So Many Recipes; so little time!
To date (6 months worth) here are the recipes I have worked my way through. I still have about this many left. Already I have my favorites and just when I think I have made it all, some enterprising person comes up with a recipe with an ingredient I have never tried before. I have also created more than a few of my own recipes and the artist in me loves to experiment with design.
Even my scrapbook talents show up on my decorated recipe cards! Now it is time to make some money so I am doing all the un-fun stuff, inventory, labeling, pricing, etc. My husband will be glad to see some of the many, many, boxes of soap exit our bedroom! Momma needs to make money for more soap supplies-
Even my scrapbook talents show up on my decorated recipe cards! Now it is time to make some money so I am doing all the un-fun stuff, inventory, labeling, pricing, etc. My husband will be glad to see some of the many, many, boxes of soap exit our bedroom! Momma needs to make money for more soap supplies-
OFTEN ASKED QUESTIONS-
If you are a newbie to soap making there can be a few surprises when making soap. After you have been making soap awhile there can be a few surprises when making soap. In other words soap making is as much an art form as a science and although you must make sure your soap is safe to use ( the science) you must also learn to go with the flow ( the art). I have addressed some reoccuring questions that soap makers bring up and I hope this will help as well as clear up some head scratching problems.
1. Um, when soap turns out equal parts functional and ugly do not scrap it. You have several options- My favorite solution is to cut the soap into chunks that can be added to another soap. If the soap is too brittle for chunks it can be shaved and added to the new batter. If you are making labels you will need to add the ingredients from this soap and the new batter. Another solution is to rebatch the ugly soap. You can add additional liquids to it if the soap is brittle. You can also add colorants and fragrance to try to improve the homely soap.
2. Why do some soaps get so dark or discolor? Well, there is not one answer to this and it can be difficult to access this issue but here are some of the most common.
First of all, white is really not a natural color. If you want white or light colored soap you are going to have to add a colorant like titanium dioxide or clay. Too much titanium dioxide can make for a beautiful white soap but will be difficult to cut so pour the soap into individual molds that you will not have to cut.
The amount of sugar in a recipe determines how hot your soap gets. The hotter the batter, the darker it can get. If you do not cover a soap or even better, put it in the fridge to set then there will be less chance of discoloration.
Drying soap will darken as the water evaporates. Sometimes it is a lot, sometimes a little, sometimes not at all and can be different every time you make the batter. Best way to figure this out is to use a batter over and over and stick with the ones that are the most reliable.
Lastly, vanilla will really mess up the color of your soap. Check fragrances for vanilla or vanillan.
3.Soda ash, yuck!- Soda ash is really about moisture , (and a few other random things) but mostly humidity. I have tried every living thing to try to stop soda ash but I live in one of the most humid states in the country and ash just happens. The only sure way not to get ash is to have your soap go into a full gel. Evidently the heat really stunts the action. I have tried every solution known to man and have moderate success. Lucky if you live in a dry climate. O.K., here's the good news- soda ash does not effect soap at all. I find a rustic soap looks fine with ash and with use the soda ash will disappear.
4. Orange spots- It shouldn't happen often but that is old oil. Oil should not go bad in your soap unless when you put it in the batter it was old. Sometimes certain dried additives can bleed into your soap and look like orange spots but that isn't really the same thing. Orange spots really don't effect the quality of the soap so just pretend you meant to do that and move on!
5. How do you know if your soap is too old to sell? If you don't like the way it looks or smells, don't sell it. Some of the best soaps are a year old or more. If a soap is truly off, you'll know. Do you know when the bread is moldy or an egg is rotten? Then you will know if your soap is bad.
6. ALL SOAP HAS LYE! Soap is made of purified water, fat, and hard wood ash(lye). Nothing else makes soap. Can't make soap without lye, it is natural and if you buy melt and pour (glycerin) soap that is just soap that you are remelting that was made with lye. Don't be afraid of lye, just be respectful. You use, ammonia, bleach, bug spray and don't go running for the hills so don't freak out about lye. Follow safety procedures and you will be fine. I still get the occasional lye burn and it is no worse than stepping on a sliver of glass or having a pop of grease land on you. It isn't fun but move on people.
7. If you are going to sell your soaps in an outdoor market during the summer months know that melt and pour soap can melt. Hot and cold processed soap can take the heat. This may seem silly but melt and pour is a glycerin soap and is very sugary which means it will be melty. Soaps that cure are dryer so there is little liquids to melt. Glycerin on the other hand actually will absorb the moisture in the air which can cause weeping. My point is always consider you environment when selling soaps. Shady or cool is always your best option. Air conditioning is Narvana.
8. Make sure your soap has cured before shrink wrap packaging. Good soap is dry soap and shrink wrap will inhibit the drying process. I wait until at least 6 months before shrink wrapping. Melt and pour can be wrapped immediately because it does not cure and this can keep the soap from weeping by absorbing the moisture in the environment. I prefer paper packaging for cold or hot processed soap so it can breathe.
Getting Ready for my first trade show weekend 3 months ahead of schedule!!!
Yep here I go to my first two holiday craft shows on the same weekend! Well at the time I made the commitments I didn't know they would be the same weekend but one was on Saturday and one on Sunday so at least I don't have to be at two places at once. It isn't my first time at the rodeo; I used to do scrapbook shows. It has been awhile though and I forgot how long it takes to do the paperwork etc. The real craziness is trying to do Christmas wrapping and mailing to relatives, make Thanksgiving dinner, and attend friends parties all while getting ready for the craft fairs. This is only half of my soaps which took me 3, 12 hour days to package, label, and price. The other half is in various states of readiness. I have learned one very important thing, package and price "as you go". I won't make this mistake again. Everybody cross your fingers!
This is what happens to me. I get obsessed with embeds. Come on, aren't these little chubby turkeys just the cutest. Yep everybody needs turkey soap, right? Well, I think so.
Quirky stuff I have used in soap-
witch hazel peanut butter butter beer plantain leaves basil
Herbs de Prevence, kombucha tea sea salt apple cider coconut flakes dill
eggs beach water spinach Crown Royal corn meal bacon fat pine tar condensed milk chili powder wine ( red & white) flax meal coffee grounds
tomato paste baby food nettle leaves mud cottage cheese soda fruit purees baby lotion orange & lemon peel maple syrup every kind of dried flower known to man neem oil
sand vitamin E Spanish moss brown sugar laurel berry oil cucumbers
zucchini evening primrose oil kelp & local seaweed agave Vaseline almonds........etc.
Herbs de Prevence, kombucha tea sea salt apple cider coconut flakes dill
eggs beach water spinach Crown Royal corn meal bacon fat pine tar condensed milk chili powder wine ( red & white) flax meal coffee grounds
tomato paste baby food nettle leaves mud cottage cheese soda fruit purees baby lotion orange & lemon peel maple syrup every kind of dried flower known to man neem oil
sand vitamin E Spanish moss brown sugar laurel berry oil cucumbers
zucchini evening primrose oil kelp & local seaweed agave Vaseline almonds........etc.
Believe it or not, there are people that make soap from breast milk. I have an insider at Le Leche Club (but I just can't)
and I will not make hemp soap because I dislike the smell (sorry)
and I will not make hemp soap because I dislike the smell (sorry)
NEWEST ARRIVALS
Best Laid Plans & The Lie about Lye
Well I have torn my calf muscle so I am down for 6 weeks or more. I thought I would have a injury free year but saying that out loud obviously jinxed me. Since I can not make soap for awhile I thought I would talk soap.
I have read it so many times on other sites that I am always surprised when some people do not get it. All soap has lye in it. There are only 2 ingredients in soap, lye & fat. That is all there is and if you don't put lye in soap then all you have is cooking oil. Too much fat and not enough lye and you got slimy oily stuff; too much lye and you have stuff that will burn your skin. The word Soap comes from the chemical process of sopanofication; the process in which fats change the chemical process of soda ash (lye) into soap. The process turns lye into bubbles and is no longer dangerous so don't freak out about lye.
Lye is not some strange chemical made in chemistry labs out of strange materials. Anyone can make lye. Here's the big recipe- purified or rain water and hard wood ash. That's it, real complicated huh. It is a very natural, all be it dangerous, product. Now back to my original statement- all soap has lye in it.
I know, many of you have made soap with your kids or are big officianadoes of melt and pour soaps, but guess what, they had lye in them. These soaps are made from glycerin and lye, once it is made it can be remelted ( remember I said once sopanofication has begun then the lye is chemically turned into soap). So yes, even your melt and pour once had lye.
Don't be afraid of lye based soaps. Once the soap is cured it no longer has lye in it ( which takes about 3 to 4 weeks. Soapmakers test this with P.H. papers) If you use bleach in your laundry room and ammonia in your kitchen well then you shouldn't be afraid of lye in your soap room.
A side note, I have burned myself many times when those little pesky beads of lye bounce around. No big deal. Rinse with water or vinegar until it stops burning. It is about as tragic as stepping on a piece of glass. Unpleasant but not the end of the world. Just remember to use best safety practices and lye is
as safe as using bleach.
I have read it so many times on other sites that I am always surprised when some people do not get it. All soap has lye in it. There are only 2 ingredients in soap, lye & fat. That is all there is and if you don't put lye in soap then all you have is cooking oil. Too much fat and not enough lye and you got slimy oily stuff; too much lye and you have stuff that will burn your skin. The word Soap comes from the chemical process of sopanofication; the process in which fats change the chemical process of soda ash (lye) into soap. The process turns lye into bubbles and is no longer dangerous so don't freak out about lye.
Lye is not some strange chemical made in chemistry labs out of strange materials. Anyone can make lye. Here's the big recipe- purified or rain water and hard wood ash. That's it, real complicated huh. It is a very natural, all be it dangerous, product. Now back to my original statement- all soap has lye in it.
I know, many of you have made soap with your kids or are big officianadoes of melt and pour soaps, but guess what, they had lye in them. These soaps are made from glycerin and lye, once it is made it can be remelted ( remember I said once sopanofication has begun then the lye is chemically turned into soap). So yes, even your melt and pour once had lye.
Don't be afraid of lye based soaps. Once the soap is cured it no longer has lye in it ( which takes about 3 to 4 weeks. Soapmakers test this with P.H. papers) If you use bleach in your laundry room and ammonia in your kitchen well then you shouldn't be afraid of lye in your soap room.
A side note, I have burned myself many times when those little pesky beads of lye bounce around. No big deal. Rinse with water or vinegar until it stops burning. It is about as tragic as stepping on a piece of glass. Unpleasant but not the end of the world. Just remember to use best safety practices and lye is
as safe as using bleach.
The "Art" of soap making
I love experimenting with unusual molds and unique materials like loofahs, herbs, and stamps. Making the same soaps over and over would make me so bored; although I have made some of my favorite recipes over and over again. If you fall in love with one of my designs don't count on ever seeing it again the same way twice.
Check out soaperwoman soaps on youtube!
These ice cream cones look pretty good since our air conditioning is not working yet again. Too bad they are soap!
TRACE EVIDENCE SOAPSAvocados from mexico soap recipe :I love, love, love this soap. It is everything you want a soap to be, hard, creamy with a nice lather. It has a medium trace and hardens within about 12 hours. It is a real win, win!
14.1 oz. corn oil 8.8 oz each olive oil & coconut oil 6 oz. heavy cream 3.5 oz. palm oil pulp of 1 Hass avocado (mixed into cream) 7.3 oz. water 5.8 oz. lye .5 oz. essential oil 1. Put all solid oils in a high temp heat container. 2. Place all the liquid oils in a separate container.(does not need to be heat proof) 3. Prepare your additives and mix avocado pulp into cream. 4. Mix lye and water together and stir till clear. (you do not have to worry about the temp.) 5.Pour lye into solid oils and stir until melted. Then add the liquid oils and bring to trace. 6. Add avocado cream mixture and e.o. at trace. This soap is totally workable but does come to trace fairly quickly so nothing too fancy. Yep, I just tore out an ice cream cake recipe from a magazine; not because I want to make it, ( I mean really it's an ice cream cake). It looks just like a really cool soap! I'm already formulating the thing in my head. I am sooooo obsessed!
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MY PACKAGING
soap is just food with attitude !
I AM IN LOVE WITH SILICONE MOLDS! You can buy cheap, expensive, or make your own but nothing has modernized soaping like silicone. If you are just starting out I suggest 4 starter molds-
1. cake pan- for making pie and cake soaps
2. muffin tin- for making cupcakes and handy for over pours
3. 1-2 lb. loaf mold- the basic workhorse of the soaping world
4. slab mold- necessary for swirl soaps
(and keep those Pringles cans and milk and cream cartons for cylinder molds)
1. cake pan- for making pie and cake soaps
2. muffin tin- for making cupcakes and handy for over pours
3. 1-2 lb. loaf mold- the basic workhorse of the soaping world
4. slab mold- necessary for swirl soaps
(and keep those Pringles cans and milk and cream cartons for cylinder molds)
SOAP MAKING ZEN
The Art of patience*******
I simply cannot wait 24 hours for my soap to dry, so I don't. I know that is a bad idea. I try to wait, I really do. I have become very good at taking soft soap out of molds. I even know which ones are best for the job. I am not an impatient person (and you certainly have to learn patience if you make soap) but I am lucky if I make it 12 hours.
I love clay soaps cause they can unmold in as little as 3 hours and sugar in my batter means no more than 8 to 12 hours. Gelled soap is my friend and I keep telling myself that I should start making CPOP but I have just seen so many fails and I don't do failure. It happened to me once and it was like throwing away the baby with the bathwater.
I guess I will just continue to pop out soft soaps and swearing about bent corners 'cause like I said, "I just can't wait."
I love clay soaps cause they can unmold in as little as 3 hours and sugar in my batter means no more than 8 to 12 hours. Gelled soap is my friend and I keep telling myself that I should start making CPOP but I have just seen so many fails and I don't do failure. It happened to me once and it was like throwing away the baby with the bathwater.
I guess I will just continue to pop out soft soaps and swearing about bent corners 'cause like I said, "I just can't wait."
Here's something strange- 2 soaps from the same batter poured into two molds, what the? Absolutely the same batter from the same pitcher. The one with the weird white stuff, that's not soda ash. Beats me but I decided I kind of liked it. Soap is so strange ): (;
helpful hints from a beginner soaper
1. If you want a soap that is slow to trace, try any recipe with corn oil. It is next to impossible to trace thick so it makes a great column pour batter.
2. If you purchased the classic soap planer $10.00 box and the blade slips on you then take a take-out chopstick, break it to fit and glue it behind the blade as a stopper. You can still change the blade and it won't slide loose.
3. Cheapest packaging ever? French fry bags (not the cardboard ones)- they cost pennies, are the perfect size for just about every soap, are wax lined so they don't bleed and can be stamped or printed on. You don't need the cost of labels or any kind of adhesive. Bonus- they look cool.
2. If you purchased the classic soap planer $10.00 box and the blade slips on you then take a take-out chopstick, break it to fit and glue it behind the blade as a stopper. You can still change the blade and it won't slide loose.
3. Cheapest packaging ever? French fry bags (not the cardboard ones)- they cost pennies, are the perfect size for just about every soap, are wax lined so they don't bleed and can be stamped or printed on. You don't need the cost of labels or any kind of adhesive. Bonus- they look cool.
ON THE HUNT FOR THE IDEAL SCENT
I have a serious love hate relationship with soap fragrances. As any soapmaker will tell you soponofication will ruin most scents and over time fragrances fade and yet the first thing people do when they pick up a bar of soap is smell it. I would just as soon not waste my money on expensive essential oils and fragrance oils unless they had some benefit, like tea tree oil. Unfortunately people ( and when I say people I mean woman) love smelly soaps. With that thought in mind I keep trying to find the perfect scent. It has to last, be cost effective, and not ruin my batter. I have realized that cost has nothing to do with quality and some of my best fragrances have also been my least expensive. Above I have graded my fragrances that I have tried to date.
X -means do not buy, just don't, for many reasons, many, many reasons. Checkmark- has to meet my soap safety, and cost requirements, but not necessarily scent. Star- is great in all categories; cost, scent, quality.
I love Virginia Candle Supply fragrance oils (and no they are not paying me)- the scents last, reasonably priced and they never seize the batter. Piping Rock is also awesome essential oils (still not getting paid)- seriously great price and bonus, the metal containers are keepers! I reuse the bottles to store my own blends. Now & Majestic are cheap essential oils but their florals are not very strong. I use the frankincense, peppermint and eucalyptus and the like. Tea Tree seems to be one of those essential oils that lasts no matter who you get it from so go for cost effectiveness. HG's floral e.o.'s are awesome but they are a little too pricey for me but boy do they last.
All and all I think there are loads of 'so-so' to 'not-worth-it' scents out there. Brand loyalty is everything. When you find the brand that meets your needs stick with it.
X -means do not buy, just don't, for many reasons, many, many reasons. Checkmark- has to meet my soap safety, and cost requirements, but not necessarily scent. Star- is great in all categories; cost, scent, quality.
I love Virginia Candle Supply fragrance oils (and no they are not paying me)- the scents last, reasonably priced and they never seize the batter. Piping Rock is also awesome essential oils (still not getting paid)- seriously great price and bonus, the metal containers are keepers! I reuse the bottles to store my own blends. Now & Majestic are cheap essential oils but their florals are not very strong. I use the frankincense, peppermint and eucalyptus and the like. Tea Tree seems to be one of those essential oils that lasts no matter who you get it from so go for cost effectiveness. HG's floral e.o.'s are awesome but they are a little too pricey for me but boy do they last.
All and all I think there are loads of 'so-so' to 'not-worth-it' scents out there. Brand loyalty is everything. When you find the brand that meets your needs stick with it.
Just the best soap piping recipe:
I have made about 150 different recipes so far and this is the best recipe I have ever come across for piped soap icing. It has a great cream cheese natural color and gets firm pretty quick but still gives you plenty of time to work. This formula easily cuts in half or doubles. It is the only piping recipe I use-
10 oz. coconut oil
4 oz. cocoa butter
6 oz. shea butter
4 oz. apricot oil
2 oz. grape seed oil
4 oz. almond oil
3.6 oz. lye
8.6 oz. water
(This is not my recipe and I am not sure where I got it, so if anyone out there recognizes this, thank you very much.)
I hate my thermometer
and i refuse to use it
That's right, once I discovered the room temp. method I threw away that nasty thing. I was not very patient and I could never get my lye and oils to agree on a temperature. Once I discovered you could use that hot lye to melt the solid oils, cool down the lye and add milks and sugars at trace; I never looked back. I have yet to find a recipe that I can't modify to avoid using that evil thermometer, not to mention how much faster I can whip up a batch of soap. I can whip up 2 batches in the same time it used to take me for one.
If any soaper out there has not tried this method, please I beg you, try. The room temp. method is very compatible with my artistic seat- of -your- pants mentality. If you have a similar disposition you won't be sorry.
In answer to many of you who are coming up with reasons this might not always work, here are some of my responses-
1. I use powdered goats milk and cow milk so I add the lye to the water, add that to the solids and then when the solids are melted I add the powder, mix and add the rest of the oils.
2. If I have to use frozen liquid in the lye, such as alcohol, then I only melt half the solids in the microwave and use it to melt the rest of the solids. Then I add the lye and the rest of the oils.
3.If the recipe calls for say puree and water mixed together then I mix the lye in the water portion only and add the puree portion at trace.
BYE BYE TEMP. WORRIES, HELLO FUN!
If any soaper out there has not tried this method, please I beg you, try. The room temp. method is very compatible with my artistic seat- of -your- pants mentality. If you have a similar disposition you won't be sorry.
In answer to many of you who are coming up with reasons this might not always work, here are some of my responses-
1. I use powdered goats milk and cow milk so I add the lye to the water, add that to the solids and then when the solids are melted I add the powder, mix and add the rest of the oils.
2. If I have to use frozen liquid in the lye, such as alcohol, then I only melt half the solids in the microwave and use it to melt the rest of the solids. Then I add the lye and the rest of the oils.
3.If the recipe calls for say puree and water mixed together then I mix the lye in the water portion only and add the puree portion at trace.
BYE BYE TEMP. WORRIES, HELLO FUN!
BEAUTIFUL DOES NOT MEAN PERFECTMaybe it is because I am an artist but I love soapy imperfection. Like my honey crisp apple soap, whoops! I forgot the green soap so I just threw the green mica on top and swirled it through. Not supposed to do it that way but it turned out all sparkly and cool. Sort of like glitter. I like when my soap looks hand cut or uneven or maybe a little lumpy or weepy. Just means I made it with my own two hands.
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the search for suds
The holy grail of soap is the perfect moisturizing bubbly soap. My very first soaps are finally ready to try. I get in the shower hold my breathe and wet my first bar and low and behold bubbles! Bubbles and it smells like oranges ( which it didn't when it was dry). See here's the thing; soap has to cure for at the very least 2 months so 93 recipes in I had no idea if any of this was going to be any good. Now I soap up my second soap- even more bubbles. I can no longer take a shower without having to make notes afterward about moisture and hardness and bubbles. Every soaper has their favorites- their master batches. That is my goal! Personally I have too much fun trying a different formula everyday but it will be nice to know which ones are the best.
Made my first rebatch soap!
First of all let me say that disregard most of the negative things you may hear about rebatching. It is not the poor cousin of cold process soap. It is not something anyone should undertake just to be frugal, although it is that. Personally I had amassed 8 pounds of soap scraps and I could no longer put it off. Rebatch was in my near future.
I was never really satisfied with the crock pot or oven process methods and it seemed to be a painfully long and dull ordeal. I was totally confused, do I add oils or lye? How much water? How do I color the soap? etc. etc. Then I stumbled across the tutorial about boiling the scraps in an oven bag. In one hour I was done. I melted 4 lbs. at a time, which took about 40 minutes with some bag squishing in between. I Cut the tip of the bag and squished the batter into my molds.
The consistency was liquid not mashed potato-y and I had very little air bubbles. I like the little flecks throughout the soaps, and here's the thing. Rebatch or French milled soap tends to last longer and is harder than cold process. It is actually a better quality soap! So when you get ready to rebatch be proud and give it the respect it deserves :)
I was never really satisfied with the crock pot or oven process methods and it seemed to be a painfully long and dull ordeal. I was totally confused, do I add oils or lye? How much water? How do I color the soap? etc. etc. Then I stumbled across the tutorial about boiling the scraps in an oven bag. In one hour I was done. I melted 4 lbs. at a time, which took about 40 minutes with some bag squishing in between. I Cut the tip of the bag and squished the batter into my molds.
The consistency was liquid not mashed potato-y and I had very little air bubbles. I like the little flecks throughout the soaps, and here's the thing. Rebatch or French milled soap tends to last longer and is harder than cold process. It is actually a better quality soap! So when you get ready to rebatch be proud and give it the respect it deserves :)
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF SOAPERWOMAN...
SOAPING IS NOT GLAMOROUS AND CAN TAKE OVER YOUR HOUSE IF YOU DON'T PACE YOURSELF- I currently soap in the kitchen. I have taken over the top shelf of the pantry for my oils and there is a box by the recycle bin that I store my containers in as well as a basket of micas next to the toaster.
Everything else is done in a 2 x 1 foot space in the laundry room, and on top of the dryer, and occasionally on the ironing board, which is ok because I hate to iron. I have also commandeered a small corner of my folding table for my essential oils, which is also ok because I hate to fold clothes and one of my hampers is now full of silicone molds.
I refuse to take up any more of my designated space for soaping so I have decided to move all my stuff to the upstairs bathroom. It is just what I need. Linen closet for storing oils and soap, a sink and ventilation, a tub for my drying racks, The medicine cabinet will be perfect for storing my fragrances and the drawers will store my micas and herbs. Last but not least lots of cabinets for buckets and molds. I even found 2 tall tables that fit over the toilet for extra counter space, perfect for making videos. (Of course everyone will have to run downstairs to go to the bathroom, small sacrifices are required.
Bonus: I get my kitchen and laundry back! (I will miss using the dryer to keep my soaps warm.)
Everything else is done in a 2 x 1 foot space in the laundry room, and on top of the dryer, and occasionally on the ironing board, which is ok because I hate to iron. I have also commandeered a small corner of my folding table for my essential oils, which is also ok because I hate to fold clothes and one of my hampers is now full of silicone molds.
I refuse to take up any more of my designated space for soaping so I have decided to move all my stuff to the upstairs bathroom. It is just what I need. Linen closet for storing oils and soap, a sink and ventilation, a tub for my drying racks, The medicine cabinet will be perfect for storing my fragrances and the drawers will store my micas and herbs. Last but not least lots of cabinets for buckets and molds. I even found 2 tall tables that fit over the toilet for extra counter space, perfect for making videos. (Of course everyone will have to run downstairs to go to the bathroom, small sacrifices are required.
Bonus: I get my kitchen and laundry back! (I will miss using the dryer to keep my soaps warm.)
yard art
I have been asked about all my pretty little statues in my soap photos. Well they are actually just my yard art. I just pick em up off the ground and use them in my photos dirt and all. I never use anything but natural light, which means I chase sunbeams all over my house and I run for cover when the sun is too bright. I get excited around 3:00 when the light is rarified and rainy days make the light worthless. I work the light settings on my camera to death and I do a lot of swearing under my breath.
I used to have a photo studio and dark room, now I have a wooden crate and a computer. I'm not against photo shop as long as it doesn't alter my soaps. You are seeing them in all their natural glory. Thought you might appreciate that I shop out the occasional dust bunny, bug and bird dropping.
I used to have a photo studio and dark room, now I have a wooden crate and a computer. I'm not against photo shop as long as it doesn't alter my soaps. You are seeing them in all their natural glory. Thought you might appreciate that I shop out the occasional dust bunny, bug and bird dropping.