This was a contest entry for a magazine...

[melanie.livejournal.com]

I have 10 pictures showing my process, so I'll cut tag them, but the project was to portray the name of the magazine (Craft:) in the crafty medium of your choice. Being a soapmaker, I crafted it into a 3-pound loaf of soap. :)





Step 1: Color some melt-n-pour base to the same pink as the logo. Let set. Trace design onto soap, then carve out letters with pocket knife since you can't find the X-acto:





Step 2: Embed the pink soap letters in a layer of plain white melt-n-pour, to hold them steady and symmetrical:






Step 3: While mixing lye and water and allowing to cool in the fridge, begin whipping coconut and olive oils in the mixer until they resemble whipped cream.







Step 4: Add lye to whipped oils, freak out as it all deflates and looks like a failure. Continue making batch of regular cold-processed soap anyway, just in case.








Step 5: Pour batch of regular cold processed soap into mold, and once firm enough to hold things up, insert the slab with "Craft:" written into it up against one side of the mold.








Step 6: Calm down as batch of whipped soap starts looking less failure-like.







Step 7: Top cold-processed soap with whipped soap, reserving a little bit to color pink for a swirl. Frouf it around like whipped cream. Sprinkle with pink cranberry seeds, purple blueberry seeds, and blue poppy seeds.









Step 8: Next day, remove from mold.







Step 9: Carefully slice away thin layer from side of slab, revealing the "Craft:" logo inside.








Result: Looks like fudge, but it's SOAP! With "Craft:" written in it! Yay.