ENTRY THREAD for SMF June 2023 Challenge: Layers!

[dmcgee5034]

Congratulations @Mobjack Bay, @Terri E and @Momma Hoot! Beautiful entries and I’m delighted to have been noted with you all.

Congratulations to all the entries - such amazing and talented soapers here!

Thanks @AliOop for a super job hosting a fun challenge this month

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Wow, thank you! Congratulations for making gorgeous soaps @Terri E @dmcgee5034 and @Momma Hoot I loved the lineup this month, so kudos to all who participated for your inspiring entries that make me want to make more soap!

Thanks @AliOop for running this month’s fun challenge and all that entailed

 

[Shelley D]

Congratulations to all!

 

[Terri E]

Congratulations to @Mobjack Bay, @dmcgee5034 and @Momma Hoot! All of you did an amazing job! I have never seen so many beautiful soaps in one place!
This challenge was so much fun, great camaraderie doing something we all love

 

[Ford]

Wowza... so many great designs. Tough to decide.

 

[Jersey Girl]

Congrats to the winners! Amazing entries all around. Glad I didn’t enter this one!

 

[The_Emerald_Chicken]

As much as I enjoy taking part in these challenges, I had a great time this month sitting back and watching the amazing entries roll in. Way to go, everyone! I love the inspiration and ideas that this forum gives me.

 

[basti]

Grats everyone Can't wait to see what our host and our friendly gang of participants have in store next month

 

[janesathome]

This past Christmas I received a couple of column molds, one of which is a maple leaf. Living in Canada I wanted to try making a soap with the maple leaf in it for Canada Day which is coming up on July 1st. I made up the embed back in April and then life got in the way and I set it aside. When I saw that the June challenge listed embeds as part of the challenge, I figured the challenge was a great way to motivate myself into getting this soap done. . So I put together this soap with Canada Day in mind, and was able to use up a few things up that I had sitting around ie) confetti, embed and oils (expiring in a couple months.
View attachment 73281
One thing that I learned about embeds is use them up shortly after you make them otherwise they are too tough to cut with a wire cutter. LOL

Happy Canada Day from one Canadian to another - and congrats on your win! It’s a beaut

 

[Momma Hoot]

This challenge was a hoot! And thank you to our host, AliOop for the challenge!

@janesathome, thank you! And a Happy belated Canada Day to you as well!

And congrats to @Mobjack Bay and @Terri E as well as all of the other participants. The creativity was top notch! And I appreciate how everyone is so positive with their feedback, comraderies, and sharing of information and encouragement. Thanks for making this a positive experience. I didn't expect to even place as the other contestants did such a great job on their challenges.

 

[SSC Oregon]

This past Christmas I received a couple of column molds, one of which is a maple leaf. Living in Canada I wanted to try making a soap with the maple leaf in it for Canada Day which is coming up on July 1st. I made up the embed back in April and then life got in the way and I set it aside. When I saw that the June challenge listed embeds as part of the challenge, I figured the challenge was a great way to motivate myself into getting this soap done. . So I put together this soap with Canada Day in mind, and was able to use up a few things up that I had sitting around ie) confetti, embed and oils (expiring in a couple months.
View attachment 73281
One thing that I learned about embeds is use them up shortly after you make them otherwise they are too tough to cut with a wire cutter. LOL

I love all of these soaps!
(I'm still figuring out how to work the like vs love buttons on my phone, but I love them all!))
I have that same maple leaf column mold I purchased for my fall soaps, and have been thinking of colors that say "fall" without the resemblance/association to Canada.
Ironic that your Canada soap has inspired my fall soap!
I love the color way, detail, everything about it! Beautiful!

 

[Shelley D]

I love all of these soaps!
(I'm still figuring out how to work the like vs love buttons on my phone, but I love them all!))
I have that same maple leaf column mold I purchased for my fall soaps, and have been thinking of colors that say "fall" without the resemblance/association to Canada.
Ironic that your Canada soap has inspired my fall soap!
I love the color way, detail, everything about it! Beautiful!

For the LOVE option, touch and hold the Like button and a variety of emojis pop up ~ just select the one you want

 

[klaw2]

Hi all - here is my entry for the June Layers challenge. It’s a GMS, as always for me. This is by far the most complex soap I’ve ever attempted. It was a marathon soaping session that day - I made 5 small batches and tried 3 techniques I’ve never done before. Make a batch, pour, clean up, repeat!
I was inspired by Lisa at I Dream in Soap who did a !10! layer soap in a slab mold, and I thought 5 layers would be plenty for my loaf mold. For each small batch/layer, I made more batter than needed to be sure I wouldn’t need to scrape my pouring containers into the mold at the end and mess up the design. I got 4 full single cavity soaps from the extra batters - boy do they look funky! Here’s the details of the layers:

Layer 1 - my first ever Kiss Pour. 4 colors: Ultramarine Blue and Tennis Ball Breaker Yellow & Tangerine Wow and Queens Purple
Layer 2 - my first ever Clam Shell Pour. 4 colors: Cappuccino and Gold & Rose Pearl and Snowflake with TD
Layer 3 - OPW of 3 shades of greens and 1 white with the batter colors poured into the pitcher from the side and poured in the mold from the short end in a line pour. 4 colors: Kermit Green, Radio Active, Kermit Green with a smidge of Ultramarine Blue, and Snowflake with TD
Layer 4 - OPW of white, pink and black with the batter colors poured into the pitcher from the spout and poured in the mold from the long end in a line pour. 3 colors: TD, Black Oxide and Fired Up Fuchsia with a smidge of TD to Barbie it up/tone it down
Layer 5 - Peacock swirl for preschoolers? LOL! I used 7 colors and made wide rows then did my first try of a peacock swirl to them. I think they look more like colorful jellyfish than peacocks - did I just invent something? Haha, I doubt it, but maybe the jellyfish swirl will suddenly become a thing. 7 colors: Orchid, Orchid with TD; Caribbean Blue, CB with TD; Kermit Green, KG with TD; and TD
Bonus - a spritz of eco glitter, because after all that, why not?

I used WSP Volcano for this batch - yum!
First photo is my entry, and I’m including a picture of each layer after it was poured, so you get that view and can see each type of pour on its own. It was hard to visualize what the cut soap would reveal, so here it is:

View attachment 73133

View attachment 73135View attachment 73136View attachment 73137View attachment 73138View attachment 73139View attachment 73140

Thats incredible that you did all those techniques in a 4“ bar or even more impressive less than 4”. The soap is beautiful!

 

[soapmaker]

Hi all - here is my entry for the June Layers challenge. It’s a GMS, as always for me. This is by far the most complex soap I’ve ever attempted. It was a marathon soaping session that day - I made 5 small batches and tried 3 techniques I’ve never done before. Make a batch, pour, clean up, repeat!
I was inspired by Lisa at I Dream in Soap who did a !10! layer soap in a slab mold, and I thought 5 layers would be plenty for my loaf mold. For each small batch/layer, I made more batter than needed to be sure I wouldn’t need to scrape my pouring containers into the mold at the end and mess up the design. I got 4 full single cavity soaps from the extra batters - boy do they look funky! Here’s the details of the layers:

Layer 1 - my first ever Kiss Pour. 4 colors: Ultramarine Blue and Tennis Ball Breaker Yellow & Tangerine Wow and Queens Purple
Layer 2 - my first ever Clam Shell Pour. 4 colors: Cappuccino and Gold & Rose Pearl and Snowflake with TD
Layer 3 - OPW of 3 shades of greens and 1 white with the batter colors poured into the pitcher from the side and poured in the mold from the short end in a line pour. 4 colors: Kermit Green, Radio Active, Kermit Green with a smidge of Ultramarine Blue, and Snowflake with TD
Layer 4 - OPW of white, pink and black with the batter colors poured into the pitcher from the spout and poured in the mold from the long end in a line pour. 3 colors: TD, Black Oxide and Fired Up Fuchsia with a smidge of TD to Barbie it up/tone it down
Layer 5 - Peacock swirl for preschoolers? LOL! I used 7 colors and made wide rows then did my first try of a peacock swirl to them. I think they look more like colorful jellyfish than peacocks - did I just invent something? Haha, I doubt it, but maybe the jellyfish swirl will suddenly become a thing. 7 colors: Orchid, Orchid with TD; Caribbean Blue, CB with TD; Kermit Green, KG with TD; and TD
Bonus - a spritz of eco glitter, because after all that, why not?

I used WSP Volcano for this batch - yum!
First photo is my entry, and I’m including a picture of each layer after it was poured, so you get that view and can see each type of pour on its own. It was hard to visualize what the cut soap would reveal, so here it is:

View attachment 73133

View attachment 73135View attachment 73136View attachment 73137View attachment 73138View attachment 73139View attachment 73140

@dmcgee5034 I'm way behind, not only in skills but time! I just saw this. How did you join the layers if you poured them all separate. I've only made layers by building up in the same mold.

 

[AliOop]

@dmcgee5034 I'm way behind, not only in skills but time! I just saw this. How did you join the layers if you poured them all separate. I've only made layers by building up in the same mold.

Not @dmcgee5034 but I can say that they were poured into the same mold - just at separate times. In other words, the first layer is poured and allowed to harden. The second layer is then poured on top of it.

 

[soapmaker]

Not @dmcgee5034 but I can say that they were poured into the same mold - just at separate times. In other words, the first layer is poured and allowed to harden. The second layer is then poured on top of it.

@AliOop ...Ohh, I can see that now. I thought it looked like the soap was all on the bottom but the last picture clearly shows the mold is full.

 

[UnScented Arizona]

“Antarctic Sunset” - I made this soap to honor the memory of a dear friend who lost her battle with brain cancer back in 2011. She conducted research for almost a decade on how pesticides and other pollutants from tropical areas of the globe make their way to Antarctica in the atmosphere. It’s unlikely that she ever saw a real Antarctic sunset because she only worked there during the summer months when the sun never sets, but this felt like the right theme for this soap. I think of her often while I make soap because she was a chemical engineer with a special interest in organic compounds, including fatty acids. She was endlessly curious and would have enjoyed tackling some of our soap making puzzles. This soap will make its way to her sister and other family members in the midwest before her birthday date at the end of July.

I built the soap from the top to the bottom. To make the top cloud, I used a scraper in the top magenta layer and drop poured white and pale magenta soap to create some shadowing. To create the cliff-like, icy features of the Antarctic coastline, I poured the middle layer as a tiger stripe down the side wall of the mold. The ice/snow below that was poured into the scraped purple layer. I love that the feature in an end cut (lower left) looks like an iceberg. The bottom layer, which is the last one I poured, is an ITP swirl. I dusted each layer with gold mica, but it’s hard to see except on the side of the soap in the upper left.

View attachment 73147

ETA: Inspiration for the features in my soap came from this photo that hangs on the wall down the hall from my office. It features Mt. Erebus near McMurdo Research Station in Antarctica (top panel) and grounded iceberg “B19” (bottom panel). Photo by Howard Ballenger.

View attachment 73188

"Clouds...Clouds are like dreams floating across the sky blue mind..." Outlaw Josey Wales. Beautiful design btw.