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GrandmaArial

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    I am Kay's Mother-n-law. She got me started playing with the m&p soap, and i have to admit it has been fun. It is more an artistic expression than anything else, and maybe I can sell some, enough to support my hobby.

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  1. Thank you. Although I assembled the components in the labels the flowers were created for me by my friend “Spot” of SoxKat Hosting. In person the clear labels give an almost jewel like effect I find charming. The colors of the soap are what Brieal requested. The green is from the cucumber rinds perked up with just a tiny touch of green mica (the brownish looking spots are greener in person and are from the cucumber which didn’t grind as fine as I wanted) the purple is grape pop with light purple mica to tone it down a shade.
  2. This soap was requested by a friend in Canada. Goat’s milk with cucumber and mint, scented cucumber, mint, and melon. I tested it the other night; I really like it, very gentle, with loads of thick, creamy lather. I will be making a batch of this for myself. Also I am trying some new labels. I think I like the clear labels better than the white.
  3. You already know i wasnt a sample of these. I like the way they look... especialy the second, with the chunks. Really good job!
  4. I agree about castor in CP, but in general I never had much luck with improveing MP, but it sure makes the prettiest soaps! Anita, don't waste the Castile in the MP, I don't think it will add any lather as it has so little by it's self. I've been looking for an excuse to soap... I'll make a batch of plain of my bubbly recipe. Can you wait a month?
  5. Beautiful whispy swirls! How do you get them like that?
  6. I wonder if you would get better lather if you embedded some handmade soap in it. Maybe grate the end of a bar the lathers well… get the best of both worlds? Try just one bar, 4 oz. use about 2 oz each, base and bar soap?
  7. They are all beautiful... but the SS Bacchus is exceptionally stunning. As all always your soaps are inspiring
  8. Those are ADORABLE! I am so proud of you for takeing the risk and giveing it a try! play, experiment, and read all you can find and soon you won't need my soap anymore. Your new babies are beautiful. Just use the scrunchy... and I bet it smells better than anything you can buy at the store too!
  9. Gee... thats the shade of lavender i was trying to get a couple weeks ago! Now I know the secret!
  10. Wow, more than half way decent swirls there! Especialy the second and third... impressive!
  11. You can thicken it by adding borax (a max of 0.75 oz/ppo) and boiling off some of the water. By boiling I mean a low simmer, watched carefully to make sure it doesn’t scorch (which it can do after it starts to thicken, ask me how I know). Remember that it will get thicker when it cools. This takes awhile so be patient. I have read that glycerin will make the LS softer but I don’t feel it makes that much of a difference. Try modifying your recipe, for hand and body LS I use no more than 10% coconut and lots of castor, sunflower, safflower, and OO. I also calculate my lye at 0.10% superfat since I don’t actually neutralize (borax creates a buffer but is an alkaline not an acid). This will leave the soap very slightly cloudy which I deal with by lowering the cloud point with a 50/50 solution of sugar syrup and glycerin (you can also use alcohol to clarify but it tends to be drying). Good luck.
  12. I usually use 30% (liquid to oil ratio) liquid to make CP, but if I want to slow things down I will go up to 40%. I cut and trim (for gelled CP) after about 24 hours. Occasionally I will cut some bars in half (or quarters) to make some samples. Now note I do cure in a very dry room, and often with the higher water ratio I find a “wet” looking spot in the center of the bars. It dries out after a few days in the closet. This is caused (of course) by the surface to mass ratio with the excess water evaporating from to surface quickly and migrating from the center more slowly. I have also have batches that I got a partial gel with that faded as it cured. Not always, but a couple batches. It has not happened enough for me to isolate the conditions that make it happen.
  13. Thank you all. Ginger… when you going to have time to make some soap? I keep waiting to see the beautiful creations I know you will make. Shari, I hope the colors suit you. The colors are not what I had in mind, but not as bad as it could have been, LOL. And I know you are a nice person cuz if you weren’t my sweet daughter in law would have cryed and I would have had to go beat you up! LOL. Give her and those girls a hug for me please. I miss them so… Lady, the lavender buds I have right now came from a friend who is a lavender freak. But you can get some very nice lavender buds from WSP. Get the darker ones, a little more expensive but also a little stronger scent. Donna… it’s your fault! You’re the one who got me started experimenting with these colors! LOL. I don’t know whether to thank you or curse you, LOL. ANOTHER can’t live with out supply! LOL. I knew you would love the lavender/chamomile (well, the looks, not scented as strong as you like, but very strong for me). I do need to practice to get what I want… I am so inexperienced with this part of it. And you know if the whipped soap cures to be acceptable you’ll get a chunk.
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