Featuring Big Texas Talent-
Lonestar Showcase
August 29, 2011
Orange and Brown the Colors of Fall
Spiced Valencia –A blend of evergreen beneath juicy sweet layers of sweet orange and cinnamon this soap is mouthwateringly good – a spicy bright citrus you’ll love. Unisex
Spiced Valencia has a new look, with a splash of seasonal orange and a contrasting swirl of cinnamon brown thrown in- the perfect look for this spicy orange number.
August 23, 2011
I've Been Spotted-Indiespotted That Is
Check out the totally unexpected feature I just stumbled across on Indiespotting. What a fun surprise! A big huge "Thanks" to Erika at Indiespotting.
Indiespotting
August 21, 2011
Quote of the Day
"You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!"
Dr. Seuss (Oh, the Places You'll Go!)
August 19, 2011
Beautiful Thing Friday
Dotted across the West Texas landscape are signs of life- even in drought conditions the Yucca stands a proud sentry over the flat arid plains. Many Yucca plants bear edible parts including fruits, seeds, flowers,flowering stems and more rarely roots.One type of Yucca is known as the "soaptree"-inside the stalk and roots of the plant is a soapy substance known as "saponin" commonly used as a substitute for soap. I'm sure that to the American Indians and pioneers the Yucca was a beautiful and welcome site-standing tall and proud against the horizon.
August 16, 2011
Working on New Product Pics
Upper left-a trio of shave rounds,upper right- Lavender Honey Hand Balm,lower left-Fresh Lemon bar soap, lower right-Orange Honey Drizzle with Oats bar soaps
I've been working on new product pics- just to freshen the ol' website up a bit, here are a few of them so far. I think it's nice to go out with the old and in with the new-just to keep things fresh!
What do you think?
August 15, 2011
Toot,Toot,Toot....
"Sometimes you have to toot your own horn or someone will use it as a spittoon."Anonymous
I'm not generally the kind of person who is comfortable taking credit for accomplishment, but I thought I would take just a moment to toot my own horn err, I mean reflect. Today is one of those days that I am just basking a bit in how far I've come. It wasn't but a few years back that I had no idea how to integrate color let alone a swirl into my soap. I desperately wanted to use essential oils only and "blending" wasn't as easy as I thought. I was naive and thought that if I used "sweet orange" somehow the soap would smell deliciously mouth wateringly orangey - boy, did I have a lot to learn. I wondered if I would ever figure out how to make a scent I could be proud of. Historically- I have had trouble in the past sticking with something that I couldn't get perfect the first few times-it's an issue I have,however handmade soap seduced me, and the ensuing love affair still continues. While I still feel I have miles to go to be in the same league with Patti Flynn or my friend Erin of Inner Earth and the other soaping greats, I'm pleased with my progress and feel I've made great strides in the right direction.
Today, one of my soaps from a few years back was featured on "The Soap Bar" and- well it just feels good. Thanks Joanna!
August 14, 2011
Don't Forget - We Have Hand Balms Too!
A hint of Fall will be in the air soon, and with Fall comes the need for a little more moisture on our skin. Tierra Verde Handmade Soaps Hand Balms, are made with fabulously moisturizing and nutritive ingredients to take care of hands in urgent need of moisture and repair. Tierra Verde Hand Balms come in 4 great scents; Honey(unscented but with the delicious aroma of honey), Lavender Honey, Lemon Honey and Citrus Honey too!
Hand Balms are great for travel, the office or your purse. Simply warm between hands and apply to areas that need special attention-beeswax forms a protective seal to hold in moisture.
These balms are great for your lips, elbows, feet and cuticles too!
August 13, 2011
Clove Shave Round - Is Spicy and Traditional
Clove Shave Round is more handsome than ever-3.75 oz. $5.00
Shave soap trio from foreground to background- Lavender, Clove
and Olive Oil and Goat's Milk-3.75oz.ea.
Clove Shaving Round
Simple, Clean, Traditional...
and Olive Oil and Goat's Milk-3.75oz.ea.
Clove Shaving Round
Simple, Clean, Traditional...
Clove Shaving Round – Hints of clove warm and spicy in a traditional shave round. Olive oil nurtures your skin while castor forms a satisfying lather that is given a fine slip with the help of kaolin clay. The results are a clean, aromatic shaving experience.
Look for our Tierra Verde Shaving Rounds to come in a variety pack of 3 soon. The shave round variety pack will come with 1) Olive Oil and Goat's Milk Shave Round 2) Lavender Shave Round 3) Clove Shave Round- all beautifully packaged for gift giving.
August 12, 2011
Great Shampoo Bar Exchange-Great Cakes Soapworks
It is important to note, that I have very thick hair that is untreated-no color, no perm. I wash daily, dry and flat iron-my hair goes through a bit of abuse. I find it is most important to be able to comb through my kind of hair easily due to the thickness factor.Also, here in Lubbock generally water is quite hard-a factor to consider when looking at how a product rinses out of your hair.
The first package I received, was Amy's from Great Cakes Soapworks, many of you know Amy for her generous feedback relating to her soapmaking experiences. She is a gifted and talented maker of several Bath and Body products and even more importantly a very kind person.
First Impression-
My first impression of Amy’s shampoo bar was how nice the size seemed to be. I thought it must be perfect for the nimble dexterity needed to work up a generous lather for hair washing. The next delicious noteworthy quality was the beautiful aroma emanating from the bar-right off I detected lemongrass, but with a subtle zip of mint in the background delicious! I love the idea of something citrusy for my hair.
The shower-
Amy’s shampoo bar did not disappoint. The size was just a perfect fit for diligent lather action-lather was vivacious with a creamy conditioning feel to it and still my favorite element the scent is fresh and appealing. As I do with my shampoo bar- I used a rinse of Apple Cider Vinegar and water so as not to skew any results and because I find that is the secret to a clean rinse and easy comb out.
The comb out-
During the comb out/hair drying process I noted some areas of resistance. The comb did not go through my hair with the ease I have gotten used to. My hair seemed to revert back to the way it was in the beginning of developing my shampoo round-I believe this is not a formulary issue but perhaps a super fat issue. I found with the experimentation that I did regarding shampoo that a low super fat (even though it seems counterintuitive) is best for my hair.
Please understand that reviews are always very subjective and never the final word on how wonderful or not so wonderful a product is. I have come to the conclusion in participating in this review process that different shampoo bars meet different hair needs much like commercial shampoo products-there is no "one size fits all" formula out there.
August 10, 2011
Barley and Hops- Fall Edition 2011
Barley and Hops- Fall Edition 2011
Autumn-the season for tailgating, football games,the glowing orange orb of the Harvest Moon, bon fires that light up the West Texas sky, and the crackle of fallen leaves.
Actually, after using a tiny scrap of Barley and Hops-Fall Edition 2011-I would like to recant the previous description. Made with Nut Brown craft beer, this soap greets you with a definite note of zesty lime followed by a bit of sweet pipe tobacco in the background.(keep in mind this is still a very young soap and that I had to add a bit of water to my formula to work with the clove-so it will be evolving for just awhile longer than most.) My nose does not separate out the patchouli at all, but instead I think it melds with the clove and maltiness of beer to create a sweet pipe tobacco background note. Also, I noticed that this is most definitely a very bubbly brew that won't disappoint in the lather department. This soap will be ready after Sept. 6, 2011.
Now Listed-Rosemary Citrus Shampoo Rounds
Rosemary Citrus Shampoo Round-3.75 oz. $5.00
We recommend a vinegar rinse to go along with the use of your Rosemary Citrus Shampoo Round -the recommended rate of water to vinegar is 1/3 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar to 1 quart of water. You can then store this mixture in a plastic bottle and keep it in the shower ready for use. I keep my vinegar rinse in a plastic squeeze bottle purchased at the dollar store and find it is perfectly easy to use. I apply the vinegar rinse each time I shampoo and rinse completely (or if you prefer) you can use a rinse only a couple of times a week to keep your scalp pH balanced.People often ask,"does your hair smell like a pickle or salad?" and the answer is "no,once your hair dries you will not smell the vinegar."
New to solid shampoo? You may find that you hair needs an adjustment period. Don't give up after 2 or 3 days-the switch from commercial to handmade takes a bit of time.
Why use a solid shampoo?
Packaging is minimal and ingredients are simple and wholesome.
Rosemary Citrus Shampoo rounds contain only natural ingredients.
Solid shampoo is very convenient for travel, camping, or the gym.
Solid shampoo is completely bio-degradable and earth friendly.
Refresh Mint Redo
Refresh Mint-Rustic and Clean 4.5 oz. $6.00
Refresh Mint-Feel refreshed with a perfect blend of cool clean Spearmint and Japanese Peppermint- this soap is brisk, fresh, and rejuvenating - a great choice for a morning wake up soap or as an end of the day pick me up. Unisex
I've decided to discontinue beveling my bars for a couple of reasons- 1)the customer get's a little more bang for their buck 2) the crisp edges fit my packaging much better. The result is a slightly more rustic look that I like-how about you?
August 9, 2011
Fresh Air in Blue and White
Blue and white represents the clouds and sky. Imagine a beautiful day-a walk amongst majestic conifers.
Fresh Air-a breath of fresh, clean evergreen craftily mingles with a hint of peppermint giving this soap the refreshing, aromatic scent of coniferous forest carried on an early morning breeze. Unisex
August 6, 2011
Oh Happy Day
To celebrate Lucille Ball's 100th birthday the Hallmark Channel is having a "Birthday Bash" = "I Love Lucy" all day. Hot dog!!! So if you are an "I Love Lucy" fan like me-I know what you'll be doing all day. : ))
August 2, 2011
Drumroll Please......and the Winner Is
Barley and Hops- Nut Brown
Remember this little contest to see who could recommend the most interesting "Fall blend" for the latest version of beer soap.After much debate, I have decided that perhaps the blend that I think would be most complimentary with beer for my Autumnal beer soap is Cocobong's suggestion of Patchouli,Lime and Clove Leaf. I currently have a summer soap with a blend of Lime, Clove Leaf and a touch of Patch-but the appeal of having Patch in the lead with zesty notes of lime and clove has won me over-I think this is a superb blend for the nutty, malty aroma of beer.
I want to genuinely thank all those who offered suggestions-there were several fabulous ideas-it was very hard to choose. I think I may actually end up trying a few of these ideas before all is said and done. Thank you all so much!
A Port - in the Storm of Life
Life has been busy and full of unpredictable ups and downs. I'm so glad I have soap to come to-when I need to find my center. Soap, a predictable reaction that unless effected by human error will always perform the same way. Essential oils calm and soothe me. Soap is my comfort food-it feeds my soul.
August 1, 2011
Quote of the Day
"Anyone's life truly lived consists of work, sunshine, exercise, soap, plenty of fresh air, and a happy contented spirit." Lillie Langtry ~
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