape of petals.  Sooo pretty.  I'm halfway done.  When I complete it I'll come back and show the finished wreath.  For now instead of just pinning, start doing! Ttys

The Grey Bar

Exzema, acne, psoriasis, skin repair.  Same as the Egyptian Nite Bar only the charcoal I have keeps turning grey .  I don't know why sadly because people want the black bar.  So in any case I've just named these different but they do the same thing.  Acne Warrior. I do like the way they look however.  And with my new soap cutter my bars show the inside design so much better.  It was so worth the wait.  From Crafts Sake in Minnesota. It's custom made.  

Love it.  So here are the bars 

They look like a cloudy night. Foggy and grey.  No fragrance, avocado, olive, palm, shea and cocoa butter, castor oil, activated charcoal.  No need for fragrance for skin repair we don't need that if we are trying to make our skin healthy.  Just all natural goodness. Use in your hair too, I do.  Leaves no soapy film left over.  Rub on your hair and scalp lather it up, rinse.  then a dab of conditioner. Just a dab.   I had psoriasis so bad on my scalp and in my ears the hair was popping out of my head.  I could literally hear my hair pop!  It was the worse experience of my life.  I bought tar shampoo which helped but made my hair fall out in clumps.  It was like losing your hair when going thru chemo. My mother had cancer and I remember her hair just coming out in clumps.  Same thing.  That's when I started using my own soap remedies.  No more psoriasis here! Gone.  My hair is now more healthy, shiny, thicker, and longer!  My hair has always been thin.  Not anymore.  It's wonderful.  Throw out the chemicals they are cancer causing.  Use the real deal.  You'll be glad you did.  I have suffered every winter all my life too. Dry skin and exzema flare ups on my hands and bad feet.  I was a mess ! This winter nothing!  I am walking proof that homemade soaps like this skin bar has changed my life.  Get some! I'll even send you one.  They are $6.50 each plus shipping.  Email at lorib240@yahoo.ca. Thanks for reading! 

My signature bar. Love them!