Santa's Soap Shop

We've been wrapping up gift soaps like elves here at Otion and are very happy to see an abundance of eager craftspeople come in to pick up supplies for their handmade presents this holiday season. Many customers are first time soapers interested in a fun, easy soap-making method that can be done with the kids. Of course, melt-and-pour is the way to go, and soap makes the perfect gift for the kids' teachers! Others are picking up melt-and-pour lip balm and perfume base for a quick stocking stuffer project.

Here, we are putting together a special order of colorful, wrapped melt-and-pour soaps for a long-time customer. We like using clear plastic wrap as packaging so you can still see and smell the soap. Simply wrap the soap with the open end of the plastic gathered on the back, cut off the excess plastic wrap and flatten it on the back of the soap. Here's the fun instant gratification part; use a heat gun to shrink the plastic wrap to form fit to the soap. Be careful not to apply too much heat or you may stretch the plastic too thin and create a hole, or even melt the soap a bit! Then, tie a ribbon with a card for the final touch. Every extra effort is appreciated!

Please let us know how we can help you get through your Christmas crafts smoothly this year. Questions and ideas are always welcome! Happy Holidays everyone!

Fun at the Soap Bar

We had a super busy Saturday at Otion with multiple soap bars. We love having people just walk into the store and saunter up to the bar to make soap on the fly. It's total instant gratification as crafters get to take their soap home in just 20 minutes after their soap is made. It's just barely enough time to head next door to Rocket Donuts and grab a donut.

Georgia and Kaya came in this weekend and made GREAT soap. They are 7 and 8 years old and really got into choosing the perfect colors and molds. You can tell that glitter was a big factor in their color choices.

It's super easy to make soap. You can come in and learn on the fly at the Soap Bar or take one of our classes for a more detailed, in depth technique and project class. We're going to do some stocking stuffer classes so stay tuned for dates and information.

'Tis the Season!

Are you ready for the holidays? It might be hard to believe, but it's that time already. Candles, lip balm, gingerbread men and holiday stamp soaps make the perfect stocking stuffer. It's easy to customize gifts for your friends and family by using their favorite scents and colors, or simply use our Christmas Cheer Fragrance Kit to cover all the must-have holiday aromas.

Handmade soy candles are easy to make gifts and create the perfect ambiance for holiday gatherings (check out the candle page at Bramble Berry for all the basics). Plus, our candle tins are great for quick packaging-- just slap your personalized sticker on the top and you're done!

We'll help you keep the stress out of your seasonal soaping, just click here for a full list of winter holiday molds, colors and fragrances-- you'll be sure to get some fun ideas. You can also follow Anne-Marie on Soap Queen T.V. for step-by-step project tutorials so you can get it done right the first time. Happy holidays!