Blackberry Sage Funnel Pour: Winter Soap Crafting Club Part I

  
      If you are a frequent visiter to my blog you might remember I participated in the Fall Soap Crafting Club(if you haven't you can see the posts here and here). I loved it! for the full down low on the club go to this post, but there are a few differences in this session then the last one 1. instead of the 2 pound wooden mold (with silicone liner) we received Bramble Berry's 5 lb sliding bottom wood mold (also with silicone liner), and 2. instead of being sent lye flakes and mixing the solution yourself, they sent us the pre-measured, premixed lye solution.

     January's soap was the Funnel pour method (page 79) in Soap Crafting. This was two firsts for me, my first 5lb batch and my first funnel pour! It is scented in Blackberry berry sage, which is amazing by the way, it has a fruity top note with a base note of sage that really anchors the fragrance. Its colors are grey, purple, green, brown and pink.
 
    After reaching a thin trace I seperating the unscented batter into 5 equal containers (2 cups each) I scented each container with .8 oz each of FO and colored with the following.

1. 1/4 tsp brown oxide + 1tsp titanium dioxide (mixed with 2 tsp sweet almond oil)
2. 1/8 tsp black Luster mica +1 tsp titanium dioxide (mixed with 2 tsp sweet almond oil)
3. 4 mL diluted Fuchsia LabColor
4. 6 mL diluted Easter Purple LabColor
5. 8 mL diluted Sage Mist LabColor

     Then after deciding the color order (I choose grey, purple, green, brown, then pink) you are going to pour each color (for 3-5 seconds each) into the funnel that is set up in the center of the mold, held in place by either a disposable cup or bowl with a hole cut in it. After pour alternating colors, until all the soap is gone, I swirled the top with a wooden skewer.

Thanks for stopping by and happy soaping!!!

   

I'm a Versatile Blogger Nominee!

I was so honored and surprised when I spotted my blog's name on Cee's blog (Oil & Butter) as one of her 15 nominees of the versatile blogger award that she also received. I am so grateful since Cee is the one who inspired me to start this little blog with her amazing posts! Cee also was one of the first bloggers to put me on their blog roll opening me up to even more visitors and followers.

Now down to business! The rules of being nominated are as follows:

VBA RULES: 

(Copied from versatilebloggeraward.wordpress.com)

If you are nominated, you’ve been awarded the Versatile Blogger award.

•               Thank the person who gave you this award. That’s common courtesy.

•               Include a link to their blog. That’s also common courtesy — if you can figure out how to do it.

•               Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly. ( I would add, pick blogs or bloggers that are excellent!)

•               Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award — you might include a link to this site.

•                Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

Well of course I thanks Cee times a million not only for nominating me but for also the previously mentioned kicking off my blog by adding me to her blog roll (seriously I had like 40 views before she opened the door for me). I have already liked her blog but I will again, it is Oil & Butter and if you don’t already FOLLOW HER!!!! Her blog is one of the best you will come across. Now are my 15 nominees...

1. Point of Interest (best blog if you are learning to make lotion or are interested in it)
2. Jennifer's Handmade Soap
3. New England Handmade Artisan Soap
4. Midlife Farmwife
5. Soap and the Restless
6. Winberg Bathworks
7. Missouri River Soaps
8. I am Handmade
9. Berry Town Soaps
10. Modern Soap Making
11. Jenora Soaps
12. Soap up Your Life (written in dutch)
13. Petals Bath Boutique
14. I'd Lather be Soaping
15. Claudia's Welt

Now seven things you may not know about me

1.  I am the proud owner of an incontinent, tail-less puppy (long story....)
2. I suffer from chronic daily headaches
3. I live to sew and cook
4. I love making soap! (bet you didn't see that one coming?)
5. I am the youngest of three children
6. I am a third generation  'Rose'
7.  My family owns pigeons

Thanks for nominating me and thanks everyone for stopping by and happy soaping!!!!

Karma Soap

     Last month was my birthday and my mother got me a big Bramble Berry box filled with goodies! included in the box was a 9 bar unfinished birchwood mold and tons of new FO's including karma (type). Of course the first thing I wanted to do with my new slab mold was the Peacock swirl using Karma. I was so excited I even had plans for my first tutorial but alas it wasn't meant to be, Karma moves FAST!(as you can see in Westminster and Karma Soap Preview)

    Now onto the the soap. After scenting my 2 pound batch with 1oz of Karma I split it into 4 equal batches(this is the point I realized the peacock swirl was not happening). I colored these containers with the following colorants going clockwise starting with the orange;

•  1/4 tsp of mango madness neon orange + 5 drops of premixed ultramarine blue(to darken the neon orange)
• 1/4 tsp of hydrated green oxide
• 1/8 tsp of brown oxide
• 1/8 tsp of yellow oxide

(all mixed with 2 teaspoons of sweet almond oil)

Instead of the peacock swirl I did a simple layers with gold pencil line in between. I actually really like how it turned out!  It kind of reminds me of a sunset over the ocean! What does it reming you of? Comment below. 

Thanks for stopping by and happy Valentines Day!!!

Westminster and Karma Soap Preview

      Sorry I haven't posted in a while(for the 100th time in the blogs short history), but I have a little schedule for soaping and blogging. Hopefully in the next few weeks I should get blogging about once a week, but let's face it and say a week and a half to two weeks, but hoping for the former.

     The schedule will start after I get back from New York City (YAY!!). We are here for the famous Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, and have been here since Friday. The reason the family is going is because my grandmother, Ellen Charles, owns and is very involved in the dog show world which lead her to be inducted into the AKC's hall of fame this year! Sadly this year none of her dogs won breed so you won't see any of her dogs in this years groups. Last year not only did two of her dogs win their respective breeds but also their groups! If you watched last years show and remember some of the dogs her's were the american foxhound, Jewel (Pandora's box),who is now retired and expecting pups, and the bichon, Honor, who is also now retired were in the Best is Show ring. To end my little brag on my grandmother I hope y'all watch Best in Show tomorrow and maybe you will see me in the stands ;).
  P.S. I will post doggie pics when I get home and edit them!

     Now moving on to soaps I will give you a little preview of the karma soap's colours. plus I have a hint on the design, it is NOT the beautiful peacock swirl I planned as you can see in the pictures of the batter and how thick it got.

Tune in to find out the design, pigments used, and the final result of the colours in the soaponified soap!

Thanks for Stopping by and happy soaping!!!!!!