Buzzin' Around

We got some super cute little erasers to use as soap embedments this week- here's our first project with them:

I think the bees look great, but we might jazz the soap itself up a bit- making the background layers either a grassy green or sky blue. They're scented with sweet and flowery Grapefruit Lily- good for a bee!

Texas Rainstorms

My husband & I were sitting out on the deck this evening, when we heard a funny noise coming from the neighbor's yard. It sounded like a rainstorm, but it was perfectly dry on our side of the fence.

For about 30 seconds, it continued that way, until finally the rain crossed the fence and reached our yard! That's a Texas rainstorm for you!

And as a bonus to the much needed rain, we got a rainbow, too (over the whole neighborhood this time, unlike the rain...)

Travel Tuesday- White Sands, New Mexico

White Sands National Monument is located in South Central New Mexico.



While you've probably heard of the adjacent Missile Range, White Sands is also a National Park, and is quite beautiful. It covers 275 square miles and is the world's largest gypsum dune field.

It's pretty easy to spend the day playing here- taking a walk along the dunes, digging your toes in, and a lot of the dunes are big enough for sledding! My favorite time to visit is during a full moon, and of course the stars are spectacular out there as well.

It's definitely out of the way, but well worth it!

Gardener's Soap

Fall will be here soon! Okay, maybe that's wishful thinking here in Texas, where the thermometer continues to dance around 100 degrees every day. But elsewhere, a change in season is just around the corner. Time to spend a little time in the garden, right? Planting fall vegetables or chrysanthemums, preparing flower beds for colder weather- it's time to get your hands dirty!

And when it's time to clean up, we've got just the thing- our new Gardener's Soap!


We took our shea butter soap and added lots of pure cane sugar and finely ground apricot seeds, making it very scrubby... think Lava Soap, but prettier! (And it smells MUCH better, too!) The scent we've used is a fresh combination of cranberries, fig, orange essential oil, and just a bit of a woodsy scent.

We've also added extra sweet almond oil, which super-moisturizes your hands without leaving them oily.

This soap is perfect for any hardworking hands- or any hands (or feet, for that matter) who just needs a good scrubbing!

Available here on Etsy!

Soapy Inspirations- The Last Days of Summer

So summer's winding down, families are getting back into the swing of their busy schedules, and we've got one more offering inspired by summertime.

I've had sunflowers on my mind ever since our visit to the Wildseed Farms...

so we've created a batch of Sunflower Soaps!

The fragrance is a custom blend of fresh cut grass, white amber, and citrus scents, giving these soaps an earthy, green scent.

Available now at our Etsy shop!

Bean Street Goes Global! ;)

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine took a trip to Ireland. She planned to stay with a lovely family while she was there, and she wanted to take some local Texas gifts with her to give to her gracious hosts.

The Texas Hill Country is famous for our peaches, so we made some Texas cowboy boot soaps for her in a fresh Ginger Peach scent. I thought this would be perfect, since everybody else in the world apparently think we Texans just ride around on our horses all day in our cowboy boots and ten gallon hats! My friend said they were a big hit in Ireland...

So now that Bean Street soaps have been enjoyed across the pond, I can say we're global, right?

Travel Tuesday- Rockport, Texas

There's a nice little town tucked away on the Texas Gulf Coast- Rockport-Fulton!


The Lighthouse Inn in Rockport is one of our favorite weekend getaways. It's a Victorian style inn, and each room is actually a suite with a kitchenette and sitting room. This sunset was our view from our balcony-

Our favorite time of year to go is in the fall- not very crowded, but still usually warm enough for strolls along the beach!

Whipped Olive Oil Cream Soap

We've got a new product at Bean Street- Olive Oil Whipped Cream Soaps!

These are super-loaded with olive oil, making them extra moisturizing, then whipped until they're light and airy.

You can find them now on our Etsy site in yummy Pearberry (the green ones), sweet Grapefruit Lily (the lavender purple ones), and soon, fresh and fruity Apricot Freesia (the light pink ones).

Whole Lotta Kitchen Soap

Just finished this wholesale order of our Fresh Lemon Kitchen Soap!

Made with lemon and orange essential oils, it cleans those hardworking kitchen hands right up!

Now, back to the weekend test kitchen...

Mint Mojito!

I am really using all my self restraint *not* to use my latest product batch- Mint Mojito Shea Butter Soap!

I embedded a sparkly green swirl for the lime, and added "ice cubes" out of glycerin soap.

The mint and lime mix so well together, with a light, fresh scent.

I've got one little leftover scrap I've been using... it's about to run out! But you can get as many as you want at our Etsy shop- if I don't beat you to it...

Travel Tuesday- Bled, Slovenia

This evening, a friend of mine was regaling me with stories of his travels in Europe while he was studying there. He told me about a kind of hidden gem in Slovenia, a little town called Bled.

I think it has become kind of a tourist destination in recent days, but it also includes a 9th century church set on an island in the middle of a beautiful lake. At any rate, it definitely goes on my things to do and places to see list...

The World's Longest Yard Sale

Well, I missed it again this year... The World's Longest Yard Sale! All this weekend, along Highway 127, 654 miles from Ohio to Alabama, miles and miles of yard sale treasures- anything your heart desires... I'm so intrigued! I first heard about this bit of Americana on HGTV, and it immediately went on my list of things to do. For now, I'll have to just wait until HGTV's 2009 episode, and start planning for August 5-8, 2010, right?

Moroccan Mint Sugar Cube Scrubs

More of our yummy sugar cube scrubs- exfoliate and moisturize with fresh mint and just a hint of lavender.

You can get your very own at our Etsy shop... scrub & enjoy!

We're Back (on Etsy), Baby!

After a brief break, we're back on Etsy! We've got some soaps there now, and will be adding more soon.

Check out our shop, and while you're at Etsy, look around a bit- you can find the most amazing handmade and vintage things on Etsy!

Travel Tuesday- Six Flags

Okay, I admit it. My husband & I are roller coaster junkies. On our "to do" list is a tour around the country, hitting the best coasters, coast to coast, so to speak...

This one is close by- Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. It's the Boomerang- not the biggest by any means at the park, but the kicker is the coaster runs the entire track, and then you run it again... backwards!

So while it will feel like summer for quite a while here in Texas, I know kids and parents are gearing up for back to school, and I thought today's Wish-I-Was-Here should be one more summer day at a theme park...

Soapy Inspiration- Wildseed Farms

One of our neighbors is a fantastic and one of a kind place- The Wildseed Farms.

The Wildseed Farms cultivate and harvest 200 acres of beautiful wildflowers, and there is always something beautiful to see!

We were there last weekend for the Chile Pepper & Salsa Festival, and I took that opportunity to be inspired by their beautiful fields of wildflowers. Then I came home and got to work!

These flower cameos are a shea butter soap with a Grapefruit Lily scent- a perfect reminder of our trip to the Farms!