Entry Thread for the SMF May 2023 Challenge - Spoon or Spatula Swirl

[KiwiMoose]

This is the entry thread for the May 2023 SMF Challenge – Spoon or spatula Swirl. Please remember, this entry thread is for challenge photos only, and comments should be posted to the general challenge thread, here.

You are welcome to post more than one photo, but the photo for the voting survey should be at the top of your entry post. You must include a photo with at least three of your cut bars as your challenge entry (so we can see the variety of different patterns that evolve throughout the batch). You must also include a photo of the swirling tool used (your chosen spoon or spatula). Any additional photos can be posted after your entry photo.

Your entry may also include additional information about your design, process, fragrance or inspiration.

The entry thread will remain open until May 25th at 11:59 PM GMT. After the entry thread closes, the winning entry will be chosen using Survey Monkey. A message with the voting survey link and password will be sent to those who signed up for the challenge. Voting will remain open until May 30th at 11:59 PM GMT and the winners will be announced on May 31st, 2023. There is no prize attached to this challenge.

As a reminder, all times listed are GMT and it is the responsibility of each participant will need to look up the correct time for the location where they live. Here is a link to one mechanism for determining the correct time in your time zone versus GMT: GMT to CST Converter - Savvy Time

Best of luck to all - I can't wait to see what your spoons have created!
https://tenor.com/b2ltF.gif

 

[basti]

Guess I'll kick things off!

I did two layers of each color and did two passes with my spoon -- one on each side of the mold in a spiral. My color scheme was inspired by lava lamps and I used neons from Nurture Soap. Fragrance is Stargazing by Nature's Garden. It's a sweet citrus and soft mint. Really pretty scent. My mold was the Triangle Mold from Custom Craft Tools! This is a soap shape I've wanted for ages now, so I'm excited to play with it.

My weapon of choice was a plastic Dairy Queen spoon. The long handle makes it really easy to maneuver inside a soap.

 

[dmcgee5034]

Hi everyone! Here’s my entry for the spoon swirl challenge.
For this soap I poured 3 layers - NS High Society for the green part on top, NS Sky Blue with a smidge of MM Blue Shocker for the blue part on the bottom, and TD in the middle. I used a normal tablespoon to swirl because I forgot to use the thicker coated spoon I intended to - I still sorta freak out as my batter gets thick, so I didn’t catch my error in time to swap. I swirled smaller swirls down each side, then went back for larger swirls down the entire mold.
This soap is scented with NS 8th and Ocean FO to match the colors of a breezy Caribbean Sea.

 

[Blufuz]

Hello! I’m still aesthetically challenged when it comes to soap, so I went for “cool effect” instead. I had a plan, and it sort of worked but not as intended:

This was actually only two colors: uncolored and French green clay. Inspired by my previous experiment with clay, I noticed that when you don’t compensate for the clay with water, it tends to absorb the water from the parts of the soap that you didn’t mix clay into, leaving lighter streaks. I thought the streaks would have been at the interface, but somehow I got a zebra effect instead. Maybe with practice I can get the effect to actually look intentional, but for now, it is what it is

Here is my spoon, just a normal table spoon:

Since the green part was super thick, I took the opportunity to spread it a little up the sides of the mold, then poured in the uncolored part. Scented with neroli, cedarwood and a little bit of peppermint EO (trying to get creative with leftovers while I wait for my next batch of fragrances ).

 

[VikingChick]

Posting from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany! I had to take my pictures before leaving the house. It’s been such a busy month, I only had time for one attempt.

The colors are Sea Clay (BB), Heliotrope (MM), Gold Sparkle (BB), and Bermuda Triangle (MM). For the fragrance, I used BB Spearmint Eucalyptus, but I thought it smelled a little soapy (lol). Upon advice from one of the reviewers, I added some lavender 40/42 EO, and the result is AMAZING!

I used a bar spoon for my swirls. The long handle was nice, but also a tad unwieldy, and since my batter thickened up so much, a slightly larger spoon might’ve been beneficial.

 

[Tammyfarms]

For my entry I poured three layers using Firefly Yellow from Nurture Soap, Bell Bottom Blue from Crafters Choice and charcoal to color the soap. I don’t use fragrance as I haven’t found anything that I can tolerate . The batter took forever to trace and was still fairly thin when I poured it in the mold. I swirled with a tablespoon on each side and again through the center.

 

[The_Phoenix]

I recently went on a backpacking trip off the coast of California on Catalina Island along the Trans- Catalina Trail. Comprising 38 miles, it begins on the southern end of Catalina in Avalon, and ends on the northern end.

Having turned 50 this year, the trip was intended to honor myself. And, I would be doing it solo. It was an incredible experience and a delight to experience the island carrying everything on my back that I would need for four days. The views were spectacular. I saw a variety of flora and fauna. Including American bison, California quail, Catalina foxes, and a California King Snake.

And the colors! Most striking was the stunning blue of Shark Cove juxtaposed against the green sage brush, and brown off the trail. Fog during the morning kept me cool and added to the mystery of the island.

I used Fragrance Buddy’s Dirt, an apt complement to the colors. It really does smell like dirt. Bottom layer was brown, then green, white, and blue. I used a tablespoon to swirl the layers together. The more I looked at the soap, the more pleased I was that I achieved just the right amount of swirl.

 

[sweethavenarts]

I haven't made a bar of soap in over FOUR YEARS WHAT THE HEEEEEECCCKKKKK. And in the past few weeks I've make like five batches so hay I'm getting back into it. I've pulled out a couple of old reliable recipes including this one, my Absolute Favorite, Chocolate swirl. My sister gave me the recipe, but any time I mention that she's like "nah, man, that's YOUR recipe now." I've shockingly never done a spoon swirl so this was a great excuse to try. I picked the spoon with the longest handle and the biggest bowl. My soap traced a little thicker than I wanted but still swirled amazingly well. I wish you could smell it, it smells like fudge. Just a little cocoa powder was used to color the soap.

Couldn't pick so you get them all.

My weapon of choice. And my ren fest self care henna design.

 

[CLMP]

For my challenge entry I chose a Kiwi and Strawberry FO. For my colors I chose cream color with TD and Extra Virgin Olive oil for my green I used Olive Green Pigment and For my red I used Trial By Fire Pigment Mica. My tool was a teaspoon with a long handle on it. I followed the instructions and swirled my spoon down the sides and then through the middle. So here it is.

 

[AliOop]

This was my third and final try. Ironically, this time the batter was too thin, resulting in muddied swirls. I'd love to try again, but I'm out of time, so this is my entry. I used a regular sundae spoon from our kitchen to swirl it.

 

[RhondaJ]

This is my first batch of soap in probably 3 years, I've been crazy busy and focused on other things! OMG it felt so good to make it

I cut it a bit too early so the cut isn't the cleanest I poured 3 layers 1st - colored with silk stockings from Just Pigments, 2nd layer was Turquoise also from Just Pigments, and the top layer was just plain ole' soap no color. Scented with Coconut FO from WSP.

I used a small silicone spatula to do the swirl.

 

[Servant4Christ]

This definitely did not go as planned, but I followed the rules and the Dragon's blood won.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I made my entry for the May challenge following the technique used by Celine Blacow, who is on YouTube as “Soaperstar.” She and others have called it the Celine Swirl. In this variation of a spoon swirl, the handle of the spoon is kept perpendicular to the bottom of the mold for most of each individual swirl, with a little horizontal twisting action towards the end. I swirled along each side of the mold (to the bottom) and then along the midline with the spoon inserted about halfway down into the soap. I textured the top a bit after adding the last bits of batter from the bowls.





The batter was poured in three layers, with a darker custom mixed blue on the bottom, then white, then a slightly lighter layer of the same blue on top. The three bars presented span from an end cut on the left towards the center. The soap is scented with BeScented’s Volcano.

 

[Blue1969]

Here is my attempt. Made 3 layers. 2 layers were just the colour the coffee gave to the soap, coloured the middle layer with some cocoa. Scented with coffee bean oil. Actually my 3rd try, for this one my mom brought me an old "grapefruit spoon".

 

[The_Emerald_Chicken]

This morning at work I had a panicked moment when I realized that the entry thread had already closed. Then I realized that I still had about 15 minutes left. Then I finally read the GMT time correctly and realized that I had till this evening.

So here's my entry, made several weeks ago but not photographed until this evening after work #procrastinator

The fragrance is Jungle Waterfall from Bramble Berry. (First time for me, and I like it a lot!)

 

[mx5inpenn]

Oops, forgot to post! Thought I'd missed it

I experimented with a ghost swirl, hoping for a more drastic difference, but it's simple and works well with the gardenia fragrance even if it isn't particularly eyecatching.

I mixed 2 batches, 1 at 30% and the other at 45% lye concentration. These were done in 4 alternating layers with the 45% on the bottom. I swirled toward the middle with a spoonula down each side, then turned the mold and swirled down the middle.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Entries for the May challenge are now closed. Good luck everyone - I will send out the voting info to all entrants soon.

 

[KiwiMoose]

A friendly reminder that voting closes in just over 15 hours

 

[KiwiMoose]

Voting has now closed and the winners are:
1st Place: @The_Phoenix
2nd Place: @Mobjack Bay
3rd Place: @basti

Congratulations to all who entered - there were some beautiful soaps!

 

[mx5inpenn]

Congrats to the winners!
Lovely soaps all!!