DIY Crystal + Gold Gemstone Soap

I am just having so much fun playing with melt and pour soap!  I'll admit though, that I've had some flops that never made it to the blog - but even the wonky soaps are lovely because the organic glycerine soap base I use is really luxurious and I always experiment with really delicious smelling essential oils.  So even the silly looking soaps are enjoyed.

Although there was a cool mid-century modern inspired design that I loved (in theory - it was a little flawed in the execution), I think my "lake superior" soap is my favorite, followed closely by the gem stone soap experiments from last year.  Truthfully, I'm on the fence about today's crystal and gold vein soap because it just didn't turn out exactly how I pictured it in my mind, largely because of the overly optimistic size of the "gold veins".  Even friends and family who love how it turned out debate what it actually looks like (fudge, deli meat, gold?), so I thought I might as well share and see what YOU think it looks like.  I still think it looks like some kind of stone... 

Whatever it is, it sure is sparkly!  And smells delicious.  

Here's how I made this crystal and gold vein soap (following my first gem stone soap tutorial - linked here), plus what I think could improve the design!

 Supplies:

• Glycerine soap base (clear)
• Mica soap colorant in gold (I used whole pack of six)
• Mica soap colorant in white
• Soap fragrance (optional - I chose citrus grapefruit this time but you can try a set and combine)
• Bar silicone molds
• Loaf silicone mold
• Pyrex measuring cup
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Microwave 
• Old spoon 
• Small spray bottle
• Rubbing alcohol

I cut up about two pounds of glycerine soap base into chunks and added some white mica powder then zapped it in the microwave in my Pyrex measuring cup for a minute or so - until melted.  I gave it a quick stir, poured it into my smaller bar silicone molds and let it sit overnight.  Then I had these creamy, translucent bars so I chopped them up into irregular "gem" shapes and placed them in my large loaf silicone mold.

I chopped up more glycerine soap base and added this gold mica soap colorant in gold (I used all six blocks) before melting it in the microwave.  Then I added my essential oil (I used half a tiny bottle of a cinnamon citrus I picked up), poured the melted glycerine over my crystals, spritzed the surface with alcohol, and let it set overnight. 

Once I popped out my long bar of soap, I cut large irregular pieces and shaved the edges to look more organic. 



I think the secret to a more realistic gold veined quartz soap would be to increase the size and volume of the crystal chunks so the gold is really just a tiny filler, filling in the gaps.  You might have noticed I tried adding some darker bronze and gold pieces for dimension, but that didn't really have the desired effect.  Next time I'll leave way more crystal spikes poking out the top because I loved how that aspect turned out!

But remember, you can always just buy a soap rock - which is how I got hooked on these gems!  

DIY Gemstone Soap Tutorial | How to Make Easy Gem + Mineral Shaped Soap Rocks

 
As a rock collector, you can imagine how much I mooned over the gem and mineral shaped "soap rocks" when I first spotted them in an artsy boutique in Duluth, MN.  They were regularly price at around $11, so you can imagine my glee when they were put on clearance one day - for $6 a bar!  Still pricey, but I ran to the cash register with an armful.  I bought a couple as gifts and then depleted the store's stock of "turquoise" soap rocks, which I've doled out to myself over the years.  You might have seen them pop up in this bathroom and that bathroom.  I swear it wasn't the same soap, moved from room to room.

;)

When I finally got down to my last original soap rock, I hopped online to buy more and they're still expensive - even in bulk.  I am definitely not want to shirk away from paying for craftsmanship, ingenuity or quality but they're too expensive to enjoy (does that make sense to anyone else?), no matter how adorable.  When I started seeing gemstone shaped soap tutorials popping up everywhere, I decided to make my own soap rocks.  My gem soaps are nowhere near as gorgeous as the originals, but at only $2 a bar (which will be less once I make more batches), my wallet is much happier - and I don't feel a twinge of guilt when I'm lathering up.  Plus, making soap turned out to be such a fun and easy craft project that I can't wait to make more!  

Although there are a lot of great gemstone soap tutorials online (like these ones by A Beautiful Mess, Dream a Little Bigger, Fall for DIY, Honestly WTF, Soap Queen, and DIY in PDX), this tutorial is my favorite and it's the one I followed because it created the most realistic looking "stones".

Soap Rock Making Supplies:

• Organic Clear Glycerine Soap Base
• Organic White Glycerine Soap Base
• Cosmetic Grade Mica Dyes
• Silicone Bar Molds
• One Large Loaf Silicone Mold
• Essential Oils
• Cutting Board
• Non-serrated Knife
• Microwaveable Bowl (my Pyrex 4 cup measure worked well)
• Microwave
• Stir sticks

A note on these soap making supplies supplies:

Essential oils: I read that vanilla can yellow a soap so if you're going for a really clear "gem," opt for another scent.

Glycerine soap bases: In total I ordered 7 lbs of glycerine, which yielded two huge silicone molds worth of soap.  I linked to the exact glycerine bases I used because they are really nice.  I chose organic glycerine and was really happy with how this particular soap base lathers.  The clear looks so gem-like, so I ordered even more of it.  If you're only going to order one (the opaque or the clear), get the clear.

Cosmetic grade mica dyes: Mica colorants bestow the shimmer and sheen of real stones and help make these gem soaps more realistic.  I think I went a little overboard with the dye and made mine too richly colored, so play around a little with the quantity and add a little to start, building up the color if required.  For my next batch I'll try more faintly tinted clear glycerine areas for a more "quartz" inspired look.  The exact kind of mica I used is no longer available but I linked to a similar one.  Buy any kind you like, but make sure it's cosmetic grade.  Or try what Rachel did and put those unused eye shadow kits to good use! 

Look at the pretty shimmer:

How to Make Gem and Mineral Shaped Soap:

This style of soap making (melt and pour) is too easy:  in a nutshell, you melt the glycerine, add coloring agents and fragrance, pour into molds, and let cool.  With soap rocks, you add an extra step of chopping up the soap, arranging in a larger mold, adding more melted glycerine then cutting the finished product into a natural rock shape.

The only tricky part is creating a realistic gem, so the first step with making rock soap is to figure out what kind of stones you want to make.  Hit up Pinterest (I have a entire board dedicated to rocks) and find at least one kind to mimic.  Take a close look at the veining and colors to determine what colors of soap you'll need to make, and how to layer the different pieces - but there's no right or wrong way to do this.

How to Make Melt and Pour Soap:

With your rock soap "design" sorted, here are some more detailed instructions for how to actually make melt and pour gem-shaped soap.

Cut up the glycerine into small pieces and place in the microwaveable bowl.  I worked with a cup or two at a time.  Pop into the microwave and melt (about 30 seconds - 1 minute, depending on the microwave).

Mix in a pinch of mica until the color is perfect and then add essential oil.  I added a few drops of oil at a time until it smelled great - it's a personal decision how much to add.  If you're going to be making many colors, you can also pour the melted soap into another container, add dye and oil, and then pour into mold to keep the Pyrex measuring cup from transferring dye across batches (like I did, below).

 
Pour the melted glycerine into the bar mold and let cool 6-8 hours.  In the meantime, start on another color and repeat the process.  You want to have a nice variety of the colors present in your gem or mineral.  I spent a couple of hours leisurely making different colors; it was a relaxing crafternoon.

You can also use an assortment of random plastic containers, but the bars pop out of this silicone bar mold so nicely.  I bought it because I figured I can make rectangular bar soap later.  After they've hardened, remove the soap from the molds.  (Technically, at this stage you could also just cut these soaps into gem shapes). 

Now chop up those bars!  Use a knife or other kitchen tools (like a vegetable peeler) to create organic looking shapes.  Create bigger and smaller chunks, some shards and thin little "veins" - depending on the stone you're trying to replicate.  You can also gently rub the soap to soften corners.  Set aside any shavings and cuttings - you can add them to a bar later or melt them again.

Next, assemble the pieces in the large loaf silicone mold, as per the gem or mineral you want to replicate.  For one batch, I started with a darker layer then added lighter layers as well as "veins":

Then melt a batch of glycerine, adding essential oils and mica again, but keeping the color very light and sheer.  Once mixed, pour into the soap mold, covering all of the smaller pieces.  How much you need will depend on how much room is left.  Start with a cup and keep adding.  If you want separation between the layers, let them firm between adding more.   

Let the loaf of soap set and harden overnight.

When it's set, you'll have a block like this:

For my first attempt, I really created a layered look (below) and my second batch was a little more uniform (see above):

For my next attempt, I plan to limit the variation of color and just play more with opacity, so the little shards and pieces I cut up will be suspended in what I hope will look like quartz.  This process is fun and I promise you'll want to keep experimenting to get as realistic a gem soap as possible. 

Once it has hardened, remove the soap from the mold and slice it like bread.  Cut off edges and corners, and add some facets, to create a random, organic feel.  Cut some bars diagonally, some square - mix it up! 

Making soap can continue forever because you'll end up with little scraps that you can melt down and use again or add into the next batch of rock soap.  One neat idea is to pick up a small silicone mold, like this gem-shaped mold, and then melt down and make mini guest soaps with any leftovers (recognize the gem mold from my gemstone gummies?)

I love my DIY gem soap - it makes such a cheery statement on the counter in the bathroom.  The colors didn't stain or dye anything (which was my worry the first time I lathered up a bar in my brand new white tub).  I also have really sensitive skin (prone to redness, dryness, and also oiliness - yay) but this soap has not dried out my skin or aggravated acne; it's a really nice soap. 

Make a batch of these easy DIY gemstone soaps for holiday gifts - bonus points for whipping up birthstones!  (Or, if you're in a rush, you can always find Soap Rocks on Amazon for stocking stuffers and make/hoard these handmade gem soaps for yourself later).

Tips and Tricks for Making Melt + Pour Gem Soaps:

• Make sure to keep some areas translucent to create a more realistic "gem" look
• The mica/shimmer shows up better in clear glycerine
• If you don't like a color, re-melt the bar and try adding more dye (to darken) or glycerine (to lighten), or add a whole new hue and try again!
• If you get mica bubbles (I got some) spray with rubbing alcohol, or mix the mica with the alcohol before adding to the soap
• But don't worry about it being "perfect" - have fun and just go with it
• Clean up is a breeze (it's soap!) so I just ran my cutting board, knife and Pyrex cup through the dishwasher when I was done

I'll definitely be trying this again and I'll be sure to share my results.  Have you made soap?  I'd love to see!  Share a link in the comments or tag me on Instagram.  

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Uncommon Goods - Stylish Fireside Storage

Have you heard about UncommonGoods?  They are a really interesting company because they're hyper-aware of the world around them and strive to offer unusual finds and beautiful handcrafted goods, while trying to respect the world in which they are created and the people who produce them.  Much of what they sell is made in the USA, where even the lowest paid, seasonal employees earn 50% above minimum wage.  About a third of what they sell is made from recycled/upcycled materials.  As a feminist, what excites me most is that they work with not-for-profits - donating $1,000,000 to date and raising awareness - including RAINN (the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the States), Women for Women International (which provides tools for self-sufficiency to refugee women and survivors of war), and Reach Out & Read (a network of doctors and nurses working to promote literacy and language skills in the States).  I try to support socially conscious businesses, who sell goods manufactured in North America - or at least under livable/ethical conditions that don't exploit workers overseas - but I'm far (far!) from perfect.  The Siren Song of something cheap and cheerful sometimes beckons me, even though I know what factors drive prices down.  I know I should make more of an effort to learn where and how the things I buy are made, and I've been working on that as a personal goal, so I appreciate when a company makes it their policy to try their best to make a positive impact on the world.  If we each do a little...

I was given the opportunity to hand select items to review from UncommonGoods, and this gave me a chance to not only peruse the website but also test out the services.  The first item that I chose is a handmade lidded basket (click here to get the full scoop), which I actually really needed (okay, wanted).  After our paper shredder gave up the ghost, we started using all of our sensitive documents and receipts as fire starter instead of shredding and recycling them.  We needed a place to store this paper (which amasses so quickly).  We'd been searching for something with a lid to hide the mess, to no avail.  No local shops had what we were after so we were using a weird, tiny, orange pail that we had received some beer in.  This handmade basket caught my eye because it's aqua, but the lid and handles made it perfect for our intended use.




The basket is handmade in Senegal.  You can read more about the designer and her desire to bring independence to rural African communities right here.  (Click here to see the matching pink knitting basket - it's just as cute.)

Right now, the basket is sitting beside the firewood cubby but if I want to stash it in the office, the handles make it easy to maneuver - even when it's full.  It would look cute anywhere in the house (the bonus of a limited whole home colour palette).

Apologies for the horribly ugly wood in the cubby.  I mentioned on Instagram that because I carefully selected the prettiest rounds all winter, now I'm saddled with some real uggos.  We are going to call them organic and rustic.  Every room needs a rustic touch, right? 

 
Once I had a "practical" item chosen, I decided to pick something fun and decadent.  I really contemplated an agate cheese plate (click here to see) because the hunk of teal agate was calling my name, but I decided that a set of agate coasters (this set, to be precise) would be more practical for me.  Remember how I regretted not buying that second set of agate coasters when I made my DIY Framed Agate art?  Even though I have my solid wood DIY hex coasters, I can always make room for more.  I'm actually keeping this agate set in my office, to protect the solid wood top Hubby made for my treadle sewing machine desk.  I always have a mug of piping hot tea close at hand (it's getting chilly again and snowed a few days ago!).

You can buy these agate slice coasters gilded (click here), but I happen to prefer the raw look of the stone.  It's dyed agate so it's not completely "natural," but I like the organic quality.  It complements my rustic log pile ;)

Everything was shipped carefully and beautifully.  The agate coasters, for example, had some neatly trimmed foam between each slice for protection, but it looked nice enough to gift as-is, so you could easily order something from UncommonGoods and have it shipped directly to a recipient.  Both items were shipped separately, so there was no chance of them damaging each other in transit.  One thing that really impressed me about UncommonGoods is how nicely they handle customer reviews.  When they first contacted me, I perused their website and read reviews on many of the products I liked.  All of the reviews are uncensored - some products have hundreds - and any negative reviews (which are few and far between) have been dealt with politely and thoroughly - I love that!  You can shop with confidence thanks to that transparency.  And, if you're in a hurry or looking for something specific, you can shop by theme, like "Personalized Jewelry" (click here if you're curious), or "Housewarming Gifts" (which you'll find right here).  It's perfect if you have a specific occasion, person (like a recent grad!), or price range in mind.

Perhaps the most important thing to know, which you'll discover if you click over, is that UncommonGoods has a really beautifully curated collection of pretty and practical items that are perfect for gift-giving - or making your own space more special.  You don't need to sift through a million items but you're certain to find something special - from the comfort of your living room!

Disclosure: I partnered with UncommonGoods for this post but was not prompted to provide a positive review of their goods or service.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  I will definitely purchase from UncommonGoods the next time I'm searching for a gift for that hard-to-shop for person.  

A note to my fellow Canadians: some items do not ship to Canada, unfortunately - but you'll know immediately which ones do and don't, which makes shopping easier.  I had my items shipped to a shipping depot across the border.  I might live in a small city, but proximity to the States makes it pretty sweet!  They do try to make it easy by immediately recognizing your location as Canadian, so all prices show up in our dollar and the shipping quotes include duties and taxtes, with guaranteed landing fees - which is a big deal for International shipments.  As a Canadian, I feel very proud when I can support Canadian businesses, which I try to do as often as I can, but supporting American businesses is important to me too.  I feel a close connection to the US (partly because I'm so close I could probably lob a rock onto American soil with a good quality trebuchet), but also because I think that keeping jobs in North America - and supporting ethical overseas manufacturing - benefits us all.

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