Thursday, August 27, 2009

My Soap Is Looking At Me!


For all of those who really liked the soap eyeballs I posted a couple of weeks ago, I have good news! The mold is now available at Bramble Berry! That is very lucky for you since I found mine in an obscure Japanese market.

I think that the Soap Queen will be posting a tutorial for how to use them, but here are a couple of ways I have used these molds - layered for the soap eyeballs, and solid for fun loaf embeds.

Head on over and grab one - you'll need it for 2 of the projects in my new book, which is now shipping from Amazon!! Yippee!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Need Your Input About Soap Melters!

Original photo from Pop38/ on Flickr.

I'm working on a little side project and need to source several soap melters. The problem is that I have never used one and there are so many options on the market! The prices vary so much and so do the features. Here are the criteria for the melters I need (which are probably what every soap maker wants):

Appropriate for melt and pour soap (uncolored and unscented).
Safe and reliable.
Holds an even temperature.
At least 10 gallon capacity (I think, although I'm open to other sizes)

Since I'm still new to this type of thing I'm sure there are other features that are important but I have no idea! Please comment here and educate me. Have you ever used one? What company was it from? What did you like or dislike about it? How much did it cost? What other things should I know?

Thanks so much!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Soapylove Feature on Indie Business Radio Coming Up!

August 31 is next Monday, and I'll be on Indie Business Radio with Donna Maria Coles Johnson! To see a little about her past guest and also what we'll be chatting about on Monday, check out this video Donna Maria just posted:






This short video shares an overview of this week's show and announced next week's guest, Indie Beauty's own Debbie Chialtas of Soapylove!

For full details on the link, time, etc, please click here. I hope you tune in! Thanks!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Going Coconuts!

I am such a sucker for contests. Especially soap contests! Last week, Joanna at The Soap Bar blog posted a contest to see who has the best coconut scented soap. So here is my entry! Too bad you can't smell it. It's yummy! I even got my pregnant friend to give me the thumb's up.

There's still lots of time to send in your entry, though (click here for details) - so get cracking! I can't wait to see who Joanna picks!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Pretzel Day!


Just this past weekend, my family moved to a house in the same nieghborhood my husband and I grew up in - Tierrasanta. We bought our last place before I got pregnant over 4 years ago, and 2 kids later we were still living in our 2-bedroom-with-no-yard-at-all-condo in an eclectic but very un-kid-friendly area. So we are all breathing a huge sigh of relief as we enjoy a real house with a room for each kid and a real yard. It's exciting!

Another HUGE perk of living in Tierrasanta is that I'm now just a few blocks away from my sister, Cheryl. She is always doing something fun! Like yesterday morning her daughter called me and asked if we all wanted to come over and bake pretzels. Um.... YES, we would!

When we got there I was so happy to see my mom was there, too. Cheryl had the dough made already and put it on the table, ready to be cut into pieces and rolled into ropes. Even my youngest loved that and got right into the action. We twisted, knotted, rolled, and made lots of gorgeous pretzels.

Then, like bagels, the dough has to be boiled. It was neat because you have to add 1/2 cup of baking soda to the water, which bubbled way up! After they were all boiled the pretzels were put in the oven and salted.

After they cooled we all started munching. Delicious!Thank you Cheryl, for a really fun and yummy afternoon, and for all of these fabulous photos!!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Fall Issue of Let's Get Soapy Now Available - be an Early Bird!

The new issue of Let's Get Soapy is now available and it's full of new Halloween projects! Learn how to make Day of the Dead Skull soaps, Glowing Nuclear Soaps, and Candy Stick Soaps. Also read about how real sugar skulls are made, using soap paints, compare different brands of glow powder, and get inspired by an awesome sugar skull mood board!
Every issue is packed with clear photos, tips, and a full supply directory. You'll have plenty of time to make these soaps and be ready for the first Harvest Festivals! (Did you know that it's completely okay - and encouraged - for you to make and sell the finished projects? Yes!)
As usual, I'm offering a special discount for early birds. Get your copy by Friday, August 21, and you'll get $3.00 off the regular price. Don't miss it!
Click here for even more photos of what's inside this 21 page issue and the shopping cart. You'll get a link via email to download the PDF right to your computer. Then you can read it on your screen or print out the pages you like! It's instant gratification!
Thanks so much and enjoy!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Another Great Day at The Nova Studio!

This weekend I taught Artistic Melt and Pour Techniques at The Nova Studio in Point Richmond, CA. This is my third time teaching there (5th class!) and I LOVE it so much! First of all, Lori is awesome and it's such a treat to hang out with her, and secondly, the classes are always so much fun because the students are the best! There's no better situation for a teacher than having a class full of enthusiastic and eager participants.

One of the students, Rick Washburn, was taking pictures and shared some with me for this blog. All pictures in this post are compliments of Rick (thank you!!).

Even though many of the students didn't consider themselves "artists" when they arrived, I think everyone was impressed with what they made. First, we used transfer sheets to add printed designs to our soaps. Learning about soap temperature was definitely the take home message for this project.

Next we created paintings within our soap bars. I taught how to make a "Y Tree" (see video tutorial here), and even those who had never tried it before had beautiful forests before they knew it. We used soap paints from PJ Soaps (scroll to bottom of her page to see awesome paint kits) and also mixed paints from scratch.

After lunch (this is a 6 hour class after all!), we made hand-engraved monogram soaps. Each student received a great tool for engraving with their supply fee. Although I provided some printed letters to use, one student created an awesome freehand "anarchy" soap, which was my favorite!! I think everyone was really impressed by how their engraved design really stood out when the final soaps were unmolded.

Last, we made some pretty hand-cut tile soaps. Everyone made at least 8 bars of soap, and had time to wrap them nicely, too. I was able to share lots of my stories and answer everyone's questions. Having 6 hours was just like the studio classes I had in college where you get plenty of time to work on projects and not feel rushed. I think everyone enjoyed the pace and learned a lot.

On the car ride to the BART station that evening, Lori and I discussed the next class, which will be another 6 hour workshop on December 12. It will be a Winter Holiday theme where we're going to make a heap of soapy gifts! There will be 4 all new projects and each student will leave with at least 12 soaps, wrapped and ready to give! Lori has not set up the class listing yet, but if you email her she can put you on a waiting list. Don't miss out! I hope to see you there! :)

Monday, August 10, 2009

Mark Your Calendars and Tune In!

Donna Maria Coles Johnson, founder and CEO of the Indie Beauty Network and Indie Business Media, has invited me to be a guest on Indie Business Radio on August 31, from 1:00 - 1:50 ET. The show is called "Craft Your Way Up" and we will discuss how Soapylove came to be, how I juggle so many projects in addition to being a mom of 2 little kiddos, and chat about my new book!

Donna Maria has been one of my mentors since I started to get really active online with my business. She is a wealth of knowledge, support, and one of my best cheerleaders! I was lucky enough to meet her personally at the HSMG Conference this year in Palm Springs (in picture above).

Indie Business Radio
"Craft Your Way Up"
Monday, August 31
1:00 - 1:50PM Eastern Time
(10:00 for me in California!)
http://indiebusinessradio.com

Indie Business Radio has an amazing line up of guests this month. Check them all out here. You can even listen to recorded shows here. I hope you'll tune in!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Hard at Work - For You! :)

Were you wondering why I can't just post that eyeball soap tutorial (and tell you where I got that mold?!)? Because I'm working very hard on the August issue of Let's Get Soapy. The eZine - my labor of love - needs to be packed with tutorials, tips, tricks, techniques, and great pictures so it will give you what you have come to expect! And I promise I won't let you down.

For example, here is one of the projects you'll find - Candy Stick Soaps! The crazy stripes are so fun to make and you can really get creative with color combinations. I went with a Candy Corn theme for Halloween (which this issue is dedicated to!).

You will find soap painting, neon colors, glowing colors, embedding tricks, and more! I am planning on having it up and ready next week. Make sure to sign up with the Soapyclub so you'll get the heads up when it's available (and I always offer an early bird discount!).

Thanks for your patience!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Just a Little Quickie


I'm still crazy busy with all kinds of things right now but wanted to leave you with a soap picture of the day. In the Teach Soap Forum, someone wanted to know how to make soap eye balls. Anne-Marie tweeted about it and I got an idea on what to do. So I whipped up some eyes yesterday.

I will be posting a tutorial eventually, too. I hope you like them!

Ta ta for now!