A Sneak Peek Into What's to Come

I'm smack in the middle of a long SoapFest. It's part of the reason I had to bring my annual May family break forward at short notice. I'm sharing here with you a small slice of change which will be taking place behind the scenes of my little soap empire as a large project nears its end and starts to gather speed.

Last October, plans for a huge project here were drawn up. With growth you cannot stay where you are. We had initially slated spring as the launch date for the project but as December got underway, having Manor Hall on the shelves of Whole Foods Market meant the project had to take a back seat for eight weeks in order for the workshop renovation to take place.

Workshop completed, we got back on track as we opened in February. Part of the project is a complete new look for the soap bars. I've enjoyed the Art House soaps this past year. It gives me a chance to be creative in my work, but it was always meant to be a place for one-off limited editions, where when I had time to myself on a day off I could still enjoy my creativity without it having to be work.

Over the coming weeks you will notice the classic soap bars steadily being replaced with the look and style of my Art House collection. This is me. It's who I am. It's what I enjoy the most. I love making soap. I love making good soap. I believe it to be the best. In the beginning, my wax wrapped jackets were beautiful. There was nothing like it out there in the hand made arena back in 2004, but as each year of Manor Hall has gone by, I've found it harder and harder to keep up with the wrapping. I even got The Barbara wrapping them too and she grew the nimble fingers over last summer.

Then came mid-October and the run up to the Holiday season was upon us. Even with me and Barbara on serious late night wrap fests, I found myself having to train Jason. That was absolutely ridiculous. He's the techy guy, and if he's wrapping... he isn't available for the many demands that the techy stuff requires. I try to run a tight ship, and pride myself on customer service. Something had to give, and give fast. Manor Hall had to grow, and that meant a few changes.

Today I'm unveiling the first of a series of exciting changes for me and The Manor. New style Classic soap bars are making their debut soon. The size has increased. Soap bars will now be weighing in at around 5 full ounces instead of 4. This means, despite a small price increase, more soap for your purchase... and in turn means less on shipping for you. The packaging will also be new, to more suit the style of bar.

Meet Sweet Neem. She is absolutely beautiful. Kind and soft in the extreme. Calmingly layered, she's swirled on top in her true beauty. Soft and gentle doesn't have to be plain and boring. Enjoy her soothing kiss on your delicate skin.