Spellkast

Christina- I'd be more than happy to send you a shea butter sample (it'll last a LONG time) as LONG as you incorporate me into your fun dreams next time Lemme know what scent you want and I'll send one your way- I think I still have your addressfrom the soap

I love almost everything from WSP- I bought about 12 gallons of their surplus suspension gel when they still had it. My second pick would be the concentrate...and Marj- I've used it as a shampoo and find it to be wonderful- not drying like I expected it to be. TONS of lather, too, almost overran my head!!!

OOOOOOHHHH!!! What is soapmaker!?!?!?!

I got this a while back http://www.herbalsoapsbyrj.com/category/category/category.php?CID=64 It's a LOT cheaper and simpler...just pour your bath bomb ingredients into it and tap really hard on it...it compresses everything so the bombs don't fall apart...plus, I really like the shape more than the large balls. They're more appropriate for one bath, and I really like the way they look wrapped in foil- (which they also sell on that site.) Sorry if this doesn't help ya, but it's worth looking at for $8!

You are on a ROLL, girl!!! Congratulations!!! You better get a copy of the show and send it to all of us! Do you have a storefront, or are they coming to your workshop? That is just such great news- you are seriously gonna hit it big! And you have great products- so just talk them up and you'll be fine! Nothing to be nervous about! Think of it like you're talking to about 6,000 customers at once! Such a great opportunity...good for you!

I know Valleygrls98 is trying out some recipes for some- and I know she isn't going to be selling them for super outrageous prices (like some other websites I've seen.) I BELIEVE her website is www.the-agape-shop.com, but I don't think she'll have them up yet. There was also a thread about this on here not too long ago- I felt as though some of the prices on the websites listed were a bit high, though. But, I'm cheap!

I like NG's Grape better than theie muscadine- it smells more true and the muscadine reminds me of cough syrup for some reason!

Ya know, Bunny...I so needed a good laugh today and I swear my stomach hurts now from laughing so hard!!! And like Glo said, the size of the cucumber doesn't matter- it's how you soap with it....I'm going the PG route here

I did this the other night and it was so not as complicated as I thought it would be I took some of the oils aside and added my color (some cinnamon) 1 TBS per pound of oils of Oatmeal, Honey powder and Goat Milk Powder and blended them until they were smooth. Then at trace, I added it back into the soap and blended really well and even though I messed up the recipe, this soap is still awesome!

Thanks a lot for making me SUPER jealous, Terri!!! Well, if any of you guys don't like yours, you can always send them my way!!! ETA: GREAT job, guys!! Those look wonderful, by the way (got over my jealous fit)

My husband has a bootlegged copy of publisher I can send ya if you want It's a WONDERFUL program! I design everything I can in publisher- I just love it!

I've saw those at a craft show and a lady was selling them for $1.50 an ounce. She had a little scale there and you paid whatever the weight of the one you wanted was. That's the only place I've ever seen them so I can't say whether her cost was high or low, but it seemed pretty low to me for such a cool product! Hope that helps a little!

I don't yet make those kinds of labels for my soaps, but I use Microsoft Publisher for almost all of my labels- you can customize them to any size you need. At the top there are the measurements for the paper, and if I want a band that's 2 inches wide and say 10 inches long, I just make a border that size and create my label in that border. And you can then copy and paste the 1st label and print 4 (in this case) on one page. I use the lightweight cardstock that you can buy at officemax. It bends easily but isn't super thick. HTH!! I can email you one of my labels on Publisher if you don't quite understand what I'm talking about (I know I sure wouldn't!!)

Elementary schools only do fundraisers towards christmas, but go to the local high schools and drop off some info for the PTO, and call some churches...they host fundraisers sometimes. Also, if you have any local animal shelters, they do fundraisers frequently. They wouldn't be like the typical fundraiser, mainly you just donate a basket full of stuff to be auctioned off, which is good for exposure, and also you can do a press release on it, which is more publicity for your company. It's never too early to drop off info for elementary schools as well because those can bring in HUGE $$$$!

I HATE them!!! And I don't even live in a humid climate!! BUT- they were one of my bestsellers when I sold them. I just had to pull them from my line because I wasted more money throwing out crappy batches than I made from the actual bombs. They definitely take a bit of practice and if yuo like a challenge, then these would be great for ya! Plus, if you get them right, you'll be so proud of yourself! I always used a muffin pan for my bombs, but a lot of people use those clear plastic ornament molds. Those are probably preferable since you can pack them a LOT tighter that way. And mine were about 4 oz. but they vary with what mold you use. HTH!!!

Thank you so much! I read on another site that GM can sometimes speed up trace, so I think I'll try it the way Cindy and Elle suggested. I'll take some oil or some water and mix the GM with that and then add at trace and blend real well. I'm doing an OMH scent with it, so I'm not going to bother with color this time around...Thanks so much for everyone's help with all of my soapmaking trials and tribulations!! I appreciate it!!

If there are any of you out there- how do you describe the two? I've been selling M&P, but am now getting into CP. I don't want to say that CP is better, because then why buy the M&P, ya know? I know all of the benefits of CP (creamy, non drying, lasts longer, no detergents, etc.) But what are the benefits of MP other than being just way too adorable for words...?

Thanks so much!! I'll try it tonight if I'm feeling better!

I love love love my Goat milk M&P soap and would like to try Goat Milk CP but I can't find anything about doing it!!! I have powdered goat's milk- has anyone tried doing this? Do I just add it to the water before I add the lye? Do I mix it in with my oils? Does it affect the hardness of the bar, or the amount of lye I need to use for ther recipe? Would it be better to use liquid goat milk? How much should I use for a 2 lb. batch? Wow! That's a lot of questions...lol. Obviously I need help- anyone care to offer some?

It's brandy new!!! I'm thinking about ordering some just to test it out I'll let ya know how it is!!!

Try Almost Paradise from Rustic Escentuals. I have it, and it doesn't smell like it has coconut in it at all, but it's a very tropical scent..I love it! Off the top of my head, I think it's a mix of peaches, pineapples, strawberry and a little vanilla...that's what it smells like to me anyway. It's great! Also, hawaiian breeze and jamaica me crazy from JS are great tropical scents. I use Jamaica me crazy from Peaks because I like the coconut base, but JS's smells TOTALLY different to me...I don't smell any coconut in it at all...and hawaiian breeze is a wonderful scent- again one that I don't detect a coconut base in. I love the tropical smelling scents!! You could always mix your own, too! I have my own "tropical" mix that I call beach bum that people love even more than jamaica me crazy

I was under the impression (for some strange reason) that ingredients did not have to be put on soap labels. I thought I read it on this board a while ago- and didn't question it, but now that I've started making soap, I realize that you can put just about anything in it, and what if someone is allergic to one of the ingredients (say almond oil.) And even though the oils are saponified, people with nut allergies could still have a reaction from it, correct? I'm far from selling my soap yet, but is this the case? Ingredients or no ingredients...that is the question!

I HAVE smelled GC's and this is going to sound weird, but I blend ICS's and Millcreek's Birthday cake and it smells JUST like it! Soooo yummy!

Michelle- I LOVE it! People comment all the time on my shea body butter when I make it in vanilla that is smells heavenly. It's not exactly a straight vanilla bean scent, but it's not a bakery heavy vanilla, either. It throws really well, too, but I use ICS's Vanilla smoothie for my candles- it's a stronger, heavier scent. I think I have every vanilla from every FO supplier in the world- it's my FAVE! But Silky Vanilla and Vanilla Smoothie take the cake

I use both JS's and ICS's Vanilla Smoothie. I use the ICS for candles because it smells like a heavy bakery vanilla (not like vanilla velvet in my opinion.) and I use JS's in all of my body products. It's a more straight, nice vanilla if you know what I mean! I can send you a sample of both if you'd like to try them..i think I have a cuople of empty 1 oz bottles around here somewhere.