Last minute Halloween inspiration!

Hi everyone!  Anne-Marie's post today using soap eyeballs brought to mind some Soapylove projects - and it's not too late to make them!  Here are some of my faves:

SOAP SLIME - this is a super fun project using stuff you probably already have!  It would be a great way to make something slimy for a haunted house, too.

SOAP EYEBALLS - these creepy soap eyes use realistic eye colors and are complete spheres, so they look super real! 

GOTHIC PUMPKIN SOAPS - this sophisticated project uses chocolate transfer sheets, but you could make a similar effect with soap embed paper, too (featured on Design*Sponge!).

ALIEN SOAPS: these 3D soaps have glowing eyes! 

I have 2 kids - a 5 yr old and a 3 yr old, so we will be celebrating Halloween every day this weekend, starting today!  I hope you have a great weekend, too.  Happy Halloween!

Check out Soapylove's newest book, The Art of Soap, available in the new Soapylove Book Shop!

New Soap Books: From Informative to Terrifying

In the Winter issue of the Natural Soap News, three new soap books were reviewed.

One is noteworthy because it is possibly the very best, most completely accurate and informative book ever published about beginning soap making. The second is fascinatingly artistic and the third is a devastating nightmare that may prove dangerous and worthy of a lawsuit.

I am very happy to be included in the books, and relieved that mine is not the "devastating nightmare!" LOL

In the newsletter are also articles about oil rancidity, organic palm oil, and soap labeling.  At only 2 pages, it's a quick read.  I highly recommend it!

If you do not have a Soapylove book yet, I just added signed copies to my website.  I only have 10 in stock, so grab your copy soon!

Have a great holiday week!

SoapyLove book review from Craft Gossip

Thank you so much Jessica for your glowing review of my new book over at Craft Gossip!

To check it out, click here: SoapyLove book review

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I love to feel the love! Thanks to everyone who has written sharing their enthusiasm and questions about the book. Keep 'em coming!

Become a Fan on Facebook!

For a very long time, I have resisted Facebook but have embraced most other sites like Twitter and Blogger. But yesterday I was talking with my friend, Erin, and she mentioned having a discussion board for Soapylove. Since the book just came out and so many people use Facebook, I thought that reincarnating the Soapylove fan page would be perfect!

So if you like Facebook, head over and become a fan! I have several photo albums set up, the event board is updated, and there is a discussion board! (yay!) So if you have any questions or comments about the book, soap crafting, or anything else Soapylove or glycerin soap related, please post away!

Thanks so much!

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!

Are You Feeling the Love?

Well my Soapylove book has been available for a couple of weeks now, and I am so delighted to see two 5 star ratings on Amazon!

I would love to hear more about what you think and see what you have made from the book. Please comment here if you'd like to share your projects with the Soapylove blog readers. I would love it if you did!

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!

Check Out My New Book!!

On Saturday I received a wonderful surprise on my doorstep - 2 copies of the new Soapylove book! It's the first time I've seen it done and I'm really excited!! Here are some sneak peeks.

First, this is the chapter intro page for Unusual Tools and Materials, where I show how to use things from other crafts to create truly unique soaps. The projects you see are Waffle Hearts, Candy Soaps, Wood Grain Soaps, and Crop Circles Soaps. There are more projects that aren't pictured here, too.

Next is a picture from the "Cutwork" chapter. Here are the Star Bars and the Candy Bars. I just LOVE how clear and bright all of the step by step photos are. Every tutorial has lots of photos and tons of extra pointers.

Finally, here is the "glam shot" for the Neapolitan Soapsicle tutorial. It's in the "Using Molds Creatively" chapter. I've never taught this style before, so you won't want to miss it! Isn't that display idea cute? The designers at North Light Press did an amazing job!!

There are so many other pages and chapters I would love to show you, but you'll have to see for yourself. The book is being printed and is available for prebuy (at a killer price) on Amazon right now. Once I get some copies I'll have some available here on my blog, too.

If you are a shop owner and would like to carry my book, please call F+W Publications at (800) 289-0963 for sale information.

Thanks so much everyone for your enthusiasm - I have really needed it over the last 2 years while this book was in the making! I hope you like the results!! :)

Soap Cupcake Pops and eZine Update

I know many of you are Bakerella fans like me, but one of my new favorite bloggers, Mais Kes Ka Fee (from France), has been truly inspired! She made cold process cupcake pops! Check them out here.

I recently blogged about Ka Fee's new eZine over at The Soap Lab. Definitely check that out, too. Can you believe it's her first one ever? Wow!!

Also, I am diligently working on the next issue of Let's Get Soapy, which will be available on Monday! It's a special edition, dedicated to The Soap Lab. You'll find brand new tutorials, cool techniques, inspirational photos to get you going, and a guest article from Naiad Soap Arts! Make sure you're signed up for the SoapyClub so you won't miss the early bird special (sign up box on the left hand side of my blog page).

And thanks to everyone who has reserved their copy of the new Soapylove book on Amazon!