Interview with Soap Maker, Paula Kates AND a FREE soap giveaway!!!

I recently interviewed Paula Kates from pjsoaps.com. I’ve personally seen Paula’s work and sampled the end product. Without reservation, I recommend her soaps as gifts for holiday gift giving. In fact, I’ll be placing my holiday order with her very soon.

I hope you take time to read the interview as it provides some great soaping tips.

Also, be sure to register for GoPlanetEarth’s FREE soap giveaway (a $42.00 value AND we pay shipping). One lucky winner will receive (6) decorative and deliciously fragranced soaps handcrafted by Paula using Mold Market molds. Winner’s name will be posted November 15, 2007 on Denise’s Yadda Yadda blog.

*CLICK HERE to register for the soap giveaway (no purchase necessary).
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THE INTERVIEW:


Denise: What prompted your interest in melt and pour soap making?

Paula: My partner Jan has always been a lover of the highest quality exotic soaps from around the world (which is pretty neat since he competes in strongman competitions, you know where they pull airplanes, carry refrigerators and lift cars etc.) So up until 2003 we were buying fancy soaps from a bunch of different places. Then one of my best friends who I play scrabble with almost daily told me how he was going to make M&P soaps for holiday gifts! It didn't phase me at first because I thought, right, he's an astrophysicist; I'm sure it won't seem difficult for him. Well after he showed me a picture of his first batch and I had to ask him all about it. He said it couldn't be easier and the clincher for me was when he said "clean up's a breeze!" I found that I could completely control the ingredients, fragrance and look of the soap. I was ready to sample and test bases, colorants and fragrances until I found ingredients that matched my desire to remain as close to nature as possible and for overall excellence.

Denise: When you make a bar of soap, it looks like a work of art. It’s truly amazing. How long did it take you to develop the technique you use for multiple colored pours?

Paula: I started just making plain slabs of solid colored quality soap with amazing fragrances then stamping a design on the top of each bar. Then every night I went to bed I'd think "I bet I could do x, y & z" then the next morning I'd try something like layering a soap with 3 colors. Then I'd go to be thinking if I can lay down 3 layers I could do 2 clear layers and anything I want in the middle (like I could stamp out soaps with cookie cutters and put a bear and a tree in the middle of clear layers). I always wanted the best so I wanted the image to last which embedding is perfect for. Then I started to find chocolate molds that I could paint and embed in the soap. At first, I tried soap paints but they were so frustrating to work with and the whole pot would turn to rock after 2-3 uses, anyway that wasn't the kind of stuff I really wanted to be putting in my soap. So I thought I'm using these basic pigments, mica's and clays to color the soap, why not try painting the soap embeds with a straight concentrated form of the pigments. Well it worked perfectly, however you need to lay down 3 layers of each color and dry for 3 days. LOTS of work, but really worth it for things like the Designer Easter egg embeds.

I then remembered seeing some super beautiful soap molds, the surface of which was 3D and if I could get colored soap in those depressions rather than a light coat of pigment on the surface they might hold their image longer. So I started experimenting with small little batches of colored & scented soaps (those that would compliment each other) and the real trick came in trying to figure out how to get the hair of a woman to be distinct from the color of her face. As soon as I knew it was possible I wasn't gonna stop 'til I'd found or made all the right tools to master this technique.

Denise: I know you teach workshops on advanced soap making skills. Are you willing to share a tip or two about working with multiple color pours?

Paula: Sure. I actually have a basic hand out I give to my students so they can avoid most of the disasters I've encountered through the years. For example: never pour a layer of M&P on a 2nd layer until it is fully set (hardened), then sprits the surface with rubbing alcohol or the layers will NOT bond (and who wants to spend hours making an American flag that falls apart when you pick it up)? If you are pouring a mold with a 3D surface, start filling in your colors the lowest depression. If you want a top color to look gold and you have darker colors to be poured on top of that gold, you must first add a thin layer of white to cover the gold after it's set or your gold will come out looking green. This is a rule anytime you want to retain a true color and keep it distinct from the additional layers.

Denise: Mold Market is a major USA mold producer. This company showcases many of your finished soaps. What top 3 Mold Market molds would you recommend for someone just learning melt and pour?

Paula: Good Question....GoPlanetEarth actually stocks the new Starfish Mold. That would be ideal for just training the brain to pour one color carefully into the starfish (without over pouring) and then spritzing with alcohol immediately before the next layer/color is added. It's also good for learning how to clean up any over pours. If you've filled the starfish too full, don't worry, just let it harden and hold it to the light and trim any excess soap away from the starfish. It will look as good as if you never did the over pour.

Another mold that's good for beginners is the snowflake. The indentations for the snowflake aren't very deep so it requires learning another trick or two. Before you try to give the etchings of the snowflake their distinct color, spritz with alcohol. When you're using that little bit of soap you want to keep it free flowing into the crevices so spritz pour enough to fill the crevices of the design. Wait 'til those harden then take a plastic scraping tool (spatula) and gently scrape away until any over pour is cleaned up; spritz with alcohol and pour in the base color. Make sure your base color isn't too hot as to melt the thin layer of snowflake (I dip my pinkie into the base and if it's not too warm to hold my finger in there for 4 seconds it's not too warm to pour.)

The Water Conch would be my next suggestion. Those etchings are deeper but they are also at an angle so pouring the contrasting color into the edge design must be done with greater control. Over the years I've discovered and developed the perfect tools for doing all of this with the least amount of overflow and cleanup between layers. The kit is available on my web site.

Denise: What business advice and encouragement can you offer to someone just starting out in the soap making business?

Paula: Wow, if your aim is to make money and put food on the table. I can't suggest doing what I do. It can take hours just to make a dozen soaps. Don't get me wrong I LOVE it and would never do it any other way, but I also want the best ingredients and they cost and arm and a leg. You can make money making soap and you can do it with great ingredients, but then you're talking about being able to make batches of 2100 in a day rather than 18 in a day (which is about the most I can make in a day). Look into CP soap making and make sure you wouldn't rather do that and make a living. If you decide you want to do your soap PJ Soaps style, you can pay for your supplies but there isn't a lot left over. I know if I land a few B&B's as a base for regular income I will be able to do this for a living. But as of now, for me it's a beloved art driven by the will to master the art & craft.

Denise: You seem diligent about working with inorganic pigments such as mineral/oxides and ultramarines. What’s your voice about color choices?

Paula: I regard them as "closer to nature" in that they either originate from rock, minerals or clays or they are created to mimic same (although they have all been processed to remove impurities such as lead and other heavy metals). They also do NOT bleed which is essential for what I do. They don't stain hands, clothing or surfaces they all rinse off with water. They do have a drawback and that is you get a limited range of colors.

Denise: How long does it take you to handcraft a bar of soap… for example, the Christmas Candle Stick or Star Santa molds from the Mold Market collection?

Paula: With the proper tools I could make a batch of each (3&3) of the details in 2 hours, at which point they need to sit unmoved for another two hours and move to a cool place 'til they are ready to unmold 4ish hours later or often over night.

Denise: You recently took 1st place for the most artistic soap at the 2007 ISOCAN convention (Illinois soap and candle conference) using the Mold Market Bass mold. What a great honor. What are your thoughts on winning?

Paula: It really meant the world to me to be judged by people who actually make soap themselves and to win. M&P soaping hasn't really gotten a lot of respect over the years and understandably so, given how easy and almost fool-proof it is. But finding a top of the line soap base, colorants and FO's or EO's and then making an art of it is really fairly new. So my guess is that got me the award more than anything, bringing something new to the process.

Denise: Soap making is becoming increasingly competitive. What “how-to” suggestions or advice can you offer to new soap makers on marketing their business?

Paula: If you love and believe in your product and the ingredients you put in them, and would bathe your own sensitive skin baby in it with confidence, the sky is the limit. Seriously. I am not afraid to contact 5 star hotels or sell soaps to people with sensitive skin. All they have to do is try the product and it simply sells itself. Sometimes just the look or smell of the bar sells it, but that's the great irony. The quality of the soap is so high that it would a crime to have it sit there forever looking pretty and not be used. My suggestion to the shops I sell at is to tell customers to do what I do. I put a fancy bar on my sink for a few days until it stops looking fancy then it goes into the shower for the best shower EVER. I also remind the shops that the soaps have about a 1 year shelf life before they will start to lose their look. My soaps are very high in glycerine so they are very soft and can sweat in humidity. Just be upfront about all of it and try not to get lazy about posting positive feedback on your site. (I got busy and skipped a few months and have to go back and fill those in) .

Environmental Packaging Concerns

This past week I received a customer email from Amanda about the use of Styrofoam packing peanuts....

"Dear Denise,

I received my package in good condition. I was disheartened to see the Styrofoam peanuts in the package as well. I ordered from your company understanding that it was an environmentally-conscious company.... Please consider switching to other earth-friendly shipping materials, such as biodegradable peanuts. Also, would it be possible to return the "melt and pour containers" for refills, instead of chucking them in the garbage?"

My Response:

Thank you Amanda for your concern and for taking the time to write us.

Without some sort of support, product can get bruised and broken during shipping. To provide that support, we often use Styrofoam packing “peanuts.” GoPlanetEarth has tried (and is always searching) to find better packaging solutions. We have tried using a puffed cellulose product that was indeed biodegradable. It was so biodegradable that any kind of moisture melted the puffs, leaving the product unprotected and the package contents spotted with "melted" cellulose peanuts.

We do care very much about the environment, and are constantly looking for creative ways to deliver quality products undamaged by shipping. Keep in mind that you can recycle these packing peanuts. You can take them to your local UPS Store, or go to Earth 911, type in your zip code, and check out the other drop-off locations.

We also use recycled Kraft paper and recycled corrugated boxes for packing. However, paper product also raises other environmental concerns such as the harvesting of trees to produce this paper product. We have used the air-filled plastic bags. They took up so much space in a carton that we were shipping two cartons when one would have been adequate. Customers didn't appreciate the added cost of a second carton.

We strive to be a paperless company. Customer sales receipts and packing lists are sent via email. Transmitting this data electronically limits the consumption of printer ink (which is extremely difficult to recycle) and minimizes the use of paper based materials which thereby reduces garbage.

Concerning MP plastic containers. These containers can be recycled locally at your nearest recycling center or with refuse companies offering recycling options. The cost of returning the containers and the energy used to re-melt soap base outweighs the cost of recycling the plastic. You might consider using the plastic containers for storage. Since the soap base it contains is unscented/uncolored, the containers could be washed and used to store left-over food product.

Certainly we are advocates of recycling. Unfortunately, the cost of bio-degradable packaging is still higher than traditional options and most consumers are not willing to pay extra for the use of eco-friendly alternatives. Even then, when it comes to shipping a package safely, those alternatives are limited.

What's all the chatter about felted soap?

There has been a recent revival in the craft of felting around a bar of soap. The process involves matting and pressing together wool fibers using heat and water which creates a dense fabric that encases a bar of soap. The felted fibers act as a washcloth that gently exfoliates as it cleans. Merino is the wool of choice when felting soap. Two ounces of wool fiber will easily cover four normal sized soap bars. The felted soaps pictured (above) were created by Trinity. Note the use of different colored fibers which lend themselves to unique patterns and textures.

Felting is not difficult. If you're interested in learning the basics, I suggest watching this video on how to felt soap by Suzanna Anna. An sample of one of her felted soaps is shown below. The lime green, hot pink, and orange fibers work together brillantly.

Felted soaps make great Christmas and housewarming gifts. The cost to make is relatively low and it's something you can do with the kids (or grandkids, in my case!). I have ordered some colorful fibers and plan to spend a weekend making felted soaps for all the ladies in my "breakfast club". It should be fun. If I'm successful, I will post photos of the finished soaps.

Chalk art like you've never seen!

Earlier this week, I made a post about how to make chalk using soap molds. If you're not sure what to do with your homemade chalk let these photos serve as inspiration. Sidewalk artist, Julian Beever, uses pavement as his canvas. His chalk drawings are amazing examples of 3-D illusions. I hope that within my lifetime, I have the opportunity to see his work up close and personal. It's beyond remarkable.

The photo of the lady in the swimming pool is so lifelike when seen from one side. Take a look at what the drawing actually looks like when viewed from the opposite side. Keep in mind that the guy holding the pop can has both feet flat on the pavement. The chalk drawing gives the illusion that he is stepping into the pool.

These last two photos were two of my favorites. The detail is incredible and if you look closely, you can see the lines in the concrete blocks of the sidewalk. There are certainly some clever, artistic people in this world. I'm not one of them, but I can sure appreciate the talent.

Hope you enjoy these pieces of pavement art as much as I did!

Bunco. An old person's game? I say, nonsense!

I recently hosted a wine tasting and h'orderve party for a group of friends. All were woman between the ages of 30 and 60. At some point in the evening the subject of "Bunco" was brought into the conversation. I know a number of women who participate in Bunco" groups and have been excited about starting one with some of my close friends. For those of you who don't know, Bunco is a popular "Ladies Night Out" social interaction dice game that has been around for years. Bunco is typically hosted at a house party with an average of 12 players attending.

A good number of the ladies at my party were thrilled with the idea of a monthly Bunco party. However, there were a couple of ladies who called it "an old persons game" and wanted no part. I was actually surprised that someone would put this type of label on Bunco. Come 'on, how can you possibly place Bunco into a select age group? Bunco lets you to....


1) socialize with good friends,

2) leave cares, worries, and kids behind (with dads and baby-sitters)

3) snack on M& M's. Chex-mix, or anything else that's not on your diet plan

4) sip on wine, guzzle soft drinks, and eat appetizers with total disregard of calorie intake

5) talk with friends about anything that tickles your fancy, inlcluding husbands, kids, movies, TV shows, and anyone who doesn't show up

6) play a silly, mindless dice game with wild abandon and laugh until you almost pee your pants

Needless to say, I've totally ignored those who diss Bunco and ordered the official game with plans to start a monthly Bunco party. I'd sure love to receive tips and comments about the game. If you belong to a Bunco group, please post anything you believe would be helpful.

Make sidewalk chalk with soap molds

Looking for another use for your collection of soap molds? Use them to make snazzy looking sidewalk chalk. Who said chalk had to be tube shaped?

There are a number of fun shapes that are ideal for chalk. I've listed a few of my favorites along with a easy to make chalk recipe. Colorful shaped chalks make great birthday party favors for kids. It's also a simple enough project for teachers to do with younger students in the classroom and mom's to do at home.

Here are a few of my favorite molds to use.

Flip Flop
Flower Power
Frog
Ballerina
Butterfly

Chalk Recipe:

1. 1 cup plaster paris


2. 1/2 cup cold water


3. tempra paints or neon gel colors


4. molds
   

Combine all ingredients. Color with paints keeping in mind that the amount of paint used will determine the intensity of the chalk color. Pour the mixture into molds. Let dry.

Great Holiday Bath Gifts

As the holiday gift season approaches it becomes a personal challenge to scout out unique and fun bath products to give as gifts. Sure, I could make soaps, but it's sometimes fun to give the unexpected. Here are a few items I'm considering for holiday gift giving. Some of the more inexpensive items will make great stocking stuffers. While others, like the Naughty but Nice lip balm gift set, will make great gifts for my young nieces.

All of these items can be purchased from a UK company called Natural Products Worldwide. This post only shows a small sampling of the clever, one-of-a-kind items they offer. It's a fun site to visit even if you aren't buying.






Have bath time fun with these 30ml Glitter bath cremes in the shape of a skeleton or mummy. Great for small children as a gift or treat, and perfect for big kids, who love spoiling themselves with little bath products! Around $2.45 each in US funds. Available in pirate designs as well.

A handy, single use dissolving soap in a dispenser, (which can be wall mounted). Simply tear off a strip, wash your hands under running water and watch the vegetable-based soap dissolve leaving your hands clean and fresh. This one happens to be a Green Apple scent. Around $9.00 in US funds.

This is the perfect gift if you don't know what to get that special someone. It comes beautifully packaged, and contains 2 bath gels, one in the shape of a frog, and one in the shape of a crown, fit for any princess! Around $10.00 in US funds.

MY FAVORITE!! Naughty but Nice, Six yummy pots of juicy and creamy lip gloss styled in the shape of your favourite pattiserie pleasures, most enjoyable and perfect for sharing with friends, girlie sleep over’s, or just for oneself! These little lip smacking beauties are too good to eat, calorie free and are the perfect treat! Around $25 in US funds.

Thanks to Kaylee and Marissa!! You made my birthday special

Today is officially my birthday. It was an off day for me from the get-go, though it had nothing to do with another birth year. It was just one of those days that had a rough start. I honestly think it's related to sheer exhaustion. Working 12-14 hour days, and then trying to find time for family and friends is taking its toll. Next week, my honey and I fly to Chicago for a long weekend. It's a much needed and much deserved get-away!! We have tickets to see the Broadway production of Wicked. O.K, I got side-tracked. The reason for this post is to thank two of my long time employees for such a wonderful birthday.

Kaylee and Marissa have been with the company for 3 years. Both are incredible gals and very loyal. They are working their way through college and two employees I count on to run things when I'm away. Today, they showed up at my home with a floral bouquet and lunch. They did all this while still working to get your orders ready (not to mention, Marissa had 29 boxes of incoming stock to put away at the warehouse!!). I just want to post a special thank you to both of these girls for thinking of me today. Their card read...."To the Best Boss Ever!" It made my day.

Also, a special thank you to my honey man. I awoke to a scrumptous Boston cream cake, flowers, balloons, and a great card! Tonight we are celebrating with dinner at The Earl in Ann Arbor (it's to die for!). I must also throw out a special thanks to my grandkids. They sent me a floral arrangement which included Gerber daisies....my favorite. Had I received any more flowers it would have felt like a funeral instead of a birthday.

What a wonderful birthday. A host of cards from family and friends, flowers, a cake... my spirits were lifted and once again I'm reminded life is good. It's nice to be remembered.

Thank you to everyone who made this day special.

Product Feedback: Mold Market Duck Pond Mold

I received the following email from one of our customers.

Betty M. wrote:

"Just want to thank you for the duck pond mold. It is wonderful! Our customers love the ducks and we’ve had great success. Please find attached a picture of the duck soap we are making. Thank you for a great product!! Keep up the good work!

I've showcased a few of Betty's soaps from www.magicsenses.com. Great job, Betty! Thanks for the feedback. The duck pond mold is from the Mold Market line. Mold Market produces top-notch, quality molds for soaps. They continue to be best sellers for us. GoPlanetEarth also offers a large selection of rubber ducks to use with this mold. Click here for a how-to instruction sheet.

Here's some soap making inspiration

I thought this was such clever soap packaging. You can find these soaps at Suds Muffin. Guessing you could probably do something similar by using a grommet machine with some heavy weight paper and ribbon. Anyway...thought it looked pretty cool.


You'll also want to take a look at their bakery bundt soaps. YUMMY to the second degree! The one we've pictured is certainly sooooapdelicious. Hope these give you some new inspiration.

Based on my birthday cake.... I'm only 16!!! YEAH

Sad, but true. I celebrate a birthday this week. Hey, at least I'm still 6-feet above ground and that's worth celebrating.

We had a birthday dinner last night at my daughter's house. My grandson helped mommy make the cake (it was chocolate and oooohhh so good!). I was happy to see that my grandson only put 16 candles on the cake proving he DEFINITELY loves his NeeNee. Do I even remember being 16?

After dinner, Poppy and I were put in charge of bath and bedtime rituals for the grand kids. Darn.... it really took a lot of arm pulling to get us to do it (hah!). My son-in-law is working on a special project in Montana for the next two weeks and my daughter was happy for the company. God love her for even hosting dinner. She works full time as a school adminstrator, is mommy to 2 toddler kids, and working on her masters. Not sure how she does it (though she did walk me into her bedroom to show me mile high stacks of laundry that needed to be put away).

Pictured is NeeNee and Carson blowing out my 16 candles. Thank God it was only 16. Had it been my true age, we might have set the dining room on fire.

Aging isn't so bad when you have grandbabies. They make you feel young and best yet, have no concept of your age.

Bring the seashore home with these lovely iridescent sea shell soaps

Here's a sneek peek at some soaps that are being featured in an upcoming "how-to" article in the Handcrafted SoapMaker Journal. I used Mold Market molds to make the soaps. All of the ingredients used for this project can be purchased at http://www.goplanetearth.com/.

If you aren't already a member of the HSMG (Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild), I encourage you to join. The Guild offers product and general liability insurance at group rates as well as many other benefits.

Volume versus Weight...there is a difference!

This week a customer, who we'll call Mr. X, contacted me about a mold. It was a large production slab tray that is designed to hold around 96 ounces of melted soap base. Mr. X only filled the tray with 40 ounces of soap as he intended to make smaller sample-size soaps.

Since Mr. X did not fill the tray to its full capacity, the bottom of the mold did not sit completely flat and a very slight bowing occurred that caused the poured soap to shift to the outer edges of the mold (by about an 1/8"). Had Mr. X poured poured to full capacity, this would not have occurred. The weight of the soap would have given a even pour.

When Mr. X called to inform me that the molds were defective, I patiently explained that he needed to fill the mold to its full capacity to ensure an even pour. He was quick to point out that he had filled the mold to full capacity with water and some bowing still occurred (bowing means the bottom of the mold did not sit flat on the pouring surface). I explained that water was not as dense as soap and the same volume of water would not be the same volume as soap. In lay terms... soap weighs more than water. Mr. X had a hard time understanding this concept and insisted that whether he used water or soap, the bowing results would not change. This simply isn't true because liquid volume and weight measure differently.

Some liquids have more weight than others. One cup of syrup weighs more than one cup of water or milk. One cup of oil for the car weighs more than one cup of cooking oil. One cup of liquid mercury weighs more than water. When we read on the side of a bottle that it contains, for example, 8 oz. of cooking oil, soap, milk, or oil for the car, it does not mean that it weighs eight ounces. It means that there are eight FLUID OUNCES of the liquid inside. Fluid ounces are used to measure liquids because they have no shape. Volume is something entirely different. An object made of a substance with a density greater (such as a bar of soap) than the liquid (such as water) will sink in the liquid.

In the end, Mr. X could still not understand that the large tray mold filled with soap weighed in at 6 pounds; filled with water it weighed closer to 5 pounds. The difference was in the density of the liquid. Bottom line... soap weighs more than water. This is why soap sinks in water.

When we list the number of ounces per cavity for a mold, we are referring to the volume not weight. If the mold cavity is listed as holding 4 ounces, it means it will hold 4 liquid ounces whether it's soap or water. However, since soap is denser than water, you're finished soap will weigh more than 4 ounces.

Creating Soaps with Defined Colored Areas

I often receive emails from customers asking, "How'd you do that?". Nine times out of ten, they are wanting to know how to define the colored area in a soap design. The finished results are extraordinary, but not a project for the impatient soul.

I call this technique the "pour and scrape" because that's exactly what you will be doing. Pouring a little, then scraping any excess overpour. GoPlanetEarth.com sells a handy little molding tool that allows you to easily scrape away any soap that overflows from the raised area you are pouring.

The secret to your success is this molding tool AND starting your colored pours in the deepest areas first. In looking at the lighthouse soap, you would start your first color pour with the crashing waves. The waves are the deepest area of this design. Next you would move on to the house. The roof is deeper than the white portion of the house, therefore, you pour the roof first. You continue in this manner until you have filled all areas of the raised design.

Allow each poured area to set up and harden a bit. Then, using your molding tool, gently scrape away any overpour. Once you've scraped and defined the poured area, begin your next pour. Again, allow the poured soap to harden a bit before removing any overpour. It's a tedious process and certainly not a technique used for mass productions. Defined color pours appease the artistic side of the soaper. The finished soap becomes a work of art and likely the reason they can retail for $7-$8 per bar.

Here are a few added pointers for success.

1) It's a good idea to have your soap colored before you start. I save all my soap scraps from other soaping projects and the "pour and scrape" technique is a great way to use them up. I also keep a number of glass measuring cups on hand. This allows me to put different colors in each cup for melting and helps speed the process. A quick zap in the microwave easily melts the soap to a pouring consistency.

2) Be careful you don't overheat the soap base. Pouring the soap at too high of a temp will cause the soap to puncture and bleed into you previous pour.

3) Spritz each poured soap layer with a little rubbing alcohol before pouring the next layer. It will help the next layer to adhere to each other.

4) Allow the soap to set up completely before trying to remove. When you have mulitple colored layers, especially in very small area, you need to be gentle when removing the finished soap from the mold. Otherwise, you could find some of your colored layers don't release and end up stuck in the mold. Not a good thing!

So there you have it.... creating soap with defined colored areas.

What's a Bath Bomb or Bath Fizzie and how do I make one?

A bath bomb, also called a bath fizzie, can be formed into a number of different shapes and is primarily made of baking soda and citric acid. When dropped in bath water, it fizzes until it is partially or completely dissovled. Often fragrance/essential oils are added to impart aroma. Color and other additives, such as glitter, sea salts, and mica, may also be added for esthetics or therapuetic value.


Think of a bath bomb as a giant Alka-Selzter tablet. Once the tablet is dropped into water, it become effervescent and fizzes like crazy creating lots bubbles. That's exactly what a bath bomb does; creates lot of tickley bubbles. But instead of tickling the throat and digestive tract, these bubbles tickle the skin. The bath bomb pictured in this post are from CherrieFlip and GoPlanetEarth.com. Cherrie Flip has a wonderful selection of ready-made bath bombs which are sure to inspire. The ice cream bath bomb (mold is from the Mold Market line) was made using melt and pour soap for the cone and a bath bomb for the ice cream.




The most popular form of bath bombs are bolus shapes (circular), but you'll also find them in a host of other shapes, like shells, fortune cookies, hearts, and fish. Here is one of our favorite Bath Fizzie recipes.

GoPlanetEarth.com sells colorants, fragrance, and specific bath bomb molds, including two from the Mold Market line and a 2-part 3-D ball. A good number of the other ingredients needed for bath fizzies can be found at your local grocery store.

Have a favorite bath bomb recipe or photos to share? Send 'em this way. I would love to showcase some of your best work!

Remembering 9-11

I would be remise if I did not mention and show honor for the many innocent United States Citizens who were enjoying the freedoms we all have the opportunity to experience everyday. On that fateful September morning lives were tragically swept away in burst of indescribable violence.

May we resolve to never forget them and to remember their families in our prayers and to make a conscious decision to hold even tighter to the flag of our country. We need to appreciate the great sacrifices of those service women and men who everyday are attempting to keep us and our loved ones safer from such an event like this ever happening again in our country. Attached is a picture of the events of that day. God Bless those victims of freedom on 9-11 and those who continue to protect us everyday and night as we live in this beautiful land of freedom.

Kudos to this young mom, I split a gut on this one

My daughter emailed a recent Ebay posting to me. I'm guessing it's because I recently walked out of a store without paying for a pair of socks (for my grandson). It wasn't intentional. We were shopping a huge strip mall with my grandkids. If you've ever shopped with small children you know it's no cake walk. At some point my grandson needed to use the restroom (this was his 3rd trip) which required us to leave the store and walk the length of a football field to the bathroom. I managed to pry the 3-pack super hero socks from his sticky, soiled hands and tenatively placed them in an open compartment of the stroller for safe keeping (he was convinced someone would take them while we were gone). During my departure, my daughter retrieved a sippy cup from another compartment of the stroller. In doing so, she closed the compartment where I placed the socks. Yep, you guessed it. The socks were now forever lost admist baby wipes, diapers, teething toys, drink boxes, and cereal snacks.

So there you have it, we went to the checkout, paid for the items in our cart, and left the store without paying for the super hero socks. It wasn't until we were halfway around the outdoor strip mall (did I mention is was raining) that I realized the socks were stashed in the stroller. What to do? Trudge a good 1/2 mile around the outlet mall (in the rain) to pay for the socks, or call it a day? It was a no brainer. With two hungry, crying, whining children in need of naps, I called it a day and made a mental note to donate the cost of the socks to a local charity as penance.

Having said all that, you must read this Ebay post. It's entertaining to say the least and should put a smile on the face of all you moms (and grandmoms) that have shopped with small children.

Pokemon Ebay Post

NOTE: The lot of Pokemon cards sold for $142.51. The starting bid was $0.50. This young mom's detailed story was worth every dollar of the winning bid! The post had 14,000 hits!!

Blending fragrance oils... creating a signature scent

It's easy to get excited about all the wonderful fragrance choices offered by various suppliers. Before you know it you're hearing "ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching" as you add your pick fragrances to the cart. In many cases, you haven't sampled the fragrances which means you could possibly end up with scents you don't like and will never use.

Fragrance is very personal. Everyone's sense of smell is different. What one person loves, another may loathe. And trying to predict a customer's fragrance likes and dislikes is nearly impossible. So what to do with those "yucky" unused fragrance oils? Consider fragrance blending. Use the fragrances you currently have and blend them with those "yucky" fragrances. By experimenting, you can blend a combination of fragrances that becomes your own signature scent.


Many customers just starting out in business have a limited budget. A wrong fragrance purchase can be a big "ouch" and blending is a great way to flip an "ouch" into an "ah". Maybe you don't own any "yucky" fragrances. Blending is still a great way to experiment with the fragrances you do like. It's possible to add 2-3 new scents just by blending from your current fragrance stock (and never spent a penny:).

So how do you get started with blending?
A printable list of some sample fragrance blends can be found at GoPlanetEarth.com.
You may or may not have all of the fragrances listed but don't let that stop you from experimenting. Work with the fragrances you have. I've given a few pointers about how to get started and supplies needed.

Already have a favorite blend to share? Email and I will gladly post it.

Supplies Needed:

• Pipettes for transfering fragrance parts into sampling tubes



• 5-inch sampling tubes (you will want the natural polyproylene ones)
  


• Assorted fragrances that you currently own or view the complete fragrance list from GoPlanetEarth.com.

The How-To:

1) Select the fragrances you would like to blend.

2) Using a clean, unused pipette draw out one part from Fragrance A and place into sampler tube. Using a clean, unused pipette draw out one part from Fragrance B and place into the sampler tube used for Fragrance A. Depending on the number of fragrances you have selected, continue to add one part of each fragrance.

3) Always use one pipetter for each fragrance selected. The same pipette used for Fragrance A should not be used for Fragrance B.

4) Add one part of each fragrance you selected into the sampler tube. You may not always be adding equal parts of each fragrance, but it's a good starting point. As you experiment with different fragrances, you may use 3 parts of one, 2 parts of another, etc. There will be ample opportunity to add additional parts as you sample your blend. Remember this is work in progress and the maturation of the blended scents isn't immediate so starting with one part is recommended.

5) Keeping a record of your blending experiments is critical. If you develop that perfect combination, you want to be able to duplicate it.

6) Once you have added fragrances, place cap on sampler tube and gently shake. Allow tube to set for 5 minutes so the scents have an opportunity to introduce themselves to each other. Uncap the tube and sample the early stages of the aroma. Do this by placing the tube 2-3 inches from your nose and sniffing the air. Again, record your thoughts. Does one fragrance seem to overpower another? Is one fragrance lost in the mix? Is something missing?

7) Recap the tube and allow to sit for a few hours so that the oils become better acquainted. Blending fragrances is somewhat like blending wine. You have to allow the different varieties to mature and intrigrate. Uncap and document your thought on the blend. Recap and allow tube to sit for a few days. This is when the scent will fully mature.

8) Uncap and make any adjustments. If scent A is overpowering, then add more of scent B (or C or D). Do you need to add a new fragrance to the blend, maybe even two? Document changes.

9) When adding more fragrance parts, you will need to repeat all of the above steps.

10) Hint: Smelling a number of different scents can overpower and diminish the sense of smell. Sniffing ground coffee will refresh and restore the sense of smell. Sniffing the armpit has also been recommended (honest engine!). Personally, I think I'll stick to coffee.

GOOD LUCK!!

All of the fragrances and essential oils found in the Fragrance Oil Blending Guide can be purchased at GoPlanetEarth.com. They offer an extensive selection of soap making supplies.

Carson's Cupcake Soaps

My 4-year old grandson, Carson, loves to come to NeeNee and Poppy's house on the weekends. Mostly because he and I make "soap stuff". We have matching aprons that we wear whenever we do soap "stuff". A couple of times I've grabbed an apron that didn't match his. Bad idea! He would have no part of it. Our aprons MUST match.


My grandson has no real concept of what I do for a living. He just knows it's about soap AND that NeeNee let's him help whenever she's experimenting with a new idea.

Well, this past weekend we made cupcake soaps. Carson's favorite part was picking out the scents and adding the sprinkles on top. He discovered a number of different sprinkles in the cupboard and (as you can see from the photo) used them all. His choice fragrance picks were strawberry, apple, bubblegum, and fudge brownies. I did the frosting and pouring of soap, other than that, he did most of the work himself. He put the soap chunks in the melting cup, adding the scent and color (and, of course, the sprinkles).

The base of each cupcake was poured into a paper cupcake holder. Once it set up, we piped the cupcake frosting on top (using a large zip lock bag). A table knife and (fingers) were used to shape the soap frosting. I'm still working on the perfect soap frosting recipe that's easy and works with melt and pour soap base. Once I have it down, I will be sharing with you. I was pretty pleased with the first go around. The frosting hardened nicely once applied making the soaps easy to wrap.

A bicycle made for soap?

The other day while web surfing, I happened upon a website named Just Soap where a bicycle is used to make soap. Of course, my curiousity was piqued and I had to learn more. As I read the bio on "why a bicycle" I found the concept to be downright ingenious. Founder, Frederick Breeden was able to combine two things he is passionate about (biking and soap) and transform them into something that provides both a living and a greater level of fitness.

This one-of-a-kind bicycle-powered soap blender uses a belt that turns a blade in a large stainless steel vat to stir the soap ingredients. It usually takes about two hours of pedaling to thicken up the soap for pouring. Near the end, the last 20 minutes or so, the pedaling gets pretty difficult.

So why the bicycle? Fredrick was making soap the traditional way, by hand stirring. It was taking him so long that he could only process 80 pounds of soap at a time. Since he loves to bike, it dawned on him that legs are much stronger than arms, so why not try to mix the soap with a bicycle. He searched for a bicycle builder to help design and build the contraption he now uses.

Fredrick has even taken his bicycle concept to the next level... he markets it! The website sells t-shirts advertising his unique soap making techinque. Way to go Fredrick!