One of the things I love about soapmaking is that I get to play with all kinds of ideas and designs. I also have a soft spot for embossed soap; there’s just something about the commitment and irrevocability of making a mark on the perfectly smooth, glossy, hard yet yielding surface of a bar of soap. Embossing can be used for branding or decorative purposes and is often a combination of the two – always adding some form of extra meaning to the bar.
I regularly use a number of embossing techniques and I’ve made lots of soap stamps – for special projects as well as for continuous use. So, when I discovered a way to emboss soap with soap stamps made by Nature herself I thought that was pretty cool!
The imprints made on these bars of Green Eucalyptus Soap were all made with seed pods from Eucalyptus gomophocephala, a tree species originally from Western Australia which now feels quite at home here in the Western Cape of South Africa. The tree that produced these particular seed pods grows next to the vineyard where I take my dogs for daily walks.
From January to March the tree produces white blossoms which the local bee population rates highly. The buds look spectacular just before the blossoms open; bright orange caps revealing white stamens on green hypanthiums.
In most cases the Eucalyptus gomophocephala seed pods have four excerted valves giving a cross shape. Sometimes the valves are only three in which case you get a shape that looks like a Mercedes Benz logo.. This time I decided to use a pod with five valves giving a star or flower shape. The pink flowers in the picture below are Corymbia ficifolia or ‘Red flowering gum’, a close cousin to the eucalypts and another Australian import that thrives here, close to the Cape of Good Hope.
Carla
Gorgeous as always! You are such an inspiration!
Carla
I am always so inspired by your creations, this was cool too! I was thinking maybe even leaves would work if they were the right texture!
Natalia
Gorgeous!
Clara
Thank you! <3
Veronika
these look gorgeous! Can you share how did you actually embossed the soaps with pods?
Clara
Thanks! I very simply held the pod and pressed the end with the opening into the soap right after unmoulding and cutting when the soap was still relatively soft.
Debbie Rich
Even though I am a beginner, I have studied so very hard. I love the science of soap(to bad Mr. Hill didn’t teach about soap 🙂 His classes were TOTALLY GUY STUFF, hence bad grades! So, for me to actually be learning with a disability no less, shocks me more than not.
But I also love the beauty too. My 1st success also included swirls. Beautiful fine ones. Whispy I think they are called? But from the very start, my heart loved this type decoration. I bought one of those little embossed plastic plate things. Then a big mat. I cut the little flours out of it for single bars.
Now something else “new” and free from Mother Earth herself!!!
We don’t have those here…..but I will be looking out for things like it:) I wondered if bells would work? I thought they were bell 🙂
You inspire me Clara…… I have been blessed to have been given the chance to sell my products. Blessed to have found your page, as well as a German woman named Dragonfly. Who makes a cream with kayolin and TD. She first called it Kayolin Cream, now Mandalay? Cream. Gives the soap a porcelain look and silk cream feel to soap.
Thank you for all you share. My hurdle is the math, it and my epilepsy do not get along. Lol so I am confused at how to measure 1: 2.4, for instance. I know that “measure” is MOST important of all.
I am going to try some bells. And learn to make inverted stamps also, from you:)
Thank you again Clara<3
Clara
Thank you Debbie! I’m so glad you enjoy soaping and I’m glad to share the passion with you!