Soap Challenge Club - Column Pour 12-13-13

This month's soap challenge offered by Amy Worden of Great Cakes Soapworks is called  "Column Pour", or Column Swirl. 

I have been waiting for a long time to do this technique. I found a star shaped ceramic candle holder at a Goodwill store a while back and thought it would be perfect for a column swirl and couldn't wait to try it. As a soaper  I look at a lot of things differently now, I am constantly looking at things and wonder if I can use it for soaping, or will it make a good soap mold. Some of my finds have worked really well, while others have not. I think this star shaped candle holder worked out perfectly for a column pour and will save it for future soap batches. I don't think it will ever see a candle again, but lots of soap    :)

I used Bramble Berry's "Kumquat" fragrance oil and it is AMAZING! It does not accelerate in the soap and gave me plenty of time to accomplish the column pour. Beside behaving in the soaping process it also smells wonderful. For my colors I used Titanium Dioxide, and the following mica's: Magic Pink, Apple Green, Luster Grey, and Melon Orange.

One day while reading  Otion's Soap Blog they had featured a column swirl created by Kat, it was so beautiful, you can check it out here. She used a circular pattern for the swirl. I love it so much I decided to give it a try also.  Mine did not even come close to being as nice as Kat's, but I sure had fun doing it. 

Here is the picture of Kat's Column Swirled soap,
which was the inspiration for my soap.

Now here are the pictures of my soaps, I hope you will enjoy them also.



My colors are mixed and ready to pour.
Here is the star candle holder I am using for my column.

Here is the first pour of each color of the soap.



All the colors have been poured and I
have removed the star column.



Here I have completed the first part of my swirl.



I have now completed the circular part of the swirl.




A close-up of the center, the middle section reminds me of a snail shell.
 



Cut into bars.



It sure looks different after they are cut into bars of soap.