Soap Challenge Week Two. 2013

This week's soap challenge is to make a soap using a technique called "Elemental Swirls".  Amy Worden from Great Cakes Soapworks described it like this, " in-the-pot swirls divided by a pencil line. You will need to divide your soap into eight equal parts – 3 colored parts with similar tones + 1 uncolored part for each layer". I decided that I wanted to try this method using my Upright Vertical Mold instead of pouring it into a regular loaf mold. My thought was to pour the 2 different 'in-the-pot swirls' on each side of this mold and before removing the center divider to twist it 180 degrees and that would make the color transfer to the opposite side of the mold and create a circle in the middle of the soap. Well one thing I have learned with soap making is you don't always get what you planned. In this case my soap was setting up too fast after adding the fragrance and I did not get a fluid pour, more like I just better hurry and glob it into the mold pour. My circles of colors are a bit lopsided due to the soap setting up so fast but I still like how the soaps turned out, each one has its own personality. Can soaps have personalities, or maybe I should say their own uniqueness?

The fragrance I used was "Pearberry" and I again printed off pictures of fruit and berries to plan out my colors. For the pear colors I used Apple Green Mica and Yellow Mica, for the berries I used Magic Blue Mica, and the red I mixed Red #4 and Red Lake #7 and mixed in a bit of Valentine Red (TKB trading).

I would have liked to take more pictures to share of my process with you but the soap started setting up way to fast so I hurried to get it into the mold and just hoped for the best. 

Be sure and stop by Amy's blog and check out the other soaps made by all the other talented soap makers at: GreatCakes Soapworks

 

Mold - check.   Soaping Oils - check.
fragrance oil - check.   Colors - check.

 

 




My picture for my color inspiration.

 

Here is the soap in the mold after the center divider
has been turned 180 degrees and removed.

 

The soap unmolded, can't wait to see it cut!


The following pictures will show you just how different each soap came out.
I would have liked to have seen more of the natural soap base but
I still like them. I will definately try this again!

 

I had some soap batter left over and I poured it into a small loaf mold.
The soap was too thick to pour so I spooned each color into the mold dividing the
colors on each side of the mold. I think these turned out cute also.