When last we journeyed into natural color (The Thing about Natural Color, Part 1), I had reported my experience of the pros and cons of natural (plant-based) vs. synthetic/processed (micas, oxides and other mineral-based) color in soap making. I'm currently engaged in a plant-based, soap color challenge where mineral-based color isn't permitted. Read on for how I approach coloring soap using only botanical color...
A few years ago I helped my parents downsize their home in preparation for a move to a place with a third of the living space.If you've ever had to sort through years of possessions, you know: it can be a hugely time consuming, emotionally fraught job. Especially debilitating for those who have lived through lean times and developed a fear of "someday" needing the item they're letting go of. Or a feeling that parting with that item means releasing the good feelings of the time or person associated with it. In my parents' defense, I'm not immune to attachments to objects/nostalgia, though I do attempt to continually clear the build-up of possessions and clutter (it's ongoing and often overwhelming, honestly). In their day, things were likely quality handmade, rare, pricier, but made to last and therefore "dear."...
In February 2021, I fell in love with the Kiss Pour. A Kiss Pour is achieved by combining colors from two different containers by having their spouts "kiss" (meet) during a simultaneous pour onto a surface. What results from this? Magic. The Kiss Pour technique an exquisite combination of both versatility + unpredictability. Like Forest Gump's chocolates, "You never know what you're gonna get."
In November 2020 I entered a soap technique challenge to produce a mosaic-styled soap. I had wanted to do some version of a rainbow soap for quite awhile, and in researching mosaics online, I realized that this would be a great opportunity to design a multicolored bar with a bit more originality than a typical rainbow bar.
...As for the conventional wisdom that one must not mix business with political activism - eh. Courageous Soap product offerings have become decidedly more politically snarky. Though not certain if the effect is measurable, the change aligns with and definitely amuses me.
Time to take the mittens off, friends. Democracy needs us.
