Playing Around With Some New Stuff - The Coat of Arms Soaps

Yesterday I was thrilled to get a surprise care package from my friend, Anne-Marie. I'm a Moderator for her Teach Soap Forum and she sent me a thank you gift! It included a Coat of Arms Mold, an ounce of her new Heavy Metal Gold Mica, Smokey Patchouli Fragrance Oil, and Red Apple Fragrance Oil. Considering my usual repetoire of food and neon inspired soaps, I decided to challenge myself with this new theme - "medieval."

I decided to only use what she sent me (but I'm saving the Red Apple for something else). I got 6 different final outlooks. Here they are, from top left

1) Stone Effect: this is the only one where I broke my rule. I painted gold and silver soap into the mold before pouring white tinted with gold for the bar. After unmolding, I dusted the details with gold mica.

2) First I filled the mold 1/3 full with gold clear soap, then poured white soap tinted with gold. All of the gold clear soap floated, so it looks like an off white bar.

3) The top of the shield and the helmet are off-white, then the rest of the design was filled with gold soap. I filled the rest of the bar with off-white and dusted the details with gold mica when it was finished (using a dry paint brush and the mica on the inner lid of the container).

4) I painted gold soap into the mold in a few areas then filled it with off-white. The effect is barely noticable.

5) Marbled Effect: I used 2 cups of soap, one gold in clear and one white tinted with gold, let them both cool as much as possible before it got clumpy, and poured at the same time. After unmolding, I dusted the details with gold mica.

6) This is the most basic - just white soap tinted with gold, then after unmolding I dusted the details with gold mica (I sound like a broken record! But I really felt that the details on this soap were not noticable without a little more oomph.)

I just planned on making 2 bars and sending them to my friends Rani and Jed in Santa Cruz. They're die hard D&D fans, Ren Faire attendees, and all around fantasy junkies. You should see their library! And Rani makes these great stained glass wall hangings with dragons. They're amazing! But now I have 6 bars. Anyone want to trade? I love polymer food thingies! :)

To see the soaps more clearly, click here.