dogmom1

hi, i want to give out samples at work and i'm trying to think of scents that are nice but won't clash with the scent the person may already be wearing. the few samples i've given out already have gotten rave reviews for holding on to scent really well, and people are also using them more extensively than just on their hands. suggestions gratefully accepted! tia

i also sent a letter to my senators, prefaced with some personal comments. i hope many more on this list will take a few minutes to send something saying they are against the bill. please don't leave this to someone else to do. Remember "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" Edmund Burke in this case, all that's necessary for this bill to pass is that we and others of like mind do nothing! ok, i'm off my soapbox.

thanks for the answers. i'll try your suggestions and see how it goes. i hope you're right islandgirl, that it won't be so bad! eileen

hi all, i'd like to go dye free with my 464 and i keep putting it off because the thought of all that testing again.... ugh! i know i can't (and won't) avoid testing all over again, but would like suggestions as to how much of a change in wicking i should try first. i understand that many things will affect this, but let's say a candle with color and fragrance that actually burns beautifully with the recommended wick. i realize that's a dream not often achieved , but given that as a starting point, i'd appreciated your thoughts. tia, eileen

i just looked at rhonda's website and she still has the fast buy listed with the celtic myst and harvest moon. those of you who seemed really disappointed might want to write to her and see if she's holding it open for a bit longer. i don't know how much she still needs to make the buy. i love rhonda's stuff and i would sure hate to see her give up on her business.

it looks just like marble to me!! the color is really beautiful. even tho it's soap right after the cook, it should get milder after a short time. then if you're still not happy with the conditioning properties, you can start playing with your formula. be careful tho, soap calc can be very addicting! believe me, i know! ei

I think it looks great and i can a l m o s t smell it! some fragrances don't fade much, so you may end up very happy with it. it sounds yummy! your addiction just got bumped up a BIG level , because you now run the risk of becoming a FOHO as well, with hundreds of little sample sizes of fragrance all over the place! ei

i'll definitely try that next time. if i leave air in the ziploc bag, i can keep my hands away from the butter so it doesn't start to melt! so easy, but i never thought of it. duh. thanks for a great idea!! eileen

hi everyone, i made some body butter last nite and this afternoon. one with refined shea and kokum and one with the unrefined "haiku" shea butter from oregon trail and kokum. oils too of course. i spooned it into small plastic containers so i can give some out for people to try. my question is..... how do you get it into a small container without getting it on the inside sides, or do you just fill it to the top so you don't have to worry about that? trying to wipe it off made a worse mess so i stopped after trying it once. i didn't want to put more than an ounce in since that is plenty to use for testing and the containers would have held two ounces easy. thanks for any hints. eileen

hi lorrie! VERY pretty soap. That blue color is gorgeous. i just read the "what's in your pot?" thread and that scent combo on the blue and white one sounds delish. are they all EOs?? ei

thanks candybee! i'm glad to hear it works for you without alcohol. i'm going to try it sunday, have to work tomorrow. and i'm really happy that no one does it the"peel off" way, it sounds difficult and time-consuming. ei

check out scented's thread titled "here it comes again" (i think i got that right). at the bottom of the the first page is info about a petition to sign. everyone who makes or buys "our" stuff should sign it. you can also add a comment. of course we should also all send letters to all the sponsers, as well as our state senators and representatives. in my comment on the petition i wrote that if this is what the democratic party, supposedly the party of the little guy, has become it's time for me to rethink my party affiliation. i signed the petition the same day obama was in new jersey rallying support for his small business bill. talk about irony! ei

thanks to you both! i'll just try it with the alcohol as it seems that's the way to go. i have to admit that trying to pull the skin off with something pointed was not making me real happy! ei

rhonda is the best for responding. maybe she didn't get your email. there is NO way i can imagine her ignoring you!! in my experience she bends over backwards for her customers. she's been very helpful to me and i believe it's her nature to be that way. i would definitely write again!

are different than the others i've read. in her book 300 handcrafted soaps she writes to pour a thin layer of clear soap and when the skin forms to carefully remove it and then add the item to be embedded, wait till that layer hardens and then pour the rest of the soap into the mold. she specifically says that in her testing spraying with alcohol didn't work. has anyone used her method and if so does it work better for you? or did you try it and it didn't work at all? thanks!

hi, i've haven't tried it but i am anxious to hear if it really works! i had made some really nicely whipped shea butter with babassu. i carry a small container in my pocketbook and forgot about it. one day it got hot and it turned flat and grainy. i know the deflating will still happen in the heat but i'm hoping this might prevent the grainies. good luck and keep me/us posted! ei

hi leisa, the soaps (pix) aren't there today! but i did see them yesterday and i'm sure they are very bright "in person". i'll bet they smell delish! i still love cotton candy and i won't even tell you how old i am!! melt and pour definitely has it's advantages. pretty close to instant gratification and no worries about lye. how old is your son? it's really nice to have safe soap-making that you and he can do together! ei

i definitely second the violet lime, which also works well for me in my soy. i love this one, tho lots of people on the list seem to really dislike it. another one i didn't see mentioned is their lavender which was my very first CP soap fragrance, last june. all i had at the time were CS oils because till then all i was making was candles. i'm really glad you started thing thread SYR! i see a lot of my FOs listed. scented just saw your list. the sage and pom is very nice in soap also, i can still smell it in a small piece of soap from last june. it's definitely lighter now, and i haven't made any more soap with it, but heck, even the warm vanilla sugar i got in a niagara falls hotel lost it's fragrance in a year!

wow, those bath bombs are beautiful, i love the colors!! great idea to let people pick any two. i can see how that would be a big hit with kids as well as adults. you did a really good job with such a small space, everything looks great!! love the displays for the bombs. lucky you with a handy hubby.

that is the question. there are people who say they never melt, just whip with a heavy duty mixer, some who soften, and some who melt and say that's they only way to avoid crystals. but i can't believe those who don't melt have crystals in their product and don't care! i have some haiku shea butter from OTS that i'd like to use for a whipped body butter. i also have some regular shea that i got from a co-op here, i'm pretty sure it came from soaper's choice. are there different methods for these two different types of shea? i really want to try this tomorrow, i have finally decided on the butters, oils and proportions, but i'm still on the fence about melting or not. any help anyone can give me will be very much appreciated!! tia, eileen

thank you SO much! i am going to try it today for sure. getting knocked on my butt doesn't sound like much fun, so i'll definitely follow your recommendations! lol have a great weekend! ei

hi, i'd like to try some perfume oil with my golden jojoba. i have an angel dupe that is dead on but i'm not sure what percentage to use. i love angel, but can't afford it! can anyone give me the right porportions? tia, eileen

hi steve, no, she needed something quick. i had a couple bars from a while ago, both funnel swirls. one is green and lavender and scented with patch and, yep, lavender. the other is 3 colors and really pretty, a combo of 2 scents from moonworks. i gave them both to her and told her to pick one to buy and keep the other as a gift for the inconvenience. not exactly the same formula, but still a really nice soap. since she's interested in more soap for gifts and personal use, i thought it was a good idea. i'll know tomorrow if she liked them, i work with her hubby and he took them home tonite. i hadn't thought of the higher lye concentration tho, thanks for the suggestion! ei

i was going to try CPHP with eugenia's tutorial recipe but now i'm kind of afraid. it was the first soap i made and i've made it again since but only CP. i never smelled the lard in it. here's the recipe. 10% Castor Oil 20% Coconut Oil (76 degree) 35% Lard 35% Olive Oil someone who tested my original batch just asked for more, but she needs it soon, so no time for regular CP. anyone have any thoughts on this? tia, eileen

i'd really like to try this. i'm in if the price is right. ei