http://www.goplanetearth.com/articles.html A collection of melt and pour glycerin soap making articles, projects, tips and instructional tutorials to help you succeed in the soap making business. Courtesy of GoPlanetEarth.com and Learn Soap Making.com. en-us GoPlanetEarth.com and Squeaky Clean Productions http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2010/11/ten-tips-for-shedding-hats-in-your.html Many small business owners are hat collectors? Is that you? How many hats are you wearing and what roles are you juggling in your business life? A FREE soap making business article from GoPlanetEarth.com. This article was published in the Handcrafted Soap Makers "The Journal" (September issue). http://www.goplanetearth.com/packaging_dissolving_paper.html After spending a weekend in Chicago and seeing all the Fall and Autumn displays, I found the perfect gift. An Autumn soap using our new Water Dissolving Paper. A FREE melt and pour glycerin soap making project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_3D_OvalLeaf.html How to use Mold Market's new 3-D soap molds. This tutorial shows you how to use the Popsicle and Oval Leaf molds. I'm in love with the Oval Leaf mold. It produces a classic soap that has a hand-milled look. PLUS... you can insert a soap rope in the pouring channel to make "soap on the rope". A FREE melt and pour glycerin soap making project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2010/10/when-life-and-business-is-less-than.html Wouldn't it be grand if life was perfect? Fat chance! So what does one do when plans don't turn out as expected, when a business fails, or life just happens? You make applesauce! A FREE business article from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2010/07/melt-pour-tutorial-how-to-frost-cupcake.html Here is a short tutorial on how to use the "Star" tip to create a nicely frosted cupcake soap. We suggest using the Mold Market Original Cupcake base. A FREE tutorial from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2010/08/evolution-of-self-live-your-dreams.html Ever have one of those Ah-ha moments? It can be both enlightening and frightening, especially if you’re taking stock of how you have evolved in your business path or career field. A FREE busines tip from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2010/07/is-customer-always-king.html I don't care how customer focused a company claims to be, there are certains customer emails that give pause to this whole "Customer is King" marketing concept and makes you reassess this mantra. A FREE busines article from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2010/07/advertising-thinking-outside-box.html A marriage of product and customer is all about finding a unique and creative way to broadcast ourselves to the world. Here are four simple steps to ensure customer engagement. A FREE busines article from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_valentineCupcake_2.html These "good enough to eat" cupcakes were made using the base of the Mold Market Cupcake Mold. We added a tuff of whipped soap, a heart, and a sprinkling of glitter. Here's another topper idea used for this same cupcake base. A FREE melt and pour glycerin soap making project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_valentineCupcake.html Looking for some last minute Valentine soap ideas? These melt and pour glycerin cupcake soaps were made in no time flat using the base of the Mold Market Cupcake Mold. We added our own twist for the toppers. Here's another topper used for this same cupcake base. A FREE melt and pour glycerin soap making project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_missO_soapsicle.html This week, while enjoying some down-time, I was able to work on a number of soap projects. This was one of them. This Princess-O soapsicle was designed for my sweet Olivia for Valentine's Day. She loves the girly pink and purple combo, not to mention the "Paradisus" scent is to die for. A FREE melt and pour glycerin soap making project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_soapofmanycolors.html As a child I remember the story about Joseph and his coat of many colors. The other night while reading this favorite Bible story to my grandkids, I was inspired to create a melt and pour soap of many colors using both the basic square and plain heart from the Mold Market mold line. This is my take. A FREE melt and pour glycerin soap making project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_missO_Heart.html This project features our Miss O Girly Heart soaps. It's part of the Miss O Princess soapsicles tutorial. It's easy and if done at the same time as the soapsicles, it will allow you to use up any leftover soap. We are using lavender and pink, but any coordinating color combination will work. A FREE melt and pour glycerin soap making project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_reindeerPond.htm In this tutorial we will be showing you how to make a Reindeer on an ice pond soap. A simple beginner project that uses Mold Market’s duck pond mold and a bendable reindeer. Add a few sprigs of pine, a sprinkle or two or mica flakes and you’ve got a great soap for holiday gift-giving. Take a look at just how easy it is to make this whimsical soap. A FREE melt and pour soap making project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_candycaneloaf.html Learn how to make Candy Cane Swirl Loaf soaps. You can use any color for the insert. We are using tomato red and scenting with Christmas Garland. Nothing like a little Christmas cheer in the shower. So sit back and learn how you too can make this soap. The Mold Market square loaf is consistently one of our top sellers. A FREE melt and pour soap making project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_agateSoapSpheres.html In this tutorial we will be showing you how to make Agate Soap Spheres. This is a project that uses many of the embeds used in our Jeweltone Loaf Soap slices. This is a hands-on project in every sense of the word, but the end results are well worth it. It features the Mold Market small bath bomb mold (#065) and Christmas Garland fragrance. A FREE melt and pour soap making project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://goplanetearth.com/project_brain.html In this tutorial we will be showing you how to make bloody, slimy brain soaps. Frightfully fun soaps for kids of all ages. Sealed inside the soap is gooey slim (kid safe, of course). It makes bath time that much more fun while you wait for the soap to finally reveal it's slimy interior. So roll up your soaping sleeves and let's get started! The purchased printed tutorial gives instructions on how to make kid-safe slime. A FREE melt and pour soap making project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://goplanetearth.com/project_jewelLoaf.htm In this tutorial we will be showing you how to make jewel tone loaf soap slices. Its a bit time consuming to make all the colored embeds, but when you are done, this project will yield enough embeds to make two loaves. Thats approximately 20 boutique style soaps. We divided the project into 2 sessions. Session one is all about the embeds. In session two we assemble the embeds into the loaf. Follow along and see what lovely jeweled soaps you can make to sell or for gifting. Purchase supplies from www.GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_watermelon_slice.html In this tutorial we will be showing you how to make salty watermelon soaps. They look just like the sour watermelon candies but with an added twist: sea salt. A perfect body scrub and exfoliant. Not to mention these soaps are scented with Watermelon Taffy. YUM! Purchase this tutorial at www.GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_sushi_soaplog_parttwoREV.html Part 2 tutorial (Revised Method) shows how the soap embeds made in part 1 are assembled to create a sushi soap log. The Revised Method uses shredded soap for the rice. It's just a variation of the first method. We leave it up to you to determine which method you like best. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_autumn_rollups.html In this soap making tutorial you learn how to make Autumn Roll Ups. These are layered soaps with punched out shapes. There are countless color and cutout options for this type of soap. Red and green for Christmas, Red and pink for Valentines day, or Green and white for St. Patrick's day. A FREE melt and pour soap making project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/packaging_GPE_soap_paper.html Our GPE Soap Paper is a clear 8 1/2 x 11 printable sheet for creating artwork that adheres to the face of finished soaps. The printed artwork stays on the soap after repeated use. A FREE melt and pour soap making project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_adzuki_spa_soap.html Learn how to make adzuki goat's milk soap. Also referred to as Aduki or Azuki Bean, has been used in Japanese skin care regimens for centuries. Ground adzuki beans exfoliate skin leaving a soft, radiant glow. They are probably the closest thing to a face lift without the need to undergo surgery. A FREE melt and pour soap making project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_snail.html This advanced melt and pour soap project produces a realistic snail soap using Mold Market's snail mold. It takes some time, but the finished soap is well worth the invested time. A FREE melt and pour soap making project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_fudgesoap.html Soapy-licious melt and pour soap fudge. Looks and smells just like chunks of fudge, but they are soaps! Great for wedding and shower thank you gifts, and ideal for teacher gifts. An EZ soap crafting project from GoPlanetEarth.com. http://goplanetearth.com/project_springfetti_loaf.html The Springfetti soap slices are a confetti tye-dye blending of colors. You'll be pleasantly suprised with the color effect once the loaf is sliced. Our loaf presented a wonderful splash of Easter colors, perfect for any Easter basket. An ideal Spring soap making project. http://www.goplanetearth.com/molds_slab_misc.html#mmq Learn how to make a leak-proof liner for wooden molds. This tutorial will show you how. These lined soap molds are for use with both melt and pour and cold process soap making. http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2009/02/tutorial-on-making-soap-crayons.html The Net showcases a number of duplicated recipes and rave reviews about homemade bath crayons made from soap flakes. However, I've yet to find finished photos from those individuals boasting or posting about these soap crayon recipes. The GoPlanetEarth.com staff decided to give soap crayons a try. Our tutorial logs findings based on the initial testing. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_cupcake_soap.html Make these cupcake soaps using Mold Market's cupcake soap mold. Get even more creative by adding glitter, glow powder, layering colors, or using whipped soap frosting. A simple soap craft project to do with kids at home or in a classroom setting! http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2009/01/plop-plop-fizz-fizz-bath-bomb-fizzie.html Soooo.... what's a bath bomb? The best way to describe this fizzing bath joy is to think of Plop-Plop, Fizz-Fizz anti-acid. Drop this little guy into your bath and that's what you get. It's a giant, frothing, fragrant, fizzing bath pill. It foams and fizzes like crazy. Fun, fun, fun from GoPlantEarth.com! http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-askedyou-got-it-tips-on-making.html These are such fun melt and pour soaps and a great hit with kids! GoPlanetEarth.com offers you a FREE instructional video on how-to make soapsicles with special tips and pointers. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_wreath.html GoPlanetEarth.com melt and pour soap project offers step-by-step (voice narrated) instructions for making melt and pour holiday wreath soaps using Mold Market's wreath mold. Visit GoPlanetEarth.com for a complete listing of materials needed to complete this project. http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2008/10/with-3-small-grandkids-bedtime-monsters.html This is a fun and easy project to do with young children and GoPlanetarth.com offers all the necessary supplies. Our brief pictorial instructional will show you how to make a fragrant spray that will fight all those under the bed and closet monsters. http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2008/09/how-to-make-oreo-type-chocolate-covered.html GoPlantEarth.com offers a nice selection of molds for making chocolate covered cookies. This is a great gift for the upcoming holidays and fun for the whole family. You can find the chocolate wafers (both dark and white chocolate) at local craft stores. I've listed links below on where to find these cool chocolate cookies molds on our web site, PLUS an instructional on how to make them. Remember, these same molds are also ideal for melt and pour soaps and a perfect guest size, approximately 2 ounces. http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2008/08/make-these-melt-pour-autumn-soaps.html Fall is just around the corner in Michigan and the Midwest. View our pictorial video on how to make Autumn melt and pour soaps using the Mold Market Maple Leaf mold. These soaps are scented with Apple Autumn scent (a specialty blend of GoPlanetEarth.com). An awesome scent!! Visit GoPlanetEarth.com for all your soap making supplies. http://www.goplanetearth.com/articles_glossary.html We've complied a list of soap making terms for our GoPlanetEarth.com customers to assist with product selection. GoPlanetEarth.com offers a comprehensive selection of melt and pour soap making supplies. Check out the many other Soap Making Resources offered. http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2008/07/skin-nurturing-sushi-soap-roll.html Make a nurturing and exfoliating melt and pour Sushi Soap Roll with ground Adzuki beans, oats, sea salts and soy protein. GoPlanetEarth.com offers all the supplies you will need to complete this project. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_kabobs.html Our staff had fun making these "kabob" soaps. We elected to use three of our top selling hemp oil, olive oil, and organic soap bases. We wanted an earthy feel so we used "earthy" pigments such as red, yellow, brown and orange oxide, plus a small amount of kelly green. Since this was an Asian themed soap, we picked scents with an Asian appeal, like Teak and Sandalwood, Jasmine Green Tea, Bamboo Green Tea. For visual appeal and texture we added medium coarse sea salts, ground oats, and caraway seed. We were pretty happy with the results. I am hoping that the pictorial video we put together will inspire. How about fruit or chocolate fondue kabobs? If you don't want to use bamboo skewers, use a large-eye needle (found at most craft stores) and thread the soap pieces onto hemp, raffia, or natural jute cord. Visit GoPlanetEarth.com for all your soap making needs. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_color_sea_salt.html It's easy as 1-2-3. Color your bath sea salts with GoPlanetEarth salt dyes. Here are easy instructions from Squeaky Clean Productions. GoPlanetEarth.com offers all the supplies you will need to complete this project. http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2008/04/melt-pour-soap-learn-to-make-sea-shell.html This shell embed soap is perfect for summer beach houses no matter where you live. And, it's very easy to make. GoPlanetEarth.com offers all the supplies you will need to complete this soap project. http://www.goplanetearth.com/spring_fling_butterfly.html After a long, cold winter, we Northerners are always anxious for signs of Spring. The first spotting of a colorful butterfly signifies that Spring has arrived. This project features a clear glycerine butterfly soap embedded with colorful soap curls. This project can be completed in as little as 60 minutes and makes a wonderful gift for Mother's Day! http://www.goplanetearth.com/articles_phthalate_debate.html There has been much debate in recent years about the use of 'phthalates' in cosmetics, fragrances oils, and medical equipment. Where does the FDA stand and what are your options. Owner of GoPlanetEarth.com comments on this heated subject. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_loaf_log.html Step-by-step instructions on embedding a soap log (or you can substitute a Ribbon shaped embed) in a Mold Market loaf mold. Each loaf yields 8 to 9 soap slices. Purchase project supplies at www.GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_soap_curls.html GoPlanetEarth.com gives FREE instructions on how to make these coveted melt and pour embeds. You will first need to view the instructional called "Make Soap Logs and Ribbon Shaped Embeds" before starting this project. finished soap log is necessary to make curl embeds. Curls are best used in molded cavities. Purchase project supplies at www.GoPlanetEarth.com. http://www.goplanetearth.com/projects_logs_ribbon_embeds.html Here's a step-by-step instructional on how to make soap log and ribbon shaped embeds. We've also included an instructional on how to use them to make a loaf soap and a bonus instructional on how-to make 'soap curls' for use in molded cavities. Visit GoPlanetEarth.com for other FREE soap making instructionals and soap supplies to complete these projects. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_soap_stencil.html Learn how to stencil on melt and pour soaps using colored mica powder. GoPlanetEarth has all the supplies needed for this project. The only additional item needed is a stencil brush available at craft stores. Visit GoPlanetEarth.com for other FREE soap making instructionals. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_mp_beginners.html GoPlanet has put together a no-frills short instructional video for those of just starting out in melt and pour. After viewing the instructions, you should be able to make your first bar of soap without a hitch. Questions? Just email us. The crew at GoPlanet will be glad to answer any questions pertaining to this primer or help you select the supplies needed to get started. http://goplanetearth.com/articles_what_is_glycerine.html Melt and Pour soap base is often called "glycerine soap base". So what exactly is glycerine, what does it do, and is it a safe ingredient for the skin? http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_soap_frosting_revisit.html In a previous soap making instructional we showed how to make soap frosting using MP soap base and whipped soap. There was quite a bit of soap frosting left-over from that project and we weren't sure what to do with it. Could it be re-used, re-mixed, remelted, or was it a total waste? We did some experimenting to find those answers. This video shares some of our initial findings. http://www.goplanetearth.com/project_soap_frosting.html What fun! Soap frosting. This instructional video from Squeaky Clean Productions and GoPlanetEarth.com gives the basic instructions for making soap frosting. Use to frost soap cupcakes, decorate the top of loaf soaps, or just do your own creative thing. http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2008/03/melt-pour-soap-making-pouring-soap-in.html A step-by-step instructional video from Squeaky Clean Productions and GoPlanetEarth.com. Here is the final segment on pouring soap in layers. There are so many possibilities when working with layered soaps. This three part soap making series provides a basic understanding of the "concept" of layering soap embeds to create dimensional soaps. Hopefully it will inspire you to experiment with new and creative ways to make signature soaps that are both fun and functional. http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2008/03/melt-and-pour-soap-making-pouring-soap_07.html This is Part II in a melt and pour soap making mini-series on using layered soap as embeds. Part II focuses on how to prepare layers of soap for embedding in a multi-cavity mold. A step-by-step instructional video from Squeaky Clean Productions and GoPlanetEarth.com. Supplies for this project can be purchased from GoPlanetEarth.com. Visit Denise's Blog at www.goplanetearth.blogspot.com for more melt and pour soap making videos. http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2008/03/melt-and-pour-soap-making-pouring-soap.html This is the first in a melt and pour soap making mini-series on using layered soap as embeds. Part I shows how to pour multiple layers of colored soap. The creative possibilites are endless. Part II and III of this soap making mini-series will show how the layered soap are used to create some really awesome looking soaps. A step-by-step instructional video from Squeaky Clean Productions and GoPlanetEarth.com. Supplies for this project can be purchased from GoPlanetEarth.com. Visit Denise's Blog at www.goplanetearth.blogspot.com for more melt and pour soap making videos.