July 2019 SMF Challenge - Landscape/NOT Seascape Design
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I will try outside of the actual entry....me being artistically challenged. Looking forward to the beauty I am going to see from all of you!
Can't wait to see how it came out!!!Tonight was my only open window of time this month to give a landscape soap a go. I spent an hour sketching it out while looking at my inspiration photo, deciding on color blends, scent, etc, then prepping everything. In my head (and on paper) it looked good. This is one of those times the idea in my head did not translate to the soap batter. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a train wreck! Geez.... I had soap batter everywhere, used just about every spatula I own plus a dozen or so dixie cups. The clean up was loads of funSigh.... At least it smells good.....
I hope you do try - and please know this is a friendly competition, so consider joining 'officially'. If you don't want to enter a soap, I hope you will post a picture of what you make.
Exactly! It's all in good fun, putting our skills to a little friendly competition. If you end up not entering anything, that's ok too! I just love seeing everyone's contributions and how this sparks everyone's creative energy! Such fun!!
I’m working towards a soap worthy of this challenge and have three different soaps so far... (I had the time because I started at the tail end of my stay-cation). It has been a very steep learning curve! I had grand illusions that drove me to try the most challenging design first . It’s not terrible, and I could’ve (should’ve) stopped there, but something is driving me on to do a better job mastering some “basics”.
Some of the “simple” elements I was hoping to incorporate are turning out to be the most difficult. I planned to make them by splitting out small portions of batter, coloring them and then bringing them to a lt-med trace. Well, my stick blender is too big, the badger is too small and my arm muscles barely have the endurance for that plan. It didn’t help that the first recipe I used is the slowest one I have. I thought that would give me more time to work. Yep! It took an entire day to build that soap while I waited forever for one part to set up before I could move on to the next part. And, I could have waited even longer if there had been enough hours in that day. The story also has a part for the soap gremlins. The recipe, which I’ve used many time before, turned kind of a light (very light) peachy brown as soon as I added the lye water. That’s not good when part of the design calls for white soap!
I changed my design... I changed my recipe... still slow moving, but hopefully a little faster, but also prone false trace at room temp. I solved that problem by putting the “next” split of the batter into a warm water bath before I used it. With the temperature issue under control, bringing the soap to the required level of trace was still a challenge for the second soap.
And then there are the natural colorants. Green is the most challenging, of course. I could make a landscape without green, I suppose, but that’s not how the design went... and mixing naturals colorants to get a desired shade is not an exact science. Then there is the to gel or not to gel question.
And then, if you have even read this far, you’re probably wondering why I’m not splitting the oils and the lye! That’s the third soap! It helps, but I still have the issue of bringing very small splits of soap to a firmer trace. I’m contemplating ways to tweak the recipe to make it faster, or, it may be time to step back from the mold... for a few days... maybe...
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be in a challenge, but this is turning out to be a super learning experience! I just need one more week of stay-cation!
. It’s not terrible, and I could’ve (should’ve) stopped there, but something is driving me on to do a better job mastering some “basics”.Some of the “simple” elements I was hoping to incorporate are turning out to be the most difficult. I planned to make them by splitting out small portions of batter, coloring them and then bringing them to a lt-med trace. Well, my stick blender is too big, the badger is too small and my arm muscles barely have the endurance for that plan. It didn’t help that the first recipe I used is the slowest one I have. I thought that would give me more time to work.
Yep! It took an entire day to build that soap while I waited forever for one part to set up before I could move on to the next part. And, I could have waited even longer if there had been enough hours in that day. The story also has a part for the soap gremlins. The recipe, which I’ve used many time before, turned kind of a light (very light) peachy brown as soon as I added the lye water. That’s not good when part of the design calls for white soap!I changed my design... I changed my recipe... still slow moving, but hopefully a little faster, but also prone false trace at room temp. I solved that problem by putting the “next” split of the batter into a warm water bath before I used it. With the temperature issue under control, bringing the soap to the required level of trace was still a challenge for the second soap
. And then there are the natural colorants. Green is the most challenging, of course. I could make a landscape without green, I suppose, but that’s not how the design went... and mixing naturals colorants to get a desired shade is not an exact science. Then there is the to gel or not to gel question.
And then, if you have even read this far, you’re probably wondering why I’m not splitting the oils and the lye! That’s the third soap! It helps, but I still have the issue of bringing very small splits of soap to a firmer trace. I’m contemplating ways to tweak the recipe to make it faster, or, it may be time to step back from the mold... for a few days... maybe...
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be in a challenge, but this is turning out to be a super learning experience! I just need one more week of stay-cation!
One other thing that could be tried with a slow moving recipe is to use a slightly accelerating fragrance oil (or EO). You still don't want to use one that seizes. Split off and color the batter for one or all of the layers, then add the FO to the layer you are working on only. Pour before it gets too set. You can cover the mold once the layer is poured and sculpt/shape once it is thick enough. Then start with the next layer.
For my example soap I used Aroma Therapy from Nurture Soap added only to the portion of the soap I was working with. It moved things along, but stayed pretty workable for a short window of time. It set up quickly once poured. My recipe was slow moving so the whole batch stayed fluid until it was portioned off.
For my example soap I used Aroma Therapy from Nurture Soap added only to the portion of the soap I was working with. It moved things along, but stayed pretty workable for a short window of time. It set up quickly once poured. My recipe was slow moving so the whole batch stayed fluid until it was portioned off.
Even adding a well behaved FO to only part of the batter at a time and blending or whisking it in may help move things along. If you have any clove EO, a few drops of that will also work- it doesn’t take much.
Cinnamon or ginger EO will speed things up as well[emoji6]
I have ginger and clove EOs, so maybe I’m in business! I’m also going to order the FO from Nuture. The irony here is that when I took the plunge into FOs, I purposely researched them to make sure that I did not purchase any that caused acceleration
.And thanks for the help. Much appreciated
1. earlene - if I can get it made in the next few days!
2. steffamarie - super excited!! this is a very inspiring challenge.
3. amd - tackling my pine tree nemesis
4. MarnieSoapien - takes a deep breath and steps forward
5. jcandleattic - this is a soap that has been on my list for over 5 years!! Maybe now I'll get it done!
6. szaza - not sure if I'll have time but landscape soaps have been on my list since I started soaping, so it's about time I give it a try!
7, msunnerstood - Because I am a glutton for punishment.
8. KristaY - I was in Sedona last week with inspiration everywhere. Hmmmm....
9. Mobjack Bay - stepping up to the mold and the challenge...
10. Amy78130- Let's do this!
11. Primrose - I have an idea, but time is limited
12. scard- Maybe I can get it made on time?
2. steffamarie - super excited!! this is a very inspiring challenge.
3. amd - tackling my pine tree nemesis
4. MarnieSoapien - takes a deep breath and steps forward
5. jcandleattic - this is a soap that has been on my list for over 5 years!! Maybe now I'll get it done!
6. szaza - not sure if I'll have time but landscape soaps have been on my list since I started soaping, so it's about time I give it a try!
7, msunnerstood - Because I am a glutton for punishment.
8. KristaY - I was in Sedona last week with inspiration everywhere. Hmmmm....
9. Mobjack Bay - stepping up to the mold and the challenge...
10. Amy78130- Let's do this!
11. Primrose - I have an idea, but time is limited
12. scard- Maybe I can get it made on time?
I have ginger and clove EOs, so maybe I’m in business! I’m also going to order the FO from Nuture. The irony here is that when I took the plunge into FOs, I purposely researched them to make sure that I did not purchase any that caused acceleration
And thanks for the help. Much appreciated
I made landscape #4 yesterday. With the clove and ginger EOs in hand, I decided to tackle a simplified version of my original design. The EOs definitely helped speed things up, but I tend to soap in the “slow lane” and 9 hours elapsed before the loaf went into a warm oven. That includes the time it took to get everything set up, get my colors ready, etc. An upside of being so slow is that I now know that my lard based recipe can be brought to trace and layered after sitting around “chillin” at emulsion stage for an hour or two. This morning is the exercise in patience. My top layer is not as dark as I intended, but I peeked down the inside of the liner and can see some fairly bright colors. If the greens hold, there’s hope...
Now I can’t wait to see what everyone else comes up with!
I'm so curious what you came up with @Mobjack Bay!
I haven't had time to soap since July started. I'm trying to clear my schedule for next weekend so I can do the design I intend. I want to try my hand at an inlaid soap design, but that's probably going to be a multi day project and I'm not sure if that's the best option timing-wise. Techniques involving carving soap seem to be my go-to if I want to do something fancy.. Can next month's challenge please be confetti soap? I still have a bunch of soap scraps stored in boxes waiting to be put in soap[emoji14]
I haven't had time to soap since July started. I'm trying to clear my schedule for next weekend so I can do the design I intend. I want to try my hand at an inlaid soap design, but that's probably going to be a multi day project and I'm not sure if that's the best option timing-wise. Techniques involving carving soap seem to be my go-to if I want to do something fancy.. Can next month's challenge please be confetti soap? I still have a bunch of soap scraps stored in boxes waiting to be put in soap[emoji14]
Carvings and inlays sound good! I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
It’s too early to share, but my soap has a lot of layers and many of them involve green
. I’ve been plugging away at getting my soap done because I’m going to be super busy at work for the next two weeks. I just cut into landscape #4 and while it’s not a Van Gogh or a Wyeth, it’s definitely a step forward for me and I’m happy with it. There is one completely different kind of landscape soap I thought about making early on, and if I do get some time before the end of the competition, I may give it a try. It’s a modern design that I *think* I could pull it off relatively easily given what I’ve learned making the other four landscapes. Soap mania 
1. earlene - if I can get it made in the next few days!
2. steffamarie - super excited!! this is a very inspiring challenge.
3. amd - tackling my pine tree nemesis
4. MarnieSoapien - takes a deep breath and steps forward
5. jcandleattic - this is a soap that has been on my list for over 5 years!! Maybe now I'll get it done!
6. szaza - not sure if I'll have time but landscape soaps have been on my list since I started soaping, so it's about time I give it a try!
7, msunnerstood - Because I am a glutton for punishment.
8. KristaY - I was in Sedona last week with inspiration everywhere. Hmmmm....
9. Mobjack Bay - stepping up to the mold and the challenge...
10. Amy78130- Let's do this!
11. Primrose - I have an idea, but time is limited
12. scard- Maybe I can get it made on time?
13.
2. steffamarie - super excited!! this is a very inspiring challenge.
3. amd - tackling my pine tree nemesis
4. MarnieSoapien - takes a deep breath and steps forward
5. jcandleattic - this is a soap that has been on my list for over 5 years!! Maybe now I'll get it done!
6. szaza - not sure if I'll have time but landscape soaps have been on my list since I started soaping, so it's about time I give it a try!
7, msunnerstood - Because I am a glutton for punishment.
8. KristaY - I was in Sedona last week with inspiration everywhere. Hmmmm....
9. Mobjack Bay - stepping up to the mold and the challenge...
10. Amy78130- Let's do this!
11. Primrose - I have an idea, but time is limited
12. scard- Maybe I can get it made on time?
13.
1. earlene - if I can get it made in the next few days!
2. steffamarie - super excited!! this is a very inspiring challenge.
3. amd - tackling my pine tree nemesis
4. MarnieSoapien - takes a deep breath and steps forward
5. jcandleattic - this is a soap that has been on my list for over 5 years!! Maybe now I'll get it done!
6. szaza - not sure if I'll have time but landscape soaps have been on my list since I started soaping, so it's about time I give it a try!
7, msunnerstood - Because I am a glutton for punishment.
8. KristaY - I was in Sedona last week with inspiration everywhere. Hmmmm....
9. Mobjack Bay - stepping up to the mold and the challenge...
10. Amy78130- Let's do this!
11. Primrose - I have an idea, but time is limited
12. scard- Maybe I can get it made on time?
13.Nanooo48 - this would be my first entry and I’m still a little confused and nervous lol. Don’t get mad at me if I mess up! Or forget!
2. steffamarie - super excited!! this is a very inspiring challenge.
3. amd - tackling my pine tree nemesis
4. MarnieSoapien - takes a deep breath and steps forward
5. jcandleattic - this is a soap that has been on my list for over 5 years!! Maybe now I'll get it done!
6. szaza - not sure if I'll have time but landscape soaps have been on my list since I started soaping, so it's about time I give it a try!
7, msunnerstood - Because I am a glutton for punishment.
8. KristaY - I was in Sedona last week with inspiration everywhere. Hmmmm....
9. Mobjack Bay - stepping up to the mold and the challenge...
10. Amy78130- Let's do this!
11. Primrose - I have an idea, but time is limited
12. scard- Maybe I can get it made on time?
13.Nanooo48 - this would be my first entry and I’m still a little confused and nervous lol. Don’t get mad at me if I mess up! Or forget!
Wow, I’m impressed!I’m working towards a soap worthy of this challenge and have three different soaps so far... (I had the time because I started at the tail end of my stay-cation). It has been a very steep learning curve! I had grand illusions that drove me to try the most challenging design first
Some of the “simple” elements I was hoping to incorporate are turning out to be the most difficult. I planned to make them by splitting out small portions of batter, coloring them and then bringing them to a lt-med trace. Well, my stick blender is too big, the badger is too small and my arm muscles barely have the endurance for that plan. It didn’t help that the first recipe I used is the slowest one I have. I thought that would give me more time to work.
I changed my design... I changed my recipe... still slow moving, but hopefully a little faster, but also prone false trace at room temp. I solved that problem by putting the “next” split of the batter into a warm water bath before I used it. With the temperature issue under control, bringing the soap to the required level of trace was still a challenge for the second soap
And then there are the natural colorants. Green is the most challenging, of course. I could make a landscape without green, I suppose, but that’s not how the design went... and mixing naturals colorants to get a desired shade is not an exact science. Then there is the to gel or not to gel question.
And then, if you have even read this far, you’re probably wondering why I’m not splitting the oils and the lye! That’s the third soap! It helps, but I still have the issue of bringing very small splits of soap to a firmer trace. I’m contemplating ways to tweak the recipe to make it faster, or, it may be time to step back from the mold... for a few days... maybe...
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be in a challenge, but this is turning out to be a super learning experience! I just need one more week of stay-cation!
I can hardly wait to see the photos of everyones soap!
steffamarie
Well-Known Member
Made mine just now!! Waiting for it to set so I can cut it is gonna be sooooooo difficult
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