January’s soap challenge is based on a relatively new technique dubbed the circling Taiwan swirl. To accomplish the swirl you go through the steps to create a Taiwan swirl but then you move your swirling instrument to one corner of the mold and proceed to drag it in circles around the mold. When you cut the soap on the horizontal plane and place the two pieces you get the appearance of a lotus flower. Cutting soap is one of the most exciting parts of making soap – you never know what you are going to get – and this technique is really fun.


When I uncovered the soap the next day it was covered with soda ash (a white powdery substance that is harmless – it is just not attractive). Because this soap was going to be cut on the horizontal it was not a problem as a thin layer of soap could easily be removed.
Thank you Amy for another fun challenge.
Pretty colors!
Thank you Jolene
Still a very pretty lotus!!!!
Thank you!
I really like your colors! The patterns turned out very interesting. It’s amazing what affects the texture of our soaps isn’t it? Even with the thicker white, they are very lovely. : )
thank you Eva. Yes all the little surprises in our soap keep it interesting.
Looks lovely!!
Nice color combo too!!
Sly
Thank you Sly
What cool effects and cheerful colors…reminds me of warmer weather.
Thank you Susan. I am sitting here watching the snow and wishing for warmer weather.
Beautiful! I hate titanium dioxide for that reason. I’ve started using different white micas, which aren’t perfect, but are working pretty well for what I am doing so far. Your soap turned out really wonderful! Good luck!
Thanks Debi. I thought about mica for the white but I wanted it really white and since I only mix to emulsification I took a chance.
Love your color combination. Great job!
Thank you Janie
Nice play with the colors. Loved the effect the pinks had. Great work!
Thank you. Pink is one of my go to colors.
Really pretty, once again, Bonnie! I’m so glad you had the time to play this month. The thicker white parts just add interest in my book. The colors all flow together so beautifully!
Thank you Amy – its always fun to be a part of the Soap Challenge Club.
Wow I love this! The colors and flow are stunning, it draws you into the design.. Cheers!!
Thank you Cindi.
Lovely colours. It turned out really well
Thank you Odette
TD can be frustrating, but I love the crisp white for contrast. This is beautiful, Bonnie! And I agree that pouring into the slots is challenging by itself! 🙂
Thank you Penny.
Your swirls turned out so perfect! This looks like a fun challenge. =)