TAS

I dunno but I hope a wizard chimes in and lets us know. Would you just sprinkle them on top for a cool look, or would you use them throughout? TAS

Dear Draven, I like your name very much. I don't think I can fit it all on the label, though. I think you might grow up to be a poet. Thank you very much. TAS

That gorgeous color and NO colored bubbles. Win. Win. TAS:cheesy2:

(Tee-Hee - giggling here). The base soap is colored with UM Blue and the white - just took a cheese slicer and made loose curls from some white soap. Happy accident. I only wish the FO had not seized. TAS

I love your colors. The "look" is great. TAS

How elegant. Bold and classy. Loving it. TAS :smiley2:

Beautiful colors. I have given up on purple/lavender but your colors are so vibrant. Does BCN's GEL TONE COLORANTS color the lather? TAS

I like all the names you guys have suggested. It is going to be hard to pick one... TAS

No name yet. Any suggestions? TAS

netje Here is a picture of my failed blue soap. The FO gave me soap on a stick. (I jammed it into the mold and will make soap curls from it). Anyway, this is UM blue... TAS

Here is my question: Hi Mark, It's Teresa here - the soapmaker - with a question for you concerning beeswax. At one of my soap making forums we are having a discussion. Does one have to kill bees in order to get the beeswax?! Yikes! If that is the case I will stop using beeswax because we need to keep the bees alive. Please let me know. And here is his answer: Thankfully you do not have to kill bees, or even destroy their habitat in order to get beeswax. All of our wax is derived from the process of harvesting honey. The honeycomb is sealed by the bees when the honey is ready. We slice a thin layer of wax off of the top of the honeycomb to reveal the honey and then spin it out of the comb mechanically. The little bit of wax that is cut off of the comb is the beeswax that we use for our bottles, lotions, etc. We get about 10 pounds per year and 1500 lb of honey. Thus, the beeswax is a hot commodity for Medovina. **** Hope this helps us understand the process a bit better. TAS

I know a man who makes mead and has given me beeswax in the past. I am going to email him and ask him. Hopefully he will reply. TAS

Macs aren't perfect but they sure are easy. I keep telling my PC friends that I'm not smart enough to use a PC. I do have a duel core Mac - which lets me into the PC Universe. I got it because I wanted to use Soapmaker. I have to say I struggle in that universe. Just my inability to understand the hoops necessary. :lipsrseal Am a point and click girl..:rolleyes2 TAS

Deb I got Soapmaker and love the features that it has. Since I started with Soap Calc I am really comfortable with it and use it to generate my recipes, then transfer them to Soapmaker. Since I am on a Mac I have to switch between the Mac side :tiptoe: over to the PC side - Soapmaker only works in the PC universe. I find everything easier on the Mac side.... TAS

Jo Ann I agree about the saving bit and Soap Calc. If you want to save a recipe on your desktop this is what I do. With your Soap Calc window open, and your recipe all figured out, I select the Print command, but instead of printing I find the PDF button in the dialog box and select it. Your recipe will be saved in PDF or Jpg format. You will not be able to change it, but you will have a record of it for reference. TAS

Big round of applause for you and your triumphant BLUE soap. I hope you post pics (pretty please). TAS

I have heard not to flush lye solution if you have a septic tank. Maybe somebody will chime in and let us know if that is true or false. TAS

There are several "categories" to the vegan/vegetarian world. Some do not consume any animal product (this includes silk, beeswax, goats milk). Some will consume cheese, milk, eggs. Some will consume turkey, chicken and fish. It gets a little difficult at times to keep it all straight. I label everything so that they can see what they are getting and let them make the choice. I have noticed that leather shoes seems to be okay with vegans (scratching my head) and that the usage of palm does not bother them when the rain forest is being destroyed and animals killed. We live in interesting times. TAS

Another of my "cheating" methods is to go to SaopCalc and hit the WP (weight/percentages) tab found on top of the bar. Here is the link - http://www.soapcalc.com/calc/soapcalcWP.asp You will see on the right side that you can enter in you calculations in either percentages or weights - just click the button that you want and fill in your numbers (i.e. 18 oz coconut, etc.). Once you have your recipe in hit "Compute." Now you can see the recipe in both weight and percentages. Up on top of the page you wil see "Total Oil Weight." Underneath that you will see Pounds, Ounces, Grams. Hit whichever one you will be working with. Let's say you want to make a 40 oz batch then click ounces and put 40 in the box provided for your weight. Hit compute again. Now your numbers will correspond to the size of batch you are making. HTH TAS

netje Just don't give up. I suck at coloring so I should be the last person to give you any advice. But heck here I go... Ultramarine Blue = I used 1 tablespoon for 84 oz. of oil. BLUE. DID SOMEONE SAY BLUE. (You might want to use less ) Remember that your eos or fos, and certainly your oils will contribute to your final color. Also take into consideration gelling or not gelling. I did one UM blue and did not gel it and it was a much lighter blue. Don't know why. Good luck. Keep soaping and may you have a beautiful blue bar soon! TAS

KA girl here. I got it in '05 and it's still going strong. I don't make tons of soap so maybe my recommendation does not carry a lot of weight. I like that it has nine speeds, does not incorporate bubbles into your mix, unless you tilt it. I have used the whisk like attachment for my trial butter blends. I like it. TAS

Fabulous. Am totally in love with all but that Roselle & Dead Sea Mud is to die for. TAS

You have got to be please with your soapies! My they are beautiful. TAS

Thanks, will do soon. :rolleyes2 TAS

You're kidding! No wonder - what a chore it is. TAS