Monday, 25 July 2011

Birthday celebration!!!



Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear Poo-ooh!
Happy birthday to you!

Piglet and Tigger will enjoy any reason for a party! And this week we celebrate Pooh’s birthday – who is one year happier and wiser!

The party is joined by all at Riverlea Soap and their soap family and friends.

See you next week after our fun times!




http://www.riverleasoap.com/

Monday, 18 July 2011

A tutorial – more fun with Melt and Pour!

Two weeks ago you will have seen my very first blog post featuring a melt and pour tutorial – made from a soap kit
This week I would like to share an experiment with another soap kit – a shimmering, glittering clear moulded soap!
The clear glycerine soap is extremely pretty all on its own, but I decided to add glitter to see how exciting it would look.
Follow the steps below to make soaps like mine...

You will need: 
  • Moulds of 80g each (calculated by filling the mould with water and weighing it before and after)
  • Soap colouring of choice (I used purple)
  • Fragrance of choice (I used Fresh)
  • Clear M and P soap base
  • Silver glitter or mica
  • Jugs, stirrers, scale, spraying alcohol, micro-wave
Method:
  • Chop M and P into jug, and melt in 30 second bursts until just liquid
  • Add colour drop by drop and stir until desired tone achieved
  • Add fragrance - guideline 2% of soap weight and stir
  • Pour gently into positioned mould
  • Spritz immediately with alcohol to remove obvious bubbles
  • When cooled (approximately 60 minutes) turn mould upside down and gently press to remove soap - if resisting, leave for a further 10 minutes 
Voila! You have a beautiful glitter, clear M&P soap!

The glitter will sink to the bottom of your soap, which looks great when out of the mould. For more hints, refer to tips in my first tutorial.
For a soap kit like this, and other exciting projects - please contact us.
Would love to hear stories of how you explain the glitter after using this soap!
Have a wonderful week everyone!


 
 

Monday, 11 July 2011

Think on these things...

There are many ‘pearls of wisdom’ that we hear along the way, some stick with us, some are forgotten until the next time we hear it. Here are a few of my favourites and I share them with you today!



Have Faith…
Be courageous…
Make your health a priority…
Accept forgiveness from others…
Be aware of your own achievements…
Appreciate and honour the beauty in life…
Look for joy in the least obvious places…
Be grateful to those who make you happy…
The thousand mile journey begins with a single step…
When nothing is yours, no one can take anything from you…

Making soap is a great leveler in trying times – why not try it? Contact Riverlea Soap to learn more!

Couldn’t resist sharing the African Aloes which abound at this time of year!


Chat again soon,


Alphabet Soup er Soap

You will need:
Clear  M&P Base (amount depends on how big your moulds are and how many you want to make.)
White/ opaque M&P Base (a small amount to cover the slices).
Determine how big your mould is by putting it on a scale and pouring water into one of the cavities.
Colour – I used green and yellow
Fragrance – 1.5 % of the soap base
Plastic mould with round indentations
Microwave Jugs
Rubbing Alcohol to spray bubbles away
 
Alphabet soup (2)
Alphabet soup (6)
 
Method:
M&P Clear
  1. Melt your clear soap base in the microwave in 30 second bursts. When fully melted add your colour and stir gently.
  2. Add half your fragrance oil.
  3. Pour a small amount carefully into your mould, enough to cover the bottom, and spritz with the rubbing alcohol to remove any bubbles.
  4. Take your letters and place them in the clear soap you have just poured. Allow the soap to get a skin then pour another layer of clear soap over the letters. Enough to cover about half way up the mould cavity.
  5. Melt your white/opaque base in the microwave. Add colour again and the rest of your fragrance oil.
  6. Once your clear soap has set with a thick skin, spray rubbing alcohol onto it (this helps the next layer stick) and very carefully pour the melted opaque soap onto the clear soap containing the letters. If your soap is too hot it will melt the first layer and the letters will float to the top. I added a layer of glitter before I poured the opaque base.
  7. You can also use clear M and P instead of opaque. I also made some like this.
  8. Let your soap cool for at least 2 hours before trying to release from the mould.
Alphabet soup (1)
 
Alphabet soup (4)

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Monday, 4 July 2011

A tutorial - my first post!

Welcome to ME!!

Linda MP-059 

I will be entertaining you for the next 6 months and giving Odie a well-deserved break.

I feel more confident working with HP (hot process) soaps, but am learning the art of Melt and Pour (M and P) and invite you to enjoy the journey with me.

I was requested to join a mailing list and received my very first Soap Kit from the Soap Barn in Johannesburg, SA.

 
To make the above pretty soaps, I followed the steps below and learned a few tricks along the way.



You will need:
  • Moulds of 80g each (calculated by filling the mould with water and weighing it before and after)
  • Soap colouring of choice (I used red)
  • Fragrance of choice (I used Grapefruit)
  • Opaque M and P soap base
  • Jugs, stirrers, scale, spraying alcohol, micro-wave
Linda MP-006

Method:

  • Chop M and P into jug, and melt in 30 second bursts until just liquid
  • Add colour drop by drop and stir until desired tone achieved - be cautious!
  • Add fragrance - guideline 2% of soap weight and stir (see TIP below!)
  • Pour gently into positioned mould (see TIP below!)
  • Spritz immediately with alcohol to remove obvious bubbles
  • When cooled (approximately 60 minutes) turn mould upside down and gently press to remove soap - if resisting, leave for a further 10 minutes
  • Stand back and admire!

Linda10 2011-06-20 05-46-38 PM

TIPS!

  • REMEMBER to position your mould where it can remain unmoved for the cooling time. DO NOT MOVE!
  • To gauge whether your soap is ready to pour or not, hold jug firmly between hands and it should be a comfortable heat. Allow it to form a thin skin, 'pull' to the side with your stirrer and pour.
  • DO NOT FILL your mould, allow a 2mm space as this will assist when demoulding.
Yay!! See my post next week for the clear glitter option.


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