In order to spread the word about the benefits of handmade soap (and to grow our list of newsletter subscribers) we are having a Spread the Word! promotion. First, if you haven't already signed up to receive our newsletter, sign up now! (right over there ->) After your sign-up is confirmed, invite a friend to visit our website and also sign up for our newsletter. As soon as that's done, we will email both you and your friend a 15%-off coupon code. Use it to save on everything in our store!

The important details:
Invite as many friends as you'd like (who doesn't like a coupon?). Remind them to include your name in the "Referred by" field so that we know where to send your coupon code. You will get a coupon for each referral until the end of the promotion on 4/30/09, but only one coupon code can be used per order.

If you already love handmade soap, this a great reason to talk it up to your friends. And if you haven't experienced handmade soap, check out our Soap FAQs on the Sirona Springs website and take advantage of this great opportunity to save on your first order!

Expanding Design Horizons

Since I just can't leave well enough alone, I've been at it again: exploring more ways in which I can take a simple thing (soap) and make it surprising and beautiful (or at least surprising).

This week I tried to replicate the grand prize winner of Saponifier Magazine's Best Swirl contest. I figured that if the soapmaker, Nicole Benitez, was kind enough to publish a tutorial, then I just had to try it myself!For a first try, I'm happy with it. These bars were actually sliced horizontally, instead of the usual way vertically, like you would slice a loaf of bread. So the bars with black were on top of the bars with no black. You can see that the black soap never made it down too deep into the log. Next time, I'll need to choose a different fragrance oil, work faster and pour while the soap is thinner. But even the ones with no black still have a really pretty swirl. I'm happy with the results and will definitely be using this techique again.

A couple weeks ago I poured some heart shaped soaps. While they make very cute little guest soaps, I put them to a more creative use this week as embeds in a new batch.The fragrance oil that I used will discolor this soap a medium brown, so once it's done curing it should have a primitive, country look. Now I have to think of something to do with the little stars that I made that same day!

And finally, the most colorful soap that I think I've ever made: embedded "melt-and-pour" soap. This is the kind of clear, "glycerin" soap that you may have seen (or worked with). It's a very different process, making melt-and-pour soap, and so combining the two media opens up yet more possibilities!
The colors are riotous, and because the stripes were made with clear melt-and-pour soap, they have a translucence that gets these bars glowing! These made me smile as I was cutting them. :) Once they cure, I'll be curious to see how they perform in the shower: will the layers stay together? Will they get used up at the different rates? For now, I'll just admire them for the beauties they are. (sigh)

Judging a Book by its Cover

I've been working lately on redesigning our labels on the soap boxes. I like the simplicity of the old labels, but they were just missing something. So, I found some great images and I think that they really add a lot to the label.

First, they make each label immediately identifiable, more distinct. Before, each label had it's own color and name, but nothing else to single it out.

Next, I tried to find images that would set the stage for the scent visually. Before you even hold it up to your nose to sniff, your mind already has an impression of what's coming. I think that this really adds to the enjoyment of the scent. If I just give someone a bar and say, "What do you think of this one?", often there's a look of confusion first, as she tries to figure out what the scent is, before deciding if it's pleasant. Having an image first, I think, helps "get the ball rolling" on the enjoyment of the scent.

And finally, the images give a sense of dimensionality to an otherwise flat surface. I specifically chose images that are isolated and have good shadows, giving the label more depth.

We'll be rolling out the new labels as we go through the old ones. You can see pictures of them right now on our website. Click on any soap that you're interested in and scroll through the pictures on its product page.

I'd love to know what you think! Post any comments back here and remember to keep up with our blog by subscribing or following: check out the right column -> and choose how you want to stay informed now!

Life Lessons in Soapmaking

People often pay lip service to "trial and error" and "learning from mistakes", but the truth of it becomes so clear when making soap. I start out with a concept and a vision of what I want the soap to look like. My inspiration is usually the fragrance or a color combination that I find intriguing. I plan and design and execute and hope and wait. The result doesn't become obvious until I cut the soap into bars, usually the next day. It's like opening a gift - exciting, but not always what I was expecting. The color might be wrong, or the texture might be funky. But even when I get more "error" in my trials then I'd want, I can still end up with a fine piece of soap. Plus the lesson learned. It may not be what I wanted (or thought I wanted), but it's still just fine.

So here are the results of my latest trials (check out this post for some background thoughts about the designs).


The larkspur petals on the top stayed blue, but any petals that actually touched the soap turned yellow. At least they're not brown! So I think that the best use for these will be on top of the soap.

The embedded slices look good so far. They came from a two-color bar, so the effect is pretty nice. I'll have to wait to see how they hold up in use.


You can see the faint gold mica line in the middle of this bar. The fragrance oil in this one will cause the soap to turn a medium brown, so I'm hoping that looks a bit more dramatic eventually.


And these are some cute little soaps that I made. The plan is to embed them in a new batch of soap and see how that works. So cute.

Pretty successful trials, overall. I'm already planning some more for next week!

Soap Design

Whew. It's been a busy couple of days of making soap: two kinds going right into the shop and three other batches with new designs that I'm trying out.


This soap will turn even browner as it cures. With that gold mica sprinkled on top and layered in the middle, I'm hoping to get an exotic, ancient look.


And this one has a very floral scent, with larkspur petals sprinkled on top and inside. Rumor has it that larkspur petals keep their pretty blue color in soap. Most botanicals turn brown eventually. We shall see.


The third trial has slices of a cured soap embedded in a new batch. I'm testing the design as well whether the older, harder soap will "stay" in the new soap.


I'll post pictures of the bars once I cut them.