AND THE WINNERS ARE....

Forbidden Love by Pacific Paradise Soap

Thank goodness this magnificent alluring moisturizing soap is not as forbidden as the secret marriage ceremonies given by Saint Valentine during the tumultuous times of the Roman Empire. Back then there was a ban on marriage, and the kindly bishop Valentine realized the injustice of the decree. Even though he was impressive by his dignity and conviction, Valentine was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion on February 14, 270 AD. Thus 14th February became a day for all lovers and Valentine became its Patron Saint.

I’m glad it’s not forbidden how good this Valentine’s Gift Bag of Handcrafted Soap smells. A beautiful ivory organza bag is filled with a marriage of Plumeria and Ocean handcrafted luxurious heart soaps. The 4.1 ozs of soap include 3 Plumeria heart soaps enriched with Shea butter and Mango butter, 2 hearts beat as 1 Plumeria soap enriched with Shea butter and Mango butter and a Blue Pacific Ocean Waves heart soap enriched with Mango butter. Let the joy that life can contain unfold itself for you.

Cleopatra Kerckhof of Bead-It-To-It
has won a set of "Forbidden Love"

Cleopatra creates amazing jewelry.
All her pieces are handmade and one-of-a-kind!
Here are a couple of pieces from her shop

Congrats to both! Enjoy your goodies!

Happy Earth Day from Bambu Earth

In celebration of Earth Day we will showcase a few of our earth concious team mates over the next couple days! Enjoy!!

Bambu Earth is an Earth Conscious company that leads by example and promotes the use of natural, organic, handmade and energy efficient materials. The company name "Bambu Earth" was inspired by the bamboo plant, which is a wonderfully sustainable resource. It grows without the need for petroleum-fueled tractors and poisonous pesticides and fertilizers, thereby being incredibly "earth friendly"!

::About Bambu Earth::
My soaps are made from scratch using the cold-process method, and everything in my shop is handmade by me. My products exclusively contain natural, nourishing ingredients without synthetic fragrances or harmful dyes and colorants. I use only pure essential oils, herbs, botanicals, clays and other natural ingredients to formulate the unique scents and color combinations of each soap. All of my soap recipes palm oil free and eco-conscious!

::About Packaging::
Each bar comes beautifully packaged and ready for gift giving in handmade (by me) plantable paper labels that grow basil! Each bar comes with planting instructions. Outer label is made from recycled cereal boxes and contains the product information and ingredient listing. Each product that comes in a plastic container will be accompanied by a few ideas on how to recycle and reuse the packaging. (More ideas, photos and tutorials coming soon on http://www.bambuearth.com/.Some items (such as my seasonal Irish Locks O' Luxe Hair Rinse) come packaged in recycled glass containers.

::Promotional Materials::
All Bambu Earth business cards are printed on recycled cereal boxes with an energy efficient laser printer. All invoices are printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper.All thank-you notes are printed on 100% post consumer recycled paper handmade by a fellow artisan.

The SAFE team's Spring Challenge and GIVEAWAY!!!

Spring is here! The sun is shining! The birds have returned! And the SAFEteam has been inspired by all of the rebirth! Anhoki, our challenge leader, challenged the SAFEteam to not only create a spring inspired product, but also to write a poem about why we love spring!

So take a break, read some poetry and vote for your favorite!! Leave your pick in the comments below to be entered into a contest to win one of the winning product! What could be easier!?

Here are this month's entries!


The Hunt by Soap Scent-sations
Daffodils, crocus, and tulips,
New beauty all around.
Easter bonnets, cotton dresses,
Lace and ribbons do abound
Chocolate bunnies and colored eggs
Cast upon the moist Spring ground.

The hunt is on, but wait!
What’s this they've found?
A lamb so pure and white,
Never the likes seen on mortal ground.
Lived as man, once slain, now risen,
With promises of grace profound.

The yearly hunt is over now.
Baskets full and round,
Yet still within their hearts
Praises and hallelujahs resound.
Full of life and light and love,
Proclaiming blessings all around.


Green Spring Cleaning By Green Springs Body Works
Luscious Lavender-Lemon Complexion Bar
Spring is the time when we want to start anew.
What better way than a full body shampoo!

Luscious Lavender Lemon Complexion Bar is just the trick.
I hope it's your number one pick.


Gardener's Poem: The Week Before Easter by Urban Eden
Walking up Mountain Avenue
With my green plastic watering can,
I head towards the FRESH community garden,
Passing the abandoned pickle factory
And the stoop of a white, wind-chimed two-decker
Where two girls on cell phones
Unfurl their bare arms.

Salsa from the Super Fiesta Market
Mingles with sparrow song

And I think of the squirrel who, earlier this morning,
Raided my compost pile, burying her face
In an avocado with such bliss

That, reading the sign in front of the Madry Temple Church,
I can almost believe
No bunny loves you like Jesus.

Maybe today the pac choi will have sprouted?

Dandelions muscle their way through cracked sidewalks.
Forsythia swells yellow

And when, in my raised bed I find
Not pac choi, but pea seeds
Wrinkling their noses in the unexpectedly dry air,
I tuck them back under their blanket of soil,
Telling them, "Hush. Be patient. Wait
'Til you see what's coming."



Passion Flower Beauty by Starlet Glam
Pink, green and blue Pastel
A sign that Spring is here
Beauty is all around
And the birds happily sing

Flowers are in Bloom
And a Spring Soap has sprung
A burst of light and energy
And a passion flower fragrance
Will awaken your skin gently

So kiss the winter blues goodbye
Relax and revive the soul
As you nourish the body with silky lather
And a spring breeze melts away the stress
A spring blossom soap not to be forgotten


Spring Fling By Thistle Delight

A spring fling
is a funny wee thing
It's fun and exciting
And fresh and inviting

Like a beautiful spring time day
when everything is new and gay
spring fling is fun and flirty
a prefect bar for those that are dirty

Green, lemon, lilac, and pink
a fun bar to grace any sink
its fun and its vibrant
and oh is it fragrant
just like a nod is as good as a wink ;oD

Spring Fling is both Fruity and Floral
This combo should be so immoral
You will love it I know
and leave you all of aglow
This I promise to be factual


Spring Sensations by Lily Pond Soaps

Soft sensations,
whispering through the winds
of summer expectations
Hints of color to come,
lingering scents.....
blossoms they are from

Spring Sensations is a refreshing scent of citrus, floral with a touch of mint. Reminds me of spring air.....Hints of what is to come.


A Buzzing Bouquet by Yummy Suds

Why we love spring...
buds are bursting,
Hummingbirds are thirsting,
color is showing,
the garden is growing.
Bees are buzzing,
dandelions fuzzing,
butterflies floating,
fishermen boating.
An occasional sneeze--
some Allergra please!
Time to wear shorts,
watch kids build forts.
Hear a familiar sound,
as the ice cream truck rounds--
the corner of our block
to the truck they flock.
We sip lemonade,
watch the sun fade,
from the porch swing,
we hear them sing--
A cricket quartet,
the sun has set,
side by side we swing,
This is why we love spring.


Flower Song Soap by the Skin You're In

This glycerin soap is made with thoughts of beautiful spring colors of yellow, blue and green in a creamy background of white. The scent is Water Lilly & Jasmine and knew that I had to call this soap Flower Song.

Winter is at rest for now,
that Spring is next in line is true.
New blossoms, buds and Holy Cow,
what love awaits for me and you!

Lavender stalks are standing tall,
Forget-Me-Nots are strong and bold.
Life is awakening before our eyes,
the days are warm and nights are cold.

Enjoy the Spring with all that's new,
plant life and love where every you may.
All is new and fresh and clean,
the sky above is no longer gray!


The Pastels of Spring by Amelia’s Soap Co.

As winter recedes,
And warmth draws near,
The pastels of spring
Will quickly appear.
Pleasure in this rebirth
That will soon arrive,
As the garden’s flowers
Pop up and come alive.
The season’s happy feelings
Through these blossoms flow,
To spread the joy of Spring
To everyone we know!


Thank You, Mother Nature by Anhoki

The daffodils slowly peaking out
The bunnies all hopping about
Chirping and singing all around
Pollen quickly covering the ground

The days are getting longer
The nights are getting shorter
Kids are slowly getting happier
And Mom's quickly getting crazier

The grass is greener
The skies are bluer
Dandelions covering the ground
Happiness all around

The rains are here
We have our yard gear
The shrubs need pruning
The beds need weeding

This year the kids will see
Just how happy we will be
Handing over the duties with glee
In our hammock laughing hysterically.

Thank You, Mother Nature.


Secret Garden soap by Swan Mountain Soaps

My poem: Springtime in Alaska
(with apologies to Will Shakespeare)

When daisies peek, and violets sprout,
And tulips bloom with all their might,
And little birds do hop about
through grass-green meadows, sweet and bright,
It’s not Alaska that you’re at,
We’re all still locked in winterdom,
As people say, “What’s up with that?”
Is Springtime ever going to come?

Where is the green upon the tree?
Where is the warm upon my back?
When are we ever going to see
A parking lot, in snowless black?
For March is gone, and April’s here,
‘Tis time to wear the shirts of tee
And yet, it’s cold, and yes I fear
My coat will long remain on me.

Come hither, Spring! Come melt the ice!
And chase the hoar and frost away!
We’ll even say hay fever’s nice
If we can wear our clogs today.
Embrace the evil mosquito
If with him comes the barbecue!
Bring on the mud, we’ll love it so
If, Spring, it is a gift from you.

Spring doesn’t really hit Alaska until well into May. So while everyone else is joyfully planting seeds and mowing lawns, we are longingly sighing for the day when it hits 50 degrees so we can wear t-shirts and clogs and pull out the barbecues – even though we know that with Spring come the hoards of mosquitoes and enough mud to supply several monster truck rallies.

Thank goodness we have our springtime soaps!

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Voting will close on Thursday April 8th, so get your votes in!
Thanks for playing and good luck!!

Bonbons and Booze SAFEteam Challenge

There is actually a little sentimentality to this challenge. We are a team filled with CRAZY, nostalgic, sentimental, protective and understanding people. We are a diverse group of people who really care about one another. This got our challenger, Anhoki, thinking. Quite a few of us have had a pretty rough year. ALL of us have been supportive with hugs, prayers, juju, mojo, good vibes, thoughts, lit candles, fights with those who HOG the chocolate, and let's not forget the passing of the alcohol. SO....The THEME to this challenge is "Bonbons and Booze".

The RULES: Challengers WILL have to find a wine, champagne or alcoholic beverage scent and you will also need to find a chocolate or candy scent for this challenge. If your soap does not have both it WILL NOT count. Multiple colors would be nice and multiple scents is a must.

Your Job: Read through the entries. Leave a comment voting for your favorite one and you will be entered to win the "winning" bar of soap! Good luck EVERYONE!!!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brandied Chocolate Truffles by Soap Scent-sations

There are 4 things that are a must at the holidays in our house: homemade biscotti of all varieties, gingerbread men, Grandma’s cranberry salad, and chocolate! My mom makes dozens of varieties of chocolate treats; Peanut Butter Balls, dipped Pretzels, fudge, the list goes on! My addition to her chocolate plate is a creamy, brandy filled truffle. When this challenge was announced I knew immediately I had to recreate these decadent treats in a bar of soap! So here they are, complete with heavy cream, real unsweetened chocolate, and YES! a shot of brandy. Life is always better with Chocolate! Find the edible recipe on my blog: http://www.soapscentsations.blogspot.com/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Champagne by Sunset Soaps


What’s the best way to win over someone’s heart? With bonbons and booze of course! This is my very first Etsy Safe Team Soap Challenge entry. When I learned of the theme for this month, I knew I had to jump right in and join the party with my version of chocolate covered strawberries and champagne!

I love making hand dipped chocolate strawberries and sharing them with my sweetie along with a little bubbly. So I attempted to make a soap that could represent all of the same goodness! Made with palm oil, coconut oil, olive oil, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, and sweet almond oil and scented with strawberries and champagne fragrance oil this soap smells just like the popular Victoria’s Secret Garden body fragrance. It is the perfect blend of strawberry, champagne, flowers, and sandalwood. Very soft and romantic. But wait, don’t forget about the chocolate! A touch of real cocoa powder has been added and swirled on top, because in my opinion everything is better covered in chocolate!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bourbon de Vanille By Swan Mountain Soaps


There is a sign on my soap table that says, “Do Not Eat the Soap!” Still, every time I sniff my Bourbon de Vanille soap, I am tempted to take a bite! This soap blends the scents of Madagascar vanilla with smooth bourbon, one of the most creamy, decadent blends ever to tempt a soap addict. Warm and comforting and yet sensual and alluring, this scent will appeal to both men and women. Our Bourbon de Vanille soap smells so good, you'll want to taste it too ... but we don't recommend it. Since the number one ingredients in this luscious soap is cocoa butter, this soap is dessert … for your skin!





------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boozy Bonbons by Bunny Bubbles

The most recent SAFEteam challenge is entitled, "Bonbons & Booze". Take a look at these soaps, and you'll see how literally I took that!

At the end of the day, it's nice to give in to a little vice. Some of us love our chocolate, and some love our wine. But, if you want a totally sin-free treat, how about these "candies" for your bath?

These chocolate-scented soap "bonbons" each have a core of booze-scented soap. Each set contains nine soaps in total.

3 "Crème de menth" soap bonbons with a minty green center
3 "Grand Marnier" soap bonbons with a bubbly orange center
3 "Amaretto" soap bonbons with an almond-y light brown center

Each set is packed in a candy box. These realistic chocolate replica soaps are NOT recommended for households with young children or husbands who eat first and ask questions later.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grand Marnier and Chocolate Covered Strawberries by Gourmet Soaps

Grand Marnier is a french liqueor made from a blend of true cognacs and orange bitters. This versatile dessert wine can be added to lattes, cosmopolitans, margaritas or even added to dessert recipes to kick it up a few notches. I prefer drinking it neat with chocolate covered strawberries. It's simple, yet has the most decadent flavors to ever cross your lips. Who can resist a bite of a sun-ripened strawberry covered in warm chocolate, and then a sip of Grand Marnier to send the yummy to your tummy. It's a great way to pamper yourself, and an even better way to pamper that special someone in a sensuous way. Try it, and then thank me later :)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vino e Cioccolato in Toscana By Anhoki

Vino e Cioccolato reminds me of my youth living in Italy. Every Sunday, or so it seemed, we would have lunch with our friends and share laughs, great food, better wine and fantastic espresso. I remember playing in the vinyard behind our villa with my friends and trying ever so hard to NOT eat the beautiful grapes. Our villa overlooked acres of beautiful grapevines that shined in the afternoon sun. On Saturday mornings my mom, a few friends and I would go to the open market and shop for fresh bread, veggies and meat for that day's meal. The booths that had a bazillion bottles of wine for sale to the Americans who loved to sample the local vintage were amazing. Walk a little further and you walked right past the Alimentari that ALWAYS had the BEST chocolates. We would NEVER leave the market without chocolate. That would have been a major crime. Those, as they say, were the good ol' days.

Our soap is made with an olive, coconut, palm and canola blend with cocoa powder and titanium dioxide for color. Each bar is approximately 5.25 oz in weight.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chocolate Margaritas Soap by Sassy Soaps n' Such

Bon Bons and Booze what a wonderful combination. I live in Texas so of course the first thing that came to my mind was Tequila and since we were working with a “Mexican” Booze why not add the most comforting kind of chocolate I can think of. When my Mis hijas or my daughters, were little we would have hot chocolate infused with Mexican cinnamon every night before bedtime. I decided to combine the Tequila with the Mexican Hot Chocolate and you give you a Chocolate Margaritas Soap Bar.

I work with Melt and Pour Method of Soap so I used goat’s milk base and clear glycerin base to create our 5 oz three layered Chocolate Margaritas Soap. The bottom layer is made from Starbucks Moca Powder and goats milk soap base...with just a touch of fresh Mexican cinnamon. The middle layer is lime green glycerin soap and the top layer is clear glycerin soap that in infused with Sauza... that is real Tequila Blanco. Now, no Margaritas would be complete without salt and lime so the lime on the side has a hint of salt in the glycerin and of course lime essential oils. You can smell the Tequila and lime and Mexican hot chocolate base...YUMMO makes me wish I could drink this soap.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Would you like some Champagne and Chocolates by Pacific Paradise

Soap

This exquisite soap was blended to smell like champagne and chocolates & nourish your skin while you enjoy it! Each bar of Champagne Soap has 2 chocolate truffle soaps hidden inside. I twirled milk chocolate soap like 2 bonbons into each big bar of champagne soap. I placed thin curls of renewing face soap into the champagne soap to mimic bubbles going up a champagne glass. Just look at all the wonderful ingredients! How can you resist? Each bar contains soybean oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, rice bran oil, water, sodium hydroxide, organic pink grapefruit essential oil, a blend of fragrances, shea butter, borage seed oil, evening primrose oil, rose hip oil, silk protein, and carrot seed essential oil.

The goodness of chocolates & champagne will make your shower a pampering experience. Go ahead, indulge.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Cherry Cordial By Lily Pond Soaps

Decadent.

Exquisite.

Unforgettable.

The delicious scent of dark chocolate mingled with the sweet scent of ripe summer cherries.

A must have for chocolate lovers!!

Disclaimer....this soap is not for eating, only bathing and washing hands with. The scent is so Delicious, you may be tempted to see if it tastes as good!!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caramel Cream (Irish Cream that is...) by Angie's Suds n' Such

Okay, so it's not the prettiest...BUT the scent is amazing! The delicious aroma of melt in your mouth caramel combined with the sweet scent of Irish Cream. Yum!

This soap has been handmade using the cold process method of soapmaking. Each bar has cured for a minimum of 4 weeks.

IF I WERE A BAR OF SOAP

Think about it. CAN you describe yourself with soap colors, swirl, layers, scents??? This is your challenge should you choose to accept it. Well, our own dear Anhoki posed this question to the SAFE team. The only limitations you is your own imagination.

Check out the entries below to see who we are...or at least how we see ourselves ;~)

Oh, and the best part....leave a comment voting for your favorite and you will be entered to win the "winning" bar of soap! Good luck EVERYONE!!!!

--------------------------------------------------------

Swan Mountain Soaps entry Blue Chamomile

If I were a bar of soap, I think I would be Blue Chamomile. I’m a pretty mellow person (most of the time, anyway), and also I love chamomile! This bar is done in my favorite colors, which also seem to reflect my surroundings – at least in the summer. The beauty of nature is very important to me – I have to be around trees and water and birds - and even dirt, or I go a little nuts. I spend a lot of time in my garden in the summer, and in the winter we use the herbs we’ve grown and dried for teas, salves and such. So this is me … Blue Chamomile.

Zozca Soaps entry Phunky Chic

At the age of 17 I asked my mom to put a blonde streak down the back of my head and she said "Sure, no problem!" She thought it was a phase, something I would grow out of. Now, 27 years later I am known as the eccentric one of the family and it seems am now defined by my hair! My hair has been purple, blue, green, almost every color of the rainbow or cut or shaved in many different styles that were innovative for it's time period. I've had skate cuts and designs in the side of my head before they even existed. I've gone platinum blonde which ended up in a disaster of me melting my hair and having to shave it all off! It was absolutely hilarious and I laughed the whole way through. I mean, it's only hair and it grows back! Right? And, if it didn't? Well, then I guess I could always just get a dragon tattoo on the side of my head! I am my Phunky Chic soap via my hair. Black as my mane (main) color and currently showing my last two hair colors of blue and green. Although green is my current hair color which may be changing soon!

The blend of this soap is also very much like me! When you first sniff it, you think Anise? Basil? But, of course, just like my hair, don't judge a book by it's cover. The essential oils, like me, in this soap are complex. You may think you know what it is at first, but there are multiple layers. It's not Anise or Basil, but Tarragon that comes through at first! Now, don't put it off because you think it smells like licorice. You can't go by first impressions on this soap or me! To this, I've added the essential oils of Blood Orange, Frankincense, French Lavender, Amber, Palmarosa, and Vanilla Oleoresin. This is a blend that as you sniff and use it, you know you have something that you truly like and enjoy.

And, in a few years, if you see some 90 year old lady with lavender, rainbow colored hair in phunky clothes walking down the street singing or muttering to herself. Don't call her crazy! Walk by her. If she smells good, it's probably me!

Ten Digit Creations entry CAMOUFLAGE

While my wife insists that she would prefer me to be a Butt Naked (available in our shop) bar of soap, she'll have to settle for what she married...a warm, woodsy fella who enjoys the outdoors, hunting, and fishing. Because I'm an avid hunter, I would definitely have a camouflage appearance, and what better way to celebrate my woodsy side than with the awesome fragrance of Patchouli.Our recipe, a special blend of beneficial oils and butters that your skin will love.

Waconda Springs entry Mortica's Flowers

Mortica's Flowers represents the end of one phase of who I am and a new beginning in one soap.
The scent is carnations combined with cinnamon. The red is acknowledging a new beginning. The black swirl is respecting the past year of mourning two very important people in my life. The white with a hint of silver shimmer represents hope of the future.

As the name suggests, it's not a sad soap, but a soap to celebrate overcoming a dark period in our lives. A soap of hope and humor.

Which I inherited from my dad. The man who requested a floral arrangement centered around a pitch fork for his coffin.

So celebrate the goth in all of us with this creation that acknowledges the silver lining surrounding the dark cloud.

Lily Ponds entry Glass~

First of all this was very difficult to decide how to describe myself in soap! What a challenge! I decided to mix my love of gardening, glass work, personality and views on life all in one bar.......or try to!

Why Glass?? I am a glass artist. I live and breath for my glass. It is my second love, my passion. The world just disappears when I light up my torch. I love brilliant colors and how paired with other colors they play off of each other. I selected my favorite color scheme at the moment (It changes as often as my moods!)..... purple and green.

The polka dots represents my "bubbly personality" quote from friends and family.
The black and white swirls on the back represents how I would like to see things. It is or it is not. However much to my demise, there are some gray areas no matter how hard you strive to eliminate them.

As for my gardening, I love flowers, so I decided to go with one of my favorite scents. Soothing lavender, jasmine and vanilla.

Whew....and that is just the tip of the iceberg!

BunnyBubbles entry Bunny Bouquet

WHY THIS BAR OF SOAP IS JUST LIKE

1) It’s SILLY and GIRLY. Look at those pastel rainbow stripes. I don’t think most guys would even touch that soap!

2) Its scent is pretending to be COMPLEX, while actually quite SIMPLE! Each layer is a different floral scent, including rose, honeysuckle, gardenia, lily of the valley, and lilac. All different scents, but the same note!

3) It might be a BIT TOO MUCH for some people. (Yup, that’s me to a “T”.)

4) Even though it looks like a lightweight, it will still do its job, which is to get you CLEAN and make you SMILE. It even has added shea butter for a little moisturizing action.

5) It’s got a BUNNY on it!

The End.

Soap Scent-sations entry Complexity....

Who am I and how can I describe myself in a bar of soap?! Good grief, talk about a challenge. Outwardly, I am wife, mom, Christian, sister, daughter, soaper, and so on. Inwardly, a little more complex…loner, yet I don’t know a stranger; pleaser, yet likes to have my own way; lover of knowledge, but set in my ways; likes to be challenged, yet dislikes change; artsy but likes organization and clean lines; modern momma with some pretty classical/vintage ideals and a hankering for family history and antiques; perfectionist that has come to accept that I can’t do everything. And that is only scratching the surface.

My challenge soap has three layers of my favorite Cold Process recipe that includes a huge dollop of shea butter and my own personal blend of oils and fragrances: anise for spice and spunkiness, lavender as a favorite, sandalwood to soften, and lilac for memories. Each layer represents a piece of me (though I still don’t think the totality). The first layer is tinted black with activated charcoal. This layer is for the modern me…web surfer, Etsy soap seller self and for that part of me that likes organization and clean lines. The next layer is in lavender. It is lightly embossed with a lace pattern and is for the soft side of me…the girly part that likes to get dressed up in frills and snuggle up with my kiddos, for the nostalgic part of me. The final layer is swirled with color for the part that loves color and vibrancy in life and also representing how all of my roles somehow mesh and swirl together to make me.

I hope you enjoy this soap…it truly is a piece of me and thank you for the challenge. While it isn’t exactly how I perceived it originally, it’s ok…because I am NOT perfect and life is a constant lesson! Cheers!

Anhoki's entry Apollo

How does one describe herself in a bar of soap? Gaw..Thanks Anhoki. You couldn't have picked an easier one??? Let's see....me in a bar of soap... Apollo was not hard to create. In fact it was one of the easiest soaps I have ever made. It is a true reflection of myself.

The black is an accurate representation of the "boring" side of Anhoki.
The Anhoki who loves to read Emerson and ponder the world.
The Anhoki who loves quiet times with "Dr John".
The Anhoki who loves to sleep in on the weekends.
The Anhoki who loves to watch the rain and listen to the thunder.

The grafetti represents the other side of me.
The "complex" side.
The side that is not afraid to speak her mind.
The side with 13 tattoos and a few piercings.
The side that loves loud music.
The side that loves over the top roller coasters and living on the edge...if just for a little while.

If I had to describe myself in a bar of soap I would say this is about as close as it gets. The blend I used for this soap is pretty complex too. It's soft AND strong. Made up of Black Pepper, White Grapefruit, Lemon, Petitgrain, Patchouli, Sandalwood and Clove it screams Anhoki.

Hansen Soap Co.'s

entry Simple Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Soap

Simple pleasures in life is what I am all about. I don't need fancy things, or trips around the world to make me happy. I am content being with my family and friends enjoying every day as it comes. This soap is a true simple pleasure! It combines warm vanilla and sweet chocolate, what could be simpler or better?! Yummy, tempting and oh-so-good! Made with only my best standard soap ingredients as well as my 4 favorite skin loving ingredients such as Kokum Butter, Olive Oil, Rice Bran Oil, and Hempseed Oil. It is colored with natural cocoa powder and scented with premium vanilla and chocolate fragrance oils. Enjoy the simple things in life with my Simple Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Handmade Soap!

Gourmet Soaps entry....

When called to answer the challenge, "What kind of soap would you be," my response was immediate...."Uh, I already superfat my soaps." I accepted the challenge, and in retrospect, I could kick myself! How on earth do you translate the very essence of you into a bar of soap?!?! I already put so much of myself in my soap: the swirls, the colors, the funky names, the fragrances, the type of oils, the particular method of soapmaking that I prefer....so what else is there? Heck if I know. But as I puzzled over this puzzler, it suddenly came to me. What do I want this particular soap to say about me......uh, besides the superfat part. Ok, so here it is....the Essence of GourmetSoaps......anticipation.....ok, not really....Mango Mandarin! (background---"Yay!") I am sooo allergic to mango, but it's my favorite fruit in the whole world (mandarin oranges coming in close second). At first the allergy was confined to what I call "Mango Lips", but then the doctor told me (as my eyes were swelling shut), "Enough mango! Jeez. Even animals know when to quit!" Well, not I! So as I made this soap, my husband readied the epi shot. But there are NO actual mangoes in this soap.....haha! The red swirls are for my dizzying love of the almighty mango, as I proclaim to one and all.....I LOVE MANGO!!!!

The Skin You're In's entry...

If I were a bar of soap? I could only think of the things I love the most, besides my family of course, and that is chocolate and coffee. My "Mini Me" soap is made with Deer Tallow, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil and Castor Oil. Since I wanted a fluffy cream appearance I whipped everything up until it was nice and fluffy, used fragrance oils of chocolate, chocolate & amber and columbian coffee, along with dark cocoa powder for color in the different layers. The white layer is fragrance free. The top is drizzled with a fabulous black cocoa butter to give it the final touch. If you love chocolate, you love coffee and you love handmade soap, then you are just like ME!

Willow Bay Bath & Body's entry Whimsical

This whimsical soap represents two souls. A mother and a daughter, which is how we run our team.

We have a mother who cares for her three daughters and husband, represented by the colors for their favorites. Her favorite place, the beach, in the middle layer with the blue and yellow swirls reminding her of the water, as well as a place that her and her oldest enjoy going together. And the whimsy top that represents all the fun she has watching her girls grow up and the amazing laughs that they share.

And then we have the daughter. A girl who is finding her way in the world, but still able to see all the fun and delight life has. This beautifully fun bar shows off her favorite colors and techniques. And it also represents her time that she is able to share with her mom. The beach, her favorite place to go with her mom. To just walk the shore, walk in waves, sit and talk.

But as a team, bursting with life, this bar perfectly defines the fun and quirkiness of us. Representing favorite colors, techniques, and featuring a custom blended fragrance, this absolutely beautiful bar cheers us up whenever we glance in it's direction. With hints of grapefruit, madarin orange, light peppercorn, and a bit of lily of the valley rounds off this lovely fragrance.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This contest will end on the 17th of August and the winners will be announced on the 18th! Stay tuned!!

Check out Sassy Soaps and Such's blog for another chance to win a great bar of soap!