Winter Holiday Newsletter

I always post the most recent newsletter here on the blog when it goes out. It's just been mailed out to the mailing list, emailed out to the email list, and the website has been updated too. So just to complete the circle, I'm posting the Winter Holiday newsletter here also.

Just a note though - I usually post the letter with all the linkies. But it takes forever to get all those tags typed in, and now that the site server and email hosts have upgraded their templates, the coding doesn't talk to each other, and it doesn't cut and paste over here either. Each one of those linky-poo's has to edited by hand. It's a lot. A really really lot. And I'm already pressed this week. So I'm just posting one big link at the beginning, at the title, which takes you to the entire new web page of all the holiday products. From there, you can click on any single new product or wander around the rest of the site easily. I think that should work out ok?

Winter Holiday News

Brrrr, baby it’s cold outside. Puff of breath, mittens rubbed together, scarf scrunched a little tighter, it’s winter. A frigid nip in the air signals the next act in the play of ever-changing seasons. A curtain of quiet hush and cold stillness falls, darkness replaces light. One magical snowflake dances and twirls down from the grey sky, gently touching your nose, a teasing kiss from Jack Frost. Winter’s beauty is the contrast of stark silence outside, while inside the joyful celebrations toot and jingle, one after another, throughout the next couple of months. Cozy snuggles by the fire, long anticipated visits with family and friends, and nostalgic feasts are just some of the treasures of Winter.

The holidays are just around the corner, and with all the extra activity in your schedule, simplify your life by having Soapworks Studio help with the gift giving. This year make it easy on yourself and shop from home. Lounging in your jammies, we’re just a click away. We can ship the order to you, or directly to your family and friends with an enclosed holiday card - saving you time, money and hassle. We have a Santa’s Sack full of great ideas for special presents, stocking stuffers, teacher and co-worker gifts, or a special treat for a party hostess.

Holiday Seasonal Soaps

The upcoming holidays have sparked a bunch of new wintry wonderful soap scents for a little fun in the shower, or a special gift for someone (or everyone) on your list. ($4.00 each or 4 bars for $15.00)

First Snow - A soft blanket of freshly fallen snow, an icy breeze, and a wintry breath of peppermint, this soap is cool, fresh and tingly as a snowflake against your cheek.

Winter Forest – The most perfect, magical Christmas tree can only be hidden deep in the winter forest. This dark olive green bar is much more than simple pine needles – it is filled with the scents of lush forest, warm woods, rich earth and the clear night sky. A magnificent blend of fir, cedar, juniper and cypress, it’s the ultimate forest fragrance.

Turkish Coffee – There is nothing more irresistible than the fragrance of freshly ground coffee beans or a cup of perfectly brewed coffee steaming in a mug. Well, nothing except maybe a hint of delicious cinnamon and hazelnut added to your cuppa. Try a little exotic spice in your morning routine, and little coffee in your shower!

I’m also reprising a couple of favorites of year’s past, just to keep up with requests for special customers.

Flannel Jammies – The scent of clean, fresh, cotton warm from the dryer, and one of my favorite comforts of winter – snuggling up in a pair of cozy flannel pajamas. This soap is ivory white and silky smooth.

Hot Cocoa – Think steaming mugs of rich, dark, chocolate topped with fluffy mounds of whipped cream after a frosty afternoon of skiing, skating or hiking in the woods. Colored with cocoa powder, it’s a pure chocolate soap and a special treat for that choco-lover on your list.

Are any of those fabulous Autumn Seasonal soaps left you ask? Why, yes! Apple Jack, Pumpkin Spice, Moroccan Fig and Cinnabar Oatmeal are still available while supplies last in November.

Pacific Northwest Collection – It’s back!

This is a new take on an old favorite. Years ago when I first started the business, I had small boxes of four triangle shaped bars of soap in different “collections” or themes. The Pacific Northwest Collection was far and away the most popular version, and I’ve had endless requests to bring it back – so here ya go. The soap bars are a bit different this time around, handier little squares of 2.5 ounces or roughly half the weight and size of our regular bars. The four soaps are bundled in a Kraft cardboard box, appropriately scented in Rain, Forest, Mountain and Sea, with lovely soft colors of ivory, olive green, oatmeal brown, and pale blue. The Pacific Northwest Collection is the perfect little gift for anybody or everybody on your list. Who can resist the allure of teeny soap bars in captivating scents? Send a sample of the Pacific Northwest to your friends in faraway places or just away from home. (Box of 4 soaps - $10.00)

Winter Holiday Home Fragrance Sprays

Add a little festive spirit to your home with one of our winter holiday home fragrance sprays. Mist your house and holiday decorations just before guests arrive, or spritz your gift boxes, cards and stockings -- your family and friends will receive a whoosh of holiday scent when they open their presents! (4 oz bottle - $6.00)

Holiday Spice - this is our most requested seasonal spray, every year since the very beginning --oranges, cranberries, spices and greens all blended together for the perfect scent of magic and delight.

Winter Forest - the companion to the soap of the same name described above. Do you have one of those artificial trees? This spray can bring the forest indoors and give you that fresh tree ambience you’re looking for.

Festive Lip Balm

Just for the holiday season, I’ve added Hot Cocoa, Pumpkin Spice and Chocolate Mint flavored lip balms to the menu. It’s the same nourishing, natural lip balm base that I carry in a dozen lip—smack ing flavors, just a few new flavors for Christmas stockings and holiday memories. See the enclosed brochure or the web site for the full list of flavors – Coconut Lemon, Vanilla Tangerine, Cupcake, Root Beer, Raspberry Soda . . .mmm. (1/2 ounce tin, $2.00 each)

Gifts Galore

Attention Holiday Shoppers! It’s the gift-giving season, and fun bath stuff is a great idea for everyone on your list because it’s a pampering treat which feels luxurious, doesn’t add clutter and stays within your budget. I’ve got an elfin mountain of new gift sets and packaging ideas:

New Gift Boxes: New, unique, and downright adorable origami style boxes to gift wrap a single bar of soap, or two bars of soap, or exactly sized to hold a bar of soap plus one of our cotton scrubbie accessories - like the cotton washcloth, soap sack or scrubbie mitt. These are the perfect small gifts for those special office folks, the patient teacher, the friendly neighbor, the dear who watches the pets while you're away, the lovey who does your nails or hair, that gaggle of book club gals, you know who I mean – check everyone off your list at once!

New Gift Bags: Soapworks Studio is now carrying adorable cotton print tote bags to stuff full of goodies for any gift-giving occasion. 10x10 inches with a wide-gusset bottom and handy handles, these are made from recycled fabric scraps in the most charming patchwork designs, 100% cotton. Add some of the bath salts, sprays, soaps, and bath accessories for a gift guaranteed to please. When the pampering is finished, the bag can be used for shopping trips or light handbags.

Gift Certificates: You know they love Soapworks Studio products but you’re not quite sure which scents they like the most? Or you have a choosy someone on your list who likes to select their own signature scents? Or you’re just plain out of time in all the holiday rush? I’ve got the perfect idea! Give a gift certificate from Soapworks Studio so they can choose their own favorites from any of our products on the list. You may purchase a gift certificate in any denomination of your choosing. we’ll pretty it up and send it off in a lovely decorated envelope. The perfect gift for that particular friend , the choosy family member or any number of special someone’s on your list with a flair for pampering themselves.

My Own Holiday Shop

I’ll be repeating my little temporary storefront at Group Health in November. I will have my own retail shop for two weeks at the end of November. Group Health Central Campus on Capital Hill in Seattle has a tiny storefront that I am “renting” to have my own shop space. They loan it out to artists and a percentage of sales funds their TLC Guild. It’s designed to be a gift boutique, especially focused on winter holiday gifts. It’s located at 108 – 15th Ave E, kitty-corner from the Safeway on John St. November 25 thru December 4. I’ll be closed on Thanksgiving, but open on the weekend. Hours are 9:30am to 4:30pm each day. It’s a great way to see my entire product line in one place, pick up all your gifts and save on shpping!

Internet & Mail Ordering
Holiday shopping online or by mail saves you time, expense, and the headache of traffic jams and crowded malls. We ship within two business days, and can send your items directly to family and friends - with gift enclosure cards too! Send in the enclosed order form, call during business hours, or for late night brainstorms, order from our web site SoapworksStudio.com. Spend more time celebrating and less time fretting. One final note, my office will be closed from Saturday, December 20 until the last holiday party is over on Wednesday, January 5.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday and magical moments with those you hold close.