Friday, August 16, 2013

August 2013 Great Cakes Soap Challenge Club - The Holly Swirl

Great Cakes Soapworks "Holly Swirl" Challenge


August 16, 2013

Don't you love a challenge? Soap making challenges always inspire me to be a bit more more creative and to give color and fragrance selection more thought than usual.  Or , as in lately, they actually get me to make a batch of soap!  I've been on hiatus since last December and am just now returning to soapmaking.  Although I've kept up with fellow soapmakers in the forums online, I realize that I've missed the process of actually planning and making a soap that I'm pleased with an look forward to sharing. 

The batch I made for Amy's "Holly Swirl" challenge isn't exactly what I was aiming for in design, but it smells fabulous and I'm pretty pleased with it overall.  A big thank you, as always, to Amy Warden for pulling these challenges together.  I look forward to them and hope they'll continue!

Confession:  I actually made two batches, but the second was a fail.  I think my trace was too thin and I ended up with very subtle swirls, but a beautiful peach color overall and it will make nice gifts this Christmas!

I did an "in the pot two color swirl" of green and yellow, mixed with an "in the pot swirl" of turquoise and yellow and poured them into a base color of cream/white made by adding 1 tsp. of titanium dioxide.
I'd use more base and less swirled colors next time and I'd also make sure that the colors I chose wouldn't muddy or blend together.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained !!

In honor of my all time favorite movie, The Wizard of Oz, and it's one week IMAX 3D release in October, I created City of Emeralds.   

Thank you for visiting and I hope you'll leave a comment or critique.  

~ Suzy @ Spoonbridge Soaps

Colorants: 
The Conservatory - Shamrock Green mica, Gold Luster Green
Bramble Berry  - Fizzy Lemonade, titanium dioxide

Fragrance:  Ancient Incense by Moonworks Collection


Forgive the poor photo quality. I'm saving my pennies for a good camera, but in the meantime this is the best it gets.












21 comments:

Gail Davidson said...

It's still a gorgeous soap. I love the colours. And I get disorganised after a week of no soaping so I hear you! :)

Unknown said...

Thanks, Gail ! I sure am out of practice, but I'll get back into it again. Just not on my game, but I'm not giving up!! :-)

Anonymous said...

That's a striking looking soap and the fragrance sounds complex and mysterious. It reminds me of a favorite scarf with the same color scheme. :-)

Natalia said...

Beautiful!

Unknown said...

Thank you! The fragrance really is wonderful - I'm always pleased with the Moonworks fragrances and how well they hold in soap.

Unknown said...

Thanks, Natalia !

Unknown said...

Original and striking, beautiful scifi/space soap!

Unknown said...

Thank you, Barbora !! :-)

talkeetnagirl said...

Beautiful colors!

LatherBeSoaping said...

Such pretty swirls, Suzy! The green and yellow look great together. What a beautiful tribute to the Emerald City and the yellow brick road!

Diva Prirodna Kozmetika said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Diva Prirodna Kozmetika said...

Wow, I see it as 'Lost in deep jungle'! Wonderful colours, Suzy! But also,the Emerald City fits perfectly!
I just think you should turn the flash off when taking pictures,even if it's night. You better use light in room and turn the flash off. Sorry if I said something that you'd already known!

Unknown said...

Thank you !!

Unknown said...

Hi Jenny, long time no chat :-)
Thank you so much - I appreciate that!

Unknown said...

I may need to change the name !!! I like it :-)
I'm worki g with an iPhone right now and really, really need to up my game with a decent camera and setup.
Thanks for the advice - I won't give up !

Cris said...

What a great name choice (love that movie too) and the colors and swirls fit very well.

Unknown said...

Thanks, Cris !!

Amy W said...

Love it!!! The soap, the colors, the name...as a Kansas girl, the Wizard of Oz has always held a special place in my heart. :)

Unknown said...

Aw, thank you Amy! You gotta love The Wizard of Oz!
Grand Rapids, Minnesota is the birthplace of Judy Garland and there's a great museum there if you ever find yourself in the area. Thank you again for these challenges - soap making is a reason to get out of bed in the morning !!

Chrissy said...

I like the colors you've chosen, and I agree with the comment above that it looks like a scarf. Perfect for the cooler Minnesota weather we'll be getting (far too) soon!

Unknown said...

Thank you, Chrissy! It sure felt like Fall when I took my dogs out early this morning. I hear we're in for warmer temps towards the end of the week though. I'm ready for Fall :-)