First try.....

[Sterling]

Thanks Danielle! I appreciate the kind words!

: I spent many hours reading up on them before I even started to melt. I wanted to make sure I had all my ducks in a row so to speak before I got underway. So I read up on how to's and tips and troubleshooting. A lot to take in, but worth every minute of research!

We have been so humid and rainy since yesterday and today that they started to sweat. So I closed all the windows and doors and turned on the air conditioner and as soon as they get to drying and room temp mode I will wrap them so they don't shrink.

I'll check in on the candletech site again. Thanks for the info on the bronzer for the soaps. If I'm understanding this correctly, you do this after the soap has come out of the mold? Or do you pour it into the mold before pouring in the melted soap?

Well that soap became "caca" brown, lol, in a matter of a few days.

:new_rofl: I'm so glad you told me this!! Wow so much to learn!!!

OMG....Kathy's armed and ready!!!! :aktion033:

I'm like a sponge I want to soak up everything on melt and pour soap! The little toys I actually found at Michaels...altho they did'nt have that big of a section for soaps there nor at AC Moore, but I went and looked down the aisle and they had some little animals. I've also heard you can get some at Walmart or try the dollar store which would be much cheaper than Michaels. I picked up this pack because, well since I was already there and had not planned on going to Walmart, I made do.

You'll have to share with us some soaps as soon as you get some going...let us know how you make out!

 

[Danielle_E.]

Add the bronze powder AFTER the soap is in the mold you are using and only apply the powder once the "skin" has formed on the top, otherwise it will all just disappear deep down when you move it around on the top with the paint brush.

I found you a great site that has some great recipes for all to try out and it has a variance of the recipe for the "popsicle" one. You use the popsicle mold (one part popsicle) that you can readily get at any store when you make the real thing.

:saludando:

Boy am I stupid or what, forgot to give you the link, lol. Sorry about that... here it is

soap and body products to make

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

www.newdirectionsaromatics.com, I like candletech too, but it seems to be down alot. There really are alot of good sites out there just do a google search on soap making forums. Here is a few hints for those new to M&P, if you get alot of bubbles, you can put rubbing alcohol in a spritzer and just give your soap a good spritz. If you ever want to harden your soap up a little bit, use stearic acid, if you want to make your soap more creamy, you can add caster oil (I use one teas. to one lb, but you can adjust this) and you can add vegetable glycerine and it will really help with lather in M&P base, another thing is if your having problems with M&P sweating, you can add aloe vera liquid to it, and wrapping it immediately after taking it out the mold helps. I wrap mine in saren wrap and have never had any problems with it sweating, or you can buy a low sweat base. There is so much you can do with m&p.I have a book called the Complete Soapmaker, it has alot of really good recipes in but they are all for CP soap, but you sure can get some good ideas for mp as well, but you can also find alot of good recipes on the net as well. Corinne

 

[Sterling]

Danielle...ok so the bronzer I would add after the soap is all said and done. BTW are you brushing bronzer on what would be considered the bottoms of the soap? Are you using like a loaf style to pour your soaps and then cutting them up? If I were to use a regular mold, I would turn it over after the soap has set and that side would be my top portion, then I'd brush the bronzer on that?...am I making sense? The reason I ask is that the tops of your soaps have a texture on the tops of them. I just love those green ones with the embedded orange chips.

Corinne....I checked out that website you posted and bookmarked that forum page...lots of good info there! I'm off to wrap my soaps! :bgrin

 

[Danielle_E.]

The bronze is on the top of the soap. The soap I did before which was a melt and pour, will post a pic here, also had the bronze powder on the top. With CP it's easier to get a "texture" to the top of your soap because, depending when you pour it into whatever mold you are using, it is "thicker" then when you pour your melt and pour. You can pour a CP soap when it's not as thick, more like MP (melt and pour) but I prefer to place in the mold at a medium "trace". It's also easier to do a "swirl" in the CP soap. It can be done in MP but is trickier to do. I didn't use my usual soap mold for that batch as it was a rebatch and quite thick when I put in the mold. Couldn't pour it, just glopped in into the mold and pressed down, lol. Now the one I am putting a picture of here is a melt and pour which I did the bronze on. What I did to get this effect is grated some already colored pieces I had and placed at the bottom of a square microwave/dishwasher safe plastic square pan, bought at the $ store. I poured the clear melt and pour and let it cool just a tad, then I put more shredded pieces and then poured an opaque glycerine on top. I then finished with a bit more grated bits on top and it sank a bit, then I waited till a skin formed on the top and put some bronze poweder and then used the paint brush to move it around the top and voila, the result!

 

[REO]

I love all the soaps you ladies have made! Do any of you make ones that smell like roses with rose pettals in them? Or violets? Those would be so nice!

Or soap that smells like coffee!!!

Or a cup with chocolate soap in it and then with a white glob of soap on top (or tiny "marshmallows")

and they would look like and smell like hot chocolate! Yummy!

 

[Equuisize]

Gosh robin has some really good ideas going there..

I'm for the one that'd look like hot chocloate.

Have to say I'm getting intrigued!

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

Thats a good idea for hot chocolate soap! I do make chocolate chip cookies soap, with tiny bits of dark choco for the "chips". I did try a coofee soap, but I didtn care for the smell of the soap at all. Just adding ground up coffee dont do anything to it, and the oil I bought was YUCK! I do alot of rose soaps for people, and I do have real rose petals in mine. I have some glycerine and rose water soaps in molds right now. With all my 100's of African violets Ihave, I really should start saving the flowers and do a violet bar. The only thing I dont care to do with soaps is use some clays, it sure can make a nice new washcloth a big old mess after using it just once. If I feel ambitious today, I might do some almond meal soaps, or confetti soap. If I do I will post pics. Corinne

 

[Just Us N Texas]

Okay, I got interested in the melt and pour soaps when I saw the horse molds. Then ideas started going around in my mind as to who would like what on my Christmas list. I don't live too near a Michael's or a JoAnn's, so thought I would look on the net. I looked at the two web sites you had links to, so now I am going to google M&P soap making. Of course, I set aside today to clean carpets, and where am I. Not doing carpets, but sitting at the computer instead! I never got into candlemaking, my cousin did, and made some of the most delicious smelling candles you ever saw. Maybe some of her essences would work in the soap?

Edited for spelling

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

Some candle scents will work with soaps, and some wont. You need to watch your flash points. Corinne

 

[Hosscrazy]

Sterling - you have always been soooo creative, and these soap bars are awesome!!!! Looks like a lot of fun!!!!

Liz R.

 

[minis3]

Well, you all have me excited about soap making too. I ordered supplies, including the horse mold, from Brambleberry yesterday. I really liked this site. Today I went to JoAnn Fabrics, which is a 25 minute drive one way for me, and got more soap supplies. Just couldn't wait to get started and didin't want to have to wait for my order from Brambleberry to arrive.

I can hardly wait to get started. Just doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day though. Hope to get started by tomorrow at the latest. I have learned so much from everyone's posts here. And I love seeing all your creations and learning how you did it. Please keep pictures and ideas coming.

 

[REO]

My hot chocolate soap in a mug idea: The soap can be chocolate discs stacked in the mug with just the top one having marshmallows. Then they can be used. What a pretty gift that would be!

A small pie tin. Soaps made to smell and look like wedges of apple pie and put in the tin to look like a pie!

Wouldn't that smell good? Apples & cinnamon!

Do you remember those round, flat colorful lolipops on a stick? Looked like a big disc of twisted color.

Would it be possible to twist 2 colors of soap and coil (a clay term) into a disc and put it on a stick to look like a lolipop soap?

Gee, it must be my snack time! :bgrin

If anyone uses my ideas, I'd love to see what you made!

 

[Danielle_E.]

Reo, those are already out there :bgrin . I will find you the links for you to drool over some of the creations that have been made by some with melt and pour soap bases

This is the link I posted on another thread. It has soap that looks like food and they look soooooo real. When you get in the site click on the "menu" on the left hand side to see all the different food looking soaps.

Soap that looks like food

Olay this one is not food but you MUST look at these. They are soaps made to look like rocks, like semi-precious stones, enjoy

rock soaps

It's funny REO that you mention lollipops because that is one of the things I am going to make, for kids. I am going to make them look like "tootsie pops" kind of sucker, round, made out of clear glycerine with a bit a mix of opaque and colored and scented bubblegum, lime, orange, cherry, etc. or course on a stick in a bunch and wrapped with a ribbon and wrapped in cellophane, just like the real thing. Will post a pick when I get them done.

Here you go, lots of pies...

pies, etc.

 

[Sterling]

Awww Liz...thank you! You are way too kind!!!

:

I took a look at the soap rock site and that is awesome!!! Looks like the sky's the limit when it comes to soaps!!!

Robin...I don't think I can make any of those yummy munchies because I'm only using melt and pour....I'm learning tho! How about an oatmeal/cinnamon bar? Man does that one smell GOOD!!!

Carolyn...thanks for the soap link I got it in my pm.

minis3...welcome aboard! LOL...this is so much fun...I did'nt think so many people would be interested in it...I'm glad Danielle started to post her creative soaps! I've always been intrigued. Candles...especially the gel ones peaked my interest, but I think for now I'm really enjoying the soaps.

I went to JoAnn Fabrics today and got a couple more things...not much of supplies there. But I'm planning to place an online order for molds and mica between tonight and tomorrow.

 

[Cathy_H]

Another fun project you might all like to try is the "scented bears". Just do a search "scented bear

................. Do you dip the bears in soap like you do the ones in candle wax? I have made several candle dipped scented bears & a bunny.......... By the way I bought the plush bears and bunny at Goodwill. You soap makers looking for small animals can find those at Goodwill also.

 

[Danielle_E.]

No, not dipped in soap, they are dipped in soy wax. I haven't ever made them but I have co-workers that want me to make them, lol. I have an order from 5 from one person and 3 from another so guess what I am doing next weekend, lol. The one with the order for 5 wants them all cats, the other wants bears. I want to make the horse ones and as I mentioned I found a supplier, wholesale, with some really sweet looking ones that look like minis. My sister being a cat lover I want to make her one for Christmas as well. Don't ask me when I am going to find time to do all of this, lol. I have a slew of CP soaps to make this weekend too, that I HAVE to do because of the cure time required if I am going to fill the Christmas orders I have for those At least the soap making and such will keep me busy all winter which is "fun" because I abhore winter, well until after Christmas and then all the snow could go away as far as I am concerned

:

 

[REO]

Those are neat! The donuts are too cute! I've never seen shaped soap before. I thought I was being inventive LOL! But I still didn't see any apple pie, hot chocolate or the big lolipops. I'll wait to see if any of you make one!

I love seeing what you all make! :aktion033:

Ooh!! Another idea just came to me! Ones that look like those fancy Christmas ornaments! The ones with jewels and ribbons. They could be like those soap on a ropes, but will have holiday scents and be great for Christmas decor!

 

[Sterling]

I know......Robin can be our resident "Designer"!!! What great ideas you've come up with REO!!!!

:

Last year at my craft fair I saw those scented teddy bears one lady was selling at her booth. They were wrapped in clear wrap...adorable!!! I have to say it's unfortunate, but many people I would see passing them by...they would stop and were interested in them, but when they found out the price they would shake their heads and walk away. A lot of people don't know what time and hard work goes into hand made crafts not to mention the $$ for the supplies. I tell you what I (and my family included) would much rather venture out during the holiday season and shop for handcrafted gifts at craft fairs and such than to fight the crowds at the malls and stores. It's so neat to see things created by non-factory machines and with your own hands.

 

[Danielle_E.]

I have no idea what the woman was selling them for that you saw but the larger the stuffed animal of course the more scent throw. Some make the little ones that you can put in your car, some the mid-size ones that you can put in a bedroom or bathroom and then the larger ones to go in a living room/family room. Being that they can last for 2 years I don't think they are expensive if you are buying room freshners during a 2 year period, probably a heck of alot cheaper to buy the scented stuff animal. The nice thing about them, perhaps the woman didn't market them very well, is you have to let people know that if the scent starts to fade a bit you take out your blow dryer and heat it up for a minute or so and voila, scent is back. Also the woman should have sold them a bottle of the scent she used so that in the event that they want it stronger or if after a year they want to renew it more, than they just sprits it on the bear. A 7 inch bear or stuffed animal diped and scented with a bottle at its side shouldn't be priced more than $15. Maybe the woman wasn't getting her stuffed animals wholesale? The cat ones I plan on making will also have balls of wool that will be scented so the scene will be the cat with the balls of wool playing. You can get as creative as you want with these. Dip the bear and dress in whatever, lets say someone is a golfer or someone is a nurse or someone wants it's for a bday, you can personalize them and I think that is what people enjoy. I will let you know how it goes and post pics when I get one done.