Amy's Soap Challenge Week #10.. Landscape

This week Amy, at Great Cakes Soapworks, challenged us to create a landscape in soap. Believe me, this is not an easy challenge for a new soap maker but I gave it a go. 

Check out my "Breezy Day".

Breezy Day with low clouds :)

Looks like my breezy day had some low clouds... lol. Not sure what I was thinking when I put the white in there for the clouds without putting the blue for sky between the green. I was so worried that the soap was going to get too thick that I didn't even realized what I did until I cut it. Oh well!

I used some cut up soap for my flowers. I wish I would of had some brighter pieces but I honestly didn't have the desire to make soap just for the embeds. I am super busy with finals coming.

Anyway, I hope you like it .. I think it's pretty cute :) I have an idea for a sail boat now.. Ha Ha!!

Amy's Soap Challenge Week #9 - Soap Peaks

I have been super super busy with school and other life events. Barely squeezing in on this weeks challenge.


So here is my soap for Amy's Soap Challenge. Check it out here if you haven't already. There are so many talented soap makers :)


I made a Cafe Mocha soap. The pictures are a VERY fresh cut and they are just starting to turn dark brown. I used dark brewed coffee for my liquid and added a touch of cocoa powder to my espresso FO. Yumm! I hope they get really dark. I put a ton of white pearl mica in the tops so hope they stay lighter.

Amy's Soap Challenge Week #8 - Salt Bars

So it is week 8 of Amy's Soap Challenge. It's been so fun participating. If you haven't checked out the Soap Challenge you can click, here, to see all the info. Also check out Amy's website, she has so many nice goodies at Great Cakes Soapworks.


I decided to sit out this weeks challenge because I created a couple of salt bars during the challenge already. Since I don't sell my soaps I honestly didn't feel like having a half dozen more salt bars to add to the 20 or so I already have.


So, I will reintroduce my salt bar that I made.... Here is a picture and here is a link to my post AND the recipe. Enjoy!! :)

80% Coconut Oil, 10% Shea, 10% Castor and 20% SuperFat

Since coconut can be very drying I went with the 80/20 rule and superfatted big on my first batch. They are very firm and the individual molds made things a bit easier. The recipe is in the link above.

The loaf recipe was 77% Coconut Oil, 10% Castor, 10% Olive and 3% Shea and 20% SF. I also used half and half of fine and course sea salt at 80% ppo. They are pretty nice too. I split the soap up and colored it before I added the salt. Then I split the salt up and mixed it in and layered the colors. I liked making the colors in the loaf but using the individual molds are easier if you don't want the hassle of cutting them while they are warm.

This is what happens when you make soap when you are in a hurry. I put the cardboard on top without putting plastic between it and it during the oven process it puffed up and touched the cardboard and then it stuck to it. Then, in my hurry to cut it I cut such big pieces that you need a crane to pick one up. AND... They do not cut well (at all) after they cool down. They smell really nice... lol

Sweet Lemon Green Tea Homemade Soap

Sweet Lemon Green Tea Homemade Soap | Our Life Simplified
I found this wonderful recipe at the link above and decided this was the one.... 

So, this was my project today. It was my first try at hot process soap. We will see how it turns out tomorrow.


Stay tuned .. pictures to come :)

Next day:
This is the beginning of the cook. No it's not burning. My liquid is brewed tea so it was almost black. (I don't know what is up with this picture. It's not sideways in my file and I didn't take it sideways but it wants to be that way in my blog.. sigh)

The beginning of the cook. 

First cutting. Not too bad :)

Up close and personal

Moved to soap curing room

Finding a resting place next to last weeks soapie

Week 7 Soap Challenge... Gradient Color

So here it is.... ta da!! It's not what I had planed originally but it worked out ok.

China Rain

This is week #7 of Amy's Soap Challenge, if you haven't been following along or if you want to check it out click here. If you want to check out some of Amy's wonderful creations at Great Cakes Soapworks you can click here.


When I started this project I chose a recipe that I knew, or thought I knew, would give me some time to mix and pour it all. My lye temp was about 100 degrees and my oils were about 96 degrees. I added my FO to my oils, as I have been doing for a while now. I set my water percent at 38 and 6% super fat and off I went...


As an afterthought I decided to add sodium lactate to my batch. I chose the low amount recommended and added it to my lye water. Then I added my lye solution to my oils and proceeded to stir. I gave the stick blender a couple of shots to mix and bam!! My soap started to get thick in a hurry!! OMG!! Throw some color in it and get it in the mold!!!
So I've got my mold half way full of the soap mix and it suddenly thins up to a nice workable pudding state. Hmmm.. now what? I already colored all of the soap. I still have the titanium dioxide ready to use. I guess we are gonna do it a bit differently. I split some of the batter off kept adding a little more titanium dioxide to each layer until I got to the top then poured the rest of the lightest into the rest of the darkest and did an in the pot swirl and piled it on top.

I scented it with China Rain from Natures Garden. They describe the fragrance as "refreshing, clean aroma with top notes of fresh rose petals, middle notes of wisteria and cyclamen, bottom notes of sandlewood and vanilla". Kim said it was a great scent and it behaved and did not discolor so I'm checking it out. It's been a few days and it still looks the same and smells strong. 

My husband chose the fragrance and the color. Good job honey!! :)

Cream of Tomato Basil Homemade Soap | Our Life Simplified

Cream of Tomato Basil Homemade Soap | Our Life Simplified


This looks very interesting... I want to learn to HP so much!! I need to just jump and and be done with it!! lol
This blog is fantastic!

Busy Busy... and a rant for the day!

So it's been a while since I blogged. I have been so busy with school that I haven't had time to soap. I barely got my soap done for last weeks soap challenge. I will put pics up as soon as I unmold it. It sure was a bugger! I thought it was gonna seize on me so tossed the colorant in it and then I started to rush and get it in the mold and then it thinned out again. So, the first layer of  my gradient soap is half of my soap. Oh well, stuff happens, right? lol


I've also been spending a LOT of time researching how to hot process soap in a crock pot. I can't find anyone that will answer my questions straight out. Again with the people not wanting to share because they think I should suffer because they didn't have anyone to help them when they started. What is wrong with people???


So that is my gripe for today. lol


I have mid terms at school this week so hopefully I will be able to get a few soaping sessions in when I'm not cramming :)