June 2021 SMF Soap Challenge - Garden Inspired

[szaza]

Hey guys, regarding the 'garden inspired ingredient' please get creative with it! Anything will do, as long as it somehow relates to a garden (so @TashaBird your art graveyard is definitely a supercool garden inspired idea!)
The only thing I really DON'T want to see is an ingredient that is in your usual recipe, revamped as 'garden inspired'. Let just one ingredient be inspired by this challenge!

 

[KimW]

Hey guys, regarding the 'garden inspired ingredient' please get creative with it! Anything will do, as long as it somehow relates to a garden (so @TashaBird your art graveyard is definitely a supercool garden inspired idea!)
The only thing I really DON'T want to see is an ingredient that is in your usual recipe, revamped as 'garden inspired'. Let just one ingredient be inspired by this challenge!

Thank you for the clarification of the spirit of the challenge and encouragement, @szaza. I'm trying ever so hard! LOL My first egg soap didn't work out...It's soap, and it's a beautiful color, but it's not what I need it to be for the challenge - however - I shall try again!!

 

[peachymoon]

I'm holding off on seeing the other entries 'cos I don't wanna psych myself out, but I've been keeping up with this thread and I'm excited to finish my soap this week and finally see what everyone has made so far!

I've had to break down this process into a few steps and I'm finally working through step 2. I'm very eager to work on step 3 in a couple of days when I have the time! Hopefully I can match my vision, as a few of you have said.

 

[bookreader451]

colours, they turned muddy looking.

In garden colors muddy is the new black!

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

I'm not feeling so bad reading a few post above. Ive now gotta start my phase over' it didn't work out as planned,
In any case the show must go on & tomorrow is another Day & another try.

Everyones entries look fantastic .

 

[szaza]

Thank you for the clarification of the spirit of the challenge and encouragement, @szaza. I'm trying ever so hard! LOL My first egg soap didn't work out...It's soap, and it's a beautiful color, but it's not what I need it to be for the challenge - however - I shall try again!!

I know you're trying and I'm sure your soap will come out wonderfully! If you have discoloration from using eggs, you could try only using egg whites?

I'm not feeling so bad reading a few post above. Ive now gotta start my phase over' it didn't work out as planned,
In any case the show must go on & tomorrow is another Day & another try.

Everyones entries look fantastic ❤.

I'm sorry it didn't work out as planned, but I'm loving your dedication and enthusiasm!

Well my 'one & done' batch is done! It doesn't look at all like my inspiration except maybe the colour. The batter accelerated a bit making it hard to 'drop' some of the colour and the FO I used was dark amber out of the bottle and while I used it only in the dark colours, they turned muddy looking. Hoping after cpop that might change - time will tell.
I think as a design it will be ok, but as for this challenge, you might say it's interpretive - meaning interpret it a garden theme! I will submit it in any case in a few days since that is what I signed up for.

Can't wait to see it!

 

[ResolvableOwl]

I'm out of luck this month. First I had decided to “waste” a good idea for a non-entry, then I disqualified myself by not reading the rules closely enough when I impulsively registered late for the challenge. Now I'm at a loss where I should take the momentum from to give the challenge another try.

A monthly challenge has turned out to be not the best place to play around with unreliable colourations; for sure I'll tackle that elusive sunflower-green in a future project, but not in a feat within the next 3 days.

 

[szaza]

Your non-entry is lovely! It looks like an adventurous journey through your garden, kind of like a scavenger hunt

I definitely know the frustration of trying to make an entry while also working with experimental (natural) colorants. I've had plenty of not-what-I-envisioned entries in challenges because I just needed to experiment with x or y while making my challenge attempt and it would often turn out "interesting". So I really appreciate that you posted what you ended up with!
Since the 'no single cavity molds' rule was clearly stated and discussed in the thread, I feel I cannot include your entry in the voting survey, but I think you can still be very proud of what you did this month!

 

[glendam]

Well, I tried boiling grass to soften it (as I didn’t think I had enough time to let it dry). It smelled so bad (IMO). It is very fibrous so it did not quite get blended (I strained out all the big pieces). In the soap, it produced an ugly pale yellow and greenish color. Thankfully most of the bar is covered in embeds.
I haven’t looked at the other entries yet, but I think this might be the one I use.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

The “fibrous” part sounds quite like pandan leaves, just that pandan smells gorgeous and lends a lovely green to the soap.

 

[glendam]

The “fibrous” part sounds quite like pandan leaves, just that pandan smells gorgeous and lends a lovely green to the soap.

When I was putting up with the smell I remembered what you had said and wished I had pandan leaves instead!

 

[gardengeek]

I've been enjoying this thread. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one struggling. I didn't enter because I wasn't sure I would have time this month but I did do something on my own to learn new-to-me techniques. My DH said my soap looks like a kindergarten kid's drawing so I'm glad I didn't officially enter.

 

[bookreader451]

I've been enjoying this thread. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one struggling. I didn't enter because I wasn't sure I would have time this month but I did do something on my own to learn new-to-me techniques. My DH said my soap looks like a kindergarten kid's drawing so I'm glad I didn't officially enter.

Personally I enter my good, bad and fugly. To me it is all a learning experience. My entry has what I think are glycerin rivers or a reaction with the alcohol I sprayed the embeds with. Not sure what the curvy lighter colored lines are but I entered anyway. When I did my 12 months of entries I entered some yucky attempts but, the spirit of these competitions is to encourage trying something new, not make fun of failed entries. I would ask DH if he thinks he can do better, enter my soap, and maybe explain what you did this time and would change next.

 

[dibbles]

Not sure what the curvy lighter colored lines are but I entered anyway.

I like the lines in your soap. I don’t know what they are either, but I remember way back someone attributing something similar to stearic streaking from cool temps. At any rate, they add interest IMHO.

 

[gardengeek]

Personally I enter my good, bad and fugly. To me it is all a learning experience. My entry has what I think are glycerin rivers or a reaction with the alcohol I sprayed the embeds with. Not sure what the curvy lighter colored lines are but I entered anyway. When I did my 12 months of entries I entered some yucky attempts but, the spirit of these competitions is to encourage trying something new, not make fun of failed entries. I would ask DH if he thinks he can do better, enter my soap, and maybe explain what you did this time and would change next.

I was quite proud of myself for trying and told him so in so many words! Since I wasn't planning on entering I didn't use any garden ingredients other than my usual store bought aloe juice or I would be tempted to enter, just for kicks

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Well I worked on my Garden Theme Challenge Soap most of the Day & Week' I'm hoping I can submit it tomorrow, If all gos well.
Each & every challenge has been a learning process & none of them easy.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Looks like I started too late and won't make the deadline. The good news is I am trying something new and will now continue until I've mastered it to my satisfaction. I have been wanting to try my hand at soap flowers. So I ordered icing tips, etc., found a beginner's soap flower recipe and began. Family things intervened, so never got to actually making the soap bar to put the flowers on. Plus, I need to practice a lot more to be happy with my flowers. But for me, getting started is the hard part, now I will practice, practice, practice. Thanks for the push. Below are my first attempts. I can only improve from here.

 

[dibbles]

They look great @Nona'sFarm! I haven't really tried piping (once on cookies and maybe once on soap). I am like you - I need a push to motivate me to work on it. Sadly, although this challenge would have been the perfect reason to do it, I didn't.

 

[szaza]

Those are wonderful @Nona'sFarm !

 

[Nona'sFarm]

T

Those are wonderful @Nona'sFarm !

Thanks!