Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The Making of the French Macaron Soap v.2.0

These are created from a custom mold (or molds) that I made from a hand carved clay master.

So, I loved the Macaron Soap v.1.0 but I really wanted to make something that was not only easier to produce, but also more like a real French Macaron cookie! I am so happy with the results!
here was the original:
They are super cute as well, but these were the nice ones and the method of making them left varying results from batch to batch which was just unacceptable for me especially if I am wholesaling them.

Here is how I did it!
1) I carved the two cookie pieces from Super Scuply and then added a flat disk to one of the cookie sides for the middle. So the mold is a two part, one side just the cookie, and one side the cookie plus the middle!
2) After baking the two sides I created one silicone mold and make a whole bunch of masters that would later be used to make a large sheet of multicavity molds.
3) I molded the masters. First I got a foam board that I cut and taped into a shallow box, then I layed out the masters and poured the silicon.
It was a mess but fun! I have made single cavity molds with silicone before but never anything on this scale!
I wanted to have at least 100 cavities for wholesale purposes so I ended up with 8 sheets of molds each with 14 total cookies (28 cavities total for the two part mold) Below is the cookie with the middle and each one of those got paired with a cookie top! The halves were easily "glued" together with melted glycerin soap!
Each one of the sheets was about $180 worth of silicone - Times 8 that really adds up!

18 comments:

  1. Erin- you always amaze me! The original were beautiful but these are gorgeous. Even more so knowing how custom they really are. Now when you get wholesale orders for these - you can sit back and say ahhhhh- no problem.

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  2. Thanks so much for the compliments! And yes, having a lot of molds is key for saving time with large scale production - I wish I had more but it is amazing how many hand made soaps you can make with 100 molds!

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  3. Wow I'm just amazed at what you can do! I have been making cold pressed soaps at home for a little while. I wish my soaps were even half as good as yours!

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  4. Wow, now that is a Grand Scale Mold (S)!
    I love the handmade master, just perfect.
    You did a wonderful job, here's to hoping you sell 1,000's!

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  5. Wow, that is awesome! I make a lot of my own molds, too, but I have never made 100 at one time! LOL :) You're amazing!

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  6. Thank you so much Leah! I am sure your soaps are lovely and if you ever want feedback on them or have questions just shoot me a message!

    Thanks Tammy! Figuring out how to mold the cookie was a little challenge but so rewarding when I got the technique!

    Robyn, do you make soap or use your molds for other things? I would love to see them - off to see if I can find your website/FB/etc!

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  7. These are so cool! I love the molds you made, you are such an artist!
    Michelle in NV

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  8. Thanks Michelle! I really appreciate the compliments!

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  9. Gosh! That is just so cool! Way back when I was studying art I did silicone and plaster molds as a prep for bronze castings. I see that I need to brush up on that ancient knowledge. Those look really, really great. I've been meaning to bake some, BTW :)

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  10. You are a champion, my friend :)

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  11. Thanks Ambra!
    Ambra - these are so hard for me to make - the real ones! Have a good recipe you can share?

    Interiority - hugs!

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  12. wow! Thats a lot of work! You are awesome Erin, you put so much love and dedication into your products! and they turn out phenomenal! :) Keep up the good work! :)

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  13. Those molds look insane - and yes, they definitely are expensive too. But all the detail work really paid off because the soaps look very realistic and absolutely stunning in their color choices too.

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  14. J-L - thank you so much for the compliments! Lots of work but totally worth it!
    Anne-Marie - Thank you! Glad you like the bright colors! Yes, the detail required for these demanded a silicon mold. Expensive but they have already paid for themselves!

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  15. These are 2 cute! And look good enough to eat! All the guilt with out the calories.

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  16. Erin - wow! Your macaroon molds are perfect, and your soaps came out wonderful - they look edible! ;) Would you ever consider selling your molds? I'd love to try these out! xo

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  17. I'm in awe of the details on your mold! I'm not sure I could ever come up with something like that myself. I've been thinking of buying some macarons and trying to use them to make molds ... LOL! Beautiful soaps!

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  18. Thank you Vicki! The silicone will pick up every little detail. I have seen molds made from actual macarons. My only suggestion if you use real macarons is that you dry them out really well and even try coating them in a varnish before you mold them. The molds I have seen look like the cookie collapsed under the weight of the silicone. I would love to hear how they turn out if you try it!

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