Beams From Honey and Sonny

Nothing beats the wide smiles of grandchildren to get the day off to a good start. Here's Honey and Sonny with some early morning feel-good cheers, straight from my email box. I love today's technology!

Holiday Season Ahoy

Order boxes from the Thanksgiving sale have been packing today. Shipping notices are flying tonight. It's been a busy week of it all. Having the office closed for the four day weekend gave me the chance to really go to town on a soapfest. I did get the chance to watch some television too.

December is almost upon us. Are we really ready for the festive season? Somehow it still feels like summer's end. I haven't a clue where the Fall went to. I know the winter is here though... the trees are bare, and it's frosty in the mornings.

Hope your Thanksgiving weekend was as nice as mine. It won't be long before I'm wishing everyone a Happy Christmas!

WrapFest

I've been on a wrapfest since Friday evening. Two batches left to get through and it's back to the soap making. Roll on 8.00am!

Meet Snowflake

Meet Snowflake... in her full Art House glory. I so wish you could smell through the computer. I am in love with this scent. It's light and clean, sweet but not cloying, with a beckoning of a real winter's tree somewhere in the background.

Try as I might, I can't walk away from the bar without making the trip back to it for another whiff. Is it the light of the nutmeg... or is it the mystery of the clove? Maybe it's the vanilla. I'm not sure, but I love the way the Holiday evergreen pulls it all together in an incredible tease.

I have a new fave!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from all of us here at The Manor.

Music To Soap By - Rod Stewart

On loop in the workshop since yesterday is this one. I just can't get enough of the drum beat right now.

I'm working on four batches of soap, master batching sugar scrubs, logging up, slicing and shelving yesterday's bounty... then lining up the Holiday gift selection for tonight's photo shoot. And while I'm working I am so feeling myself cantering on horseback with the wind in my hair as Rod belts it out!

Wherever you are in your day today and whatever you may be doing, stay... forever young!

Rod Stewart, 1988 - Forever Young

Olive Oil

The olive tree has a commanding tenacity. No matter how harsh the winter, or burning dry the summer, it still grows strong and upright in stoic resolution to bring us a fruit renowned for its nourishment and salve. A very emollient oil, it has been used for thousands of years on the skin to calm, to cleanse and to moisturize.

The olive is very high in polyphenols. These are a broad class of antioxidants that include flavonoids and catechins, common also to red wine, chocolate, grape juice and tea. Antioxidants are useful in the aging process... they help slow it down.

But antioxidants also hold other qualities of importance to us. The phenols found in olive oil have an antifungal and antibacterial action. Phenols also prevent "Oxidative Stress", a highly oxidized environment within cells where there is an overflow of free radicals and a lack of antioxidant support. Oxidative Stress always leads to inflammation, a common aggravator in dermatitis and other similar skin conditions.

Olive oil is a great humectant. Attracting external moisture to the skin, it still allows normal function to take place such as shedding, sweating and sebum release. Olive oil doesn't clog pores, It is gentle, and hypoallergenic.

Blade Runner

Trimming the block of Orange Tree Blast with my blade, Art House style of course. Other batches waiting in the wings for the same are: Almost Sunset, Sweet Neem, Twist of Lemongrass, Ooh La Lavender, and Golden Jojoba. I love this part of the art... I could do it all day long.

Seasonal Buy 2 Get 1 Free

Get into the Thanksgiving mood with a "buy 2 get 1 free" special on our Seasonal page.

Just select your flavor, "Sugared Pumpkin" or "Hot Apple Spice", enter 2 into the quantity box and we'll give you a third one free. Use coupon code "BUY2GET1" at checkout. Offer ends midnight on Thursday November 10th and applies only to the products on the seasonal page.

Keep dry skin at bay the Manor Hall way. Happy shopping!

Lost Week Of Snowmageddon

Well, that was certainly the week that was! It's just like a lost week.

Friday the 28th came and went as normal. Saturday was productive, and we left late afternoon to attend a neighbor's Halloween get-together. We walked over the threshold to an eerie "Hah Hah Ha!" coming through speakers as the front door was opened, and less than five minutes later it was absolute Bedlam outside with tree limbs crashing around, falling on cars, garages, rooftops and power lines to boot. To add to all this craziness was the thick falling snow, set against a pretty backdrop of gold and reds of the Autumn leaves - still on the trees.

Snowmageddon. Complete power out for six full days and nights. No electricity, heating or phones. National Guard called in, and power workers from states far and wide traveling in convoy to help put things right. Incredible. Absolutely unreal!

And so here I am, where I was expecting to be a week ago... only it isn't Monday October 31st. It's Monday November 7th, and it's like we just skipped a week. Puff. Gone. Just like that! The website changeover is waiting in the wings. New Holiday products are waiting to go live on the website. Oils weighed out in the pans waiting to soap, and shea butter whip about to be whipped.

I'm pleased to say that all orders held up because of the Lost Week of Snowmageddon are packed and ready to ship. Yay! Tracking numbers will be sent out this evening. Thank you everyone for your patience and understanding. Normal service has now resumed!