Finished Dinosoap

Here are the final Dinosoap Juniors.




The purple didn't turn out as purple as I would have liked, but it served as a nice background for the "splatter" affect I went for. This was a really fun soap to make.

Joanna Does It Again

Just wanted to say thank you publicly to Joanna Schmidt, mentioned 2 posts below, for giving me such a wonderful soap review.

You are awesome, sister! I am so happy you enjoyed my soaps :)

Dinosoap Jr. Sketches

Dinosaur Jr. is a band very near and dear to me. J Mascis, frontman, is a Massachusetts native - from the land of 403 (that's the western Mass area code for those not in the know - it is usually affiliated with the Berkshires. My very own ancestry pit-stopped in Chicopee briefly when my great grandparents immigrated to the United States from Poland). Anyway ....

I decided to tip my soapmaking goggles to the band with a reputation as having one of the loudest live performances in alternative rock history. I recently had the privilege of catching their show at a local Urban Outfitters while they were creating more visibility for college radio stations across the country. They were incredible, as expected. They are big fans of the green/purple color combination, so I've decided to let this become the main driver in the soap creation. I am going with raspberry and mint for scent.

Here are my sketches:

Ace of Cakes

I love the show Ace of Cakes on the Food Network. It is in my top 5. I like the idea of blending traditional techniques with untraditional ideas. Charm City Cakes is a major inspiration. I mean, seriously ...

Speaking of kick ass things, Joanna from The Soap Bar (owner of the way cool, Product Body) has written about my Joan Jett soap. Thanks again, Joanna, for the glowing post! You rock, indeed! Just look at this amazing sugar butter body scrub from Product Body:

Wowzers!

The Finished Product

Crimson and Clover ...

over and ...
over ...
I grant you, this arrangement is a little creepy and somewhat "alter-like," but hey, this is Joan we are talking about.

My next "ode" is going to be to the Ska band, Madness (okay, after De La Soul and after Dinosaur Jr.). It's going to be called, "One Step Beyond" and it's going to feature several soap stamps of foot prints running amok on the soap slice. Still haven't decided on a scent or color yet, but it'll come to me ...

Jett Soap - In Progress

Here are some pictures of the soap in the mold. I can't wait until it sets so I can cut them up!





Here are a few new bath bombs. They are minty fresh scented, however, I am struggling with a product name. I desperately want to title something Caught in a Wash (which is a play on the Anthrax song, Caught in a Mosh), so this could be it. However, I was really hoping to use "ice" in this one. I will be selling 3 at a time, so maybe Thrice? Too corny? Ice Princess? Ice, Ice Babies? Trapped Under Ice? Ice Shots?

Joan Jett Soap

So, I am in the begining stages of developing my saponified tribute to punk pioneer, Joan Jett. As many of you know, Joan fronted the Blackhearts. Therefore, I've incorporated a black heart embed into the top of the design. I used a M & P soap base for this. Trust me, I really struggled with it. I've made little soap hearts with my homemade soap, but decided that the hassle factor would be too high for this one. It is clove-scented. When I think of Joan, I tend to imagine that she is a natural-type gal who enjoys the smell of fresh spices. Don't ask me why. She could be a citrus fan - I don't know her personally.

I am going with a light orange before the cook. After, I will separate about a third and intensify it with more red. This will be the top layer (going for fire, here, people). The black heart will be pressed into the top, but I am going to leave a bit sticking up (a) for interest and (b) to judge where to make cuts. I can generally make 6 1"thick slices from each of my molds.

Here is the general schematic:

Here are the black hearts, awaiting their final destination.



I am nearly out of lye. My shipment is due on Tuesday, so I can get started right away. Wish me luck!

Possible New Ad, Definite New Soap!

I am thinking about using this as a t-shirt, flyer, or postcard.

What do you think? I am always paranoid that someone else has already thought of using something I've come up with. I did some thorough image searching on line and couldn't find this one, so I went ahead and took the pic, then ran it through a filter in Photoshop, etc.


While I am introducing stuff, here are my new Beastie Bars! Banana chocolate soap!

Happy Easter!

Behold - new Easter Baskets from Stella Marie! Bubble Gum, Coconut Cream, Raspberry and Pineapple egg-shaped bath fizzies. Fun for kids both big and small. And a total steal at $5.00 each! Order here or here!

Thank Goodness for Failures

I have been struggling to create the perfect egg-shaped bath bomb for a children's little Easter gift set. I had 3 failed batches. Not because of the recipe - because of the gosh darned mold! In all of the bath bombs, one reached perfection. Why? Because my boyfriend made this one. Apparently, he has the magic touch.

Here is his awesome egg:

Here is one of my disasters:


The shells were too difficult to handle and the mixture did not pop out as nicely as I had hoped. And even when they did, it was too delicate a process to marry the bottoms with the tops. I became quite depressed over this. Until I found an ice cube tray at Home Goods in the shape of eggs. It literally saved the day!

Bubblegum and pineapple, resting on plates:


Coconut enters on the right (on the candy cane plate):


A close up of pineapple:


I am much happier with these little guys! They are going to work better with my packaging plan. I will be whipping up some black cherry and orange tomorrow to complete the set.

Punk Rock Flea Market

We are SO pleased to announce that Stella Marie will be at the Punk Rock Flea Market in Danbury, Connecticut on Saturday, April 19th, from noon - 5pm. This is part of a two-day festival (Manic Productions) featuring punk bands Cursive and Dead Meadow, as well as the unique comedy of Neil Hamburger.

We will debut the following creations in time for the festival:

Dinosoap Jr.
Raspberry Mint Soap with Purple and Green Swirls

De La Soap
Oatmeal, Milk and Honey Soap

I Love Rock 'n Roll
Clove Soap with Black Heart Embeds

Beastie Bar
Banana Chocolate Soap with Yellow and Cocoa Swirls

We are totally stoked for this event!