Carolyn Fahy instructs several attendees at the soap-making event on how to stir fragrance and color.
The Cherry Hill library hosts at least one fundraiser a month to finance its various programs throughout the year.
The most recent was a soap-making workshop on Aug. 6 led by Carolyn Fahy of Uplifting Soaps LLC. She initially picked up the hobby during COVID, before transitioning into teaching classes on the craft.
“I took a soap-making class in person, and I literally brought home bulk everything, and I started making it from scratch,” Fahy recalled. “And then my husband said, ‘We have a lot of soap … I was like, I’m going to try to find something I can keep doing because I loved it so much. And I ended up here doing workshops.”
Library guests created two bars of soap, choosing a mold, color and fragrance for each, as well as choosing toppers to decorate them. Molds came in a variety of shapes and patterns, with some in the shape of roses or with ocean waves or floral patterns. Others were more classically shaped smooth ovals or rectangles.
The class used a melt-and-pour method for their creations, which entails using soap specifically made to be melted down, cut it into small pieces, melted in a microwave or warmer and poured it into the desired mold, adding colors and scents as desired.
Family members Ariel Tecza, Adrianne Tecza, Kristin Tecza and Corinne Tecza attended together.
“It was unique,” said Ariel, “because I’ve never made soap before. I liked all the options and all the colors.”
Toppers, smaller and sometimes shimmery soaps came in various shapes, from paw prints, four-leaf clovers and mermaid tails to more unique shapes like Labubu dolls.
Given the number of fundraisers the library holds during the year, volunteer coordinator Meredith Meyer tries to make the monthly events more substantial and unique than free classes at the library.
“I’m always looking for crafty things to do as fundraisers to make some money,” Meyer said. “They’re going home with a little bit more substance on something like this.”
Members of Fahy’s family helped to melt the soap in paper cups as she called up tables one by one so the handling of the molten soap could be managed.
Fahy emphasized to attendees the importance of stirring the liquified soap quickly, before the mixture begins to thicken soon after being removed from a heat source. Fragrances and colors were added to the soap slowly as participants mixed them, allowing them to choose the exact depth of color and strength of smell in the bars. The mixture was then poured into the molds.
Once both molds were filled, crafters took the trays holding them and waited for them to set. Once that happened, the bars could be removed from the molds without getting damaged, and guests were asked to attach toppers. Fahy melted the flat bottoms of the decorations on a pan over a hot plate, then adhered them in the spots the attendees requested.
Jennifer Bailey attended with her mother and saw neighbors she hadn’t seen in a while.
“That was cool to be connected with the community,” she observed. “It was amazing. It was really fun to learn the process, and it was really cool that we’ll have these pieces to take home with us.”
