I recently had a request from one of my friends to make a charcoal and clay soap. I decided to try and create an old design of mine from a soap challenge where I used dividers and a hanger swirl. Well, I thought I did everything exactly the same way, but that’s the way it goes in soap making. Trying to recreate a swirl (especially one that was an accident in the first place) is almost impossible. Not that I’m giving up. :) If you’d like the recipe or want to see the video I made, just keep reading. Continue reading
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The very first soap I ever made was a 3-oil cold process soap scented with a little lavender essential oil. I purchased the oils from the grocery store and used a ziplock food storage container for the mold. I cut the soap into little rectangles and patiently waited a few weeks to try it. I was so excited about making soap. Years later, I still am. :)
I’ve always really enjoyed making a layered soap. It’s one of the first designs I learned as a new soap maker, and I love coming up with different color combinations. This cold snap we’ve had lately had me wanting to make something bright and cheerful that smelled of spring. So I made a rainbow layered soap using various clays, alkanet, and indigo. In the process of creating this soap, I came up with an essential oil blend that I absolutely love. I also put together a video on my whole process. If you’d like to see that or my new favorite essential oil blend, just keep reading. :) 
Last year, one of my friends requested a Valentine’s Day themed soap. We eventually decided on this simple rose clay feather swirl soap with hearts on top. I made the soap again this year but used a slightly different essential oil blend (actually my favorite blend ever). I also made a video on how I created this soap. If you’d like to watch the video or see the recipe, just keep reading. :) 
In this month’s Great Cakes Soap Challenge, we had to create a batch of cold process soap using a method called the dirty fluid pour. The dirty fluid pour technique is actually a really cool method of pouring acrylic paint. Our guest teacher was Joanne Watkins of 