beau's mama

Scented, I really like those, especially the first one! I guess the colors do mute as the soap dries, but the color combo you used makes it look really good.

Thanks for remembering me.

If only that green would stay the same dry as it is wet!

oooh, I was at work today reading up on that. I definitely want to try that.

It looks really great! And a lot of fun to play with.

I guess I gotta go find my old Devo (sp) song!

"When a problem comes along, you must WHIP IT

Before the cream sits out too long, you must WHIP IT

When something's going wrong, you must whip it WHIP IT

OK, I'm done

Vio, will you come & tutor me personally? Sell those pretty bars...that should cover airfare. I'll feed ya

Girl, you are something else!

All of them are beautiful, but that GIT is TDF:drool:

I really need to stay out of this gallery...it's depressing b/c I can't do all that yet

I think the colors are fabulous, love the soft look of the Lilac.

You did a 8oz batch? Holy shiznit. Brave woman, you are. I have gram scale and still won't do it. Maybe I'm overthinking the whole small batch theory. Or just plain lazy. :rolleyes2

The Floralissma looks way cool on top, I'd like to see a cut pic, when it's ready. LOL!

LMAO Nah, not brave, just a little nutty...and broke! I have M&P bases to buy, tons of oils to get (have you seen the price of Meadowfoam ) , & a million other things I "need". I refuse to waste anything! So I figure if I create a recipe I end up not liking or use a fo I end up hating, I haven't wasted much, KWIM? Plus, I want to see if the Earth will cave in if I do a teeny batch LOL

Next on the "down low" soap batch is 1 single, solitary 4oz bar.

What's the "small batch theory"? You know I'm a CP noob!

Those are very nice! The strawberry is really eyecatching.

Welcome to the wonderful world of legal addiction!

Pic 1 is Sweet Innocence. It was supposed to be red oxide, but it's pink. I gotta work on measuring those oxides, dammit. I used the fo at .7 & it's sticking to me like crazy & smelling up the room it's curing in!

Pic 2 is Tony's Lilac. The purple came out exactly how I wanted it, but the wannabe swirls suck. Tony's Lilac kicks but in my M&P and everything else, but I'm not loving it in CP. Maybe a good cure will take care of that, I hope. So far the bar is feeling really creamy, which I do love.

Pic 1 & 2 were 1.5# batches (just cause I could )

Miss Hisbiscus asked us earlier today "How low can you go?" Well, so far down to an 8oz batch. That's pic 3 scented w/ Floralissma. That yellow is a freaky looking baby poo color, and wow, that's a strong floral! I made some M&P w/ it & used 1/4 oz to a # and it's smelling the same in both.

I'm actually a lil' proud of that...umm...stuff I did on top. It was definitely a lot easier than trying to swirl. Would that be considered texture?

As frustrating as some parts may be, this CP stuff is very relaxing. I was hand-stirring my lil batch, looking out the window at the deer, with Johnny Gill singing softly in the background & my dogs snoring to the beat. So calming LOL

Thanks for loking ya'll.

Critiques, tips & tricks are always welcome

The neons are great at TKB all except the neon orange. Nobody has as bright as orange as http://www.pvsoap.com/micas_liptints.asp but they are so expensive.

OMG, you are so right. I stalk their site quite a bit and everything seems a bit up there.

Both lol!

Waiting on a batch to cool that I made with neons. The neons don't have the sparkles that the pop do, but the pops don't really have the range of brightness of the neons ... though they might if you used more than 1/2 t, but I have both and like having both.

Couldn't you add some silver mica to give the neons some sparkle?

Make sure you post a pic!

LOL. Thanks for the generosity!

I will give that method a try. I've tried OO to harden my soaps and it does seem to help. Someone also mentioned Castor oil. I'm such a nervous nelly when it comes to experimenting with recipes. I need to get over it and just let myself go crazy. I'm afraid I might like it and never be able to go back! How will that affect the kids if there mommy lets loose and goes wild with soap! Oh the horrors on the innocent family. I can see the news stories now. *super banana*

Breaking news: "Woman goes wild and family watches in shame!"

No need to be nervous w/ your M&P. It's extremely forgiving. And yep, you will become addicted and nope, you'll never go back.

Now go suspend something in a base that you've added 15 oils & butters to and post some pics!

So, is there gonna be a class on this? I'm not really a cpbs, cphp and um LS snob ya know :laugh2: and I love a challenge. But, I'm really cheap and want to make just one bar of gorgeous, super moisturizing, long lasting soap with silk and shea butter:smiley2: let me know when the classes start.

Umph, yeah right!

Ooohhhhh, they look so pretty cut. I want one TODAY :whistle:

Hmm, how low can you go? I'll tell ya in an hour

both LOL

I know everyone seems to really like the Pops, but I don't hear read anything about the neons. Any opinions?

TIA

Hmm, that's interesting.

I don't have eczema, but I stopped using products w/ Oatmeal b/c I always ended up dry and itchy. Even the Aveeno bath stuff sucked the life out of me.

...We haven't given MP much love around here, huh? HA HA...

You got that right

Gotta change that

If it's possible to suspend ingredients in a non-suspension base I would love to know that! Other ingredients to harden or increase lather and at what ration would also be great! I am always looking for new recipes to use for great M&P soap.

Yep, my darling, it's possible

OK, I'm feeling generous tonight.

Let your base start to cool. Stir ocassionally to test for thickness (that means it's cooling) Add your stuff, a little at a time & gently stir. If the additives sink to the bottom, your base isn't ready yet. Let it cool a bit more. Test it again. Your base should be thick (cool) enough to suspend, yet not too cool to pour. You may have to play w/ it a few times to get a feel for it, but you can do it. I'm rootin' for ya!

Hardening & increasing lather? There is LOTS of info right here on CT. It's been talked about quite a bit. Again, that's something you'll have to play with a bit to get your soap the way YOU want it. It took me lots of reading & even more experimenting to get my soap the way I wanted it, but the struggle was so worth it, and it was fun!

Recipes? Ha, you already have a gazillion inside of you The sky is the limit. That M&P is sitting there screaming "USE ME! PLAY WITH ME! I CAN TAKE IT!!"

If you have some ideas you'd like to kick around, I'd be more that happy to help you get them out of your head & into some soap.

Just pm me.

I like the gemstone idea, although I probably wouldn't do it, just want to know how it's done

Already know how to suspend w/o a suspension base. :tiptoe:

Already add (way) more items than is recommended. :tiptoe:

What I haven't mastered is how to keep fingerprints off. I use a slab mold with dividers and almost always get fingerprints. Even with gloves. Spraying with alcohol doesn't help.

How about salt bars? I KNOW it can be done, but mine were, um... yeah.... not very pretty.

Ha! That's the fun part...adding more that what you're "supposed" to. At least it is for me. I don't like anybody trying to stifle my creativity...and I love proving them wrong!

As far as the fingerprints, have you tried wiping them w/ a soft cloth or giving them a quick rinse under cold water? I only use LS white, but I still get a faint fingerprint, although no one seems to see it except for me LOL. That base isn't as shiny as the others, so I'm not sure it would work for ya' but it's worth a shot.

Personally I would like my newly made bars of MP soap to cool with the powerball numbers in them!!! Doable??

Great post my dear! I hope you get lots of responses. I know that there are sinfully few people out there who have a clue what MP soap can be!! Seriously~ I think I could write a book now! Hmmmm... there's an idea!

I don't think we have even begun to scratch the surface with our adventures in MP either.. soooooooooo much to learn!

Melt some clear, add black oxide & glitter, drizzle w/ white...then sit and watch the soap cool & harden. The numbers will appear in a vision. See? Doable!

You are so right! MP has so many possibilities.

Alright here you go ...

I'd like to see a stained glass look (with an actualy picture and not random colored cubes)

Hmm, that's interesting enough to look into.

I'd like to see let's see ... how about painting with M&P ... like could color be induced into the medium to try to makes scenes? Maybe not lol.

Ha! Me too. Stenciling may be easier.

What about making embeds that don't bleed?

You're a soaper. Think about it

Psychedelic (??) swirls or cake rolls (if there's such a thing). What Like "HoHo's"

Geez, Scented. I just started M&Ping yesterday:laugh2:

oh also how about adding additives for hardening, lather, creamyness ect ect

ill keep thinking lol

Well now Miss *Dee*, I had a feeling you'd be one of the first ones to respond

Keep em' coming, hun!

What would you like to do with your M&P bases? What classes or tutorials would you like to see on CT?

I know swirling is at the top of the list but what else?

Do you want to know how to suspend additives w/o having to buy a suspension base?

Do you want to layer or make chunky soap that won't fall apart?

Wanna make your soap snap, crackle & pop? (I'm working on that )

Now's the time to speak up. CT is here for you.

Don't be shy. No idea is too crazy to try at least once. I've gone through many, many #'s of base trying out my crazy ideas. The beauty of M&P is that no matter how bad the outcome, you can remelt it & try again or chop it up & add it to something else.

Come on ladies, let's turn this board out w/ some kick-butt M&P creations! (I can't curse b/c today is Sunday!)

I've grown white Jasmine before but it makes me think of a very pale blue, so that's what I always use

Nice to know I'm not the only one.

Jasmine is one of my favorite florals and it always "smelled" blue to me. A soft, pastel-like baby blue.

I still say I wanna be one of your doggies!

Yeah, so does DH

Just worship & stalk me like they do & you're in!

I've decided to up the sizes on my sugar scrub and larger sizes mean longer storage...which leaves more room for beasties...so I gotta preserve it.

I've decided on trying Optiphen Plus b/c I'm trying to stay away, if possible, from the parabens. It seems that lately some people see it listed and absolutely freak out. I totally understand it since I've tried to stay away from them myself.

Just wondering what you guys use & why

Life would be so much easier if there was 1 single preservative for every B&B product!

TIA

CareBear's right about looking for a supplier close to you if possible. You might also want to consider how much you'll actually be using and what for. If you're planning on making CP soap, TRUST ME, you definitely want to buy in the largest bulk sizes that your pockets can handle! Again, based on where you are, CF might be the way to go for bulk.

I started my very disturbing love/hate relationship :laugh2:with WSP b/c the price was right. I can't say the oils are good or bad, they all look & smell like oil to me & do what I need them to do. If your order total is $25 or less, shipping is only $6.95 anywhere. This may be an inexpensive way for you to try a few things before committing to bulk :undecided http://wholesalesuppliesplus.com/

Majestic Mountain Sage has nice oils also & offers some oils in 8oz sizes if you want to just sample something. http://www.thesage.com/catalog/FixedOil.html

HTH