New Spring Soaps!

sweet magnolia

ozone

cloud 9

stargazer lily

Euca-Lemongrass

soap sampler

emerald isle

victory garden

Later this week, you'll be able to find these soaps in the local Atlanta area at Young Blood Gallery & Boutique.  Otherwise, head over to my online etsy store to purchase.

Also a quick update: I'm headed in for surgery on March 20th and will be putting my etsy shop in vacation mode until I feel well enough to pack and ship soap.  This could be a few days or a few weeks.  I'm sorry I can't be more definitive than that.  So, if you are going to want soap soon, please order by Wednesday, March 14th.  If you'd like to learn more about my experience with Graves' Disease, you can go to my other blog:  a lump in my throat.

Thanks for your support and thanks for looking. 

Wedding Favor Samples ...duh, can't believe I didn't think of it sooner.

I know wedding season doesn't start until May, but I make stuff that has to be thought of ahead of time.  I got a late jump on the Christmas season, so I'm getting an early one on the wedding planning season.  If all those radio ads are true, there will be a bunch of ladies walking around with some new jewelry, ready to make one of the biggest promises of their lives. 

The result of this, weddings!  The result of weddings...   wedding favors!

I feel like such a dummy for not offering this publicly before.  Anytime someone has contacted me regarding wedding favors, I describe them to the best of my ability, but I know they sound small to some people.  Granted they're favors and are supposed to be small, but it's also soap and people think twice about tiny soap.  That's when I offer to send a sample so they can actually see what they're giving their guests.  I've never had a future bride not sign on as a client once they hold it in their hands.  So, I've set up a listing on etsy - my commerce site - for ordering a sample.  Easy peasy.  No email necessary, no long description, just a sample in your hand. 

The sample costs $0.20 because that is the minimum listing value on the site.  Just pay shipping and it's all set.  I can't guarantee the color / scent combination since they are previously made, but that won't really matter too much.  Each sample will come packaged to give you the total effect.  Here are a few examples:  You can order one by clicking here.

Today Only Sale!

Normally I shy away from the status quo, but Cyber Monday is Cyber Monday and it's a great way to get super deals before shipping time gets slim.  So....   today only you can enter the coupon code CYBERMONDAY on my etsy site and receive 15% off your entire purchase including sale and clearance items.  Sale ends at midnight tonight!  If you're in the eastern third of the country, it's not like you can go outside, so you may as well take advantage of the sharkfart weather.

Yay.

The season is upon us and Li'l Z.

The holiday season always sneaks up on me.  One minute it's August, the next, it's Halloween, the next Christmas lights are up all around town.  With my preferred six week cure time for my soap, by the time the weather starts feeling wintery, it's mid-November.

I really wanted to do the Avondale Estates Christmas Market this year and fortunately for me, they were full, but somehow found room for me.  So, I will officially be participating in the Holiday Market.  You can find Sudstress on Sunday December 11, from 12-6 p.m. in the clubhouse at Lake Avondale.

Here is a link to the site.

So, needless to say, I've been making soap like crazy as I also need to make a delivery to Young Blood Gallery & Boutique.  Here is some of the soap you'll be seeing at the show:

Yet to be named - smells like holiday spice & Christmas trees.

Pumpkin Spice soap with carrot juice and nutmeg.

Carrot & Shea facial soap with sustainable rosewood, patchouli & carrot seed essential oils.

French Green Clay men's shave soap with lavender, lime & petitgrain.

My favorite so far, Lemongrass - Eucalyptus pumice soap.  

Piece o' Cake - smells like chocolate cake, but yummier.

....and not to go unmentioned, my birthday was a couple of weeks ago and my great gift was a quick trip to see my niece who is now six months old.  I haven't seen her since she was only 5 weeks, and it's been tearing me up.  I finally got to see her in Boulder and I just love Li'l Z.  Her name is Zora and she's such a joy!

Something old, something new.

I'm having soap withdrawals.  I was making soap twice a week for a while and with a new work schedule that adds another 10 hours per week, I've had trouble keeping up with all of the things I need to do outside of work, including soap.  I can't believe September is almost over!  In Atlanta, it can feel like Summer is still holding on into October.  I know it is that time when people are starting to need deeper hydration for their skin due to the dryer air moving in.  So, I'm bringing back a seasonal favorite, Whipped Shea.  It will be available to ship in mid-October.  In case you forgot, here's a visual reminder...

What's new?  Sweet Basil Jayne!  This is my favorite, favorite, favorite new soap of the past several months.  It's a blend of Sweet Basil, Rosemary, and Cedarwood.  Yuuuuum.  Gorgeous scent, gorgeous soap.  It will be available in about a week.

While I was going through my blog photos, looking for my whipped shea pictures, I came across this photo of my beloved Neko, whose three years were spent with me.  I was there for his birth, his death, and the precious time in between.  He was hilarious.  He played fetch, he slept on his back next to my pillow every single night with his mouth open, he got into mischief when I wasn't home...  Apparently Lilly tried to smack some sense into him with her claws out because this is how I found him when I got home.  The evidence still lodged in his face fur.

....and the winner is

I originally thought I wanted 'Midnight' in the title of this bar, because of the color and because of the nostalgia associated with this scent.  As the entries came in, I couldn't decide and I thought I was in trouble because I liked several of them, but none jumped out at me.  So, I took a break and didn't think about it, then came back with a fresh pair of eyes.  When I did, one jumped out at me this time.  I tend to like plays on words and dual meanings for the same phrase.  One entry satisfied this while also incorporating the scent theme.  Without further ado, the winner is......

'Pipe Dreams' submitted by Allison Burrough.  Congratulations!  You win a bar of this soap :)

mmmmmm..... woooooddsmoooooke....

Okay, Homer Simpson might not drool over woodsmoke, but I do.  I grew up hiking the Franconia Ridge, Mount Washington, and other parts of the White Mountains of New Hampshire every summer.  I look back with fond memories of Greenleaf Hut, Pinkham Notch, Tuckerman's Ravine, Zealand Falls.  As I got older, my practice of week-long backpacking trips settled into what I consider luxury or lazy-man camping.  This is where you drive into the campsite and go on day-hikes.  There's usually a primitive bathroom and sometimes even a shower on site.  This way you can fill up half the car with fire-wood and have a campfire every night.

The smell of woodsmoke is deeply embedded into my sensory memory.  It carries with it the feeling of being deep in the woods, cultivating an intimacy and trust with nature and with my camping partner.  Camping is one of my favorite, favorite, favorite parts of life.  Every autumn, I must have a few nights in the Blue Ridge or Smoky Mountains.

That is the feeling with which I made this soap.  Granted, every batch I make is a labor of love, but this one makes me swoon just a little bit longer every time I catch a whiff of it.  I'm thinking of naming it Midnight in the Woods.  I'd like to know what you'd name it though.  If I choose your title, I will send you a free bar of this soap.  Comments, though moderated, are open to anyone - subscriber or not.  Thanks for your input in advance.

You can enter your submission via comment or you can also see other submissions and enter your own here.