Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Feb 9, 2012, 6:06 pm
Beer & Seaweed Shampoo Bars by Great Cakes Soapworks The Beer & Seaweed Shampoo Bars are finally available! According to testers, these just might be the best shampoo bars around for normal to dry hair. It’s definitely my own personal favorite right now. If you’ve been following this blog fo...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Feb 8, 2012, 6:38 pm
Here is the video of me cutting the lemonade soap: Smells just like fresh-squeezed lemonade! My favorite part is how the ice cubes turned out – they actually look like real ice cubes! As I mentioned earlier, I will be sending two bars to Ayuko, but the remaining 10 will be for sale. One of tho...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Feb 7, 2012, 5:35 pm
Several weeks ago Emily Shieh of Shieh Design Studio asked me if I would like to participate in an international friendship soap swap. There are nine soapmakers in the group from the U.S., Canada, Spain, and Ireland. Each one is making a personal soap for one other person in the group. We are to ...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Feb 4, 2012, 10:02 am
After doing the last gradient soap, I was inspired to try something a little more advanced. Since I had this “sunrise” fragrance, I figured why not do the gradients of a sunrise? I found my inspiration here: Gradient inspiration Orange and purple have a common color – red, so utilizing a b...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Feb 1, 2012, 6:08 pm
Lip Butters I’m just plain mad at myself right now. I had my lip butter recipe all figured out – finally found a shea butter that wouldn’t turn grainy in my lip butter, and wouldn’t you know I forgot that there just aren’t any substitutes. And I substituted. My friend Cynthie who has be...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 31, 2012, 9:30 am
With Valentines Day just two weeks away, I am very happy to announce that the pirate-themed Valentine soaps are now available: For the girls: South Seas Siren South Seas Siren is a combination of a Michael Kors type fragrance which is comprised of white florals, warmed with delicate top notes of b...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 28, 2012, 10:50 am
As I was looking through my stash of fragrances the other day, I re-discovered a one-ounce sample of Strawberries & Champagne fragrance. It’s only enough for a six-bar batch, but after thinking about the Sweet Pea & Rhubarb soap I made last year for Valentines Day I came up with a plan. Sweet Pe...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 27, 2012, 2:36 pm
After making soap with Kendra, I was inspired to try a gradient-colored soap. I picked a fragrance that I knew would cooperate as well as being requested by one of my customers. It’s a very fresh, clean laundry scent that reminds you of clothes that have been hung outside to dry. Previous versi...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 26, 2012, 9:34 pm
…are coming to those who wait! Thankfully, I have been feeling better every day! Yesterday, I made my first gradient soap and put it in a warm oven (it’s that CPOP method I was telling you about that Elle used). It forces the soap into a hard gel phase very quickly, so more of the liquid evap...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 24, 2012, 3:07 pm
I am reminded of one of my grandpa’s favorite songs today. Only you could substitute “Amy” for “Granny” and “kitchen” for “cellar” and “soap” for “biscuits”: There isn’t enough kleenex in the world… Ok, so yes, my nose is runny today, and yes, I’m making soap, but ...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 23, 2012, 4:18 pm
Elle is one of my blog readers who recently commented that she had made a couple batches of soap using the faux funnel method. So I clicked the link to her blog to check it out. Unfortunately, I couldn’t read it because it’s in French, but the photos speak for themselves! Here is her first on...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 21, 2012, 10:20 am
Missed part 1? Check it out here. After Kendra finished making her soap, I was ready to start mine. I had picked out four different micas to create my latest favorite method: faux funnel pour soap. Purple, green, orange, and pink micas in some oil I had re-heated my oils using Kendra’s hot pl...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 20, 2012, 12:57 pm
Last year I met Kendra of Amathia Soapworks who lives about 20 minutes from me, after she found me on Facebook via Celine of iamhandmade in Ireland. This is how the internet works for us!! We’ve been to lunch at Panera several times, talking soap for hours on end. Right around Christmas time Ke...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 17, 2012, 9:39 am
This is just a quick post to let you know that I updated my tutorial on How to Make Goat’s Milk Soap yesterday. I’ve changed my method slightly, plus the photos were all skewed in the original post so I fixed that too! I added links to other pertinent posts as well. I use fresh, raw goat’s ...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 14, 2012, 6:50 pm
This is mostly for my customers who may or may not have an idea of how soap is made. I use the cold-process method, which means there is no heat applied to the soap. The visions most people have of their grandmothers or other people “in olden days” making soap in a huge kettle over an open fir...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 13, 2012, 2:55 pm
Beer & Seaweed Shampoo Bars by Great Cakes Soapworks Finally!! I have some Beer & Seaweed Shampoo Bars made – exactly like the ones my testers used, including the earthy fragrance that some were crazy about (others not so much). These seemed to work best for those with dry to normal hair, even ...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 12, 2012, 11:54 am
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard other soapmakers say they just hate to line their soap mold! I find it pretty relaxing, and thanks to the lesson from my soapmaking friend April McCart, there’s a method I use that is leak-proof and turns out beautiful soaps every time. I use wooden log...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 11, 2012, 4:21 pm
It’s been quite a process to finally have names for the new girls and guys Valentines soaps! But what a fun contest! I asked for name suggestions with a pirate theme, and received some really excellent choices. After narrowing down those choices to just five sets of names, I had 128 people vote...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 9, 2012, 2:48 pm
Cinnamon Bun Coffee Soap by Great Cakes Soapworks Coffee soap is another staple in the Great Cakes Soapworks line. Even though the fragrance changes from batch to batch, and I’ve added a few details like swirls and textured tops, the recipe remains pretty much the same. The coffee grounds work...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 8, 2012, 4:52 pm
Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who submitted pirate theme names for the girls and guys Valentines soaps. What a wonderful resource you are! Of course, all these great suggestions made it extremely difficult to narrow down the choices…especially since I wanted to make sure the names for both soaps...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 7, 2012, 3:41 pm
These were my exact thoughts as I was reading the feedback from one of my shampoo bar testers. One of the questions was about how easily the tester was able to comb through her hair after washing it with my shampoo bar. Her response: “I do not comb my wet hair but did not experience any tangles ...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Jan 6, 2012, 8:50 am
Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Soap by Great Cakes Soapworks I’ve been making Oatmeal, Milk & Honey soap since 2004. It’s a staple in the handmade soap line as far as I’m concerned. Loaded with pulverized oats, fresh goat’s milk, and real honey; I would consider it the most moisturizing soap that ...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Nov 2, 2011, 6:18 pm
Here is one of the soaps I made on my marathon soapmaking day several weeks ago: Brown Sugar & Pecan Soap by Great Cakes Soapworks I’ve been waiting to take a photo of the Brown Sugar & Pecan soap because I knew the fragrance was going to discolor, and I wanted to see how dark it would get. I t...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Nov 1, 2011, 12:29 pm
My girls ready to go trick-or-treating last night I don’t know about your kids, but my kids seem to have a hard time deciding what they want to be for Halloween. Especially my older daughter, because she wants to be something that no one else will be. She likes to talk about next year’s cost...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Oct 31, 2011, 11:40 am
Winter Rose Soap The Winter Rose soap is finally ready!! This beautiful soap is made with the most true-to-life rose fragrance and just a hint of resinous frankincense & myrrh. Flecked with vanilla bean specks as well. If you love the smell of roses in full bloom, you will love this soap! Click...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Oct 19, 2011, 10:45 am
My parents, our family, and my brother's family Last weekend we celebrated my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary! My brother and I have been working with my mom to get everything together for the big reception at their church which was Sunday afternoon. My mom finished up the heritage quilt she ...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Oct 13, 2011, 4:46 pm
As promised, here are the photos of the Winter Wonderland soap: Winter Wonderland Soap by Great Cakes Soapworks Winter Wonderland Soap - a different angle I couldn’t take photos of a Christmas soap outside since it is 70 degrees and sunny today! Feels nothing like winter, that’s for sure! A...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Oct 12, 2011, 3:33 pm
It was just like Christmas when the Fed-Ex guy rang the doorbell!! I tore into the boxes as fast as I could and was NOT disappointed! My custom soap boxes finally arrived!!! I was all teary-eyed when I saw my soap inside this beautiful packaging. Seriously. I never would have imagined that it w...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Oct 11, 2011, 9:24 pm
... or not I wanted to continue making soap after this disaster: This is ... done before, only this time….the soap all came out the bottom! ... had from last year because that soap sold like hotcakes. It’s a ... swirl in the pot, coloring the soap with micas: mauve, fuchsia, cyan ... l...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Oct 6, 2011, 8:33 pm
This is for Donna who asked how I swirled the Winter Rose soap! With comments like “it needs its own museum,” and “If I made that I would be putting one on the mantelpiece and spend all day gazing at it,” how could I refuse? I wish I had a video of the whole process – or even lots of pho...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Oct 5, 2011, 3:32 pm
Winter Rose Soap by Great Cakes Soapworks Let me tell you about the Winter Rose soap! It is scented with the most true-to-life rose fragrance, blended with just a hint of resinous Frankincense & Myrrh essential oils. Our rose bush just happens to be blooming right now, and as I cut some fresh blo...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Oct 3, 2011, 3:26 pm
Sunflower in the Kansas Wind by Great Cakes Soapworks I was born and raised in Kansas, and apart from my four years of college and a year and a half in Knoxville, Tennessee, this is where I’ve lived most of my life! I hear lots of jokes about the Wizard of Oz, and it’s funny to hear people’s...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Sep 30, 2011, 3:18 pm
This is it! My final review in the Great Shampoo Bar Exchange! The last shampoo bar came the farthest – all the way from Spain! Jennifer of Naturalmente Mediterraneo sent us three different bars, but asked us to focus on her favorite: the Beer & Honey Bar. She actually had to split her last ba...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Sep 28, 2011, 12:13 pm
And, now back to our regularly scheduled program! In case you missed it, background info on the Great Shampoo Bar Exchange can be found here, and I just reviewed the Heirloom Soapworks Pooh Bar here. This is my review of the Tierra Verde Rosemary Citrus Shampoo Bar created by Michele Lang. Michel...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Sep 26, 2011, 8:46 pm
I had to interrupt my regularly scheduled shampoo bar report because something else just showed up in my mailbox today! Several months ago, Soaperstar Celine Blacow of Dublin, Ireland made such a fuss over the Cranberry Yuzu soap, that I offered a swap. I had been drooling (from afar, of course) o...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Sep 25, 2011, 3:26 pm
In case you missed it, background info on the Great Shampoo Bar Exchange can be found here. Somewhere along the way, Jennifer (instigator of the exchange) started having issues with using shampoo bars and hasn’t pinpointed the problem just yet, but she encouraged me to go ahead and post my revi...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Sep 22, 2011, 6:23 pm
All 5 test batches of Skin Glow Facial Moisturizer I’m back to the old grindstone. The Skin Glow Facial Moisturizer is completely sold out, and now I need to reformulate because I couldn’t get oil soluble green tea extract anymore. I have a water soluble variety now which has to be added to th...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Sep 21, 2011, 7:23 pm
If you think the reason I haven’t posted very frequently is that I am so busy working on soap that I haven’t had time to blog, that would be incorrect. As a matter of fact, I’ve had the last two Saturdays off from the market and have been almost completely ignoring the soap business entirely....
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Sep 19, 2011, 1:12 pm
Cranberry Yuzu Soap by Great Cakes Soapworks It’s finally available! This Cranberry Yuzu soap created quite a stir when I first posted about how my older daughter and I made it. The fragrance is a very lovely combination of tart cranberries and the tangy citrus scent of Japanese yuzu fruit. It...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Sep 15, 2011, 2:01 pm
Just a quick post to thank all my wonderful customers who made purchases at Greatcakessoapworks.com yesterday to raise funds for the American Red Cross of Central Texas!! I just made a donation on your behalf for $212.70! Copy of the receipt from the American Red Cross You guys are incredible, ...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Sep 13, 2011, 7:45 pm
Peppernut Soap by Great Cakes Soapworks After letting everyone vote in my Anise Soap Survey, I determined that if someone were to buy a soap with anise in it, he or she would prefer it in a blend with other spices. In fact, I had a couple of people suggest that I make a peppernut blend. Peppernut...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Sep 9, 2011, 3:52 pm
Sisters N Cloth is a relatively new blog written by Two Mommas on a Mission who love Cute Diapers. They are graciously hosting a giveaway for a free Great Cakes Soapworks soap of your choice! Jeniffer reviewed the Lavender Meadows soap as well (which happens to be out of stock at the moment), but ...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Sep 8, 2011, 6:00 pm
Wildfire near Bastrop State Park, Texas, September 5, 2011. Instagram Photo by Mike Stone, Reuters My heart goes out to those who have lost their homes in the wildfires that are still burning across Texas, and now I’ve found a tangible way to help. My friend Michele of Tierre Verde Soaps just m...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Sep 7, 2011, 4:20 pm
I got this free t-shirt in the mail from MailChimp yesterday! Wow, if you haven’t heard me talk about MailChimp enough already, check this out! Remember a few weeks ago when I created the Anise Soap Survey in SurveyMonkey, then sent out a campaign to my Preferred Customers with the new integrate...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Sep 5, 2011, 5:13 pm
Penny, Lynette, and I grew up together almost from birth. Our parents all went to church together, and we are also “loosely” related to one another. They are the kind of friends that when you get together, no matter how long it’s been, you can pick up wherever you left off and it feels like ...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Sep 2, 2011, 8:12 pm
One of my regular customers, who also happens to be another vendor at the Olathe Farmer’s Market requested that I make the Amber Fig soap again. I made it for the first time last year, but it was earlier in the year and I was experimenting with layers at the time. Anyway, it looked rather boring...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Sep 1, 2011, 10:03 pm
Cinnamon Apple Peach Soap by Great Cakes Soapworks Warm, spicy apples with a hint of juicy peach. So yummy!! Click the photo to order – just $5.95 each. Also qualifies for the Soap Combo Deal – order any four or more qualifying soaps and the price drops to $5.00 each! Red Rock Canyon Soap b...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Aug 31, 2011, 5:43 pm
It’s been three years since I made my first and last soap with anise in it. I blended it with a little bit of lavender, and it actually smelled pretty nice. If you like anise, that is. Seems a little bit like patchouli – there aren’t many people on the fence. They either love it or hate it...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Aug 30, 2011, 4:58 pm
Being the nerd, tech-y, self-taught computer geek that I am, I was reading Problogger yesterday and came across a very interesting post called “How to Email Your Posts Like a Problogger“. Now I have to admit that many of the posts from this blog are either not applicable to me, require too much...
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Amy W. posted an article on Great Cakes Soapworks - Aug 29, 2011, 3:23 pm
Candied Currants is the soap that my younger daughter helped design and create, using the faux funnel pour method. You can read more about how we did it here. After bringing it to the farmer’s market on Saturday, there are now only three left! Smells very fruity, of course, and the design came ...
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