After all the trouble I had with the last batch of Antique Lilac soap, I finally started over completely. I liked the look of the speckled soap, so I tried to re-create it using hot-processed soap for the shreds. Starting with one quarter of my regular-sized batch, I pressed it into a mold that was large enough that the soap only filled it half way.

By putting it into a larger mold, I was hoping the soap would cool down quickly. It also happened to be rather cool outside that day, so I covered the soap and set it out in the garage!

Later that afternoon, I was able to cut it into bars with my wire cutter:

Then I used my food processor to shred them. I spread the shreds out on a baking tray and the next day I was able to put them back in the food processor – this time with the blade, so the pieces would be really small.

Since it was a larger batch, I didn’t have time to grab the camera while I was mixing up the soap since the lilac fragrance tends to set up rather quickly! I did pull out some soap for the top that would be a lighter purple, and sprinkled with glitter. Here’s a shot of the soap all finished, in the mold:

And no waiting to see the final cut soap! I took this picture outside in my backyard because it is SO beautiful out there today. (If you look really close between the fence posts on the left-hand side you can see where my girls go to school.)

The color contrast isn’t as much as the first batch, but I think it will pass.

This soap has come a long way…but still has a few weeks until it will be ready to sell. I’m estimating it will be available at Greatcakessoapworks.com on Thursday, April 28, and just in time for the second weekend of the Olathe Farmer’s Market on April 30th.