February 28, 2012

Special Delivery

Pssst, I just made a special delivery of bar soaps and shave rounds to Hodgepodge Design at 26th and Boston. If you're local and need your "earthly delights" head on over before they're gone. Hodgepodge is now carrying 4 kinds of  Tierra Verde shave rounds..Clove, Lavender, Olive Oil and Goat's Milk, and Fresh Aloe.

Clove Shave Round - 3.75oz. $5.00

February 27, 2012

Wow! Just Wow! + A Sneak Peek

So, I'm looking through my blogs I follow this morning, and what should I run across, but a mention over on Simply Soaps Blog entitled Soap Heroes. First off, I would like to say that Gabbie has some of the most amazingly beautiful soap + photography + website design skills you will ever run across-so to be even mentioned is flabbergasting to me. I am just so chuffed to be mentioned I can hardly stand it.Thank you!

And because blog posts without photos are b-o-r-i-n-g! I give you a sneak peek at a photo for the new website update.

 Olive Oil and Goat's Milk-4.5 ounce bar $6.00-gentle for all skin types..

February 24, 2012

Happy Friday

Dancing Hot Sauce-Fredericksburg,Texas

I have to make a confession-whenever I see this little guy in my folder of photos he makes me smile(he even does a little dance.) Tell me you don't just love him. Happy Friday!

February 21, 2012

Things I Love (A List)


Sometimes it's good to reflect- to take just a moment to think about the things you love.

Zinnias- in all their glorious colors.

Pussy willows.

Rain.

The smell of a baby's head.

Puppy breath.

Moss covered tree trunks.

Trees.

Moss covered rocks.

Peacock feathers.

My children.

Texas Hill Country.

Chili rellenos.

Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Fall leaves.

Pumpkins.

Christmas lights.

Pink grapefruit.

Fresh Vegetables.

Homegrown tomatoes.

Good times with friends.

My husband

Hot tea.

Pansies.

The smell of wood smoke coming off of chilled winter air.

Crocus and Daffodils-the harbingers of Spring.

Hummingbirds.

Canadian Geese.

Horses.

Wild Mustangs.

Folk Music.

Geraniums.

Warm sun on my skin.

The bluest sky I've ever seen (Santa Fe/Albuquerque area of New Mexico.)

Prickly Pear Cactus.

Georgia O'Keeffe.

Orangina on a hot day.

Goat cheese.

Hand blown glass.

My husband's hands.

My mother.

Eating out on the porch at Village Pizza on a beautiful day with bumble bees buzzing around.

The smell of Downey fabric softener.

Lavender.

Handmade Soap.

The smell of unrefined beeswax.

Fresh Honey.

Fresh Rosemary.

Hollyhocks.

Cold Dr. Pepper.

Family.

Laughter.

Quiet time to make soap.

Reading.

What are some things you love? Add to the list in your comments.

February 20, 2012

Making the Switch

Olive Oil and Goat's Milk Shave Soap- A soap for the purist; no scent and no color just plenty of enriching olive oil and goat’s milk - earthly delights that nourish and nurture all skin types.3.75 ounces $5.00

The final preparations are underway on the website updates-soon the new improved site will be live. You will notice a few things right off-all the photos have been updated, a Gift Set tab has been added, there will be an area for announcements such as sales, shipping announcements, upcoming events etc, along with a more colorful format matching the blog. It is my hope that within the week we will be making the switch.

Side note: at one point I fully intended to have photos done by a professional, but when I didn't receive all the images for whatever reason-I had to take a step back and take my own photos. While they may not be perfect from a professional photography standpoint, I'm pretty happy with them. All this to say-if you are thinking about having someone photograph your product because you think you can't, think twice. No one cares more about your image, your product and the look you are wanting to achieve than you do. The End

I would also like to say "Thank You-to infinity and beyond" to my husband for all his hours and hours of work on the website. I could never do it without your help and support.  xoxo

February 17, 2012

Beautiful Photo Friday

 A tenacious symbol of a "battered friendship"

A new life-fresh, green, pristine and full of promise for the future.

This little heart shaped battered and scarred up cactus was given to me by a friend I've known for almost 30 years-(Wow! that's a long time.) She told me it was like our "battered friendship" ours is a friendship that has some battle wounds and scars-a friendship that isn't always easy and free, but instead has a rugged, tattered beauty that is beyond skin deep. I guess maybe she was right- like a cactus living out in the elements-our friendship has been modified as was the shape of this cactus. The scars of life have formed and changed us for better and worse; some are visible on the outside and tell their own story, some are more obscure; hidden away in our hearts changing us forever. Recently, this symbol of rugged beauty put on a tiny new pad- small,tender, fresh and green this little pad is a well spring of hope for the future.With a little bit of love and attention-this little pad will someday grow into a beautiful pristine pad that will proliferate and grow into a thriving tenacious if not majestic mound of cactus.

February 16, 2012

Some Thursday Feature Love

Olive Oil and Goat' Milk 4.5 ounce bar
Olive Oil and Goat's Milk scored some feature love over at this sweet little blog Moose Art-if you haven't been by to check it out-head on over.

February 14, 2012

How to Help Your Handmade Soap Last Looooonger

While it's probably safe to say many of the people that read this blog are other soapmakers or seasoned lovers of handmade soap, I hope that some of you are new to the lovely attributes of handmade soap-so with this in mind I would like to give you a few tips on care.

1. One of the best and most special qualities of handmade soap is "glycerin" a luxurious by-product of the chemical reaction that happens during the soapmaking process. Glycerin is "hygroscopic" meaning it attracts moisture from the air giving handmade soap it's wonderful humectant  quality that attracts and holds moisture to the skin. This also means that if handmade soap is left sitting in water it will begin to absorb water forming a gooey, icky mess that will then begin the degradation process of the soap.

2. Handmade soap is best stored out of standing water where it can air dry between each use. This would mean using a soap dish that allows water to drain out the bottom and even better if it holds your soap up off the very bottom of your dish where water may pool. Also, consider finding a place in the shower where your soap will not be directly in the line of spray- as in directly under the shower head in a caddy etc.

3. Another great tip to increase the life of your soap; use your soap in conjunction with a washcloth or a mesh shower pouf instead of using soap directly on your skin.

4. Use your soap to the very last bubble by collecting the odd bits and pieces and putting them in a soap saver pouch. Place your bits and pieces inside the pouch pulling the drawstring closed and use like a washcloth-when done; hang your soap saver pouch to allow it to dry thoroughly until the next use. Soap savers allow you to use the last remnants of soap and exfoliate at the same time. Multitasking in the shower-I love it.

5. Store your soap in a cool dry place such as a drawer or linen closet-not under the sink where it may attract moisture from condensation etc. Ventilation is very important to properly storing handmade soap-non ventilated storage may result in a "weepy" or rancid soap bar. Always keep handmade soaps stored out of direct sunlight; direct sunlight is not a friend of handmade soap.Storage life varies depending on the formulation of handmade soap.

A good soap dish should allow a way for water to drain out the bottom.

Notice how this soap is not sitting in a puddle-the curvature of this dish prevents the soap from ever sitting in water.

February 13, 2012

It's a New Day

It's a new day here at Tierra Verde Handmade Soaps-as you can see the blog underwent a bit of a facelift last night(on a whim no less.) I am loving the new background + larger images and more open feel. It's a bit of a departure from all the brown of before-the color is something that is ever so slightly outside my box-but I think it is a much fresher feel that I could easily fall in love with.There are still a few things to tweak, but overall this is the new look. A website tweak will follow shortly with gifts sets added to the list of offerings.Yay!

February 12, 2012

Snow Day Camera Play

You were probably expecting to see some snowy landscape, right? Instead, I was indoors playing with the camera while snowy drifts quietly accumulate outside. I''ve been trying to get the camera out several times a week. This is a newer camera, so I'm still trying to figure out settings and playing a bit with aperture/shutter speed and experimenting with backlight/frontlight for different effects.

This first example is an image that is backlit via my kitchen window-the lighting is naturally filtered through the snow clouds meaning it isn't too terribly harsh-a good day to take photos. I love this shot because you can see the lines that the cutter wires left behind due to the little bit of clay that is an ingredient in this shave soap. I think it's beautiful because it speaks of part of the handmade process of soap. I'm not sure what that very cool steel thing is that the soap is sitting on. I acquired it from a friend because I have a vision of turning into a very cool soap dish at some point. I want to say that it is a type of floral frog, but I'm not sure. If you have any idea please comment it would be cool to know for sure-it does have holes in it for perhaps stems or something it's steel and with a lip on one side, and flat on the other.


This next image is lit from the front-I was on the other side of the table with the light coming from the front of the image. The image is a bit darker and a bit more "moody"- I'm sometimes a fan of images that are slightly dark and moody. The trails from the cutter are no longer visible as the top of the soap is not as washed with light. I didn't document aperture-I had it set probably around 4.0 ish because I wanted to play with the slight bokeh in the background. I still have miles to go to be considered a moderately good photographer,but it's another journey that I'm thoroughly enjoying.

Which lighting do you like best and why? Just curious.

February 10, 2012

Kaleidoscope

A beautiful kaleidoscope of  color-Gift Sets ready for pre-Valentines day market $20.00

Each premium gift set will include (1) 4.5 ounce bar soap, (1) beautiful birch soap dish, (1) Ramie washcloth all tucked away in a beautiful re-useable organza pouch. These gifts sets will be available tomorrow at the Lubbock Downtown Art Market 19 and Buddy Holly from (9-3)

Did you know Ramie is one of  the strongest natural  fibers-8 times stronger than cotton, and even stronger when wet? Who knew?

February 8, 2012

This Little Soapy Goes to Market

Lavender Mint

Lavender Mint – a fusion of woodsy floral and clean mint; a fresh clean herbal delight.

Quote of the Day

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."
  Les Brown~

February 7, 2012

My Funny Valentine

"My Funny Valentine"


A rustic hodgepodge of soap shreds, rose petals,calendula petals,and lavender buds-made sweet and demure when topped by a small cluster of rose buds. The curious scent blend is sweet with a touch of whimsy thrown in- bergamot, geranium and lavender whisper sweet nothings while a barely there touch of ginger and black pepper add a note of naughty whimsy.
I'm hoping these will be at market on Sat.-the clusters of rose buds are proving a bit delicate as they dry out even more. :-(

February 6, 2012

Getting Ready for Market - Still

Just a little teaser for those who will be heading out to market on Sat.

February 4, 2012

A Beautiful Mess

 Shave round gift set - 2  handcrafted shave rounds w/beautiful birch soap dish $15.00
A beautiful mess from this morning. This is a sneak peek at the shave round gifts sets that I will be having at market next Sat. Each shave round gift set will consist to 2 handcrafted shave rounds and one beautiful birch soap dish for $15.00 - a great gift for your Valentine. There will only be a few so get there early...Sat. Feb. 11th @ 18th and Buddy Holly (9-3). 

If you don't live in the Lubbock area,but would like a shave round gift set-you may order one between now and market day Feb 11(otherwise all of them will go to market.) Shave round gift sets are temporarily listed on my website- please leave a comment as to which two shave rounds you would like for your set to include.

February 3, 2012

Translucence


I love the way that natural light gives soap a certain translucence. It makes me happy.

Beautiful Photo Friday - Gift Set Goodness


This one is a bit dark-adjusting to a new camera. I'll get the hang of it soon.

aaaand because I'm pretty chuffed about the soft bokeh in the background...

Ahhhh, gift set goodness. Just a little sneak peek at the gift sets to come - next Saturday Feb. 11 (9-3) to the Lubbock Downtown Art Market.