SunshineSundries

I've been thinking about this plexiglass thing and I think between the mylar sheets, that heavy duty plastic (someone mentioned the name but my brain is mush!), and the plexiglass, I could make a slab mold without using wood - except maybe as braces to hold things together... I wish I could show you the "prototype" I have sketched out - well not really - I'm not that artisticly inclined when it comes to drawing... lol anyway, Thanks for the pics! Between those and the pics I've seen online here and on purchasing sites, I should beable to design a mold to fit in my oven just right so there is enough air flow and I'm not wasting space nor am I spending hundreds of dollars for a custom mold! Thanks so much for your input - when I get these done, I'll post a pic so y'all can see! Life & Light! Tish

I agree with Jan that you have to have a dehumidfier going durring the summer for all kinds of crafts - that is if your area ever gets above 50-60% humidity. I make candles, soaps, and BB stuff but I also sew alot and you'd be amazed at how hard it is to sew in humid weather!! Horsemom - I think you are probably in the only area of Minnesota that *didn't* get rain last night! Down between Worthington and Faribault they were flooded and having tornadoes and all that other *fun* stuff! Thankfully we've been getting a fair amount of rain but with the heat, everything has been sucked dry... next time we get rain though, I'll go outside and "will it" your way - maybe mother nature will actually listen... Life & Light! Tish

yours and mine both! I have my dehumidifier going full blast down there but it's been rainin' all night last night, all day today, and now it looks like we'll have rain til tomorrow noon-ish... I'm not complaining really - I just wish mother nature would make up her mind so I can soap and get my landscapeing done (well - not at the same time, of course ). But as for storing my soaps - I have them in the card board boxes that huggies wipes come in... lol they are up on a shelf close to the dehumidifier I put a 2x4 label under the handle that tells me what's in da box... I used to use those plastic shoe boxes but they got too small and I didn't like the fact that if two drops of moisture got in there my lables/cigar bands were toast!! I've also got a couple of those cub foods boxes that you get at the store for like $1 that I hold alot of my "oops" soaps in... I didn't pay for them though - got them off FreeCycle... OK - I'm babblin'... best get my fanny to bed... yeah right - I'll find some thread that I haven't read yet and I'll be on for another two hours! LMAO! (Am I the only one that gets sucked into the CTVortex??) :whistle: Life & Light! Tish

BCN has a candy corn that worked well in soy - I don't use paraffin so I couldn't tell you how it performs in that... heck - it smells awesome just oob - but that's just me, the candy junkie!! lol Sorry I couldn't help more... Life & Light! Tish ps - btw - I'm going to test the black licorice fo they have this week - once I get my butt organized! I just *love* this scent too - right up there with chocolate!! lol

Thanks for the link, Carol! Now my wheels are really turnin'! Life & Light! Tish

I have never seen a Kelsei mold up close I've seen cool pics of soap in a Kelsei mold - I can't find a web site for them either. But from what I've seen the outside is a thicker plastic than a plastic cutting board and the dividers are a bit thinner than a cutting board. That's where I got the idea of using plexiglass for the dividers - smooth and I've already got some! It would be nice to have a whole mold of plastic but I don't think Menards or Home Depot carry a plastic thick enough to hold like 20# of soap! The reason why I was wondering the thickness of the bottom board is if it was thinner, it was probably plyboard of some sort. It is *very* expensive to get a solid peice of wood that is more than 8" wide! Even some plyboards are expensive. Thanks for responding and giving me something to think about... maybe I can do a combination wood and plexiglass mold that I can just have to line the bottom or something.... Life & Light! Tish

I agree with the other posters that they *should* check their comment box. Why else would you have one if you didn't read it? As a person that usually does all her business online "after hours" (between 10pm - Midnight), it's not always possible for me to call. I think if you are going to be online, you need to read your orders carefully and confirm with the purchaser via email on their order so there are no mistakes. That few minutes it takes (that's why they have cut -n- paste;) ) can save both of you time & money in the long run (even if you have hired help!). If they don't immediately specify which scents are on sale, then I would think ALL the scents were on sale and would fight for that pricing. When I put something on sale, I make sure that there are no questions as to what is included! It's just good business practices and good customer service! JMO though.... Life & Light! Tish

I really love these! What a neat idea! I love the fact that the scraps look as good as the original bars! The more neat things I see with M&P, the more I want to play! But I know my stuff won't look as cool as yours! Great Job!! Life & Light! Tish

Hi Jen! First - there is no such thing as a dumb question! Think of all the things we wouldn't have if such *dumb questions* weren't asked... Second - I have heard of people doing this in the trunk of their car but I would worry about volcano effect going off in my car!! So I've been thinking that on one day when it's like 80* out and I can actually work in my work room without passing out, I'm going to try putting my grill out where it will be in the sun for most of the day and then leave it there over night and pop it out in the morning. I figure if it flows over, it's destined to be cleaned! But I can't see why you *couldn't* do CPOP in your car, I'd just be prepaired for everything/anything... Life & Light! Tish

I make a Lemon Ginger Tea soap that I use Lemon Ginger tea for my liquid, Lemongrass EO, and just a touch of dried ginger root that I run through my grinder to make it almost a powder. It's one of my favorite soaps year round but then I'm almost always cold (well except for the 99* days that we've been having lately!). If I remember correctly I use 3T of the corsely ground root per 9# of oils - but then I zap it in my grinder so maybe 1T of the ground stuff you get in the grocery store - maybe less... HTH Life & Light! Tish

Your soaps have been an inspiration! I finally ordered some black oxide so I can attempt to make some beautiful black swirls, too! I simply *love* the black in there - really makes the other colors pop! Fantasic job! Life & Light! Tish

gotta love technology right?? lol My hub doesn't wear fragrances (I do sneak stuff in his soap satchel though so he smells good ). He hasn't been cured of his testosterone poisoning... lol But a dear friend of mine wears the Tsunami and oh boy.... :drool: I know it's cheap stuff but I think it smells yummy! It is kinda scary though when I'm walking through the store and a teeny bopper walks by and smells like him! I have to tune my brain into another station then!! I just ordered some black oxide and I'm hopein' to try this in soap this weekend!! I'll keep ya updated! Life & Light! Tish

If you are talking about the thing I think you are talking about, it's just the way their shopping cart is set up. It's there so the smallest size is one price then the next size is X amount more and so on with the x amount in ( ). You pay the price right after the amount description. I hope that makes sense... Life & Light! Tish

www.serendipityscents.com is where I got mine. Fast & friendly service, in my experiences so far. I also got samples of their Monkey Farts (I've read about this scent for years and finally got a sample to test!), Euphoria, and Patchouli Amber. All are strong OOB and I'm patiently waiting for this heat wave to go away for at least a few days so I can work without passing out! I got enough samples to test in both soap and candles so we'll see... I just wish Mother Nature would cooperate with me!! Life & Light! Tish

Hey Gang! I'm thinking of making a slab mold to fit in my oven but I am trying to figure out what to use for the bottom!! I know just regular plyboard won't work but I don't have a clue as to what to use! For those of you that have one, is your bottom thinner wood than your sides? I'm thinking there is a wood that I could use (it's gonna be spendy but definately less expensive than buying one!). The other thing I was wondering is what are the dividers made of? I have some plexiglass peices but I'm wondering if that would warp with the heat or put off funky fumes. They are clear and most of the molds I've seen online have kinda milky white dividers... I have some mylar to line the molds with, I'm just stuck with the divider thingies... :rolleyes2 Any advise would help! I've already made a bunch of log molds but I can only fit four in my oven at one time and I want to make MORE SOAP than that at a time!!! (yes - I'm an addict with no patience! lol) Thanks for your help! Life & Light! Tish ETS - ok - I've got the dimentions to use for the molds - I got ansy while I was waiting for the mac -n- cheese water to boil... lol now just to get some ideas.... anyone??? Please???

OOPS - sorry the pic is so big! my bad...

Yep - I let it defrost abit so I can get it out of the containers (a minute or two under hot running water usually does the trick) and then I plunk it in my two gallon pitcher that I use to mix my lye in. If the room is really warm (which it usually is because it's next to my laundry room - 6 people in a house means lots and LOTS of laundry!), I put the pitcher in a cold water bath just to help keep it cool. It takes a while for the lye to melt the milk block but what I do is just sprinkle alittle on the block, then let it sit for a minute, then kinda scrape off the milky lye, stir a bit, and then add some more. It's a long process but it works great! I'm going to post a pick of my Lavender Patchouli soap - keep in mind that the EOs make it a bit darker but you can get an idea. HTH and have fun! Life & Light! Tish

When I make GM soap, I use fresh goat's milk (I get it at the store - so it's not *farm fresh* but close!) and I freeze it in pre-weighed little tubs (I think they are 3 cup containers). Then when I slowly add the lye to the frozen gm it doesn't get all orange-y and my soap stays a nice milky color. I do the same for all my milk and tea soaps. Helps me keep the lye at a cool temp so I can add it to the oils sooner - I'm impatient and hate to wait for things to cool! and it actually saves me time even though you have to pour the lye alittle slower than if you were just using just liquid. I'm not sure if you could freeze the aloe vera but it's worth a shot... I freeze my tea that I use as liquid and it helps to keep a consistant color. HTH in some future experiments... I'm thinking I need to get me one of them there molds.... what a great idea for testing! Life & Light! Tish

I got mine FOs last week and just haven't had time to test them yet. I would like to know this info too and I will post if I have any issues when I pour mine. I got enough to test in soap and in candles (I *love* the Tsunami!!). Good Luck! Life & Light! Tish

teeheehee :highfive: I second that - oh and if you don't like the *rude people* on this board, no one is forcing your hand to stay here. So far the people I have meet here have been nothing but nice and extremely helpful. The fact that you can't take a hint (or constructive criticism) leads me to the fact that maybe you should stick with what you are doing and not venture in our world... But that could just be me (oh and maybe the other like 3000 people on this board!)

I've got some small square wicking that I purchased for BW candlemakeing around here somewhere... I *really* need to clean out my workrooms!! I may have to order some LX wicks to go with the palm wax I want to order and play with. Thanks for the heads up on that one! Anyway - thanks for your help Henry. I'm definately going to do more reading on that link and make some candles. Life & Light! Tish

I am truely sorry to hear about your husbands job. I have known many that have been in your possition and made it through - so when there is a will there is a way. Keep your chin up and your husband close and you together will make it through! (((HUGS))) Here's my quick ideas - not much though since I haven't had enough caffeine this morning. iridesScents (I spelled it wrong on purpose *this*time...) Incandesce (this means to cause something to glow) Scintillate (this means to be brilliant, to sparkle or shine) I personally like the first and the last ones - I didn't check for web avalablitly or the like. But to me that isn't a huge concern because there are always ways around it - like rephrasing it to be something like Scintillateonline.com or something like that. The only thing I concern myself with is if it leads to a competitor or something similar... ok - enough babbling... like I said not enough caffeine! LOL Good luck to you!! Life & Light! Tish

I'm saying that I like the black (jj) and gold (salsa)... but that would work for me (I just happen to like them too!). My display at both the stores I sell in and my shows are all whitewashed pine. Black and gold would pop out more in my display. But if you display are black or even navy blue and the like, you'd probably want to go with white and gold to make them stand out from you displays more. Sometimes it isn't what we like, it's more of a necessity to make our products sell. Make sense? Life & Light! Tish

Not only do I do candles, CP soap, B&B, and alittle MP, I also make home decor items and other craft items (for this fall I'm workin on checkbook covers, makeup & cosmetic bags, handbags, and wallets). So I have a name for my candles and stuff and the rest just fall under my actual company name - Sunshine Sundries & Gifts. My candle and soaps and such stay constant, but my crafty items change with what I feel like making and what is selling. Sometimes I get a great deal on fabric so I'll make pillows - other times I get a deal on lampshades so I'll decorate those... I've got beading stuff to make wine charms and candle jewlery... I just get bored easily and I suffer from insomnia so instead of just laying there, I get up and work for a few hours. People tell me I've got too much on my plate (I do all this with four kids and a hub with MS) but if I stopped keeping some variety, I think I'd go crazy... lol Anyway - I just thought that I'd say that could be an option for you. Life & Light! Tish

Oh da horrror!! So many choices!! I think having different lids makes it look like you have more selection - one candle isn't blending into another. But the choices! Ufdah! I personally like the black and gold - I think it looks more elegant that way... but I don't know what you do with your candles - do you have a store - do you sell wholesale or at craft shows? What's going to go best with your decor/theme or your customers? Also what plays a major role for me is cost - are they all the same price or is one more than the other? I don't know these factors so I can't give you logical advice. I just like the black and gold... :Dbut that's just lil ol' me... Life & Light! Tish