Soapmaking Drama

Whew, checking in has been a long time coming. I have been keeping busy so why haven't I been posting? I don't have an answer, I don't know, I don't understand why, so I am not going to think about it anymore and just "go on with life".....I was driving myself crazy because I left this for so long and couldn't understand why (did I reallly need to "understand"?)....but no more, what happens happens blah blah blah. And I have been busy, sewing, crafting, spending the winter in Arizona...so, had I sat my butt down and blogged, I would have "talked" your ears off! Anyway, yesterday I made soap...my all time favorite thing to do! I only make soap about twice a year....somewhere between 30-50 bars and that lasts us through the Summer, Winter, Spring and then it's time to stir the pot again...I love it!! So I have always made colored soap, or swirled soap, or soap full of herbs...it has never really mattered if my attempts to create "pretty" soap didn't work, because we will use it no matter what...it is soooo much better than anything you can buy! I can't remember the last time I bought a bar...it must be 10 years or more! But I had a vision yesterday of a picture perfect, bright colored two layerd soap and I was excited to get going. The bottom layer came out fine....but I decided to pour my three colors for my top through a funnel. The colors were a peach, a bright blue and dark green....OMG, it all swirled together to make the ugliest color of gray.... it is sooooo ugly that I won't even post a picture!! I knew this could happen, I have heard of the dreadful gray many times, but I am running out of "safe" colorants to use, so I was using what was available and it was awful...actually, I think I may have swirled too much but i wanted to get that fluffy frosting look and I think that is where I went wrong...I fluffed and swirled too long and it ended up mixing too much and now it is sooooo ugly!! The fluff turned out great, the layers are nice and defined, but somehow a swirled grey, with hints of orange and blue do not invite you to hold and caress the bar. But here is the good news...I used fabulous oils that I had infused with wonderful herbs and so this will be one of the most luxurious, good for your skin soaps I have ever produced.....and it's all mine!!! yup, I had infused olive oil with rosemary, some with calendula and chamomile (which is my favorite) and I added mango butter, cocoa butter, castor oil to the usual coconut and palm oil...........oh this soap will be the best!! I scented it with essential oils of Spearmint, Patchouli and Ylang Ylang and the smell is divine!. So, I had a ball mixing this batch up and trying a new technique and even though it is hard to look at, it will be loved by me!