SMF October 2021 challenge - butterfly hanger swirl

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I posted my official entry, so now I want to share what I learned in the challenge. I used my brand new tall and skinny clear acrylic mini-mold (2.5x4.5from customcrafttools. I love it! The design is much easier to assemble and disassemble than another acrylic mold I have.

For the swirl, I used one of the coated wire tools available on soaping sites, but It wasn’t thick enough to get a good swirl. So I saved a straw from Dunkin’ Donuts, cut it to fit inside the mold, and slipped it over the wire.

#1 was the first time I used the new mold. Unfortunately I used the wrong numbers to calculate how much soap was needed to fill the mold. Didn’t make that mistake again! Scented with Persephone’s Kiss from Nurture.
C24D1FBB-0B1E-4C6E-8BA5-80412A0AA183.jpeg


#2 Colors were inspired by my daughter’s beloved Blue Morpho butterfly plush toy, and I experimented with a peach colored background. Unscented.
991EBBB5-293D-412D-928F-92C945E3C16F.jpeg


#3 Inspired by the beautiful fall colors on trees outside my windows and a beautiful moth photo. Scented with Avalon from Nurture. (Did not like candy fragrance OOB, but it mellowed in soap and the apple note dominates.)
74A31244-1815-4C2A-843C-650A18F4D276.jpeg


#4 Chose pink, red, and green to go with the fragrance Crisp Apple Rose from Bramble Berry.
2E0C2B4B-DA84-4898-9ED9-3B2EC5CDECB7.jpeg


#5 The shape looks just like a butterfly, but the colors weren’t poured right. The batter went from taking forever to trace to very rapid acceleration. It’s unscented, so I can’t blame it on the fragrance oil. I will try this swirl again and repeat using white (or background color) at the top of the pour.
7BB2B907-41CF-470B-B015-576D48AA7969.jpeg


Thank you @Primrose for choosing the butterfly swirl. It was on my list of techniques to try, and you got me moving. 😊❤️
 
Here's my single attempt and non-entry.

It was inspired by a photo from our honeymoon of a golden birdwing butterfly:
WP_20131025_026.jpg

The colours came out pretty well, and the mango and jasmine scent is just the sort of exotic chaos I remember from Thailand :)

Unfortunately, the rapid acceleration put paid to my swirling plans, and this was the result:
IMG_20211028_195917.jpg
 
Here's my single attempt and non-entry.

It was inspired by a photo from our honeymoon of a golden birdwing butterfly:
View attachment 62120

The colours came out pretty well, and the mango and jasmine scent is just the sort of exotic chaos I remember from Thailand :)

Unfortunately, the rapid acceleration put paid to my swirling plans, and this was the result:
View attachment 62121
It would be nice to see how this butterfly would come out after a swirl without an accelerating fragrance. It’s nice the fragrance brings sweet memories. 💕
 
Alas, no butterflies from my accelerated batch, either, but mostly because I swirled in the wrong direction. 🤦‍♀️

But if we ever have a twins-in-the-womb challenge, I'm all in! 😁

(which reminds me that my very first butterfly swirl attempt resulted in a full set of female abdominal reproductive organs: ovaries, tubes, and uterus! Not sure what to make of this recurring theme in my swirls... 🤔)
 

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@AliOop , It's still really nice, and I like the color combo and design.
:secret: Um, can I ask you something personal in a public forum? Is your biological clock ticking?
Oh, it's no secret, that clock wound down about 10 years ago. Actually at the time, it was more like a bomb timer going off, but we've all gotten past that, thankyouverymuch. 😁
 
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Alas, no butterflies from my accelerated batch, either, but mostly because I swirled in the wrong direction. 🤦‍♀️

But if we ever have a twins-in-the-womb challenge, I'm all in! 😁

(which reminds me that my very first butterfly swirl attempt resulted in a full set of female abdominal reproductive organs: ovaries, tubes, and uterus! Not sure what to make of this recurring theme in my swirls... 🤔)
You know there is a market for woman organ themed soaps right? I bet some nonprofit could use that soap in its fundraiser. 🤣

@ScentimentallyYours those are all amazing! Any one of 2, 4, or 5 could have been a contender for a placing finish in the challenge.
Thank you so much for the kind encouragement! ❤️🌹❤️

🦋 @ScentimentallyYours 🦋
Your soap is amazing' like I'm so jealous' just kidding, 🤣🤗💞🦋.
Thank you! Now you know how I feel when I’m looking at your soap! 🥰
 
You know there is a market for woman organ themed soaps right? I bet some nonprofit could use that soap in its fundraiser. 🤣
Until now I've always thought that organs were unisex 😲. Have to have a close look next time I'm in a church, if there is more to the gender gap among organists than the notorious machismo in clerical hierarchies.
 
Alas, no butterflies from my accelerated batch, either, but mostly because I swirled in the wrong direction. 🤦‍♀️

But if we ever have a twins-in-the-womb challenge, I'm all in! 😁

(which reminds me that my very first butterfly swirl attempt resulted in a full set of female abdominal reproductive organs: ovaries, tubes, and uterus! Not sure what to make of this recurring theme in my swirls... 🤔)
Or, it's twin chryslises.
 
I tried one more pour, mostly because I loved @earlene ’s monarch colors! I went with AC and
Nurture Soap Eye of the Tiger and Fire Fly. I also wanted to try out a FO I got from Soapalooza. It’s pretty awesome and behaved a little to well! I was afraid it was gonna be too fluid and mix. Plus it smells pretty good.. Lavender Ginger. I couldn’t wait until morning to cut it! As soon as I got home from work I unmolded it! It was still warm! 😳😬

But OMG! I’m so pleasantly surprised! I will never be able to recreate this! Thanks @Primrose this was a awesome challenge and @earlene for the inspiration!
554BCAAE-874D-4843-8BDD-EC9F6EA18EAA.jpeg

I think the very thin trace did have the colors blending a bit with the base making the charcoal a pleasant gray and shading to the orange and yellow! I’m so excited!😍
 
I tried one more pour, mostly because I loved @earlene ’s monarch colors! I went with AC and
Nurture Soap Eye of the Tiger and Fire Fly. I also wanted to try out a FO I got from Soapalooza. It’s pretty awesome and behaved a little to well! I was afraid it was gonna be too fluid and mix. Plus it smells pretty good.. Lavender Ginger. I couldn’t wait until morning to cut it! As soon as I got home from work I unmolded it! It was still warm! 😳😬

But OMG! I’m so pleasantly surprised! I will never be able to recreate this! Thanks @Primrose this was a awesome challenge and @earlene for the inspiration!
View attachment 62134
I think the very thin trace did have the colors blending a bit with the base making the charcoal a pleasant gray and shading to the orange and yellow! I’m so excited!😍
Beautiful Soap' Wow!!! left image a "Beautiful Butterfly" Right Image I see a "beautiful butterfly" in the image of a lady in high heels with a Flared Skirt.
Absolutely Love It.. 🧼🦋👠👠👗
 
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I tried one more pour, mostly because I loved @earlene ’s monarch colors! I went with AC and
Nurture Soap Eye of the Tiger and Fire Fly. I also wanted to try out a FO I got from Soapalooza. It’s pretty awesome and behaved a little to well! I was afraid it was gonna be too fluid and mix. Plus it smells pretty good.. Lavender Ginger. I couldn’t wait until morning to cut it! As soon as I got home from work I unmolded it! It was still warm! 😳😬

But OMG! I’m so pleasantly surprised! I will never be able to recreate this! Thanks @Primrose this was a awesome challenge and @earlene for the inspiration!
View attachment 62134
I think the very thin trace did have the colors blending a bit with the base making the charcoal a pleasant gray and shading to the orange and yellow! I’m so excited!😍
I tried one more pour, mostly because I loved @earlene ’s monarch colors! I went with AC and
Nurture Soap Eye of the Tiger and Fire Fly. I also wanted to try out a FO I got from Soapalooza. It’s pretty awesome and behaved a little to well! I was afraid it was gonna be too fluid and mix. Plus it smells pretty good.. Lavender Ginger. I couldn’t wait until morning to cut it! As soon as I got home from work I unmolded it! It was still warm! 😳😬

But OMG! I’m so pleasantly surprised! I will never be able to recreate this! Thanks @Primrose this was a awesome challenge and @earlene for the inspiration!
View attachment 62134
I think the very thin trace did have the colors blending a bit with the base making the charcoal a pleasant gray and shading to the orange and yellow! I’m so excited!😍
Wow! ❤️Absolutely gorgeous!❤️ How on earth did you get the black outline colors on the outside? I think thin trace works really well with the butterfly swirl, and it certainly worked for you here @violets2217. Eye of the tiger and firefly colors are perfect! Did you pour the colors separately or use an ITP technique for the color pour?
 
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