February Challenge- Soap Stones

[newbie]

I had to re-do the list. We had a couple people enter who do not have enough posts and/or time when they entered, and we have to stick to the rules of minimum of 1 month AND a minimum of 50 "non-fluff" posts.

We have worked on these challenges to provide people with new techniques and some low-key incentive to push their soaping creativity. The spirit is to sign up to make soap according to the gauntlet we have chosen to thrown in front of you. Understandably, people run out of time or find some well or other a bit dry for the month. Entrants are still allowed to vote because we get that, but signing up just to vote is not in line with the purpose of the challenge. Please, for the love of all that's holy, try to make a soap! The Surgeon General may not have declared it good for your health but we all know that it improves your quality of living.

Please make and ENTER a soap. It keeps us challenge hosters feeling worthwhile, and you know it's all about us.

1. Misschief - I REALLY want to try this!
2. Primrose - Wow what a cool tutorial!
3. Dawni - I think I can finally have a go at a challenge
4. Hendejm - I am going to plan better this month!
5. Meena - This challenge may be one that I'm actually capable of fulfilling as a still-new soaper, heh heh
6. zanzalawi- it is my destiny
7. dibbles - messing with my soap on purpose - this will be interesting
8. SaltedFig - Stone Soap Rocks
9. KiwiMoose - Oh alright then. I have an idea for this, but I can't promise I will receive my supplies I need to do it before the entries close. Keep yer fingers crossed for me that they arrive.
10. earlene - want to get back in the groove
11. MarnieSoapien - I think I can, I think I can.
12.Terri E -I love soapy rocks! ))))))))
13. midnightsoaper - this is my 50th post
14. szaza - the stones are calling me!
15. SideDoorSoaps - I really wasn’t gonna but now I NEED to try something that I’ve been wanting to do for awhile
16. Jules92207 - good challenge to get back into the groove since I’ve been MIA a while

 

[newbie]

Misschief, extra kudos to you for soaping through thick and thin! I love you!

 

[Misschief]

Misschief, extra kudos to you for soaping through thick and thin! I love you!

Love you right back! I'm in awe of all of you challenge hosts.

 

[Meena]

Featured snippet from the web
In the card game of "Bridge" the suits of cards (hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades) have ranks, with spades being the highest rank. Making the Ace of Spades the top card, as it were. When you say you have something "in spades" you have a great abundance of it, or a high degree of quality of it.
phrases - What does "in spades" mean? - English Language & Usage ...

https://english.stackexchange.com/q/162372

Thanks Earlene, I did know that one. Where does "all get-out" come from, though?

 

[Carolyne Thrasher]

@Carolyne Thrasher Your soap stones look very real! So cool, they remind me of bird eggs

Thank you @Terri E. The challenge was timely because I was making these for a popup market in March anyway. I wanted a simple river rock look.

 

[Misschief]

Thank you @Terri E. The challenge was timely because I was making these for a popup market in March anyway. I wanted a simple river rock look.

Carolyne, those are simply lovely!

 

[KiwiMoose]

Here’s mine, just made this morning. Will hopefully be set enough tomorrow to cut. A bit of an experiment this one!

 

[SaltedFig]

@Carolyne Thrasher
I was enjoying the tranquility of your river rocks ... then I read your description ... and now I WANTs them!

 

[Carolyne Thrasher]

Carolyne, those are simply lovely!

Well I really loved your amethyst. My son and I rock tumble and it’s my absolute favorite.

 

[Primrose]

Mine is in the mould … will see what we have to work with when I get home from work this arvo

 

[Dawni]

Here's my entry for this month:
Winter Is Coming! - obsidian arrowhead guest soaps.
Translucent soap colored with activated charcoal and scented with a fresh/wintery blend of peppermint, eucalyptus, pine and clove (a variation on 'highbrow' from EOcalc)
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(It took me a while to figure out how to properly carve arrowheads out of soap)

Awesome! I'd put them on display if i had them here lol they look so cool

View attachment 36348 View attachment 36349I have a dish of stones at my desk and of the dozen or so, three of them are Amethyst so I decided to try to duplicate it. It's scented with Black Tie but it's very faint.

I hope you're feeling better since this post. I love your soap, the block and the stone.

This is my entry I carved my stones from pieces of soap and soap dough. I made 3 layers and in the middle layer (orange and pink) added some butterflies I made from soap dough as a little surprise. I rolled some of the cut soap in gold mica to add a bit of sparkle! It is scented with Spearmint & Eucalyptus

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This is so cool! Must have taken you a while to make them.

I love rocks and crystals, and own at least 100 different ones. I really like seeing how they sometimes form together in matrices, and my entry is meant to suggest malachite with chrysocolle. (I didn't look up what else these form in matrix with, so I don't know offhand what the white mineral is.)

Here it is before the cuts.
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First test stone. Oh yeah, this is gonna work! Woo hoo!

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Here are the other soap stones I made by cutting the loaf in a variety of ways, and hand-moulding the pieces. I left the wedge shapes be, to show the 'marbling' inside the loaf.

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This next pic is most true-to-color. I shot these outside, so all the other ones are a little washed-out.

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Very nice Meena.. I love the colors you used for this overall effect. Kudos too for trying with your 8th batch. I've been too chicken to try until this month lol and seeing everyone's entry is giving me "stage fright" haha

Here’s my entry

Edit:

So here’s some info about these soaps. They are soleseife made from Oregon coast seawater collected on the day of the last super moon which I think was also a blood moon and there was a corresponding king tide.

I used coffee grounds to get the speckled look. Oxides, clays and micas mixed until I had the colors I wanted. And I did use a soap shaped mold.

That seawater description has a load of label appeal! I'd grab it right away if I saw it hehe

I just got back home from a three day trip. Here we have s gathering for our departed after 40 days where we go to the cemetery and offer flowers and prayers. Then it's party time after lol guess who was karaoke queen for the night haha. I'll post my entry tomorrow

 

[Terri E]

Not an entry but just for fun, here are some of the soap rocks (gemstones) I have left What a great time I had with this challenge

 

[Meena]

Not an entry but just for fun, here are some of the soap rocks (gemstones) I have left What a great time I had with this challenge

View attachment 36465

You put a lot of work into these beautiful miniature stones, Terri, judging by all the different colors and looks you achieved. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict a First Place win for you.

 

[Terri E]

You put a lot of work into these beautiful miniature stones, Terri, judging by all the different colors and looks you achieved. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict a First Place win for you.

Thank you Meena, you are way too kind I appreciate you

 

[Terri E]

@Dawni Your stones look like you picked them up out of the garden! So real, very nice

 

[Dawni]

Thank you @Terri E

You're one of my soap idols on this forum and that means a lot.

 

[Meena]

Those are gorgeous, @Dawni! I love them AND Darren's chunky bar -- great job!

Side note: I'll be making a neem soap for a friend's son with acne one of these days; been waiting for them to buy me the neem oil. Black seed oil is definitely great stuff but it's pretty expensive here, so I doubt that I'll soap with it. Is it kind of inexpensive in the Philippines?

 

[Dawni]

Those are gorgeous, @Dawni! I love them AND Darren's chunky bar -- great job!

Side note: I'll be making a neem soap for a friend's son with acne one of these days; been waiting for them to buy me the neem oil. Black seed oil is definitely great stuff but it's pretty expensive here, so I doubt that I'll soap with it. Is it kind of inexpensive in the Philippines?

I'm sure you have a great recipe in mind, but if you're interested in the advice I got for the first batch it's here. This second batch is tweaked so let's see if it works better. The principle is the same though.

Actually I couldn't find it cheap here, but I didn't look much. The bottle I had came with the powders from Pakistan, from dad. There's its not terribly expensive apparently and neem oil is dirt cheap lol

Know what else came cheap from there? Rose water.. Gonna see if he'll agree to use a toner with witch hazel lol otherwise I'll think of something for mom.

And thank you Meena

 

[Meena]

I'm sure you have a great recipe in mind, but if you're interested in the advice I got for the first batch it's here. This second batch is tweaked so let's see if it works better. The principle is the same though.
Actually I couldn't find it cheap here, but I didn't look much. The bottle I had came with the powders from Pakistan, from dad. There's its not terribly expensive apparently and neem oil is dirt cheap lol
Know what else came cheap from there? Rose water.. Gonna see if he'll agree to use a toner with witch hazel lol otherwise I'll think of something for mom.
And thank you Meena

I actually have Not had a chance to dig into a recipe for acne soap yet, so thanks for that link!
Yes, according to SO, black seed oil is a cure-all in the Muslim world, so I'm not surprised it was cheap in Pakistan. I have 2 bottles of Rose Water (by accident, forgot I had one), & love the smell of that stuff!

 

[Primrose]

My first attempt.at the fissures technique was a bust. Seems the reserve soap and the TD in water didn't make it very far through the fissures at all. Not sure.i will have time for another attempt before the end of the challenge but I'll definitely have another go at some point because I adore the look of it