What is the Soap Challenge Club?

May 20, 2013 by | 40 Comments

I’ve been throwing around this idea for a monthly Soap Challenge Club for several weeks now, and by now you may be wondering what on earth this Soap Challenge Club is all about! Well, I finally have some details that I can share with you!

The vision for the Soap Challenge Club is to create a Members Only space where soapmakers from all over the world can come together to be challenged to learn a new technique. Best of all, members will vote to determine the winner of the challenge each month – and that winner will receive a significant prize from a soap supply vendor!!

Soapmakers will be able to choose each month whether or not to participate. These will be the requirements to participate:
1. Register and pay a small fee to gain access to the private area where the technique will be laid out via instructional video and written instructions.
2. Create a soap using the technique of the month.
3. Create a blog post (preferred!), video on YouTube, or post a photo on a Facebook business page featuring your challenge soap entry. Uploading a photo from your computer will be allowed, but will only create a small thumbnail photo of your soap which will be difficult for others to really see. If you want to win a prize, you may want to consider starting a blog! (Soaps that have been created previous to the challenge will NOT be eligible to be entered in the link-up.)
4. Be sure you are able to get your challenge soap posted during the time the link-up is open.

First Challenge

The first challenge will open one week from today on May 27th – Memorial Day in the US. Registration will remain open for a full week, and participants will have yet another full week to complete their challenge soap. A link-up just like the ones we’ve done before will open on June 10th in the private area where the voting will take place to see who will win the prize that month. Only Soap Challenge Club members will be able to vote. The link-up will be open between June 10th and 12th, and voting will begin on the 12th!

Peacock Swirl by Amanda Griffin
Peacock Swirl by Amanda Griffin
Yes, we will be doing the Peacock Swirl first, so be sure to gather your supplies! In addition to normal soapmaking ingredients and supplies, make sure you have a slab mold (can be a real soap mold, or a cardboard box, plastic kitty litter box, dresser drawer…you get the idea!), at least 4 bottles with a yorker-type cap (think ketchup & mustard dispensers), a piece of cardboard as wide as your soap mold, and about 3-5″ tall, 100pk of roller pix (found at beauty supply stores or online for about $3), and a wooden skewer or chopstick.

I have some excellent sponsors lined up for the “significant prizes”. You won’t be disappointed! Winners will be posted publicly right here on the Great Cakes Soapworks blog. Plus, second and third place winners will receive free registration for the next month’s Challenge Club!

Let me know if you have any questions so far!!

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  6. Yea! I just got home from the Soap Guild conference where I saw Amanda demo this technique and of course I planned on trying it when I got home. I will be shopping for the materials today. This will be my first challenge. Thank you for continuing them.

  11. Oh Amy…you have obviously put a tremendous amount of time and effort into this project and it will certainly be a blast to be involved. Can’t wait to sign up. We have real peacocks here on our farm so going to check out their feathers for some close to nature color combo ideas. THANK SO MUCH!

  13. Would love to join! What is the fee going to be? Will we pay one fee for a block of time or pay a fee for each challenge?

  15. @T.A. – Yes, you get to choose which challenges you want to participate in, so you only have to pay for each one of those.

  18. Amy, thank you for carrying on with the challenges. Life got in the way for me on the last one, but I am definitely interested in participating in more of these. I have been wanting to try the Peacock Swirl so this is the perfect time for me to do it.

    Your effort is greatly appreciated. Thank you….

  19. This sounds like so much fun and I really want to make myself accountable to a group. Sounds like the perfect forum for both. Count me in. Thank you for putting it together, Amy, it sounds like tons of work for you.
    Many thanks,
    Donna Watkins

  20. Amy, I’ve learned so much from your previous challenges and I’m so excited to join in on the soap challenge club! Thanks so much for doing this!!

  22. I’m ready for the challenge I went to Sally’s Beauty Supply today and got the plastic pics to make the comb, I just need to get some instructions. I can’t wait Amy and I’m so glad you’re giving us another group of challenges

  24. What a great idea! Just signed up with my email so I can stay up to date. I watched Amanda’s session at the soap conference too, and am excited to give it a try!

  25. Wish I had known about you when I lived in OP!!! I would love to do this! I’m not good yet but I’m practicing!!
    Thanks!

  26. well Amy I am so excited about your challenge that I have finally started a blog just for this challenge. only one entry so far but you gotta start somewhere. I am so excited to learn more.

  27. I am a complete newbie to soap making with only one batch of cold process under my belt. It’s this something I will be able to attempt??

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  35. Hi – Can I sign up for the soap challenge at a later date? I’ll be able to participate mid-summer (too many end-of-school year commitments before that.) Sounds like a blast!

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  39. Hi I’m new to this soap making and need to learn new skills. Are you still doing the challenges??

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