Supplies:
1 lb Bright White soap base
Sweet Treats Colorant Set
Poppy seeds
Delectable Desserts Fragrance Set
Ice Cream Soap Mold
Cutting board, knife, bottle of rubbing alcohol, Pyrex cup
Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more
Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap
Supplies:
1 lb Bright White soap base
Sweet Treats Colorant Set
Poppy seeds
Delectable Desserts Fragrance Set
Ice Cream Soap Mold
Cutting board, knife, bottle of rubbing alcohol, Pyrex cup
Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap
ONE: In your mixing bowl, combine 8 oz of clear soap base, 2 tbsp of natural Castile liquid soap base and your colorant of choice. Mix on high until the mixture has fluffy peaks and it looks like frosting. Ooh and ahh over how great the fluffy peaks look, then mix a little bit more until it looks grainy and less appealing. The picture to the right is a perfect consistency to work with.
TWO: Press the mixture into your play dough spaghetti maker and pull the lever down to make the “spaghetti strings” come out the other side. Let your strings sit in the open air for about 30-45 minutes; they will be easier to work with if they can cool and dry.
THREE: Melt 4 ounces of clear soap base and (if neccessary) cool to about 130°F. In one cavity of your cupcake mold, pour 1/4″ of clear soap and layer in a handful of your spaghetti soap. Fill up the mold about half way and press down the middle with your fingers to make room for the eggs. If necessary, drizzle some soap around the edges to ensure all of the pieces stick together.
FOUR: Pour another thin layer of clear soap in the middle of your nest and place 3 eggs into the soap. Repeat this process for all 6 cavities.
FIVE: Let the soaps cool, pop them out of the mold and smooth the edges with your finger.
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
Filed Under: Bramble Berry News
The winning comment: Oxides, Oxides, Oxides!!!!! I love my oxides. Micas and some ultramarines and labcolors can rock my cold-process soap socks, too. I had the best coloring experience a short while ago when I was able to get a 6 color marbly-swirl going on with my oxides and labcolors. Pickmepickmepickme!!!
Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap
1) Use non-bleeding micas, just a pinch at a time to get a light tinted shimmer that still has clarity. In the Woodgrain Soap above, I used just a hint of cappuccino mica. The engraved design still shows up beautifully and the mica doesn’t bleed (you can find the full tutorial here). In the Daisy Bars on the right, I used a touch of opalescent mica as the background color. It’s still pearly without looking too heavy.
2) Use oxides and pigments with a very light hand. It’s best to start with liquid colorants since it’s easier to add the color one drop at a time, but you can also dilute your powders and add by drops, too. You can see in these Ice Bars that I was able to get a clear blue center that won’t bleed into the white frame. Ultramarines (the blue, purple, and some pink pigments) are very fine powders that keep their clarity very well if used lightly. But remember – one drop at a time!
For a quick reference of which micas and pigments Bramble Berry carries that are non-bleeding, check out Anne-Marie’s recent post here. And for some more great projects using sheer colors, pick up your Soapylove book here! Happy coloring!
Debbie, Soapylove
Filed Under: Cold Process Soap
Hi Everyone! Please welcome Erin from Naiad Soap Arts who generously offered to help me out while Anne-Marie is away. Erin’s soap craftsmanship is mind boggling, not to mention beautiful. She created this amazing tutorial just for Soap Queen, enjoy! ~Amber
Soap recipe for 6 cupcakes:
7.5 oz. Coconut oil 76 degree
7.5 oz. Palm Oil
6.25 oz. Olive Oil Pomace
2.5 oz. Castor Oil
1.25 oz. Shea Butter
7 oz. of distilled water
3.5 oz. of Sodium Hydroxide
1 oz. Cream Cheese Frosting Fragrance Oil
1 oz. Strawberry Fragrance Oil
we will be soaping at 100 degrees
There is a little extra soap incase you want to add more frosting than I did!
If not, have a small plastic container ready for extra soap!
Other supplies:
• Round Cupcake Silicone Mold
• 6 paper cupcake liners
• Flamingo Pink High PH Lab Color
• Iridescent Glitter
• Disposable Cake Decorating bag
• Plastic Star Cake Decorating Tip or stainless steel decorating tip
• Stick Blender
• scale
1) Get everything out and within easy reach. Line the cupcake mold with paper liners, cut the tip of the plastic disposable decorating bag so that the plastic star tip fits in it, weigh out your 1 oz of fragrance oils and set aside ( I like to save empty fragrance oil bottles for this), double check that you have all of your supplies ready.
5) In your 2 cup glass measuring glass weigh out your water, set aside. In your 2 cup glass or plastic measuring cup weigh out sodium hydroxide. VERY IMPORTANT: in a well ventilated area mix the sodium hydroxide into the water (never the other way around). Be sure not to inhale any of the fumes as they are toxic. Stir with your plastic spoon until the solution is clear and all of the sodium hydroxide is dissolved – about 2 minutes. Set aside with your thermometer and wait for the temp to reach 100 degrees. Start with ice water to expedite this part!
6) Once the sodium hydroxide is just above 100 degrees, take the temperature of your oils and make sure they are also at 100 degrees. If it is too hot pop the container in an ice water bath and if it is too cool pop in the microwave for just a few seconds at a time. NOTE: temperatures can be within 5 degrees of each other.Slowly mix the sodium hydroxide solution into the oils while mixing with the same plastic spoon you used to mix the sodium hydroxide solution. Finish off by mixing with your stick blender until you achieve a light trace (looks like thin pudding). This took me about 1 minute.
7) Separate out 18 oz. of soap into your 4 cup glass measuring cup, add 1 oz of Cream Cheese Frosting FO, stir well, pour into your cupcake mold, and tap on the counter to level out soap. Set aside.
8) To the remaining soap add your 1 oz of Strawberry FO, and 40 drops of Flamingo Pink labcolor or until you get a pink that you like. The soap should be getting pretty thick at this point. Stir with your whisk until the soap is very thick and can hold shape.
9) Fill your disposable decorating bag with the strawberry pink soap. Make sure you hold the decorating tip securely in the bottom and keep it in place until the bag is full of soap. Twist the top or secure with a twist tie.
10) Begin piping frosting onto the tops of your cupcakes in a circular motion, building up tapered layers as you go. Repeat with all six cupcake soaps. I used a small star tip to get a tight ridge on the frosting but a larger tip will make for the big fluffy frosting look you have probably seen!
12) Place a box over the top of the mold, tall enough for clearance for the soap frosting. Cover with a blanket and let sit undisturbed for 24 hours. After 24 hours your cupcakes should be very firm and easily removed from the mold. You can peel the paper at this point or keep it on. Let them cure for 4 weeks in a cool, dry place!
Filed Under: Home Crafts
-Debbie, Soapylove
Filed Under: Cold Process Soap
This advanced cold process recipe is for the patient soapmakers our there. But I promise your patience will be rewarded with a beautiful and detailed bar of handmade soap. This recipe is divided into 3 stages and is actually a combination of 3 separate recipes. So take a deep breath, grab your ingredients and let’s make some Valentine’s Day Soap!
The entire recipe fits two 2 lb. molds or one 4lb mold. You may have some extra soap left over too so have another little mold on hand (check out some of our heart molds).
Baby Rose fragrance oil tends to accelerate trace, so this recipe is specifically formulated to reach trace slowly. For this reason it’s important to prepare layers one and two in separate batches rather than making one big batch and splitting it (which is what you’ve see me do in the past).
Safety First! If you’ve never made cold process we highly recommend reading this blog post and watching this DVD or reading this book. Please do not make Cold Process Soap for the first time with just this blog post.
STEP ONE:Make the recipe for the cut-out hearts by combining and heating your oils, mixing in your lye water followed by the Burgundy Oxide. After reaching trace, pour 1/4″-1/2″ of soap into the Flexible Brownie Tray. Let sit for 24-48 hours or until the soap is firm enough to remove from the mold. Use a cookie cutter or craft knife to cut 9-10 heart shapes and smooth the edges with your finger if needed.Set hearts aside.
STEP TWO:Line your wooden mold(s) and have an extra mold or storage container on hand. We used freezer paper with the shiny side up (towards the soap) so it peels off easily. Learn to line your mold here.
STEP THREE: To start the second recipe, sprinkle the lye over the water in a heat safe container. Stir well taking care not to inhale any fumes. Set aside and allow to cool until the water is clear with no bits of lye in the bottom.
STEP FOUR:Measure out 2 ounces of olive oil in a head safe container. Measure out 1.8 ounces of Baby Rose Fragrance Oil.Set aside but keep with in arms reach. We’re going to add these both at the very end.
STEP FIVE: In a microwave safe container that will hold at least 2 pounds, melt the Coconut Oil and Palm Oil (making sure to mix the palm oil well). Add the remaining 16 oz. Olive Oil and mix well.
STEP SIX: Mix the Pink Oxide with a tiny bit of Olive Oil to work out any clumps and set aside. Keep your diluted Fuchsia LabColor close at hand too.
STEP SEVEN: (Are your goggles and gloves on? Keep ’em on!) Slowly add the lye water to the oil mixture. Gently mix using a stick blender in short bursts. Add the Pink Oxide mixture and Fuscia Labcolor and blend until fully incorporated. What you see for color is what you will get so if the color is not dark enough, add more Fuscia Labcolor until it is your idea of a perfect pink color.
STEP EIGHT: Heat up the 2 oz. of Olive Oil for 45 seconds in the microwave. Add your fragrance oil to this warmed up olive oil. Add the fragrance and oil mixture and stir with a spoon. Then gently use your stick blender to give it one or two bursts. Baby Rose accelerates trace even with the extra gentle addition method and careful stick blending so be prepared to pour quickly.
STEP NINE: Once trace is reached (which will happens fast), spoon the soap into the mold filling it only half way and tamping it down on the table to get rid of any air bubbles.
STEP TEN: For the third recipe, repeat steps 3-9 using the Super Pearly White Mica as your colorant.
STEP ELEVEN: Place the heart cut-outs at even intervals through out the soap, leaving the tips of the hearts peeking out of the top. The spacing depends on how wide you want your soap slices to be.
STEP TWELVE: Insulate and allow to set-up for a few days before cutting.
Cutting the Soap: Remove the soap log(s) from the mold. Using a sharp non-serrated knife slice the soap so there is one heart on the front of each slice. You may need to trim the bars a little to clean up the hearts.
Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap
Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap
What is a bleeding colorant? Bleeding colorants are usually dyes or FD&C colors that tend to migrate into other layers of your soap over time (see picture below). Sometimes it can look super cool if you’re trying to blend your colors (a la tie dyed soap), but usually it just looks a little sloppy.For sharp, clean lines, pick from the list below!
Want to learn how to make the soap above? Check out Soap Queen TV for a step by step tutorial!
Micas…
Antique Blue
Copper Sparkle
Light Gold
Merlot
Opalescent Green
Opalescent Turquoise
Patina Sheen
Red Blue
Rose Pearl
Sparkle Violet
Vintage Grey
Luster Black
Aqua Pearl
Blue Green Mica
Cappuccino
Mauvey Gem
Silver Mica
Sparkle Violet
Super Pearly White Mica
Liquid…
Black
Blue
Brown
Non-Bleeding Red
Liquid Red (brick red)
Non-Bleeding Violet
Deep Purple
Pink
White
Yellow
Green
Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap
Supplies:
1 lb Naturally Clear Soap Base
Sweet Treats Colorant Set
Delectable Desserts Fragrance Set
Soap Injector Tool
Checkered Heart Mold
Pyrex cup, 4 small mugs or cups
Spray bottle with rubbing alcohol, knife, cutting board
Directions:
1. Fill one cup half full with hot water.
2. Now melt 1 oz of soap base in a cup (15 seconds in the microwave). Stir in a few drops of Pink Frosting colorant, then a drop or 2 of White Icing colorant. Draw up some soap in your injector tool and very gently fill the checker indentations.
TIP: If you spray the mold with alcohol before you start filling the squares, the soap will flow into the corners much easier.
3. When done, squeeze excess soap back into mug, then draw up hot water to clean.
4. Repeat for other colors, using Buttercream Yellow and White Icing colors. Any pattern looks great – you can’t mess up!
5. Allow to harden. If you dripped onto any squares accidentally, use a toothpick or skewer to pick soap off. If the edges seem harsh, use your finger to smooth the soap lines back down.
6. Now melt 12 oz of clear soap base. Color with several drops of Buttercream Yellow. You don’t want to start with Bakery Beige because sugar cookies are a soft color. Add one drop of Bakery Beige to get a more tan tone. It’s better to be light in this case. Now add 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Frosting fragrance oil and stir well.
7. Let the soap cool to 120 degrees. Then spray your checkered soap with alcohol and pour in beige soap. Only fill half way so they’re more like real cookies. Allow soaps to harden overnight and pop out.
Put these in pretty treat bags and tie with ribbon. Your friends will LOVE this no-calorie surprise!
-Debbie, Soapylove
Filed Under: Home Crafts
Have you heard about our 2009 Christmas Kits? They’re this years simple solution for making coordinated gift ensembles! Choose from two different fragrance combinations (sweet or spice) to make candles, lotions and salt scrubs for your friends, family and co-workers. If you missed the blog yesterday, I posted a salt scrub recipe that you can make with this kit! Check it out.
Variation: If you want your candles to be a color other than ivory white, check out all of the candle colorants here. Get one of those colors plus the kit and you’ve got yourself a variation. Or, pick up an ounce of a great blender to give yourself even more options for the perfect stocking stuffer. What blends with Clementine Cupcake or Chipotle Caramel? Dark Rich Chocolate, Turkish Mocha, Arabian Spice, Blackberry Spice, Christmas Spice, Orange Spice, Orange Mocha or Pumpkin Spice are all great blenders! And Mandarin Myrrh & Wassail can both easily blend with Berry Wine, Chocolate Espresso, Dark Rich Chocolate, Rise ‘n’ Shine, Amber, Black Tea or Black Amber & Lavender.
Tip: If you’re having problems with leaning wicks, dip the base of the wick in the melted wax and center on the bottom of the tin. Then place 2 pencils horizontally on the tin, on each side of the wick. This will give the wick a little support as you pour the wax and the candle cools. For more helpful candle making tips, check out Soap Queen TV’s episode on Holiday Travel Candles.
Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap
If you love bright colors and plastic jewelry (or did when you were a kid, like me!), then this soap project is for you!A sweet little heart is floating inside the new Soapylove stacked star.It’s simple and fun, and I bet Martha Quinn* would love them!
Makes 4 stars, instructions are for the yellow style.
Supplies:
1 lb Naturally Clearsoap base
Non-bleeding liquid red colorant
Sunshine Yellow from the Jewelry Box Colorant Set
Cherry Pop fragrance oil from the Candy Jar Fragrance Set
Small heart polymer or fondant cutter
Small plastic storage container or lid, approximately 6″x6″ or smaller
Knife, cutting board, bottle of rubbing alcohol, Pyrex measuring cup
Instructions:
Melt 3 oz of clear soap, color darkly with liquid red colorant. Pour into plastic storage container (or into the lid, like I did), to 1/8″-1/4″ thickness. Allow to harden and unmold.
Cut red soap sheet with heart cutter.
TIP: to prevent your cutter from splitting at the seam, wrap the seam in tape before using.
Melt 12 oz of clear soap and stir in a few drops of Sunshine Yellow colorant and Cherry Pop fragrance oil. Fill mold to second star, spray with alcohol to pop any bubbles, and allow to harden.
Remelt remaining soap if a skin has formed but make sure it’s not above 120 degrees (or too hot to touch with your bare fingertip). Spray hardened yellow soap with alcohol, then pour a thin layer of soap into the mold.
Quickly spray a red heart with alcohol and put into the hot soap. Spray again with alcohol and top off mold. Repeat for remaining cavities.
Allow to harden overnight at room temperature. Pull away sides of mold to create an air pocket, then invert and push on back until soap pops out.
For pink and purple variation, I used Sparkle Dust from the Jewelry Box Colorant Setand non-bleeding purple colorant for the hearts and stars, then Fiery Fuchsia colorant with Pink Strawberry Fragrance Oil for the soap bar. You can create another layer of soap plus an embed to add more dimension to your design, too!
*Do you remember Martha Quinn? She was a “VJ” on MTV. The good ol’ days! 😉
Have fun!
-Debbie, Soapylove
Filed Under: Home Crafts
Grab some hot cocoa, get comfortable and prepare yourself for some candle making fun! In the final episode of my Holiday Series I show you how to make cute little travel candles perfect for the gift giving season.
When filming this episode I tried to include as much helpful information as possible, which resulted in a nearly 13 minute long video (hence the get comfy recommendation). I demonstrate how to use our liquid candle dyes and wax dye blocks as well as show many common candle problems and how to fix them. Although I mention it in the video, I really want to emphasize how important it is to use heat safe containers both for your mixing container and for the final candle container. I love keeping a few of these travel candles on hand for last minute hostess gifts or ‘just because’ gifts to give through out the Holidays.
Download the free PDF label template here to print out and make labels just like the ones in the video.
Soap Queen TV Special Edition: Holiday Travel Candles from Soap Queen on Vimeo.
To make 4 candles you will need:
16 oz Soy Container Wax (C-3)
1 oz Cinnamon Stick Candle Fragrance
Few drops Hunter Green Liquid Candle Dye
or a few shavings of Red Wax Dye Block
4 Candle Tins
4 WU-250 wicks
8 Pencils
Double Boiler
Heat Safe Container