WildCrafty

'Gold Digger' is my entry for May's , the Straight Layer Gradient technique taught by Jennifer Hoffman.

I wasn't planning to do an entry this month, but I had a very short window of time, so I gave it one shot! I really appreciate 's excellent and comprehensive tutorial as well, so that kept me motivated, as did our wonderful community of soapmakers in the Soap Collab.

I have been obsessed lately with the Zorn colour palette. It creates a naturalistic, moody impression using only black, white, red, and yellow. I also love the look of silver, bronze, and gold gradients, so I chose to riff off both of those ideas. This palette isn't as eye-catching as bright, saturated colours, but it reminds me of sunset in the desert. 🌵🌅

That arid, hazy gradient also made me think of the little Sonoran Digger Bee 🐝, a ground dweller who has adapted to life in the harsh desert.

So, this is your reminder that as the planet continues to warm, and our sweet, little pollinators work hard to keep plants thriving, we can help by providing the bees with water. 💧
A shallow dish with some stones for them to stand on (so they don't drown), will give them some refreshment during those hot summer days to come!

Thanks to for sponsoring this month's challenge!

I can't wait to see all the beautiful creations this month.

🪐'Planets and Stars' ✨️
Here's a fun little project that a few of my very favourite soapmakers decided to undertake this month for an !

Anyone who makes soap for a few years can attest to the ridiculous amount of leftover soap that accumulates from beveling, planing, or just plain scrapping a soap design that didn't make the cut.

We decided to make use of those scraps to create something new.
Galaxy soap is not a new idea, but all that confetti reminded me of stars and leftover blobs of soap dough make great planets.

Ive been very busy with a new job, so I didn't have much capacity for creating, but I do like how these turned out.

Plus, adding an incredible Nag Champa fragrance oil from Brambleberry, and a soapy star is born!

Last week, it really felt like spring might be coming soon.
I walk along the ridge overlooking the river near my house almost every day with my dogs. The colours of late winter have been seeping into my unconscious mind like a song that keeps replaying over and over. Sometimes, the only way to clear my mind is by listening out loud.

This soap is the artistic equivalent of listening to the colours of my mind out loud.

I love the way the white, beige, grey, yellow, and green swirl and overlap. One does not overpower the other.

Scented with a clean yet warm vanilla, honey, and powdery soft ozone blend of fragrance oils, the promise of sunshine nudges outside of the quiet coolness.

'Violet Pimpernel' is another attempt at this month's , which is a spin swirl with the added element of a pull-through tool.

I adore William Morris' work, so for inspiration, I chose his Pimpernel pattern.

In my category, we're required to use a minimum of six colours. If that were not a requirement, I would usually opt for 3 - 5 colours to use in my designs. IMHO, more is not always better! I guess this challenge includes trying to create a cohesive design that isn't overwhelming. I'm not certain I achieved this, but I do love the colours. In hindsight, I may have not chosen to use as much (or any) of the darkest shade, but it certainly adds some drama!

I'm not sure if I'll do another attempt but it's been fun dreaming of colour combinations and ways to create a pull-through tool from items at home.
Maybe one day, I'll design my own and 3D print it.

In the meantime, I hope you like Violet Pimpernel!
Scented with a tried and true, perfectly decelerating fragrance oil, Lemongrass and Green Tea from

'Flower Duet' is another attempt at the spin swirl with pull-through tool for the .

Our guest instructor is , whose mastery of this technique I have long admired. Many thanks for the comprehensive tutorial she provided!

I'm still not confident in my ability to design files for 3D printing, so I have used found objects instead.

This pull-through tool was made with a piece of laundry basket that was cracked and would wind up in a landfill.

I may try one more attempt since I still have one more tool to try 😅

'Mid-Century Modern'
For this month's , we are doing a spin swirl with a pull-through tool. I used a kitchen mat I had on hand. There wasn't a lot of negative space with this mat, so it pulled a lot of the soap batter through, and the lines of the spin swirl got a bit lost, but I do love the cool blues and green juxtaposed with the warmer yellow and orange. It created some groovy patterns and shapes and was fun to cut into! I'm looking forward to playing a bit more with this technique.
Scented with a blend of sweet orange, lemongrass, grapefruit, lime, and patchouli essential oil.

Mix yourself a martini and crank up the hi-fi! Let's Bossa Nova! 🍸💃

I'm participating in a fun and casual soap collab with some of my very favourite makers. We decided this month to do a rainbow theme 🌈
Ever since I saw Yvonne do an ombré pour with squeeze bottles in individual cavity moulds, I wanted to try it too! It's relaxing and lots of fun! Plus, who doesn't love fresh and mouthwatering sorbet? Scented with Energy, a bright, tart, citrus fragrance. I can almost taste the summertime! ☀️

Before the blur of dreams had lifted this morning, I got a message from a fellow soapmaker congratulating me. 😳
*Shaking head. Trying to focus my eyes*
Am I awake? I had to see for myself to believe it. I'm stunned and very grateful!

Thank you to everyone who voted for my entry, 'Sun-dappled', for this month's soap challenge club. There were so many gorgeous entries, so I really didn't anticipate this at all. 🤯

Thanks to Nectaria Bogdanis for being our guest instructor for the spoon/plop challenge and to hosts Amanda & Robyn for all they do to ignite our creativity each month.

Thanks also to for sponsoring this month's prizes. I'm so excited to finally try their products. I use shea butter in ALL my formulations, so I'm happy to know that the company directly supports the Ghanaian women and their families who use traditional, sustainable harvesting practices.

'Sun-dappled' is my entry for this month's , which is called the 'Spoon Plop' technique.
Yes, it is about as elegant as it sounds! 😂🫠

In my category, we must use a minimum of 6 colours being scooped with a spoon and plopped into a loaf mould from a minimum of 3 containers. There must also be an added element or technique in at least 25% of the bar. I chose to create a tree embed. This was loosely based on the art of Australian painter, Clair Bremner.

One of my favourite nature experiences is walking through a grove of aspen trees as the bright afternoon sun streams through the leaves. It's like being part of two separate worlds of light and colour. The coolness and dappled light below and the sun-drenched, dizzying canopy above. As you look up, the leaves gently flutter and filter the sun from your gaze. 🌞

I hope you enjoy the stylistic simplicity and beautiful, vibrant colours.

I wish I could remember how I scented these! It was a new-to-me and well-behaved fragrance oil with hints of lemon 🍋 and herbaceous overtones! Lol

Ah! I can't wait for spring....