Le Réveillon: The Awakening

I adore this soap for it’s understated elegance.

Few teenagers have the opportunity to travel extensively overseas. Fewer find themselves jubilantly dancing under the Eiffel Tower with a throng of ecstatic Parisians. And yet, there I was at age 19, ringing in the New Year in one of the most memorable ways possible. I can still hear the pop-pop-pop of firecrackers bursting in my ears.

The French term for New Year’s celebrations and partying into the wee hours of the night is, Le Réveillon. Its literal translation is “the awakening.” The term can be traced back to the mid-1800s when French families would fast on Christmas Eve, attend a Midnight Mass to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, and then break their fast together with an elaborate, candlelit meal. While Christmas Réveillon is celebrated as a family, the New Year’s Réveillon is typically an intimate gathering of friends.

This week, I had the pleasure of designing a soap that conjured up memories of celebrating lavishly. It started with a bottle of champagne…

When taste doesn’t matter, it’s okay to use the cheap stuff!

The standard procedure for making soap from oils and butters is to combine them with a lye solution (lye granules dissolved in distilled water) and stir or blend until saponification is reached. Using different liquids in place of distilled water opens the door to a multitude of outcomes as it pertains to the soap’s color, texture, and functional properties. There’s been a recent buzz about the benefits of champagne in bubble baths and skin care products, so when it was announced that this month’s soap design challenge required the use of 100% liquid substitute for water, I knew I had to use the bubbly.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, cosmetic chemist Joseph Cincotta explained that champagne contains grape seed extract. This extract is chock full of antioxidants that “are 20 to 50 times more powerful than vitamin C and vitamin E respectively.” Furthermore, grape seed extract “promotes youthful skin, healthy cells, skin elasticity and flexibility, and generally helps in the treatment of aging.” Lastly, champagne contains tartaric acid, a lightening agent that can help brighten blonde hair (when used as a rinse), or even out discolorations on the skin.

My flat champagne started out very pale in color, but quickly turned a burnt orange when reacting with the lye. The temperatures also got very hot very quickly, despite the champagne being chilled for 24 hours and seated in an ice bath.

All in all, champagne has a great deal going for it, but as a soap maker, I had to plan carefully to ensure I was using this ingredient safely. To prepare, I boiled the alcohol out of the champagne and then popped it in the fridge to cool and flatten overnight. Adding lye granules to a carbonated liquid is asking for a trip to the ER. Yikes! No thanks!!

Once safety concerns were addressed, I had to consider how the use of champagne may change the consistency of my soap batter, which directly impacts the type of design I can achieve. A little bit of research showed that it would likely cause my batter to thicken up quickly, so I opted for a spoon-plop design. It’s exactly what it sounds like: take a spoonful of soap batter and plop it into the soap mold. Using two or more colorants in your batter helps this design technique to not appear as boring as it sounds. Since my batter was already going to be thick, why not add some ingredients that share the same tendency to accelerate trace: shea butter (moisturizing), castor oil (humectant and contributes to lots of lather), and clays (gently exfoliating).

The design challenge had additional parameters limiting the colorants and scents used to all natural ingredients only. I had a Brazilian clay sample pack from Bramble Berry that I wanted to use, but it didn’t feel very “Parisian.” Then it struck me—the hostel I was staying at had a group of Brazilian students who would perform copoeira in the foyer. I was delighted that I had additional ingredients on hand that fit my story line. I opted for the pink and dark red Brazilian clays to keep it looking feminine. The colors did not turn out as vibrantly as I had planned, but the design turned out the better for it. Finally, I elected to use Litsea Essential Oil as my fragrance. It’s a delightfully energizing scent that I think anybody would be happy to inhale when washing up.

This was a mighty thick batter, so I used the back of a spoon to create little waves on the top. Thankfully, it did not stay this burnt orange color after it cured overnight.

I love clays for their mild, exfoliating properties. These Brazilian clays may steal a piece of my heart that’s currently devoted to rose clay.

I’m very pleased with my submission for this month’s soap design challenge. All that’s missing is a little stamp of the Eiffel Tower!

It’s Business Time!

A sneak preview of “La Reveillon,” a facial bar made with champagne, shea butter, and Brazilian clays.

Before I jump into another post about my latest soap design challenge, I thought I’d bring everyone up to speed on post-Pumpkin Patch Craft Faire happenings. So much has changed in the last year, and there are still many changes to come. So strap in and hang on as you go on this roller coaster ride with me.

Rewind to early Spring of 2015. I was losing my mind with a 6 month old who nursed around the clock and thought sleep was for the birds. I could barely keep my house clean, let alone find time to make soap. Overwhelmed, I made the decision to forgo selling at the local farmers’ market as I had done faithfully the year before. I wasn’t making any money, but it felt as though the lid on the pressure cooker was removed. My days as a mom of two little princesses under age 2 was still challenging, but the peace that began to pulse through my veins also permeated our household.

Every time I walked passed my soap closet (near our front door), I wondered how and when I’d transform my mountain of hard-won supplies into revenue. Months passed, and our girls began hitting the hay around 7pm—some glorious nights, they’d be out as early as 6pm. I felt the freedom to hop back in the soaping saddle once calm and rest had resumed. I decided to sign up as a vendor at the Pumpkin Patch Craft Faire here in Manhattan.  It was the perfect venue for pushing loads of inventory in a short amount of time, and I wanted to rid myself of as much as possible in preparation for our move to New York in the Spring of 2016. It was also a great way to test the waters and see if our family was in a good place for me to commit time to soaping again.

It was a delight to get back into my kitchen to create. In a few short weeks, I successfully produced over 100 pounds of soap! After nearly a ten month break from selling soap at a public venue, I went into the Pumpkin Patch weekend hopeful and confident. I crushed my sales record from the previous year, and all that remains of the hundreds of products I made are the dregs of single cardboard box.

My table at the craft fair towards the end of day one. I was already down about 65% of my inventory.

I can’t even begin to express how happy I am to have so little left over.

While it was satisfying to be achieving some immediate goals, I was finding deeper satisfaction in thinking through the future of my soap business. I’ve mentioned previously that my long-term goal (in 12-15 years) is to open a brick and mortar shop in the Czech Republic. For the last three years, we’ve longed to assist and encourage our missionary friends who live there, but believe we are supposed to stay loyal to the Army until my husband is eligible for retirement. So working backwards from the goal of the Czech Republic, I have had much to consider…

• Establishing my target market (I had to get more specific than “anyone who will buy my soaps“)
• Re-branding to fit my target market, to include a new name, tag line, color scheme, family of fonts, etc
• Establishing an original line of soaps dictated by both my target market and my tag line: “Soaps That Tell A Story.” I chose this tag line in keeping with my vision from April, where I felt my soaps needed to be both meaningful and personal.
• Selecting sleek display options, packaging, and labeling that is not only highly functional, but that will also set me apart visually.
• Evaluating my options for public sales once we move to New York. So far, committing to a weekly farmers market is off the table because it’s not the best way to reach my target market. Upscale, handmade craft fairs and wholesale accounts in and around New York City are likely my best bet for building an online customer base.
• Limiting my product line to cold process soaps and bath bombs only. Though I love them, lotions are just too much of a pain to be worth my while. Other products, like my beard oils, do not fit the bill when I consider what my target market is shopping for.
• Researching e-commerce options so that I can launch an online store in March of 2016. I think I’m pretty much set on opening a Squarespace store. The template I’ve chosen has the feel of an art gallery—simple and minimalistic, but not sterile. Prepare to have your socks knocked off when you see it.
• Investing in a business laptop and soap making software to track all of my recipes, ingredients, and everything else vitally important for larger scale production.
• Using caution and discernment when purchasing any new supplies. This requires designing soaps and pricing out every single ingredient before I ever place an order so that I’m not stuck with ingredients I can’t use. Many of the supplies that I burned through for the Pumpkin Patch were ones I don’t plan to use for my new product line.
• Researching shipping options and establishing a plan for filling orders in a timely manner.
• Deciding how to make the most of the financial buffer created by my sales at the Pumpkin Patch.

As you can imagine, all of this has taken countless hours to achieve, and a tremendous amount of work remains. I still only have 24 hours in my day, and I still have two tiny princesses to enjoy. I’m grateful for the spurts of inspiration that strike as I’m walking my girls to the park, chasing them around the library, or snuggling with them on the couch. At present, I have no less than 75 design ideas on paper, just waiting to be formulated. The next stage of the transition is shifting from the thinking phase to the doing phase.

Feeling inspired at the library. The girls are helping me design a new logo with sidewalk chalk.

And for all of this energy that I’m investing, there are so many unknowns as it relates to our military career. I stopped dead in my tracks last week when I realized that I have to be granted permission from West Point (our next duty station) to continue my home-based business. Because we plan to live in military housing, I have to submit paperwork noting any potentially hazardous tools or chemicals required for my business. If they deny my application because my products require lye and essential oils, I will either have to store my ingredients and make my soap elsewhere, or shut down the business altogether. In the same vein, we are desirous of an overseas duty station after our time at West Point, but it has the potential to be the nail in the coffin for any online sales I’ve built up in Kansas and New York. But I can’t let the what-ifs and worst case scenarios deter me from my current path. I have to move forward trusting in the lesson I’ve learned most recently—that breaks can be a blessing.

You’re an Angry Elf!

I wanted to call this “Fa-la-la-la-la,” but it looks too angry, don’t you think?

In the midst of preparing for the one and only craft fair I’ll be selling at this year, I gave myself a single shot at the Clyde Slide technique for the Soap Challenge Club. Thankfully, nothing went dramatically wrong during my attempt, but I’m still only 86% pleased with my results. I had to deduct an automatic 10% because of my impatience with unmolding and cutting the soap. Will I ever learn?! I thought CPOPing would be my way around learning patience. It was more like a roundabout.

The other 4% was lost to a nice crack down the center of my soap log. Poor little soapy got too hot (mmmm, perhaps because I stuck it into a hot oven?) and had to rupture if it was going to ever cool down. The tops of the soaps are noticeably wider than the bases as a result. The mold was even bowing a bit.

My little beauty, before I stuck her into an oven.

She’s clearly lost her fa-la-la…

My original intent was to have something cheerful and sweet to give as Christmas gifts. I adored the feathered look achieved in one of the video tutorials where Clyde made several passes back and forth with his batter, so I decided to go that route. The layering of colors was exquisite. Previously, I had only seen a feathered look achieved by pouring very gingerly from one end of the mold, finished off by a horizontal, rather than vertical, cut. Christmas feathers. Sounds nice!

I think I was able to achieve the “Christmas feathers” I wanted on the top of the soap, but the feathers I found inside weren’t exactly shouting Christmas spirit. Perhaps I over analyze the mood and personality of soap designs. I think I could’ve gotten away with these colors as a drop swirl, but the feathers in red just seem to be warring with the other colors.

There’s a soaper I admire who likes to pour her batter in lines rather than spots when doing an in-the-pot swirl. How’d I do, Claudia?

I was so excited my batter was still fluid that I completely lost track of how many passes I made when pouring it into the mold.

I’ve never finished the top of my soap with linear swirls before, so I gave it a shot.

I had to swirl on the diagonal. I think I’m allergic to symmetry in soap.

I do enjoy the color scheme I selected and will likely work it into another holiday design in the future. I was also very grateful that my one attempt wasn’t a total bust! Surprisingly, though, it seems like I’ve been better shaped and developed by my soapy failures than I have been by my soapy successes. I suppose adversity makes the joy of beholding a beautiful design even sweeter.

From ROY-G-BIV to ROY-G-BARF

This month’s entry for the Soap Challenge Club, inspired by the song that played as I walked down the aisle.

One would think that three attempts and plenty of time to plan for this month’s Soap Challenge Club would surely lead to success. Nope. No it doesn’t. I’ll explain how I went  from making the soap you see above to making one that looks like I vommed into a soap mold.

I’m not as enamored with rainbow themes as many soapers I’ve come across in our small, but expanding community. But, a rainbow is all that came to mind when I thought of the elegantly bending curves produced in a striped mantra swirl. That, and there is added sentimental value to a rainbow soap for me. I walked down the aisle to a ukulele and lone vocalist giving her rendition of Brother Iz’ “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Interestingly enough, our wedded bliss in Okinawa, Japan, has meandered it’s way to living within a stones throw from the Wizard of Oz museum in Kansas.

When explaining the plan I had devised to my husband, he gently reminded me that I’m more drawn to subdued hues, rather than ones that are intensely vibrant. He found this for me, and I used it as my inspiration:

Husband’s are so helpful!

I ordered some mica samples, calculated my oil/lye/water weights, made my dreaded mold dividers (ugh! time to by some reusable ones, ya’ll!), and felt ready to knock this soap right outta the park. But, impatience (and stupidity) got the best of me. I soaped too warmly to keep my batter fluid. It was tough going trying to get thickened soap out of my squirt bottles. Seeing as there was at least an ounce of soap hardened in each bottle, it meant my soap was rather uneven. No amount of tamping was going to get my solid batter to loosen up and even out in the mold. It also meant I wouldn’t be able to drag as much of the striped portion into the solid portion as I’d hoped. Whomp wahhhhh.

Yup, the turnout was pretty lumpy.

 

 

 

All my pretty micas lined up and ready to roll.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was disappointed with the outcome, but determined to do it better the second time around. I switched up my oil recipe and colorants, but rookie mistakes, again, hindered my success. Know what happens when you disperse your colorants in too much oil, then accidentally add too much fragrance oil to the same bottles? It creates a lovely pool of oil on the top. Delightful!

The solid batter was a-okay, but the striped portion was already beginning to bleed and morph.

I was down, but not out! I gave myself a few days to tackle other projects and to celebrate my littlest turning one. Frosting makes everything better.

It was back to the drawing board, and I made adjustments to my original ROY-G-BIV recipe to make certain that my batter wouldn’t be too thick, nor too thin. But—and there’s always a “but”—my batter may have not reached emulsion. Not even adding titanium dioxide and stick blending the solid portion was enough to help the situation.

It looks kinda pretty right now, but just you wait.

Yup. It’s completely murky. My husband said he likes the bit of blue down the center. Always looking on the bright side, that man.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whatever happened to “if at first you don’t succeed?!” Perhaps the Lord was trying to teach me to appreciate what I have, instead of coveting what I deem to be better. Sorry little first soap! I took you for granted, and all you did wrong was turn out a little lumpy. I gently planed the bumpy side of the soap and was embarrassed by how satisfied I was with the result. I’ll have to keep this lesson in mind the next time I’m tempted to make the best soap the world has ever seen, or something to that effect.

Three little soaps, drinking up the first bits of morning light.

Stripes, Spots, & A Slippery Solid

This is all I’ve got, ya’ll. The worst part is, I’m not even really sure how I did it!

This month’s Soap Challenge Club is about embracing opposites. It’s one of those themes that is so broad and seems so easy that I inevitably make it difficult and discouraging for myself. At one point, I stopped to contemplate why I was mulling over crazy design schemes instead of just keep it simple. Answer: Because I’m a competitive a-hole who’s full of pride and thinks I might actually win something!

Whew. Deep breath. It’s a good thing there’s grace…and plenty of talented soapers out there who will continue to humble me as I navigate this craft.

After scolding myself for being a jerk-face, I set out not once, not twice, but thrice to come up with a soap design that matched the wonderfulness I had envisioned in my head. Here’s how it all went down…

For my first attempt, I sought to depict the feelings of joy and pain. I wanted to do two flow swirls from opposite ends of the mold. I thought I had enough colors for the in-the-pot swirls to show obvious signs of flow. The loaf would be cut horizontally, revealing the joyful flow springing up, while the painful flow would flow down. Here’s why it was a disappointment:

1. I tried out a new mix of oils that was touted as slow moving. It thickened up on me. Because I over-mixed? Because of the essential oils I used? Because _________ (enter the other 18 million reasons in the soapy universe that might work against me). Not much flow when you’re well past emulsion.
2. The swirl color to base color ratio was not high enough. The colors I wanted to pop the most got a little lost. It was also a challenge to get the colors on the “pain” side to look truly painful. They mostly just looked depressed.
3. I was a dummy and didn’t secure my divider. Hmmmm. Large amounts of thickened soap flowing from opposite ends of a mold? This is what you get:

Should’ve seen this coming. Doh!

The bag that reminds me of my lovelies.

For my second attempt, I tried a technique that allowed me to lay the divider at a slant against the mold. I wasn’t about to let that nonsense happen again (though I may do it on purpose down the road). I began with a good bit of solid yellow on one side of the divider, let the divider rest against the mold, and then began pouring—no, piping—my stripe colors down the side of the divider. Layering the stripes was very slow going. The cute little glasses that I mix my colorants in will hold up to 5oz of batter, but I forget that they don’t have a lip for pouring. Booooo. So, I got to use pipettes and take my sweet time watching each layer go in. Towards the end, I stopped caring how even or accurate my pours were, so the lines thicken up as you look towards the top of the soap. To finish it off, I imitated the spots on one of my daughter’s cloth diaper wet bags. I find a lot of inspiration in textiles–especially ones that make me feel sentimental about the cutest tooshies I know in existence (I’ve got two little girls).

Using bacon pot-holders to keep my mold propped up while I pour down the side of the divider.

To be perfectly honest, I’m not 100% sure how I got this soap looking the way it does. No tricks up my sleeve, folks! Just raw ineptitude. I think I might have bumped the divider a few times. You can imagine my surprise when I cut into the loaf and couldn’t find the bit of solid color I had poured in there. I guess it’s hiding.

I dig the dots!

Wherever did you go, solid bit of batter?!

My third attempt shall henceforth be referred to as “The Soap I Don’t Speak Of.” For some crazy reason, I thought it would be humorous and interesting to juxtapose “lumber sexual” and “metrosexual” men on either side of a soap. To simplify, I tried to do blue jeans and a red flannel shirt for my lumberjack, and a black tuxedo for the other side. You know, going from casual to classy. I created a kick-butt blend of Lavender, Patchouli, and Fir Needle with some Brambleberry Ginger Patchouli added in for good measure. Let’s be real. The only saving grace for this soap is that it smells good. Everything else about it was a big fat fail. I shan’t speak of it any more. And no, I won’t show you any other pictures. It’s just. too. painful.

Dear friends, may your dividers never look this horrendous when you pull them out of your molds!

Turkish Ebru Design Challenge

My submission for the June Soap Challenge Club: Ebru Tree. It’s dreamy and whimsical, with a touch of sparkle.

Attempting soapy greatness after a lengthy break is like trying to run a 5k with little to no prep. You’ll probably get it done, but will you really be happy with the results? For this month’s Soap Club Challenge, I was so delightfully surprised by the results of my first “5k” that I rushed to test out another design to give myself options. First attempt = booyakasha! Second attempt = not too shabby….until I cut into it. I made some rookie mistakes, but I’ll own it, since I am a rookie.

My second attempt at a more random design. This is the most vibrant soap I’ve ever made, but I dig it!

The technique chosen for this month’s challenge was Turkish Ebru, an ancient paper marbling art form that uses colored oils suspended on the surface of a tray water. In doing research for this challenge, I saw that there was a broad span of designs and techniques within this category: Large Ebru, Tide or Wave Ebru, Shawl Ebru, Comb Ebru, Floral Ebru, Nightingale Nest Ebru, Light Ebru, Sandy Ebru, and Written Ebru (please see this interview with Turkish artist SONGÜL SÖNMEZ). With so many options out there, it was difficult to narrow down what I would eventually attempt.

This is an example of Wave Ebru, from an artist in Portland. You can check out more of his work here: http://dannyebruarts.blogspot.com.

This is another piece by Danny. I love how fine the lines are, but I think it would take several more attempts with different pouring methods to achieve this look.

This is an Ebru tree, and my inspiration for the first soap I made. I was intimidated by the trunk/branches/roots, but having to make it small helped simplify that aspect.

Typically, I’m drawn to symmetry, but I found that I was more enraptured with the styles that appear haphazard. My favorite style was Wave Ebru, but I think it’s darn near impossible to achieve this particular look in soap. Artists have to bend and wave the paper to achieve the ripple effect, so I didn’t chance it. After drooling over tons of Ebru images online, I finally chose the two that made my heart skip a beat when I saw them: the Ebru tree (above center) and the pink and yellow super swirls (above right).

I was pretty amped up when getting set to make my Ebru tree because there were so many “firsts” that I was attempting: first time using squirt bottles (for the orange and yellow background), first time using so many colors (8 micas, yikes!), first time using pipettes for a drip/drizzle effect, first time drawing something on the surface of a soap (I cannot draw, nor can I paint), and first time using glycerin to create sparkly rivers on the surface of my soap. But for all that anxiety, preparing my lye, oil, and colorants were 75% of the process. Layering my dots for the trunk and leaves went rather quickly. I wasn’t initially planning to add a layer of grass to the bottom, but the leftover soap was begging to be added somewhere, so I obliged. And I’m glad I did, because I think it helps balance the more top-heavy tree.

My “Sparkle Plenty” from Mad Oils, mixed with a tablespoon of glycerin. Ooh-la-la!

Getting my soap counter prepped and all of my pretty micas lined up.

The squirt bottles helped give my background finer, more clearly defined lines than if I had dropped it straight from my usual pyrex cups.

All of my little droplets and drizzles are in place. Now for the hard part!

I had to nix the gloves to feel like I had enough control of my chopstick.

I was SO delighted when I uncovered my soap the following morning and found this waiting for me.

Ahhhhh. Deep sigh of relief. I had no idea that the glycerin would evaporate and leave little divots of sparkly goodness in my tree leaves, but that wasn’t a bad surprise. I really love these close-up shots. Hopefully you can see the strands of silver clearly:

Love, love, LOVE!

Fitting that I should show these off in a handy-dandy wooden bowl.

My success with the tree had me feeling ambitious. I tend to be overly ambitious anyway, so I figured why not do another soap (I actually had plans for a third, but time got away from me). My second attempt, though vibrant and beautiful, was disappointing in the following regards: my pouring method did not allow for the very thin striations I was hoping for; I was a knucklehead and dove my chopstick down to the bottom of the mold, leaving striations where I didn’t want them; and a few of the colors over-blending on the surface, leading to some brownish spots. But all in all, it was a great learning experience. I know exactly how I’ll improve my second design for future use. My tie-dye-loving neighbor is already offering me free mani/pedis in exchange for these soaps, so I call that a WIN!

On the surface, it looks pretty decent!

But on the bottom…tsk, tsk. What was I thinking?!

These are hypnotic, but I could do without those darn stripes I left behind with my chopstick. Doh!

Until next time, soapy friends!

I Got More Than I Bargained For

My entry for the spinning swirl design challenge.

There’s not a whole lot you can buy for $6 these days–at least not much that offers anything of lasting value. But God is a curious fellow in the way He leads me, and I got more than I bargained for when I signed up for a friendly soap design competition this month. What did this $6 buy me, you ask? On the surface:

• Access to a private tutorial by Amy Warden of Great Cakes Soapworks
• The chance to showcase my work to new and seasoned soapers alike
• The opportunity to be inspired by the 100 or so soaps that were entered in the competition
• The honor of being encouraged by other soapers who can appreciate the difficulty of the technique I tackled

But below the surface… Man. There was a storm of rapturous hope brewing.

Quite frequently over the past month, I have found myself lost in thought about soap and its purpose in my life (beyond the obvious). I’ve contemplated new techniques I’d like to master, different oil combinations I want to use, color palettes I find intriguing…the list goes on. I had to stop and ask myself, “To what end is all of this creativity flowing out of me?” Especially while I’m supposed to be “on a break” from soap.

This is the kind of ridiculousness I used to pull on Thursday and Friday nights to prepare for the market. I’m so sleep deprived now that I can’t believe I ever gave it up WILLINGLY!

My husband asked me the same question, wanting to know whether I needed him to reign in my enthusiasm or to fan the flames. Thank God for Jim. I clarified that “the break” was from forcing myself to go to the Farmer’s Market each week, where I know I’d feel tons of pressure to sell as much as I could, to then buy as many supplies as I could, to spend waking hours I don’t have making more stuff to sell. With my life as it stands now, that would be like signing up to walk around with thumbtacks in my shoes. Mmmmm, no thanks. But to actually get to enjoy soap-making as a hobby?! To sit down and journal about design ideas?! To dig deep into my heart and ponder what I want this all to mean 5, 10, 20 years down the road?! Sign me up!

Jim and I are visionaries at our core. But the trick is to make sure that the vision we have for the future aligns with what God has given us and what He desires for us. For now, our loyalties lie with Jim’s career in the Army. Raising our children is another top priority, but we know these seasons will be over and done in the blink of an eye. What then?

I’m content that all of the dreamy dreams I’ve been relishing lately may not be realized anytime soon. And that’s what being a Christian is all about. Living life with expectant hope in what has been promised. The clarity with which everything has been welling up in me makes me feel like this is not my own doing. The question is, will I have the guts to get on board with the plan?

Here’s the “more than I bargained for” list:

• My soap will always tell a story. The collection of my experiences on this earth will be the inspiration that directs the design, color choice, and scent. Sure, it can be cute, but it needs to offer my customers something to connect with emotionally. I’ve got to give them a tiny piece of myself (I’m sure the FDA would frown on my doing that literally).
• I will put on my “big girl” business pants and slay the fears that discourage me from opening a brick-and-mortar shop. (Being my own boss is easy, but being financially responsible for employees is straight up terrifying.)
• My soap will give customers the opportunity to bless others. Out of their abundance, they will be able to buy my soap. And out of my abundance (profits gained above what is required to maintain the business), I would like to make and distribute high-quality, long-lasting soaps to the homeless and destitute. I would do so through shelters and other organizations already in place to meet their needs.
• I will engage with customers as often and as meaningfully as I can. They need to know that I value them more than their money. I can be their means to an end, but they must not be mine.

Yup. That’s all way to specific and lofty to have poured out of my mom-brain in one afternoon. I could barely write my grocery list this afternoon. What’s worse, I could barely manage to remember all of the things on my list with it in front of my face at the store. Sheesh. I’m a mess!

Soap Challenge Club

While attending the Central Soapers Workshop last month in Kansas City, I had the opportunity to take a class from Amy Warden, owner of Great Cakes Soapworks and host of the Soap Challenge Club (SCC). She taught us how to swirl our hearts out and create soaps that are a delight to the eyes. Amy knows her soap techniques backwards and forwards, and the SCC is a fun, economical way for me to hone my soaping skills through friendly competition.

Each month, Amy chooses a particular technique and poses a challenge to any and all who are willing to participate (for a mere $5.95). The fee gains you access to her well-researched video tutorials, plus tips and tricks for success (i.e. which oils to use/avoid, what temperatures to work at, etc). This month, the technique is spinning swirls, and soapers have come out in droves to compete for prizes (166 members from 42 countries).

The set up of the SCC is easy breezy for a momma like me who infrequently soaps late at night while my family slumbers. It also provides the motivation I need to get in the kitchen and make something once a month. Though the pressure is off from having to prepare for the Farmer’s Market each week, I still have loads of soap-making supplies that need to be transformed into prettiness for future use. Don’t want all of those hard-earned supplies to go to waste!

When I first saw the bending that the technique created in Amy’s sample soap, I was reminded of photos taken of the ocean from the sky. As soon as I signed up for the challenge, I started dreaming about making this particular batch of soap several nights a week. This was my inspiration photo in developing my own design: I had all the necessary oils and fragrances on hand, but my stash of colorants was limited. I placed an order for several colorants from Nurture Soap, as they have impressive examples of how well their micas perform in cold process (CP) soap (which can often kill or morph the colors I wanted to achieve).

My assortment of micas to color the soap.

I wanted to create a soap that took me back to Belize, where I spent an adventurous Spring Break during my first year of teaching. It needed to smell beachy and tropical. I combined my favorite Bramble Berry fragrance oil (Papaya Coconut) with another I hadn’t used before (Rice Flower & Shea). The two complemented each other so well that my husband and I couldn’t stop sniffing the sachet card (thanks Majestic Mountain Sage for the samples!). I took all the necessary precautions and thought through every ingredient, trying to make sure I wouldn’t screw up my soap because of a silly oversight. I also debated a zillion times just how I would pour the soap before spinning it.

Getting all of my supplies in order.

I used soapcalc.net to get all the details of my recipe straight.

But even the best laid plans can go awry. I was careful not to overmix my soap batter because the technique requires a fluid consistency, and all was going well until I added my fragrance oils. Whomp waaaaaah. My batter immediately started to thicken. The soap I had colored white was too thick to be usable. It would’ve hindered me from getting the batter to spin properly, so I left it out altogether. 

This is what happens to soap that is naughty. It’s stuck in a random soap mold and gets put in time out.

The rest of the colors weren’t beyond saving, so quick like a rabbit, I started to pour my layers (faux funnel pour into the four corners of the mold, if we’re getting technical). Some areas were still somewhat fluid, and other areas looked a little lumpy. As a result, some of the batter spun as it should and the rest stayed put like a bump on a log.

Me frantically pouring my soap, sans the white batter that would’ve made all the other colors pop.

Not too shabby…but not quite hitting the mark of the look I was going for.

Being the competitive perfectionist that I am, I went right back to the drawing board to figure out how to be more successful the second time around. I nixed the fragrance oils and took the advice of Melinda Wolff-Foster, another CSW speaker, who said her favorite essential oils that allow for intricate designs are Lavender, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, and Rosemary. So I gave ’em a whirl (ha! pun intended). Instead of waiting until emulsion to add the essential oils, I tempered them in my warm oils prior to adding the lye water. I also nixed the brown mica and colored the majority of my soap white to make the blue and green hues stand out. Finally, I did two in-the-pot swirls before pouring the batter into the mold. And voila:

My beautimus-maximus second soap. It looks a lot more like my inspiration photo, don’t you think?

Patience is not my strong suit. AT. ALL. I was such an eager beaver to see how the internal swirls turned out that I ended up with some smeared soapy bits on my knife…made me die a little inside. Thankfully, my persistence paid off, even though my patience did not. Boom:

Hands down, this is the prettiest soap I’ve ever made. I still can’t believe I managed to pull this off.

This is my slab, cut into thirds and then sliced horizontally. Each cut yielded 3 bars of soap.

My hubster helped me select the three most interesting swirls to have photographed (professionally….these were snapped with my phone).

While I’m super pleased with my results, I’m anxious to see how the other SCC members took this challenge and made it their own. In about a week, all of the SCC members get to ooh and ahh over each others creations, then cast our votes for the winners. Good luck, everyone!

*Update as of 4/13: My friend and photographer extraordinaire, Stacey Zoll, was gracious enough to snap a few shots for me. Thank goodness she’s addicted to my soap and sees it as legitimate payment! I zapped these babies with some steam to remove the soda ash, and the vibrancy of the color showed through better. I think I’ll be naming this recipe “Merriment.”

Gotta love how the swirls on the two bottom soaps line up. They were the top/bottom of the same horizontal cut.

Central Soapers Workshop 2015

She loves the bath, so we assumed she’d love this super-sized version at the hotel.

About a year ago, I wrote a whiny post about how disappointed I was that there was a soap conference nearby and I wasn’t invited. Technically, I was–I just wasn’t aware. I was determined to attend in 2015, come hell or high water. Thanks to the loving kindness of my BFF (who watched kid #1 and the pooches) and the sacrificial support of my husband (who watched kid #2 on-site), I spent two glorious days this past weekend basking in the knowledge of soaping experts.

Admittedly, I felt guilty dropping dough on what I considered a luxury. The guilt quickly vanished when I realized what a necessity this entire experience was for me. Young soapers and seasoned soapers alike were voicing similar sentiments throughout the workshop. Many of us rely on youtube videos and online tutorials to learn new soaping techniques, but at CSW, we were able to get up close and personal. The moment we were invited to the front to see how soap was behaving during a demonstration, we ditched our tables so we could sit/stand at a safe viewing distance for the remainder of the weekend.

The Soap Queen herself, Anne-Marie. And, yes, she is this cute in person.

For the past year, I have been inspired by (and somewhat reliant upon) the tutorials of Anne-Marie Faiola, a woman affectionately known as the Soap Queen. She’s been soaping so long, she can probably make soap in her sleep. I had the pleasure of meeting Anne-Marie this weekend in a way that was well-suited for my introverted heart: incidentally, with no competing forces for her attention, where we could connect as mothers of tiny people. It warmed my soul to see her and numerous other speakers come to the conference for the sake of investing their time into those who desire to learn and improve. The impact each of the sessions had on those in attendance will only be seen as we take our hobbies and businesses to the next level.

Here’s a quick run down of what I gleaned from the various sessions:

• How to plan for and counterbalance all of the ways alternative liquids want to screw up your soap while still reaping all of the desired benefits.
• How to play with fragrance oil and essential oil combinations without wasting precious supplies. After this talk (and the repeated advice of other speakers), I’m seriously considering wearing a respirator when blending oils from now on. I’ve already noticed that I’ve gone nose-blind to the scent combos I’ve made for my beard care products.
  

  My first attempt at a hanger swirl. I colored too much of my soap, but I kinda like how it came out 50/50. This soap smells like a berry smoothie, thanks to the fragrance samples I got from Majestic Mountain Sage.

• How saturated vs. unsaturated fats, the concentration of my lye solution, mixing in fragrances, temperatures, and the method of blending all impact the speed at which my soap will come to trace. The more intricate the design I have planned, the more fluid I want my soap to be. There are so many variables to watch out for!
• How to achieve some impressive swirls in my soap, and how to make minor adjustments to each technique for varied results. Small changes can make a major impact on the final product!
• How to rock a hot process (HP) soap in a crock pot, of all things. This session made me hungry, because the soap bore a striking resemblance to mashed potatoes. It IS possible to achieve some stunning designs in HP soap if the superfats are planned carefully.
• How to notice flaws in your soap, how to evaluate what is salvageable and what is not, how to institute a checks-and-balances system so that every batch of soap has a “trail of bread crumbs” to lead you to the problem, etc, etc, etc.
• How to create solid, gentle, and personally tailored shampoos and conditioners. (You could hear a pin drop in this session. Lots of new info many of us had never heard before.)
• How to successfully create a salt/brine soap without losing the lather our customers expect.

I’m so grateful I chose to attend the soaping track, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty that tempted me to attend the business track. The amazing thing is, I will soon have online access to all of the video recordings from both tracks. It’s like two conferences for the price of one! This alone would justify the price of the conference ($250), but combine that with the soapy swag bags each attendee received and the copious amounts of awesome raffle prizes donated by sponsors, and you start to feel like you should’ve been charged much more for what you received.

All of my soapy swag in its glorious splendor (minus the sample soaps that found their way quickly to my shower).

I was the very spoiled winner of a handmade soap cutter, a wooden loaf mold, and 100 soap boxes. I like to call it “the trifecta of happiness.”

Oh, gee thanks, Anne-Marie! I’d love to test out a recipe from your soon-to-be-published book. Oatmeal baby soap is right up my alley.

Though I am currently in the midst of a soap-selling hiatus, I now feel equipped to make this pause as creatively fruitful as I dream it can be. Since I’m not under pressure to churn out the same old, same old for profit each weekend, I have the freedom to create, make mistakes, and explore techniques that used to intimidate me. As I type, I have designs sitting next to me for ten new cold/hot process soaps that I plan to formulate and test out in the weeks and months to come. They’re highly intricate, but I’m not scurred; I now have a network of fellow soapers I can call upon to help me troubleshoot my impending failures. Thank you, Central Soapers Workshop, for injecting my business with the knowledge and confidence I needed to get those creative juices flowing!

In My Happy Place…

No, my love, you are much sweeter than a cupcake!

There has been a long, awkward silence on this blog–and for good reason. My tiniest person, little Audrey, has only just become fond of sleeping. I can count on my fingers and toes the number of evenings I’ve had in the last eight months where she went to bed at a reasonable hour, allowing me some free time to clean, shower, hang out with her Daddy, and daydream about soap. I think God gave me my sweet, little night owl to nudge me towards a decision that I wouldn’t otherwise make.

While Audrey was still in the womb, I fell in love with soaping. I was very successful at our local Farmers Market, and envisioned myself continuing business as usual for the 2015 season. But being the mom of two is not the same as being the mom of one (who likes to sleep 12-14 hrs every night). While I gained a great sense of accomplishment from making products that people delighted in, I did not like how the accompanying stress was impacting my thought life…or my days with my girls. Looming check lists and unfulfilled orders were paralyzing. It’s pretty hard to sanitize containers for products when my sink is never empty of dishes. The nagging responsibilities of my business drained our outings of the joy that once was. I hated hearing the voice shouting in my head every night, “Why won’t you just go to sleep?!?!” Then the guilt would set in, and I’d feel like a failure in every way possible.

Because I’m dense, stubborn, and hard-headed, it took me awhile to figure out that I was placing these unfair expectations on myself. No one’s world was going to be shattered if I didn’t keep making soaps and selling them at the Farmers Market. My husband wasn’t going to suddenly divorce me because he was disappointed that I had accumulated thousands of dollars worth of supplies for a business endeavor that needed to be put on hold. It was up to me, and no one else. For a long time, I was too chicken-shit and lustful to say no to one thing I loved doing for the sake of that thing that I loved doing more. Some mommas are super successful at being business women and moms simultaneously. I’m just not one of them.

Roughly six weeks ago, I made the decision to hit the pause button on selling soaps on a regular basis. I have consciously thrust myself into a Slow and Gentle season of life, and we are all the better for it. As the one who sets the tone and atmosphere of our home, I now feel more adept at creating space for laughter, peace, rest, play, learning, exploration, and delight. My days feel full, instead of just survived. Achieving this pace would’ve been a whole lot easier if God would just place a governor on my speed of life instead of asking me to slow down. I’ve got a lead foot, don’t ya know?!