ProudMarineMom

Ummm, Wildwings.... I think I love you =)

Ditto Ecco! Gotta love The Troggs.... Probably won't get the song out of my head today

Not sure about everywhere else, but here they did quite a bit of advertising for Small Business Saturday after Black Friday. Have to appreciate that.

I do like their Blue Spruce. Will have to give it a try. Thanks for the info!

dnj, did Pine Cones remind you of anything? Not sure what the fragrance might be like from the scent description. But it has patchouli and cedar which is a good start for me...

Ah heck, thanks for the note. I was planning on grabbing some of the molds for Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee to make Christmas gifts. But, I also thought they would sell really well around here. Guess I better scratch that off my list, didn't think about that.... bummer

Haven't tried this in lotion but it sells very well for me in body butter, CS Plumberry. I call it Sugar Plums. AH/RE Country Christmas and Frosted Winter Berry I have only done in wax, but I love them as Christmas scents.

Judy, may have to try some of the Mistletoe in lotion for my pine lover. She would enjoy that.

Oh, CS has a new fragrance called Pine Cones and it's body safe. I'm grabbing some of that on my next order.

I got some HDPE containers, Aloe butter, a couple of botanicals and eo and the suspension. There was quite a bit gone already.

I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but just got an email that Snowdrift Farms will be closing on December 12th. Bill said that due to some poor management decisions while caring for Trina, he is unable to get his business back on it's feet. I wish them well and hope they are able to enjoy their holidays.

Brw, he does have a nice closing sale going on....

I made some of the monkeys with white M&P. I think they look much better with the clear. Will have to make some more for my neice. These are fun little soaps aren't they?

That is adorable, I love it! Like everyone else, I would be interested in the packaging and mold. Even if just for my family. Great find.

Wonder how it would work with Dendritic or if that is too fine. Will have to give this a try. I did this with the larger solar salt and wasn't overly impressed. But, I tried to color it as well and just didn't care for. Did smell nice in the warmer tho...

So, what is the wattage of your burner? I have a two Candlewarmers and an OBI burner which are 24W or greather. I assume that may be on the high end. Also have a warming plate I got from Hobby Lobby, not sure what that is off the top of my head. Have you tried a tea light warmer?

Very pretty!!

I'm currently using Berts Aspen mixed with Berts Redwood & Cedar but I have only enough left for maybe a 2lb loaf so sad that we can no longer get her oils. So now I will be on the hunt to replace my SMM with another scent.

Someone mentioned some time ago that AH/RE's Redwood was the same as Berts Redwood and Cedar. I have never picked up a sample from AH to check, so not sure. Bert's is very stong and one of my husband's favorites. Mixing it with Aspen does sound interesting.

Beautiful soapies! Good luck with them at your show.

Both Moonworks and AH/RE have a Patchouli Rasberry.

I'm not a big pine fan either. My rabid pine fan that does testing for me LOVES Rocky Mountains (Flicker's) from Elements. She says it's like breathing in a pine tree. Me, give me Winter Festival from Moonworks any day of the week. My other favorite is Country Christmas from AH/RE. But, that might give you more cranberry than pine, which is probably why I like it.

You might want to substitute Mango for the Shea, it's not as greasy. Adding some Babassu gives a nice texture. FCO is a good choice for the oil or maybe Sesame. Both are very light but Sesame has more vitamins than FCO. Avocado Oil is a dry oil, also an option. And has been mentione, IPM will help cut down on the greasy feeling as well.

In my recipe I cut down the amount of M&P and added Kokum, prefer that over Cocoa, and some Mango with excellent results. But, I also use Emulsifying Wax in the recipe. Not sure that really contributes to the hardness tho, just holds everything together. These recipes are pretty flexible so give it a try. If anything, you'll have some nice scrub you can use while you reformulate.

Wow Chris, Penguin has some really unique molds. That one is getting bookmarked.

Steve found this store a few months back. I know he ordered quite a few of the molds, and I have 5 or 6 of them. The are very flexible, dishwasher safe, and the interior is smooth so you get a nice finish. I have used mine for tarts, bath melts, and purse-size lotion bars. I have the large flower ones I keep meaning to use for soap, just haven't done it yet. Plus, you get free shipping when you order over $50.

http://thecookwarekitchen.com/premium-baking-pans.html

Daydream

Orange Blush

Ocean, I'm sorry you've had a bad experience with Camden Grey. It does mention on their website that it's a minimum of 3 days before an order will ship. I forgot to mention that and I forgot you would have to pay state tax. Sorry about that. The price you quoted for shipping is about what I pay to ship to Georgia. Guess they don't give much of a discount based on proximity. The do have excellent products and I have found that with their prices I save money even if another supplier has cheaper shipping. You could look at The Chemistry Store (SC), Ingredients to Die For (TX) which ships the same day if ordered by a certain time, Texas Natural Supply or The Personal Formulator. But, I think shipping is about the same and they generally have higher prices.

Btw, anybody know what happened to Oils By Nature? They have been evaluating their business model for a while.

Anyway, if you can use the larger quantities of oil and butters, it sounds like Soapers Choice may be the way to go. They are an excellent supplier.

If you are looking for jars, CS as Stella suggested, and Aztec International (TN) have the best shipping rates for me.

I think Pumpkin Creme Brulee is outstanding. And, I don't care for foodie scents, but I really this one.

I generally just get wax and containers from there but do get one FO, Super Model. It's a VS Dupe, the only place I have found it, and my DIL's favorite. Has done great for me in Soy, bath melts and sugar scrub.

Grapeseed oil is nice but has a short shelf life. You might want to try Rice Bran Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil or Sesame Oil. These are light to medium weight oils that penetrate the skin very well. FCO is nice as well, just not sure if you would get the moisturizing properties you want if used by itself. Another oil that is great in body butters is Babassu. It's more expensive than the other oils I mentioned but usually less than Jojoba. I use Babassu in my formulation and everybody loves it.

If you haven't seen this blog I would highly recommend it. She has lots of useful information but you do have to search for it. On the right side in the Downloadable PDF section, she has Carrier Oil profiles and comparison charts. There are also ones for the Exotic Oils. Her eBook, Lotion Making 101 is wonderful and consolidates a lot of the information that is one her blog plus some extra info. The eBooks do require a donation though.

http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/

Welcome!!