Bleeding soap colors - what to do?

So pretty, but why won't those colors last?

Do you love those bright, clear colors in glycerin soap? I sure do, but they have their limits! A Soapyfan just learned about one of them and wrote to me:

I was wondering if you might help with suggestions to keep layers from bleeding. I tried the layered pops but after a few weeks it looked horrible. I would love to get those beautiful clear layers without it turning out to be an awful mess.

Sadly, I know exactly what she means. When I made this rainbow soap, I had just ordered an assortment of Labcolors and wanted to use every shade in every soap I made! The colors were so gorgeous and the clear colors were beyond lovely. I even took a picture right away (the one above), posted it on Etsy, and sold a whole bunch right away. I was so excited!

But lo and behold, a couple of days later, I noticed my crisp layers were getting blurry. The colors were bleeding together! So here’s what I told her:

“Yes, the clear layers are beautiful but fleeting! I learned that the hard way, too, AFTER I had shipped a bunch out! Oops!! 

The trick to making the colors stick is using non-bleeding colors. There are two types of colorants - dyes and pigments. Dyes bleed (even some micas are dyed and the colors will bleed) or pigments which are colored powders that don't bleed. If you go to Soapqueen.com and search "non-bleeding colors" you will find several articles about them. Brambleberry is great about indicating on their colorant listings whether the color bleeds or not. https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/bramble-berrys-non-bleeding-colors/

I was determined to get clear colors even with nonbleeding colorants (which are typically opaque colors) so I tested many methods and wrote an article about how to do it here: https://thenovastudio.com/product/soapylove-ezine-issue-9/

One more thing - dyes fade in the sun! So if you put out soaps using dyes at a craft fair (even in the shade!) they will fade right before your eyes!

I hope that helps!
Happy soap crafting!”

I hope that is helpful to you, too. I love helping soap crafters so email me at dchialtas@gmail.com or message me anytime! Thanks and have a great week!

-Debbie

Find the Soapylove book only via Amazon!

The Making of a Checkered Soapsicle

Today in the Teach Soap Forum, mattielou sent me an email asking how I made the Checkered Soapsicles she saw in my Flickr account. In case you're curious, here's what I told her:

Hi Lynne-
Regarding the checkered soapsicles, I didn't put that project in my book because it's pretty hard. But if you want to give it a shot, here's what you do:

Make a batch of white soap and black soap. Make the black soap really dark because if it's not dark enough it looks grey instead.

Now measure carefully 2 tablespoons of white soap and pour it into a mold, being super careful that none of it touches the sides of the mold. Let it set, then alternate stripes of black and white. Measuring accurately is critical!

Here's the thing: you're going to make 2 molds that start with white, and 2 molds that start with black. Hopefully you've made soapsicles before so you know how to insert the stick and unmold them.

Once they're unmolded, you have to do some soap magic. Cut each soapsicle lengthwise into thirds. Now take 2 sections that are the opposite pattern of 1 center section. Melt some clear soap base. Spray each cut end with alcohol, paint on some clear soap, and glue on the side sections.

Voila! Checkered soapsicles!

The things that are really tough about these are:
1) not getting any drips on the sides of your mold
2) making sure every layer is the exact same thickness or else your checkers won't match up
3) making sure you cut each soapsicle at the exact same place or else they won't look right when they're glued together

Plus they're really just decorative. So I'm not sure if you want to go through all of the hard work, but in case you do, that's how it's done!

Have fun, and let me know if you decide to make them! (I'm sure other color combos would be awesome and not as obvious if there were drips, such as white and pink or white and lime green. Just make sure all dyes are non-bleeding!)

Phew!
Have a great day,
Debbie

For lots of fun Soapylove tutorials (with pictures!), check out the Let's Get Soapy eZine, or reserve a copy of Soapylove on Amazon now!

Thank You, Now What Baby!

Thanks so much to Melissa at Now What Baby for her very nice review of our Confetti Cupcake Soapsicle! My son agrees - the stick is great for kids learning how to wash their own hands. I personally love the light scrubiness of the jojoba bead "confetti", too. That stubborn kid-dirt needs a little extra help sometimes!

If you'd like to win a Soapylove Soapsicles of your choice, head over to Now What Baby and comment on the review. A winner will be chosen late this month!

Soapylove Soapsicles Dressed to the 9's

I love Flickr. I created my account when I first started making soap and almost every soap I've ever made has a picture there. But another thing I love about it is keeping up with my contacts. The other day I saw a new picture from Red 7 Packaging. They posted a photo of New Year's gifts they made for their clients. I left a comment saying how lucky their clients are!

Little did I know that my Candy Cane Soapsicles were inside! Red 7 found me on Flickr and placed a bulk order but I had no idea that they would be getting the red carpet treatment. Cory and Angela Van De Griend, owners and designers for Red 7, gave me permission to blog (brag!) about their awesome gifts. Thank you!

Happy Birthday to Soapylove!

Yay! Soapylove is turning 3 this month! Woo hoo!

Let me take a moment and reflect...

What began as a desire to be thrifty and creative during my pregnancy turned into a rediscovery of my creativity and ambition. The excitement of a sale and getting some attention for doing something fun has evolved into a business that allows me to be an "indie" and a WAHM! (I know, that was really brief, but speeches aren't my strong point).

Soapylove has been such a life changing experience for me. I'm thrilled that it's still growing and that there are so many more exciting things coming up this year.

Of course, Soapylove would not exist if it wasn't for you. So, to celebrate, I'm having a major promotion!

Hit up the Soapylove Pop Shop and get 30% off! Just enter BIRTHDAY in the cart voucher box during checkout.

AND

Get 1/3 off of the Let's Get Soapy eZine! Go straight to the "Drop" site to get $5 off! (If you'd like to know more about Let's Get Soapy first, just click here).

The party is happening all week until Friday night, so jump on these promotions before they're just confetti on the floor!

Thanks again, everyone! It's been a great 3 years and I hope to be here in 3 more years, too! :)

XOXO!
Debbie

I Found My Thrills on Garnet Hill!

I'm so excited to see my Soapylove Soapsicles on the Garnet Hill website! They are carrying Orange You Cute and Neapolitan Soapsicles. I have always loved their catalogs and they carry some brands I really admire (UglyDoll for example), so I'm sure flattered to be in there, too! Check out the full listing here or go to the Garnet Hill website and search for "soap."

Just wanted to share! :)

Shop - Learn - Create - at Soapylove!

Woo hoo! Soapyfans can now do much more at Soapylove. When you get to the Soapylove site, you'll be greeted with 3 new choices. It's like "Choose Your Own Adventure" for soapers!

Shop!

The Soapsicle Shop has been restocked with newness! Get ready for the holidays with the new Winter Wonderland, the ever-popular Candy Cane, and customize your own great gift set with an Ice Cream Truck Soap Dish and your choice of Soapsicle! Plus don't miss the brand new Peachy Keen with floating polka dots and a fresh peach fragrance.

Learn!

Check out the latest holiday tutorials all in one place - the new Learn page at Soapylove! Each is only $6.00 and will be delivered right to your email box pronto, so you can get soaping!

Create!

There's nothing better than learning how to make soap in person. Check out my latest schedule of classes including the double feature at The Nova Studio!

I'll still be making a few minor improvements to the site over the next week, but it's ready for your shopping enjoyment so definitely head on over! See you there!

The World is Feeling the Love!

I was just checking my site hits on Statcounter and noticed an unusually high number of hits for a Sunday. So I checked to see if there was a new site that was linking to mine, but there isn't. I guess people are doing searches for Soapylove and finding me. Then I checked the fun map feature on Statcounter and saw how widespread the hits are.

This is another reason why I really love selling on the internet. Before the web, how would I (or any small business) get the word out all over the world? It would have been much harder!

Jim (my husband) and I were discussing how interesting the appeal of Soapylove Soapsicles is. I had no idea that popsicles had much resonance with people outside of the US. But apparently they make people smile in countries from Brazil, to the UK, to the Kingdom of Bahrain. That's just so awesome! Cheers to that!

Hello Soapy Fans in the Middle East!

Soapylove must have appeared in a publication in the Middle East, because I have been getting lots of great emails from new Soapy Fans looking for some Soapylove in their area! I still do not offer international shipping from my main site, but there is a boutique in the Kingdom of Bahrain that stocks my soaps called The Pink Diamond.

Farrah is the owner of the boutique. If you are in Bahrain, you can visit her shop at: Shop 18a, Road 1401, Riffa 914. Call her at 973 17 666636, or email her at pinkdiamondboutique@gmail.com. She will be happy to ship soaps to you anywhere in the Middle East.

Thanks so much everyone!

Fun with Soap Paints!

Day of the Dead Soapsicles, originally uploaded by soapylovedeb.

FYI - these are now available in my Etsy shop. Since each is one of a kind, I will list them singly until each color has been taken.

I tried soap painting quite a while ago, but wasn't happy at all with my results. I gave my set away and hadn't thought about it again since.

But last Friday I was so delighted to get a very special package from my friend Paula - the artist behind PJ Soaps. Inside the box, wrapped in the most beautiful iridescent cellophane, was a complete set of her custom formulated soap paints. She even included the Neon Set! Be still, my heart!! There were paint brushes, tools, and instructions, too. I was SO excited!!

I immediately started brainstorming ideas. Graffiti soaps? Tattoo soaps? Aquarium soaps? So hard to choose! After sleeping on it, I woke up knowing what I wanted to do - sugar skulls for Dia de los Muertos, in soapsicle form, of course!

I made the soapsicles first. Neon colors with a sprinkle of soap glitter, scented with "Hello Sweet Thang" fragrance from Bramble Berry, and handcut skull embeds. Yesterday I spent the day at my in-laws' house for a family gathering and brought my soaps to work on. I got these 3 done. The paints are wonderful to work with. The paint brushes are key. Paula's set includes a few widths, but they're all quite tiny, which is best for this type of paint. I added some soap glitter for a little extra "bling" and let them dry.

Now I have to "glaze" them - seal the surface with a clear coat of soap. I'm so nervous! I don't want the paint to smear! But Paula assured me it should be fine. If I chicken out, I can dust them with arrowroot powder and forget it.

I'll have these listed in my Etsy shop soon. There's also a lime green one I need to paint. So make sure to check in and see! :)

Olá, amigos no Brasil!

Provavelmente você me achou por causa de uma recente característica minha sabonetes recebido em uma revista aí. Obrigado por vir! Eu também tenho recebido muitos e-mails de brasileiros muito agradável se perguntando onde pode comprar meus sabonetes desde o meu site principal não oferece navegação internacional.

Você pode comprar o meu sabonetes e tê-los enviado, em qualquer parte do mundo da minha loja Etsy em http://www.soapylove.etsy.com/. Existem muitos estilos disponíveis lá. Se você tiver um pedido especial, por favor email mim em mailto:debbie@soapylove.com. Se você tem uma loja e gostaria de vender meus sabonetes, meu mínimo é de 24 sabonetes, em qualquer combinação de estilos. Ficaria feliz e-mail para você com um completo catálogo de preços por grosso e informações de pagamento.

De agradecer aos meus novos amigos no Brasil, tenho 4 especiais criados Soapsicles Bandeira brasileira! Eles são banana perfumada e têm handcut detalhes. Você pode encontrá-los na minha loja Etsy tão bem! Muito obrigado!


Hello, friends in Brazil!

You have probably found me because of a recent feature my soaps received in a magazine there. Thank you for coming! I have also received many very nice emails from Brazilians wondering where you can buy my soaps since my main site does not offer international shipping.

You can buy my soaps and have them shipped anywhere in the world from my Etsy shop at http://www.soapylove.etsy.com/. There are many styles available there. If you have a special request, please email me at debbie@soapylove.com. If you have a shop and would like to sell my soaps, my minimum is 24 soaps, in any combination of styles. I would be happy to email you a complete catalog with wholesale pricing and payment information.

To thank my new friends in Brazil, I have created 4 special Brazilian Flag Soapsicles! They are banana scented and have handcut details. You can find these in my Etsy shop as well! Thank you so much!