Hi everyone! Sorry we've been a little lazy on the blogging front. Life has been nothing short of nutty for both Laura and myself. And AnnaKate Soaps has been very, very busy!! Lots has happened since our last entry, including our latest retail location, a lovely gift shop and cafe in Elkhart, Indiana called b on the River.
I was lucky enough to be able to stop into b on the River a couple weekends ago and check it out. It's a fresh, upscale, sophisticated yet funky little store that has everything from soaps to bedding to kitchen accessories. There is also a bakery and cafe attached that serves beautiful and tasty treats like paninis and croissants.
I was in Chicago for the week and decided to make the trip to Elkhart to see our newest retail customer. From downtown Chicago it was only about a 2-hour trip (the weather was gross and rainy but the traffic was pretty good). If you're ever in the area I strongly encourage you to visit b on the River. It's a fresh breath of air in an adorable downtown area in northern Indiana. I'd never been to Indiana before but had heard (from my judgmental husband) that it wasn't anything to get excited about. However, downtown Elkhart was quite charming and b on the River adds much charm to the area. Stop in to b on the River, check out the selection on AnnaKate Soaps (oh, and all the other cool stuff, too), have a bite to eat and enjoy the views of the river. I think you'll like it. :)
As the leaves change, kids are back in school, and cool winds blow, AnnaKate Soaps is thinking about our new fall line of products! We're excited to introduce four new products -- three soaps and a mud mask! You can purchase any of these products by e-mailing your order to annakatesoaps@gmail.com or visiting our Etsy store by clicking here.
This weekend Laura and I drove out to Casselton, ND, to visit with Greg from Maple River Winery. We talked for a while about a new co-op in North Dakota that we're thinking about joining, and we also asked him about his experience as a small business owner. Check out this video for Greg's story and his advice to other small business owners.
As a young woman who works a full time job, is in the car for about two hours each day, volunteers as a mentor at church and one of the local colleges, AND has a growing bath and body business, I'm always looking for good bits of information that I can absorb quickly and get on with the rest of my day. Like most entrepreneurs (especially those who are working full time and trying to grow a business on the side) I rarely have enough spare time to devote to expanding my knowledge of business, marketing, industry trends, etc. That's why I love blogs so much. Blogs provide little nuggets of information from knowledgeable (and entertaining) professionals, entrepreneurs, and people who are like me in many ways.
Today I stumbled upon The Work at Home Woman blog by Holly Reisem Hanna. Today she posted the 50 Best Blogs by Women that I think every woman -- whether she works for herself, for someone else, or for her family -- should read. The blogs are organized on this list by topic, which I love! It makes it easy to browse through the blogs you're interested in and skip over the ones you're not. Time saver!!!
Many thanks go out to Holly Reisem Hanna for compiling this list and to the 50 women who are featured bloggers on the list. Take a look at the list here and enjoy all the quick nuggets of information shared by each of these authors!
You know those stories that are so inspiring they give you the chills?
Bella Lucce is one of those stories - from products taking over her house (AnnaKate can relate to that!) to world traveler and international business woman, Lela Barker, from Bella Lucce is truly an inspiration not only to fellow soapmakers, but anyone who aspires to own their own business!
It's stories about individuals who take charge of their life, business and fate that make a difference for other small businesses and provide the inspiration to become great!
Check out the Bella Lucce facebook page at www.facebook.com/bellalucce to view Lela's photo journey to success!
If you follow us on Facebook or follow Jen on Twitter (@JenniferSondag), you've probably noticed that we've been talking a lot about newly proposed legislation that we're not too fond of. On July 20, H.R. 5786 was introduced to Congress (also called the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010). It's being backed by numerous organizations, coalitions, companies, and Fran Drescher (yes, as in "The Nanny").
We can all agree that safe beauty and cosmetic products are a must. We would never sell or promote any product that we didn't believe was 100% safe for our customers. Laura and I use the products we make and sell every day, and we wouldn't use anything (our product or someone else's) that wasn't safe. We are FOR safe cosmetics but we OPPOSE this bill as it is written for the following reasons:
1. Too much red tape will make it too expensive for us to stay in business. The reporting and testing requirements would be more strict and extensive than current food requirements. We would also have to tell "big brother" when we hire someone, when we change suppliers/vendors, what all of our ingredient formulations are, and who are distributors are. There is no guarantee than any of all of this information would be kept confidential.
2. New labeling requirements would force us to invest in a new labeling system, which would raise prices. More importantly, is it not pragmatic to list all trace elements on a label. This is how we would have to list olive oil under the new regulations:
3. The cosmetics industry is already safe and gives consumers a wide variety of choices. It is already illegal to not list all ingredients on cosmetics packaging. AnnaKate Soaps has been educated on how to properly label our products, and we do our absolute best to follow all the requirements.
4. This bill and the push behind it is based on bad science and propaganda full of scare tactics. There is a video floating around the Internet called "The Story of Cosmetics" in which the narrator (Annie Leonard) repeatedly talks about toxic babies, bodies full of lead, and the idea that none of us have any control (except to support this bill). If you've seen the video (or even if you haven't), I'd strongly suggest watching this rebuttal video. It's a little long (about 16 minutes) but it goes through the original video and discusses all the claims made by Ms. Leonard. Some claims are rebutted while others are just further explained or explained from a different point of view.
Our biggest concern with this bill (as written) is that it would put us and thousands of other small cosmetic businesses out of business. There is still time to rewrite it in a manner that would protect small businesses AND ensure safe cosmetics. However, the way it was introduced to Congress would hurt, not help. Read the bill for yourself here.
You can help us by signing the petition against H.R. 5786 here and by writing your representatives to urge them not to support and/or co-sponsor this bill. Laura and I each wrote to our representatives (Collin Peterson in Minnesota for me and Earl Pomeroy for Laura) voicing our concerns. Thanks for all your support!
The Fargo Street Fair was a huge success thanks to all of our great customers. We received some great feedback and will be adjusting our line to fit your needs! In honor of the Fargo Street Fair, we created an I Love Fargo Soap, it received a fantastic response! What do you think of it?
Our top three sellers were Breakfast Bar, Clay Savon and Escape to the Sea. To celebrate our first street fair we are extending a special offer to you. Through July 31st when you purchase all three of our top sellers, you will receive your 4th soap 1/2 off! Just email your selection to annakatesoaps@gmail.com!
Have you heard about the 3/50 Project? If you haven't, it's about time you find out! The 3/50 Project began with a simple blog post about saving the economy by supporting 3 businesses at a time.
Here's how to get started: Think of three local independently owned business that you couldn't live without. Thought of them? All it takes is $50 a month at each of these stores to keep them around, keep your hard earned dollars local, and give other local, independent stores a chance!
AnnaKate Soaps is proud to announce our 2010 Summer Line! We've developed five new soaps, a salt soak, and sugar scrub cubes for your soapy pleasure! These new products are fresh, fun, and -- of course -- summery! They're inspired by everything we love about summer like the lake, fresh fruit, cool treats, and luscious gardens. We hope you love them as much as we do. If you'd like to order any, just e-mail us at annakatesoaps@gmail.com.
So, without further ado, here's the 2010 Summer Line:
AnnaKate Soaps has been hard at work creating new products to add to our handcrafted soap line. After many long hours of soaking in the tub...oops, I mean long hours of research, we've finally created a great line of bath salts.
Our bath salts are created with Dead Sea Salt - which is composed of the salt extracted from the Dead Sea. Dead Sea Salt claims to help with many common skin ailments and assist in circulation because of its mineral rich properties.
Our Bath Salts will be available for purchase a few short weeks - email annakatesoaps@gmail.com for more information.
Our last poll has closed and the results were pretty much what I was expecting for our market. The majority (66%) of respondents said all natural bath and body care products were slightly important in influencing their buying decisions. One-third of respondents said all natural products were not at all important to them. No one said all natural products were extremely important and no one was uninformed about what "all natural" meant (in the scope of this survey, at least). Thanks to everyone who participated in the poll! This information is really helpful to us and we really appreciate all your input!
The next poll you can participate in is all about fruit scents!! We're working hard to develop some yummy summer soaps and want to know what kind of fruit scents you love the best! Pick your favorite and/or leave a comment to tell us why OR if you have a favorite that wasn't listed. We want to hear it!
Although no sculptured marble should rise to their memory, nor engraved stone bear record of their deeds, yet will their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored. ~Daniel Webster
We'd like to wish a safe and happy Memorial Day to all our fans, friends and family today!
No matter how you celebrated, we hope you were able to take some time to remember and honor all the men and women who have served and are currently serving our country in the nation's armed forces. It can be all too easy to forget the "memorial" in Memorial Day and let the day pass by without remembering what it's really for. If you haven't yet today, take a moment to remember all who have fallen for our country and the loved ones they left behind.
Growing up, my grandparents had an aloe vera plant that they grew in their home. I remember being so intrigued by the pokey looking leaves - only to find they were actually kind of squishy. Every time one of the grandkids had a cut, sunburn or any other skin ailment, my grandmother would walk over to the aloe plant, slice off a leaf, squeeze the gel out and tell us to 'put a little aloe on it". Although this is one of my fondest childhood memories, I never fully understood the broad healing capabilities or benefits of aloe vera.
Although most of us are use to buying aloe vera lotion in a bottle at the store, it is actually cultivated from a short stemmed succulent with thick, fleshy short leaves. When aloe vera leaves are cut, two different fluids with differing effects exude. One, a yellow, green sap containing aloin is an irritant, however, the transparent fluid exuded from the inner leaf is said to have soothing and healing properties. Aloe vera contains countless vitamins and minerals, enzymes, amino acids and agents which may be anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial. Many beauty products including lotions, cremes, body washes and soaps are infused with aloe to assist in including these great benefits in your daily beauty routine, check out our Massaloe and Refresh Your Senses - they both are infused with aloe.
With the official start of summer approaching in just a few short days, and sunburn season starting, it might be wise to make sure to have some aloe vera gel on hand...or if you have a green thumb, grow your own aloe vera plant to keep in your home!
During the research and development part of soap creation, AnnaKate Soaps seriously considers each and every additive we put in our soaps. From colors to scents to exfoliants, each addition to the soap is carefully planned.
One additive we particularly enjoy is Vitamin E oil, which is found in The Breakfast Bar and Massaloe. Vitamin E is found in many beauty products from soaps to lotions to hair products to body scrubs, do you've probably come across it before. Vitamin E oil is an anti-oxidant, meaning it helps stop oxidization of other molecules in the skin. Oxidization of molecules can lead to a buildup of free radicals, which can cause further damage to cells.
The four benefits that vitamin E oil gets the most attention for are anti-aging, sun protection, scar healing and moisturizing. During the summer months, using a soap with Vitamin E oil can really help prevent damage to your skin after a day in the sun. You can also use it to prevent sun damage before it happens. Some Vitamin E enthusiasts claim that adding some Vitamin E oil to sunscreen will help increase the sunscreen's effectiveness.
However you use it, or whatever you use it for, Vitamin E is a great treat for your skin!
According to the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy, Aromatherapy can be defined as the art and science of utilizing naturally extracted aromatic essences from plants to balance, harmonize and promote the health of body, mind and spirit. It is an art and science which seeks to explore the physiological, psychological and spiritual realm of the individual's response to aromatic extracts as well as to observe and enhance the individual's innate healing process.
Aromatherapy can be used as a daily practice, such as spraying lavender on your pillow to assist in falling asleep or smelling peppermint to ease a headache. The application of aromatherapy through essential oils can be administered in a variety of ways, including room sprays, candles, soaps or bath salts. Below are a few of the most popular essential oils and their purposes:
Geranium:Helps to balance hormones in women, good for balancing the skin. Can be both relaxing and uplifting, as well as antidepressant.
Lemon: Very uplifting, yet relaxing. Helpful in treating wounds, infections, and house cleaning and deodorizing.
Ylang Ylang: Helps one to relax, and can reduce muscle tension. Good antidepressant
Eucalyptus: Helpful in treating respiratory problems, such as coughs, colds, and asthma. Also helps to boost the immune system, and relieve muscle tension.
Clary Sage: Natural pain killer, helpful s in treating muscular aches and pains. Very relaxing, and can help with insomnia. Also very helpful in balancing hormones.
When using Essential Oils it is paramount to use proper procedures because most need to be diluted properly with carrier oils - please visit the NAHA website for more information on using aromatherapy and Essential Oils correctly.
As AnnaKate Soaps grows and begins to transform as a company, we are so thankful to have customers, friends and colleagues that are so supportive and willing to share advice and information. We appreciate your honesty regarding our products and hope you will continue to share your opinions in order to help make us a better company. After all, our main purpose is to provide you with soaps and other products that fit your needs.
AnnaKate soaps is gearing up for a busy summer with a booth at the Fargo Street Fair, displaying our soaps in stores in the Fargo-Moorhead and lakes area stores and working on expanding our product selection. We hope you will continue to provide suggestions for ways to improve our product selection, give you easier access to our products and become a better company for both our customers and the community. Our new summer line will be debuting before we know it and we still need your help in creating a well-rounded line with scents, colors and designs that appeal to you. Please continue to post suggestions on our facebook page, comment on our blog or email your suggestions to annakatesoaps@gmail.com - and don't forget to take our survey on how important natural products are to you.
When we were in Denver there was a lot of discussion about all natural and organic products. Some people were extremely passionate about manufacturing and selling only products that could be legitimately labeled as "all natural" or "organic." That got us thinking about how much people care about all natural and organic products.
I can admit that while I support the main causes behind natural and organic materials, I'm not the person who shops in all natural stores and only uses all natural products. And to be honest, I'm not sure how many people in my area (Fargo, N.D. and the lakes area of Minnesota) are like that either.
So our new poll is for you to tell us just how important it is to have that all natural or organic label on your beauty care products. Feel free to leave a comment below and explain further or let us know if there's another point of view we missed in the selection of answers.
Many of the presenters at the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild Convention advocated the importance of overcoming objections, turning failures into opportunities and the power of positive thinking. I was truly inspired to approach life from a different direction and have since been trying to look at all aspects of my life from a more positive angle. Our local chamber of commerce listed the following positive attitude starters to help us improve our attitude and thinking:
Do your best every day and let go of the rest
A setback is not a disaster, it is a setup for a comeback
Kindness is never wasted, show someone you care
You cannot control other people's behavior, but you can determine your response
Strive each day to do one think to foster positivity in your life
I hope you are able to implement a few of these in your daily lives and experience the power positive thinking can have on your life.
The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild Convention has been an unbelievable learning experience - opening our eyes to the entire world of handcrafted soaps, lotions, baths salts, scrubs...the possibilities are endless. After attending the liquid soap making seminar yesterday, I think it's safe to say AnnaKate Soaps will be adding liquid soaps to their product line soon. In addition to liquid soaps, watch for more product line additions, including bath salts, scrubs, bath fizzies and more.
We have been so fortunate to be able to attend this convention and have met many other soapmakers from around the country who have been more than willing to share their stories, experiences and offer suggestions to help AnnaKate Soaps reach it's full potential. The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild Convention has definitely played a major role in shaping the future of AnnaKate Soaps, helping us to define our goals and plan for the future. Expect great things from AnnaKate Soaps, we do!
Today we really concentrated on marketing our business and telling our story. Kayla Fiorvanti from Essential Wholesale discussed how every business has a story and your branding and marketing should tell consumers that story. It should help them connect with you and your business. You can tell your story in many different ways like packaging, slogans, logos, brand names, and social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and blogs (like this one!). The key is to make your story short and condensed so it will reach customers.
She also talked about the stages of a business and how this cycle often mirrors the cycle of life. Each business goes through the stages of birth, infancy, childhood, teen, adulthood, midlife crisis (possible), and legacy. She said that so many mistakes are made in the infancy stage, which is a little scary to think about since AnnaKate Soaps is in that stage now. Mistakes are a natural and important part of the growth process -- in both life and business. We look forward to growing AnnaKate Soaps, even if that means it's uncomfortable and we stumble along the way. If we can learn from our mistakes, we'll be better in the end!
After a weeks of excitement and anticipation we finally arrived in Denver last night for the 2010 Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild Conference. We had a long (but GREAT) day today learning about new methods and ideas, meeting new people, and making plans for more AnnaKate soaps and other products. We'll be sure to get some good pictures tomorrow to show you what's going on, but here's a little recap of what we did today.
First, we listened to Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun talk about sustainability, and being careful for future generations. She said that the choices we make impact sustainability now and in the future. We can take the lead in defining sustainability in our times, in which others will make decisions. During the Q&A time, we had a really healthy discussion about politics and how we as citizens and small business owners can be engaged in the process. One thing she said that really stood out was that the system CAN work, but it will not be responsive if we don't engage.
After that, we listened to Debbie May from Wholesale Supplies Plus talk about compliance vs. creativity. Soaps are regulated by either the FDA or the Consumer Product Safety Commission, so we have to be sure to follow all the rules for labeling, marketing claims, ingredient lists and functions, etc... It was extremely informative but very overwhelming at the same time. It's just a reminder of how conscientious we have to be when labeling our soaps.
After lunch we listened to Cindy Jones, a chemist and soap maker. She gave us a rundown of all the chemistry basics. It was very informative and interesting. Chemistry plays a big role in soap making. We need to consider everything from the composition of fats, to carbohydrates, to proteins.
In the afternoon Laura and I split up to attend different sessions. She attended two sessions about liquid soap making led by Anne Marie Faiola from Bramble Berry and Soap Queen TV. I'll let her give the details on these sessions. But I think it's safe to say that AnnaKate Soaps will definitely be experimenting with liquid soaps. We'll keep you up-to-date on how that goes and if/when you can see them added to our line!
I attended a session on melt and pour soap basics, which was led by Debbie Chialtas a.k.a. SoapyLove. It wasn't any new information for me but I love the soaps Debbie makes so it was fun to get to meet her and hear what inspires her! She makes these adorable Soapy Pop soaps shaped like popsicles. Aren't they great??
The other session I went to was about how to market your soap business. It was great to hear the business side of things and get new ideas, strengthen our existing ideas, and hear what other people are doing (whether it works or not!).
It's been a long day and we're both tuckered out! We're going to get a good night's rest and do it all again tomorrow! Goodnight!!
Jen and I have been preparing for the Handcrafted Soap Maker's Guild Convention this weekend in Denver. We will arrive tomorrow evening and spend the entire weekend immersed in soap!
The conference will allow us to network with hundreds of other soap maker's, distributors and the celebrities of the soap making world. We can't wait to share all of our new discoveries with you!
Introducing Clay Savon, one of AnnaKate's 10 Flagship Soaps. Clay Savon is a luxurious blend of nourishing goat's milk and detoxifying clay. Goat's milk and clay provide the perfect partnership of nourishing moisture, exfoliation and detoxification.
The combination of clay and goat's milk is efficient at drawing oils and toxins from the skin, while also working to moisturize, nourish and soften the skin.
Last Tuesday Laura and I invited some of the best ladies we know over to Laura's house to tell us all about their soap-buying habits and what they thought of our flagship soaps.
We had such a great time and got some really good feedback. Thank you to all who were able to come!
Focus groups and other means of data gathering are important to AnnaKate Soaps. We want know what our customers expect from us, and get an idea of what they like or don't like, and other general consumer habits when it comes to handcrafted soaps. We're always looking for feedback and welcome it at anytime. If you have any suggestions, concerns, or questions, please feel free to contact us and let us know. You can either e-mail us at annakatesoaps@gmail.com, leave a comment on this blog, or leave a comment on our Facebook page.
Remember, these are your soaps! We just make them.
Laura and I have been working hard designing, creating, and testing all kinds of new soaps and we've just finalized our flagship menu! I can't give away all the details yet, but I think you'll be really excited about what we've chosen as our inaugural soap collection. It features soaps that are fruity, sweet, clean, fun, sexy, sophisticated and gorgeous! Keep an eye out for all the great details on these wonderful soaps coming soon!
Also coming soon is our event calendar. Don't like buying soaps without sniffing them first? Come see us and our soaps in person at any number of events throughout the summer starting in May.
As always, let us know if you have any questions or suggestions for soap designs!
After a trip to a gem show in Tuscon, my father-in-law brought back the idea of selling gems with soaps, either embedded or as lathering agents...so, in order to make it fit into our budget I took a trip to the craft store and couldn't wait to start soaping!
I started by embedding other soaps, with great direction from Anne Marie - just find any shape cookie cutter or soap mold and your on your way to embedding . One important this to remember when embedding soaps, is to use non-bleeding micas (I, of course, prefer BrambleBerry micas). Below are a few of my favorite examples of soaps embedded in soaps.
Finally, I started embedding objects into the soap. In order to do this, it's necessary to pour one layer of soap and let it set up. Spray with alcohol, embed the object and pour the final layer of soap. Below are a few of my favorite examples of objects embedded in soaps. Enjoy!
Sometimes I'll dream up a beautiful idea for a soap and work for hours trying to make it absolutely perfect. Usually, the dream turns out to be a reality... or it comes out pretty close to what I was hoping for. Other times, something goes wrong and what I was hoping to be a beautiful bar of soap comes out with some sort of deformity or other problem/error/mistake. It's easy to get bummed out when this happens but I've learned to make my mistakes into new works of art!
Take this bar of soap as an example. I was so proud of myself for all the beautiful layers I had created and it smelled SO good. I was sure it was going to be one of my favorites (and had it turned out the way I wanted it probably would have made that favorites list). But something happened along the way and one layer just would NOT stick to the other layers and fell out of every bar I cut from the loaf (except this bar here -- which was an end piece)! How annoying!
The colors were all so beautiful that I decided to make a new bar of soap that would be able to show off some of the gorgeous hues. I took out the problem layer (in this case, it was the white layer) and melted it down. Next I took the purple and pink layers and chopped them up into little cubes. I combined the cubes into the melted white layer to create this fun bar of soap that reminds me of a geode!
Isn't it amazing how you can take something that didn't turn out the way you wanted and create a whole new fun idea!? Failure schmailure!!
What do you get when you mix a trip to the plumbing section of Menard's, three PVC pipes, a multi-tool(thank you Jerry!) and soap?
Orange slices of course!
Citrus soaps turned out to be a bit more challenging than initially thought but definitely worth the wait and work! There are quite a few steps to creating an orange looking soap. I found the trick to getting the whole project to come together was the length of the PVC pipes - the first and smallest pipe was about 6 - 8" long. Once that is poured and hard - remove it from the PVC pipe, slice it and and it's time to add your orange rind! I found it to be easiest to use a PVC pipe that was shorter than the orange slices - it was easier to handle the 'slices' and arrange them. I then poured in the white soap base, let it harden and remove it from the PVC. Finally - put the middle of the orange into the largest pipe and, of course, let it harden, remove from PVC and slice.
These can be made to look like oranges, lemons, limes or any other type of citrus fruit you feel like making. Check back for more soap ideas or just to read about Jen and Laura!
P.S. If you have any tips on how to make citrus soaps even easier - please don't hesitate to add comments!
A couple of weeks ago I made a lemon slice soap that I've seen around on the Internet and had a recipe for in one of my soap books. The method seemed to be pretty advanced compared to all the other soaps I'd been making. It involved three difference sized of PVC pipes into which different soaps were poured in different steps of the entire process. Looks for Laura's post detailing the steps to make these PVC fruits.
Here's what my lemons looked like when I used this method. They're not perfect but I think they're pretty cute in an abstract lemon kind of way. =)
Last weekend I came across a new method of making these cute little lemons and decided to give that a try. This method (from www.teachsoap.com) was a little more simple and was easier to control the look of the lemons because you make each slice individually as opposed to making a bunch in a big tube. Here's how it went: 1. Pour your lemon-scented base into a container like a 9 x 9 silicone baking pan or something similar. I used the plastic lid of an aluminum 9 x 9 pan. Pour just enough to only be about 1/4 inch thick. Let this harden and release from mold. 2. Get three different sized round cookie/biscuit cutters -- small, medium and large (relatively). With the largest cutter, cut as many round sections out of the soap as possible. I usually get 4 big circles out of a 9 x 9. From those 4 use the medium cutter to cut a circle out of the center of your big circles. Then, use the smallest cutter to cut a circle from the center of your medium circles. You want to hold on to the largest ring and the smallest circle. Everything else is scrap and can be set aside for later use. 3. Take the small circle and cut it into six pie pieces. To make the lemon slices look more realistic, cut just the tip of the center point of the pieces to account for the center of the lemon. 4. Now it's time to assemble. Place your wedges inside of the large "peel" ring with some space in between each. Then, pour white base all around the wedges inside the ring. Make sure this is on a very flat surface so the base doesn't leak out. You should actually inject (instead of pour) the white base with a syringe or food flavor injector. Be sure to rinse it out in hot water immediately or else the soap will set up inside the injector and render it useless.
After letting these soaps set up, you have a lovely lemon that looks like this one! Cool, huh? These ones definitely turned out more realistic than the others. I had a bit of trouble evenly injecting the white base, but I'm sure that will get easier with practice. Think of all the other fruits you can do like this! Everything from orange to apple to kiwi!
Can't wait to perfect these methods and have lots of great fruit slices to enjoy!
I received a shipment from Bramble Berry today and I can hardly contain myself! I got 10 pounds of clear base, a mica sampler (used to color the soaps) and teeny tiny mica measuring spoons. Very fun!
I melted down some previously made soaps just to add mica to them and WOW! It's amazing the difference just a little bit of extra color and shimmer can make. Which color is your favorite? I'm really excited to see how the golds and iridescent greens turn out. Mica is just a type of mineral that is ground very finely and polished like any other gem or mineral to make it pretty and then can also be coated with other minerals. To read more about mica click here. Here are some pictures of mica before it's been processed (bottom) and mica as I get it for use in my soaps(top)!
Once I get a good chance to play with all these colors I'll post some pictures of soaps with and without mica. I'm not sure how well it will show up on a computer screen, but we'll give it a shot!
Yesterday I made these adorable candy soaps!! The pink ones are Pearberry scented and the teal ones are Island Coconut scented. They look great alone but look even better when you wrap them in some plastic wrap just like real candies and throw a bunch together.
Thanks to Soap Queen Anne-Marie for the idea and recipe!
It's amazing what you can make with soap if you just have a little patience. Waiting is definitely the toughest part about making soaps but it's all worth it in the end. Just look at these cute little candies--I mean-- soaps!
Jen and Laura, the creative master minds behind AnnaKate Soaps, will use this space as a place to share new soap recipes, tell stories, look for feedback, post photos, and anything else their little hearts desire.
To get the latest updates ASAP, sign up to follow our blog and receive e-mail updates when a new entry is posted. Also, visit our Web site at annakatesoaps.webs.com -- still under construction as of now.
Of course, please feel free to comment if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions. AND, don't forget to vote in the polls to the right!
We're Jen and Laura, the creative minds behind AnnaKate Soaps. We hope you enjoy the ideas, tutorials and other content on our blog! Please feel free to comment if you have any questions, ideas or stories.
