Entry Thread for the SMF November 2023 Challenge - Splash Swirl Technique

[dibbles]

This is the entry thread for the November 2023 SMF Soap Challenge – Splash Swirl Technique.

As a reminder, this entry thread is for challenge photos only. Please post any and all comments to the general challenge thread, here.

The first photo in your entry thread post will be used as the entry photo for the voting survey. The entry photo must show the full face of at least two of your cut bars. Please refer to the competition rules, here, if you have any questions in general about the challenge requirements.

Your entry post may also include additional photos and information about your design, process, fragrance or inspiration. Special note: We love to see your soap photos, but please keep photo dimensions in mind when posting. Photos that appear full screen size on a laptop or desktop screen may exceed the dimensions of an iPad or tablet screen by 2x or more, which makes it harder for some of us to enjoy your entry soap photo the way you intended.

The entry thread will remain open until November 26th at 11:59 PM GMT. Soon thereafter, voting instructions will be sent to eligible registrants only, by private message via SMF conversations. Please check your SMF messages when the voting begins. Voting will remain open until November 29th at 11:59 PM GMT. The winners will be announced by November 30th by 11:59 PM GMT. There is no prize attached to this challenge.

Good luck everyone!

 

[Tammyfarms]

Here is my entry. I actually made two attempts. The first attempt, which is not my entry, is at the bottom of this post. My entry was inspired by our fall colors here in north Idaho. I’m including a picture of the forest near our home. It is a combination of evergreen and larch trees that turn orange/yellow and drop their needles. My fragrance was a woodsy blend recommended by @Zing (thank you, it’s lovely). Colors are Brambleberry Evergreen, BB Sunset orange blended with Crafters Choice Neon Yellow Electric Slide Mica and CC Evergreen.

Edit: My pictures were posted in the correct order. They somehow switched around and my entry was the last photo. I corrected the order and checked them to make sure. A couple minutes later I checked again and they had switched order again. To alleviate confusion I am removing all except the entry photo.

 

[dmcgee5034]

I have been really wanting to try this swirl! I used 4 colors. Base 40%- BB Pewter Silver mica
Layers 15% ea: TD, BB Yellow mica, NS Sky Blue, NS Klein Blue, and then did 27 plunges
Fragrance: NS Earth Meets Sky
I had an idea that the grey bottom and blue top with the plunges would be a bit like the name of the FO on a stormy day, and DH has a shirt with these colors that I really like, so there you have it.

 

[The_Emerald_Chicken]

I wasn't sold on the splash swirl to begin with, but I decided to try it since I was soaping anyway and needed design ideas. (That's one great thing about soap challenges—they give me incentive to branch out and try new techniques!) My soap is scented with one of my all-time favorite (well-behaved) FOs, Energy from Bramble Berry. I snitched the idea of an ombre gradient from Holly with Kápia Méra Soap. In retrospect, I could have made more plunges with the hanger, but I'm happy with the result, and I've decided that I like the splash swirl more than I thought I did

 

[Ford]

hello everybody,
Had lots of fun. With many lessons learned.
colored with peacock(mm), king tut gold(mm), Twilight(mm)And TD.
Fragrance used was Jade(ng).


Thanks dibbles.

 

[Relle]

Been wanting to try this for ages, my idea is based on a picture on the news ( house closest to the fire ) of my sisters house in the bushfires 2021. I didn't realise that, what I was looking at on the news was her house and said out loud to myself - I hope those poor people got out. They had to be escorted back by the police because BIL needed his oxygen (he ran out of the portable one) that he was permanently on to the tank at the house.

Bushfires have already started here for summer. Hope this shows the ferocity of the fires.

It's called Aussie Bushfire, scent is Energy for obvious reasons, 6 colours and I did 27 dips.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Pink Peppercorn FO with a touch of Blood Orange FO and Patchouli EO. I have also meant to try this one for ages, so I was pleased when the challenge came up:
I used Charcoal in the bottom layer, then pink neon and Princess Pink mica, plus green neon with Apple Green mica, and for the top I aded a touch of the pink accent colour to the base to colour it a pale pink.
I poured a tiny layer of the accent colours again mid-bar, leaving the top third entirely the pale pink. So my design is kind of an 'upside-down' splash swirl if you like.
I will definitely use this swirl again - especially nice for a tall and skinny mold.

 

[not_ally]

Sort of a long backstory on the inspiration for this entry, which I thought of as a “peacock feathers” splash swirl. Before I moved back to the US a year and a half ago, I spent several years in India, first taking care of my sick dad and then pinned down by Covid. Anyway, I lived in a gated community surrounded by government forest land, a very beautiful place. There was a resident family of peacocks there that had migrated from the forest, they would fly from roof to roof and roam around the gardens and orchards.

When I walked my dogs there, my tiny girl (10 lbs, all fluffy hair and iron will) loved chasing them; she reveled in feeling like she was finally the boss of SOMEBODY. She died a few months ago, and I miss her so much. I saw a picture of a peacock the other day, thought of her and doing this swirl.

The details: 60% green base color, a mix of Soapgoods Fresh Green and Blackish Green. The remaining 40% is the five “splash” colors: SG Iridescent Violet, Micas & More Midnight Blue, M&M Turquoise Blue, Nurture Rose Pink, SG Olympic Gold. I also mixed in Mad Micas Sparkle Plenty mica and MM Nina Simone glitter, although they only show at certain angles. FO: NG Black Linen and Amber

Poured at medium trace, plunged about 30 times, mica oil swirl on top. Surrounded by some of my sister's TG table stuff in an attempt to look artsy

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I just love all of the entries.

My one attempt at the splash swirl was inspired by one of my favorite FOs, Green Tea from Majestic Mountain Sage. I used three different accent colors (brown, dark green, light green) for a total of 40% of the batter and made white soap for the base layer. Based on the early posts, I made three passes of 10 plunges each across the TS mold.

 

[Momma Hoot]

So this challenge as I mentioned before, was one that has been on my bucket list since spring. And what better way to push myself into actually trying this technique than to enter this months challenge! I new it would be a good learning curve and I have to say that I learned a lot on this one!! As well, as always, I love all of the entries summitted, and find each one is so unique!

In my soap, I used activated charcoal for approx 45% of the batter, and then divided the rest of my batter into 5 for each of the other colors with approx. 11% batter per color. (orange, yellow, green, blue & purple). I used an essential oil blend of Anise, sweet orange, cinnamon, patchouli, frankincense, & bergamot. Similar to @KiwiMoose 's Pink Musk, and can say that I am loving the fragrance of these bars!

 

[dibbles]

The entry thread is closed, and a PM will be sent shortly to everyone who signed up. Good luck to the entrants - you all made some fantastic soaps!

 

[dibbles]

Congratulations to this month's winners!
1. KiwiMoose
2. not_ally
3. a tie between The_Emerald_Chicken and Ford

All of the entries this month were so great - well done everyone!

 

[KiwiMoose]

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!! I had a dream about this last night and i didn't even get a place, let alone win! I'm dead chuffed I am! Thankyou, thank you, thank you everyone. Such a great challenge Dibbles, thank you for hosting. And congratulations to the other winners and all entrants because I thought they were all spectacular.

 

[Relle]

Congratulations to everyone .

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

Congrats to the winners! You had some pretty tough competition!

 

[Zing]

Congratulations to all the winners (psst, peeps, Kiwi may need an intervention soon, with her dreams and all.).
I learned a lot from everyone and appreciated everyone's input.
And thank you, dear @dibbles for giving me something new for my repertoire!

 

[A.Duskin]

Awesome! Too bad I missed the competition I just did a splash swirl for the first time last weekend , here’s a couple pictures

 

[akseattle]

Been wanting to try this for ages, my idea is based on a picture on the news ( house closest to the fire ) of my sisters house in the bushfires 2021. I didn't realise that, what I was looking at on the news was her house and said out loud to myself - I hope those poor people got out. They had to be escorted back by the police because BIL needed his oxygen (he ran out of the portable one) that he was permanently on to the tank at the house.

Bushfires have already started here for summer. Hope this shows the ferocity of the fires.

It's called Aussie Bushfire, scent is Energy for obvious reasons, 6 colours and I did 27 dips. View attachment 75302View attachment 75306View attachment 75307

@Relle your Bushfire soap really looks like a bush fire! Actually, looks like the word is on fire. Nice job!

I just love all of the entries.

My one attempt at the splash swirl was inspired by one of my favorite FOs, Green Tea from Majestic Mountain Sage. I used three different accent colors (brown, dark green, light green) for a total of 40% of the batter and made white soap for the base layer. Based on the early posts, I made three passes of 10 plunges each across the TS mold.

View attachment 75328
View attachment 75329

@Mobjack Bay, your soap really has a serene feeling. Wish I could smell it. Did you use cavity molds or did you do something else to get the accent around the edges? Really nice soap.

Pink Peppercorn FO with a touch of Blood Orange FO and Patchouli EO. I have also meant to try this one for ages, so I was pleased when the challenge came up:
I used Charcoal in the bottom layer, then pink neon and Princess Pink mica, plus green neon with Apple Green mica, and for the top I aded a touch of the pink accent colour to the base to colour it a pale pink.
I poured a tiny layer of the accent colours again mid-bar, leaving the top third entirely the pale pink. So my design is kind of an 'upside-down' splash swirl if you like.
I will definitely use this swirl again - especially nice for a tall and skinny mold.View attachment 75323View attachment 75324View attachment 75325

@KiwiMoose , I love those neons in there! Nice soap!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Did you use cavity molds or did you do something else to get the accent around the edges?

Oops, missed this. I made the soap in a loaf mold and beveled the edges using a soap router.