jaybyrd

Hee-heee. "Silence Of The Hands"

:laugh2:

(wiping coffee spray off the monitor) Okay, that line was worth being creeped out.

Eew. No, that just creeps me out way too much. *shiver*

Those look great! What did you use for color?

What fun!

Love your baskets! Katshe's washcloth idea is good, in fact, I've often used inexpensive dishtowels/washcloths for most of the filler. More goodies for the person and less bits to throw away. Also, try working some of your artificial greenery into the weave of the basket itself - that can dress up the whole thing really nicely!

Nice! The cucumber especially looks lovely creamy.

Those are lovely! Before & after, lol.

Very nice!

:highfive:

Nope, Jeri, everything looks right to me. I guess the soap ferries were controlling this batch. Just try again, I don't see any reason why this batch did this.

Paul....

Cheers, Paul! And tx for the encouragement!

:smiley2:

Golly, guys, don't know what to say.:tiptoe::embarasse I have 3 batches under my belt, and all 3 were fine, bar the last one acted a little weird on me, but is fine now. Here is a picture of the second batch using the recipe of 75% CO, 15% Shea Butter, and 10% SAO. This was the best of the 3 batches I've done. I scented them with "Riverdance, coloured with hydrated chromium green oxide. They cut beautifully within 1 hour of pouring...

Paul....

Nah, Paul, I figure it's something I did/didn't do, or else the planets just weren't aligned properly. My ingredients all seemed to be in order, this time. Let's see, I was doing CP. Oils and lye solution were both 82 degrees. I used an 80/20 mix of water/aloe vera juice, at 35% of oils according to soapcalc. Superfat 7%. Anything jump out at you about that?

Considering my salt bar record, I may not be the best one to listen to, but I'd say whether the salt dissolves or not, you've still increased the recipe by the amount of extra ingredients you've added, and should allow some extra room in the mold.

Nice! What spices did you settle on?

No worries, Jennifer. Think how good for your ego it'll be when they turn out great. And if they don't, well, you're not alone. Really, you can't lose.

Nan, is it at all humid where you are? Maybe the salt is reacting & you need to put them near a fan. The fo sounds yummy - backyard tropics!

I like it! :highfive:

Those are just beautiful - and, yes, especially the sage!

Oh, that looks wonderful!

Oooo! Yummm! I see why you need the perfect packaging.

Oh, wow - I really liked the first, but this is a dramatic improvement. Beautiful!

Very pretty, Ruina! Mandarin Sandalwood?! Yum! Your own blend?

:highfive: Ditto to both sentiments. Is that an FO or a blend of eo's? I really like the blurry natural look you got - like the way sandalwood smells to me.

I just love the way that turned out! Like a pictogram, or a brush painting - beautiful!

Don't forget to check the gourmet, cooking & other food-type suppliers.

You might find something on these sites:

http://www.bottles-n-jars.com/

http://www.essentialsupplies.com/~smartcart/ (E.D.Luce, based in Calif)

http://www.chemistrystore.com/packaging.htm

HTH!

Jadryga, what an awful mess! I hope it was just a ghastly one-time fluke, and that the supplier bends over backwards to make amends.

How frustrating that the one ingredient you absolutely have to have is so difficult to get. Maybe your craft supplier would be open to working out quantity discounts for you. I hope so - you're so creative I'd love to see what you could do with soaping!