Creative Pop Love by Adrian & Gidi

Paper Art by Adrian & Gidi

I came across this awesome little gif on Pinterest and just had to share!  My love of pops goes well beyond soaps (as you can see on my Pop Love Pinterest board), and this really tickled me!  Hope you enjoy it, too.

Have a great day!
P.S. Go to Adrian & Gidi for more amazing paper art!

For all of Soapylove's eZines and tutorials, check out soapylove.com!

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!

Illustrated Tutorial - Mondrian Soap Pop

Hello!  Today I want to show you how to make a soap pop like I did here, inspired by the artist Mondrian.  This is an advanced but very gratifying project! :)

If you need a pop mold, I use these (click image to view more info):

I hope you like it, and maybe even give it a try!  Feel free to comment with questions. I'm very happy to help!

For more Soapylove melt and pour / glycerin soap projects, check out www.soapylove.com!

New Items and Great SoapySale!

As we speak, my kids are doing their best to undo my house cleaning efforts, so I'll make this quick.  Soapylove is now offering amazing Cupcake Bath Bombs and adorable Super Fizzie Mini Bath Bombs - we even have gift sets!  They all coordinate with our Soapy Pops so you can indulge your favorite fragrance in 3 wonderful ways.  The new packaging features custom designed Soapylove characters, too! 

To make them even sweeter and to help get your holiday shopping under way, I am offering 20% off everything in my Soapylove shop including books and eZines!  Just enter HOLIDAY20 as the coupon code during checkout.  Offer only good on retail orders and through next Friday (12/3).  So don't miss out!

Click here to start shopping!

...and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thank you, Doolittle Mag!

Thank you so much to Doolittle Mag in France for their very sweet blog post featuring my Soapy Pops ("bain gouramand")!  This illustration is just to die for.  I wonder if I can buy a print?  I would love that!!  Check it out at Doolittle Mag.

New Pops and New Kokeshi Dolls!

There is a lot of newness at Soapylove!  New styles are being cranked out faster than I can melt soap!  So here they are...

Rock N Roll Soapy Pop: this awesome swirly style has electric blue marbled into hot pink with a mouth watering Black Cherry fragrance.  Definitely the coolest Pop on the block!

Island Style: Summer is in full swing and what's better than a little tropical treat?  The swirly pinky-orange wave of color in a clear yellow bar looks like a Maui sunset, and the Pineapple scent is just like those awesome Big Sticks of our childhoods! 

And then in my Etsy shop, I have brought back the popular Kokeshi Boxed Soaps.  This time the background colors are a little more subtle to show off the beautiful details of the doll illustrations.  The Peach and White Ginger scents are sweet and sophisticated.

From now until August 29, the new Soapy Pops styles have free shipping, and they're available for wholesale orders, too.  So don't miss out (click here)!  Get your summer ice pop fix every day!  :)

Flavor of the Month: I'll Give You a Hint!

1. It's a Mint Chocolate Chip World, 2. Mint Chocolate Cupcakes, 3. Mini Chocolate Mint cake, 4. Mint Chocolate Brownies, 5. Chocolate mint soap bars packaged, 6. mint chocolate chip, 7. Miniature Mint & Chocolate Cupcakes, 8. ebi, 9. mint chocolate cookie sandwiches, 10. Mint Chocolate, 11. Mint Chocolate Chip Ice cream Cubie, 12. Mint Chocolate Minis

I hope that after looking at all of those gorgeous photos that you're in the mood for Mint Chip, our Flavor of the Month. Having a line of ice cream inspired soaps makes this one a must, and yet it's our newest style!  The minty bar is full of chocolate scented soap chunks, hand cut and mixed into every batch.  It's a perfect follow up to our other classic style, the Neapolitan. 

Definitely give it a try since Soapyfans agree that Soapy Pops are even more adorable in person and the scent will win you over the moment you open your box!  And we're happy to ship them right to your favorite sweetie.

This one is only on sale for the month of February, so head on over to the Soapylove Pop Shop!

Flavor of the Month: Candy Cane!

November is here (I can't believe a whole week has already passed!) and holiday decorations are already starting to show up in stores. The best sales usually happen after Thanksgiving, but at Soapylove we are starting our sale early!

Today we are kicking off our Flavor of the Month promotion. Whether it's inspired by the season, an upcoming holiday, or just a great way to celebrate a new style, you'll find one special Soapy Pop that is marked down all month.

For November we have chosen the classic Candy Cane. It's a perfect stocking stuffer or affordable gift in itself! The sweet yet snappy scent is realistic and refreshing. Regularly $8.00 each, you can now get them for $7.50!

The New Soapylove Website and Winter eZine Have Arrived!

I am beyond excited to announce that my new, super fabulous* website is now live! You can now find everything in Soapyland under one roof, including all Let's Get Soapy eZines!

If you have a minute, please head over and check it out. It looks completely different! New features are:

• Entire collection of Soapy Pops, including the brand new Mint Chip and 2 holiday styles.
• An exclusive area for wholesalers so shop owners can now place orders online anytime.
• A registration option so you can save your payment option and make future orders super quick.
• All eZines can be purchased right on my site instead of at a secondary site.
• Entire area dedicated to soapmakers where you can find Soapylove class schedule, links to Soapylove supplies, and sites where you can buy the book.
• Finally, a whole page dedicated to all the social media where Soapylove appears.

It's all designed to make it easier and more fun for you to find just what you need! And right now I have TWO great specials to celebrate!

1. Get free shipping on all Soapy Pops through November 6. Just enter SOAPYLAUNCH during checkout to get the discount!
2. The new Winter issue of Let's Get Soapy is on Early Bird special for only $12 through this Friday, too. Don't miss it!

I would love to hear what you all think. Please comment here and let me know! Otherwise, I'll see you there! :)

*The super fabulousness is completely due to my sister, Cheryl Jackson, who took the amazing new photos for the site and the super talented website design team at Aeolidia. I could not have asked for a better experience from design concept to site implementation.

Brand New Soapy Pop and More, Coming Soon!

Just like my tarot card reader said it would be, this year has been amazing for Soapylove! So many exciting developments! To celebrate, we've decided to step it up a little bit.

The Soapylove site is getting a huge renovation which will include an improved shopping cart, exclusive wholesale customer area, eZines that you can buy right from my site, new photos, and a very exciting new look!

As part of the unveiling, we will be offering a brand new Soapy Pop - the Mint Chip! It's sweet minty color, hand-cut dark chocolate soapy chunks, and mouth watering scent will bring you back to your childhood. We know you'll love it!

The new site, and the Mint Chip, will be ready around early November so keep Soapylove in mind for your holiday gifts. We'll have the popular Candy Cane and the Winter Wonderland, too! Until then, have a wonderful day!

(Psst... if you are interested in placing a wholesale order, the Mint Chip is actually available for you right now! Email us at hello@soapylove.com for a catalog!)