Redbud Reveal...

So here's the inspired soap from yesterday's blooming redbuds...

It's hard to tell in the photos, but I also brushed the tops of the bars with a little purple mica- I was going for a dusting of "pollen" on top!

I used a combination of Mango, Peach and Neroli scents- which combined into a very sweet, blossomy fragrance.  What do you think?

Soapy Inspirations: Redbud Trees in Bloom

Sunday was such a beautiful day around here!  I did a bit of wandering around the neighborhood and took a few pictures of the redbud trees in full bloom.

I love the pinks and magentas in the blooms, complemented by the bright, spring green of the leaves which are  just starting to unfold.

I'm going to work on some inspired soaps today at the studio... stay tuned!

Oh, and today is Marketing Monday at Trendy Treehouse!

And this week is sponsored by the very crafty girls at Roots and Wings Co.

Awesome blog- I'm your newest follower!

Friday Follow!

I'm a little late to the Friday Follow party this week... but thanks for stopping by!

If you're new to Bean Street Market, check out some of my favorite posts in the Soapy Inspirations link.

Have a great day!

It's Spring! Now get your hands dirty...

Finished up a fresh batch of Gardener's Scrubby Soap- just in time for some spring planting!  Made with shea butter, pure cane sugar, and ground apricot seeds, it'll clean you right up...

Available at Bean Street Market and our Etsy shop!

Custom Pomegranate Gift Set

One of my favorite things to do is to create custom gift sets for customers.  We get a lot of emails from the guy needing a little help putting together something special for that loving, hardworking, never-does-anything-for-herself woman in his life.  We get to create the perfect collection of products and scents just for her, and he gets all the credit for being so thoughtful... win/win!

We made this gift box for just such a woman- a homeschooling mom who really deserved some pampering!  It included Bath Salts, Pomegranate Sugar Cube Scrub, and Pomegranate Swirl and Confetti Rose Shea Butter Soaps.

Mother's Day is just around the corner... so check out our gift sets, or contact us to create the perfect custom gift!  

Friday Follow and Tulip Inspiration

I admit it.  I am totally hooked on Friday Follow!

I've found so many amazing bloggers... and some new soapy inspirations!  Here, let me show you...

This is elizabeth ann photography- such a beautiful blog!  Most of her work is with children (adorable, sweet, so so so cute children!), but I haven't quite figured out how to make a soapy kid... :)

So instead, I took my inspiration from these delicate tulip photographs- aren't they stunning?

The photos are stunning, I mean.  Not the soaps.  The soaps are just cute.  :)  What do you think?

Stop by Elizabeth's blog as you blog hop today, and tell her I said hi!










And this week, we're also hopping with Trendy Treehouse! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

So, I'm not sure who Adrienne Cook is (if anybody knows, please leave a comment), but there's a quote attributed to her about St. Patrick's Day all over the internet:

St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time - a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic.

Quite lovely, don't you think?

And here's our Bean Street Green, just so we don't get pinched...

Gardener's Soap

Bonsai Sugar Cube Scrub

Mint Mojito Shea Butter Soap

Green enough for ya? :)

Calling all Etsy Fans...

How About Orange posted about this today- thanks for the heads up!

Etsy is a fabulous place- anything handmade you can imagine.  Here's a new search tool to find exactly what you're looking for- PicClick for Etsy!  Clear, resizable graphics, and many, many search results to peruse.  Way cool!

And while you're over there, don't forget to stop by our beanstreetmarket shop and say hi!

Spring Collection! Fruits and Flora

Our new Spring Collection of Soaps is here!  We're calling it Fruits and Flora- each scent is a fresh fruit with just a hint of a floral.

You've seen previews here on the blog of the Apricot Freesia and Passionfruit Rose...

...and introducing... Lemon Wildflower and Orange Lavender!

The Lemon Wildflower is inspired by our Texas Bluebonnets... which are just about to bloom around here (and I can't seem to stop talking about)!  They've got a fresh cut flower scent, mingled with a little zing of lemon.  And the Orange Lavender is the perfect balance of energetic orange and relaxing lavender.

Can't decide?  We're also offering a Spring Sampler- one of each new soap, tucked into a gift basket, at a great price!  Enjoy!

Spring Fling Soaps

These glycerine soaps are a little bit of a departure from my usual style- I was experimenting a bit with size and shape.

They turned out a little differently than I expected, but I still like them.  I was going for bright, bold colors, but these have more of a soft, ephemeral quality to them.  And they're BIG!  Each bar is about 7 ounces- our soaps are usually 5.

The scent is wonderful- think fresh cut grass, spring rain, fresh raspberries, and magnolias!

P.S. The Spring Fling Soaps are now available at Bean Street Market!

Friday Follow & Texas Thunderstorms

Can you believe it's time for Friday Follow again already?  Where did the week go?  Welcome to all our new followers- I hope you enjoy our soapy musings!




A couple of days ago, one of our famous Texas thunderstorms rolled through our neck of the woods...

I snapped these pictures just before these storm clouds brought a deluge of rain, which is perfect for us this time of year.  We're gearing up for our wildflower season- Bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrushes, Buttercups, and Indian Blankets are all on their way, and this will give them just the boost they need!  I can't wait to share some wildflower pictures with you, and who knows, maybe we'll find some soapy inspirations, too!

Oh, and don't forget- today is the last day to enter our Gift Basket Giveaway at The Southern Institute for Domestic Arts & Crafts- so hop on over there and sign up!

Yay Spring!

Look who showed up in our flower bed this week!

Daffodils are such happy flowers... they just make me smile!   Hmmm... another Soapy Inspiration perhaps?

Pretty cute, huh?  I'm so glad spring is on its way!

Review and Giveaway!

The Southern Institute of Domestic Arts and Crafts is doing a Bean Street Market Review and Giveaway today!

The prize?  Our Fresh Lemon Kitchen Gift Basket!  Head on over to the Southern Institute for the details and your chance to win!

Pink Grapefruit Soap

These soaps are just for fun... and they smell soooo good!

They get their name from the little "pink grapefruit" slices sitting pretty in the top layer... with a yummy, citrusy grapefruit scent.

It was yucky weather around here this weekend, so we stayed inside and made lots of soap!  I'll show you more later in the week...

Friday Follow & Apricot Goat's Milk Soaps

I had so much fun last week on Friday Follow...so many great blogs, so little time!  And a big welcome to our new followers!




Meanwhile, back at the Soap Studio, these cuties just came out of the mold- Apricot Goat's Milk Soap!

    

I *love* how these turned out!  And the scent is a soft, fresh apricot, with just a hint of freesia- perfect for spring!  

Available very soon at Bean Street Market!

National Pound Cake Day...!

So, today is National Pound Cake Day... who knew?  Apparently, Rita over at One 2 Try knew- she's got several links to some amazing sounding pound cake recipes- stop over there and check them out!

But before you go, feast your eyes on our Lemon Pound Cake Soap- it smells soooo good!

Soapy Inspirations- Blue Eyed Grass

Here in the Texas Hill Country, we are famous for our wildflowers.  We've had a lot of rain this winter, so we should have a beautiful wildflower spring!  Bluebonnets, Indian Blankets, Buttercups... I'll post pictures as soon as we start getting some blooms.  But one of my favorite wildflowers shows up around here a little later on in the year-  Blue Eyed Grass.

The blooms are very dainty, and a lovely shade.  Today I worked on a soapy version:

I am *so* ready for warmer weather and spring and summer color!

P.S.  The Blue Eyed Grass Soaps are now available at Bean Street Market!