Challenge Soaps

What challenge?!  Amy Warden of Great Cakes Soapworks hosts a monthly Soap Challenge Club!  I've been able to take part in 4 of the challenges, but will only be posting pictures for 3 of them.  The 4th worked out fine as a soap, but I really don't like how it looks!

The first challenge was the Peacock Swirl [see Monday June 10, 2013 for the making of video].  Here is what it looks like today, TD specs and all!

[Peacock Swirl soap scented with 'pink sugar' from Nature's Garden, made in the Brambleberry 9 bar wood mold]

The second challenge was the Mantra Swirl, or Modified Mantra Swirl.  I went for the modified version.  Here is a PARTIAL video, unfortunately my batteries died part way through and I didn't have time to get new ones as my fragrance oil was an accelerator.

Here is the soap today:

[Modified mantra Swirl soap scented with 'tropical vacation' from Brambleberry, made in the silicone loaf mold from Wholesale Supplies Plus]

The third challenge soap I made was a 3 colour gradient soap.  I didn't get a video because I had temporarily misplaced my memory card (it was still plugged into the computer!).  I'm really quite happy with how this one turned out!

[3 colour gradient soap scented with 'mixed berries' from Aroma Haven/ Rustic Escentuals, made in the silicone loaf mold from Whole sale Supplies Plus]

And a couple group shots, just because!

[top: "Berrylicious", bottom: "Tropical Smoothie"]

[left: "Pure Sweetness", middle: "Tropical Smoothie", right: "Berrylicious"]

Next up: "Squeeze Bottle Designs" Soap Challenge Club, hopefully made tomorrow, will give spoiler pics but no video or final pics until the link up happens with the club!

Prince Soap... sort of!

This video has been sitting "in the drawer" for a while now, I wasn't sure if I would post it or not because the soap did NOT work.  I attempted this soap 3 times and finally decided that the fragrance oil simply doesn't like to work in CP soap.

This soap was made the day the Prince was born, and made in his honour.  I was SO bummed that it didn't work out!  But its the thought that counts, right?  I'm a huge Royal family fan, and just couldn't resist giving this soap a go.

Here is the video of me making the soap.  There is no video or pictures of what the soap became, all 3 times.  I was just too bummed each time to even think about snapping a picture.  Just imagine 12 bars of yellow caustic goo with a thin cake of crumbly soap floating near the bottom.  SO FRUSTRATING!!!!

Tomorrow I should have up the next post, a review of the soaps I've made for the soap challenge club.  And Thursday I HOPE to have time to make a batch for this months challenge!  I've been jonesing to get in on the new techniques!

I will do my best to make the challenge soap AND video it!  Thanks for bearing with me while I try to balance life, work, and soaping!

Recovery!

Well, partially!  I was unable to have the missing posts restored, so I shall have to redo them!  A couple months ago I -tried- to make some Dragon's Blood soap for my husband, and all seemed well... at first!

After I finished the batch, which seemed a bit smaller than usual, I located my olive and castor oil still sitting on the counter!  ACK!  Only time I've ever done that!  So I made a video of me rebatching the mess too! 

So embarrassing!  Can't believe I forgot oils!  My hubby doesn't like the rebatch as much, but it gets the job done.  Taught me to look twice before I get my lye added though!

Here are a couple of pictures of the bars today, 3 months after the initial oops; miss that green swirl!

Next up: "Prince Soap", which was a complete failure (all 3 times!), but I still made a video of it!  And pictures of the 3 soaps I've been able to do for the Soap Challenge Club (there is a fourth, but it didn't work out so well!).