My 6 year old granddaughter Daisy comes to send the night with me about once a month. Last time she came she swirled soap that I posted pics of. This time (yesterday) we went to the beach and the NC Aquarium. On our way home as the sun dipped below the horizon leaving dark purple/gray clouds against a glowing peachy sky, she looked over to me and said we should make soap that looked like that. When we were sleepily settling into bed last night and talking over the fun day she said, "Gramma, it was fun, but I wish we had time to make soap. What kind of soap can we make next time?" So I fired up the iPad and we browsed newbie's soap pictures until our eyes drooped and sleep took over.
What fun! I can't wait to see what you two come up with next.
Searched YouTube videos for an easy way to line molds, since I made a 2 foot long mold on Weds. The inside measures 22.5" and I hate lining molds. But buying a few boards and screws is cheaper than buying a ready-made mold, wooden or silicone. Anyway, I came across this video and gave it a shot. My origami skills need a little improvement; however, I like this method. Once I've done it a few more times (I've only done it once!) I think I'll be lining molds quickly and easily.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFvJzTk86IY
I like this one, too. Very easy to follow.
I made a 4300 gram batch of Coconut Lime soap with goat milk and yogurt. I did the "Clyde Slide" and I hope it turns out well. If not, I'm going to have a lot of ugly bars of soap.
ETA: photos of ugly oil slick. I wrapped the mold in a towel and put it on a shelf in the curing room. Then realized it's 85 degrees and humid out, there's milk and yogurt in that soap. It probably doesn't need to be wrapped up. Too late. The towel is covered in oil (I'm NEVER going to get that out!!) and there is a huge oil slick on the top. I'm going to call this my "Exxon Valdez" batch. Dumb mistake on my part. I hope the oil reabsorbs in the next few days.
Whoa! Are you a mind reader? You got a head start on the July challenge. I sure hope your Valdez Slick soaks back in for you.
~ ~ ~
My soapy stuff.
I have cut my Flowers in the Field confetti soap, and wasn't thrilled with the result. It's not pretty as I envisioned, but I beveled the edges and it looks better. Still, not my favorite looking soap. Maybe I'll like it better tomorrow. I may try another confetti soap with a different look. I also plan to just do a regular rebatch as that is much easier and the result is usually satisfying.
I spent the day working on a design for my Pointillism soap, lining the box, picking out the colors, planning a slow moving recipe. Boy was it slow moving! After doing so many batches of [40% Lye Concentration] and the Dual Lye batches, this was like watching paint dry. I thought I'd be done and everything cleaned up before Hubby got home from work, but I was still squirting soap when he arrive and he asked what I was making. "Soap". Yeah, that's me, Mrs. Captain Obvious. Anyway, when I told him it was the Pointillism technique, he was impressed. I said, I know it's a weird name, but he said, no it's an art technique used by impressionists and went on to say how he always wondered how they did that. So that was cool.
My pointillism soap ended up being half the size I intended because I decided to use some of it to do the Clyde Slide for the July challenge. I did two small loaves and all 3 soaps are in the oven now.
From the top, I like both Clyde Slides, which is good because in a week I leave for two months and won't be able to do any soap challenge activities again during this roadtrip. I do expect I'll really want to do something soaping related so I'll have to think on how to prepare for that.
