So in keeping with that theme, and the season, I thought I would make a late summer picnic soap. This was also due to seeing Brambleberry's email on embedding and who doesn't like embeds?
This was a great example of what works in theory doesn't necessarily work in real life. I thought I could cut up stripes, and layer them to make a picnic blanket look. Foreshadowing of things to come - my red soap didn't want to come out of the mould. No problem, I thought, I'll just pop out the white soap, cut it up into strips and place it on top of the red. That'll give the right look, right? Wrong.
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| Looking at the bottom of the soap |
No problem, let's try it again. But this time, I'll make cut the red and white pieces the same sizes so that it can all fit back into the mould properly. That again is great in theory and would probably work, if the mould wasn't contoured ever so slightly. I squished the squares of soap in, working as fast as I could so the clear base wouldn't complete solidify before all the squares were in. It almost worked, but as you can see it's not a pretty finish.
And then, to add insult to injury, the clear soap wasn't clear at all.
At that point, I gave up to go find a "life of the party" and I don't mean a soap making kit either.
Thinking about it later though, it's all a matter of advertising it right? I can market these "one of" soaps as haute savon and the rest that I've made several of, as laver a pret. Sounds better in a foreign language, doesn't it?
The checkered one is a bit iffy but the others look totally fine to me! :) Love the little carrot embed!
ReplyDeleteThanks but they're really not perfect. The striped one doesn't give the appearance of a table cloth and the carrot would've been fine on its own but the checkboard bottom has ruined it.
DeleteI love that picnic blanket look and those peas and carrot embeds are too cute! Yes, your soaps sound all fancy in French! :D
ReplyDeleteI need to find a way to make the picnic blanket look more like a picnic blanket. I've got a few more of those erasers to use as embeds, hopefully by the time the pack is used up, I'll have gotten the system down pat.
DeleteMy fancy french sounding soaps are going to make any french speaker groan. :)
Hi Monica! Thank you for the shout out! It's always good to aim for the stars, and in case you don't reach it, you may fall on the trees, not necessarily on the ground. :-) I think that's what happened with your soaps. They landed on a very tall tree! Honestly, they look very cute to me. The finish may not be perfect but I like the blanket and checkered look, and the pea and carrot embeds are adorable!
ReplyDeleteYou're so welcome Silvia! I love your blog, you've got a great writing style and your soaps are always inspiring.
DeleteI like your saying! That's a very good attitude to have and I need to apply it to all parts of my life. The idea for the picnic blanket was cute so I'l just have to keep trying to get it the way I want I guess.
They are soooo cute! Oh, how many differences I'm finding between M&P and CP, how many different levels of creativity and skill! I don't see myself what they were supposed to look like, they are all perfect to my eye, I don't see any 'should have been', 'could have been' thing! Don't need foreign languages to persuade me they look adorable!
ReplyDeleteAnd again,....your funny comments really cheer me up!
This is what I love about the group of soapers I interact with, you guys are all so sweet and supportive. Thank you Maja for your very kind words, you always see the positive in everything. I'm glad you don't see the flaws, but that's like any sort of artistry right, the artist can always find flaws in his/her own work that no one else sees.
DeleteI really like the embeds! They are so cute! I really applaud your patience, that's the problem that I had with MP. You have to have the right amount of patience and so talented to be able to get all the little details =)
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing what you can find at dollar stores for embeds. Thanks Roxana, I think you have an incredible amount of patience, afterall I couldn't make the soaps you make. And you have such an amazing eye for colour and what goes with what. I need more patience, the third attempt at making the picnic blanket is still sitting in the mould, half completed. ;)
DeleteThe little carrot embed is adorable! I like the peas, too. Even though these soaps may not have turned out quite as you had planned, they are still very pretty! I always had a very tough time with embeds in M&P. It seemed mine would get melty and wispy around the edges no matter how cool I kept my temperatures. Or the clear layer would get creases or bubbles in it even though I sprayed everything down with rubbing alcohol. I eventually got frustrated and gave up on M&P embeds. I'd end up just sticking them on the tops instead of embedding them inside the bars. I admire your patience!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenny! You're right,it's very difficult to get the embeds to sit just right and I curse myself and whatever I'm embedding at the time. You're definitely smarter to just stick them on top. Patience,what's that? ;)
DeleteThe carrot embeds soap is too sweet and so perfectly done, Monica!I have tried only once the MP soap, but it looks great what you got. You are not only talented, but also very patient!
ReplyDeleteThank you Natalia, but you're really being too kind. You make amazing soaps so that is a real compliment coming from you. And really patience is one of the last things I have. :D
DeleteDude, I like your style. Try it, if it doesn't work, try it again, if it doesn't work again, go do something else and try again later. I dig that.
ReplyDeletePlus, fyi - that little carrot embed makes my heart fly. I loves me some veggies, dontcha know. And a veggie made out of soap is perfection in my book!
ps - My blog is starting up again later this month!
Oh I thought you liked the part where I gave up to go in search of alcohol instead Lindsey. :D
DeleteI probably didn't make it clear to everyone, and I should confess, that the embeds are actually erasers and not something I made myself. So anyone who's applauding me for making the embeds, I'm soooo sorry to disappoint. I never said I was Cee of Oil & Butter tho. ;) But maybe that's my next project is to re-create those out of soaps.
Yipppeee!!!! I'm so glad you got your groove back. Can't wait to see you in action again.