February's Soap Challenge with Amy Warden's Soap Club is all about embeds in soap. An Embed is soap placed into and covered with more soap so that when the loaf is cut you will have a unique artistic bar.
I have been making soap balls with left over soap from many of my batches so I already had balls of different sizes and colors to work with as well as curls and shreds of soap from many different batches.
I started this soap by alternating colors of my pre-made soap balls so there were no two colors next to each other. This took some planning and rearranging. Once I had the balls planned out to where they were supposed to be placed I made a 100% coconut soap with 20%SF base. This was planned to be a gradient from dark to light pink however I don't notice much of a color change within the bar.
I have been making soap balls with left over soap from many of my batches so I already had balls of different sizes and colors to work with as well as curls and shreds of soap from many different batches.
I started this soap by alternating colors of my pre-made soap balls so there were no two colors next to each other. This took some planning and rearranging. Once I had the balls planned out to where they were supposed to be placed I made a 100% coconut soap with 20%SF base. This was planned to be a gradient from dark to light pink however I don't notice much of a color change within the bar.
Here is a video of my process that went so fast once I started that I could not film the assembly portion as the balls were going where they wanted to go instead of where I wanted them to go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voMI7f74LEM&feature=em-upload_owner
I did end up adding chips of pink and purple bits of soap at the top and also a larger ball rolled in gold mica but decided to cut that top off for the final picture.
I also ended up Oven Processing this loaf because I wanted the balls to stick into the newly made soap. They had been cured for several months and I didn't want to take the chance of having them fall out of the bar. This is the cut of the loaf with the ball on the top and it does look like a solar system with the planets but I was not liking the look of the top. So..... I took the cutter and cut it off!!!! OH NO!! I loved how the embedded balls look and the gradient of pinks actually is visible from a darker to a lighter color toward the top. It did morph to an orange instead of a hot pink but I still like the effect.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voMI7f74LEM&feature=em-upload_owner
I did end up adding chips of pink and purple bits of soap at the top and also a larger ball rolled in gold mica but decided to cut that top off for the final picture.
I also ended up Oven Processing this loaf because I wanted the balls to stick into the newly made soap. They had been cured for several months and I didn't want to take the chance of having them fall out of the bar. This is the cut of the loaf with the ball on the top and it does look like a solar system with the planets but I was not liking the look of the top. So..... I took the cutter and cut it off!!!! OH NO!! I loved how the embedded balls look and the gradient of pinks actually is visible from a darker to a lighter color toward the top. It did morph to an orange instead of a hot pink but I still like the effect.
And one thing I didn't realize at the time was that I put the balls/embeds into each bar so when I cut there was soap covering each set of balls and you could not SEE THEM!! So I needed to trim them again to get to see the balls! Lets see how it looks trimmed up without the top.
I like it both ways! And the thing I like most is that as you use this soap more and more colors will become apparent in the bar. Can you see the little peek of yellow on the bottom left corner? This soap will continue to change colors as it is used. How can you Not Love That?
Until next month.... <3 Bubble Love Soap <3
Until next month.... <3 Bubble Love Soap <3