BUST

Today was not my day at ALL. I have to do the challenge for May so thought I'd start now with getting things together but both batches were utter bombs. I used my regular recipe and (I hate to type this) Monkey Farts FO, which is supposed to behave but it went so fast I didn't get to mix my colors in completely. I hate that name and I detest bananas but it gets such rave reviews I thought I should try it. Bah humbug. I don't like the scent that much so far and it also ticked me off by behaving so badly. If it were a floral, I could forgive it, but not a fruity scent. No sir.

Not to be put off, I went straight to making another batch to try to get the effect I wanted. This time, I would outwit the soap gods by using a very high tallow/lard recipe with full water and scent it with Blackberry Sage and Champagne, which you can use even in low water without problems. Ha ha! I would succeed. Oils still slightly warm and lye water about the same, blended and as I was pouring it out, it started thickening up like mad. WTH??? Not possible. Maybe it was false trace so I stirred and stirred but things just got worse. There was no pouring to be had and everything had to be put in the mold with a spatula. It's clear that I should not be soaping today so in spite of the temptation to go again (I make only 1 pound batches) and make it happen, I held off to see if I could learn anything from the colors I had chosen in the crappy soaps. I hate the first batch; there is very little to redeem it and someone will have to use it, so it will be pawned off as one of my uglies. The second batch is only moderately better, and I did find some changes I would make to the colors, should I try again, so there is that. There is only one bar that I like and that's only because I tend to like oddities and unusual looks. I should also add that I like only one surface of that bar, so it's a thin profit margin on this batch.

I spent part of the evening looking for different inspiration.

If I make it look like I want it to look, I will show the inspiration picture but I don't want to be the butt of jokes so I shall play it close to the chest for now.