Tears of Mother Earth
Welcome!
This monthโs challenge for Amy Wardenโs Soap Challenge Clubย was the Teardrop Technique.ย The objectiveย of the challenge was to create a teardrop formation in ourย soap but I have to admit,ย tear drops in soap werenโt the only tears created! Along with tears of frustration there was also quite a bit of hair pulling, foot stamping and very colorful language being spouted! This is one technique that was soooo much harder than it appeared.ย
Having the perfect batter consistency was the key to success in this technique. Not too thin because thatย can causeย the designย to spread all the way to the sides and form โwingsโ. Not too thick because thatย inhibited the upward movement of the designย that formedย the actual drop. It had to be just right and determining that โjust rightโ stage was pretty tricky. I have a feeling Goldilocks would be huddled in a corner, banging her head against the wallย after being faced with this challenge.
Amy frequentlyย recommends a wonderful websiteย called Design Seeds to assist in choosing a color scheme. I ย start out at this site quite often when Iโm trying to come up with a color palette that speaks toย me. Implementing the chosen colors into my design however, is not always that easy. I often have a difficult time visualizing the actual soap in the colors I have chosen unless I can see it in front of me soย it helps me to make a visual representation. I will sometimes draw and color the design on paperย orย use Photoshop to see how the colors mix in my design.
When searching for a color palette on Design Seeds I found a particularย color scheme that really seemed to draw me in:
I absolutely fell in love with the colors and have now started envisioning entireย rooms redecorated in this color scheme. Itโs a good thing I am too caught up in Amyโs challenges to do makeovers on my entire house! My family would probably kick me to the curb.ย
Photoshop proved to be the perfect tool to create a mock-up using these colors. Using theย Design Seed palette,ย Iย created a teardrop and inserted each ofย the colors into the design. Photoshop layers allow me to rearrange the colors easily to see what order would look best.
Design TipยI am a pretty big stickler for colors and kind of obsess trying to get the exact color I am going for. Iย mix different micas together in an attempt to achieve the perfect shade, but my processย doesnโt always result in the color I want.ย Some colors are not as straight forward as they seem. They might appear to be a mixย of X and Y but onceย mixed together, the results arenโt quite right.ย I have found a way that helps me with some of the guessworkย โย the Eyedropper tool in Photoshop. I use the Eyedropper tool to select the color in question and then selectย the Color Picker. A box willย come up showing a color field and where that particular color is located on it. It kind of gives a clue to what colors should be blended to create that particular hue. This has proven very effective in finding the little bit of color that might be missing in my mixture to make it perfect.ย
First Attempt
To create the design, we first needed to divide the batter. Amyโs suggestion of using 3/4 of the batter for the base color and usingย the remaining 1/4 of the batter for the teardrop colors was spot on. After I separated the first 3/4ths of the batter for the robinโs egg blue base, I divided the rest of the batterย into fiveย equal parts for the remaining colors.ย I began byย pouring some of the base color for the bottom part. After pouring this first layer, I divided the remaining base color into two spouted cups for the final pour. One by one,ย Iย then poured the colors for the teardrop in a line SLOWLY, and as straight as possibleย down the center. Each color was layered in the same fashion, one on top of the other.ย I then took the two spouted cups of base color and poured them simultaneously along bothย sides which wasย supposed push it upwards to helping to form the drop.
With my first attempt, the batter was way too thin andย quickly spread all the way to the sides. I ended up with the aforementioned โwingsโ and my teardrop resembled a bird.ย
Notes for next time:ย
- Pour at a little thicker trace or figure out a way to control the batter more so it doesnโt spread so far to the sides.
Second Attempt
This time, my batter was at a little thicker trace. I also devisedย a way toย possibly help control the flow of the batter using some of my sonโs old KโNex remnants, hot glue, and pieces of acrylic. My thought was that if I had a guide of sorts, the lines might go in straighter and more precise.The resulting soap had more of the droplet shape I wanted with more defined layers but the batter poured on the sides didnโt push the droplet up to the top.ย

Guide made with KโNex toy construction parts and acrylic pieces (Try not to laugh too hard at my contraption!)

Cocoa pencil line, soap shavings, and top color added. (Pardon the cocoa mess – I am a very messy soaper!)
Notes for next time:ย
- Both sides of guide arenโt really necessary and actually get in the way.ย
- Figure out a way to push the drop all the way to the top.
Third Attempt
This time, I ditched the KโNex guide and tried to focus on pushing the drop upward. Unfortunately, I waited too long and the batter was way too thick. I ended up with something that looked kind of like a tornado!
Notes for next time:ย
- Pour at a much thinner trace
- Try a guide again, maybe only one side
- Ditch the two-tone design
- Donโt CPOP to limit glycerin riversย
Final Attempt
I wanted to use a guide again but this time I rigged up a different contraption to holdย the acrylic and only used one side. I had a little gizmo that I had recently picked up that has a magnifying glass and little clamps to help with doing small repairs. I may never use it for its intended use but it sure was perfect for this project. I removed the magnifying glass and used the clamps to hold the acrylic piece. My bucket of lard was the perfect height so I place the new guide on it and angled the acrylic into my mold. This time my batter was just right and I was able to pour it in such a way that forced it all the way up to the top.
I still wanted a little separation between the top and bottom but something a little more subtle than the last two attempts. I addedย aย pencil line with cocoa but did not add a solid color as I did before. This time I wanted to create the appearance ofย a pool of colors dripping down into the bottom part of the soap.ย I was hoping for a smoother appearance without glycerin rivers so I did not CPOP this oneย as I did the previous batches. I finished the top with some oil and mica swirls, sprayed it with alcohol to prevent ash and left it on the counter uncovered. ย
MY ENTRY!
The fourth time was the charm. While not a perfect teardrop, it is unique in itโs own way. I was also happy to see that for the most part, the top gaveย the effect I was going for. I was thrilled to finally be able to accomplish the technique. Overall, I am very happy with the way it turned out, especially the colors. I now have a whole bunch of soap in the colors I fell in love with. Hopefully that will quench my desire to redecorate the entire house in this color scheme!
The design of the soap and the colors feel very organic and earthy in nature so I namedย this soap honoring those qualities โ โTears of Mother Earthโ.
For those interested in the nitty gritty of the soapย here are the specs:
Micas (All from Stephโs Micas):
Light blue/green: Aqua Green and Powder Blue
Darker blue/green: Aqua Green and Activated Charcoal
Dark brown: Cocoa Brown, Majestic Purple, and Activated Charcoal
Medium brown: Bronze Satin and Cocoa Brown
Light brown: Gold Shimmer, Cocoa Brown, Titanium Dioxide
Black: Activated Charcoal
Fragrances:
Attempt #1: A combination of Green Fig from Bramble Berry and Fresh Cut Roses from Natureโs Garden
Attempt #2:ย Blood Orange Fo and Cedarwood EO, both from WSP, andย Patchouli from Wellington Fragrances
Attempt #3:ย Blood Orange Fo and Cedarwood EO, both from WSP, and Sweet Patchouliย from Natureโs Garden
Attempt #4: Rosemary and Pepper from Aztec International
Ingredients:
All batches were made with the same combination of Coconut Oil, Almond Oil, Lard, a blended oil consisting of Olive Oil, Canola Oil and Grapeseed Oil, Sodium Lactate and Tussah Silk.
Thanks forย stopping by!
Until next time…
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I would just like to say, thank you for documenting and sharing your efforts; for continuing to try until you got the result you wanted. So many times I have a flub and am discouraged to try again. A beautiful outcome and you inspired me!
Aww, Carol! Thank you so much for your wonderful comments. I am always glad to hear when my ramblings are welcome! ๐
Your soap is beautiful, Debi. But the description of how you evolved your technique, and the ingenious methods and assorted “tools” you used to get this right are legendary!!! Great read …..!
Thank you so much for your incredibly kind words, Debbie! I’m glad you enjoyed reading it!
I love ALL of your attempts! thanks for showing your variations. ๐
Thank you Lisa!
Your color choices are super gorgeous !! This technique does produce very interesting designs ๐ I love all your attempts.
Thank you so much, Pooja! I’m definitely hooked! ๐
I LOVE your entry! You really perfected the design and it is so beautiful!
Aww, thank you Debbie! I’m not sure I’d say I’ve perfected it, lol – but I hope to! It’s so addicting and I love the unique designs that result from each attempt!
Debi love your color choices and ingenuity! Your soap entry is beautiful.
Judy, thank you for such kind words!
Love the color scheme! I am impressed by your tenacity! Looks like it paid off.
Thank you very much, Leilani! And thank you for calling it tenacity – my family has other names for it but I much prefer your terminology! ๐
Oh wow! That color scheme is beautiful. I love duck egg blue and think it goes perfectly with the browns. Well done on persevering! Your teardrop turned out perfectly but I also love all your others with the different tops ๐
Thank you for the compliments Carolyn! Once I fell in love with the colors I knew I didn’t want to change them on additional attempts so changing the design a little each time worked out well! ๐
Beautiful , Debi !
Thank you so much, Diana!
Debi:
All your soaps are gorgeous! I love the earthiness and the long teardrop in the soap that you submitted. (I really like the third one too.)
I’m so glad you have a blog and I love reading all the details of each of your soaps.
Thanks so much!! Another winner!
Sly
Awww, Sly! Thank you for saying such nice things about my soaps and I’m glad you like my ramblings too!
I absolutely love your colour palette and you did a fantastic job of matching it so well in your soap. So much thought and planning has gone into it. You got a wonderful teardrop shape too. I love it!
Tank you so much, Claire! I was happy to actually get close to the colors I was going for!
Debi, this soap is absolutely beautiful!! The colors are just amazing. And how creative and smart you are to come up with the guide for pouring the lines. I love the way the top turned out, too. It’s just perfect with your beautiful teardrop. Congrats on a fantastic entry!
Thank you for your kind words, Holly! I had to figure out something because I just couldn’t seem to pour a straight line to save my life! ๐
This is gorgeous Debi, thank you for sharing your methods and particularly the way you come up with colour schemes. I’ve learnt a lot!
Thank you Robyn! I’m so glad you found it helpful. I have learned such priceless information from everyone in these challenges! ๐
Love these! Colors are great!
Thank you, Ceil! That means a lot coming from you!
Debi, Thank you for putting out a blog so we can see your brain in action- your thoughts are truly fascinating. Your soap came out so beautifully- the colors are amazing!!! Well done ๐
Thank you Sara! You and Anastasia are the one that gave me the kick in the pants I needed to get my blog finished after your comments a few months back! Thank you for that. Now I have the perfect place to ramble on! ๐
Yea!!! And the circle of inspiration continues on. I will be a regular reader for sure!
Yea! Now if only Amy would stop posting such addictive challenges, I might actually have time to get other posts up!:D
Gorgeous! Love the entry soap! Thanks for sharing your methods with us too – sometimes you just need a little extra assistance, and it looks like you found the perfect tool for the job! The colors are amazing – I can see why you stuck with them. ๐
Thank you, Amy, and thank you so much for presenting this challenge! It was definitely worth the frustration involved in learning it!
Oh, Debi, I smiled a lot while watching the pics)))))) You are creative not only with the colors (they are green again))))) but also with tools))))) The Tear drop is perfect in your final attempt, this technique was a hard one and you managed it perfectly))) Congrats! Most of all though I like the third one soap.. Welldone!
Thank you so much, Anastasia! This was most definitely a difficult technique to conquer. I am so glad Amy presented this challenge because it has been one technique I have really wanted to try!
Debi, as always, you really put a lot of work into your work. It payed off, your soap is beautiful, colors too. Thank you for sharing the photoshop idea, great tool. Good luck
Thank you so much, Yvonne! I’m glad you found the Photoshop tip helpful.
They’re so beautiful Debi. I love the name, it is perfect for the colours and design. Thank you for sharing your findings about getting the exact right consistency for the batter – you’re awesome ๐
Thank you for such kind words, Lisa! This was definitely a technique that required that “Goldilocks” consistency in the batter!
Wow! You’re proof that perseverance parts of. Using a line guide was genius! You have beautiful soaps and the colors you’ve chosen are perfect! Well done!
Thank you, Preciosa! I just couldn’t stop making new batches until I managed to get it right for the most part. I’m glad it only took four tries!
Those are really beautiful soaps, all the way through to your entry which is just breathtaking. I love how each one is unique, and how you utilized various techniques to finish them out.
Thank you very much, Michelle! I usually change the colors if I make more than one attempt at a challenge but I just fell in love with these colors. I’m glad I varied the finished design on each try since I ended up with so many bars from all my attempts at the design!
Love your entry. And I LOVE this post. I totally admire your persistance and creativity to solve problems. The colour scheme is fantastic. Thank you for your tips on using photoshop to assist in the design.
Thank you so much, Anna! These colors have mesmerized me, that’s for sure. And I’m glad you like the Photoshop tip. It’s really helped take out some of the mystery of mixing colors!