The soap making workshop was amazing! We had a full house, and made 3 different soaps - unscented/uncoloured, black sunshine (black and purple soap with a blend of citrus oils), and a green and yellow red currant and thyme tea bar.
Below, I'm including the recipe we used, and instructions. As well as some resources for your own forays into soap making! Read the recipe in advance and have your materials ready to go - don't forget it's a time sensitive process!
IMPORTANT:
- Wear protective gear: gloves, apron and goggles; lye can blind you if it gets in your eyes, and it burns skin!
- Pour lye into water, NEVER water into lye; it can make a boiling lye volcano!
- NEVER change a recipe without putting it through a lye calculator; different oils consume different amounts of lye when turning into soap.
- Do not use anything aluminum when making soap; lye and aluminum react together and release toxic fumes and ruin the aluminum.
Our recipe (fita a 1L milk carton, makes 8 large bars):
150 g coconut oil
150 g palm oil
300 g olive oil
48 g shea butter
88.5 g lye
200 g water
fragrance up to 1% of total oil weight, DEPENDING ON THE FRAGRANCE
coloured pigments as desired
1: Mix lye into water. Place somewhere safe to cool down.
2: Put solid oils in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave until liquid (I use 1 minute intervals).
3: Add liquid oils to melted oils and stir so they are thoroughly mixed.
4: Pour lye water into oils.
5: Blend in short pulses with a stick blender (~5 second pulses to start, longer if required after the mixture is emulsified/homogenous).
6: Optional - Add fragrance and blend until incorporated.
7: Continue blending until "trace" is reached (soap batter drizzled off your mixing utensil leaves a trace across the batter in the bowl).
8: Optional - Separate soap batter into portions for addition of colour. Add colour and blend until well mixed.
9: Pour soap into mold.
10: Optional - Cover soap and insulate with an old towel or blanket.
11: Place soap somewhere safe. Leave it to set for 24 to 48 hours.
12: Remove soap from mold and cut into bars.
13: Cure soap in a well ventilated area for a minimum of 4 weeks. Turn occasionally so all sides are allowed to dry.
14: Enjoy your new soap!
Lye calculator examples:
BrambleBerry
Soap Guild
YouTube channels
Soaping101
SoapQueen
Am's Favourite Suppliers
New Directions Aromatics $100 minimum order
Voyageur Soap and Candle
There are others, if you Google, but these are the ones she uses most.
Lye can be purchased at Home Hardware/
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Sunday, 3 April 2016
Tuesday, 16 February 2016
Learn to Make Soap - April 2, 1-4 pm
On April 2, 1-4 pm, please join us for a soap-making workshop!
My incredibly beautiful and talented sister will be instructing us! Please read the description in full:
So, Fight Club didn’t scare you away from soap making?
Come join Amaris and Harmony for an introductory soap making workshop. We will talk a bit about the history of soap making, modern soap making, and terminology. There will be some chemistry and some art. We will talk a lot about safety! We will be working together to create two batches of handmade soap, and every participant will get a chunk of each.
Once the participant list is finalized, we can work together to decide on colours, fragrances, and additives for our soaps. There are lots of options, so surely we can find ideas that everyone will like. All soap ingredients will be provided.
Please be aware that soap making is not for the person seeking instant gratification. The soap making process takes at least 24 hours before you have a bar of soap that you can hold in your hand, and you must cure your new soap for at least 3-4 weeks before using it. But it is fun and addicting.
Please also note that soap making is not without its dangers. We will be using lye to make our soap (if it’s not made with lye, then it’s not soap), which if not handled properly can cause burns and/or blindness. All participants must bring an apron, safety goggles, and rubber dish gloves or surgical gloves (you can buy all of these things cheaply at Dollarama if you don’t have them already). There will be no exceptions. If you are not wearing PPE, you won’t be making soap. You are also accepting responsibility for your own safety by signing up for this workshop (host and instructor accept no liability).
If you’d like a preview of what soap making is all about, check out Soaping 101 and/or Soap Queen on YouTube.
Please RSVP accurately - maximum of 8 participants.
Suggested donation: $5 - this is not mandatory, and you are still welcome to attend even if you can't donate.
Please contact Harmony with any accesability concerns. We will do our best to accomodate, while still ensuring everyone's safety.
So, Fight Club didn’t scare you away from soap making?
Come join Amaris and Harmony for an introductory soap making workshop. We will talk a bit about the history of soap making, modern soap making, and terminology. There will be some chemistry and some art. We will talk a lot about safety! We will be working together to create two batches of handmade soap, and every participant will get a chunk of each.
Once the participant list is finalized, we can work together to decide on colours, fragrances, and additives for our soaps. There are lots of options, so surely we can find ideas that everyone will like. All soap ingredients will be provided.
Please be aware that soap making is not for the person seeking instant gratification. The soap making process takes at least 24 hours before you have a bar of soap that you can hold in your hand, and you must cure your new soap for at least 3-4 weeks before using it. But it is fun and addicting.
Please also note that soap making is not without its dangers. We will be using lye to make our soap (if it’s not made with lye, then it’s not soap), which if not handled properly can cause burns and/or blindness. All participants must bring an apron, safety goggles, and rubber dish gloves or surgical gloves (you can buy all of these things cheaply at Dollarama if you don’t have them already). There will be no exceptions. If you are not wearing PPE, you won’t be making soap. You are also accepting responsibility for your own safety by signing up for this workshop (host and instructor accept no liability).
If you’d like a preview of what soap making is all about, check out Soaping 101 and/or Soap Queen on YouTube.
Please RSVP accurately - maximum of 8 participants.
Suggested donation: $5 - this is not mandatory, and you are still welcome to attend even if you can't donate.
Please contact Harmony with any accesability concerns. We will do our best to accomodate, while still ensuring everyone's safety.
Thursday, 15 October 2015
Making Clouds
I did a really cool craft project recently. I made clouds!
I saw this idea online a year or two ago (the post can be found here), but just finally got around to trying it myself. I hadn't paper mached since elementary school, so there was a bit of a learning curve... and the post that inspired me was (IMO) a little sketchy on the details, so I'm including my advice for this project. I made two clouds, and learned from the first one.
- Put down a tarp. I literally covered our studio in tarp and I'm so glad I did. This was messy. Wear clothes you're okay with getting paste all over.
- I don't think the colour of the balloons really matters. They say to use white, but you're not going to see them anyways.
- For the paper mache paste, I just used flour and water, and made it slightly thinner than pancake mix.
- I started out making my newspaper bits too small. I found about 4" x 8" to be about the ideal size, and ripped smaller bits when needed. In the end I realized I was spending too much time trying to make it look pretty, when it's not even visible in the finished product.
- I only put paste on one side of the newspaper, and less paste than you'd think. I ended up just slopping it on with my hands, though you could use a wide brush if you wanted. I used too much paste on the first one and it just took WAY longer to dry.
- It seems like two layers of paper mache is ideal. You don't want your clouds to come out too heavy, but you also don't want them to collapse. I waited about 4 hours between coats of paper mache, then about 16 hours until I started adding fluff.
- I used two different types of paper (the first, Canadian Tire ads, the second, The National Post) to cover my balloons. It made it easy to tell where I'd already covered on the second pass.
- They say to use spray glue, and although I think you could get away without it, I'd seriously recommend it. I think it went way faster this way, and the stuff dries fairly quickly so you don't have to hold it in place for long. It also makes it easier to fill in gaps - just spray the gap, and stick fluff on, without having to clear a space to affix it directly to the paper mache.
In all, I'm so pleased with how they turned out - it was more time consuming and sitting on the floor than I anticipated, but totally worth it in the end. I'm slightly concerned that they're going to be magnets for dust and allergens, however. We'll see. Maybe I'll vacuum them?
I saw this idea online a year or two ago (the post can be found here), but just finally got around to trying it myself. I hadn't paper mached since elementary school, so there was a bit of a learning curve... and the post that inspired me was (IMO) a little sketchy on the details, so I'm including my advice for this project. I made two clouds, and learned from the first one.
- Put down a tarp. I literally covered our studio in tarp and I'm so glad I did. This was messy. Wear clothes you're okay with getting paste all over.
- I don't think the colour of the balloons really matters. They say to use white, but you're not going to see them anyways.
- For the paper mache paste, I just used flour and water, and made it slightly thinner than pancake mix.
- I started out making my newspaper bits too small. I found about 4" x 8" to be about the ideal size, and ripped smaller bits when needed. In the end I realized I was spending too much time trying to make it look pretty, when it's not even visible in the finished product.
- I only put paste on one side of the newspaper, and less paste than you'd think. I ended up just slopping it on with my hands, though you could use a wide brush if you wanted. I used too much paste on the first one and it just took WAY longer to dry.
- It seems like two layers of paper mache is ideal. You don't want your clouds to come out too heavy, but you also don't want them to collapse. I waited about 4 hours between coats of paper mache, then about 16 hours until I started adding fluff.
- I used two different types of paper (the first, Canadian Tire ads, the second, The National Post) to cover my balloons. It made it easy to tell where I'd already covered on the second pass.
- They say to use spray glue, and although I think you could get away without it, I'd seriously recommend it. I think it went way faster this way, and the stuff dries fairly quickly so you don't have to hold it in place for long. It also makes it easier to fill in gaps - just spray the gap, and stick fluff on, without having to clear a space to affix it directly to the paper mache.
In all, I'm so pleased with how they turned out - it was more time consuming and sitting on the floor than I anticipated, but totally worth it in the end. I'm slightly concerned that they're going to be magnets for dust and allergens, however. We'll see. Maybe I'll vacuum them?
Tuesday, 1 September 2015
Upcoming Events - Clothing Swap and Art Jam - Part 2 - The Jam
The second act in our busy Sunday, September 13th is the Art Jam!
The Art Jam will get started at 6 pm after the Clothing Swap.
This is an open invitation to visual artists of all specialities and skill levels. Whether you are a professional artist, or amateur, this workshop will give you the opportunity to expand upon the artistic tools in your toolbox and collaborate with creative minds!
This will be an opportunity to network, as well as a space to share and receive advice, and explore different artistic mediums.
Examples:
- Bring a piece you would like input on from other artists.
- Bring your business cards to exchange with others.
- Bring ideas that you would like collaboration on.
- Ask us about doing your own workshop to share your expertise, ie: Acrylic Painting 101
- Ask us about doing your own workshop to share your expertise, ie: Acrylic Painting 101
Additionally, we would love to curate a page on the site with links to your personal and professional websites (ie: blogs, instagram accounts, etc.) so that members can get in touch with you. Please feel free to bring this information with you to the Jam, or to forward it on Facebook or to harmonyhomeslice@gmail.com.
We can't wait to see you :) Don't forget to bring your own materials.
We can't wait to see you :) Don't forget to bring your own materials.
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