Soap Dough–a soap making challenge

This is a challenge I was so excited about. It really taught me a new skill and I have new found respect for all cake decorators! The precision and skill that is required is beyond me.

For this challenge I had to call on my best friend Debbie, who is an award winning cake decorator. She has been living in Australia for the last 8 years and we have just reconnected after she moved back here again. What a great way to take up our friendship again. She taught me to mould and shape roses and leaves.

Soap roses and a palette knife

Moulding and shaping the soap lolly. This was harder than it looks. I really battled with the uniformity of the top and trying to get the “dipped” soap layer an even thickness was quite a challenge.

Debs took the plunge and started to add roses to the lolly i had made while I made the next lolly for me add roses to.

As you can see the “chocolate” strip was also quite thick. I was too afraid to roll it thinner as it kept on breaking.

Debs did a great job of adding the roses, while mine was much more basic and simple. She clearly has done more of this than me adn has an artistic eye for bunching the roses together.

Thanks Amy, as always this was a great challenge and I had a lot of fun.

 

Rimmed Soap– March soap Challenge

I have wanted to learn how to do this for a while so I jumped at the chance to learn this technique when Amy from Great Cakes soap Works offered it for the March 2016 challenge.  I have not made a video nor done a tutorial but will do at some stage soon.

Learn How We Made Winter wonderland soap - a soap challenge entry

This month Amy from Great Cakes soapworks set the challenge for the soap club as a winter themed soap with 2 options – all natural or synthetic.

I chose to do the all natural option as I really want a chance to win the prize: Anne Marie Faiola’s new book Natural Soap making!!

My idea was to have a Christmas tree with pretty coloured baubles floating on the branches…..

I used French green clay, Rose clay, paprika, and cocoa powder to make the baubles.

This was a disaster. Not quite sure what went wrong but I think I mixed too much oil with the colours. The soaps were hard and crumbly and I was unable to make little baubles out of them, but I pressed on all the same. Fortunately I had some of the pink soap in a larger batch, made for Roses which did not go crumbly (I am guessing this is because there was so much more so and less oil?)

The idea was to use Coconut oil, Canola, Palm, Olive for the Baubles and insets and then Coconut, Palm, Avocado, Canola for the "snow" and Verbena essential oil.  

Fortunately the cocoa powder soap worked well and I had my tree trunk.

Once I had the bables made up I put them in my mould that had two sides positioned at angles to create the tree.

I poured layers of french green clay soap ontp each other to try and make an ombre tree. I don’t think it work too well.

Once I had my layers done I put the trunk into the green soap and then poured more soap over it!! Sutpid. It is supposed to be a trunk and stick out! So I had to do a bit of quick thinking.

The rescued tree trunk help in place with wooden skewers.

Day two – soap base poured into the mould and the christmas tree inserted into it. Left over night to harden

More soap base poured onto the tree.

The finished soap. Cut and beveled. Not quite what I wanted but cute all the same.The Verbena oil reacted with one of the oils and made the base a little yellow but it is okay. Looks pretty good.

You can see the video on YouTube here.

#Riverlea Soap 

Mantra Marbles - a Soap club challenge entry

   This month Amy Warden from Great Cakes Soapworks set us the challenge of Mantra Marbles.
   This was a fun challenge and I learned a lot about swirling in this technique.
We used Peacock Green Mica, Titanium Di Oxide, Shine Red Mica , Peach Pink Mica  and Apple Green Mica. I used the non pareil method and it is fragranced with Neroli Essential oil.
This is Amy's entry, which I think is beautiful.



I had a few attempts at this but I love the colours in this option which was my first attempt.

I will definitely be doing this technique again, thanks Amy
#Riverlea Soap

International sponsorship with Great Cakes Soapworks

I am very pleased to announce that Riverlea Soap will be the International sponsor for Great Cakes Soapworks July contest. Amy has graciously allowed me to supply gift vouchers for the winner, second and third place plus the sponsors choice. Thanks so much Amy.

I am so excited to see what lovely entries you all create.

Have fun.

#Riverlea Soap

A walk down Soap challenge memory lane and some exciting news

Dandelion Soap Challenge

Amy Warden from Great Cakes Soapworks contact me today to ask if I could let all my peeps know that she has a GREAT soap challenge competition on the go at the moment. As she has amassed a very large following of national and international soapers she has decide to have two competitions in one. All contestants will enter the same way but there are two categories - US entrants and International entrants.

This is what Amy had to say on her blog ...."Of course, this month we are doing something a little bit different and special for the international soapmakers. Anyone who is outside the U.S. will have their very own link-up and their very own prize! I’m so pleased that Gracefruit Ltd. is excited to sponsor this portion of the challenge with a £50 gift certificate for first place and a £25 gift certificate for their Sponsor’s Choice prize. Spread the word!"

See the rest of the post here.

Below are some of my past entries.

Graduated Soap Challenge

Tiger stripe Challenge

Faux Funnel Challenge

And most recently the Butterfly Challenge.

I have had a LOT of fun and would really encourage soapers to join up.

 

#Riverlea Soap