Lye Calculation Using a Saponification Chart – Tutorial

posted in: Blog Post, Tutorial | 55

A couple of weeks ago, just as I was pulling into a parking bay at the local mall here in Cape Town, my niece #4, who is in her final year of high school in Finland, called me on the … Continued

Bubble Soap With Dip n’ Drip Soap Beads

posted in: Auntie Clara's Blog, Blog Post, Tutorial | 24

A couple of weeks ago I was experimenting with finely marbled agateware soap. In the process, I accidentally let one of my low-water soap batches get hard enough to lose its plasticity. Not wanting to waste the batch I ended … Continued

St. Florian, Patron Saint of Soapmakers – Soap Mould Tutorial

posted in: Auntie Clara's Blog, Blog Post, Tutorial | 93

When I first started making soap I saw the world with new eyes. Anything and everything equipped with some form of cavity became the centre of intense focus as a potential soap mould. This is a common phase that many … Continued

The Ghost Swirl

posted in: Auntie Clara's Blog, Blog Post, Tutorial | 166

  “I had decided to do what I shall call a Ghost Swirl; a technique where a deliberate design is ’conjured’ into the soap without the use of any added colourant. It’s not essential whether the design is swirled with … Continued

Oh So Oval – Oval Soap Mould Tutorial

posted in: Auntie Clara's Blog, Blog Post, Tutorial | 102

My fascination with oval soap began when I was nine and my parents took us on a trip to Zanzibar. From that trip I remember seeing cinnamon trees and smelling fresh lemongrass for the first time and I remember walking … Continued

Mexican Lace and How I Made A Silicone Texture Mat

posted in: Auntie Clara's Blog, Blog Post, Tutorial | 142

The way I store and wrap and transport soap, flat tops work very well. Adding interest to flat soap tops is a bit of a challenge and I’ve worked on several techniques for doing that. Embossing works well and one … Continued

Limpet Mould Tutorial: Handmade Soap Imitating Nature

posted in: Auntie Clara's Blog, Blog Post, Tutorial | 17

Only a few minutes from where our soap is made is a beautiful beach. Strand Beach, once known as Melk Baai (Milk Bay), where the African Continent ends and the ocean begins rolling itself out of False Bay until it … Continued

Tutorial: Inverted Stamp Technique – Lattice Tops & More

posted in: Auntie Clara's Blog, Blog Post, Tutorial | 134

I’ve often been asked how the inverted stamp technique tops on my handcrafted soaps are made. A while ago I promised to write a tutorial with pictures about this so here we are. The inverted stamp technique is a method … Continued