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!!

Still working on it

Inspired by the turquoise bar I did a while back, I've done a batch of soap "rocks" to test out how it works with cold process in the first pour rather than a rebatch style which is how I did the turquoise. Most rock or gem type soaps are made in melt & pour which is a different beast altogether and not my forte. So I'm trying it out with my method, and my first attempt was interesting and instructional if not quite what I was hoping for. Some things went right and others not so well, but I hope to do better with the next batch. Since they aren't up to the standard I am going for, I'm not planning to put them up in my Etsy shop.

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.

Soap is Big

in my world. :)

Sweet Lavender For Mother's Day

When I was a little girl, someone gifted me with a bar of Yardley's English Lavender soap. It was a special treasure that I kept in the box and savored before I finally brought it to the tub. Now I can make my own lavender soap anytime I want! Here's yesterday's new listing, a lavender bar that would make a sweet Mother's Day gift or a special treat for yourself.

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!

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.

How I Started Soaping

A recent forum topic asked how the members got their start soapmaking, so I thought I'd share here as well.

In 1996 I was a single mom living in the center of a small town. My way of relaxing was to research "lost arts", and learn them. This satisfied my creative needs as well as provided useful and pretty things that I couldn't afford to buy myself. One day I was browsing inside a local bookstore/boutique just to look at all the wonderful treasures for inspiration, and I came across Anne Bramson's book Soap. I was immediately fascinated with the idea of being able to make something so completely necessary and useful, and not being a fan of commercial bar soaps that stripped my sensitive skin, I was excited about making a soap I could actually use.

I walked over to the local grocery store. At that time, grocery chains still cut some of their own meat and the store had a tallow bin. I confused a couple of employees with my request for tallow, but eventually they got me to a butcher who knew what I meant and he reached into the freezer bin and pulled out a wrapped lump the size of a ten pound bag of sugar, and equally heavy. I lugged that thing home, and spent the next couple of days rendering it. Not the most pleasant task, to be sure, but the satisfaction of seeing the pot yield a clean, white disk of tallow was all the encouragement I needed to keep going.

Next chance I got, I set up my soap making assembly line and mixed the ingredients with my fingers crossed. I had no stick blender at the time, the book I had referred only to hand stirring, and the internet was not a common household name then; I was on my own. So I stirred, and stirred... eventually the mix came together into a creamy thick consistency and I added some cedar essential oil and a decoction of rosemary (It amazes me that even with my first batch, I jumped right in to scenting and adding botanicals!)then I poured it into a shoebox lined with plastic.

Little did I realize when I started this batch that I would end up with about 12lbs of soap!! But I still remember turning out that gorgeous, white block of soap... what a beauty it was, even with all its wrinkles and bumps... I was hooked.

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.

Hint of Spring

Here in California, the narcissus has bloomed, and plum blossoms are beginning to give the plum trees a pink misty look as they begin to unfurl. We always say that when the plum blossoms are in full swing, then it snows! In spite of the balmy days we are enjoying now, there will be a few more weeks of blustery coldness coming up in March. So in anticipation of spring, and to encourage us through the last of the gloomy winter days, here is the latest listing at my Etsy shop - Fresh Mint, a leafy green bar with spring written all over it. Not a pure mint scent but a blend of a sporty juniper fragrance with a touch of brisk mint, this bar cheerfully reminds us that winter always, well, leaves!

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.

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

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

New from Savonara: Olive Oil Soaps!!

In response to customer interest in natural olive oil soaps, we are introducing a new line. These Castile-style soaps are made with a blend of olive and rice bran oils and will also incorporate herbs, essential oils, clays and botanicals. We have been enjoying this unique recipe for over a year but recently decided to share it with our market customers due to the demand for a naturally colored & scented soap that fits the vegetarian lifestyle. But you don't have to be vegetarian to enjoy the natural aromas and dense foamy lather of this rich, creamy soap!

Here are the first three offerings in our new Olive Oil Soap line:




From front to back: Lemongrass Mint, Lavender Tea Tree and Orange Clove.



*Update*
Wow, response to the new line is great, and at the moment Lavender Tea Tree is sold out, with Orange Clove going fast... don't worry, we are making more! New scent blends are in the works as well, so check back now & then to see what new Olive Oil soaps are curing!

Announcing...

Savonara handmade soaps are now available at the Lotus Art Studio in Lotus, Ca. If you can't make it to the farmer's market in Garden Valley for our soap, please stop in and choose from the variety of bars that the Studio carries. At the moment you will find my regular line of soaps there, but in the near future you will be treated to an exclusive line of bars made only for the Studio with design & scent combinations you will not find anywhere else.

While you are there, check out what new owner Betty Norvell has done with the place - amazing! and well worth the stop. The Studio is becoming a valuable resource in our community, offering not only art and beautiful things to enhance your well-being, now there are yoga, bellydancing and drama classes going on!! The Lotus Art Studio is located on Highway 49 in Lotus, pull in at the pizza place and stay left down to the two story green building on your right.