# Elephant Soap Pics



## CaraBou (Feb 21, 2014)

I made these for a friend who just walked 100 miles in Kenya to raise funds and awareness about the horrible consequences of the illegal trade in elephant ivory.  I am so inspired by her!  I knew I had to make a special soap for the cause, and sought help here a few months back for ideas and soapspiration.  The creativity that came forward from SMF'ers was _INCREDIBLE_; please visit http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=39636 to see the imagination and genuine support 
that gushed forward.  I was inspired by you all every bit as much as I was by my friend.  

Thank you newbie, Tienne, dixiedragon, lizflowers42, Lindy, and My Mountain Soaps; you made a huge difference in my confidence.  And newbie, I especially appreciate all of the behind the scenes support you gave in soaping logistics.  Among other things, am I ever glad I didn't solely use A/C for the pencil line, and that I had a straw handy for some of the more intricate carving!


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## neeners (Feb 21, 2014)

these aren't soaps, these are art.  _*standing ovation*_


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## Lbrown123 (Feb 21, 2014)

Those are Beautiful! You are so creative... Kudos on those!


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## newbie (Feb 21, 2014)

Excellent design and excellent execution!!


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## seven (Feb 21, 2014)

if 2 soaps are pieced together, you'll get an elephant. if only 1 soap it kinda looks like eeyore, ya know winnie the pooh's friend


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## fuzz-juzz (Feb 21, 2014)

I really love them and well done! I will probably never make something so cool. They do really look like elephants.
Although from a teenager perspective, they look like lady bits. One of my kids saw it on the screen and brought another one to see (I have two teenagers - sigh!). But don't worry, it just shows the state of their minds.


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## CaraCara (Feb 21, 2014)

Wow Cara those are beautiful!


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## Tienne (Feb 21, 2014)

Oy! An honourable mention!! Wow, I really don't deserve that, it's _you_ who did all the work, but thank you so much, CaraBou! Now just make sure you price those soaps ALL that they are worth and you'll bring in bucketloads of money for those elephants! 

You did a *fantastic* job and you should be so proud of yourself. *Applauding* Well done!


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## honeysuds (Feb 21, 2014)

Elephants are probably my number one favorite land animal, and those soaps are absolutely amazing! I would never use a bar like that, it is indeed art. Great job!


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## newbie (Feb 21, 2014)

I can only see lady bits if I blur my eyes and think of a VERY old woman. Otherwise, I can only see an elephant (or a pelvis )


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## giddyforgilda (Feb 21, 2014)

Those are amazing!


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## athallr (Feb 21, 2014)

Wow. These are amazing.


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## Derpina Bubbles (Feb 21, 2014)

These soaps are awesome and you're awesome. That thread is awesome. Lot's of awesome in this forum *loves* :clap::clap::clap:


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## My Mountain Soaps (Feb 21, 2014)

Tienne said:


> Oy! An honourable mention!! Wow, I really don't deserve that, it's _you_ who did all the work, but thank you so much, CaraBou! Now just make sure you price those soaps ALL that they are worth and you'll bring in bucketloads of money for those elephants!
> 
> You did a *fantastic* job and you should be so proud of yourself. *Applauding* Well done!



I agree, i dont know what i did or said to get an honorable mention, but thank you anyway! you did an amazing job, you ABSOLUTELY have to tell us how you did it?


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## clhigh29 (Feb 22, 2014)

I think I let you know that these are amazing.  This post just proves my statement that I can't stop looking at these.  Let's see giraffes, whales, and every other beautiful creature.  I think you've found your niche.


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## CaraBou (Feb 22, 2014)

Tienne said:


> Oy! An honourable mention!! Wow, I really don't deserve that



The reason you deserve it, Tienne, is for the very reason that fuzz-juzz articulated:



fuzz-juzz said:


> I will probably never make something so cool.



Tienne, here was your contribution: I pondered longingly over your ideas, drooled over the examples you showed, and buzzed with your enthusiasm.  You demonstrated that the sky was the limit -- and elephants can fly!  But my mind _repeatedly _churned _exactly _the same words that fuzz-juzz said.   I am not an artist; I'm a left-brained scientist who is fascinated by the chemistry and physical mechanics of soap making.  So I swirled in the box, literally.  And while that was magically liberating in its own way, your ideas still nagged me, always.  Every day. And you just kept putting fuel on the fire -- with more ideas and creations like your Pasito groupie soaps!  Finally I CRACKED, drew something simple (all I am capable of), put a box around it, and set out to make it into soap.  Next thing I knew, I was trampled by elephants!

fuzz-juzz, never say never, I have no doubt you will find _your _elephant soap when it matters most.  Mine was just under the wire, with possibly less than full cure time before they are distributed. 

One more thing... I *hate* the spots on my soap.  They are worse in the pics than when in my hand, but still... I tried to wipe them down like Tienne suggested in another post, but it just didn't seem to make much of a difference.  I even didn't use my wire cutter b/c so many people report that as a problem (hence, the crappy cuts. another bummer).  Is there anything I can do to fix the spots now??  I cut the bars 2-3 days ago.


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## newbie (Feb 22, 2014)

I think your little white spots are stearic spots and you can't get rid of them, I'm afraid. We all know how it is when you dislike something about your soap, but you don't realize that everyone is busy looking at the art of it and they don't see them.


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## CaraBou (Feb 22, 2014)

Stearic spots, huh?  I guess I need to dig into this.  Soap calc gave my overall recipe a stearic rating of 6, which seems low but maybe that's not a good indicator.  I didn't use any palm, which is one oil I hear mentioned a lot when it comes to stearic streaks (but soapcalc shows it low in stearic acid - also just a 6 as a single oil).  I kept my recipe really simple for this soap:  35% lard, 35% OO, 23% CO, 7% Castor, 2.5:1 water:lye, 7% superfat.  The gray is a AC / TD mix.  Is there something there that promoted the problem?  Maybe I let the batter cool too much between pours?

I was also surprised at how much ash formed on this soap.  It was way more than I get using shea (which some people call an ash culprit).  But here I did _not _follow Tienne's lead and embrace it.  Instead I cut it off!  The trunk was a bit too fat anyway so it worked out all the way around.


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## fuzz-juzz (Feb 22, 2014)

Thanks for your kind words, I will keep trying to do something other than few random swirls.  I am still amazed at how your elephant turned out so well.  I hope they will sell well and I bet they will.
Those spots look to me like air bubbles and quite big ones. I sometimes randomly have an attack of air bubbles and get a spotty soap. You can't really get rid of them, they might get bigger and kind of pop/brake as the soaps dry.


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## CaraBou (Feb 22, 2014)

Ladybits and pelvises!  Well, my inner goddess had a big hand in this soap; she must have slipped those in!  

I must say though, that so far, I prefer Eeyore if they can't be elephants.  He was always my favorite when I was a kid!


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## CaraBou (Feb 22, 2014)

clhigh29 said:


> Let's see giraffes, whales, and every other beautiful creature.



I'm thinking about more critters too, clhigh.  If I can keep it simple enough, I think I can do it!  



fuzz-juzz said:


> Those spots look to me like air bubbles and quite big ones.


There are certainly some air bubbles there fuzz-juzz.  But I'm not quite convinced that's what the bulk of the spots are.  It seems like scraping them would reveal a pocket, but it doesn't look that way with the naked eye. I have a magnifying glass somewhere - maybe it will help me figure it out.


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## Miz Jenny (Feb 22, 2014)

You are very talented! Can't wait to see what your next animal art is.


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## Susie (Feb 22, 2014)

*standing ovation* (with goose bumps)

I can assure you that I saw elephants immediately.  Nothing else.  No pelvis, no lady-bits, no stearic spots.  

(Why is it the more impressed by something I am, the less I can actually say about it?)


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## Belinda02 (Feb 22, 2014)

I'm blown away by ur talent.


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## kaliquen (Feb 22, 2014)

Those soaps are beautiful!  Truly a work of art!  Are you going to sell them?  My sister works for WWF in DC and I'd love to send her a link!


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## Tienne (Feb 22, 2014)

CaraBou said:


> You demonstrated that the sky was the limit -- and elephants can fly!



Yes indeed, the sky's the limit and elephants really can fly.   You've gone above and beyond proving that. I'm still totally blown away and couldn't in my wildest dreams have imagined how utterly splendid your soaps would turn out. The stearic spots, if that's what they are, mean NOTHING! I myself was far too busy being totally overwhelmed by awe to even notice them. If you hadn't mentioned them, I would probably still be blind to them! 

This is for you! I wanted to give you a Gold Star Award, but that's so cliché, so instead, here's a virtual blanket toss!  

The sky's the limit!


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## newbie (Feb 22, 2014)

Love that, Tienne!

They may be bubbles but the spots of concern look more crystal-ly to me. I've had this happen with soap that doesn't have a high stearic number too so maybe it's not stearic spots but something else. I've cut them off and then the cut surface will develop them too. I'm not certain but it does seem more prominent in soap that I've stuck in the fridge or cooled down too quickly. Nonetheless, people really won't see them, truly.

I put a post about the spots in your thread on the CP forum as well.


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## FlybyStardancer (Feb 22, 2014)

Honestly, I don't even register the spots because they make the elephant skin look more realistic to me!


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## soapcakes (Feb 22, 2014)

Gorgeous!!!


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## Be Love (Feb 22, 2014)

Absolutely amazing!


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## judymoody (Feb 22, 2014)

These are really amazing!  Truly a work of art, and of dedication.


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## neeners (Feb 22, 2014)

I just showed my bf these, and he said they are amazing.  and when I looked at them again, I noticed all the half elephants have different expressions on them.  just absolutely beautiful.  still in awe that those are made with soap.


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## fuzz-juzz (Feb 22, 2014)

Majority of them did look like air bubbles, but I was on my mobile and photos were small. They still look like air bubbles on computer screen, but that's just me and photos can be deceiving. They look like air bubbles, with some of them popped as the bars were cut, and some of them still close to the surface and looking a bit different.
I've been visited by bubbles gremlins lately almost all the time. roblem: I tried every technique I could google to stop bubbles appearing but with no luck. I made an avocado soap yesterday it looked good before cutting, but few bars into cutting and surprise surprise, bubbles galore. 
Does anything oozes when you pop them or they are just empty? I hope you will work it out, but soaps still look gorgeous.


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## QueenBeeSoap (Feb 22, 2014)

CaraBou, your elephant soaps are breathtaking - truly something to aspire to!  What a beautiful portrait of a majestic animal. I was puzzling over how in the world you created such an amazing design, and my husband looked over and commented, "Some people just have advanced soapmaking kung fu."  Mystery solved.


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## Delynnr (Feb 22, 2014)

Those are amazing! I am still wondering how you did it, but the kung fu makes the most sense


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## CaraBou (Feb 23, 2014)

Weeeeeeee, a blanket toss, thanks Tienne!  They are part of Native Alaskan culture but I'm pretty sure this is the only one I'll get to experience - lol!



neeners said:


> I noticed all the half elephants have different expressions on them.  just absolutely beautiful.



neeners, this is my favorite part.  I really wasn't sure this soap was going to turn out, so when I started to see with every cut that the eyes  were unique and _in the right place_, I was so relieved! They are all different b/c I wasn't exactly sure how to get a good effect -- so didn't take just one approach. This turned out to be lucky for me since it gave them all different personalities.  Bad thing is, I probably can't repeat it!



QueenBeeSoap said:


> I was puzzling over how in the world you created such an amazing design, and my husband looked over and commented, "Some people just have advanced soapmaking kung fu."  Mystery solved.



Ahhhh Grasshopper...Listen for the color of the sky. Look for the sound of the hummingbird's wings. Search the air for the perfume of ice on a hot day. If you have found these things... YOU TOO CAN MAKE ELEPHANT SOAP! 




kaliquen said:


> Are you going to sell them?  My sister works for WWF in DC and I'd love to send her a link!



Kaliquen, I don't sell.  At most, these will go in a silent auction. But it will really depend on how my friend sets up her fundraising event. I am not adverse to these going as raffle prizes or even table favors, as long as somehow they bring extra generosity to her cause.  But you should send your sister the main link to SMF -- then maybe she can share your passion for the wonderful art of soapmaking!


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