Studio DIY Blog Crush, Ombre Inspiration, and Free Soap Tutorial!

Kelly, of Studio DIY

If you’ve been visiting the Soapylove Facebook page lately, you know that I’ve been seriously crushing on the DIY Studio blog!!  The tag line is “Make Life a Party.”  Say no more, right?!  Kelly, the adorable woman behind the blog, has incredible tutorials and stylish inspiration.  I could go on and on.  But you should check it out and get on her super fun mailing list.  Your inbox will thank you!

Yesterday she posted a tutorial for DIY ombre glassware.  So pretty! 

DIY Ombre Glassware Tutorial

Which reminds me – you can get this beautiful faded effect quite simply in glycerin soap!  A tilt of the mold is all it takes.  In conjunction with The Nova Studio, here is the Soapylove Ombre Soap Tutorial.  Enjoy!  (And if you have any questions or comments, please post them below!)

Free Ombre Melt and Pour Soap Tutorial

It’s so fun when a fashion trend translates perfectly into glycerin soap crafting! Like the “ombre” effect, which is a pretty color fade that is being used in everything from dip dyed shorts to hair color effects. Getting a perfect fade in soap might seem tricky, but with a simple technique you’ll get gorgeous results every time.

I see these soaps as a very elegant wedding or bridal shower favor, or a pretty way to add color to enhance your fragrance choice. This is also a handy technique to add to more complex designs!

Supplies: Makes 4 bars

·         4 oz of clear soap base, cut roughly into 1” cubes

·         12 oz of white soap base, cut up

·         Pastel mica colorant of your choice

·         Fragrance oil of your choice

·         4 cavity soap mold (I used Milky Way guest rectangle)

·         Spray bottle with rubbing alcohol

·         Stir sticks, mini paper cups, 2 cup heat-proof measuring cup, microwave

First we will color a small amount of clear soap with mica powder. The powder must be dissolved before adding to soap or else it will clump. To do this, spray some alcohol in a small paper cup (about ½ teaspoon). Stir in a pinch of mica powder and stir well. Melt 1 oz of clear soap base. Pour into the cup of mica solution and stir well. For this effect, I suggest using less color than you think you should. A blush of color is what we’re going for.

Now spray the inside of your mold with alcohol. Pour just enough colored soap to coat the surface.

Next quickly tilt your mold and prop it up on something like a book or magazine. Not more than 1/2” tall.

The colored layer is so thin that you must be super careful that your white soap is not too hot. Melt 12 oz of white soap base. Stir in 1 mL of fragrance oil per bar of soap you are making. Allow to cool in cup until thickened, spray hardened soap in mold with alcohol, and top off with white soap.

Allow soap to harden and unmold!

For all of Soapylove’s tutorials and class projects, go to www.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!

Radiating Stripes Soap Tutorial Using Lego Bricks

Glycerin soap is an amazing medium for creating layers.  I always wanted to make a jaw-breaker soap but struggled with the process.  Then, a few years ago, Anne-Marie Faiola (the Soap Queen), was working on a layers theme post for the Bramble Berry blog and invited me to contribute a soap design.

At the time, my son was enjoying Legos (using my Legos that my mother lovingly kept), and I realized how amazing these plastic building bricks would be to build a soap mold!  Leak proof, heat resistant, and totally modular! Although this project requires a lot of time, it's not difficult.  Simply create a tiny square then embed it, building layer upon layer, rebuilding your mold as you go.  Although cutting into it is a tad nerve-racking, the thrill of seeing the layers is worth the effort!!  Here's the visual graphic, and the steps are beneath.  Come to my Facebook page to discuss or show off your version!

1. Set up first cavity, making walls enclosing 4 raised dots (or a "2x2"). Make walls 3 bricks high. You will only fill to 2 bricks high to make a cube.

2. Fill to top of 2nd brick with white soap. Allow to harden, then break walls to release white cube.

3. Trim bottom of soap to remove dot indentations.

4. Build next box enclosing 3x3 dots. Walls should be 4 bricks high. Fill with 2nd color to 1/2 brick high. Let harden. This will be the floor your white cube will sit on.

5. Put in white cube. Spray with alcohol and top off with 2nd color, to 3 bricks high.

6. Here's what it looks like with the white cube covered in red soap.

7. Break walls, pulling bricks off of soap.

8. Trim off these lego indentations.

9. Trimming...

10. Repeat and repeat, every time making your box 1 row wider and taller.

11. Here is my almost finished cube. It is 5 layers thick.

12. My last layer is white.

Main photo:  Here's the finished soap, all cut up into neat angles to show the layers.

Tip: Make sure to use non-bleeding colorants!! You don't want those gorgeous layers to go fuzzy on you.  Also, use a really sharp heavy knife to cut it up - a thin knife may bend and throw off your cut. 

Idea: wouldn't this be a fun way to make some Tetris inspired soaps?  No layers required!!  

Have fun everyone!

-Debbie

(Would you like more Soapylove projects?  Head to soapylove.com for the entire library!)

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!

Two Scoops of Pink Sparkle, Please!

New step-by-step tutorial for these super happy Sparkle Strawberry Sorbet Soaps now posted over at The Soap Queen!  Click here to see!

Have a nice day!

Soapy Cupcakes Video Tutorial a la The Soap Queen!

How to make Soap Cupcakes with Whipped Frosting from Soap Queen on Vimeo.

I was so thrilled to see this great video tutorial of the Fluffy Frosted Soapy Cupcake tutorial I created for The Soap Queen.  You will LOVE how easy and fun it is, as you will see!  For the full list of ingredients, check out her blog post here.

Thank you Anne-Marie for making this.  I'm so happy that you felt my project was video-worthy!

When Things Get Complicated, Keep It Simple (Easter Tutorial!)

The other day I was grocery shopping and passed by the Easter section. There was a great display with molds on it, so of course I bee-lined it right over.  It turns out that Jell-o offered two 4 cavity molds for FREE with the purchase of 3 full sized Jell-o products.  They didn't have to ask me twice!

Later, when I got home and checked out my score, I realized that these molds were WAY too detailed to fill with multiple colors.  It would take the patience of a saint, so I had to rethink my plan.

First, I got out my bowl of scrap soaps.  Every time I make a project I pour my left overs into my silicone heart mold.  It's great to have tons of colors handy for times like this.  When I want to experiment I just pop a few in a cup, zap them, and I'm ready to go.

I decided that for molds like this, it would be best to keep it simple.  This is not usually my approach as you know!  Here is what I made:

First, I made the marbled soaps.  These are super easy and fun!  Take two separate cups of soap (as cool as you can), colored with non-bleeding colorants, and pour them simultaneously into the mold.  Do a blob here, a blob there, to make different areas of color. It might be a little messy and the back might look kind of worrisome, but the front will be great! 

Next I did a batch of natural ingredients.  One is white soap with lavender colored ground loofah stirred in, and the other is cream soap with Calendula petals.  I like how the texture makes them interesting without hiding the details of the mold.

Next, I decided to choose one detail that was the cutest from two of the molds.  One was the yellow beak on the duck (chick?  My son and I had a little debate about this).  Just drop a bright color to highlight that feature and then fill the rest with a pastel version of that color.  Easy and sweet!

Finally, my favorite method for making very special soaps with that super colorful look - brushing with mica.  This would be great for kids because the color goes on gradually and they use a regular paint brush.  The basket has so much texture that it's perfect for this technique.

Make some soaps in solid colors.  Then take a dry brush, dip in mica (any color, and it doesn't need to be non-bleeding), dab on a napkin to get off the extra, and brush on!  I used copper sparkle on the basket and a mix of other shades for the eggs.  The Opalescent colors make very pretty egg colors. You can even use glitter!  If you get the Bramble Berry mica sampler, you'll have a great selection.

There you have it!  A handful of easy methods to use super detailed molds.  Have a great day!

(Don't forget to check out the great line of Soapylove supplies available at Bramble Berry!)

Two Tutorial Tuesday! :)

Hi everyone!  I have been madly making soaps lately and haven't been posting as much, but today I have a "2 fer!"  Since I have kids jumping on my bed I'm going to make it quick!!

First is a new tutorial now posted over at the Soap Queen.  If you love ice cream then you'll love this new Soapylove mold!  The color combo possibilities are endless.  Make sure to add one to your collection!  (but first head over and see how I made those adorable ice cream embeds, too!)

Next is a truly awesome tutorial from Roots and Wings Co - how to make Lego soaps! This mom is so crafty.  She used real Legos and urethane to make her own molds.  This tutorial is so chock full of great tips and techniques.  It's a must read! 

Thank you Rebecca for letting me share your project with my readers!!

Have a great day everyone!

Getting Ready for CHA!

Over the last two days I've been working on soaps to give away on Sunday at CHA.  CHA is the Craft and Hobby Association and they hold seasonal trade shows for the crafting industry.  I will be doing a demo to promote my book at the F+W Publications booth.  Thanks to Kelley at Soapies Supplies I will be using a rice cooker to melt my soap there.  Have you tried a rice cooker?  They are amazing at melting soap!

But I digress. So I was trying to think of a way to promote Soapylove in a fun and memorable way.  I thought of postcards but that seemed kind of generic and easily tossed.  So I decided to make soaps instead and found a great way to include lots of information and have a durable soap that wouldn't get banged up in a tote bag full of other freebies: I discovered clamshell boxes.

Considering the amount of supplies and things I have tried since I began obsessively making glycerin soap 5 years ago, it's really amazing how there are still new things to play with.  I mean, clamshell packaging is not a new innovation at all but this is the first time I am trying them out.  If you are a fan at the Soapylove fan page, you may have seen my excited posts about them.  I am REALLY excited, in fact!  They are so fast and easy, and provide a very safe little home for the soaps which are beautifully visible on all sides!  LOVE it!  Plus I made a nice big sticker with loads of info that fits nicely on the back.  Done and done. 

You can see some of my soaps in the picture above.  I got 50 of them so I want to use every single one.  It's been really fun picking styles and techniques from my book to make in the boxes. 

So if you're going to be at CHA on Sunday, please find the F+W booth (#4228) and come by at 2:30.  I'd love to say hi, and hopefully I'll have a soap to give you, too!

New Tutorial over at The Soap Queen - Ombre Hearts!

Brand new Soapylove tutorial now up at The Soap Queen!  This neat fading effect is actually very simple.  You'll love how they turn out.  See you there!

New Soapylove Tutorial Over at the Soap Queen!

Check out this sweet, cookie-inspired version of the checkered hearts. The full tutorial is now posted at the Soap Queen blog!

I encourage you to add the checkered heart soap mold to your collection - the squares are nice and deep, making it very easy to make super clear checkers. The potential with different color combinations is awesome. Lots of room for creativity!

Have a great day!

Talk About Frosting!

Just the other day, Tammy Brodbeck of Milk and Cookeez posted this great photo over at the Soapylove Facebook fan page. Little did we know that this simple birthday greeting would turn into a major discussion (click here to read it)!

This is actually a soap cupcake. Can you believe it? That delicate, towering frosting is incredible! She based her recipe on the one from my Fluffy Frosted Soapy Cupcakes tutorial I posted at The Soap Queen a little while ago. She tweaked it a bit and has done some rigorous testing. The best part is, she is sharing all of her information and we are having quite a nice conversation about it.

If you'd like to read about her tips, other soaper's experiences, and more, click here for the discussion, or here to be taken to the Soapylove fan page. Join and start your own discussion - it's a Soapy Love In! :)

New Tutorial Tomorrow at the Soap Queen!

Get ready for a brand new Soapylove tutorial over at the Soap Queen! Tomorrow afternoon you will learn how to make these cute and easy Lucky Star Soaps. Check it out then! :)

Very Exciting! New Soap Frosting Recipe!

Honestly, I haven't been this excited about a soap tutorial since the texture sheets. I've always been attracted to soap cupcakes but didn't want to get all sorts of special ingredients I would only use for one project. So I decided to tackle soap frosting myself.

First I tried mixing melt and pour with coconut oil, loads of glycerin, and I don't even remember what else. What I got was a ball of soap so rubbery I could have bounced it on my kitchen floor. Soap rubber would be a really fun project but since I added so much oil it had no lather. Bummer.

So I started over and tried just glycerin soap base and liquid soap (which is also very handy for the Soap Slime project!). To my delight it was the perfect marriage! Not only is it a super fast and simple process (click here for the full tutorial on the Soap Queen), but it's very forgiving since you can remelt it if it's overwhipped or starting to harden before you're ready.

I really hope you'll give it a try and let me know what you think. This project just goes to show that the potential of melt and pour soap base is so vast and that there's still an endless supply of fun things that we can do with it! Let's keep pushing the soapy envelope! :)

Romantic Soaps Tutorial, a la The Soap Queen

Today I watched the latest video over at the Soap Queen, using rubber stamps to make cool debossed designs in glycerin soap. I love how she used 3 colors to create a lot of dimension and make the design really stand out! Check out that great video here. Here is a project using the same general technique, but with just one pour.

Click on photo to enlarge.

First, find some cool little nick nacks with a flat back. I had a field day shopping for mine over at Snap Crafty. Check out the plastic charms section for loads of tantalizing goodies!

Then, take a basic mold with a flat face. I used the new Soapylove scalloped molds in rectangle and heart shapes*. Use a dot of rubber cement or a glue stick to glue down your trinkets with the design side up (these types of glue either come off or wash off easily so your mold is unharmed). Try to get the edges well seated so soap won't seep under.

Now, simply melt some white or clear soap. Color and scent any way you like! I used the Soapylove Naturally Clear soap base and the pink and cream colorants from the Sweet Treats colorant set (find all supplies here).

Fill your mold, allow to harden, and unmold. If the trinket comes out of the mold into your soap, just pick it out carefully with a toothpick or other fine item. Smooth edges with your finger. Voila!

Make sure to check out the Soap Queen tomorrow, since I'll be guest blogging! A brand new project will be posted that I'm super excited about. If you like cupcakes or anything with frosting (hint hint), you're going to love it!

*I had a special tester mold that had one of each shape on it. This exact mold is not available, but each design is offered a la carte.

Winter "Let's Get Soapy" is Coming Together!

I am feverishly working on the new tutorials and articles for the Winter issue of Let's Get Soapy! I'm finding lots of inspiration from white Christmas trees and colorful ornaments this year. The focus is on holiday gift giving and using sparkle and shine in your designs!

This issue will launch on November 1, and you'll find these great projects and articles inside:

• Polka Dot Party Soaps (on cover)
• Shimmery Snowflake Bars
• Candy Cane Loaf Soaps
• Feature article about soap glitters
• Easy ways to expand your soap design into a gift basket
• and a product review of TKB's Pop Micas!

As usual I will be offering an early bird special for the first week, so make sure you are signed up for the Soapyclub to get an email notification when it's ready!

Happy soaping!

More New Soapylove Molds from Bramble Berry!

There are 2 new additions to the Soapylove supply line from Bramble Berry! You'll find the Stacked Star (shown above) and the Striped Heart. These are both very 80's inspired but still have the great versatility of the scalloped molds also available.

When I was working on these designs, I wanted to have molds that helped make multi-colored soaps easy. So the star has 3 sizes of stars, stacked up, so you can fill each layer separately. The Striped Heart has diagonal grooves that you can fill with different colors (perhaps a rainbow, may I suggest?).


In the above photo I made a batch of green soap colored with the Jewelry Box colorant kit, then put aside an ounce of soap which I added a heavy dose of the Sparkle Dust glitter to*. I used this as my top star layer. Once that layer cooled I topped off the mold with the plain green. This simple detail really makes the stars stand out and catch the light! I did something similar with the blue version but used Super Pearly Mica for my top stars instead.

If any of you have tried supplies from the Soapylove line, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to comment here or email me at: hello@soapylove.com. Thanks so much!

*Little fact about the glitter: the Sparkle Dust in the Jewelry Box set is a super fine grade that suspends very easily and has a beautiful sparkly shimmer that isn't chunky at all. It's a special type only offered in my kit. I know you'll love it!

Watch Plaid Soaps Appear Before Your Eyes!

Earlier this summer I went up to beautiful Bellingham to teach at Otion's Soapmaking Weekend Intensive and also be a guest on Soap Queen TV. Anne-Marie (the Soap Queen) and I sweated it out in the studio together (it was during a very hot weekend!) and made Plaid Soaps and Soap Tarts for a new series of premium Soap Queen episodes.

Today the first one has been released - Plaid Soaps! Anne-Marie has put together an incredible package to make sure your project comes out perfect: a video, a pdf tutorial, and a place to ask any questions. It's called Soap Queen Royale, and you will definitely be getting the royal treatment! Check out the tutorial listing here and the new Soap Queen Royale site here, where you will be able to see many more premium tutorial videos on a wide range of subjects. And of course, no video is complete without her famous bloopers and outtakes (except now it's ME looking goofy, so enjoy! LOL!).

Ooh - extra tidbit - you can even get a kit to go along with the Plaid Soap project so you'll have everything you need. Easy peasy!

Gothic Pumpkin Soaps

Halloween is coming and I love the fall holidays! I picked up a fun Halloween magazine yesterday and was inspired to make a new soap. If you're looking to add a touch of black to your designs, you will really like this single pour project!

Supplies for 2 bars of soap: (you can get everything from Bramble Berry except for transfer sheet which is from Fancy Flours)

8 oz of clear soap base
Silver mica
Black oxide (optional)
Pepperberry fragrance oil (or any you like, but this has a really nice spicey scent)
Heavy duty octagon mold (or any flat faced mold you have)
"Floral Scroll Black" chocolate transfer sheet from Fancy Flours
Knife, cutting board, scissors, rubbing alcohol in spray bottle, yadda yadda

(Click on photo to enlarge)

1) Choose a design that has very little detail. Sketch it on paper first and make sure it will fit in your mold.

2) Cut your shape out of your transfer sheet. Be very careful to avoid touching the rough side, since it's very sensitive and can smudge easily.

3) Touch your finger into a drop of vegetable oil or liquid glycerin and apply a thin coat to the mold where you will put your design. Place your design, SMOOTH SIDE DOWN, into the mold and use a pencil to touch the transfer gently and make sure it's completely stuck down. You don't want any air pockets where the soap can sneak under.

4) Melt 6-8 ounces of clear soap base (depending on the capacity of your soap molds) by cutting soap base into small chunks (dice sized), and heat at full power in a microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until all remaining chunks are melted. Dissolve a pea sized amount of silver mica in a 1/4 teaspoon of rubbing alcohol and stir into melted soap. You can add a touch of black (dissolved in alcohol again) if you would like a deeper shade like I have. Stir in 3 mL of fragrance oil (completely a personal choice. Use more or less!)

5) LET SOAP COOL A LOT! You need to pour this super super cool. If a skin is forming on the surface, that's good! It should be between 110-115 degrees. Now pour into your mold, but pour at the edge of the mold so the soap runs over your design. Do not pour directly onto the transfer.

6) Allow soaps to harden completely overnight. Unmold by inverting mold and pushing on the back with your thumbs until soaps pop out. Gently pry an edge of the plastic up and peel off. Voila!

You can wrap these soaps in Saran Wrap and close the ends at the back with tape or a sticker, or put in a treat bag and tie tightly with a ribbon.

If you like this technique please check out more projects in my book, or if you're in the Halloween spirit please check out my latest issue of Let's Get Soapy which is chock full of soapy tricks and treats! Thanks!

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!