Black

It's been a long time since I pulled out the ol bamboo charcoal, but now that I'm no longer in a discombobulated state(read about my recent re-organization here)-it's very handy to get to things like my colorants.Yahoo! So today, I was in the mood to re-visit bamboo charcoal. A few years back I bravely ventured into the realm of bamboo charcoal and really haven't bothered to mess with it since. I'm not really sure why-maybe it was the hassle of getting it out prior to my recent re-organization of soap supplies.

Fleur de lis was my very first attempt with bamboo charcoal + anything resembling the elusive swirl.

Fleur de lis (2010)-by Tierra Verde Handmade Soaps- scented with Anise and a bit of Clove.

This time I tried something "safe" I guess you could say since I hadn't worked with charcoal in such a long time. Today, I decided to make a mild cleansing facial soap with bamboo charcoal and a light splash of lavender. 

 I added 1/4 tsp. of charcoal(for an almost 2# batch) directly to my oils + a small amount of lavender. That white speck is from my Coconut oil-sometimes there seems to be a bit of coconut meat included in the oil.

I added the charcoal straight into the oils-it's very fine and will disperse easily once I introduce the stick blender. I also went ahead and added my lavender since I won't lose it to a low flashpoint.

Charcoal mixture after emulsification

You'll notice the color is now a charcoal and not the true black that I was hoping for. I will see what it does once it's gelled. I chose to start at perhaps a bit of a lesser amount of charcoal than I needed because if you add too much charcoal it will bleed and you will have gray suds + a stained wash cloth. It's always best to start out with a bit less than you think you'll need and adjust up-this way the soap might not quite be the black you want, but still very useable without the messy gray lather and possible staining. 

Cleanse- facial soap with charcoal and a light splash of lavender.

I like a round facial soap because they are just so easy to handle esp. for smaller hands. Cut pics will come in a couple of days..

My "Little Corner" of the World

My "little corner" is quite literally a little corner of my little kitchen. My family is making a wee bit of a sacrifice in terms of space, so that I can have a semi dedicated area.

 My "little corner" of the world-notice the chair within just mere inches of the dresser-that's  how close the dinner table is to the dresser-seriously tight quarters.

I've been making soap for four years now and as any soap maker knows the equipment seems to multiply exponentially from the beginning. At first things are innocent enough- you need a few bowls, spatulas,scales,various molds,jugs of oils and eo's, and before you know it a bar cutter comes into your life-taking up a bit more space. Eventually you outgrow the jugs of base oils and move on to order,and subsequently find the need to store 50# pails of oils, 35# cubitainers, larger molds, a log splitter/planer, larger buckets to mix your batch in-and on and on. This is the way a passion quietly and insidiously takes over your life.

I'm quite happy to have this little semi dedicated space(and grateful that my family is willing to make the exception for me to have it.) Prior to this, I had supplies in the pantry, under the sink,on shelves in my bedroom and pretty much any cubbie hole I could find to store my "things" in. 

I realize the dresser is less than perfect-it's after all a garage sale find(meant to be a first furnishing type deal for my son-while in his apt.- he rejected it.) While aesthetically it lacks a bit, a few of the drawers need adjusting, it could use a coat of paint for a bit of stain, it's missing a pull or two-overall it's a great piece. This dresser was a quality piece in it's day-solid wood and sturdy with lots of drawer space and plenty of  flat surface on top making it perfect for supply storage and a small workspace. I actually managed to get probably 90% of my soap supplies into the drawers and it's holding all of my relevant equipment on top. It's a great option for those of you who like me can't quite swing a studio/dedicated workspace yet. 

This small bit of organization helps me feel so much better mentally. I had a very hard time being so discombobulated-I just couldn't function very well. It's a tremendous relief to have all my "toys" together, and in my eyes-the dresser is a beautiful thing. ;-))

The top surface holds my handmade log splitter/planer (a large cumbersome piece that is a necessity with a block mold), a bar cutter, block mold, mixing bucket, and pvc molds. Yay! I typically mix my batch over on the bar in the kitchen so, it's very convenient to pull what I need from the dresser and just carry it over to my workspace.I love my new space-it's sunny and bright and best of all everything is centralized now-no more running from one cubbie to another to find what I need to make a batch of soap.  Soap cures in a shelf unit in another room.*Just in case you're wondering the splitter/planer is not quite complete yet-it's useable as is but will eventually have two more wires to split the block all at once.

Scenes from Today

 Soap soldiers all lined up to get their "cure" on.

Just cut-the scent is UN-be-leivably delicious.

Today's Subject-Tips for Working with Honey + A Sale!

“Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called.” A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

Mmmmm honey, the anticipation of it's thick flavorful offerings-it's good for so many things-one of which is soap. There aren't many ingredients I won't sacrifice for the sake of soap; herbs, teas, beer-are all fair game. I have to admit though I have a soft spot for honey, as I measure out each deliciously fragrant spoonful of honey- I have to admit I'm a bit remorseful, wishing instead that I were enjoying it decadently drizzled on a delicious scone, or perhaps enjoying a touch in my morning tea. However, knowing it's extraordinary contributions to soap, and ultimately the skin-I willingly make the sacrifice.

Honey, like glycerin is hygrogropic meaning it attracts water-moisture to your skin leaving it soft and dewy throughout the day. Honey also boasts natural anti-oxidant and anti microbial properties along with a litany of other beneficial properties making it a perfect "food" for your skin.

On the downside, honey is notorious for being a bit troublesome to work with in terms of soap making, so I thought I would share with you a few tips that I have found that make it a bit easier for me. I use a fair amount of honey(1 tbs. per pound of oils) to make my Orange Honey Drizzle with Oats soap;a soap I've been making now for  probably a couple of years-it's my very favorite of all time and if I had to choose only one  soap to use from now on it would be this one-hands down. I love that it smells good enough to eat and even more importantly the way it makes my skin feel.

* I'd like to add a change right here-in the above paragraph I stated that I used 1tbs. of honey per pound of oils. Previous to switching to this mold I was using a silcone mold, and so I never experienced any sticking issues-the mold below is a transitional mold(a move up in batch size) that I just started using. I line with freezer paper and with this batch I experienced some sticking to the paper on the bottom of the block. I'm thinking the next batch I will pull back on the honey just a bit. I'm thinking  I might go 6tbs. to the 8 pounds of oils to see if the sticking issue is eliminated by a bit less honey. This is to say, that you might need to play around just a bit with your honey ratio as well to avoid overheating, sticking etc.
So here we go-

• Working with honey can be a sticky,icky mess. I find that if I lightly coat my measuring cup+ tablespoon with vegetable oil the honey doesn't stick to my cup or spoon making things much easier to deal with. 
• Secondly, if you've ever made soap with honey and thought it was all integrated only to find those caramel colored splotches in your finished product-you know how frustrating integrating honey can be. I find that adding just a bit of water to my honey and slightly heating it makes it much easier to fully integrate into my oils. I like to get my oils to emulsification first, then slightly heat my honey/water in the microwave-just so I can tell the honey is loosened and a bit watery and then I add it to my base oils being sure to stick blend a bit to get it nicely mixed in. Adding a bit of water to the honey is okay for me because I use a water discount anyway so adding a bit back does not make my batch too wet and it saves me the frustration of honey that does not get mixed into the batch well-so sad when that happens(and it has happened-thus these little tips.)
• Also,when soaping with honey (a hot additive due to it's high sugar content) you need to be careful. I find that letting my lye get fairly cool(I tend to soap with my lye around 110 degrees Fahrenheit.) and my oils even cooler-works well for me. In my experience, soaping on the cooler (esp.with ingredients high in sugars) side is very key to avoiding cracking and even worse a volcano. This brings up an important tip-if you suspect you may have a volcano incident on your hands (with beer, wine, honey, coconut milk, goat's milk or anything with lots of sugars)-put your mold over a tray of some kind to catch the mess and watch your eyes as it can spew raw soap all over. I've never had a volcano happen, but know people that have and it is a a mess to be avoided. I have had cracking on top-a precursor to a volcano.
• Avoid over insulation of your mold. I use a wood mold and while I used to insulate and still in the cooler months throw a light towel around my mold-I don't insulate at all in the warmer months. It's always important to consider the ambient temperature of your soaping environment.Ambient heat with an already hot batch equal trouble.

 I add a bit of water to my honey and heat this mixture slightly before adding it to my soap at emulsification. Notice how the honey/water is not thick, but a bit runny instead. This makes for a much easier and successful  integration of honey into your batch. Sorry for the less than clear image- I was trying to get this shot dialed in with one hand,hopefully you get an idea of the consistency of the honey here.

Freshly poured batch-the top is a little crazy,but I'm not overly concerned because the top will be trimmed. One of the challenges in working with honey is that it also attracts ash(due to it's hygroscopic nature)-by trimming the top I don't have to worry about this. I will cover this soap with the lid to the mold,but will not insulate.

This is a hot, hot batch of soap in the throes of gel-this is a very good example of gel for those who've never seen it before. Gel starts in the very core of the soap and works out-sometimes the corners(the coolest part of the mold) don't gel.

The finished product-Orange Honey Drizzle with Oats- A generous drizzle of aromatic Citrus Honey and Sweet Orange essential oil mingle with hand ground colloidal oats; this wholesome soap is like breakfast for your skin.

And because this is my very favorite soap and I would love to share it with you-please enjoy 10% off of Orange Honey Drizzle with Oats today through Tuesday.


Oh! and be sure to tell share YOUR  favorite tips for working with honey or perhaps your horrible volcano stories..

Beautiful Photo Friday

Today's Beautiful Photo Friday features one of my favorite tools-my little Molcajete. A Molcajete is a stone tool, the Mexican version of the mortar and pestle. I use it often, especially for hand grinding my oats for Orange Honey Drizzle with Oats (featuring citrus honey,sweet orange essential oil and hand ground colloidal oats.) Why not just throw oats in the spice mill you ask? Well for two reasons 1) I enjoy the process of grinding the oats-it's meditative and adds a more personal touch 2) using the Molcajete allows me much more control over the texture I want my oats to have-I don't want to completely annihilate my oats to the point of oat flour. I do want oats that are not whole with a certain proportion of oat flour-a Molcajete is perfect for this. A Molcajete is a beautiful thing.

Making the Cut

 Preparing to cut Lavender shave rounds.

Freshly cut Lavender shave rounds-I handle soap with gloves because the smooth surface it prone to fingerprints.

Freshly cut Lavender and Clove shave rounds-not yet cleaned up. I wait until the soap dries out a bit and then it's easier to clean up the rough edges.

Yesterday was a day of just puttering around the house. I did a bit of this and that-took the houseplants outside for a good feed and watering, laundry, a bit of housekeeping and cutting of soap. Above, is a pictorial tour of the soap cutting process. Beginners often wonder how soap is cut so uniformly, so here is an inside look. In the beginning we all struggle through with hand cutting our soaps, for some it remains the preferred method(as some seem to have the knack to do it by hand.) I was never able to really get the hang of it by hand bars are not quite as challenging to cut by hand as rounds (ime.) While a nice cutter is an initial investment-it makes life so much easier and is a piece of equipment you will not regret. With a nice cutter you will have much less waste,nice uniform bars and rounds, and much less frustration.

* I should add that with proper care-your cutter will last a very, very long time. I purchased my cutter within the first year of soaping and have had great luck with wires etc. I give it a thorough cleaning once in a while and wipe it down after each use-with proper care it is a true workhorse.

Transition

Recently, I have had some issues with my silicone molds and lots of sweating/condensation. The soap is still lovely to use, but the condensation was leaving pock marks on the outside of the soap-not very attractive. I tried several different things-removing all insulation,soaping cooler,un-molding as soon as possible etc.- but to no avail. I could try to stop gel altogether,but my formula wants to gel and I prefer to gel. Sooo, I am having to go to a completely different mold(a block mold my husband built, but I never used because it needed a splitter to go with it.) Now, with a bit of adjustment for the mold itself and a new combination splitter/planer in the works I will be moving up a bit in batch size. At first, I was a bit intimidated by the thought of a larger batch,but after actually making it and going through the motions it was very manageable. It think it's going to work out well.

I will most likely be selling my current (very nice silicone molds) once I see that all is going to work out well. I think they would work out very nicely for someone who doesn't gel or with a formula that perhaps doesn't heat up as much as my formula does (although no guarantees.) They are very nice and well made molds. More deets as I see how things are working out.

Scenes From Today

It was a beautiful day today here in Lubbock, Texas.

A volunteer Cilantro plant that came up in my front bed-survived the winter-the leaves at the bottom are the traditional cilantro shape and the upper leaves are delicate and feather like. The flowers; tiny white jewels among the feathery green.

Feathery green Cilantro-the leaves and seed are known as Coriander

What used to be a tiny Aloe Vera

My favorite pot-mosaic of broken plates, buttons,and bottle caps.

Tis the Season

Tierra Verde Shave Round 3.75 ounces $5.00

Tis the season to pay even  more attention to shaving needs-shorts and bathing suits are on the horizon. Read what one happy customer has to say about her experience with a Tierra Verde Shave Round-"I admit, I "stole" a lavender shaving round of yours intended for hubby and use it for my legs! Loving it!" 

Tierra Verde Shave Rounds come in 2 scented options-Clove and Lavender and 2 unscented options Olive Oil and Goat's Milk and Fresh Aloe.

Quote of the Day

“Some people won't be happy until they've pushed you to the ground. What you have to do is have the courage to stand your ground and not give them the time of day. Hold on to your power and never give it away.”
― Donna Schoenrock

Then and Now

Yesterday, I happened to come across an interesting question regarding wheat grass and it's staying power. One person was asking if the beautiful green color that is the result of using wheat grass as a colorant would "stick," and one of the responses to this question was "no-wheat grass has a large amount of chlorophyll in it that keeps it from being a stable colorant (unless is is kept in conditions that do not expose it to light.)"

Backing up a few months, I first spotted wheat grass used as a colorant over at Simply Soap in Australia when she did an experiment using varying amounts of "wheat grass powder" to get different shades of  the most glorious green. I asked her about how it was holding, and if she was noticing the color fading at all and her response at the time was that if there were any fading it was imperceptible, so I went on the hunt for wheat grass powder. Now, wheat grass powder is not an inexpensive means to coloring soap-I'll tell you that right off, but if you're like me and prefer a natural colorant and are infatuated with green-this is a great way to go.

The following are some of my projects in which I used wheat grass powder.

1) Tree Hugger- this was my first go at using wheat grass powder. I wanted a light green,but didn't really get the satisfactory green I was looking for-instead it's a bit towards the olive(which isn't bad-just not what I had envisioned.)

Then-The next trial was a batch of Fir Needle that was first made back in October of 2011. I used a bit more wheat grass and got a more true green that I was looking for-this image has is a bit too light-the green is actually a very pale natural looking green.

"Fir Needle" Oct. 2011

 Fir Needle-Feb. 2012

Now-Here is a bar from the same batch, but taken in February of 2012. The color is more true as the light is much better. I am unable to detect a pronounced difference in the color at this point. The soap is obviously stored out of direct sunlight, but at this point appears to be fairly stable in terms of fading. So, the question is-given more time-will this indeed fade to brown or keep it's glorious green? I'll keep an eye on this a keep you informed of any changes,but so far so good.

Sour Grapes

This morning I woke up to comments from "Anonymous" spewing vile hateful words regarding the recent Cocobong review. In all the years I have been blogging I have never, never had anyone leave comments like that. My experience of the soap making community has been nothing but pleasant - thank goodness you are not the norm. You didn't even have the "huevos" to leave your name and according to your comments-"I'm pathetic?"

I'm sorry that you feel the way you do-but YOU are not worth a moment of my worry. That is all.

Reflection

Fir Needle

I've been reflecting a lot lately on my soap journey(it's been almost 4 years)and the time has truly just flown by. I've never been the kind for person to stick with anything for too long-whether it was a lack of discipline, or perhaps things just weren't a good "fit." I've left behind a trail of things tried and soon abandoned. Soap has been somehow a different ever intriguing journey. I floundered just a bit in figuring out my "soaping" style. I once thought to be successful I had to emulate the soaping styles of the ones I saw as the soaping "greats," but it was recently when I started giving in to my own inner voice that I've felt a peace about my own style. I once thought that my style of  uncomplicated and "simple" soap would never sell. I was convinced I would never be successful until I could make soap like some of the greats even though it meant compromising the soaping style I felt a connection with. It's only been lately that I have realized how fitting and important my soaping style is to me-and that it's really an extension of the things I find make me happy in life. Things like the season's first taste of homegrown vine ripened cherry tomatoes bursting with sweet acidic juicy goodness, the sweet ozone smell of rain, fields of sunflowers tilting there heavy heads to greet the sun,the scent of whispering conifers on a crisp fall day, passing panoramic fields of lavender on a winding New Mexico road, the beautiful essence of floral in a thick gooey taste of farmer's market honey, the changing Season's fresh palette.These are the things that make me purr, the things that make life great-I guess by my very nature I am simple and uncomplicated and so my soaps are a natural extension of who I am-uniquely and authentically me.

I Admit

Tree Hugger-an arboreal blend of eucalyptus and cedar perfect for any tree hugger. This blend smells like cedar after a rain; smoky, spicy and slightly sweet with a hint of camphor.

Okay, I admit that I was pretty darn excited (I might have done a very discreet happy dance inside) to quite innocently run across Cocobong's blog post last night. I had no reason to suspect it was a "review" post or that a sampling of my soap would be included, but there it was. I was so relieved to know that something I put so much into was received so well -because that's why we put our hearts into this mad obsession after all right? 

I have been tossing back and forth weather or not I wanted to keep Tree Hugger as part of my permanent line. I know I can do some tweaking to make it just a bit better-(now that I know the secret to get rid of the clumpy td and how much wheat grass powder to get a better green) and it has a special place in my heart with or without the wonderful Cocobong review + it sells well at market-I think I'll be keeping it around.:-))

A big shout out to Lynda and C'bong for their kind words of encouragement!

A Great Way to Start the Day ;-)

A glowing review is music to a soap maker's ear.

"Michelle Lang, owner of Tierra Verde Handmade Soaps, creates 100% natural soaps.   Scented with fine essential oils and colored with natural pigments, then beautifully wrapped in recycled paper, soap doesn't get more natural than this  :)   

My first order from Tierra Verde was a bar of Tree Hugger.   Wonderfully scented, with beautiful natural colors, this soap was a pure treat to use.    I love finding good quality all natural products!

Celebrating her updated website, all bar soaps are 15% off until March 9th.     I just ordered a bar of Fir Needle and the shipping was only $2.10 (very reasonable).    This is the perfect time to try Tierra Verde soaps, if you haven't yet!!"

To see the full review go by Lynda's blog "Handmade Soaps and Other Obsessions"- Thanks Lynda-I'm so glad you enjoyed your handcrafted soap.

Also, don't forget all bar soaps are 15% off thru Friday-March, 9 at Tierra Verde Handmade Soaps.

It's New and Improved + 15% Off

All Natural Hand Balms-1oz. $7.00

The new updated website is live and to celebrate-all bar soaps are 15% off thru March 9.

Special thanks to my husband for his hours and hours of tireless work. (<3 U.)

Shades of Green- Part Deux

Faux Funnel Swirl-Spearmint 3 shades of green + white

Well, here are the results of my first Faux Funnel swirl-my gradients aren't as pronounced as I had hoped,but still I think that for my first try I'm pretty happy with how things came out. I see some clumps of td that I need to work on-I ran it through a strainer + used the stick blender in my td  mixture before separating it out into the green and still  there are a few clumps. What do you find is the best way to eliminate td clumps?

Shades of Green

 Amy's Faux Funnel Swirl in white+3 shades of green scented with Spearmint

Amy's Faux Funnel Swirl Technique with a little bit of swirl on top-Spearmint

I've been eyeing Amy's Faux Funnel swirl technique for a while now, and was pondering a soap to try it on. I really liked the "Orange Bliss" soap she just posted about with the gradient-so I decided to give it a swirl err I mean a whirl. I used an oxide green and titanium and as Amy's video shows how to create a gradient look-I chose to use green (cause orange would have been an odd choice for Spearmint.) I wanted to use an essential oil I had plenty of and one that wasn't too expensive in case it just didn't work out-so I settled on Spearmint. I think the white and 3 shades of green will be nice. I'm not sure if the colors might have been too loose towards the bottom causing them to mingle a bit too much-but we'll see. I haven't worked with oxides or td for a while now, so this was a bit of an experiment in more ways than one. I wasn't very happy with the top of my faux swirl so I lightly swirled with a skewer to break the pattern up a bit.

The photos are perhaps not the best-I haven't found a nice angle for taking photos of soap in the mold,but I hope this gives you the idea. I didn't take the time to set up this photo properly-clearly(or not so clearly) I should have used a different aperture setting Oops!

Oh, and I also made a larger than usual mess in the kitchen-don't look dear...

Update (3-3-2012) I did finally get the kitchen clean. I used every measuring cup in the house for a different color-sooo, I had several measuring cups to deal with + the soap bowl and a couple of stick blenders-fun!! Amy, it's all your fault too!

I took the soap out of the mold last night and I'm just not sure if it is as pretty as Amy's (she has the faux funnel pour down folks) but we'll find out soon. I will be cutting it either this evening or tomorrow-it was a bit sweaty upon getting it out of the mold which means a bit soft. I like to let my log harden up a bit before cutting so that I don't damage the soap when I pick it up + I feel my cutter goes through a bit better. I'll keep you posted. I'd forgotten how lovely Spearmint as a single note smells-just so fresh and clean-a great scent for summer.

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

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..

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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?

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~

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. :-(

Getting Ready for Market - Still

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

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.

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.