Tag Archives: Crafts

Forsaken Island-Inspired Soap!

, Forsaken Island, The Dancing Realms Series
Forsaken Island-Inspired Soap

How to Make: Forsaken Island-Inspired Soap!

Contributed by Caitlin Eha. You can visit her at https://caitlineha.com/

The Forsaken Island book features a lush, tropical landscape filled with verdant plant life. The tutorial below teaches you how to make scented soap inspired by this fascinating environment!

Note: When I first started making my own soap, I learned from this blog post tutorial in addition to reading the product packaging instructions.

Materials:

I found my soap-making supplies at a Hobby Lobby store and bought some of the crafting utensils at a dollar store. Your local craft store or an online retailer should be good places to find the same or similar materials.

You will need:

  • A microwave-safe mixing bowl
    • Note: You want this bowl to be big enough that hot soap won’t splash over the sides when you stir the mixture.
  • A soap cutter OR a large kitchen knife
  • A flat spatula
  • A rubber spatula
  • A large mixing spoon
  • A cutting board
  • An oven mitt
  • A block of soap base (I like to use a shea butter soap base, but there are other options!)
  • A soap mold (these are usually silicone or plastic)
  • Soap fragrance and/or essential oils in the scents of your choice
    • Note: If you want your soap to have the same fragrance as mine, I used:
      • Country Lane™ Liquid Candle and Soap Fragrance: Cucumber Melon
      • Crafty Bubbles™ Cedar Wood Essential Oil
  • Soap dye/coloring
  • Measuring spoons
    • Note: Check the instructions on the packaging for your soap scent(s) and dye(s) to see if you’ll need these. Some products tell you to use a certain number of drops and others give you measurements.
  • Optional: A dropcloth or paper grocery bags (to keep your workspace clean)

Instructions:

PLEASE NOTE: Soap fragrances and soap dyes can be skin irritants. Only use fragrances and dyes in your soap that specifically say they are for soap making.

Be careful to follow the packaging instructions and don’t exceed the maximum amount of fragrance and dye for the volume of soap you’re working with. If you’re combining scents, you’ll have to do some math. For example, if you’re using two scents, don’t exceed half the maximum amount of each.

After your soap is made, it’s a good idea to try it out and make sure it agrees with your skin before using it on a daily basis.

Without further ado, let’s make some Forsaken Island soap!

1.  Start by setting up your work area. I usually put the soap base, cutting board, and soap cutter in one area. Then I put the mixing utensils and oven mitt near the microwave and set the soap mold, fragrance bottles, and dye bottles nearby.

2.  Remove the block of soap base from the package and place it on the cutting board.

3.  The soap base should be pre-sectioned. Use the soap cutter (or kitchen knife) to cut the desired amount of soap base into cubes. (The base I buy is 2 pounds and I only make 1 pound at a time.)

4.  Put the soap cubes into the mixing bowl.

5.  Microwave the soap for short intervals to melt it. Check the packaging instructions on your soap base for microwave temperature and time. I microwave my soap for 30 second intervals. (You may need the oven mitt to get the bowl out of the microwave, especially as the soap heats up.)

6.  Between each interval in the microwave, take the soap out and start smashing and stirring it. Then keep putting it back in the microwave and repeat the process until it becomes a liquid. I typically start by chopping the soap up with the flat spatula. As it becomes more fluid, I stir it with the mixing spoon and use the rubber spatula to get any extra soap off the sides of the bowl.

7.  Once the soap is liquid, you’re ready to start adding the fragrance. Following the measurement instructions on the fragrance packaging, add the fragrance to the melted soap and stir it in. (You don’t have to use the maximum amount of fragrance; you may find that you prefer a lighter scent.)

Note: Many fragrances come in dropper bottles, and not all dropper bottles are created equal…some barely let a single drop out, and some will pour out a dozen drops in half a second. You may want to experiment with the dropper bottles before adding the fragrance to your soap.

8.  Microwave the soap as needed to keep it in a liquid, easy-to-stir state. (The soap cools off very quickly.)

9.  Once you’re happy with the fragrance, follow the measurement instructions on the dye packaging to add the soap dye. I combined two colors to give my Forsaken Island soap a light blue-green color.

10.  Microwave the soap again to make sure it’s in a fully liquid state. Then carefully pour the soap into the molds.

11.  The packaging for your soap base should tell you how long to let the soap harden. The recommended time I’ve used is 40 minutes.

12.  If, at the end of the recommended cooling time, your soap still feels warm through the mold, I usually pop the mold in the freezer for a few minutes to complete the cooling process.

13.  Once the soap has hardened, turn the mold upside-down and carefully press the soap out of the molds.

14.  Give your soap a try and enjoy!

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Star Rain: A Hidden Current Craft

, Dancing Realms, Hidden Current,

How to Make: Star Rain in a Bottle!

In the novel Hidden Current, star rain is a beautiful phenomenon in which multi-colored starlight transforms, then bursts to release a shower of golden dust. The light show is fleeting and the dust turns to sand once it reaches the ground…but what if you could bottle some star rain to keep for your own?

My friend Caitlin Eha created these instructions for you! You can visit her author website HERE.

Materials you’ll need:

  • A bottle with a lid (This can be any bottle you like, as long as the lid can be glued on without possibility of leaks. Your local craft store probably has an abundance of uniquely-shaped bottles!)
  • A funnel (the stem needs to fit in the bottle’s opening)
  • Corn syrup (the amount will depend on the bottle’s size)
  • Blue food coloring
  • Gold/yellow food coloring
  • Gold fine glitter
  • Hot glue gun
  • Water (a little bit from the sink is fine!)
  • A mixing bowl
  • A small mixing spoon (tongue depressors or popsicle sticks also work)

Instructions:

  1. Pour some corn syrup into your mixing bowl. (You can measure this based on the volume of your bottle, or you can just estimate.)
  2. Add a drop or two of blue food coloring and stir with the corn syrup. If you want the shade to be darker, add more drops of food coloring and stir until you like the hue.
  3. Optional: Add a drop of gold or yellow food coloring. Star rain is described as having green and blue lights, so I made the corn syrup a combination of those colors. However, you’ll want to use less gold coloring than blue.
  4. Once you’re happy with the color, add the gold fine glitter to the corn syrup. Be generous with the glitter, and stir it into the corn syrup as you go. The more glitter you use, the more your finished bottle will sparkle.
  5. Add a little bit of water to your corn syrup and glitter mixture. The water won’t mix well with the corn syrup, but stir it together anyway. Because of its thickness, the corn syrup keeps the glitter suspended in the bottle, but it will still separate to the top and bottom eventually. The water adds some fluidity to the mixture so, even if the glitter separates, you can shake and spin the bottle until the glitter spreads out again.
  6. Put the funnel in your bottle and carefully pour in the corn syrup mixture. Leave a little bit of space at the top of the bottle—this empty space will make it easier to shake the bottle and spread out the glitter as needed.
  7. Once your bottle is filled with “star rain,” use the hot glue gun to seal the lid in place. (For instance, if the bottle closes with a cork, just put some hot glue around the cork and then insert it into the bottle.) Once the hot glue dries, it should prevent any leaks.
  8. You now have a bottle of star rain! If the glitter starts to separate, just shake, twirl, and turn the bottle upside down until it spreads out again.

Optional: I finished off my star rain bottle with a wax seal on the top, just to make it look extra artsy! If you want to do this, too, pour your melted sealing wax right on top of the lid, then press in the seal. The extra wax will spill down the sides as it dries and create a nice effect!

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