Mar 15, 2016

WordPress is a new blog spot for me.  I tried Google, but suddenly they wanted money and hijacked my image. If I tried to share my links, it was their crummy rainbow and not the photo I was trying to share.  So please, bear with me as I try a new site.  I copied my other posts, with the dates and photos.

 

For those of you who don’t soap, you may not understand what I am about to say.  For those of you who do, I can only hope you have experienced this.

Suffice it to say that some challenges are bigger than others.  As a participant in the Soap Challenge Club of Amy Warden, I look at each challenge and my mind fills with ideas.  The first challenge, the modified Taiwan Swirl, I managed and was quite proud of learning a new technique.  The second challenge, Winter Wonderland, after a couple really bad fails, I gave up on that one.  The third challenge, the one for this month, is the Rimmed Soap Challenge.

Again, my mind swirled with ideas.  I ordered molds and supplies and got ready to make my soap.  The first setback was the molds.  Way too big.  Okay, I stepped back and stooped down by purchasing Pringles, so I could use the can.  My poor son inherited those “wonderful” chips.

Thursday, March 10, I was ready.  I made my first attempt at my rim.  Imagine my dismay when the next morning, it broke in two.  I was dismayed, but not defeated, and tried again.  Sigh… second failed attempt, as her recipe was so high in palm it was tracing way too quickly.  Saturday, I got the bright idea to try to use melt and pour for the rim, since I reasoned it was a softer soap.  Note to self.. It broke too.  I went to bed Saturday night totally deflated and ready to quit.

Sunday I got up renewed and decided to follow her recipe again, only this time make two pounds instead of one.  It still was still very quick to trace, but I did my best to work the swirl I wanted. I thought that perhaps my trying to make a thin soap was my problem and went for a bigger slab.

Sunday night, I was ready with my wire cutter, books, CD’s (and anything else that would fit in the mold to raise it high enough to slice) and put it in.  A big breath, and I tried to slice.  The wire cut my fingers.  I rolled it tighter and covered it in tape to try again.  Success (so I thought), a lovely piece just the right thickness.  I tried to roll it only to have it start to crack too. I wasn’t going to give up, as I still had a big piece to cut again. One more attempt.  I cut a second slice, and gently rolled it.  It worked!!!  I must have looked pretty silly dancing around the kitchen with a Pringles can!  I headed to the soap room to make the second part of the project, the middle.

I had researched just what fragrance I wanted (floral) and knew it could slightly accelerate trace.  That was a complete understatement.  In no time I had mashed potato.  But, I managed to get my colors into the molded rim.  I grabbed my chop stick and tried to make my pattern, which didn’t seem to work so well.  But, I was done.  It would be whatever it would be.

One of my favorite sayings in soap is there is no fail, only happy accidents.  Well, I now know my rims failed for making rims, but will make fabulous confetti for a future batch.  Today, Monday 3/14, I ripped the Pringles can from the soap.  The thought occurred briefly to save the mold.  Nope, I was DONE!

As I gently wiped off the outside with a damp cloth, I inspected the ends.  Blobs.  I walked to my cutter, determined to have a happy accident; in other words, something that came out looking better than a blob.

I am not sure how to describe the nirvana I felt after the cut, when I picked up the first piece.  I stared at my design in shock.  It worked!  How, I don’t know, but it worked!  There, staring back at me was a flower, a lovely two-toned pink flower.  A happy dance couldn’t even come as I stared, taking in how lovely it looked.  I picked up piece after piece and a smile came across my face.  And a famous movie quote “I love it when a plan comes together,” crossed my mind.

So, I am proud to present my Floral Fantasy.  Something I doubt I could recreate, but something I am happier than happy to share and enter in the challenge.  Please, leave your comments below; I want to know if you love it too.  And, in case you are wondering, for now, I really am done trying to do this again!  This was one tough challenge!