Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Working Hard!

I'm working really hard making lots of soaps right now. I need to make every style that will be in The Book (24 different designs) by August 23 so they can be photographed in Ohio. I probably won't be posting very often but I'll try to sneak in a picture now and then so you can see what I'm working on!

This one is the Checkered Star and is scented with Bubble Gum fragrance. It's funny that I can't resist using fragrance even when they're just for photos!

I also made Jelly Donut soaps and some Polka Dot bars which I haven't cut up into shapes yet.

I need to make 7 styles per week in order to get them all done. With the help of my mom, sister, and husband to watch the kids now and then, I should be able to do it. Stay tuned - I'll let you know how it goes! :)

Thursday, July 24, 2008

The Ice Cream Man is Here! Special Deal for Early Birds!

Yay! My new custom Ice Cream Truck Soap Dishes are here and ready for the world (or universe as Princess Leia would say)! Each one is handmade of sturdy ceramic and the bright logos are glazed on. The raised details will keep your soapsicle (or any soap!) dry between uses and the handy notch at the back allows the soapsicle stick to pass through as it gets low.

Awesome features aside, these are the cutest soap dishes around. If you get one through my blog (see "buy now" button on the left), I'll throw in a free surprise soapsicle! They are $15.00 each plus $4.75 for Priority Mail shipping. If you are outside of the US or want more than one, please email me at debbie@soapylove.com. I'm happy to combine shipping or mail directly to a friend!

These make awesome gifts for friends or yourself. Celebrate the fun of summer all year long!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The First Soap Lab Soap Now Available

Writer's Block Soaps now available on The Soap Lab Blog. Check it out!

Getting Ready to Get Intense!

On Thursday I'm flying up to Washington to be a teacher for Brambleberry's Soapmaking Intensive! I'm really excited!

Me, my husband, and kiddos, will be flying up on Thursday to Seattle and driving up to Bellingham. We'll be staying with Anne-Marie and her hubby in a lakeside cabin. She told me today that she saw Bald Eagles there! Wow!

We'll hang out on Friday, then on Saturday the soapmaking fun will begin! I get to be a student on Saturday learning about PJ's great soap techniques and lotion making, then I'll be teaching 2 projects on Sunday afternoon.

I'll take pics and post all about it next week. I'm sure I'll have lots to talk about!!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

A Craft A Day!


Have you seen the Martha Stewart "Craft a Day" site? Every day you get instructions on how to make a cool project. The one in the picture above shows how to embroider with raffia. I love the retro summery design!

You can also read comments people leave about the craft. About this bag, one reader said she had trouble with her raffia breaking. My hunch is the synthetic stuff would be more durable than natural raffia, and it comes in lots of cool colors.

Anyhoo - check it out and see all the neat stuff!

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Soapylove Technique Reference Guide


I get emails now and then asking about how I make my soaps or where I get my supplies, and I thought it would be helpful to make a list of my tips and tutorials. Hopefully this will help a lot of you because my kids barely let me answer any emails! :)

So here we go:

Regarding "how I make my soaps", check out the left hand column for a list of labels and click on "technique" to pull up all posts where I've discussed soap making.

Also, here's a list of my tutorials available online:

Peace Soapsicle on Teach Soap (More of a summary, but helpful if you know how to color and layer soap)

These are from my appearance on DIY's Craft Lab:
Vertically striped Rainbow Sherbert Soapsicle
Martini Mix Soap Dice
Star Bar

And these tutorials are available on Crafted Online:
1. Polka Party Cupcake Soaps
2. Soap Favors (Sparkly Snowflakes and Marbled Hearts)
3. Star Bright Mini Soaps (shown in photo above)
4. Cameo Soap Bars
5. UFO Martian Man Soaps

You can also find lots of other great instructions, tips, and projects on Teach Soap and Martha Stewart.

As for the question, "where do you get your supplies," I honestly get them from LOTS of places, but I recommend these online shops:
Brambleberry - amazing selection of colorants, molds, and soap base, and a great list of all their non-bleeding colorants (a must for all multi colored projects!).
Oregon Trail - great selection of colorants (lots of non-bleeding bright colors).
From Nature With Love - A huge selection of everything b&b!

And finally, the #1 question I get asked via email:
"Where do you get your soapsicle* molds?"

If I told you, I would have to kill you (but honestly, they're not hard to find. I'm sure you'll come across them anyway!).

Happy Soaping!!

Too Early for Punkins? I think not!


I count the minutes until pumpkin season every year, but right now I'm talking about Punkin - A Punkin Card Company. Amie, the designer behind this beautiful stationery company, is a recent defector of the full time employment world and has taken the leap into full time artist. Big congrats!

I checked out her shop and she has this really wonderful stationery set (see photo). It has 24 cards in assorted designs and they're all so pretty. It's great to have a stack of cards handy for unexpected birthdays and events, and each of these would be wonderful to receive.

So help an artist and help yourself! It's always Punkin season! :)

Sweets Buttons


Kittyzilla makes these very sweet and adorable felt buttons. She was so nice - she sent me two just because I left her a comment on her flickr photo! Thank you so much, Jennifer!!

To see more, go to Kittyzilla's flickr set . She's working on a new site - I can't wait to see it!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

The Water Cooler for Crafters: Craft Gossip!

About a year and a half ago, I had the very good fortune of meeting Jennifer Perkins. She was the host of The Craft Lab on DIY and I was a guest one day. She made me feel really comfortable and we shared a lot of laughs during the whole taping.

Jennifer is the renaissance woman of crafting and business, too! Her own company is The Naughty Secretary Club and she has written several books about crafting and jewelry design. She even put in a good word for me with her publisher which led to the contract I now have for a glycerin soapmaking book!

Anyhoo... she is now also the Editor on The Craft Gossip Blog Network for "Craft Artist Life," (her resume must be 10 pages long!) which is a site where you will find interviews with tons of different crafters and business owners, dishing about their latest and greatest. I was very flattered to be included last week (read all about it!).

Definitely check it out - I love to read about how different folks do it (business, that is!) and what makes them tick. There's so much to learn!

The Sweetest Soaps I've Ever Seen

Daily Ditties readers know about Erin, my great helper and one-woman-show behind Naiad Soap Arts. This weekend when she came over, she treated me to her newest soapy creation - French Macaron Soaps!

Erin and I have discussed how to create a soap version of these beautiful European cookies which are somehow impossible to find in San Diego. There is a flickr group dedicated entirely to them. Macarons come in many varieties and it takes lots of love and practice to master the techniques needed to make them (so I've read!). On Friday, inspiration and the perfect method struck Erin and she made them at 1 in the morning!

You can get your very own soap Macarons in Erin's shop. She offers a boxed version if you get 2 or a beautifully wrapped paper soap if you get one. Wouldn't they make gorgeous wedding or bridal shower favors!? So elegant!

If the listing has been sold, you can convo her to relist them. They are generously sized and smell amazing! Perfect for a guest bathroom! Can you tell I'm smitten?!