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Cobblestone soap

The bars that just didn't turn out like they looked in your head or the batches in which the scent disappeared about the same time you sliced it.  The ends of a loaf.  The crumbled edges.  The odd-sized scraps and the leftover bits.  If you've been soaping for any length of time, you have a shoebox full of oddball soaps.  If you're like me, you hate to callously throw out your hard work, so you just start a new shoebox. 

I've done various things with my scraps over the years.  I've shredded them up for laundry and I've handed stacks to family.  I've shredded them for decoration in other bars and used scraps to make sugar scrub cubes.  Yet they continue to accumulate.  However, a family member reminded me of one of the most obvious uses for leftovers--cobblestone soap.  I have to admit that I've only ever made it once, in an attempt to salvage a batch of pureed cucumber soap.  I'm not sure what I did wrong, but the batch had the nasty stench of saponified veggies.  Needless to say, chopping it into little bits and adding it to another batch with another fragrance (albeit a lovely cucumber-mint) did little to redeem it.

I think I must be a suggestible person, because two days later I decided I just HAD to try a batch.  I chose fruity scents as my theme and had no trouble finding enough variety in my boxes.

Here's what I came up with, the pale green soap holding the bits together having a coconut-lime scent.


I was on a roll.  My project the following day was my leftover Christmas soaps--a mash-up of the best of the season.  The pines, peppermints, spices, and Christmas treats all in one delightful cacophony of color and fragrance.  I could easily have just mixed them with some unscented batter and still have plenty of scent.  Pero no.  I decided to try out a new ginger fragrance I'd bought.  I thought it was be so pretty, a stark white soap with all sorts of Christmasy soap chunks. 

What?!  You see a peach colored soap?  Nonsense; it's your imagination.  Since when is peach associated with Christmas?   That's why I used a non-discoloring fragrance.  Ahem.  What I really like about this particular batch, however, is that I can detect the different scents of the various batches.

I am a huge fan of this whole cobblestone thing now and I already have more batches planned because there is no shortage of soap around here. 

You do remember, don't you, that today is the LAST day to enter Bramble Berry's Givember giveaway?  Make an order today so you'll be ready to jump right into next year's soap projects after the holiday season.  Include the code GIVEMBER50 to be entered in a drawing for a Bramble Berry gift certificate.
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Comments

  1. Diva Prirodna KozmetikaNovember 30, 2012 at 4:36 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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    Replies
    1. Amy@10th Ave.November 30, 2012 at 1:20 PM

      You're right! I don't think I'll ever be able to catch up with all the scraps....they must multiply quietly in their little shoebox. :)

      Delete
    2. Diva Prirodna KozmetikaNovember 30, 2012 at 5:18 PM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. Diva Prirodna KozmetikaNovember 30, 2012 at 6:39 PM



      Hi Amy,your soaps are beautiful and I don't think anyone would mind the colour.
      That's exactly what I do with my leftovers, I hate throwing anything away. But,you know, I used the old scraps ,and immediately new ones come to their place and it never stops. Sometimes I wish to make a huge batch with all I have just to see the shoebox empty

      (After I noticed my mistake,I had to delete the old comment and I'm posting now what I really meant. Sorry for this inconvenience)

      Delete
    4. Amy@10th Ave.November 30, 2012 at 6:53 PM

      *giggles* I knew exactly what you meant! I don't think anyone will truly care, either, it just wasn't the color I expected to see. No worries, Maja! :)

      Delete
  2. LatherBeSoapingNovember 30, 2012 at 8:21 AM

    I love the cobblestone soap idea, Amy, and yours turned out beautifully! It's cool how each bar looks and smells unique depending upon the combination of scraps. All of the Christmas scents together must smell heavenly!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy@10th Ave.November 30, 2012 at 1:23 PM

      I'm so delighted by the Christmas batch; it's in my bathroom right now, actually. I think it will be an annual tradition, and I'd like to make batches to go along with the scraps from each season throughout the year, too.

      Delete
  3. Anne-MarieNovember 30, 2012 at 1:50 PM

    Love the idea of cobblestone soap, and what a great use of leftover scraps. :)

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    Replies
    1. Amy@10th Ave.November 30, 2012 at 3:09 PM

      Thanks, Anne-Marie! It is a good use of leftovers, and fun--every slice is a surprise!

      Delete
  4. LauraNovember 30, 2012 at 7:14 PM

    I love them both, and I know what you mean about that little shoebox because I definitely have one too! Hope you have fun with all your future scrap soap projects!!

    ReplyDelete

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