GIVEAWAY!!

I’ve got an awesome giveaway!  As you may know, I’m giving a portion of all soap sales to the Loraine family to help them raise money for their adoption.  Well, Erin Loraine’s favorite soap is Oatmeal, Milk and Honey, so I thought it only fitting that I give away a bar of Oatmeal Milk and Honey soap.  But this isn’t just ANY bar of soap!

It’s a tractor!!  Isn’t is cute!?  It’s 3.5 oz of Oatmeal, Milk and Honey soap and contains Avocado Oil and Oat Extract.

But wait!! There’s more!!  (Do I sound like an infomercial, or what?)

I’m also giving away a coupon code for 15% off your next order in my etsy shop!!

That’s right, folks!  You have the chance to win a super cute Oatmeal Milk and Honey tractor soap AND 15% off your next soap order.

Here are the ways you can enter the contest:

1.  Blog about Catie Beth Bath and Body.  Provide a link on your blog to my etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/catiebeth) and then post a comment on here, along with a link to  your blog post, to let me know you entered the contest.  Every time you blog about Catie Beth and let me know about it, you receive another entry in the contest.

2. If you follow Catie Beth Bath and Body on  Facebook, suggest to all of your friends that they like Catie Beth, too!  Then post a comment on this blog to let me know you suggested that your friends like Catie Beth.

3. Twitter about Catie Beth Bath and Body.  Post a comment on here to let me know you Twittered about us!  Include #catiebethbath in your Twitter so I receive it.

4.Visit www.etsy.com/shop/catiebeth and add my shop to your favorites.  Then leave me a comment here on my blog telling me which soap you liked the best.

The more times you spread the word about Catie Beth Bath and Body, the more times you enter!

The contest ends Wednesday, September 14 at midnight!  Good luck!

Soapy Preview

I’ve got three great soaps that will be ready in September!  Here they are:

Oatmeal Milk and Honey Soap with Oat Extract.  This is by far my most popular soap.  It’s warm, fragrant and super-moisturizing.  Oat Extract is used in the treatment of such skin problems as acne, pimples, blemishes, eczema, and dermatitis.  Look for this soap in my etsy shop the second week of September.

Applejack Peel Soap is the quintessential fall soap with scents of apple, cinnamon and cloves.  And with Sweet Almond Oil and Avocado Oil, it’s perfect for itchy fall skin.  Look for it the around first of fall.

And for when you start to miss summer, Hawaiian Tropic soap will bring the smells of summer to you.  Coconut, Vanilla and a hint of Mango will remind you of sunny days on the shore.  Its moisturizing abilities will wash away dry, winter skin.  Look for it toward the end of September.

Check out all the other wonderful soaps that are currently available in my etsy store.  A portion of profits help the Lorraine family with their adoption.

Sheer Freesia and A Lesson Learned

This picture really doesn’t do Sheer Freesia justice.  Though it looks nothing like how I had intended it to look (I’ll get to that in a minute), it took on a loveliness all its own.  It has hues of pink, lavender and purple and smells as wonderful as Freesia should smell.  It reminds me of an amethyst crystal.

My intent was to do in-the-mold swirls with purple and pink.  However, I was also working with a new ingredient: Palm Kernel Flakes.  The combination of the Palm Kernel Flakes and the fragrance oil caused the soap to trace very quickly and by the time I got it poured into the mold, it was a big, gloppy mess.  I poured my chunks of pink and purple soap on the top and did my best to swirl it around, but it just wasn’t going to happen.  All I could do was cover it and wait.

So, maybe it wasn’t what I intended, but the colors still look great and you can’t beat the soft, floral smell of Freesia!  And, I learned that I shouldn’t experiment with two things at once: swirling and a new ingredient.

Sheer Freesia is for sale for $4.  A portion of proceeds go toward the Loraine’s adoption fund!

Ginger Blossom Soap

Among the veggies growing in my garden is a lovely, and rather large, Calendula plant. I’ve been harvesting the bright yellow flowers all summer and drying them with the intent of using them in soap. 

And here it is! Ginger Blossom soap with Calendula petals (from my garden) and Calendula Extract Oil.  The Ginger Blossom is a nice, green floral fragrance.  Calendula has long been used to heal skin irritations and is great for reducing skin inflammation and healing eczema.  I’m not claiming my soap will do all of that, I’m just letting you know what Calendula is often used for.  This soap also has Avocado Oil in it; a super-moisturizing treat for the skin.  It should be ready for sale mid-August.

Soaping with Purpose

Ah, gorgeous Orange Grove Soap, freshly poured into the mold. 

I love to make soap, but even more than that, I love to help unite forever families.  I’m so glad to now be donating a portion of my soap profits to the Loraine family!  They are adopting another sweet, little girl!  I hope you’ll visit the Loraine’s blog and learn more about this awesome family!  And, of course, I hope you’ll buy lots of soap or donate directly to their adoption fund!

New Soap!

Energy Soap!  It smells as bright and cheery as it looks.  It’s a stimulating blend of Citrus, including Grapefruit, Lemon and Lime, with hints of fresh Cucumber and Jasmine, and a touch of Pineapple, Blackberry and Champagne. Energy is an exciting mix that's perfect for spring and summer.  It’s chock full of moisture-rich oils, including Calendula Extract Oil.  It’s currently my favorite bar of soap! 

I no longer have the Catie Beth website and am working on setting up an etsy shop.  If you’re interested in buying soap, you can email me or message me through Facebook.  I should have my etsy shop up soon!  All soaps are $4/ea.

Cherry Chocolate Valentine Soap Tutorial: Phase 2

So, you have your hearts and swirls all ready to go, now it’s time to make the cold process soap!   I’m assuming you’ve made cold process soap before, but if you need assistance Soap Queen TV has some great tutorials!  I’ve included links to Bramble Berry Soap Supplies for purchasing materials.  For this recipe, you’ll need:

• A 5 pound wooden loaf mold.  (My husband made mine for me, but it’s very similar to the one Bramble Berry sells.)
• 15 oz Olive Oil
• 13 oz Palm Oil
• 12 oz Coconut Oil
• 2 oz Sweet Almond Oil
• 2 oz Castor Oil
• 6.232 oz Sodium Hydroxide (this is superfatted at 5%)
• 14.52 oz Distilled Water
• 1.5 oz Dark Rich Chocolate Fragrance Oil
• 1.5 oz Black Cherry Fragrance Oil
• 1 tsp Pink Oxide (mixed with a carrier oil in a container).
• 1/2 tsp Cappuccino Mica (mixed with a carrier oil in a heat-safe, 32 oz container)

Make your cold process soap as you usually would. While you’re waiting for the lye and oils to cool, you can get out your hearts and swirls and give them a good spritzing of rubbing alcohol.  Place some swirls in the bottom of your soap mold; as many as you like.  Reserve some to place on the top of your soap.

Once you have a light trace, stir in the Dark Rich Chocolate and Black Cherry Fragrance Oils.

Pour about 1/3 of the soap into the container with the Cappuccino Mica.  Stir until the color is blended throughout. 

Pour your Pink Oxide oil into the remaining, 2/3, batch of soap and stir until the color is blended.  I didn’t get a dark pink color because my Olive Oil was very green. 

Pour your pink-colored soap into the soap mold.  Next, layer it with your cappuccino-colored soap.  Hint: pour your layer close to the mold so that it sits on top of the soap rather than sinks below.  Give it some time to set up before inserting your hearts.

Once the soap is firm (but not too firm), you can start inserting the heart soaps.  Start at one end and line them up one after the other, so that they are touching.  Press them about 2/3 of the way into the soap so that just the heart “bumps” are sticking out on the top.  Once you have your hearts firmly in place, you can add your swirls alongside the hearts.  You might need to press them into the soap a bit.  Below is a picture of how mine looked when I took it out of the mold but before I cut the bars.When you slice your bars, slice in between the hearts but close enough to the hearts that you can see them embedded in the soap.

Send me a comment if you have any questions.  Have fun!

Cherry Chocolate Valentine Tutorial: Phase 1

I’ve been asked how I made these cute Cherry Chocolate Valentine Soaps.  Here, I’ll provide the steps involved in making these soaps, however, I’m assuming you have a basic understanding of both the melt and pour method and cold process method of soap-making. I’ve provided links for purchasing the items you’ll need through Bramble Berry Soap Making Supplies.  I made the soaps in two phases.

The first phase is to make 18 hearts and a lot of swirls to be embedded.  Note: I didn’t record my measurements for the melt and pour phase, so these are estimates.  You’ll need:

• 5.5 lbs Bulk Clear Melt and Pour Base
• 1.5 oz Black Cherry Fragrance Oil
• .4 oz Dark Rich Chocolate Fragrance Oil
• Brown and Pink Colorant.  I used Bakery Beige from the Sweet Treats Colorant Set and Non-Bleeding Red Liquid Colorant.
• A silicone square tray mold.
• A silicone heart mold.

Hearts: Cut 3 lbs of the melt and pour base into cubes, place in a 32 oz Pyrex measuring cup (or other heat-safe measuring dish), cover with plastic wrap and melt in the microwave.  I melt mine in 20 minute increments until it’s all melted.  Let cool a bit and then stir in 1 oz of Black Cherry Fragrance Oil.  Then, add drops of Non-Bleeding Red Liquid Colorant while stirring.  Add drops of colorant until you like the color.  I wanted mine to be pink and somewhat translucent.   Pour into each heart cavity of your heart mold, spritz with alcohol and wait for it to set up. Note: I put mine in the freezer because I’m impatient that way. 

Swirls: In the meantime, you can make soap for your swirls!  For this, you’ll cut and melt 1 lb of melt and pour soap.  Follow the same procedures above for cutting and melting.  You’ll then use .4 oz of Dark Rich Chocolate FO and your brown colorant.  I added drops of Bakery Beige until I liked the color.  Then, pour it into the silicone square mold, spritz with alcohol and let set.

Hearts: Your heart soaps should be ready to pop out of the molds, so do that.  Then, you’ll use the remainder of your melt and pour soap and Black Cherry Fragrance Oil to make 6 hearts.  Again, I didn’t record how much melt and pour base I used, so it’s possible that you’ll either need more base or you’ll make more than 6 hearts.   Follow the hearts directions above.

Swirls: Slowly remove your slab of chocolate-scented soap.  On a cutting surface, slice the soap in 1 to 2 inch-wide strips.  Then, use a vegetable peeler to peel each strip.  As you peel, the soap will curl; creating swirls.  See my swirls below:

Once you have your 18 hearts and your swirls completed, you can store them in separate gallon-sized zip-lock bags until you’re ready for the second phase.

Christmas Gifts are Here!

As promised, Christmas soaps and Gift Boxes are here!  Premade Gift Boxes are very limited, only THREE in stock!  You can choose the Mint collection, Ginger collection or Cranberry collection.

You  also have the option of creating your own gift box of soaps.  Each gift box can hold up to three soaps!  After you order a Make-Your-Own Christmas Gift Box, you can send me a message at check out telling me which three soaps you want in your gift box.  I’ll take care of the rest!

Don’t forget to check my blog regularly for Discount Codes I’ll randomly post between now and Christmas!  They’ll be good for one time, one day only.  Catch one if you can!

It’s in the Details

I found these adorable Christmas votive candles at Michael’s Craft Store about a month ago and thought they’d be a perfect part of my Christmas Gift Boxes!  The only thing I didn’t like was that they looked a little plain.  No problem!  I had fun dressing them up with cute Christmas bows!  The Christmas Gift Boxes are almost finished and will make great gifts for someone who loves a bit of pampering!

Cocoa Mint Gift Box: one bar of handmade Cocoa Mint Soap, handmade Peppermint Lotion and a votive candle in Evergreen fragrance.

A Day of Making Lotion

Handmade lotion is the BEST!  Sure, I’m a bit biased, but honestly, you can’t beat the rich oils and butters and lack of chemicals and alcohol when it comes to winter skin.  I spent Sunday whipping up 72 ounces of moisture-rich, creamy lotion and then divided it into five, fragrant batches.  Here’s a peek at how I did it.

The first step is to sterilize everything that will come into contact with the lotion.  Jars, lids, mixers, bowls, spoons, droppers…you name it.  I sterilized everything using a water/bleach solution.  Once it’s sterile, I set it out to dry.

Then, I start the measuring and melting process.  I use a basic lotion recipe that’s based on percentages.  You can find it here.  It allows me to use any variety of lotions and butters that I want.  For this batch, I used Sweet Almond Oil, Avocado Oil, Cocoa Butter and Vitamin E Oil.  Below, I’m measuring the Cocoa Butter.  It smells just like chocolate!  Mmmmm!

Next, it’s time to blend my water with my oil/butter/emulsifying wax/stearic acid mix. 

Once the oils and water mix and the batch starts to thicken, I add my preservative.  I use a paraben-free preservative.  Once it was to a thickness I liked, I divided and scented five batches.  Here are the final lotions; ready for Christmas!

Time to Make the Lotion

My lotion supplies came today from Bramble Berry!  Yay!  I’ll spend the weekend making lotions that are chock-full of moisturizing goodness: Cocoa Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Avocado Oil, and Vitamin E Oil.  Then, I’ll fragrance them to match some of the Christmas gift baskets that will be ready soon: Cranberry Fig, Ginger Orange, Peppermint….Mmmmmm.  I can’t wait!

Minty Meadow Unmolded

I love to unmold my soaps.  It’s like opening a Christmas present.  I do what I can to create the soap I’ve pictured in my head, but the unmolding phase is when I can see if my creation came to fruition. For Minty Meadow, I envisioned standing in a green field beneath a summer, blue sky and being surrounded with fragrant herbs. I think it turned out just right.  :)

Give Peace a Chance

Peace Handmade Soap is loaded with essential oils of Lavender, Orange and Patchouli and is oh, so pretty!   Best of all,  it’s on sale at Catiebeth.com now through Thanksgiving!  Have some peace this Christmas by shopping early.

I love to SWIRL!

My friend, Rose, gave me some Bergamot infused Olive Oil that she made herself with Bergamot grown in her garden.  How awesome!  I combined it with Lavender EO, Basil EO and Peppermint EO and am calling it “Minty Meadow”.  It smells so lovely!  I used equal parts Bergamot infused Olive Oil, Palm Oil and Coconut Oil with 5% Mango Butter.  Here it is in the mold.  Can’t wait for the unmolding!

Essential Oil Blends

As much as I love all the Christmas fragrances, my nose wants to take a break for a while. Today, I decided to pull out my essential oils to see what blends I could come up with. I’m often asked how I determine what fragrances to use in my soaps. A lot of the time, I use a pre-blended fragrance oil, but sometimes, I like to create my own blends using natural, essential oils.

I try to let nature be my guide. If it’s a scent that smells good together in nature, then it will probably smell good together in a soap. If I’m not sure what essential oils pair well together, I Google the essential oil I want to work with and find other essential oils that blend well with it. Then, I take it from there.

Essential oil is more expensive than fragrance oil, so I don’t want to mix them together without first knowing that I’ll like the result. So, I do a “smell test.” I cut a Q-Tip in half and then dip each half in an essential oil I want to use. I then place my Q-Tip halves in a zip-lock bag, label it and seal it. Over the course of a couple of days, I check on the scent. If I like the blend, then I’ll use it. If not, then I haven’t wasted much essential oil.

Right now, I’m smell testing six essential oil blends. After I choose the ones I like comes the fun part: deciding how the soap will look.

New Arrivals!

Do you remember that spearmint-colored, sparkly, swirly soap I posted a month ago?  It’s now ready and in my online shop!!  Wintergreen is a sweet, sparkly soap that smells of apples, oranges, peppermint and cloves.  It’s a bright, winter scent!  You can find it here.

 

Also new in the shop is Almond Biscotti.  It smells just like a mellowed Almond Extract.  This is a BIG bar of soap…almost 5 ounces!  It’s a pretty soap with brown, beige, pink and purples hues.  You can find it here.

More great soaps AND lotions to come!

Winter Wonderland Soap Contest!

I haven’t worked with Melt and Pour soap in a while, so I jumped at the opportunity to  enter a soap contest.  The contest is to create a “Winter Wonderland” soap and the winner receives a $100 gift certificate from Bramble Berry Soap Supplies (I buy most all of my soap supplies from them!).  I had to create the soap specifically for the contest, so I couldn’t use any of the soaps I’ve already created.  Also, I didn’t want to make a new batch of soaps just to enter one soap.  I wanted this one to be special. 

I asked myself, “What is a winter wonderland?”.  The answer…Alaska!  This time of year, the aurora borealis is on full display. I can remember quiet nights when it lit up the sky with its changing stream of colors.   The snow literally glistened beneath its glow.  I wanted to capture those sensations in my one bar of soap.

I had to tread in completely unknown territory to create this bar.  I knew I would have to work in layers to get the desired effect, so I drew each layer on three pieces of vellum.  Then I set to work creating each layer.  The first layer consisted of the trees and the aurora.  Next came the snow-covered hills.  Then, the dark night sky.  Finally, a hint of glitter on the snow to capture the reflection of the aurora on the snow.

The bar of soap weighs 3.5 oz and is scented with Peppermint eo.  Peppermint is a strong, nose-clearing scent that reminds me of the brisk, freezing cold nights in Fairbanks, Alaska when it was almost too cold to breathe.

You’ll have the chance to vote for my bar of soap to win starting November 16.  I’ll post more information about how to vote when that date gets closer!

On the Rack

I can’t wait until these Christmas soaps are ready for sale! They should be ready by the second week in November. Each scrumptious bar of soap is only $4.00. They’ll make great stocking stuffers, teacher’s gifts, hostess gifts, secret Santa gifts…you get the idea! Also, look for cute Christmas gift sets to hit the website in November. Each gift set will include a bar of soap, a 4 oz jar of lotion and a votive candle for just $15.00.

Cocoa Mint

Sweet Cranberry

Gingerbread