This month’s Great Cakes Soap Challenge involved learning a carving technique called intaglio (pronounced in-tal-yoh). Intaglio is defined as an engraving or incised figure in stone or other hard material. We had to apply this technique to bars of soap, carving a design into each bar. For my design, I decided to create a little landscape using various colors and carving small details into the tree and road. Carving away the top layer of soap to reveal the colors underneath was a lot of fun. :)
Soap Recipes
Indigo Ombre Soap
This month, the goal for the Great Cakes Soap Challenge was to create an ombre colored soap. I decided to attempt this by using a soap pouring technique I’ve never tried before – the column pour. I wasn’t really sure how this would turn out, but I’ve always wanted to try a column pour. I cut the soap two different ways (horizontal & vertical) which resulted in soaps from the same batch that look completely different. :) Continue reading
Egg & Calendula Shampoo Bar
In the Great Cakes Soap Challenge this month, we were asked to create a rustic soap with packaging. What seemed like a simple and straightforward task at first has ended up being one of the hardest challenges for me. I almost didn’t make a soap, but then my chickens gave me an idea. So with their help, some favorite flowers, lard from a local farmer, and a few of my photographs, I created my interpretation of a rustic soap. :)
Feather Swirls in Cold Process Soap
The Great Cakes Soap Challenge this month was to create a feather swirl in cold process soap. We could make either a reverse feather swirl or a secret feather swirl or both. I decided to do both and intended to enter the natural category. Intended is the key word here. I actually made the soap in time but still managed to miss the challenge deadline. Where does the time go? Oh well, it was still a lot of fun and gave me an excuse to make a video. :) Continue reading
Indigo & Paprika Cosmic Wave Soap
This month’s Great Cakes Soap Challenge involved learning a new technique called the Cosmic Wave. My entry soap is from my third attempt at this challenge. With each batch, I learned a lot about what I was doing wrong and how I might improve. From the consistency of the soap to how much soap I poured at once and how fast, all the little technical details really mattered if a cosmic wave was to be achieved. It was so satisfying when I finally created some cosmic waves in my last batch. The creator of the Cosmic Wave and our instructor for this challenge was Tatsiana Serko of Creative Soaps by Steso. Tatsiana is so talented and makes the most amazing and beautiful soaps. Keep reading if you’d like to learn a little more about my attempts at Tatsiana’s Cosmic Wave technique. I also created a video. :) Continue reading
Kápia Méra 