December Soap Club Challenge - Impression Mats

Impression Mat Challenge

Impression Mat Soap Challenge - "Peacock Pride"

This month's soap challenge was to use an impression mat. We could make our own or purchase one. I decided to use an impression card from my Cuttlebug to make my own. I made two, not knowing which I would like better One was zebra stripes and the other was peacock feathers. I used a latex product to make the impression mat, called Mold Builder, which I learned of from Soaping 101. It takes about 10 layers to make your mold, each needing to dry completely before adding the next layer. When it was completely dry and carefully peeled off the mat I trimmed it to fit in my mold.

The mica was then carefully applied. For the zebra stripes I mixed the mica with almond oil and painted it on the impression mat. It was kind of messy and then flaked off as I put it in the mold; which had to be touched up after the soap finished. For the peacock feathers I used the mica dry and applied it with cotton swabs. I like the look of the peacock feathers much better. It was time consuming, but I like how the colors are vibrant on the finished soap, but fade in places as well to give it depth.