ProudMarineMom

And now back to our regularly scheduled program...

Judy, I sent an email to Wellington yesterday asking about their incense. I'll try to work on Scentsations sometime today.

Sending you a PM!

And thanks for the link Patty! I'll see if they can send a pic of a typical bundle or at least a sample to compare. I'm begining to believe they don't make them like they used to!

Judy, tried to reply to your PM but your inbox is full. Also don't have your email address from before since my old desktop and harddrive pretty much bit the dust a few months ago. Lost most of my email. I have the reply saved, just let me know where to send it.

Wondering the same thing as well, guess they may be trying to cut down on production costs and not coating them as heavily as they used to. Not sure if I really want to learn how to make them by hand myself.

I think even if the charcoal is mixed with resin there will still be charcoal dust generated. Growing up we had a coal fired boiler heating system. That dust gets into everything ... not an experience I want to re-live.

Gotcha! My grandparents had an old wood-burning pot-bellied stove in the basement for their furnace. My brother and I used to sleep next to it so I really remember the wood-burning smell. That's not a bad thing but very distinctive. I don't think it was particularly messy or dusty. Guess I was wondering how well fragrance oil would cover that.

Although the cost of the incense isn't that bad shipping is more than the product, from either Moonworks or Scentsations. Moonworks shipping looks to be cheaper and a popular suppier. I'd be happy to split the cost with you to give it a try.

I also have some of the wood incense sticks I ordered from Natures Garden. They aren't overly thick like years ago but seem to be pretty uniform in size. If you haven't tried theirs, I can send you some.

I was looking for charcoal ones and ordered from Fragrance Factory. However, they have the same issue you mentioned, not very uniform. Some were a nice size, but others were very thin. In my search I ran across the website for Scentsations Incense. The pictues they show look like the larger sticks from back in the day. Might want to give them a look if you haven't already.

http://www.scentsationsincense.com/unscented_sticks.php

For my own curiosity, may I ask why you prefer the wood over the charcoal? I've definitely noticed the charcoal is a bit messy. Thanks!

I've not ordered from them, but that looks like a really good price for the pipettes. Might have to order some.

Not familiar with the company either, but they have the certification from Comodo/Trust Logo. So, they were willing to spend the money to get the advanced SSL certificates.

For the Twilight fans,

Bella and Edward or Bella and Jacob

Nature's Garden has fragrances called Bite Me, Vamp Vogue and Werewolf...

Well initial soaping with the new NG bases turned out to be a pain in the butt. I have an email in to them to see if it's something I did or the bases themselves so I'll let you know as soon as I hear something. But both types turned into more of a marshmallow fluff consistency as I melted them and didn't truly melt all the way for me. I have it sitting on the counter till I see if I can fix it somehow.

More to come!

Kitchenfairy, any update on the NG base? Were you able to figure out the melting issue? How do you like the base?

Never made them which I found odd since they're one of his favorite things! He said if they didn't get them at his grandmother's house, then they had store bought.

When you say real marshmallows do you mean those you make yourself? I still haven't tried making them but it's on my list to do.

I actually meant the marshmallows you buy in the bag as opposed to the jar of marshmallow fluff. But, some of my friends liked the fluff.

I have never thought to make my own marshmallows, hmmmm, may have to give that a try. I always like to find different ways of making things. I do love to cook!

LOL Oh that is funnier than you know because I have marshmallows and cereal sitting on my counter to make those tomorrow with DH. (I cannot believe he's 34 and NEVER made them in his life!)

Never made them or has never had them? He is in for a treat either way. And, I think they are so much better with the real marshmallows (imho). Can you send some down this way?

Yummmmmmm rice crispie treats....

Sure you didn't grap the stuff to make rice krispie treats?

Keep us posted. There was another thread somewhere and someone really liked the bases. Wish I could help but have zero experience. Hope you are able to figure out what the problem is. Maybe someone will jump in with a suggestion.

My husband came up with a good idea for the wax and the containers I no longer want to use. He suggested I pour plain candles to use during power outages. We could put a couple in the closet in each of the bedrooms, and wherever else, and we're not scrambling find them when the lights go out. Maybe everybody here does that already so sorry if it's a repeat...

No I never tried SFIC bases, where is the best place to purchase them.

Thanks for the info, I thought I read somewhere that glycerin increased lather.

Soychic, I through I read the same thing about glycerin. Maybe in the thread Candybee posted about additives that people add to M&P.

Depending on your location, you can find SFIC at a number of suppliers. Bramble Berry, Peak, Kentucky Candle, Elements and Southern Soapers are just a few I know of that carry it. Y'all should have got in on the co-op we just did! I don't think you'd be disappointed. They offer liquid soap and lotion, too. With simple, natural ingredients. I just love them.

Faerywren, thanks for the recommendation on the SFIC base. I will definitely give that a try. I literally ordered my first M&P last week to try so didn't really look at the co-ops before. I keep looking at the thread now!! I ordered the bases they had from the closest suppliers just to see if I would enjoy it. And, I am interested enough to try different bases. Testing, testing and more testing!

But, after looking at Soapfreaks Major Soap Porn in the B&B gallery, I'm thinking of going back into the closet. :tiptoe: I know that is CP, but good grief she is talented and creative. I have major soap envy. My little square soap looks like a Yugo compared to a Rolls Royce. But, I gotta start somewhere, right?

As for the slippery soap, yes I have that problem too!

heehee, maybe we need velcro gloves....

I know what you mean about more supplies... I'm cleaning out my storage closet in the guest room and I'm on my second day of organizing! Wonder who put all that stuff in my closet!

Yeah, my supplies have pretty much invaded my office, a cabinet in the kitchen, part of the closet in the back bedroom, and DH made some more shelves for me in my pantry downstairs. What started out as a simple hobby (candles and now soap) has turned into a major addiction. Hi, my name is Jan and I am a FoHo...

I was wondering about their new natural goats milk soap too!

I was glad they had vege glycerin in it for more lather but I was sad that they put the preservative in it. I will probably try it anyway because I want a soap with a little more lather. AND they have great prices.

I can't wait to hear your results kitchen fairy :smiley2:

Soychic, may I ask why the preservative is a negative? Does it make the base behave differently or just isn't the best thing for your skin?

And a general question for everybody. Is all M&P soap very slippery in the shower? It's like trying to hold onto a greased pig. Mine goes airborne quite a bit because I'm holding the bar so tight. Oh well, if anything, it keeps my dogs entertained.

J

I actually tried some of the pointers from PA and Faerywren above with 1/2 pound of base. Used the microwave to melt the base and made sure it was covered tight with plastic wrap. I think the consistency of the base was much better. Also, had better luck mixing everything using a wood utensil rather than silicone. Instead of using the loaf pan, I bought an inexpensive bar mold from Michaels (yup, was inpatient and didn’t want to wait for my shipment). I increased the FO, probably too much, but hey, it smells good , reduced the amount of the other ingredients for the amount of base, and reduced slightly again.

The bars look a lot better to me than my loaf mold. They were still a bit oily, but I wiped them off and set them out to dry. I’m noticing that too, Kitchenfairy. The longer the bars are exposed to air the better the look and feel. I think the base is still more flexible than I care for, so will get some beeswax as PA suggested. I know there were several suggestions in other threads to harden the soap. Please let us know how you like the base from NG. Which one was it, btw? Yup, just what I need, more supplies! :rolleyes2

Sharon, that’s not a bad idea. Work from the hard to soft ingredients then incorporate the base. I’ll give that a try as well. I think I read in one of the threads that overcooking the M&P base can result in badness. But, I’m not sold on this Shea base so far. I have some of the white and clear from Stephenson coming from a different supplier. Gotta love testing!

Is the white base from EBC their own blend or is it SFIC or Stephenson, anybody know? That appears to be a fav of everybody. But, shipping 20 lbs from the west coast to Georgia is expensive. If I can find the same brand on the east coast, that would be great.

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. I appreciate the help.

J

That is definitely one way to get our attention!!

Ditto with Elfcat, I really like the one from CS. I use 464 as well and thought it did very well.

J

Yeah, probably should have taken the simple approach to get a feel for M&P soap base. But, all of the recipes in the thread started by CandyBee just sounded so wonderful!! And, I love to cook, so not afraid to try things. The unused base does feel a bit rubbery in the package, so it might be the nature of this base.

hummm... I wonder if I let too much moisture escape? Don't think I kept it covered as good as I should. Took the approach of melting chocolate, which requires almost constant stirring. Might need to be more hands-off while on the heat. Think I'm going to try some in the microwave just to see the texture of the finished bar.

Hi back! Yup, I can actually bend the soap but not really pliable. More like I could take the grater and make a nice shredded pizza topping. I did order some of the Stephenson white base from another supplier and will get it next week. I know you use the one from EBC but it doesn’t look like you can order the smaller amounts. I’m just testing to see how I like it.

Went a little light on the FO since I usually have a heavy hand. Although I like a candle to be over-powering doesn’t mean soap should be. That’s exactly what it smells like, the soap and the additives with the FO in the background. I was going for subtle, I’ll be happy to increase that!

I don’t have beeswax, will vegetable stearic acid work? Other than that and very difficult to hold onto in the shower, it did moisturize very well. Happy with how it worked just unsure about the feel of the bar. Should it feel more like the Ivory or is M&P soap smoother, not so grainy.

Thanks so much for the feedback. All of the recipes sound amazing and I’m excited to learn how to make this soap.

btw, my daughter-in-law is a HUGE Marilyn fan. I'll have to give her that quote (if she doesn't already know it).

Hi, newbie to just about everything here, including soap. I have enjoyed reading all of the threads in all of the categories and trying not to get caught up in trying everything now. But, the M&P recipes that PA, Candybee and others have posted were way too tempting!

I ordered some Stephenson white base along with the other items needed for PA's basic goat milk recipe (sorta). Unfortunately, the supplier was of the white but did have the Shea version, which I accepted. Last night I was getting antsy to try it that I made a one pound batch that I put in a loaf pan. The order with the soap molds isn't here yet....

I unmolded it this morning, and that may be part of my problem, I didn't wait long enough for it to dry properly (did I mention I was antsy) . Anyway, it has the look and feel of the block mozzarella you get from the store. And, the FO I chose doesn't seem to go well with the ingredients. I have absolutely no basis for comparison on handmade soap to see if I'm anywhere close to how it should look/feel/smell. I use Ivory bar soap, so that is what I think of when I think of soap.

Here is my list:

1 lb Shea M&P base

1/3 cup fresh goat milk

3 Tblsp liquid soap (Dr Bronner's unscented - I like bubbles)

1 Tblsp honey (local honey from a bee farm in the area)

1/2 Tblsp Kokum Btter (Don't care for Cocoa so substituded Kokum)

1/2 Tblsp Olive Oil

1/2 Tblsp Jojoba Oil (golden)

1/2 Tblsp Aloe Butter

1/2 tsp Aqua FO from Elements.

PA's recipe also calls for Shea, but since that was in the base, I didn't add any additional

No colorant

I did the double-broiler method and pretty sure I didn't overheat the ingredients. Once the base was melted I added all the other ingredients. After that was smooth, added the FO, let it cool down to 155 degrees and poured in a lined loaf mold (it was glass, not silicone, if that makes a difference). This morning the soap was a bit slimy, felt rubbery and I don't care for the smell too much. Worked pretty good in the shower, but was the dickens to hold onto.

What exactly should the soap feel like once it has cooled and can be unmolded? The oilyness is much better since it has been sitting out, but still looks/feels like mozarella. Should I have increased the Kokum since I added the Aloe, which is soft? Would the plain white base be better? Any comments.... suggestions... hysterical laughing and pointing??!

TIA - J

I just love that little lobster! Kept looking at your original post you did with him.

The candle would be real cute centerpieces for a little girl's Princess Ariel birthday party.

I went to high school in Alabama and unfortunately all I can remember is the overwhelming smell of boiled peanuts....

How about popcorn or burning leaves or wood?

With the leather fo maybe something citrus and some patchouli?

Someone mentioned pipe tobacco. I guess their Grandfather used to smoke a pipe while he watched the game.

I know you mentioned you searched the internet for these jars. Have you looked at Freund Container and Supply in Illinois? They have the Salsa jars and lids in the 8, 12 and 16 ounce sizes. Not sure if it's cheaper than the price at SKS or what shipping would be. Here is a link to the 12oz jar page.

http://www.freundcontainer.com/product.asp?pn=6240B15-B

Good luck with your search.

If you can find one there are a couple of us who would like to know! BrittyBea found a place called Georgia Body and Bath (georgiabodyandbath.com) that sells the Ecosoya products. However, they do not allow store pickup, shipping only. Between the price of their wax and shipping, it's actually cheaper to use Candle Science or Lone Star. I use GB464, so it doesn't help me out much. If they had the GB products I was going to call and ask if anything could be done for those of us that are local.

The closest I've found is Alabaster over by Birmingham. Once my stash runs out that our friends picked up at Peaks when they drove this way for the Daytona race, I'm considering running over there. I wish Candle Science was closer...

I know you are looking for a straight Blackberry scent, haven't tried any of those. But, Elements Noire Cedre Vino is a really nice blackberry fragrance. It's more like Blackberry and Sage but I get a really good HT in soy. One of my oldest son's favs.

Jen,

Really like your FB page and the photos of your shop. Looks very inviting.

Couple of questions a little off topic, if you are able to share the info. Where did you get the tins for your Zen Scents incense sticks? I have been looking for those and unable to find any in the size I need. I absolutely love those labels, too. Kudos to your graphics designer.

And, the small, possibly votive(?), jars with the silver lids? The pic I'm looking at is on the first page of your store photos at the bottom next to the wedding votive.

Thank you for any info. I appreciate your time.

J