Does it Lather?

That's a common question I get when people are checking out my booth. I think I need to set up a portable sink so I can give them the answer to their question with a demonstration, because look at this stuff!!

Mosaic Soap for Spring

My latest Mosaic soap, each tile placed by hand. These bars are a bit thicker than my usual bars, a very generous 6oz, and are the perfect fragrance for spring - a blend of bergamot & chamomile.

It's a Keeper

Today I have a helper to present the latest soap on the curing rack:

Sock Monkey presents to you his favorite soap -

This bar is scented in pure almond, yum!

Waiting is the hardest part

I've made four kinds of soap this weekend and if I could I'd list them all now!! But they must cure, so off they go to the curing shelves. I can, however, give you a sneak peek. For right now, here is my favorite of the four, a jasmine-scented pink soap with a bold black swirl.

It's a sunny soapy day

and the right way to start a sunny day is to get up, have your tea and unmold a couple of logs of soap... stare at them while sipping, pondering what might be inside. Go about your morning chores with a feeling like there's a surprise waiting for you - that's a good feeling. Put it off a little longer to make it last. Finally, go get your soap cutter. Take one last look at the long smooth sides of those gorgeous logs, and cut them up. Ahh. Now that's how to start a sunny soapy day.

Yes, Saponification can be Fun!

I know I just posted about lye, but I ran into this page and had to share it. Even kids will understand this super cute explanation of how lye and oils turn into soap, with a little extra info about how soapers must calculate their ingredient amounts properly and why it's important.

How Soap is Made.

New Item!

I've added one of my favorite products to my Etsy shop - a deodorant made with (of course!) unrefined shea butter. I've been using it for a couple of years now and absolutely love it. Before I started making my own, I tried switching from typical commercial brands to some of the "natural" deodorant brands on the market. I liked their convenience but found that they didn't work all that well. My formula works much better for me, and I like being able to customize the scent with my favorite essential oils for their antibacterial and fragrant properties. My favorite right now is my Orange & Tea Tree blend. I also offer an Unscented variety for those who prefer to go fragrance-free.

Tea Tree

I've one more Castile-style soap on the curing rack right now, and while the fragrance isn't exactly the kind you'd wear for perfume, I'm finding myself inhaling deeply when I walk by it. Tea tree is an essential oil with antiseptic and antifungal properties, with an herbal, medicinal smell, and it makes me feel squeaky clean just thinking about it. This bar would be appropriate for skin that isn't perfect, like most of us have. Studies have shown that a preparation of Tea Tree Oil can be as effective for acne as bezoyl peroxide. I've added French Green Clay as it is traditionally used for acne-prone or oily skin. These bars will be available for purchase at my Etsy shop the end of April.

Featured At...

It's always fun when other artisans take note of your work, and this week a fellow Etsian has featured my Soapstone Hand Soap at her blog. You can see the entry at Lucky Duck Designs. She's created a perfect gift pairing of the Soapstone with one of her cards, a clever duo to give to someone who could use a little appreciation.

Shea Butter Scrubs!

I decided to make another batch of shea butter scrubs to offer at my Etsy shop. Although they are not as long-lived as the cocoa butter recipe, I've been using one and it is so nice on my skin, I haven't had to apply any lotion after my shower. The shea sinks in so well and leaves my skin soft. I just couldn't keep them all to myself! This batch has lots of soothing oatmeal as well, so they are a creamy natural color instead of the bright swirls I've done on past scrub bars. I added Blackberry Sage fragrance, and it's the perfect sweet/tart/fresh scent, lingering lightly on my skin after I get dressed. Click on the photo to go get some - Enjoy!

The Soap Bar blogs about Savonara

Joanna of Product Body has published a lovely post about my soap at her blog, where she says some very nice things and shares a few photos of bars I did a while back. Thanks for the mention, Joanna, very kind of you. :)
I hope to cross paths with Joanna again soon as I will send a few soaps for review once they are cured.

New and Upcoming

Here is a look at a few things that I am in the process of adding or are curing now for addition to my Etsy shop. From the top left: Orange Patchouli Olive Oil Soap, Shea Butter Scrub Bars (non-soap), Scrubby Pumice Soap, (already listed) and China Rain Original Soap. More on the way soon!


visit Savonara's Etsy Store now

Selfish Tinkering!

Well, in honor of spring and the March theme for the Etsy SoapDish street team, "green", I was playing around with green for my latest batch of cocoa butter scrub bars... except that, after all the other ingredients were measured out I realized... no cocoa butter!! Ack. So, rather than order more and wait, I subbed in some shea butter, knowing they'd be softer than normal but with an ulterior motive, considering how much my skin adores shea butter.... the stuff I buy is unrefined, free trade shea - creamy, thick and super active with good things my skin responds to with joy and comfort. Selfishly, I determined if they are too soft to put in my Etsy shop, I'll just have to keep them all, muwaaahaahaa!! No, I'll keep a couple and hand out the rest to friends, lol. If you made it this far reading all my evil musing, here is a meager photographic reward. Don't drool on the screen. I promise I will order some cocoa butter and make some pretty, yummy smelling scrub bars for my shop, really.

Blackberry Sage scented Shea Butter Scrub Bars

Two new soaps for my Etsy shop

On the curing rack now, slated for listing at my Esty shop

Update: these two soaps are now available at my shop!

Lemongrass & Ground Apricot Seed

Unnamed Fresh Linen fragrance soap

Please enjoy this gallery of previous batches. Find my current offerings at http://savonara.etsy.com

Come on over...

To our new Etsy shop, where you can see what is currently in stock and purchase your choice of items.

Savonara's Etsy Shop

Spring is sprung

A spring update for everyone: Big news in the Savonara family, we are blessed to be awaiting the summer arrival of a new baby!

We will likely either cut back or cut out the farmer's market this summer due to the new arrival, but not to worry, we will keep soap in stock that you may order directly from us. As always we are flexible in arranging delivery when possible or mail order if needed. Give us a call!

MidWinter Update

Soon it will be time to get back in the soap kitchen and make up wonderful fragrant batches of creamy bars in my new oversized molds! The new molds will enable me to make more soap in fewer batches.

I would love to hear from you about what your favorite scents are - this year I will be keeping about six basic scents in each of my two soap recipes. You can have a say in which scents get to stay and which will be dropped for this year. Just leave a comment here telling me what fragrances you and your family enjoy the most, or if you are calling to place an order, you can let me know then.

Enjoy this winter sunshine while it lasts & we will see you when the People's Mountain Market opens in June!

Upcoming for the holidays...

lots of new soaps on the curing rack, will be ready for November's holiday sale at the ALT Gallery.




Red Clover Tea - a sweet pea fragrance ***Sold Out***


Apple Jack - spicy fruity scent Sold Out


Oatmeal Milk and Honey - warm and sweet, a favorite all year round ***Sold Out***


Rose Mint - sold


Dead Sea Mud - for the new Olive oil soap line, a bar that will pamper you silly with Dead Sea Mud and a soothing blend of essential oils including rosewood.


Lavender Tea Tree - classic combination of skin-friendly essential oils in a creamy Olive oil soap, with a touch of geranium oil to brighten the fragrance. ***Sold Out***


Orange Clove - this Olive oil soap shines in a citrus fragrance delicately touched by clove.


Lemongrass Mint - another addition to the Olive oil soap line, a popular and refreshing blend of essential oils. ***Sold Out***

Take a look...

A pair of colorful soaps just for fun.

Island Splash, a brightly colored layered soap that smells fruity and tropical. Sold Out





Next, a soap that is truly one of a kind - yep, there's just one bar. Like mosaic tiles, each piece in the design is placed by hand to create a unique pattern. This is just one of eight different Mosaic Soaps you will see at our booth in the next few weeks. Sold Out