Saturday Bath- challenging myself

In every job there must be done
There is an element of fun.
You find the fun and snap!
The job's a game!

So says Mary Poppins, one smart cookie.  My sisters and I invented a game while we were growing up that is still called bet-you-can't-run-out-of-dishes-'til-they're-done.  (Snappy title, eh?  Just rolls off the tongue.)  The basic idea was that the dish washer had to make sure that the dish dryer never ran out of wet dishes in the rack until all the dishes were washed.  It made the mundane daily chore a time of frenzied focus and even strategy. (3 silverware equaled one dish, so 4 spoons put into the drain rack at one time bought you a little time to finish scrubbing that skillet.)

I still follow the philosophy that the more game-like scenarios you can fit into your day, the better. 

Now to get to my point.  I've noticed that while I still love to make soap and that Christmas morning feeling the next morning when I get to cut it, I've clearly been in a rut.  Sometimes I just decide on the colors and wing it, changing my design at frequent whims throughout the batch.  I've relied too heavily on a few favorite techniques, ol' pal ITP swirl and my bestie, faux funnel.  But this is the ideal time of the year for experimenting and I need a challenge.  I have to make a lot of soap for market this spring anyway and in the hub-bub of summer, I'll likely not want to risk any flops.  So this is what I'm doing to mix things up a bit...

I've scoured the internet for soap techniques I've never tried or haven't done in a long while.  I've also jotted down a list of ideas that I've had rolling about my head for a long time.  I wrote each of my 18 ideas on slips of paper and put them all in a jar so whenever I'm in the mood, I can draw out an idea.  And at the end of the week I'll show you what I've done--the awesome, the adequate and the atrocious. 

I just drew my first technique--a hanger swirl.  I'm super excited--I'm always more creative with a little kick to the backside!