Great Cakes Soapworks

Friendship Soap Swap: A Video

Amy Warden — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:35:21 +0000

Several weeks ago Emily Shieh of Shieh Design Studio asked me if I would like to participate in an international friendship soap swap. There are nine soapmakers in the group from the U.S., Canada, Spain, and Ireland. Each one is making a personal soap for one other person in the group. We are to give away two bars from the batch to the intended swap member, and sell the rest. Emily gave us questionnaires not only about our soap preferences and styles, but also our personal information so we could get to know each other better. Names were drawn, and I was chosen to make a special soap for Ayuko Carlton of The Tokyo Factory.

I wasn’t sure how to proceed since Ayuko’s soap preferences aren’t very specific. She likes “mildness, softness of lather, soft fragrance, and moisturizing” soap. I had to ask about fragrances that she likes as well, and she responded, “I am not picky about fragrances. But I am not a big fan of food fragrance such as cheese cake, chocolate so on.. I like floral, herb, fruit fragrances. I will be happy with whatever soap you make. Because I’ve always wanted to try your soap~!!!” So, no pressure, right?

I started with my most moisturizing (non-goat’s milk) soap recipe – the one I use for the peppermint soap. It has a lot of hard, white oils and refined shea butter to make it as white as possible. Then I superfat it at 8% so that it won’t dry the skin or get too hard in the mold! I also used aloe vera juice for the lye solution – very soothing for dry skin. Then I found an essential oil blend that I’ve always wanted to try that smells like lemonade and the soap just took a life of its own. And since a video of the process is one of the requirements of the swap, you get to see what I made:

I’ll post the cutting video next so you can see how it turned out! (If you like what you see, I will have 10 bars available!)

On the Curing Rack: Hawaiian Sunrise

Amy Warden — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:02:18 +0000

After doing the last gradient soap, I was inspired to try something a little more advanced. Since I had this “sunrise” fragrance, I figured why not do the gradients of a sunrise? I found my inspiration here:

Gradient inspiration

Orange and purple have a common color – red, so utilizing a bit of color theory, I was able to slowly turn the orange to pink and then the pink to purple. Fortunately, the fragrance was cooperative during this process, as I mixed all the colors and poured them in the mold! Sorry, no video this time, or even photos in process. I didn’t have anyone to help me with that.

Hawaiian Sunrise Soap by Great Cakes Soapworks

The fragrance is quite bold. It is described as a blend of scintillating notes of citrus, raspberry, and pineapple with the tropical fragrances of hibiscus and pikake for an intoxicating scent. Ironically it seems to be the same fragrance I used several years ago from a different supplier who called it by a different name when I made the Celebration soap, if anyone remembers that one! Here’s a photo to help jog your memory:

Celebration Soap by Great Cakes Soapworks circa 2008

I am looking at a ready-to-sell date of March 1st for the Hawaiian Sunrise soap. Now what shall I plan to make next???

Grainy Lip Butter Recall

Amy Warden — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:08:27 +0000

Lip Butters

I’m just plain mad at myself right now. I had my lip butter recipe all figured out – finally found a shea butter that wouldn’t turn grainy in my lip butter, and wouldn’t you know I forgot that there just aren’t any substitutes. And I substituted. My friend Cynthie who has been helping me with the videos – hey, girl! – is the one who told me about it. This applies to the following batches (fortunately there’s a made fresh date on every label):

Pina Colada – 11/26/11
Butterscotch – 11/26/11
Nourishing – 11/26/11
Root Beer – 12/1/11

If you happen to have a lip butter from one of these batches and you would like to trade it in for a new one, I will be happy to make that substitution. Or just send me an email and we’ll work it out. If you are ok with your grainy lip butter, then I’m ok with you keeping it. It’s not going to affect the way it moisturizes; it’s simply a texture issue. However, if you’re like me, it will bother you and I will gladly replace it for you!

In the meantime, I’ve taken the rest of these off the website, ordered more of the GOOD shea butter, and will be making new batches as soon as it arrives!

Valentines Soaps and Bubble Bath Now Available!

Amy Warden — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:30:16 +0000

With Valentines Day just two weeks away, I am very happy to announce that the pirate-themed Valentine soaps are now available:

For the girls:

South Seas Siren

South Seas Siren is a combination of a Michael Kors type fragrance which is comprised of white florals, warmed with delicate top notes of bergamot, apricot, peach, and plum, finished with a touch of exotic spice, velvety woods, and sensual skin musks with a tropical plumeria fragrance. Just like a siren – it’s completely irresistible! With just 11 of these available, you’ll want to get your hands on these as fast as possible!

For the guys:

Brazen Buccaneer

Brazen Buccaneer is a woodsy blend of bamboo, teak, rainforest, sandalwood and cedarwood. The depth of this fragrance is amazing! Completely earthy, very masculine and sexy. Even the pattern of colors will remind you of wood grain. Only 10 available – check ‘em out here!

After receiving a tip from Holly at Missouri River Soap that Target had heart-shaped silicone molds available in their dollar section (which really cost me $2.50!), I knew I had to make some bubble bath to match the South Seas Siren soap. Here’s a little video on how I made them (and the problems I encountered!):

South Seas Siren Bubble Bath Confections are available HERE. Only 6 available!

Hopefully these will help make your Valentines Day special!

Strawberries and Champagne Soap: A Video

Amy Warden — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:50:44 +0000

As I was looking through my stash of fragrances the other day, I re-discovered a one-ounce sample of Strawberries & Champagne fragrance. It’s only enough for a six-bar batch, but after thinking about the Sweet Pea & Rhubarb soap I made last year for Valentines Day I came up with a plan.

Sweet Pea & Rhubarb Soap

Using a similar method, I decided to make strawberries instead of sweet peas on top:

With only six of these available, I might have to jack the price up or sell them to the highest bidder! It’s such a refreshing – and yes, sparkling fragrance! They’ll be ready at the end of February.

On the Curing Rack: Country Clothesline

Amy Warden — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:36:08 +0000

After making soap with Kendra, I was inspired to try a gradient-colored soap. I picked a fragrance that I knew would cooperate as well as being requested by one of my customers. It’s a very fresh, clean laundry scent that reminds you of clothes that have been hung outside to dry. Previous versions of the Country Clothesline soap had been blue with white swirls:

Country Clothesline Soap from 2009

Also, blue with white and lighter blue swirls:

Country Clothesline Soap from last year

This time, I used blue again, but with each layer I kept adding more white. The soap wasn’t setting up as fast as I thought, so as I was adding the second and third layers, they were penetrating the layer beneath. This made a couple of the soaps look more like the ocean surf, which I suppose if you could imagine yourself doing laundry on the beach might not be a bad thing.

Country Clothesline gradient soap - with waves

A few of them were a little better behaved, so I took this photo as well:

Country Clothesline soap the way it's supposed to be!

This was my first time attempting the CPOP method of putting the soap in a warm oven after it was poured, which should speed up the curing time by a week or so. I will estimate that this soap will be available at Greatcakessoapworks.com around February 20 – if it doesn’t sell out at the market I’m doing on the 18th.

Great Things…

Amy Warden — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:34:27 +0000

…are coming to those who wait! Thankfully, I have been feeling better every day! Yesterday, I made my first gradient soap and put it in a warm oven (it’s that CPOP method I was telling you about that Elle used). It forces the soap into a hard gel phase very quickly, so more of the liquid evaporates. I was able to cut it that night, and it should cure faster as well. This should come in handy as I have signed up to do a local craft show on February 18th, sponsored by a local high school football booster club. I haven’t had time to take photos of this soap yet, so that’s the first thing to look forward to.

Today, my friend Cynthie came over and spent the day helping me make videos. I made two different soaps, plus some Valentines bubble bath in the same fragrance as the South Seas Siren soap. Lots of footage to go through and edit, so there are three more things to look forward to!

Hope you are all having a great week! I’d love to hear about your projects as well!

This is about how I feel today

Amy Warden — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:07:32 +0000

I am reminded of one of my grandpa’s favorite songs today. Only you could substitute “Amy” for “Granny” and “kitchen” for “cellar” and “soap” for “biscuits”:

There isn’t enough kleenex in the world…

Ok, so yes, my nose is runny today, and yes, I’m making soap, but I PROMISE that I didn’t drop anything in it. That you know of. Bwahahaha!!

If at any time you think that I am being entirely unprofessional, I apologize. It’s just the cold talking. Really.

Faux Funnel Soap – French Style!

Amy Warden — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:18:53 +0000

Elle is one of my blog readers who recently commented that she had made a couple batches of soap using the faux funnel method. So I clicked the link to her blog to check it out. Unfortunately, I couldn’t read it because it’s in French, but the photos speak for themselves! Here is her first one, made last September:

Pop soap by Flacons & Petits Pots

I love her color choices! From what I was able to translate, she is very happy with the way the green turned out, but is most proud of the red. It is scented with verbena.

The second one is also very beautiful; made just a few weeks ago:

Vintage-style Pop soap by Flacons & Petits Pots

This time she experienced a very quick trace and after pouring it in the mold, put it in a warm oven – the CPOP method (cold process, oven process). The fragrance is brown sugar & fig. Great job, Elle!

So now I wonder if anyone else has photos of their soap made with the faux funnel method. For example, Celine of iamhandmade just posted photos of her first faux funnel soap here. Please provide a link in the comments below so we can all see!

Making Soap with a Friend, Part 2

Amy Warden — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:20:51 +0000

Missed part 1? Check it out here.

After Kendra finished making her soap, I was ready to start mine. I had picked out four different micas to create my latest favorite method: faux funnel pour soap.

Purple, green, orange, and pink micas in some oil

I had re-heated my oils using Kendra’s hot plate, and overshot the temp I was aiming for, so by the time my lye solution cooled to near 85, the oils were still around 95 degrees. It didn’t take much stick blending to get to a light trace.

Stick blending the soap, and dividing it into the four cups of color.

Kendra thought it was hilarious that I was weighing out the soap into each cup of color. They ended up not being all that equal anyway… I suppose I could loosen up a bit. Maybe.

Stirring up the micas and soap

Here are the various stages of pouring in the four different colors:

Adding pools of soap in alternating colors until the mold was full

Oh, and I also remembered to bring some cups for mini soaps:

Two mini soaps with swirled tops

These will end up in grab bags as soon as I’ve gathered enough of them!

By now you are probably ready to see the cut soap, aren’t you? Ok, no more waiting:

Groovy Guava Soap by Great Cakes Soapworks

The colors have lightened up some, but still look pretty great! The name Groovy Guava really doesn’t capture the full beauty of its fragrance, but it does describe the fun colors! After curing for four weeks, it will be available at Greatcakessoapworks.com starting February 16th.

Making soap with a friend sure was fun! Of course, we grabbed some lunch at Panera when we were done. I didn’t think to bring any towels or blankets to wrap around my soap while it sat in my van. Kendra scrounged around her car for a couple of her girls’ jackets and a small receiving blanket while we ate and chatted. I’d say chances are good we’ll do this again! We are at the very least inspired to try each others’ techniques. I’ve already planned out a gradient colored soap in my head…