Spring (Newsletter) is Sprung

For those of you dear readers who may not be on the mailing list, or somehow didn't get this month's mailing, I'm posting the entire Spring 2007 newsletter which is being mailed out today. Bon Appetit!

Dear Friends,

After a particularly tough winter here in the Northwest, we’re all crossing our fingers in breathless anticipation that Spring is right around the corner. Spring is the return of light, the return of life, a quickening of activity after a long winter’s nap. Already the days are noticeably longer, with peekaboo afternoons of dazzling, crisp sunlight that seem almost warm. Birds are busily bustling about the barren branches. Are those tiny little buds a hallucination? Are those pokey little green things raising their heads above the dirt a trick of the imagination? If I squint just hard enough in the blanket of fog this morning I think I can barely see a change in the air. It must be Spring! Let’s ditch the mittens and practice our frolic among the posies!

New Soaps

I started my business making just the soap bars. Now, 10 years later, it’s still the soap that is number one. So I’m focusing 2007 on doing what I do best, and doing it even better, by adding three new soaps to the regular every day list with special ingredients and nutrients, such as extra moisturizing oils of shea butter and hemp oil, and luxurious strands of pure silk. Plus, as always, I’ve created two new soaps just for Spring, to celebrate the season of love and flowers. ($4.00 each or 4 bars for $15.00)

Almond Lemon Goat Milk – Goat milk, rich in proteins and calcium, is renowned for its moisturizing and replenishing abilities, and gentle nature - being the soap of choice for people with sensitive skin or skin conditions. This recipe uses pure, fresh, raw, organic goat milk, not powdered or tinned milk, for a truly luxurious feel. Scented with luscious lemon and warm almond, the test batch I introduced last fall was snapped up instantly, a big winner with everyone who tried it. (Spring seasonal)

Blossom – So sweet and romantic, it’s the fragrance of delicate pink rosebuds, clouds of baby’s breath, a few petals of lily and jasmine, and lots of fresh green sprigs. A lovely bouquet of floral in a petal pink bar, it’s a perfect compliment for the spring season. (Spring seasonal)

Rosemary Orange Hemp – Hemp seed oil is one of the world’s richest sources of essential fatty acids (Omega 3 and Omega 6) and Vitamin E in the plant kingdom, making it a top natural choice for healing dry or damaged skin, and reversing the effects of sun and aging. Hemp oil’s healing enzymes and vitamins absorb directly into the skin, replenishing and repairing. The fragrance of sweet, juicy orange and lightly herbal rosemary is fresh, lively and irresistable. (100% natural, new to the everyday list)

Bergamot Shea Butter – African healers have used shea butter for thousands of years as the ideal treatment for dry or aging skin. Its high content of non-saponifiable fatty acids gives it the ability to moisturize and retain elasticity in the skin while helping to protect against the damaging effects of the sun and repairing cellular degeneration. I’ve used a healthy dose of pure, unrefined, unbleached shea butter in its most natural state, and scented this soap with an elegant, beautiful blend of bergamot, geranium and rosewood – so pretty, so luxurious, so sophisticated. (100% natural, new to the everyday list)

Peppermint Eucalyptus – Straight from the spa, this is a cool, tingly, refreshing blend of peppermint and eucalyptus with the added nutrient of pure silk. Tussah Noil silk fibre is the raw fiber, just as it's unraveled from silk cocoons, adding a richness and silky feel to the bar, while the amino acids promote suppleness and elasticity to skin. (100% natural, new to the everyday list)

Spring Aromatic Sprays

Turn up the volume on your romance dial - we’re bringing back the world famous Lilac Garden aromatic spray for Spring. Our Lilac Garden scent is incredibly true, a lush and fragrant floral mist to brighten up the winter doldrums. In addition, we’re bringing back the Jasmine Lemon scent that was so popular a couple of years ago. Jasmine Lemon is the fragrance of sweet jasmine blossoms tossed with a sunny splash of lemonade. It’s bright and happy, soft and pretty. Both fragrances are lovely spritzers for everything imaginable - delightful as a body spray, a great deodorizer for linens, rooms, closets, cars, plus a fabulous pick-me-up anywhere, any time. ($6.00 each)

Lavender Lip Balm

Lavender lip balm has been requested quite a lot anything else lately, so I made a little batch for spring. Have you ever tasted those delicious little floral candies in the pretty French tins - violet pastilles? It tastes sort of like that – lavender with a touch of sweetener to soften it and bring out the flavor. This little Spring tin of lavender lip balm is a charming partner to the sachets, aromatic spray and soap, all made with the same splendid French lavender.

The website is updated and features a Spring clearance sale, so check in often. And, I’m planning ahead for a splendid year of craft shows, festivals, markets and fairs. It’s still early for scheduling, but the enclosed calendar has the confirmed dates so far, and check out the online calendar for more detailed information, new dates as they are confirmed, and up-to-the minute-changes or additions at SoapworksStudio.com. Happy, sunny Spring!