azure68

You can line it with a trash bag.

Best to contact the supplier to find out. SFIC is fine for about 2 - 3 years. I've gotten a base from Snowdrift Farm a while back and after a year, it turned tan on me.

Another 5 percenter over here.

I've been using them exclusively and I absolutely love them for CP. I haven't done any MP for a while and I usually don't color my lotions, creams, or scrubs, so I won't be able to help on that part. Printing out their shade guides are a big help. What's nice about the guides is that they even have one for high olive oil content soaps to account for the color shift.

Are you sure that's your first?! Congratulations! I think it looks great! Now you'll be on the constant mission of finding the "perfect" recipe and will be obsessing on when your next batch will be.

Great job!

My sentiments are pretty much what Donna said. Whenever I create any type of design work for a client, I listen to what their needs are. I don't try to force them into something that they won't be happy with. I can offer suggestions on what will or will not work, but it's ultimately their final say on things. I make as many edits as needed because ideas need to be honed, and that doesn't always happen on the first round (but when does it ever?). However, there are a few occasions when clients will totally give me creative freedom and I usually hit the one they want in the first draft.

I've used their unrefined shea. Great stuff. And their service is excellent!

Thanks, it's my "new" favorite scent.

They look so nice.

I made these a few nights ago. This is scented with lychee. Thanks for looking.

Wow, Carol! Those look great!

I am a graphic artist. I do logos (L), labels (LB), any type of corporate identity (business cards, stationery), postcards, brochures, marketing pieces, photo editing and retouching. I also do some web design as well. I can email samples upon request. http://www.creativepersuasions.com/

Your logo looks good in black and white, which also means it's a good design. You know that it will fax well, and if you ever need to make a stamp out of it, the design will be a good one. If you ever get to that point, I suggest that you get rid of the little horizontal lines in the tree trunk, since I don't think that will show up in the stamp. I would get rid of the rectangle though. I think that will open it up more and won't feel as confined. I would just color the tree a different solid color. If you want to do monochrome, you can take a base color and then do color percentages of it. If you get these professionally printed, it will save you $$$, because it's still technically a one color job that they're doing.

I do about 2 4-lb batches a week. I am totally small time. I have 2 3 lb log molds that someone gave me from Sweet Prairie. However, I also have my eye on the 16 Bar Misty Creeks. I just love their soap cutter. I might get 2 of the 16 Bar molds instead of the 32 Bar mold.

I use low profile jars that I get from bayousome.com. If you put a preservative in your FBB, I don't think nasties growing in there should be a problem. I've never had a problem before.

I would use the 1" height. Summerbee Meadow has a calculator that will help you figure out a batch according to your mold dimensions. http://summerbeemeadow.com/

My first batch of CP was made in a Rubbermaid drawer organizer. I used the larger rectangular one and used 2 lbs. of oils. I lined with freezer paper, but was a PITA because of the slightly slanted sides of the drawer organizer.

I've used BB's stabilizer with much success. I used SC's Pink Sugar with it and my soap has not changed color. I have a MP bar that I made a year ago, white, marbled with pink and it has not discolored at all.

I've been plugging in various percentages of oils I have in soapcalc until I come up with numbers that I'm happy with. Most important thing to me is conditioning. When I come up with a number I'm happy with, then I start tweaking with hardness and lather. Of course, the type of additives can also affect your final outcome. My last batch, I used a can of coconut milk for my liquids, so I'm pretty sure that should add more creaminess to the soap.

Those are very pretty!

You have very nice looking products. I just love the baskets. When I display my MP bars, I usually put the label at the back, so that it won't cover the pretty designs and colors of MP soaps. Instead of using Saran Wrap, I use the Sam's Choice cling wrap from Walmart. It gives a really nice stretch and it's permeable enough for the scent to come through, and it's cheaper than Saran Wrap. I agree with others about elevating your bottles. Customers are drawn to height. If you can find a way to elevate them, that would make your products stand out even more. Here are a couple of pictures I took at my table last year. Please excuse the look of the displays. I was under a tight budget at the time, so I had to improvise:

For my first time doing CP, I used 12.% cocoa butter and 12.5% shea. The batch recipe also had olive oil and coconut oil in it. I reached medium trace within 2 minutes with the stick blender. I scented it with Dutch Chocolate FO and swirled with cocoa and gold micas. It cured to a very hard bar, feels nice and smells so good. This was how it looked after it was freshly cut: It has since darkened considerably because of the fragrance oil.