Friday Favorite Soap Pick

Today's Soap Pick is....
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A Little Bar of Soap
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What?  Today is about us?  Oh gosh!   I'm shocked! ;-)    Well, on the more serious side, I thought I would take a moment to share a little bit about us.   Who are we, you ask?   We are two girls who love to craft!  Including but not limited to scrapbooking, painting, knitting, crochet, stained glass, jewelry making, and did I say SOAPMAKING?   Yeah, we do some of that too ;-)

About three years ago Girl 1 said to Girl 2 she was going to try to make homemade soap and after about 2 bars she was hooked.   400 soap bars later - Girl 1 started looking around her and found her house full.   Over here was soap, over there was soap, everywhere was soap, soap!!!    

Family members wanted soap, friends wanted soap, friends of friends wanted soap and so it was born....A Little Bar of Soap.
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For the last couple of years we have made soap, body butter, sugar scrub, body splash, massage candles, soy candles, and whatever else soapy we could.    But, one thing was troubling....we couldn't find one place to buy all of our soap supplies and with the rising cost of shipping we thought, ..."wish there was somewhere to buy everything we need for soap making."  (at least the basics - oils, butters, lye) and then we thought...if we wished that, what if others were out there living with unfulfilled wishes!   So, this year we decided to a division to our company called Soap and Lotion Supplies.   A few of the items we sell are various oils, butters and lye.  We also carry stearic acid, citric acid, emulsifying wax, and much, much more!    

You can visit and shops at
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www.etsy.com/shop/alittlebarofsoap

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and

www.artfire.com/users/alittlebarofsoap

And you can come visit us each week here....oh, yeah here are some pictures of swirled soap we made last week!

Soap On!

Terrific Tip Tuesday

...On Wednesday!!!

Things have been a bit busy here at A Little Bar of Soap.   We've been busy filling orders for all you soapmakers!   Can't wait to see what you are making!!

We wanted to get a tip out to you even if it is a day late.    So, today's tip.....

Inexpensive Soap Molds

Below are some inexpensive soap mold ideas that you can use.  Some you might even have around your kitchen right now.   Or, you might have available for use after breakfast this morning depending on how fast your family can drink orange juice....

So soapmakers....take a look around your kitchen and get creative!   It will be fun to see what you might be able to use and all the fun new shapes you can make.

~Measuring Cup~

~Orange Juice Carton~

~Jello or Pudding Cup~

SOAP ON!!!....I'm hungry now :-)

A Little Bar of Soap is now on Artfire!

Looking for soap and lotion supplies?    You can find us on.....

www.artfire.com/users/alittlebarofsoap

Friday Favorite Soap Pick

....LJCtree....

C is for Carrot!!!

Today Meet LJCtree!   Don't you just love these soaps?   Her playful use of the Alphabet, fabric and graphics are so much fun.  

I could ramble on about her use of amazing products (but that would be a bit boastful since she orders several of them from A Little Bar of Soap ;-)   So I won't go on and on and on about the amazing, wonderful and great quality of the ingredients, but besides the quality of her products - she is a wonderful lady and a new Soap friend to A Little Bar of Soap!   We love her!

Her Etsy shop is filled with soaps from "L is for Lettuce" to "S is for Shy Monkey"  

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ljctree

 In her shop you will also find a few things besides soap!   She has some wonderful handmade necklaces, earrings and totes made from scraps of fabric and found objects.  

Once you meet this lovely artist and estian, you won't want to miss what's going on in her world so you can follow her musings at  http://www.ljctree.blogspot.com/

 

"S is for Soap On" LJCtree!!!!!

Facebook

A Little Bar of Soap is now on FACEBOOK!   We "heart" fans!!

Terrific Tip Tuesday

...it is still Tuesday isn't it?
Where does the time go?   Okay, so on with the Tip....

FELTING

Have you ever felted soap?   If you are looking for something fun and new to try?   Why not try to felt one of your bars of soap?   The outside layer of the wool felt makes for a wonderful way to exfoliate.

You can find a nice and clear set of instructions here:  http://www.mielkesfarm.com/felt_soap.htm

 Here are some great instructions on layering colors of roving for felting
http://www.wikihow.com/Felt-Soap

It's an Animal's World After All.....

We have some very strange pets between our two homes!  The sweet kitty in this pic is one of Tara’s cats, Eli.  As you can see, he LOVES the bathroom sink for nap time! 

Shanda’s dog, Cooper, also has some strange likes and dislikes including an extreme fondness for unrefined cocoa butter.  He loves the smell of chocolate and loves when mom is packaging unrefined cocoa butter for sale!     And....he likes the refrigerator!

Friday Favorite Soap Pick

brought to you all the way from Wasilla, Alaska

Swan Mountain Soaps

Taking inspiration from the wild beauty of the Alaskan wilderness Swan Mountain Soaps specialize in handmade soaps and bath products using many ingredients they get from their own fields.  Using natural ingredients like birch sap and rose petals will ensure you are getting the best of what nature has to offer.  

Not only concerned for women and their beauty and skin care needs, they offer some "Manly" products as well.  Got a man in your life that has grease and grime embedded in those hands and fingernails?  Yuck!   Take a look at Swan Mountain Soap's "Mechanic Scrub" or what about some "Elbow Grease" for those dry, cracked elbows?

Look at the artful swirls and dazzling rich colors! 

and the most important soap of all.......Banana Cream Pie!!!

To view their complete product line visit 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/swanmountainsoaps

We tip our Stick Blenders to you Swan Mountain Soaps!   

Soap On!!!!!

Terrific Tip Tuesday - Shavings

What do you do with all those pieces of soap you shave off your good bars of soap?   Do you throw them away? Below are a few ideas of how I use my soap shavings...


1.   Take your soap shavings and place them in a sisal soap bag like the one below!   Each time the bag gets a little low, just drop in a few more shavings.  I love these bags!   A great way to get clean and exfoliate! 

2.  Do you knit or do any type of yarn craft?   Put your soap shavings in a muslin bag and toss it in the bag with your latest yarn project.   It will make your yarn smell really good!

3.  Rebatch, Handmill or French Mill your soap shavings - this is a great way to save your soap shavings!   Recently I decided to tackle rebatching my soap shavings and some older bars of soap and it was really simple!   Look for a post on rebatching soon.

4.  Create sachets with scented soap bits and shavings to scent drawers, closets and anywhere else (including the car) that might need a fresh pick up.


Soooo......what do you do with your soap shavings?

What's Your Color?

Are you as tired of winter as we are?   Are you ready for Old Man Winter to go away for a few months?   We sure are!

Today was a beautiful day here in Virginia - A reminder that spring is on its way!    A reminder that flowers will be soon be blooming and the birds will be singing!!  In honor of  the Spring days that are head we thought we would share a bit of color with you!  ENJOY!!

Friday Favorite Soap Pick

 Mom and Sonicka Design

We know, we know....we are suppose to be featuring a soap today, but we just couldn't help ourselves!   These purses are just adorable and they make us smile!!!

So, for our very first Friday Favorite Soap Pick that's not soap - we are featuring Mom and Sonicka Designs!!!!


We actually met this crafter at the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) Trade Show last year.   She was walking around with a frog purse on and we just couldn't help it, we had to have one.   So, we have purchased several of her patterns and they are on our "to do" list....

You will want to check out her shop at www.etsy.com/shop/sonicka

From pigs, to cows, to chickens, puppy dogs and much more....you are sure to want to get one for yourself!!!

Soap On Mom and Sonicka Designs!!!

And The Award Goes To......

I am just getting around to reading my old editions of Saponifier Magazine. Each year the magazine polls subscribers on “The Best Of.” I always find the answers to be enlightening. So, in honor of award season, here you go…

“What are your top ten best-selling or requested scents this year?

2008
Lavender
Oatmeal, Milk & Honey
Patchouli
Mint
Vanilla
Lemongrass & Rose (tie)
Lilac
Black Raspberry & Vanilla (tie)
Sandalwood
Lovespell

2009
Lavender
Vanilla
Lemon/Lemongrass
Patchouli
Oatmeal, Milk & Honey
Mint
Sandalwood
Coconut
Rose
Orange

A note on the polling from the magazine editors:

“It is worth considering the countless nuances and blends in fragrances that make counting each one exactly as next to impossible; therefore, we grouped them into the dominant broad scent category or type that they belonged in. For instance, Vanilla Bean, Tahitian Vanilla, and other forms of vanilla scents were counted together under the category of vanilla. All mints and mint blends were placed in the mint category, and so on. The citruses presented a bit of a quandary, as each one might be listed separately at times (Orange, tangerine, lime. . .) and other times non-specifically, IE: Citrus Medley. So, where a particular citrus was noted, it was placed in that category, and where simply citrus was noted, it was placed in its own category. Indeed, if all citruses had been placed under the simple citrus category, it would have placed near the top! Another important item to note is that no distinction is made between fragrance oils and essential oils.”

Terrific Tip Tuesday

A Little Bit of Oatmeal Goes a Long Way

Oatmeal is a common ingredient a lot of soapmakers like to put in their soaps.  Unfortunately, a lot of recipes don’t tell you how MUCH oatmeal to put in so, if you are like us, you think…MORE IS BETTER!  Well, this is not so much the case when your soap turns out like this…

OUCH!  Trust me, those soft oats HURT once they look like this in a bar of soap.  So, a few tips….

We recommend grinding your oats to oat powder in a food processor before you put them in your soap.  This really helps your achieve the benefits of having oatmeal in your soap while avoiding the rough edges whole oats sometimes create.  We find that 1 to 3 teaspoons of oatmeal powder per pound of fat in your soap recipe is perfect.  The more oatmeal you add, the roughter your soap will feel.