Even though this is not the best photo, I am so thrilled with how this has turned out.  I did a spoon swirl with this soap.  I layered 4 colors in the mold, one on top of the other and then took a big spoon and put it all the way to the bottom of the soap, then in a turning, twirling, fashion I pulled up the soap from the bottom, turning and flipping the spoon as I went.  I did that all the way down one side and then down the other.  For the top I took the very thick soap that was left in my pitchers and dropped it on the top of the soap in little blobs.  I tried to have a balance of each of the colors all across the soap and then with my wood skewer I made swirls just on the very top to create a more blended wispy look.  This is the new look of Pearberry (aka Grey Pearl) and it will be ready the end of June.  I'll post more photos once I have had a chance to cut it.  Hopefully much better photos!

I would have never dreamed that soap making would be a form of art, but it is and it's fun.  I wish my mother were alive to share this with me.  She loved art.  She loved to paint ceramics.  She painted animals or people and sometimes glazed pots for house plants or glazed very large pieces of art.  She painted with Tri Chem also and paint by number pictures that were actually pretty nice.  It would have been fun to make soap with her.  I think she would have come up with some wild color combinations and scents.  She would for sure brag about her daughter, the soap maker.  She loved to do that and chances are she would have made all her friends buy soap from me too.  LOL! 

I love you mom and I thank you for the creative, playful side that you have passed on to me. 

Before I started making this soap I knew there was a chance it might not turn out.  I had started to make soap earlier in the week, but then my scale died.  I already had my lye mixed with the water and half of my oils/butter weighed.  I had to stop mid soap making until my new scale arrived several days later.  I covered the lye water with Press and Seal Cling Wrap, but I think maybe some of the water may have evaporated.  I am not sure.  This is probably the best top I ever created and the bottom portion was a new technique for me called a "spoon pour."  The soap never gelled even though I covered it. It smelled a little off at first.  After I unmolded it though it smelled yummy.  A little later in the evening after I had unmolded it, I decided to cut the end piece just to see what the inside looked like.  What I saw was very pretty, but it smells off which may mean that it's a failed batch.  It smells very chemically like maybe it is lye heavy.  Go figure.  Just about the nicest batch I have poured yet and it fails.  I am going to try it again though.  I want to recreate those beautiful spooned layers.  In fact, I absolutely love how it turned out.  It is very different than just regular pouring into the mold out of a pitcher.  The look is very unique, fun and creative.  It's like opening a surprise package because you don't know what you are going to get on the inside.  While I am hopeful this batch is not a total flop, I am excited about doing it again.  But of course I ran out of titanium dioxide and have to wait for it to get here first.  My glitter will arrive in the same shipment, so maybe this time I will add a little glitter to the top.  I'll just have to see.  If the top looks like this again, this is certainly good enough with out any glitter.

New Soap, Scrubs, Body Butter Creams and a Logo

I’ve been working on a few new soaps and it’s been a lot of fun.  Most of them have turned out very well.  I just wish the internet had the capability of transferring scent.  My curing room smells heavenly right now.  I have also started making the majority of my soap with Shea Butter.  The moisturizing properties and rich creamy lather are noticeably different compared to the standard recipe.  Although last year’s soap with Sweet Almond oil and Shea Butter was extremely nice, it is not economical for me to continue making that one and I could not get that recipe to work in larger batches even when I ran it through the lye calculator.  I still think the new recipe is quite conditioning and it’s a harder bar of soap which will last longer in the shower.  I am still able to make the West Coast Blue soap with Avocado oil and Mango Seed Butter in larger batches, so nothing has changed at all with that one. 

I have begun making scrubs and body butters again.  I am bringing back the original citrus scent which was a blend of Orange, Lavender, Litsea Cubeba and a touch of Lemongrass.  It smells more like Oranges and Lavender buds and it is just heavenly.  The scent fades fairly quickly because it is made with pure essential oils, so technically you could layer on a perfume and not have them competing with each other.  I will also be making them in Chamomile Neroli (West Coast Blue), Violet, Cucumber Melon, and Pomegranate (from a new supplier and it is the best so far) just to name a few. 

I have also been working with a friend who has designed my logo, Artfire banner, blog banner, and label design.  I am going to also have her do the jar labels, business cards and any additional printing work and graphic work that I might need.  I feel more inspired to grow my business now that I feel the packaging will look more professional. 

I think if I intend to be any bit as successful as some of the other soap makers I admire, I am going to have to make more product and get out there at craft shows, farmer’s markets and even local shops.   It's really too difficult to sell a product online that relies heavily on whether or not someone likes the scent or not.  I think most people would be hesitant to buy online if they don't really know what it smells like.  I don’t intend to push myself before I am ready and at this point I do not feel ready.  I am still experimenting, still learning what scents are good sellers and I am trying to figure out my artistic design for the soaps.  It isn’t just about throwing things together in a pot and then pouring it in a mold.  There is so much more involved in the whole creative process and as someone who isn’t that creative, it is kind of difficult.  I look everywhere for inspiration. Sometimes it turns out, other times not so much. 

Here are a few of the soaps I have made in the last several weeks. 

West Coast Blue

Caribbean Candy

Lavender



English Rose

Grey Pearl (Pearberry)

23 Skidoo

English Rose

Vetyver

Grapefruit

Santa Fe Pineapple

23 Skidoo

I am so very excited. We tested the Shea butter soap today and it is marvelous. It has a noticeably creamier and more decadent lather than the standard recipe.  I am also pleased with the scent and the appearance. I owe all the credit to “Tiggy,” English soap artisan and owner of Future Primitive Soap Co.  She gave a little tutorial on her YouTube channel, which I happened to watch one morning and it gave me the inspiration for this soap.  This is a unisex scent.  I would describe it as a bit sweet, lemony and slightly spicy with a lovely creamy, dreamy skin softening lather.  My husband ran out of shave cream this morning and used it to shave.  He loves it and I love it.  I am sure that my Shea butter soap lovers will enjoy it too. 

The inspiration for the name is twofold:  First, skidoo means get away or scram and this soap is sure to shoo away the dirty stinkies.  Second, there are many theories behind the name 23-Skidoo and one of the origins of this phrase came from the 1920’s in New York.  Due to the arrangement of the Flatiron building at the corner of 5^th Ave. and 23^rd St., wind would funnel down 23rd St. and lift up the ladies skirts.  Apparently, men would hang around hoping to catch a glance at their stockings, so the police were told to keep loitering men moving along and give them the twenty three skidoo.  It’s a cute story and I thought it would make a catchy name for a pretty cool soap.  http://blog.insidetheapple.net/2011/12/twenty-three-skidoo.html

Back In The Saddle Again

I’m back in the soaping saddle again and I’m happy to be there. It feels good to be busy, productive and creative once more. I am a little disorganized at the moment, but I have decided that is just going to have to be okay. I have to let go of perfectionism if I am going to do this thing. The important thing is that I keep moving forward. I think perfectionism was part of my problem last year. I kept putting expectations on my soap and on myself and how both should be performing instead of just going with the flow. Who cares, right! I am not going to get experience sitting on my duff.

Yesterday I opened my Artfire shop back up.  I have 6 varieties of soap listed at the present moment and many more that I need to make and that I am anxious to make.  I only have two molds right now, which is a draw back at the moment.  However, my husband bought a table saw and is ready to rock and roll making me new molds to specification.  I think for now I will have him make 2 more of the same exact size I have and then next time double it to see how that works out production wise.  I have never made 6 lbs of oil recipe at one time, so that would be a big challenge. 

I’m also going back on the blog wagon and we’ll see how that goes. I always feel like I am just talking to myself, since I have no audience per se. I suppose it could be a bit therapeutic and it may be better to post here rather than on facebook about the ins and outs of soap making. Some people on facebook aren’t going to care at all and the ones that are interested, can look here. I also may decide to blog about other things besides soap making like cooking, gardening, parenting or whatever strikes my fancy. I get bored easily and I am thinking that it would be a good idea to mix things up a bit to keep it interesting for me enough to want to keep on blogging.

New soap

Pomegranate Shea Butter soap. Swirl in the pot with a mica which was my first attempt at using mica.  I am not too sure if I am happy with it or not.  The scent started out strong but seems to be fading now.  I loved it right after I unmolded it but now I am not so sure. 









I haven't been feeling the best lately, so I haven't produced too many soaps.  I used my newer mold and while it seems like it will produce a much better shaped bar, I won't know until I get another cutter.  The cutter I recently purchased is not wide enough for the loaf to fit into it.  So we will either cut it by hand using the crinkle cutter or just wait until I get a new one. 

I did make a Coconut Cream Hemp Seed Oil Scrub recently and I have listed it up on Etsy and Artfire.  I love the scent.  It's like a cross between a fancy umbrella coconut drink and toasted coconut cream.  I named it Beach Bum because of the coconut scent and the hemp seed oil.  All in all I am happy with it and I hope who ever purchaces it, is as happy with it as I am. 

New Artfire Store

Lavender Essential oil cold process soap.  I will never use lavender buds on the top of my soap ever again.  These were beautiful and then they turned brown.  I am going to have to shave the tops off now.  I am so not happy about that. 

This is Citrus Organic Acai Berry Wheat Ale soap.  We love this soap.  It's scented with orange and Lemongrass but the rich earthy scent of the beer shines through.  It doesn't smell like beer or a brewery either.  It's hard to describe but definitely a unisex soap.

 These are some of the soaps that have been wrapped and sold.

Lemongrass Calendula.  The olive oil is infused with Calendula, Horse Tail herb and Anatto seed.  I am not all that thrilled with the petals on top so I am leaving that off next time for sure.

I finally have an Artfire store http://www.artfire.com/users/SutterButtesSoapCompany and have been selling like crazy.  I imagine after the initial interest from my friends dies down, I will need to learn more about how I can market my soaps in a hugely competitive industry.  I also need to learn how to attach my Artfire store to my facebook business page for easier shopping.  I also need to learn how to add links to my blogger page so people can click on the links to see my facebook page and the store. 

I am still working on labels and still trying to decide which mold size to settle on.  I don't think I like the most recent mold I bought.  The bars are too narrow and tall.  My husband made me a new mold over the weekend that I will be trying out today.  It will make a 3.5 inch wide bar that is 2.5 inches tall and should be easier to do swirls in compared to  the narrow 4 lb mold bought from Brambleberry.  I am not going to give up on that mold completely though.  I think the shape would make great facial bars.  I need to step up production so I am hoping the new mold works.  If so, he can make 3 or 4 more for me and I should have soap going at all times.  Right now I have to wait for the molds to free up before I can make soap again.