A quarterly publication from Soapylove 速 for melt & pour soap crafting.
Summer 2009 Create Beautiful Handmade Rainbows Fun New Dotty Soap Technique
Throw A DIY Soap Making Party!
Summery Strawberry Shortcake Loaf Soaps Soapylove Workshops Exclusive Discounts on Supplies and Classes
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How to Throw Your Own DIY Soap Making Party
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Party Tips
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Treat Bags and Theme Ideas
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Rainbow Hearts Soap Tutorial
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Dotty Soap Technique
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Dotty Soap Variations
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Strawberry Shortcake Loaf Soap Tutorial
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Soapylove Workshop Dates
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Supply Source Directory Community Cork Board Printable name tags Printable table station signs All content of Let’s Get Soapy is copyright protected. None of the tutorials or written content can be duplicated or sold without permission. However, all soap designs are free for you to make and sell. Enjoy!
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Summer is coming! Flowers, fruit, bright colors, and warm weather clothes are just the ticket to get us out of the house and enjoy the changing seasons. This issue of Let's Get Soapy is bringing you a great reason to get your friends together and spend some quality time outside - throw a soap making party! I'm making it really easy with a supply list, treat bag ideas, printable name tags and station signs, and a list of helpful pointers. Whether you're getting the neighborhood kids or your best friends together for a crafting day, everyone will love this fun and useful party theme! Just for you are 2 new summery soap projects and a brand new technique that is fun and leaves a lot of room for your own creativity. As usual, Let's Get Soapy is packed full of tips, tricks, and a complete resource directory to get you going on your next soap adventure. So let's get the party started! Have fun!
Debbie, Soapylove速
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Glycerin soap making is totally addictive because 1) you get to play with color, 2) you get to play with fragrances and 3) you get something really useful in the end! People of every age enjoy it. That’s why it’s the perfect project for a party!
Here’s what you’ll need: 8 oz of clear soap base per guest A crock pot if you’re having more than 4 guests (just microwave each guest’s soap in their glass cups if you only have a few friends coming) Liquid colorants—fuchsia, red, yellow, and blue. Soap glitter A few fragrance oils (1 oz bottles are plenty) A few soap molds (each guest will make 2 soaps so plan accordingly) A cup of plastic spoons or popsicle sticks for stirring (4 per guest) One pipette per bottle of fragrance oil or 1/4 teaspoon measure A spray bottle of rubbing alcohol A freezer
Step 1: Serve Soap 1 hour before your guest arrive, cut up soap base into 1” cubes and put into crock pot. Turn on high until soap mostly melts, then turn to low. Keep the cover on. When your guests are ready to make soap (instruct them to bring their own 2 cup
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Pyrex cup to the party), ladle 6 oz (3/4 cup) of melted soap.
Step 2: Add Colorant Have bottles of liquid colorant at the next station. Instruct guests to stir in a few drops of color at a time until they get the shade they like. Encourage them to mix colors to create their own shade.
Step 3: Add Glitter Put soap glitter into some kind of shaker. I used a clean spice jar. Allow guests to sprinkle the glitter into their soap and stir thoroughly.
Step 4: Add Fragrance For 6 oz of soap, 1 mL of fragrance oil will be plenty. I like the plastic pipettes with measurement markings on them, but you can also use 1/4 teaspoon if you don’t have pipettes. Have guests put oil into their soap and stir well.
Step 5: Pour into Molds Have guests choose their molds and fill 2 cavities (or more depending on size of molds). Spray lightly with alcohol. Allow to set on table for 5 minutes. Carefully move molds into a freezer, and after 15 minutes, turn mold over and press on back until soap pops out. If it sticks, return to freezer for a few minutes. 5
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Use an inexpensive table cloth to cover your work surface since soap and fragrance oil drips will probably happen. If you have children at your party, you may want to have the crock pot away from the main work area since it is hot. Let your guests be self sufficient by placing station signs on your table and having all related supplies there. This way you’re able to do other things while they help themselves. Have paper lunch bags and a pen ready for when your guests unmold their soaps. They can write their name on a bag and easily put their soaps inside. Plastic treat bags are pretty but the soaps are a bit tacky when fresh and are hard to get into plastic. Have a roll of paper towels and a sponge on the table for any mishaps.
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Treat Bags and Theme Ideas! When you’re in the party spirit, it’s fun to put together treat bags for your guests. It’s certainly important to keep it affordable, though. Some inexpensive items you can put together are: •
Bottles of bubbles • Soap dishes • Washcloths • Bath poufs • Lip glosses • Bubble bath
With the right colors and fragrances, you can also customize this party idea to fit some popular themes. Here are some ideas:
Bridal Shower
Baby Shower
80’s PARTY
Soap base: White
Soap base: White
Soap base: Clear
Colors: Purple, Red, Blue
Colors: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow
Colors: Neons or fuschia, yellow, and blue
Fragrances: Lavender, Rose, Lilac, any florals
Fragrances: Oatmeal, Fragrances: Candy Honey, Almond, Baby scents Powder Mold shapes: Roses, Mold shapes: Stars, hearts, basic round and Mold shapes: Baby hearts, rainbows square bars. blocks, animals Treat bags: Rubber Treat bags: Lotion, Treat bags: Soap dish, bracelets, 80’s CD’s, tinted lip gloss, candles, little toy, bath pouf, chap sticks, scratch n’ loofah sniff stickers bubble bath 7
Soap Tutorial One of the things I love about glycerin soap is how clear it is, and when you layer colored sheets it acts like stained glass! In this project, you will layer strips of primary colored soap to make a rainbow of colors. It takes some time but you will love the results!
Supplies: 2 lb clear soap base, cut into 1/2” cubes 12 oz ultra clear soap base, cut into 1/2” cubes 1 lb white soap base, cut into 1/2” cubes 1/2 teaspoon Watermelon fragrance oil Non-bleeding liquid soap colors in hot pink, red, yellow, and blue 8” square silicone brownie pan with shiny surface Ruler Rubbing alcohol in spray bottle 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup 2 1/2” - 3” heart cookie cutter, at least 1” deep Spoon or craft sticks to stir with Knife and cutting board
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Heat 6 oz of clear soap base in the microwave for 45 seconds. Stir until all remaining lumps are melted. Stir in 3 drops of red colorant (you want the color to be bright but sheer), pour into silicone pan, and spray with alcohol. Allow to harden and peel out. Repeat for yellow, blue, and hot pink. Cut 1/4” off of 2 adjacent sides, then cut sheets 8
into 1” wide strips. Cut one in half lengthwise so you have 1/2” wide strips to fill in edges if you need to. •
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Heat 12 oz of ultra clear soap. Let cool to 130 degrees. Pour 1/2 of the soap into pan. Quickly lay yellow and pink strips in pan, alternating colors and spacing them 1/4” apart. Spray with alcohol and let set. Reheat remaining ultra clear for 10 seconds if necessary. Allow to cool to 130 degrees again. Spray set soap in pan with alcohol. Pour melted clear soap into pan and lay red and blue strips, alternating colors and centering each strip over the gaps between the yellow and pink strips. Spray with alcohol and allow to set (if your soap starts to form a skin before all strips are How strips will be layered laid in, spray with alcohol to dissolve the skin and quickly finish). Melt the white soap and stir in fragrance oil. Allow to cool to 120 degrees. You want to make sure this soap is nice and cool so you don’t melt your beautiful strips! Spray set soap in pan with alcohol, then pour in all of the white soap. Spray with alcohol to pop any bubbles. Allow to harden completely. Unmold pan of soap and cut into bars with heart cutter..
Tips! Cut the soaps within 1 hour of unmolding or they may be too hard to push your cutter through.
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For extra 80’s appeal, cut the hearts so the rainbow is on a diagonal. “Erase” any fingerprints you made when pushing your soap out of the cookie cutter by dipping your finger in some water and smoothing the prints away. 9
Dotty Soap Technique
In last season’s issue, the Rainbow Fantasy Soap got me thinking. If I could use an injector tool to fill a mold’s designs, can I use one to create my own freehand design? Yes! This fun and super versatile technique makes any of your basic molds a blank canvas for dots. Here’s how you do it: Plan your design. Since this will be a multicolored design, you will want to use nonbleeding colorants or micas to color your soap. Set up. You need a pipette or injector tool. Also, get a small mug for your colored soap and another mug for hot water. You’ll need to quickly rinse out your pipette once you apply your dots.
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Let’s do it! Melt and color a small amount of soap—maybe 1 oz max. Suck some up into your pipette and squeeze a few drops back into your mug to get rid of bubbles. Drip dots onto your mold. Work fairly quickly so your soap doesn’t set up in your pipette. When done, squeeze extra soap back into your soap mug, then suck hot water into your pipette. Suck and squeeze hot water until your pipette is clean. Repeat for other colors if you’re doing more. Finish your soap. Now melt enough soap to fill your mold. The trick here is that your dots are really thin and sensitive to melting, so I suggest you wait until your remaining soap is practically jelling to pour over your dots. When ready, spray your dots with alcohol and top off with very cool soap. Unmold when solid and cut into shapes/bars if desired.
Tip! You’ll notice I used a plastic food storage container as my mold. I have a whole bunch of these in different sizes. Just look for containers that have flat, smooth bottoms. Avoid logos or other details since these designs will show up on your soap surface! I find that the cheapest ones tend to be the most design free since they’re not boasting any brand names. 11
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways... Layer dots colored with iridescent mica to create cloud shapes, then cover with pink shimmery soap. Pretty!
If you hold a curved mold in your hand and patiently apply dots, letting them set before turning the mold, you can do 3-D shapes!
Even if you just drip colors from your mug and forget the pipette completely, you can get neat cobblestone effects!
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Strawberry Shortcake Loaf Soap Tutorial Loaf soaps are really fun to make, plus they’re very efficient! I love unmolding a batch and cutting up 12 soap bars, ready to sell. A dessert inspired style like this would make a great presentation at a craft fair or summer festival. Your customers will love a fresh slice!
Supplies: 8 oz clear soap base, cut into 1/2” cubes 2 lb white soap base, cut into 1/2” cubes 1 teaspoon Strawberry Jam fragrance oil Non-bleeding liquid red colorant Yellow oxide colorant Silicone strawberry mold 2 lb flexible loaf mold Rubbing alcohol in spray bottle Food thermometer 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup Spoon or craft sticks to stir with Knife and cutting board 13
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Put clear soap chunks into Pyrex cup and heat in microwave – start with 30 seconds. Stir until all chunks are melted. You can heat it for 10 seconds more if needed. Stir in a generous amount of red colorant. Pour into strawberry mold, allow to set at room temperature, then put in freezer for 5 minutes until hard. Unmold. Repeat until you have made around 45 berries. In 4 cup Pyrex, melt approx. 20 oz of white soap. Stir in fragrance oil, then a small amount of yellow oxide (if colorant is powdered, dissolve in a few squirts of alcohol first). Use a photo to help match cake color. Pour 10 oz of cake soap into mold. Allow to cool until a firm skin has formed on top. Meanwhile, melt the remaining white soap in your 2 cup Pyrex. Let cool to 120 degrees. Spray cake soap layer with alcohol, then pour in enough white soap just to cover the cake layer . Quickly scatter about 15 berries into white soap. Cover berries with melted white soap and stuff 15 more berries into spaces. RESERVE 5 OZ OF WHITE SOAP FOR TOP LAYER. Spray with alcohol to pop bubbles and help white soap run around berries. Allow to harden. Reheat leftover cake soap for 20 seconds or so until completely melted again. Spray berry layer with alcohol and pour all of remaining cake soap on top. Allow to harden. Reheat reserved 5 oz of white soap. Spray hardened cake layer with alcohol and pour white soap on top. Instructions continued... 14
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Using a spoon, start to push around white soap until it starts to form a skin. Keep pushing it around as it sets, creating a textured, thickened soap. While it’s still warm and a bit soft, spray with alcohol and push your remaining berries into the soap, creating a decorative row. Allow soap to set in loaf mold overnight or put into freezer for 15 minutes. Pull edges of mold away from sides and invert. The weight of the soap will help it fall out of the mold. If it needs some help, gently push on bottom until it falls out. To slice, use a cutting board and unserrated knife. You can mark widths or eyeball it.
Tips! If you’re not sure how much soap your mold holds, fill it up with water and pour into a measuring cup. Use this much melted soap to fill your mold. Did you noticed that I only scented the cake soap? This is so my fragrance didn’t tint my white “cream” soap so it stayed beautifully bright white, like real whipped cream. If you find that your red colorant is a bit too pink, add a drop of blue ultramarine colorant to make it a richer, deeper tone—more like real strawberries. Did you have some rebellious berries that wouldn’t stick to the top? Dip into some clear melted soap, spray white soap with alcohol, and glue on. 15
Soapylove Summer Schedule Come join me in person and let’s make beautiful soaps together! April 11 “Fun with Shapes and Molds” at The Nova Studio in Point Richmond, CA Learn how to use molds to make super unique melt and pour soaps. You will use and take home soap and non-soap molds, plus other special tools to create adorable multi-colored 3 dimensional soaps. For more info, go to www.thenovastudio.com (and see special discount on page 18!) May 12-14 HSMG Soap Conference at the Miramonte Resort in Indian Wells, CA Come to this amazing educational and networking opportunity. I will be there and would love to meet you! For more info, go to www.soapguild.com July 17-19 Soapmaking Weekend Intensive at Otion Soap Bar in Bellingham, WA Don’t miss this awesome weekend packed full of great classes covering cold process soapmaking, lotions, and my class—glycerin soap crafting! Last year was a blast. Don’t miss it—only 12 spaces available! For more info, go to www.otionsoap.com (Let’s Get Soapy readers get $25 off if you sign up before April 15! See page 18 for info) New classes are scheduled often, so stay up to date by visiting the Soapylove Daily Ditties Blog at www.soapylove.blogspot.com.
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Supply Source Directory Page 4—DIY Soap Party Items: Soap base, fragrance oils, LabColors soap colorants, soap glitter, pipettes, and molds. Check out the new Soapylove supply line for helpful kits! From: www.brambleberry.com
Page 8—Rainbow Heart Soaps Items: Red non-bleeding liquid colorant, blue ultramarine colorant, regular clear soap base, white soap base, and Watermelon fragrance oil From: www.brambleberry.com Items: Neon Hibiscus Pink and Daffodil Yellow liquid colorants From: www.oregontrailsoaps.com Items: Ultra Clear Soap Base From: www.thechemistrystore.com Item: Silicone brownie pan From: Wilton Ultra-Flex from www.bedbathandbeyond.com
Page 10—Dotty Soap Technique Items: Neon Hibiscus Pink and Daffodil Yellow liquid colorants From: www.oregontrailsoaps.com Items: Pipettes, purple non-bleeding colorant, white soap base From: www.brambleberry.com
Page 13—Strawberry Shortcake Loaf Soap Items: Clear soap base, white soap base, red non-bleeding liquid colorant, yellow oxide colorant, 2.5 lb loaf mold (clear plastic) From: www.brambleberry.com Item: Silicone strawberry mold From: www.ebay.com Search “silicone strawberry mold” for lots of options. I used a medium 1/2 strawberry mold. Or try www.creativeilluminations.com 17
Supply Source Directory, Cont’d Page 13—Strawberry Shortcake Loaf Soap, cont’d Item: Strawberry Jam fragrance oil From: www.saveonscents.com
Community Corkboard Order from Bramble Berry and get 10% off all molds and fragrance oils! Just enter “SOAPYLOVE10” when you check out and the discount will be taken off your order before your card is charged. www.brambleberry.com. Free shipping on all Soapylove Soapy Pops! Enter “INDIEFREE” at checkout! www.soapylove.com The Indie Beauty Network (IBN) helps independent (indie) business owners to maximize their potential through small business ownership. We are a business organization, dedicated to serving our members' business needs so they can focus on earning a fair profit and growing their companies. Our member benefits include a state of the art affordable products liability insurance program, worldwide media and promotional opportunities and discounts on professional services and supplies. www.indiebeautynetwork.com Having troubles with a recipe or just wondering how to make something? Join the Teach Soap Forum and chat with other soap junkies like you! It’s lots of fun and you’re bound to learn something new! www.teachsoap.com/forum/ Special offer for Subscribers only: $5 off your next class at The Nova Studio in Point Richmond, CA. Mention “Let’s Get Soapy”. 1 per person, must be redeemed when signing up via mailed check. Visit www.thenovastudio.com or call 510-234-5700 for more information. Get $25 off the enrollment fee for the Soapmaker’s Weekend Intensive at Otion Soaps in Bellingham, WA, 7/17-7/19! Enter SOAPYLOVE EZINE when signing up online. Good through April 15 only, so hurry! www.otionsoap.com 18
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Step 1: Get 6 oz of soap Fold under and tape folded flaps together 20
Step 2: Stir in a few drops of color Fold under and tape folded flaps together 21
Step 3: Sprinkle in soap glitter Fold under and tape folded flaps together 22
Step 4: Squeeze in 1 mL of fragrance oil Fold under and tape folded flaps together 23
Step 5: Pour into molds. Spritz with alcohol. Done! Fold under and tape folded flaps together 24