Black Raspberry-Vanilla Handmade Soap

“Black Raspberry, dark plum and vanilla” -simply yummy in a handmade soap, for sure!

Our version is a soap that’s handmade with olive, coconut, sustainable organic palm and avocado oils.

We’ve added organic shea butter to make this soap extra-moisturizing to keep your skin soft and smooth this summer.

This soap will be available after June 15th, in our Lebanon, IL soap shop (located just 20 min. from downtown St. Louis, MO.)

Large bars weigh approx. 5.5 oz    98% Natural.   100% Guaranteed.

Heirloom Handmade Soap Happenings -January 2015

2015 January Handmade Soap Happenings

I had imagined that, after the crazy-busy of December, my January 2015 would be a month of chilling out, planning for 2015, and re-stocking/creating Valentine Soaps.  Well, two out of three ain't bad, right?

Planning soap is a blast, and ordering supplies can be exciting... but OH SO TIME-CONSUMING.
Does anyone else find price-checking 4 or 5 suppliers (so as not to over-pay) exhausting?  Yikes!

Now the fun starts, sitting back and seeing who ships fastest, and making soap!

Elements Bath & Body (http://www.elementsbathandbody.com/) wins the "first order received" this time, and their Chocolate Fudge Brownie fragrance is the first I've used in my new Valentine Soap Cupcakes:

I am expecting the cupcake bases to turn a deep chocolate brown because of the chocolate fragrance oil, which should perfectly match the brown sprinkles.  The frosting is scented with Peppermint Essential Oil, giving a crisp, refreshing scent contrast to the chocolate fudge scent of the "cakes."

We have also had the honor this past week of being featured as Brambleberry's "photo of the week" with this shot:

You can read their kind comments in their recent post here if you like: http://www.soapqueen.com/bramble-berry-news/facebook-photo-week-dec-27th-jan-2nd/

Thanks for the honor, Brambleberry! :)  Didn't see that one comi

We've recently launched our new men's line "Frillman's Beard & Body", and the products are selling well.  Excited to create new soap varieties for men, as well.

My man "guinea pigs" enjoyed the trial products, my nephew grew the fabulous beard you see on my Bear Oil label using my beard oil, and was kind enough to be "the face" of Frillman's Beard & Body.
What a guy! :)

Looking forward to soap-making in 2015, and I hope you all are too!

Keep Calm & Make Soap! ;)

Handmade Natural soap -St. Louis Style!

Handmade Natural Soap is selling well in our Lebanon, IL shop -just about 20mi. from downtown St. Louis, MO.

We have added quite a few new handmade soap and bath products since our grand opening last Fall: natural paraben-free lotions, natural body mists, fantastic-smelling bath grains, natural deodorants and more!

The pictures below offer a glimpse of the shop and products.   I am feeling truly blessed with the opportunity to offer my products in my own little retail setting -pinching myself occasionally to make sure it's all real.

Thank You to all who are enjoying our soap and bath products and supporting our small business!   We are planning lots of new goodies coming for Spring 2014 including hands-on Soapmaking 101 classes!

Happy Bathing, everyone!  ~Becky
:)

Rose Amore’
Valentine’s Day 2014

Heirloom Soapworks bestselling soap -now with a new label!

Another new label for one of our all-time bestsellers!

“Build-your-Own” Gift Sets were a hit at Valentine’s Day, so we will continue them through Mother’s Day!

Handmade Christmas Soaps are here!

Handmade Christmas Soaps are here!

There are few things I enjoy more than freely expressing my faith through my work. (Being self-employed does have it’s advantages!)  

Christmas seems like one of the best times to do so, as with all the hustle and bustle and secular distractions….well, it can take a person’s mind off of what Christmas truly celebrates -the birth of Our Savior, Jesus Christ.

It’s this most blessed event which I hope to convey (albeit with the most humble of materials -soap) in this year’s Christmas Gift Set from Heirloom Soapworks:



 

This set includes three full-sized bars of natural soap, with the tangy-sweet scents of citrus and pine. 

 Whether you’re looking for a gift for your Pastor, Sunday School Teacher, or a favorite brother or sister in the faith, this set is sure to be appreciated!  

Reserve yours now on our Facebook page, as supplies are very limited.

Happy Soaping everyone!  ~Becky

There’s a New Handmade Soap Shop in St. Louis!

O.K., well, we’re technically about 20 minutes from downtown, on the Illinois side of the St. Louis Metro Area, and while the shop/studio is new, we have actually been making soap since 2002, but I digress...
Heirloom Soapworks Handmade Soap is now officially open in beautiful, historic, downtown Lebanon, IL!  We are so excited to be the FIRST handmade soap shop on the Illinois side of the St. Louis area, and ready to serve up some fine, locally made bath goodies to all the folks in the St. Louis area, both East & West of the Mighty Mississippi!

Our shop/studio is located right on “the brick street” at 111 W. St. Louis St., inside the Tiadaghton House.  Hours are Wed.-Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday Noon -4 p.m.
I have been collecting pieces for the store since early last Dec.;  arranging and re-arranging things in my mind.  I know many of you are curious, so without further ado here are some pics of the new soap shop/studio:

Heirloom Soapworks,
111 W. St. Louis St.
Lebanon, IL 62254

What do you think of my vintage-inspired bathtub soap stand?  Hubby made it for me, and I couldn’t be happier with it -what a guy!   He also transformed my work counter/cabinet with waiscoting and crown molding.  And built the table below that holds my sink trio.  Speaking of sinks, that a 1923 Kohler pedestal sink that my sister Martie found for me (along with my 1921 white wall mount sink) in Champaign, IL.

My vintage sink collection finally has a home (at least for 3 of them!) Looking from left to right: “Sky Blue” 1962 American Standard,  1921 Kohler in white,  1950 American Standard  (sometimes referred to as “Mamie Pink” -unwittingly inspired by Mamie Eisenhower)  I love how this display turned out, and customers seem to appreciate it too!

Our studio is nestled upstairs, and the Tiadaghton House’s main shop below is filled with some AMAZING local art -from fiber art, pottery, jewelry & paintings to some gorgeous Stickley furniture.  Worth the drive just to see the downstairs, we hope while you’re visiting you’ll venture upstairs to pick up some handmade soap and bath/body goodies!
Happy Soaping, Everyone!  ~Becky

We have some very exciting news regarding Heirloom Soapworks handmade soap.  Later this year we will be opening a Soap Shop/Studio in beautiful downtown Lebanon, IL! 
(Yay! Yippee! and Yeehaaaa!)

It’s been a whirlwind of activity since the opportunity first presented itself in Dec. 2012.  Planning, buying decor items, finalizing arrangements, and of course making soap, natural lotions, bath bombs and our new So Fresh! All-Natural Deodorant (all the while pinching myself to make sure the whole opportunity wasn’t a dream) well, let's just say time has flown!


I plan to post more frequently here on my handmade soap blog (almost anything would have to be better that the last few months!)  But, for those who love to see the very latest products & soap news, please check out our Heirloom Soapworks Facebook Page  which for some reason seems to get updated almost daily!

Meanwhile, here are a few photos of just some of the products I’ve been developing and/or tweaking:

 Castile-Charcoal -Cambrian face soap for oily/acne prone skin. 

Folks just love handmade soap, and our new "friendship" gift packaging makes our soap even more fun to give…and receive!

Best of all, it’s available on ANY soap variety we carry -just message us at checkout and we’ll  take care of the rest!

Our new “Friendship” gift packaging.

Lavender Oatmeal Handmade Soap

 -the new look for 2013

New Soap Duos a great way to try two soap

varieties for the price of one bar of soap!

     Desert Sage Handmade Soap 

NEW All-Natural Deodorant: So Fresh!

So, that's what's new here!  Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Soaping Everyone! :)

Handmade Soap: "Prairie Valentine"

Handmade Soap "Prairie Valentine"

Many of you know I am hopelessly in love with the rustic, eclectic, romantic style commonly known as "Shabby Chic".....so it's really no wonder that I am head-over-heels crazy for these new handmade soap rounds.   

Fragranced with a convincing lilac fragrance that will leave you breathlessly yearning for spring:  "Prairie Valentine"
 

 

  I hope you enjoy the photo.   -Happy Valentine's Day!  ~Becky :)

Handmade Soap "Apple Cobbler" -Autumn 2012

"Apple Cobbler" Handmade Soap with fresh goats milk is Heirloom's first 2012 soap celebrating this year's most welcome transition into Autumn.

A favorite with our testers, this combination of scent plus our rich, conditioning goats milk soap is one you are sure to love too.  

Quantities are limited.  Don't miss out, order today: Apple Cobbler

Handmade Soap Makers: It's time to play...."Name that Colorant"

Handmade soap is endlessly interesting, isn't it?   Just when you start to think you know something of what you're doing a batch throws you a curve!

This batch of handmade soap came out a TOTALLY different color than I expected.  I have worked with this colorant on many occasions....but not with this particular technique: Infusion.

It left this "bubblehead" scratching her head for sure....I'm guessing it may morph into the color I had expected, but I'll have to wait and see about that.

In the meantime:

Anyone want to take a stab at what I used to get this color?

Oh, and I just happen to need to do this "flop" color for some 250 wedding favor soaps later this month....hmmmm.  Romans 8:28 comes to mind.  Don't you just love that? ;) 

Soap on!

Handmade Soap Gift Set

Handmade Soap is such a wonderful gift, isn't it?  It's beautiful, it smells great, and everyone uses soap!  I've always been a nut for bath soap, and can't seem to ever have too many fragrant soaps in my world.

Unfortunately, I think a soap bar (even a fantastic homemade soap bar) often doesn't look....well...."gifty" enough for some folks to give.  Know what I mean?

I've been wanting to do a "gift set" for the shops that carry my handmade soap, and I've finally done one! So, without further ado, I present the "Heirloom Beauties Trio" Gift Set:

I've chosen Fresh Bamboo, Tropical Smoothie and Lavender

Creme for this collection of bestselling handmade soaps.

As with any new release, I can't wait to see how they go over in the retail outlets! :)

Hope all my soaping buddies out there are having a wonderful and productive time!  Soap on!  ~Becky

Home Made Soap Satisfaction!

I know ol' Mick had trouble with Satisfaction, but me?  As a maker of home made soap, nothing feels quite like a box full of my "babies" that are cured, labeled, packed & ready for shipping to someone anxiously awaiting them!

 Those of us who make handmade soap can appreciate all the steps that go into turning out a market-ready product.  From planning a soap handmade with pure ingredients, then the cutting, stamping and curing to the final labeling -it's a minimum 6 week incubation.

Fortunately, most of us who make homemade soap for a living find that each step of the process brings it's own sense of joy & satisfaction.  

Poor Mick, I guess he wasn't a soap maker! ;)

Home Made Soap with Fresh Yogurt Giveaway!

Home made soap just seems better to me with fresh yogurt!  I've really been into handmade milk soap lately, and I would like to present one of my recent creations:

This is a soap homemade with unrefined shea butter, avocado butter, Moroccan red clay and of course fresh yogurt.  I haven't figured out a name yet...perhaps it's time for a little bribe, plea for help, soap-naming contest?

To help you out, this handmade soap is scented with Sweet Orange essential oil, and my Tropical Smoothie fragrance: a combination of strawberries, pineapple & mango .

To enter, please comment with your name suggestion(s) below.  I'll choose my favorite suggestion this Saturday.  The winner will receive a free bar as a Thank You from me!

Thanks for participating, and Happy Soaping Everyone!

Handmade Soap: A Custom Order....

"English Garden" Handmade Soap for a local shop:

The Scent:  A blend of Essential Oils and Phthalate-Free Fragrance Oils which includes Lavender, Violet, Patchouli, Mint, Ginger Lily & Bamboo....a very clean, soapy scent that will linger softly on the skin.

The Flowers:  Hand-picked from my garden, and carefully dried -specifically flor adorning bars of handmade soap! 

The Formula:  Olive oil based, with a sumptuous amount of unrefined shea butter, mango butter and nourishing avocado butter....fit for the Queen of Sheba herself, but available to you, soap-lover, after August 15, 2012!

 www.heirloomnaturalsoap.com  

Pre-order now:  becky@heirloomnaturalsoap.com

"Summer Holiday" Natural Soap

Moisturizing natural soap capturing the essence of a tropical getaway with layers of warm coconut, fresh lime and sweet sugarcane. Finely ground oatmeal gently exfoliates to keep summer skin soft and smooth.  Vegan.  Reserve via email:  becky@heirloomsoapworks.com  Ready to use 7/6/12

Glamour Girl Soap Packaging -Take #1

Those of you who know me best know this may be "tweaked" in the future,  but the look is very close to what I had in mind.  What do you think?

I found these clear, glamourously glossy plastic soap boxes at Brambleberry -they're just what I was looking for!  They fit like a glove, which should help prevent smudging....we'll see. 

I was hoping to find labels that were perfectly clear, so I'm still on the hunt for those.  I want as much of the soap to show as possible....must keep looking.

 The overall look is quite the opposite of Heirloom Soapworks, but it is my alter ego after all! ;)

Happy Soaping Everyone!

The Soap Sister's Alter Ego is Here!

After many months of "percolating" on the idea & much encouragement from friends & family, I have launched my second line of homemade soap!

It's rather like the "alter ego" of Heirloom Soapworks....still mild, gentle handmade soap -but a bit more "girly" and "fun" -more scent variety & intensity, more colors, and fresh new designs.

I am very excited, and very inspired by the new world of scents and colors that will be available in the new brand.  I've described it to friends as the feeling of going from a box of 8 well-used & loved crayons to a new box of 96 colors that are sharp and ready to virtually jump out of the box into your hand!

Heirloom Soapworks will remain as-is, and I will still be creating new 100% natural varieties under the HSW brand -it is, of course, my "baby"!

My Hubby has expanded my curing area, so I don't have the potpourri of scents in our living area 24/7 (too much, even of a beautiful scent, can be too much -I'm sure you soap-makers out there know what I mean!)

So without further ado, here is a link to my new (and still evolving) website/blog: www.glamourgirlsoap.com

I will be adding a "blogroll", but I have to "remember" how to do that on wordpress....hopefully withing the few days.

Happy Soaping Everyone!

Clown Soap & Circus in Town & Essential Oil Blends -"Oh My!"

Clowns......(elllll....shiver...yech) -can't stand 'em.  Never could -even as a kid I thought they were C-R-E-E-P-Y. 

I know, I know, there are wonderful folks who dress up for charity, and more supportive of that I could not be.....but clowns still creep me out. To me, there is something disturbing about a painted-on-unreadable-face.  Call me crazy (a bit Kramer-ish?)

So, imagine how I felt when I cut this soap today

o.k. -not really sinister, but get a load of this one:

 

Yikes!  It's like having "Chuckie" curing on my rack! LOL!

Plus -freakier still, THE CIRCUS IS IN TOWN THIS WEEKEND AND WE'RE GOING!   AAAARGH!  LOL!

On a more serious note (but not much)  I bought some lovely-sounding "Essential Oil Blends" that were not "certified"....methinks mesmells a "fragrance" slipped into one of them. 

1.  It clogged my nose & gave me a headache almost immediately upon soaping with it (EOs have NEVER done that to me -EVER, but "fragrance oils" often have this effect -one of the reasons I don't use 'em)

2.  I couldn't get the scent out of the house!  I've had every exhaust fan running for HOURS -I've never had an EO linger like that!

3.  It started to really seize up my soap (my recipe NEVER does that with EOs)

I'll be chatting with the company that I bought them from tomorrow.  Their website says they allow "easy returns" -I'm hoping that's true.  I suppose that I will attempt to exchange them for the "certified pure" varieties.  I'm disappointed and hope that the other varieties I've received don't contain fragrance....because they do smell nice.  I can't stand headaches, though, and I suppose I'm fortunate that what brings them on  is so glaringly obvious.


Friends and Relations be advised:  I may be giving some "Nearly Natural" and "Freaky-Clown" Soaps as gifts this year! LOL!  If you happen to receive one? Well, try to act surprised, o.k.? :)

Natural Soap Spotlight: "Lavender Bouquet"

Good day, soap fans!  It's a gorgeous day in Southern Illinois... warm, sunny, slightly breezy.... in a word: FABULOUS!  Spring is in the air.

This week's "Spotlight Natural Soap" is Lavender Bouquet...a.k.a.  Lavender-Lavender.  

[caption id="attachment_1298" align="aligncenter" width="553" caption="Lavender Bouquet Natural Soap by Heirloom Soapworks"][/caption]

This natural soap has been a bestseller for me for the last seven years, and is one of my personal favorites, as well as my husband's.   Dying to know what's in it?  Well, here we go:

Olive Oil:  Olive oil is the main ingredient percentage-wise.  Nourishing and mild, said to have many healing properties.  Full of "unsaponifiables" -(these don't turn into soap during the saponification process, but rather remain in the bar of finished soap to nourish and moisturze your skin.)  Contributes creaminess to the final soap's lather.  Small, tight bubbles. 

Saponified Coconut Oil -Always in a smaller percentage than olive oil in my soaps, coconut oil is moisturizing in small amounts, but can be drying if too much is used in a recipe.  Coconut oil contributes to the finished soaps hardness.  The trick is to use enough to harden the bar and nourish skin -without getting too much.  Contributes to a "bubbly" lather.

Saponified Palm Oil - Palm oil contributes hardess and makes for a stable lather.  Cleans gently and effectively.

Unrefined Shea Butter -  The "queen" of butters (in my opinion).  Why?  Well it's non-comedogenic (won't clog pores)  yet it moisturizes very effectively.   Rich in vitamins A and E,  and is useful in treating wrinkles, skin rashes and itching.  Like olive oil, unrefined shea butter is rich in unsaponifiables that remain in the finished soap to nourish skin. 

Unrefined Mango Butter - Also high in healing unsaponifiables, mango butter is said to help with the dryness that is associated with  psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis & wrinkles.

Unrefined Cocoa Butter - Rich in antioxidants, cocoa butter also helps the skin retain moisture.  Helps to smooth rough, dry skin.

Lavender Essential Oil - Properties include: antidepressant, deodorant, antiviral, relaxing, calming, said to be good for psoriasis....plus it smells lovely!

Honey - A wonderful ingredient that acts as a natural humectant -holding moisture next to the skin.  Also acts as a natural preservative to keep soap fresh!

Alkanet Root Powder -Natural colorant.

Pink Clay - Great for sensitive and dehydrated skin, and gives a lovely pink to natural soaps.

Lavender Flower Buds - Just for pretty!

There you have it!  Nothing particularly fancy or unusual, but when combined, these ingredients make a mighty fine all-natural soap.   It's gentle, conditioning and mild enough for face and body, whith a creamy lather that leaves your skin soft and smooth.  Hmmm -maybe that's why folks love it so!

If you would like to try a bar of our Lavender Bouquet natural soap, just visit our online Soap Shoppe or one of these fine St. Louis-area retailers.

Happy Soaping everyone!

Natural Soap "Pyramid"

What have I been up to?   Stocking up!   Trying to get a good supply of my regular varieties of natural soap on the curing rack to stay ahead of demand.   Of course, I never seem to be able to limit myself to that....gotta get creative and make a few newbies now and then....

[caption id="attachment_1294" align="aligncenter" width="528" caption="Natural Soap Logs by Heirloom Soapworks"][/caption]

I made these last week.  Yesterday I added 4 additional batches....today I'm waiting for lye/water to cool, but planning a batch of Old Fashioned Lye Soap and a batch of Goats Milk-Honey Soap. 

Only 2 "Newbies" among 9 recent batches -pretty good for me:  Orange-Poppyseed  and an Orange-Rose blend that smells lovely, if I do say so myself!   I enjoy, as you all know, combining essential oils to add excitement to my natural handmade soaps....I did a soap with such a blend a couple of weeks ago that I'm very excited about  - I'll blog about it very soon (how's that for a teaser) ....so stay tuned!

There's a "Soap Star" in Texas...

...and her name is Michele! 

A while back I won three lovely bars of natural handmade soap in a contest by Michele at Tierra Verde Soaps.  Not only is Michele a real sweet & helpful 'gal, she's also a "star" in my book.  Not a Lone Star, though she's from Texas,nor a shooting star but a Soap Star.   (Although they do tend to "carry" , or "pack heat" in TX, you never know, 'Chele could be packin' -maybe she's like me and likes to pop a cap in a target once in a while...but I digress, and LOL!)  But take a look at what I got to try:



The first soap I tried was "Oatmeal, Milk & Honey", and I must say it is a wonderful soap.  Fragrance free, mild, and with a creamy -silky lather that passed my left-leg-right-leg  shave test with flying colors.  (And I compared it to the best I've got.)  This one would be a great "everyday" soap, meaning that you could use it every day and I don't think you would ever tire of it.

Next I tried the Oamilk & Almond.  Another lovely soap with finely ground almonds that gently exfoliates without being "too much", if you know what I mean.   It's a very conditioning soap, too;  and a hard, long-lasting bar.  Again, this is a soap that holds its own without any "foo-foo" -no fragrance or colorants to potentially irritate sensitive skin, just a mild & moisturizing bar that will surely develop a cult following if it hasn't done so already.

I'm still looking forward to trying her "Star Anise" bar.   It's so pretty and smells so nice on my counter that I hate to use it up!  But one of these days I'll give in to temptation and remove that pretty brown ribbon and lather up....

Oh, and if you haven't visited Michele's website, you really should check it out: http://tierraverdesoaps.com 

Happy Soapin' y'all, and Michele, I thank you again for your lovely prize! :D