December 2022 Un-Challenge: (No more) New Year's Resolutions

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My first swirl! I'm assuming the speckles are from the cocoa that I sifted right over the batter and hand stirred in. I used ZNSB recipe again, but with almond oil in place of the olive. I ran out of almond and had to sub with 20g of olive, though. I also added honey.

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Wow! Good job, love the colors you got with the cocoa powder and honey.
The one on the right seems to have a heart inside 😍
Did you receive your silicone molds? these are so perfect.
 
I've been looking at these on Amazon and trying to figure out how on earth to use it! Is there a tutorial or a YouTube video on how to use it? Can I ask what section/area you found it in Walmart? Those are beautiful! And I just happen to have 3 Pringles cans under the Christmas tree. 😁
Hi @Servant4Christ - I searched pull through soap and found them. Lucky search! Here’s the link to the set I got.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/HIABIO-6...e-Soaps-Candles-DIY-Cake-Decoratio/2083288150
I watched a ton of videos on YouTube and searched the forum here to read tips from others. Can’t wait to see your soap if you try it. 🌸

Edit: I have no idea why the link to Walmart pull through is called that, but it does work and is correct. Looked weird to me and wanted to be sure others didn’t think it was click bait. 🌸
 
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That's beautiful, @Servant4Christ!! Isn't swirling fun?😃 FWIW, your cocoa speckles look intentionally pretty. Tell everyone you planned it that way. 😉
I think they'll be prettier when I get my silicone mold and learn to texture the tops. I'm either not good enough at lining with parchment or it's the graham cracker box's fault, but the outer sides of the loaf look a bit wrinkled.

Did you receive your silicone molds? these are so perfect.
Not yet. That's the other half of my graham cracker box mold.
 
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I always have crinkled sides when I use freezer paper. It's why I love silicone molds :)

Texturing is fine and makes the tops pretty, for sure. However, I have to be honest and state that non-textured tops actually feel better in my hands. Other users have commented about that as well, especially friends who requested textured tops and then later realized they didn't like the feel of them while washing.
 
I always have crinkled sides when I use freezer paper. It's why I love silicone molds :)

Texturing is fine and makes the tops pretty, for sure. However, I have to be honest and state that non-textured tops actually feel better in my hands. Other users have commented about that as well, especially friends who requested textured tops and then later realized they didn't like the feel of them while washing.
I am so happy to hear it's not just a novice error causing the crinkly sides with parchment paper! It looked so smooth when I lined the mold, but the soap tells a different story!
As for texturing, I am with you 100%. I don't like the feel of textured tops in my hands. I just thought I'd try the technique.
 
My first pvc pipe, first slab mold and first melt and pour mixed with cold process pour. Following "From Grace To You", Lapis Lazuli instructions. It was fun watching how the colors flow.
 

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Hi @Servant4Christ - I searched pull through soap and found them. Lucky search! Here’s the link to the set I got.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/HIABIO-6...e-Soaps-Candles-DIY-Cake-Decoratio/2083288150
I watched a ton of videos on YouTube and searched the forum here to read tips from others. Can’t wait to see your soap if you try it. 🌸

Edit: I have no idea why the link to Walmart pull through is called that, but it does work and is correct. Looked weird to me and wanted to be sure others didn’t think it was click bait. 🌸
I was like OMG don't click that link LOL. Glad you clarified. It does look weird, wonder why it was named that. You can also name your links if you want by filling in the text box.
 
I was even BUSIER than I imagined so I only managed ONE day for CP soaping. So I decided to do something that's been on the list...
An Oasis Swirl!
(the crowd oohs and ahhs)

Unfortunately, this one was a failure! 🤣
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I wanted to do a short pulse of my stick blender and then handblend the rest of it. But then the short pulses led to some textural oddity that I believe was a false trace of some kind so I had to stick blend longer than I wanted. I didn't get all the lumps out, as you can see especially in the teal and purple.

I originally was like, okay, this is fine. I'll just skip the gradient so I only need 5 colors instead of 7. But then the containers for accent colors I poured off were still pretty fluid despite the extra blending, so I got overconfident (I am a dumb man) that I could still do it.

Then I added in the premixed colors I had and, oh no, these colors aren't what I wanted! But if I take the time to fix them, I'll lose the fluidity even more! So I soldiered on.

Pouring was more of a spoonplop but I was thinking it'll still be fine. It'll just be unique with a tigerstripey middle instead of the usual oasis swirl middle. But then I banged it up even further by forgetting what the swirl pattern technique was and just winging it ("Oh, it's just hearts, right?" No. It was not.).

The bright side is, at the very least, I now have a good baseline of what TO DO if I want to try an oasis swirl again in the future. After all the nonsense this one went through, I'm just glad it passed the zap test and is, at minimum, functional soap 🤣

Hopefully I can join next month's challenge and actually succeed this time 😁
 
I was even BUSIER than I imagined so I only managed ONE day for CP soaping. So I decided to do something that's been on the list...
An Oasis Swirl!
(the crowd oohs and ahhs)

Unfortunately, this one was a failure! 🤣
View attachment 70183

I wanted to do a short pulse of my stick blender and then handblend the rest of it. But then the short pulses led to some textural oddity that I believe was a false trace of some kind so I had to stick blend longer than I wanted. I didn't get all the lumps out, as you can see especially in the teal and purple.

I originally was like, okay, this is fine. I'll just skip the gradient so I only need 5 colors instead of 7. But then the containers for accent colors I poured off were still pretty fluid despite the extra blending, so I got overconfident (I am a dumb man) that I could still do it.

Then I added in the premixed colors I had and, oh no, these colors aren't what I wanted! But if I take the time to fix them, I'll lose the fluidity even more! So I soldiered on.

Pouring was more of a spoonplop but I was thinking it'll still be fine. It'll just be unique with a tigerstripey middle instead of the usual oasis swirl middle. But then I banged it up even further by forgetting what the swirl pattern technique was and just winging it ("Oh, it's just hearts, right?" No. It was not.).

The bright side is, at the very least, I now have a good baseline of what TO DO if I want to try an oasis swirl again in the future. After all the nonsense this one went through, I'm just glad it passed the zap test and is, at minimum, functional soap 🤣

Hopefully I can join next month's challenge and actually succeed this time 😁
I would be so happy if my failure soaps look like these!
Thank you for posting it! Looks really good to me 🙂
 
Un-challenge accepted! 😂
I made a kaleidoscope soap and cut it today. I picked up a pull through tool set at Walmart online for under $15 and lined a Pringles can. I was inspired by our resident master of pull through soaps, @TashaBird, and also used bolder colors like she does. You do amazing work, @TashaBird, thanks for the inspiration and sharing your knowledge 🥰
I didn’t get quite the contrast I wanted with the pink and orange, but still pretty cool for a first try. I used BB Fired Up Fuchsia colorant, Yellow oxide pigment, Ultramarine blue pigment and Tangerine Wow colorant, and alternated the pour in that order from my funnel pitchers down the rod of the tool. Scent is BB Coconut Citrus Sorbet FO. I can’t wait to do this again with a different pattern from the tool set. 🌸
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Gorgeous!
 
That's a beautiful soap @Cindy D.!! A brave decision to try so many new things at once, but it turned out beautifully 😍

@basti that soap is gorgeous. I don't think it's a failure.. you just invented a new technique 😉
 
My "Forbidden Christmas Cake"

So, in the summer, I found this silicone Bundt cake mold at a charity shop. I instantly envisioned a soap like the cartoon Christmas Cakes we all know and love.
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I did an ITP swirl using Dark Brown Oxide (Candora) in the brown part with Vanilla Hazelnut FO from Candora. I think it actually Decelerated my batter! I used Satin White mica from Fizz Fairy for the white and did not add the FO to that. I'm experimenting if this will help against discolouration from the vanillin in the FO; but I'm not holding my breath. I also oven processed for the first time, and I think I'm never going back!

Bonus: forbidden cake batter!

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I used the same soap recipe and white mica for the "Icing"; again, without FO. I stick blended to a thick (?) trace and tried using some homemade piping bags from freezer paper, but that didn't work so well. I ended up using a popsicle stick to slather it on and moved it where I wanted. Any tips for using a bag for soap piping/icing are much appreciated!

The "Cranberries"/"Cherries" are M&P with Lipstick Red mica (again, Fizz Fairy). I used the tips of an ice cube mold, but they ended up more flat than I thought they would.

I'm SO happy with how it turned out! It definitely LOOKS homemade, as opposed to cartoonish, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it as I get more practice as I'm DEFINITELY doing this again! It definitely looks like real, homemade cake! Smells AMAZING! Definitely using this FO again!

I think I've mentioned everything. If not, feel free to ask!



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My "Forbidden Christmas Cake"

So, in the summer, I found this silicone Bundt cake mold at a charity shop. I instantly envisioned a soap like the cartoon Christmas Cakes we all know and love.
View attachment 70207 View attachment 70206

I did an ITP swirl using Dark Brown Oxide (Candora) in the brown part with Vanilla Hazelnut FO from Candora. I think it actually Decelerated my batter! I used Satin White mica from Fizz Fairy for the white and did not add the FO to that. I'm experimenting if this will help against discolouration from the vanillin in the FO; but I'm not holding my breath. I also oven processed for the first time, and I think I'm never going back!

Bonus: forbidden cake batter!

View attachment 70208 View attachment 70209 View attachment 70210

I used the same soap recipe and white mica for the "Icing"; again, without FO. I stick blended to a thick (?) trace and tried using some homemade piping bags from freezer paper, but that didn't work so well. I ended up using a popsicle stick to slather it on and moved it where I wanted. Any tips for using a bag for soap piping/icing are much appreciated!

The "Cranberries"/"Cherries" are M&P with Lipstick Red mica (again, Fizz Fairy). I used the tips of an ice cube mold, but they ended up more flat than I thought they would.

I'm SO happy with how it turned out! It definitely LOOKS homemade, as opposed to cartoonish, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it as I get more practice as I'm DEFINITELY doing this again! It definitely looks like real, homemade cake! Smells AMAZING! Definitely using this FO again!

I think I've mentioned everything. If not, feel free to ask!



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OMG! This looks so real! People are going to try to eat it 🤣
Good job! So creative 👍
 
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