Sunday, August 11, 2013

Holly Swirl - Soap Challenge Club #3 (I think?!)

This was a really fun challenge, I enjoyed this very much; although, I did find I had to pay more attention than usual to make sure I didn’t forget any steps! The Holly swirl is named after the very talented Holly of Missouri River Soaps, she came up with this technique, which is basically a swirl-within-a-swirl. It starts with an in-the-pot swirl, which you then swirl into your soap.

I started out with a black & white version, because I thought it would look nice to have a ribbon of white and black swirl, swirled into black soap. I also took the opportunity to practice piping some flowers:





I really loved the simple black and white theme of this one, here it is out of the mold:




However, when I cut it, you can see that my ribbon of white and black swirl got lost in the soap:



It’s still a really cool swirl and I love it, but it’s not exactly what I was looking for. My soap was at a thinner trace, which is why it ended up more feathery and spreading all throughout the soap. I loved the look, but it just wasn't what I was going for:



I decided to try a 2nd attempt with 3 colors, here it is in the mold:


I think I'm getting the hang of these flowers now!


 My soap was at thicker trace and held the swirl better this time:



This one looks more like a Holly swirl!




By the way, both of these soaps ended up with large cracks again! I think it might be because I moved them to take a picture, because they didn't appear to be overheated. However, I used the technique I described in this post to smooth the cracks over, and you would never know there had been cracks..especially once I added the glitter. This technique does work really well, but you do have to catch those cracks right away. 

I really enjoyed this technique and would definitely do it again. Thanks again to Amy Warden of Great Cakes Soapworks for hosting these fun challenges and Holly for sharing her technique! 



Thanks for reading and have a great week!
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49 comments:

  1. Wow...gor-geous!!!!
    The black and white one is stunning and classic, and your white purple and pink soap is so pristine and beautiful!! I am in awe of your soapy flowers...wow I have so much to learn, my attempt...well not so good, #2 is gelling now and hoping for a better result, but yours are just wonderful!!!!

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    1. Thanks LC! I'm finding it's taking me at least 2 attempts with these challenges too! Can't wait to see yours, I'm sure it will be wonderful!

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  2. Gorgeous flowers,Cee! And both soaps look fantastic, but yes, the No.2's swirl looks more defined. That doesn't make it prettier, No.1 is so decadent and classy!
    I just need to notice this perfect whiteness of both,so beautiful!

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    1. Thanks so much Maja! The black one reminds me of a little black dress; not overstated but dressed up with the little flower on top ;)

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  3. Cute! The flowers kind of remind of me of little hairbows. So pretty!

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    1. Thanks Dana, the black ones do remind me of ribbon flowers!

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  4. Beautiful! I really like the little flowers on top.

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    1. Thanks so much Erica, I really appreciate it! =)

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  5. Love both of the soaps Cee but the black and white is my favorite! Your piped flowers are so pretty...love to add piping to my soaps, makes them alittle special!

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    1. Thanks Gloria, I'm partial to the black and white one myself :)

      I really love how you pipe on the tops of your soaps after...I have put some bars aside to try that on!

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  6. I don't think I can choose one over the other...they are both gorgeous! Those piped flowers are so pretty too, I like the little "pearls" on them! :)

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    1. Thanks Kalla, the flowers were really fun to make, I need to practice some different kinds now!

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  7. You do such pretty flowers Cee, and they add such a nice touch to already beautiful soaps.

    I like your analogy to the little black dress, I was thinking a tuxedo myself. Did you scent the soaps with a sophisticated scent to match?

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    1. Black tie popped into my head too, it's definitely formal attire of some kind ;) Thanks so much Monica!

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    2. Oh, and yes, I used a blend of sandalwood, fennel, lavender, pathouli and grapefruit...it's sultry and lovely!

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  8. The piped flowers are gorgeous, Cee! Love your little dress soap!

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  9. The flowers are so cute, they look like something from a cake! Both soaps are lovely! The second one displays holly's swirl better, but i am partial towards black. :-) How did you get the white portion to be white as snow?

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    1. Thanks SJ! This soap is 100% coconut oil, that's why it is so white. I chose it on purpose, so that the colors would stay very true.

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  10. Hace poquito me compré el colorante negro pero no se si desteñirá mucho. ¿Tu que dices, Cee?
    Tus jabones, como siempre, salieron geniales.
    Feliz semana!!
    ♥♥♥

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    1. Hola Paulina, espero que traduje su pregunta correcta! He utilizado el carbón, pero creo que debería haber utilizado más. No quería que el color para funcionar, así que no lo uso mucho .... no quería espuma gris! :)

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  11. The pink and blue soap is very very pretty and girly. And the flowers are super cute. But I have to say that I like the black one the most. It would also look cool with red or yellow instead of the white.

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    1. Thanks Marika! Yes, the black one would be very striking with other colors too. I'm hoping the lather doesn't turn gray...fingers crossed!

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  12. Beautiful Cee! I LOVE THEM BOTH!!! The black looks nice and sharp while the colorful one is fun and girly =)
    awesome job!!! love the piped flowers by the way!

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    1. Thanks Roxana...your beautiful piped flowers inspired me to try! =)

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    2. Cee, you are wayyyyyyyyyyyyy better at piping flowers than me =). Your look nice and fluffy and mine were all broken up

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    3. Nooo, yours were prettier...and you did sunflowers!!! I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one! ;p

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  13. Those both came out so wonderfully! The swirls are nice, but what REALLY caught my eye was those flowers on top! WOW! One more thing I will have to try at some point is flowers just like those...they really make that soap pop visually. Just too cool over all.

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    1. Thank you so much! These flowers are quite simple, but I would definitely love to try some different types of flowers, I have a lot to learn!

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  14. Both soaps are so pretty, Cee! Even though the black-and-white soap didn't turn out quite like you wanted it to, it's still gorgeous. Very elegant and sophisticated. And I love how your swirl looks in the second soap! I like those bright colors against the white. Your soap flowers are stunning, too.

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    1. Thanks so much Jenny, I'm really pleased with both efforts...I really enjoyed this swirl technique and will definitely use it again :)

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  15. You piped gorgeous flowers Cee! I can't imagine that I will ever be able to do like that... Both soaps are beautiful but my favorite is the first one. Black & white, so simle and elegant!

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    1. Thanks Gordana, I know you could do it...it just takes a bit of practice! ;)

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  16. Wow, they are both gorgeous, and those flowers are so cute :)

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  17. I agree the flowers add a special touch. I love both designs, but I think I like the 'little black soap' the best!

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    1. Thanks Gail, the flowers are very easy to do but just add a little something special. I like that...'little black soap'...lol

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  18. Beautiful! I'm so borrowing this idea of piped flowers :)

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  19. Lovely!! I love your flowers and your colors are so pretty <3

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  20. They are both so pretty, Cee. Love the piped flowers on top - too cute!!

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    1. Thanks so much Amy, I appreciate getting to try all of these fun techniques with your soap challenges! Can't wait until the next one =)

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  21. I am impressed with your flowers! The black/white soap is very elegant, dressy indeed. The second soap is a petty and happy soap.

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  22. The piped flowers are just gorgeous! It took me at least 2 attempts with this swirl. First time was too thin (and the colors didn't contrast enough) so it all looked like one swirl at the bottom. However, the black and white soap works just like it is!

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    1. Thank you Kerrie! It's interesting how many different swirl effects you can get with this technique...it was trickier than I thought it was going to be! Do you have a link to your soap? =)

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  23. I like them both but love the blue n pink one the best! Has a kind of ethereal look to it. The little piped flowers are divine!!

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