Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

*waves* Hey y'all!! Hope everyone is doing good. I got a little busy over the past few days and hadn't been able to update this til now. There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day for me. Ok so onto the next portion of my Tis the Season series.
I got this fragrance from a supplier called Snowman Balls, and the fragrance reminds me of when my children and I go out to start rolling snow balls for our snowman after the second snow each year. I am so looking forward to the snow this coming year. ;)  
Anyhow, after receiving this fragrance, I started brainstorming how I would implement colors into this batch because I just didn't want to do the standard white. Now mind you when I think of Christmas, in my opinion blue is not a traditional color (some beg to differ) so I never use it when decorating. However since Snowmen aren't limited to Christmas, but are a Winter thing, and snow is formed from water, annnnnd water just happens to be blue sorta kinda (or rather depicted as such)...you see my thought process here?
I also decided to implement black to symbolize the hat and to have that other color in there. Unfortunately I goofed a little when I added the black as the last layer because I didn't set aside enough to cover the top of the loaf completely. Oh well . lol

I also decided to use coconut milk in this batch also, so yes this is a total vegan batch of soap. :) For some reason I couldn't see doing a snowman type of soap without using some sort of milk in there somewhere. It put me in mind of snowcream a little bit, only with coconut milk instead which would likely be an interesting substitution. Ok, so on to pictures we go. :)
I just have to add that I was unable to get pictures while making the batch because unfortunately my "Photographer" was busy doing his own thing that morning and was unable to come out to the shop to help out. *smiles*  I did get pictures when it came time to cut the soap the next day though, unfortunately the lighting was poor due to it being a rainy and overcast day so I had to tweak and lighten the pictures in Picasa. I hope to eventually get this picture box thingamabobber that someone suggested to me so that I don't have to worry about the lighting.

The Snowman Ball loaf of soap cut in half. I love how the layering came out. :)

The loaf after being all cut up.

I was really pleased with the outcome of this soap. :) Well folks, I have to run and get some studying done. I have a final to prepare for this week. Check back in for another installment of my Tis the Season line.
Oh but before I go, here's a special treat for everyone. ;)

Suds & Bubbles,
Soapy

Tis the Season Part 2!

*waves* Hey y'all! Well here I am again with part 2 of my Tis the Season line. Winter is just around the corner, and is another favorite season of mine, so I decided to go ahead and start doing some Christmas themed scents as well, so I purchased a fragrance called "Elf Sweat". Yeah I know, sounds gross, but it smells wonderful!
I was unable to take pictures of the process but was able to take pictures of the end result. Now mind you , I need to take some better pictures, and the fact that the day was overcast didn't help much either. I hope to get better pictures sometime within the next week or so.

I also wanted to mention that apparently while it was in the mold overnight, it sorta superheated just slightly as you can tell by the small crack up top, but again its an aesthetic thing, and at least it didn't turn into a volcano. lol

*points to the slight crack on the top of each half*

The soap after cutting.

 I have really enjoyed doing this line thus far, as well as being surrounded by the scents of the holidays. It warms my heart and brings back a ton of memories. I even found myself at one point singing Christmas carols. lol I know, it's strange, but it's my favorite time of the year.
Well folks, I have a couple of things to do before bed, but look for another post soon. :)
By the way, before I forget, how do y'all like the new fall blog layout? Isn't it just the cutest thing you ever did see?

Suds & Bubbles,
Soapy

Tis the Season Part 1!

*waves* Hey y'all! Hope this finds everyone doing well! As for me I have been busy as a bee between making soap, the kids, and my schoolwork. :) Sometimes I have to hide behind the shop to take a little bit of a breather from everything and just commune a little. Thank goodness summer is completely done. Fall is in the air, cooler temperatures, days are beginning to get shorter, and fall colors abound in nature. Halloween and Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and I love this time of the year!
I have started on the seasonal stuffs and so far I have been pretty much pleased with the results. The first one that I did was pumpkin. It took me some time to find a good pumpkin scent that had been already tested for reaction in cold process soap making. Thankfully I found an awesome supplier whose fragrances other soap makers have not only raved about the quality of, but also were very reasonable in price as well. :)

I tried a new recipe and this one had Jojoba in it as well, and decided to use cream instead of water or goats milk in this go round. I have heard people talk about how creamy and luscious their soaps are when using cream, so I am looking forward to trying it when it comes up for cure to see how accurate it is. I also decided to put some real pumpkin in it as well to not only keep it in the pumpkin theme, but also due to the benefits such as the gentle exfoliant properties, zinc, as well as the antioxidants of the pumpkin . Yummy goodness! :)

Anyhow, I was not able to get pictures of the entire process, because once I added the pumpkin fragrance, it accelerated fast and I had to get it in the mold quickly. At any rate, here is a picture of the batch after it was cut up. :)

I will tell you, I loved the scent in the bottle because it smelled like spiced pumpkin pie, but the only issue I have with the fragrance is the cinnamon smell is almost overpowering a bit after soaping with it. I am hoping that by the time cure time is up, the fragrance will have softened a bit.

Ok folks, that's going to do it for me tonight. I have to wrap up a few things and wind down for the evening. Look for Tis the Season Part 2 coming soon! :)
Have a good evening y'all!
Suds & Bubbles,
Soapy