How to extract juice and soap recipe found on eHow.com -- Extracting jewelweed sap -- Difficulty: Moderately Easy Instructions Things You'll Need Large pot Water Blender or juicer Strainer/cheesecloth Crushing 1 Pick a handful of leaves and stems off the jewelweed plant. 2 Crush the leaves between your fingers until a small amount of juice results. 3 Spread the juice over your skin and rub in. Repeat. Boiling 1 Place water in a large pot -- roughly one part jewelweed and five or more parts water is needed. Base the potency of your product on the severity of the rash. 2 Place jewelweed leaves, flowers and stems in the pot and bring to a boil. 3 Let it boil/simmer for 15-30 minutes. 4 Strain the liquid into a container using a mesh filter or cheesecloth. Place in a refrigerator or freezer if not used immediately. Blending 1 Cut the jewelweed at its base and remove the entire plant from its roots in the ground. 2 Liquefy the jewelweed using a blender, food processor or juicer. 3 Strain it through a mesh filter or cheesecloth and apply to your skin or refrigerate immediately. Recipe for jewelweed soap -- Difficulty: Easy Instructions Things You'll Need Blooming jewelweed plants Glycerin soap base Orange soap coloring Orange essential oil Soap mold Cooking oil spray 1 Gather flowers, leaves and stems from blooming jewelweed plants. Coarsely chop 1 cup of the plant material and add to 1 cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the water turns dark. 2 Strain the infusion through a coffee filter into a heat-proof jar or bowl. Reserve the liquid and add the plant material to your compost heap. 3 Melt 2 cups glycerin soap base in a double boiler. Remove the pan from the heat, and add � cup jewelweed infusion. Stir well to blend thoroughly. Allow the mixture to cool for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 4 Add two drops of orange soap coloring and seven drops of orange essential oil. Stir very well. 5 Coat your soap mold with a very light layer of cooking oil spray. Pour the liquid into the mold and cool it at room temperature. Remove your jewelweed soap from the mold and enjoy it. Here is a link that might be useful: jewelweed info

The coffee soap in the mugs looks awesome, I also had big saucers with mine, I sprinkled some whole coffee beans around the saucer and in the mug once everything was assembled then wrapped in cello with raffia. I just started making some grubby soap loafs, they are awesome as well. Made a strawberry jam loaf, first took clear glycerin and added cranberry seeds, red dye and a excellent new strawberry jam FO I purchased, I let the soap set up then cut in huge chunks (they really looked like strawberries) then embedded them in goat milk soap, let it set up partially and heated some more goat milk, let it thicken and just started drizzling on loaf, then eventually I popped the loaf out and drizzled more goat on it so it could run down the sides, then I took some of the orginal red glycerin that I saved reheated and let it thicken some then kept drizzling it on top. It looks great, looks like real strawberry jam on top and drizzling down everywhere. I am going to make a Orange Creamcicle next, using a orange glycerin loaf and smothering it in goat etc. Oh well, just thought I would share this with you. I actually should not be experimenting with anything else with all the shows I have to get ready for but I can't resist, sometimes I get tired of doing the same old thing. By the way, I am going to make 1LB loafs of the grubbies and sell them whole with homespun tied around them to my gift shops and at shows. I think I will call it "Grubby Kitchen Loaf". Wouldn't they look cool on a cutting board or piped tray on counter so you could just slice some as needed :o) See ya later Elle

Hi there, I tried a great quality castile melt and pour recipe based on this one below (from an above comment) here with my substitutes in parentheses and what I had on hand. I want to sell these but my concern is this little oil is not enough to carry a scent in the soap. I did a lavender mint mix, a lavender only and a mint only and plain but could hardly smell a thing. The one without scent was teh same as teh ones with the drops. Usually for a human soap bar you woudl add about 2ml of lavender for example in 4 oz M & P soap, but assuming that is way to much for a dog so I do not want to increase that and have it be unsafe for the dogs as I know they process it differently then humans. Any advice? If I am labeling these with a scent customers will say I don't smell anything...thanks for any tips or what to say or label? Dog Soap Recipe #2 4 oz. melt and pour base 1 tablespoon herbal infused Apricot Kernal or Grapeseed oil (left out) 400 IU vitamin E (vets say it is great for the dogs coat) 1/2 tsp EMU oil (optional) I prefer the EMU to the vitamin E (left out) 1/4 teaspoon liquid glycerin (left out) 1/4 tsp essential oil of tea tree (left out) 5 - 7 drops of essential oil of citronella (lavender instead) 3 - 5 drops (each) pennyroyal peppermint or lavender (peppermint)

I made several more batches of soap and increased the amount of FO to a T. per lb and the soap is smelling better. I made a lavendar Oatmeal for someone and they loved it, I also made several bars of Baby Soap and it turned out great. When I reorder I will be getting from WSP. Now I am trying to refine my body butter. I like it smoother than most recipes make it. I have been experimenting with glycerin in my revised recipe. Also trying to cut down on how oily it can make your skin. My lip butters are pretty much the way I want just have to get them done (been waiting 2 wks for my flavor oils to come in from a seller on Ebay) Last but not least I am also fiddling with the bath bombs, I live in a very humid area and they have been cracking once set up. I am going to try a different recipe this weekend. I make them in medium size round ornaments. I really want them to be available for my show, I think they make a great addition to my other items. Well, sorry for the rambling but it helped me to organize my thoughts. I can't stop thinking about soap etc. Elle