Great Cakes Soap Challenge Club Location Theme Challenge


Update!

Winnercolorado

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your support and votes!

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Welcome!

Colorado-Flag-US-State-Metal-XLThis month’s challenge for Amy Warden’s Soap Challenge Club was a theme challenge. The theme? Location, location, location! We were challenged to design a soap based on where we live – either now or where we have lived in the past. I was born in Colorado, raised in Colorado, and have never lived outside of Colorado (pretty adventurous, huh?), so my soap will be based on…drum roll…COLORADO! Amy asked us to create a soap reflecting who we are and to show attributes that are unique to our location. We were encouraged to use locally obtained ingredients too, if at all possible.

For me, Colorado is a fabulous place to live.  I have always loved nature and Colorado is most certainly the perfect place to nurture that passion.  We have a ton of geographical diversity – snow-covered mountains, desert lands and vast plains, sand dunes, river canyons, and gorgeous forests full of evergreens and aspens. We also have quite the diversity in elevation too; the lowest point in Colorado is the Arkansas River at 3,315 feet above sea level and the highest point in Colorado is Mt. Elbert at 14,440 feet. One of my favorite pastimes is hiking and Colorado seems to have an infinite variety of trails to explore. I also love to camp and go boating or fishing on our beautiful lakes. Honestly, there are so many opportunities to enjoy the natural beauty of Colorado, I’m not sure anyone could ever get bored.

 

Some of Colorado’s glory:

 

I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do for my soap but I turned to friends, family, and even a few strangers, and asked them what came to mind when they thought of Colorado. The top answers were (in no particular order):

  • Mountains
  • Snow/Skiing
  • Cowboys/Wild West
  • Beer
  • Legalized Marijuana
  • Denver Broncos

These answers came as no surprise. I decided to try to incorporate a little of each of these things in my soap. Here is what I came up with:

  • Mountains: For the design, I chose to do a sunset over mountains. I’ve seen sunsets in many other places, but Colorado seems to have some of the most spectacular ones I have ever seen.
  • Snow/Skiing: I was fortunate to have a few large snowstorms during this competition (although many Coloradans would disagree with that perception). I gathered several pitchers of the abundant white piles and used it for some of the water in my soap.
  • Cowboys/Wild West: Disclaimer: No cowboys were harmed in the making of this soap, but some cows were. I have been collecting discarded scraps from a local butcher and rendering my own tallow so this was a perfect addition.
  • Beer: Colorado has 115 breweries and produces more beer per capita than any other state. My city, Fort Collins, is the largest beer producer in Colorado. I chose to use a seasonal beer from Odell’s Brewery, here in Fort Collins, called Runoff Red IPA in part of the soap.
  • Legalized Marijuana: Disclaimer: No mind-altering drugs were used in the making of this soap – neither in the ingredients nor while actually making it. I used hemp seed oil – close enough!
  • Denver Broncos: Disclaimer: No Denver Broncos were harmed in the making of this soap. Okay, so this is one thing I didn’t actually include. I was going to go with an orange and blue sky but forgot about the blue. No big deal – I’m a New England Patriots fan anyway.😁

 

Ingredients Used:

Mountains and hills in the foreground:

  • Hemp Oil
  • Cocoa Butter
  • Coconut Oil
  • Olive Oil
  • Tallow
  • Shea butter
  • Odell’s Brewery Beer – Seasonal Runoff Red IPA
  • Tussah Silk
  • Sodium Lactate

Sky and lake:

  • Almond Oil
  • Cocoa Butter
  • Coconut Oil
  • Olive Oil
  • Tallow
  • Shea Butter
  • Freshly gathered Colorado Snow
  • Tussah Silk
  • Sodium Lactate

All parts were scented with Majestic Mountain Sage’s new fragrance Alpine Frost. According to their description, it is “A twist of frost-bitten berries, a high mountain meadow, a snip of spice and a lingering Evergreen, all wrapped up into one”. I received it as a sample and it couldn’t have been more perfect for a Colorado scent.  

Planning

A little look at my attempt of planning ahead.

The first thing I realized when making this soap was that I probably should have waited for the Soap Challenge in June to learn more before I tackled this technique. Claudia Carpenter, who is an absolute master at this technique (and soap making in general), will be teaching us about soap sculpting. Her attempts at sculpting landscapes have been nothing short of brilliant perfection. I tried to implement some of the techniques she shared with us for her winning entry in the Winter Wonderland Challenge in February. I knew it would be difficult but I didn’t anticipate how much planning went into this sort of thing. To help me envision the final design, I sectioned my design into individual layers and created notes and instructions for each one.  

Set up

Mold set-up with the layer scrapers.

Since the design was best suited for a tall and skinny mold I used my home-made adjustable one. On one end, I taped a copy of the design image to provide guidance for me to see which layer was which. One of the tips I used from Claudia was to cut “layer scrapers” using an electric die-cutting machine. I convinced my family I needed an early Mother’s Day gift and found a used one online just in time. To each scraper, I added Popsicle sticks for added support.  

Scraping the first layer.

Scraping the first layer.

Lake ITP, poured at thin trace.

Lake ITP, poured at thin trace.

I poured the layers allowing each one to firm up enough to scrape with the specified layer scraper before moving on. For the hills and mountains, I used a recipe that moved quicker and thickened up more rapidly. For the lake and sky, I used a slower recipe. I did a modified In The Pot Swirl to help blend the colors together in an attempt to recreate the blend of colors in the sky at sunset.

 

Gluing tissue paper to copy paper.

Gluing tissue paper to copy paper.

Images printed on tissue paper.

Images printed on tissue paper.

The next challenge came with adding the tree and geese. Originally, I thought I could find stamps and stamp each image on the soap. Unfortunately, I could not find any stamps that were the correct dimensions or what I wanted in appearance. I decided to try carving my own on a rubber block with a linoleum carving tool. That proved next to impossible. It was very difficult to carve and I knew I was not going to get the level of detail I wanted. My next thought was to try water transfer paper. That might have worked but my new printer won’t print anything heavier than copy paper. The water transfer paper was thicker than card stock and my printer wanted nothing to do with it.

 

My final brainstorm worked. I have been admiring decoupaged soaps and have been wanting to try my hand at it. I knew finding a napkin or tissue with the right tree and geese would be impossible. I decided to print my own tissue. Since tissue paper would not go through a printer by itself, I used a glue stick along the outside rim of regular copy paper and stuck the tissue paper to it. I only put glue on the rim so the images in the middle wouldn’t be stuck to the paper. After they were printed, I cut out each of the shapes, as close to the black ink as possible.

 

Wetting soap before application.

Wetting soap before application.

Positioning image.

Positioning image.

Applying Mod Podge.

Applying Mod Podge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I used *Mod Podge Outdoor to make the images adhere. I still had some areas where the white tissue was showing because they were too difficult to get to with the scissors. They just faded into the background when I applied water and Mod Podge.    

Before adding tree and geese.

Before adding tree and geese.

This is what the soaps looked like before the trees and geese were added.    

 

And the final result…

Colorado 2

Finished Soaps!

Colorado

My entry!

 Overall, I am very happy with the result! I think it does a pretty good job of portraying the feel and look of a Colorado sunset. If you’ve never seen an authentic Colorado sunset, I highly suggest you add it to your bucket list. I promise you won’t be disappointed! Thanks for taking the time to read about my project! Please leave your comments – I’d love to hear from you!   PS: This is officially my very first blog post so please feel free to offer any suggestions you might have in the comments!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time…

Signature

 

*Since I have made this soap, I have learned that Mod Podge, or any other product, is not needed to adhere to the tissue paper images. I have found that if I slightly wet the surface of the soap, the tissue paper adheres just fine. If some of the edges of the tissue are still visible, I just take a paintbrush, wet from water, and “paint” over the edges. They disappear into the soap very well. 

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Elena Espinoza
Elena Espinoza
January 14, 2020 6:51 pm

🙂

stella maria figueira baltharejo baltharejo
stella maria figueira baltharejo baltharejo
April 2, 2019 8:21 am

Parabéns. Você é uma artista. Maravilhosa!

Amy
Amy
July 2, 2016 8:40 am

My only criticism is not telling everyone you’re a Patriots fan. Honestly Debi you never cease to amaze me, you’re talented and smart! And I’m not saying that because you’re my favorite cousin! Congratulations on your win, you truly deserved it!

Lisa List
June 18, 2016 9:08 am

This is one of the most gorgeous soaps I’ve ever seen! Thank you explaining how you did it. I had no clue that you could use Mod Podge on soap. WOW!! and I’ve also taken your suggestion and added to my bucket list to see a Colorado sunset in person . Congratulations!

Wanda
Wanda
June 5, 2016 4:46 pm

What an amazing soap! Great job and congratulations on your win!! You’re absolutely right on those Colorado sunsets…they are breath-taking! Had the pleasure of going there the end of last year! Everything is so beautiful there. Keep up the great soaping and thanks for sharing!

Mary Ann
Mary Ann
June 1, 2016 11:15 am

Debi if your looking for nature stamps look at http://www.stampscapes.com I also do stamping besides soaping and you won’t believe your eyes when you see the stamps there. Good luck and best wishes your soaps are amazing!!!!

Faiza Zafar
Faiza Zafar
June 1, 2016 1:15 am

Hi debi. First of all, congrats on having a heart as soft as ur soaps! I say this cos u have taken the time out to answer every1! Please please dont leave me out! This was first search on pinerest that lead me to u and i m so so so glad! How i wish ur soaps never melt and fade…. Please cud u answer a few of my questions which may sound stupid cos like i told u this is my first time. Wudnt ur trees and geese b the first to melt away cos they r not “built… Read more »

faiza zafar
faiza zafar
June 2, 2016 3:51 pm
Reply to  Debi

Thanx a ton for ur prompt reply.

sly
sly
April 27, 2016 5:46 pm

Debi: WOW!!!! Your soap is SO awesome! What a wonderful piece of art! I LOVE your blog and am so glad you have started it. It was so frustrating trying to comment on your Pinterest page (as well as other peoples) – I’m too long winded and I there’s not enough info from you the soaper. Thank you for your great step by step description of the process. I love how you put the geese & trees on to solve that problem. I don’t think I want to invest in a die cutting machine, so will just have to see… Read more »

sly
sly
April 28, 2016 5:35 am
Reply to  Debi

Debi:
Great idea – I will start blaming my babbling & forgetfulness on the thin air, rather than CRS or old age!!
I hope you are doing the May challenge (I will give it a try) and I look forward to your blog on it.
Best,
Sly

Kevin Devine
April 25, 2016 11:22 am

Gorgeous soap and very clever idea!

Yvonne
April 22, 2016 8:52 am

Wow, what a beautiful soap, Debi. You have done a really, really great job, again! No limits of what’s possible. Congrats taking 1. price – well deserved

Michele
April 21, 2016 10:04 am

Gorgeous. Absolutely Gorgeous. Thank you for sharing the technique…you are so creative!!!

Kellie
Kellie
April 20, 2016 6:48 pm

Well deserved win!!! Love this soap and really appreciate your explanations on how you made it. It’s really helpful for us beginners 🙂

Lisa\'s Natural Herbal Creations
Lisa\'s Natural Herbal Creations
April 20, 2016 5:52 pm

Congratulations Debi! Your soap is definitely the best!

Carolyn
Carolyn
April 20, 2016 3:38 pm

Congratulations on winning Debi! Your soap was fantastic and guess who is gonna win June challenge lol. Well done lovely

Veronica
Veronica
April 20, 2016 2:32 pm

Wow, you did an amazing job. It is absolutely beautiful, be very proud.

Holly
Holly
April 20, 2016 2:28 pm

Debi, Congratulations!!!! Your soap is just stunning! Absolutely a work of art. 🙂 I loved reading about how you made it, too.

Sara Golding
April 20, 2016 1:49 pm

Debi, so beautiful!!! Nothing like the Colorado sky, huh!!! Congrats on your well deserved win!!

Lisa Melli Gillespie
April 20, 2016 1:29 pm

Congrats on your win – Beautiful soap! 🙂

Brittany
Brittany
April 20, 2016 1:26 pm

Great job Debi! This soap looks amazing! I can’t wait to try out this technique! Way too cool!

Kathy Pidd
Kathy Pidd
April 18, 2016 3:10 pm

Beautiful!! Thanks for all the detail and the ‘story behind it all’.

lisa maw
lisa maw
April 18, 2016 8:35 am

Super! Wow! Fantastic! Your soap IS AWESOME! I am excited to learn this technique.

Diana
Diana
April 17, 2016 9:45 pm

This is a peace of art Debi. Amazing soap. Good luck to you!

JOwens
JOwens
April 17, 2016 4:30 pm

This is so beautiful, you definitely captures a “bronco’s sunset”! The use of hemp oil, very clever. Congratulations on such a fine soap! Colorado is well represented.

Bonnie Howard
Bonnie Howard
April 17, 2016 2:32 pm

Oh my – I am at a loss for words. Your soap is jaw dropping awesome. Just beautiful.

Shaman Lisa
April 17, 2016 1:52 pm

Debi – fantastic layering and very creative solution to the pine tree/geese conundrum. Just curious – what happens to the decoupage layer when you use the soap? does this just wash off (kind of like an embossed stamp would)? I wonder if the tissue design could be “decoupaged” with a glycerin soap…?
Geez – now you have my mind going…

Chichi
Chichi
April 17, 2016 1:51 pm

Wow! Your soap is just gorgeous!

Preciosa
Preciosa
April 17, 2016 10:34 am

Beautiful work Debi! Loved the detail and how the colors flowed ib ykhr layers. You’re a true master of managing colors in your soap. The tissue paper technique is really nice. Can’t wait to see more from you 🙂

Jessaca
Jessaca
April 17, 2016 8:22 am

Debi absolutely beautiful! Bouvet inspired me to get my body, doing lol I to have been procrastinating. Love your work

Jessaca
Jessaca
April 17, 2016 8:23 am
Reply to  Jessaca

Lol don’t know why that comment came out like that. You have inspired me to start my blog.

Omneya
Omneya
April 17, 2016 7:23 am

WoW Debi that is Gorgeous!!!!!

Pooja
Pooja
April 17, 2016 12:33 am

Congrats Debi for your new blog 🙂 The soap is so gorgeous !! I love the sunset & the tissue paper tree idea. It’s really stunning & reminds me of Claudia’s soap 🙂 you have already mastered the technique.

Eva
Eva
April 16, 2016 11:17 pm

Debi, Awesome soapy picture of Colorado! I am so glad you shared the decoupage technique – I hadn’t seen that before. How cool! I understand about starting a blog. My blog was ‘born’ from Amys challenge too. The ground work is laid for you now, onward & upward 😉

Shana
Shana
April 16, 2016 10:08 pm

WOW, blown away…this is beyond great I love colors. I have used decoupage in other mediums and would have never thought to use it with soap quite brilliant!

carolyn newton
carolyn newton
April 16, 2016 2:51 pm

Firstly, No Carolyns were harmed in commenting on this blog lol
Debi!!! This is fantastic! I love the whole soap and your sunset is beautiful. The idea of adding the trees after on tissue paper is genius! I enjoyed your blog too and think it is just great for a first time. You are now officially a blogger 🙂
Well done , my friend. Absolutely fab x

Amy Warden
April 16, 2016 2:12 pm

So, I thought maybe I was looking at Claudia’s entry when I first saw your soap! I couldn’t imagine how you created the detail of the geese and pine tree though – that was pure genius! You are farther along than the rest of us with the Sculpted Layers technique. Can’t wait to try it myself…but in the mean time, I think I’ll just stare at your soap a bit more! (Love your blog too!! Glad the challenges have pushed you to do it!)

Andrea
Andrea
April 16, 2016 1:45 pm

Aymayzing! Beautiful soap! I too love Colorado. I kind of don’t get what you did with the tissue paper…but then again I’m way rusty on my art techniques…

Marcie Adkins
April 16, 2016 1:10 pm

Actually, I think I might do something right now to improve my Rocket Soap. It sure would be nice to see some seagulls or something in it…..

Thanks again for the tips.

Marcie Adkins
April 16, 2016 1:08 pm

I adore this! And I think your blog post is great. Thanks for giving such a good explanation of your techniques. I appreciate it and it will help me when I try to imitate your trees and geese in one of my soaps. (Great tips.) Also, proud of your for your blog post. It’s something I intended to do and have not yet done! Been trying to get a blog going for several months and had wanted to use these challenges to “kick me in the butt” to do so. Going to try to make myself do it for next… Read more »

Anastasia
April 16, 2016 12:58 pm

I have no words for this, Debi, wondeful))))) My voice is yours, as well as first palce I believe)))

Anastasia
April 17, 2016 12:46 pm
Reply to  Debi

Finally I had some time to read the post slowly)) All the ideas are so wonderful. You are very talanted.
You are welcom and thank you for sharing)) I don’t like blogs with pictures only, it is nice but costs little…Good luck with blogging and this month challenge

Anastasia
April 20, 2016 1:04 pm
Reply to  Debi

Congratulations!!!!!!! I told U!!!!!!!Hurrrraaaaa

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