New Shop Opened!

You probably thought this blogger had given up the ghost and gone awol... fear not! I now am on a schedule and you will see this blog updated every Monday - this is when I am in the shop (Luis, my husband, is here the rest of the time...)

So, as you can glean from today's title, we have opened a brick-and-mortar shop in Winnipeg! This came about serendipitously- Thrive Nutrition were looking for someone to sublet half their space as we came to the decision to look for a retail space. This is really a dream come true for yours truly, as it is for many soap makers out there.

We had great promotion from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Metro and the Lance:

 

Tons of people came through - I really hope they loved what they saw. We can't wait to hear what you thought of our products :)

Some shots from the opening:

Winner of our $50 Gift Certificate!

 More soon!

Mango Berry Artisan Soap

I was feeling like a new swirl so had a lot of fun creating this soap. It has cocoa butter in it for a change, not the usual shea butter. This soap smells just like a grapy gummy bear and I can guarantee it will leave your skin feeling fantastic!

Sakura Hana

I'm soap-obsessed! Our latest adventure is a short video on cutting Sakura Hana soap - the scent description will follow in another post once the pictures are ready.

My husband, Luis, is the man behind the scenes :)

Earth Day CupFake "Save the Ocean"

In honour of Earth Day on April 22, we have come up with a special CupFake, Save the Oceans. 20 wonderful eco-conscious A-list celebrities will each receive one of these, along with a Trilogy pack of BaBalm lip balms!

Earth Day CupFake

The scent of Save the Oceans is a mysterious blend of essential oils including Lavender, bourbon Geranium, Sage, Lemongrass, Rosemary and Lime. The blend was left to mingle for over a month and the result is a wonderful fresh beachy type scent!

Each celebrity will receive this beautiful natural soap inside a small burlap sack, embellished with wooden beads and topped off with a flowery bow. On the outside is a smaller lace bag with three Vegan BaBalm lip balms, to soothe and protect against harsh conditions.

ANNOUNCEMENT!
We now have the list of celebrities!

• Jeremy Piven
•  Tom Hanks 
• Bill Maher 
• Adrian Grenier
• Kate Bosworth
• P!nk 
• Leonardo DiCaprio 
• Dave Matthews
• Rosario Dawson 
• Woody Harrelson 
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus
• Daryl Hannah 
• Drew Barrymore
• Ellen DeGeneres 
• Orlando Bloom 
• Jake Gyllenhaal 
• Josh Hartnett 
• Sting 
• Barbra Streisand 
• Alicia Silverstone 
• Courteney Cox 
• Cameron Diaz 
• KT Tunstall 
• Mark Ruffalo 
• Edward Norton 

So excited!~

If you are interested in receiving an Earth Day CupFake set (I made extras!), contact me either via our site http://www.sogasoap.com or on Facebook!

Today I have the most exciting news! SoGa Soap & CupFakery has been chosen to gift a celebrity! She is having a baby boy due sometime in March 2012.

Having a baby changes a woman's body: by loosening up her joints in preparation and the extra weight carried can also leave your muscles so sore! We, with the help of The Artisan Group, chose to send our Sore Muscle Soak to ->

Hilary Duff!

I am just so excited! I hope she enjoys her personalized jar!

Made with shea butter, olive oil, hemp oil, sunflower oil, epsom salts, and calendula petals for their soothing properties. Lightly scented with Coconut and also including Lime essential oil, we're hoping Hilary sleeps like a baby after soaking in this!

Our Sore Muscle Soak is also available for purchase  from our website and soon on Etsy.

The Decadence of the Bath (hee hee I did capitalize it) is that it is not for cleansing - it is to relieve your body of stress by immersion into warm water containing healing oils and salts. Did you know adding salts to the bath lessens the moisture leeched out of your skin by osmosis, thereby not drying to your skin? 

Many of us   ♥♥LOVE♥♥ taking a hot, relaxing bath!

Of course, none of this would be possible if we were not members of The Artisan Group. 

Thank you, Ladies, for all your hard work and making this possible for me!

New CupFakeries and The Artisan Group

We are very lucky to have been selected to join The Artisan Group - and even more pleased when we were asked to provide a gift for their 2000 Facebook  fan giveaway ! Without further ado, here is a photo of the collection of goodies we at SoGa Soap & CupFakery have made especially for this auspicious occasion!

We have been uploading lots of videos to Youtube where you can watch us icing these little beauties!

The Luscious Lavender CupFakes are actually handmade cold-processed soap with both the base and the icing hand piped into the cutest little cupcake shape. Pure lavender essential oil was used to scent these CupFakes.

The Lemongrass and Sage Bubble Bath CupFakes are bath fizzies on the base, with iced marshmallow-like bubble bath at the top. Each bubble bath CupFake has a little wooden bee dancing around the aromatic top. The best part is that the bubble bath is hand formulated with the gentlest of foaming agents. There is no SLS or SLSa in this bubble bath. Dry, sensitive skin will absolutely LOVE the feel of the CupFake as it dissolves under running water.

Also included in the gift to that lucky 2000th winner is a hand knitted CupFake! So much whimsy, who wouldn't want to have these CupFakes in their bathroom!

These items are also available on our website, SoGa Soap & CupFakery, individually.

So don't delay! Hurry and participate in this free giveaway!

The Artisan Group is an exclusive juried community of talented artisans who collectively provides a lovely sampling of hand-crafted products to celebrities and members of the press at major award show luxury Gift Lounges leading up to The Academy Awards, The Golden Globes, and The Primetime Emmys. Most celebrities even pose with our artisan's products!

We exclusively represent a broad spectrum of artisans who specialize in handcrafted jewelry; spa and bath products; designer stationery and paper products; crocheted apparel; children’s tutus, apparel and toys; ceramics; purses and totes; hand-poured candles; book binding and journals; illustrations and paintings; hand-dyed scarves; fine art photography; hair accessories; pet apparel and toys; and woodworking products. Additionally, TAG offers expertise and guidance to its close-knit, small-business members in the areas of marketing, sales, social media, promotion, and public relations.

Things that make you happy!

Ok. I just realized that I have a "happy email box" which is my email that makes me smile every time I open it up - and a "not-so-happy" email box which contains all the business items.

I don't know why I kept my "not-so-happy" box as my default view for all these years. Now my "happy email box" is the first view on my desktop. I smile every morning now and it carries through all day long.

What is my blog without a CupFake, yes? :)

Do you have a "happy" thing too? Or do you often start the day looking at the "ugh -not so happy things"...? I'm telling you, a change in perspective, is a beautiful thing.