Photo Journal - August

Can you believe September is tomorrow? August has been another great soapmaking month, with more new soaps taking their place in the curing room. July's new soaps hit the website during August, and it was also the month of Manor Mania, where the Manor Maniacs got to go manic for their faves at silly prices. Here's some of my August in pics.

I love the color that honey lends to soap. Here's a tray of goatmilk with oatmeal and honey bars, ready for the curing shelves.

An afternoon's bounty. I'm was so looking forward to waking up the next morning and turning them out of their moulds. Some batches were brand new soaps, and I couldn't wait to see inside them.

A line up of the soap logs from the four afternoon batches, all waiting to be cut into bars.

A bevy of bars, hanging around the green room waiting to take their place in front of the camera. It was a Happy Monday Morning, from each and every star-studded one of them.

Into the pot goes... lavender essential oil. I like to add most of my ingredients when the soap batter is at trace. "Trace" is the stage when the oils and lye water have married and is evident by the "trace" that the batter leaves on the sides of the pan.

All sliced up and ready for the curing shelves. 2oz bars front left. Sample bars just beyond them. And 4oz bars to the right. The foreground batch is scented with essential oils of Spearmint and Pink Grapefruit, with added Babassu Oil for that extra moisturizing touch.

Soap bars waiting to board the 6.00am wrapping train to Stock Shelf Station. Passing through Clean Off Junction, WrapFest Bridge, Label Crossing, and arriving at the final destination of Stock Shelf Station sometime late afternoon.

Another bounty of logs, running clockwise from top: Lime n Thyme O'lyptus, Rainy Day Sunrise, Goatmilk, Goatmilk Oatmeal with Honey. Is it September yet?

Little Slices of Nices

Sampler bars, all dressed up and ready to go. Photo shoot is in the can, and the new pic should go live on the product page sometime over the weekend.

Music To Soap By - Jimmy Nail

Soap making is a centuries old industry. Many indie businesses today, are looking to the old and making it in a modern world. America is a fantastic place for dreams and opportunity. It's what it's known for world wide. The American dream.

This morning, I'm making the old traditional lavender and oatmeal soap bar. No matter what new comes along, the old always seems to be there guiding us with wisdom when considering modern change. I truly believe if we cannot respect the old, there's no chance for any new.

Today, my music to soap by is in full respect to the old. Whatever your industry may be, it's the old that made it what it is today. And it'll be the old that will make it what it will be tomorrow. I think it pays to bear that in mind when we find ourselves attracted to the shine and glitter of the promised possibilities of the new.

Jimmy Nail, 1995 - Big River.

On The Workbench - Rainy Day Sunrise

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Prepping the logs of Rainy Day Sunrise. I've prettied up the tops on these with drizzles of white soap, sprinkled with lemon peel and ground rosemary. It really complements the yellow of the soap and the wonderful fresh scent of rosemary and lemon esential oil blend. They should be hitting the website later in September.

The Next Train Leaving

Soap bars waiting to board the 6.00am wrapping train to Stock Shelf Station. Passing through Clean Off Junction, WrapFest Bridge, Label Crossing, and arriving at the final destination of Stock Shelf Station sometime later this afternoon.

Our Natural Ingredients - Sunflower Oil

It is believed that around 5,000 years ago (3,000 B.C.), in what is present day New Mexico and Arizona, the sunflower was domesticated into a single headed plant with varying seed colors including black, white, red and the familiar black and white striped. Yes... the sunflower was domesticated in North America. And it's the only crop harvested around the world for seed that can make that claim.

Way back when, the seeds of this plant were pounded into flour, cracked and eaten as snacks and mixed with other vegetables. And evidence indicates that other parts of the plant were used in the making of ointments for snakebites and other skin conditions. And the oil from the seed was actually squeezed for use on the hair and skin.

Sunflower oil is utilized widely today in cooking, but also as a carrier oil for massage. It is chemically stable and therefore excellent as a base for natural balms, lotions and creams. It is easily absorbed and contains skin-adoring vitamins A and D, and more vitamin E than any other vegetable oil. It also has calcium, iron, zinc and phosphorous, minerals which help nourish and revitalize, while the oil moisturizes, softens, heals and protects.

Lights, Camera, Action!

A bevy of bars, hanging around the green room waiting to take their place in front of the camera. Happy Monday, from each and every star-studded one of them!

The Cure For August

The new Basil, Lime and Cedarwood soap is curing nicely. The dark grey band at the bottom is dead sea mud, with activated charcoal. It's a great all over skin bar with earthy notes of warmth and fresh. I'm looking forward to getting it on the website soon, along with a few more new soap releases.