SMF January Challenge Black and White

[dibbles]

Where do we post our entries?? Will there be a separate thread or do we post them here??

There will be a separate thread. Glad you got something!

 

[CaraBou]

SweetBubble, there will be a separate thread for entries. I'm not sure the exact date it will open, but probably in a couple weeks or so. The link to it will be provided in this thread on the date it opens, at the end point of the thread on that date. Typically we've had to scroll through the challenge primer/announcement thread (e.g., this thread and its equivalents) to find the link, but I'm asking Saponista (and other hosts) if the link can also be provided at the bottom of the very first post so that it is super easy to find at any time. That would require their first posts to be edited long after original creation, but it sure would be convenient for the rest of us.

What do you think, Saponista (and newbie, LP, sonya, galaxy)?

 

[newbie]

The entry thread is always separate and titled as the Entry Thread for the XXX Challenge so it should be easy to spot. As per her original post, she will open the Entry thread on January 16th and it will close on January 29th.

I imagine Saponista would be fine posting a link to that thread at the beginning of this thread, but generally the two different threads are easy to see.

 

[Sonya-m]

Yep, no issues from me with posting the link in here too

 

[CaraBou]

How easy it is to find the entry thread depends on how/how often you check the forum, and how often the thread is updated. The longer it has been since you've been on the forum, and the fewer times the thread is updated, the harder it is to find the entry thread. It's much easier to find the setup thread (especially if you've replied on it at least once), but again depending on how often it is updated, it can be a hassle to find the link. I'm not saying it's extremely difficult, I just think it should be as easy as it can be. Thanks for considering it.

 

[Saponista]

I'm happy to put it up there if you feel it would be useful carabou

 

[lionprincess00]

Try #1 is about to begin! Excited. I always have a hard time figuring out how much batter to split per color and design. How much white for this portion, black for this part etc. Wish me luck, I need it!

 

[lionprincess00]

And, fail. Sigh. Onto planning #2.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

Did the first try today. What I was supposed to go for was an elegant, clean sophisticated soap, you know, like elegant cherry blossom dancing in the trees, all in in black and white *cue Tchaikovsky - Waltz of the Flowers* (love that piece!!)

What I in reality got was a creepy, black and white soap that reminded me of the dark forrest in the darkest fairytales, you know the trees that stretch out to grab you and eat you alive!

Yeah, not feeling confident to enter this blob of darkness. Seriously big nope on that one.

On the other hand it could be creepy enough to actually be cool.

What to do, what to do...

 

[luebella]

Wait till you see my hideous blob! Yours sounds cool!

 

[Sonya-m]

Sounds like a few of us are struggling- it seemed a simple concept but it's actually quite hard!

My 2nd try I thought was over swirled is actually not too but attempt 1 is hilarious!! I will post pics later

 

[luebella]

Lmao I felt so artistic doing mine. I want stoked to cut it! It's a mix of cp and mp. Oh man.. The end result.. Some people love it and some say it looks like a cross eyed chicken or goose lol.. I am not trying again though I just don't love black and white together

 

[Judiraz]

I' m three tries in as well. I had a feeling about this one.....

 

[newbie]

I want to see the creepy one if you aren't entering it, Soapyheart! I love those kinds of soaps. Actually I want to see everything everyone's made for this challenge, boom or bust, just because there is so much room for design.

I had no idea the threads were more difficult to find if you hadn't been on for a while. I have to admit that I take a look at the forum every morning while I'm having a chai tea before I go to work so I've not had a long period without hopping on. We can make the addition of the entry thread link a standard part of the first post, I'm sure, as well as putting it other places so everyone can see and find it in various ways.

 

[DeeAnna]

Just put Trial #3 in the oven. My other two trials are ... lukewarm okay ... but even I can't get too excited about either one. They're black and white with no gray, but that's partly the trouble. I think I'm playing it too safe in my desire to not get too much mixing -- I'm not getting any interesting patterns.

I hope my soaping mojo is stronger tonight. Is it good luck to make soap during the new moon?

If Obsidian is reading this ... this trial is also that HO sunflower "castile" that you and I have been talking about in another thread. I figured high oleic sunflower should give a nice white soap, so why not combine two goals in one batch of soap?!?!

 

[jules92207]

Cut my first attempt tonight. Its ok, but as predicted I think the heart embeds are a bit too ivory. I won't post a picture yet just in case it's my only success.

I definitely want to see these infamous attempts.... Creepy tree soap sounds awesome!!!

 

[newbie]

So you did a -40% SF for this, DeeAnna, but with the HO Sunflower oil or did you make a normal SF castile? I miss the texture of the negative SF when it has finally traced; it was really fun to work with but I didn't care much for the castile part. I should give a go to a regular but very low cleansing recipe and see what happens. It can be difficult to account for the shrinkage in the design though.

 

[DeeAnna]

Newbie -- it was just a normal soap -- no superlye stuff. I used 35% lye concentration and 3% superfat. Ingredients were HO sunflower, water, lye, EDTA, fragrance, colorant. Yes, that "superlye" Andalusian recipe is weird to make. And my two batches with that recipe shrank a lot too. Not the prettiest soap after it's cured for a few months.

To share the context of why I did this HO sunflower soap -- Obsidian and I were talking about soaps that do the "castile slime" thing, but aren't 100% olive. She said her 100% HO safflower didn't make slime, and I said a 70% HO safflower + 30% lard soap does. So then the conversation turned to us wondering if HO sunflower would make slime or not, since it's even closer to the fatty acid profile of olive than HO safflower is. And so that's why I ended up doing what I did tonight. I'm curious to see what I shall see....

 

[newbie]

That will be interesting. If it doesn't slime, then what's the element that produces that sort of lather? I assume you'll accommodate all of us impatient watchers and give the soap a lather up sooner than a couple months? Please?

 

[DeeAnna]

Yep, I will!