Skip to main content

Cobblestone Makeover

Remember this not-so-great batch?  It's ok if you didn't; it wasn't that memorable.  I had just resigned myself to the fact that my family was going to be using fruit loop scented soap for months to come when a commenter suggested that it be rebatched into a cobblestone soap.  Genius!  I've always used this method to use up scrap pieces of soap, but this was my first time reinventing a so-so batch.



I finally did it last week.  Chopped into little chunks, the colors really popped and the swirls were suddenly gorgeous.




I added it to another batch of soap of the same scent.  It so much easier on the eyes, methinks.


Thanks so much, SoapJam, for reminding of a great way to turn a less than mediocre batch into a beautiful soap!
Labels:

Comments

  1. SoapJamFebruary 4, 2014 at 7:59 AM

    The chopped up soap looks gorgeous, and i love the makeover, Amy! No one ever hopes to chop up their soap, but I find that people are drawn to the cobblestone look. Love how you named it Cobblestone, by the way. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amy@10th Ave.February 4, 2014 at 8:03 AM

    Yes, the goal is never to have to re-do a batch, but isn't it a million times better looking?! And that's worth it! Thanks again for your suggestion! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. LauraFebruary 4, 2014 at 9:28 AM

    So true, always devastating to have to "upcycle" your soaps, but people really love that look! Looks great Amy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy@10th Ave.February 4, 2014 at 10:15 AM

      Upcycle--yes, that's the word!! Thanks, Laura! :)

      Delete
  4. Andee @ TheSage.comFebruary 4, 2014 at 10:10 PM

    I love this idea! It makes the soap look fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy@10th Ave.February 5, 2014 at 6:09 AM

      Thanks! I think so too! I love how cutting it up made the swirls look so different.

      Delete
  5. Diva Prirodna KozmetikaFebruary 5, 2014 at 7:15 PM

    It looks great,Amy. I'm just about to do something like that from the batch I don't really like. It's kind of comforting that we don't waste the batch we hate! And moreover, a totally new, gorgeous soap comes out of it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy@10th Ave.February 12, 2014 at 8:41 AM

      Yes, it is comforting not to have to use ugly soap or rebatch it and have the colors turn a lovely shade of mud or waste it by tossing it. Who knows, I may just make a batch with the intention of using it in another batch?!

      Delete
  6. LatherBeSoapingFebruary 6, 2014 at 7:43 AM

    I love the cobblestone embeds, Amy! Those swirls are very pretty. This is a great way to breathe new life into a batch that maybe didn't go according to plan. Bravo!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy@10th Ave.February 12, 2014 at 8:42 AM

      Thanks, Jenny! I loved seeing a different side of the swirls, too.

      Delete
  7. CeeFebruary 8, 2014 at 8:58 PM

    I love the way this turned out Amy, such pretty swirls and vibrant colors!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy@10th Ave.February 12, 2014 at 8:44 AM

      Thank you, Cee! I think the bigger chunks of the soap that I chopped up looked like a psychedelic Saturn and its rings--super cool!

      Delete
  8. Anne-MarieFebruary 10, 2014 at 1:02 PM

    You totally executed the re-do wonderfully, they look great =)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Amy@10th Ave.February 12, 2014 at 1:09 PM

    Hi Anne-Marie! Thanks! :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My plans for 2019...

...also known as A Loose Idea of How I Imagine the Year Will Go. (Because who actually has things go as predicted? Not this girl.) I started selling at the Monroe farmer's market way back in 2012. That first year I was at the market every Wednesday afternoon. By the next year I was going both days a week--Wednesday and Saturday--and continued to be a "full-time" vendor for several years. In 2018, I decided to slow down. I had to, actually, because I had so many "life" things that needed my attention as well as a number of family commitments that fell during market hours. For someone that once rarely missed a day in a 50+ market season, vending even once a month became hard to fit in. After a lot of recent thought, I've decided not to stretch myself as far as I've done these last few years. I know for sure I won't be vending at any of the indoor market dates through April. But beyond that, all my markets and show dates for 2019 are to be dete...
Post a Comment
Read more

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 powd...
21 comments
Read more

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...
17 comments
Read more