September 15, 2013

Something Old, Something New

A new take on an old soap from a few years ago. Tree Hugger- an arborial delight scented with the fresh, clean scent of Fir Needle. 

Breaking in the new log splitter on a small tester slab. A big ol piece of equipment that does an amazing job of splitting up a slab. Love! I wrangled the Mr. into splitting the logs so I could snap a pic. lol!

The end results of the new and improved Tree Hugger.I'm experimenting a bit with a new bar size too.  I used the hanger swirl technique from Erin's book "Soapmaking Made Easy," and I'm pretty darn happy with the results.  Thanks Erin!


I finally got around to breaking in the new log splitter. I've had it for about a month and haven't gotten a real chance to use it  yet. I will still be offering rounds, but have decided to move over to a slab because I feel it offers so much more opportunity for textures and color work. I am experimenting with bar size and think that the bars above are just about where I want them. 

I also tried a technique from Erin's new ebook "Soapmaking Made Easy" and I think it came out really well. While I've been making soap for several years, I  haven't done a lot of color work until just lately. I did use clays and herbs, but I didn't so much attempt techniques really. Her book makes it very easy to try a few new things. I'm already rarin' to try the next technique on my list.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been waiting to see this one cut :-) It's gorgeous!! The fragrance sounds lovely too.
Vicki

Tierra Verde Handmade Soap said...

@ Vicki-Thank you! I had a fleeting worry that it might end up looking like camouflage on the inside. So glad it didn't.Whew!

Anonymous said...

Definitely NOT camouflage - far too beautiful for that!
I've just read your post from today and it really struck a chord. I've been making soap for years but have only recently decided to try to make a go of turning it into a proper 'grown up' business, and it's not easy. I really hope that after a little soul searching you can dust yourself off and continue to follow your dream.
Good luck! :0)

Tierra Verde Handmade Soap said...

@ Vicki-I wish I had a magic wand to help you along. I'm working on figuring things out and when I do-I'll be happy to give any helpful tips.

Anne-Marie said...

What a lovely design! It really is gorgeous and nature-y all in one. =)

Tierra Verde Handmade Soap said...

@ Anne-Marie-Thank you! Your kind words have been such support over the years.

I saw the beautiful French curl soap on Instagram-AMAZINGLY beautiful. ;-)