Hi Hazel
I was wondering the same thing.
I've been getting in my supplies that I ordered and making a list of more that I need to order. My head is spinning with all the soap stuff I want to get started on. I've got a craft show coming up next month and really need to get busy.
I'm testing the crystal rock potpourri right now to see how it works. Anyone done these already? (Not the water crystal kind)
Jo

I was wondering the same thing, Hazel. Glad to see someone else was feeling lonely too! LOL!

Magi

My THS membership is up - expired on the 8th so I'm not sure why I can post. I checked the expiration date of my membership just to be sure. I've been busy repainting my bedroom and trying to limit the amount of time I spend on the computer.

Jill

Jill:
Are you going to renew your membership?

Jo: are they the ones made with water softener salt?

Hazel

Hi Everyone - I haven't been up to much. Too busy now, I'm back to work full-time. Hazel, I have a question for you. Have you ever used labcolors? Another board I have visited, everyone is ga-ga over labcolors & feel you can't compare quality without them. Just wondering. Sandra
Jill, Are you going to re-join? I'm asking too!!

This is so weird...have been getting the pop-up message to renew (haven't decided on that) and my renew date was definitely yesterday but I can still post.

I've been spending WAY too much time on the net, but then I blamed it on "winter". Now that it is nicer, I want to spend more time outside with my DS and hoping that I will start work soon...so at this point I think I'm going to see if I can stand "lurker" status - if not, then I will rejoin.

Hazel, I'm trying with the water softener and rock salt. The water softener "crystals" are kinda big and they don't seem to absorb the color/oil as well.
Jo

Sandra,
No, never heard of labcolors...do they have a web site? or where do you get them?

Jo,
are you using rock salt (as in the stuff for ice cream making, or the stuff you put on the sidewalks to melt ice?) or are you using water softerner salt? (Found near the water softerner pellets).
I've done the water softerner crystals, & never had a problem with coloring them. Add a bit of glycerin with the color, makes them shine & be colorful. (I would put the glycerin in a metl measuring spoon, then add my dye to the liquid in the spoon, dump it in & shake around in a ziploc bag. Maybe not shake but toss in the bag.)

Jill,
we'll miss you if you just decide to lurk........

Hazel

Hazel
So far the ice cream salt, and it works very well. The water softener stuff is what if in large chunks.
Jo

Hi Hazel - I am far from an expert on these - I only know what I have read. Apparently you can blend these colors to achieve any color of the rainbow. They come in a basic set of 12 or you may order them individually. High ph for CP & low ph for M&P, bath bombs, salts... A Cdn. site I have bought from sells them for 39.99 for the set of 12 & this comes with a blending guide. Go to www.tubosoap.com under colourants & check out all the shades you can get by blending. I have been reading a fair bit on a couple of other forums & on both these forums it seems if you don't use lab colors, you're from the wrong side of town!
www.cosmecolor.com I think is the name of the site most were recommending to buy them, but I haven't been there to check the prices. From the soaps I have seen where people have used them, they look very vibrant especially the purples. Also, they tend to bleed less over a longer time frame. The soap forum to check it out is www.thesoapdish.com, go to search & type in lab colors & see some examples for yourself. Let me know if there is anything else I can tell you. Sandra

I am glad to see someone is here, too. I was about to post the same thing Hazel did. I thought perhaps something was wrong- kept refreshing my browser but for several days there was just nothing! I sure missed everyone. As for me, I haven't done anything but the usual work, work, and more work. We did have a beautiful day yesterday (I now have spring fever) and I "played" outside all day! We have candle making scheduled for next weekend (mostly because our wicks won't be in until Wednesday or so) and we are awaiting soap bases but we want (and need) to get the candles done to fill some orders.
Susan

I just started a stained glass class this past week. This week we are going to start cutting out our patterns & in only 6 more weeks we are **SUPPOSED** to have a finished 18" x 24" stained glass hanging pane/panel.
Just something for me....gifts etc, a HOBBY--like I have time for one......
Also considering LASIK eye surgery, not that either of those has anything to do with soapmaking, but.......also waiting for some web site updates to be done-that's probably the closest I can say I've gotten to doing anything "really soapy""

I think everyone has spring fever!!

Hazel

I'm here! I'm having a heck of a time finding time to soap, and here I think I'm going to be starting a business!?! My time management problem is named Jackson (he is 15 months old and in a serious cling-baby phase. Sometimes I can't walk across the room without a fuss, let alone get absorbed in a soap project!). But, we're spending next week at Grandma & Papa's house, and they love this baby so much I barely have to hold him while I'm there. So, I'm bringing the soap supplies for sure...

I've read about labcolors, too (not on Soapdish, but on Handcraftedsoap.org). Right now I'm experimenting with powdered pigments, but the stirring and clumping is getting me down. So, I might try them next. The craft store dyes I've been using fade something awful - totally bums me out to make some groovy embedded soap and then have it all fade away...

Nice to check in!

i'm still here. been crazy busy at work so i don't have time to fart around anymore. =/

been making soap in fits and starts though and it's starting to worry me. i'm still fairly obsessed, in that everything i look at, i somehow relate it back to soap but i just haven't been in the making mood.

i'm sure it has to do with the good weather (65+ around this here parts)...i have always notoriously gotten spring fever where i can't concentrate on a darn thing and the previously aforementioned job doesn't help.

jill, you can't go! we'd miss you terribly here! and besides, you can't lurk...you'd *have* to comment on something and...and...and you won't be able to post pictures if you're not a subscriber!

hazel, good luck on LASIK! everyone who's done it raves about it. i'm thinking about it but i like my glasses (kinda sorta) and i think i look better with them. oh alright! i'm chicken, ok?

=)
andrea

We just got dumped on with about 10 inches of snow. I just got shoveled out! Seriously though. I spend about 25 hours a day on the web researching. Researching products and molds and everything else that goes with starting a business.

I've been busy ordering sample products and trying them out, and then ordering more of what I thought was best quality. Been busy building a web site, and trying to tell my techie computer geek that just because it's code heaven to their breed, I STILL DONT LIKE IT. Been setting up a brochure, and taking soap to the salons, visiting banks, city hall, lawyers, and accountants. Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it. But all the hard part is done now. Now I get to get back to doing the fun stuff. Like posting on here and making soap.

Has anyone ordered any wedding themed soap molds? If so, where did you get them? Martin Creative (soapymolds.com) has one that I really like. It's a 4 cavity with an outlined bride and groom and it says I Do on the bottom. I was also looking for a nice "thank you" soap. I found a couple, but didn't really like them. One was too thin (1/4"), and the other was just too plain. And none were more than single cavity. Anyone have a source for them in 3+ cavity? I am exhausted from looking. Maybe I need to stop being so picky!

TIA - Heather

Hi Heather - Just today I rec'd my order from Martin's & I was debating over the wedding mold you talk about & the one I ended up ordering. The one I got is called "droplet"
It's a large tear drop shape with 2 wedding rings imprinted
on it. They are both nice. The reason I got this one, is I have about 50 or so plastic gold rings that I thought I could use in the wrapping somehow. I also rec'd in the mail today some brochures about craft shows in my area, spring & fall. I am seriously thinking of going in to at least 1 of them. They are juried shows & need 5 photos of your product & 1 of your booth (what booth!!)
Have a great day, Sandra