Skip to main content

Teardrop Flop--sort of

I knew I was pushing my luck when I tried to squeeze in some time to make a batch of soap.  But if everything went exactly as I wanted, it would work just fine.  ....Does anything ever go absolutely perfectly? So why did I think it would this time?  I guess it's just the thrill of the challenge.

I've long admired the teardrop effect in soap--this is my very favorite example.  I thought I would try it out on a batch of caramel apple soap.  The fragrance I knew would discolor to a dark brown, so I left some unscented and used a merlot mica to give the top teardrop layer a deep red.  In my mind it would be caramel-y and gorgeous and look as good as it smelled.

The problem was that the red portion was much thicker than the rest of the batch.  I had already poured the base color into the mold and was supposed to be out the door 5 minutes ago.  To put my own twist on the classic advice, "When in doubt, charge ahead."  So I just started pouring. I wasn't like I could tuck it away and come back and finish in a few hours.  Like I feared, the red soap sunk and disappeared immediately, even when I poured it gently along the surface.  I sprinkled some glitter on the top, grabbed my keys and took off.  I suspected a well-deserved flop. A classic Pinterest fail.

But imagine my surprise when I cut into it and saw a couple of bushy mustached faces looking back at me.

 And further down the loaf--

Several people have said that they look like jack-o-lantern faces, which goes just fine with a fall soap.  I can't for the life of me figure out how I managed this one.  And of course, I couldn't repeat this if I wanted to, either.

But I did try the teardrop again this week.  I used burgundy oxide for the drops and colored the rest with a smidge of cocoa powder.
Scented with Applejack Peel, a spicy apple fragrance
Not too bad for a teardrop-challenged soaper.  Next time I might even let myself try a two color teardrop.  After that, look out world.

Comments

  1. I've realized that soaping is best done at a relaxed pace. I tend to make mistakes when I am rushing.
    Your first try actually looks cool with those faces! And your second is beautiful! Love the rich burgundy and the gold mica top, and the tear drops are so well defined. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I think things are guaranteed to go awry when you don't have time for them to. Thanks, SoapJam!

      Delete
  2. I wish I could say that rushing was always bad but unfortunately some of my prettiest soaps were the rushed ones. So no lessons learned for me! But I love your pumpkin man soaps. They make me giggle!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They make me giggle, too. I do think it might get a little uncomfortable when Mr. Jack-o-lantern or Mr. Surprised start leering at me in the shower, though...

      Delete
  3. The faces in the soap look so cool, Amy! I especially like the surprised-looking fellow further along in the loaf. Your Applejack Peel soap turned out great, too. The teardrops are pretty, and I love the mica swirls on top!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks to YOU, Jenny! I'm not much of a video watcher, but I watched your Christmas teardrop soap video to give me some courage to try it again.

      Delete
  4. Hey,it's such a funny soap! All those faces...you could never do this purposely! And the second one is gorgeous, what beautiful tops!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Diva! It was nice to discover that I hadn't bombed the soap, even though it wasn't the look that I wanted.

      Delete
  5. Even though the first batch didn't turn out how you planned, I love the unexpected effect!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes, me too, Anne-Marie! Who knew a bar of soap could make a nice conversation piece?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Soaping with Madder

I know that any color added to soap can morph into a surprise, but there is an added element of unknown when using botanicals to color my soap.  Some people jump out of planes or ski off mountains, but this is how I live on the edge these days.  Hmm.  If I weren't having so much fun, I'd be embarrassed. I recently had my first go with madder.  So....whatsa madder?  It's a root--the root of the madder. Ahem. (I love puns...) I infused 8 oz. of olive oil with 2 t. madder root powder for almost a week.  This amount worked out to be 20% of the oils in my batch. I wanted something in the way of embeds to add visual interest.   I dearly love my soap balls but I don't want to over do a good thing.  I've recently done square-shaped embeds, so this time I cut a bar of white soap into slices. I panicked a little that it wouldn't get dark enough--it was kind of a dusty peach--so I added 1/4 t. dried powder right before pouring. Madder powder can get a little

Soap Challenge--Piping

I'm jumping into Amy W's soap challenge here in week 3--piping soap.  I chose to make a version of a batch I made last year--my Sweet Pea scented soap.  It was really popular for me last summer so why mess with a success? Some soapers assume that piping soap means that it must be whipped, but it's not necessary to whip it first.  When I don't want the whipped look (or more frequently, don't want to clean beaters) I just let it sit until it thickens up on its own.  (By the way, don't you adore these itty-bitty dishes?  I just bought them a few weeks ago. A set of four cost $1 at the Dollar Tree!) I used a Wilton tip #3 to make the little squiggles. I added tip #103 sweet peas and made leaves with a # 352 tip. One thing I love about piping soap....it never leaves even a trace of ash to spoil the design.   And then I took lots of pictures (it was a rather photogenic batch).  Here are a few-- These will be cured enough to have them at t

Loofah--from vine to soap

If you've followed my blog for a long time, you've already seen a post on one of my favorite things to grow--loofah, but I think it's time for another one.  People are often surprised when they learn that loofahs are grown.  No, a loofah isn't a sea sponge, but the mature "skeleton" of a zucchini-like plant.  Everyone knows they are good for the bath but they also make great natural pan scrubbers in the kitchen.  They are so popular that I have to remember to tuck away any that I want to keep myself. I raise three or four plants every year.  Like a zucchini or a cucumber, it likes to spread out with little regard to another plant's personal space.  Here is last year's crop. Early in the summer, the loofahs remained neatly on the trellis: But then they wandered over to the basil: Cozied among the tomatillos: And hung out with the butternut squash: Harvest time was a regular treasure hunt.  But I ended up with about 20 loofahs fr