Crafty1

Love it very nice

no tips for you but the young i ordered some wedding labels from on Etsy uses this machine and the labels were beautfiul, vibrant and centered on round 2" label stock. They looked so nice that I have even considered getting one of the machines.

That is too funny

I get mine from Scent Works, however I did order one with my last order from Oregon Trail and their's smells the same if not better than SW. Not sure how OT's performs in products yet but I will be testing it soon

i have received a couple sale from my fan page. here is mine

www.facebook.com/kkfans

Not sure if she is still around or not, but try over at the Dish

I am stopping impluse purchases. For the items I don't buy in bulk I will start that. I will also be limiting my fragrance selection.

i can't make the comparsion b/w OLL and LBS but I will say I get all my labels for onlinelabels and one style i get are the laser crystal clear. and they live up to their name. I have only had one issue with them which was I got the wrong order, however the fixed it immediately.

Thanks for the information. I am going to try that next time Off to the store to buy olive oil. My tests with the bars of only stearic are looking good, but the weighing of them is showing that is still loosing about .2 to .4 oz each day... which I don't think is going to withstand the length of time I want out of a shower bar.

cool. that is a good idea i will weigh the bar after each use

Candybee just wanted to make you aware of my results with your suggestions. I added 1 tsp of stearic, 1/2 tsp of coconut and olive to 1 pound of base. it made my bars much harder that they were with out and i tried a bar in the shower last night and generally after one use the bar would look as though nearly half of is disappeared. this time the bar looks like i was hoping as if you still have a great deal of soap to go.

I love the castor oil too! It makes such a lovely creamy rich bar of soap.

SFIC is definitely a soft base and needs additives to harden.

Along with the castor oil, try adding 1 tsp palm stearic; 1 tsp coconut oil; and 1/2 tsp olive oil to 1 lb base. After unmolding your finished soap let it set overnite to harden. It should be noticeably harder the next day. Try that bar of soap and if you still think its soft you can increase the palm stearic and CO in 1/2 tsp increments til you get a rock hard bar.

This is the recipe I use and my customers always tell me my how long my soap lasts!

Thanks again. I will try this tonight.

can't answer either of your questions because I am still experimenting with melt and pour myself. However, to combat the problem with the powdered oxide, I add a little glycerin to mine in a cup then incoporate it into the warm soap. It worked like a charm for me.

Different additives will have different effects on your soap; eg. coconut oil or olive oil added to the melted base will help harden the soap and add moisturizing and conditioning qualities.

Some bases last longer (as a finished soap) than others. The reason may be the base is soft and melts in the bath/shower faster. To fix this try additives to harden your base; coconut oil, olive oil, palm stearic, beeswax, etc. You can use one or any combo. If you use OO use sparingly as this one tends to make your soap greasy if you use too much-- 1/2 to 1 tsp per lb.

I typicaly use 1 tsp palm stearic; 1/2 to 1 tsp CO; and 1/2 to 1 tsp OO to one lb of soap to harden it and add moisturizing and conditioning.

For a creamy soap add a TBS of milk; powdered or fresh or canned. If powdered then you need to reconstitute it before adding to base or you may get lumps. I add canned GM or Coconut milk to my soaps and it makes them creamy. I also add 1/2 to 1 tsp castor oil to 1 lb of base for ultra creamy bars and super moisturizing.

:yay::yay: Thank you very much. Your information has helped alot and possibly solved my dilemma with my test bar. I added 1 TBS of Castor Oil PPO and boy it felt really good on the skin but it disappeared too fast. I will be experimenting some more tonight so I am gonna try your recommendations with the stearic, olive and coconut oil.

I don't know where you are getting your base from, but I am having that to. I am playing around with coconut oil and stearic acid (i baught the palm stearic). I tried beeswax, but had to add additional additives since my bubbles dissapeared with the beeswax. All of which is supposed to be harden up the bar. I just poured some yesterday with just stearic and will start testing that to see what happens. You may want to give that a try as well.

thanks I am using the SFIC base and I love the way it feels on my skin particularly the bar with added castor oil but it just disappears too fast for me. I guess because I have gotten use to CP bars.

i think if i want cocoa, shea, goats milk etc. in my base that i will just buy that base. i have been experimenting with additives to the clear base and it seems that the soap tends to disappear faster than those that are just melted down with added fragrance opposed to added fragrance, oils, butters, etc. any thoughts on this?

Thanks CandyBee. I have found a base that I am pleased with. I was moreso trying to figure out whether or not I will get the same benefits from adding goats milk to a clear base rather than buying a goats milk base

cool. thanks for replying.

Okay I am a CP girl that is now starting to venture into the world of melt and pour. well i ventured into it a while ago but didn't stick with it, now i am back. Just wanted to know from you M&P gurus if you find that the cocoa butter, shea, goats milk, etc. bases are a waste of money? What I mean is would it be more economical to add at the recommended amount the butters/milk/etc. to a clear base vs. buying multiple bases? I guess I am looking for a way to 1) cut storage space and 2) unncessary spending. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

anyone?

Okay I am a CP girl that is now starting to venture into the world of melt and pour. well i ventured into it a while ago but didn't stick with it, now i am back. Just wanted to know from you M&P gurus if you find that the cocoa butter, shea, goats milk, etc. bases are a waste of money? What I mean is would it be more economical to add at the recommended amount the butters/milk/etc. to a clear base vs. buying multiple bases? I guess I am looking for a way to 1) cut storage space and 2) unncessary spending. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

have you looked on unlimited molds, they have really cute cookie molds, i have a few.

http://unlimitedmolds.com

thanks for this link, never hear of them

Try here it looks like the Sugar cookie Mold.

http://www.flexiblemolds.com/cookies__candy.htm

Barbara AL

thanks i ended up ordering the whoopie pie mold from them. i should have it soon

umm can't comment on the EZ sweetner, but i will say the water content would concern me. i use the sugar kisses flavor oil from MMS to sweeten my balms.

Does anyone have a source for a mold that looks like this

http://www.brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/2008/11/20/Itzy%20Bitzy%20macaron.jpg

try MMS as well

yes, so that customers will know how to get more