Don't Miss Out! Only 1 Woodgrain Bar Left!

If you have been thinking about getting a woodgrain soap but haven't committed, you might want to jump on it because there is only 1 left! The soft taupe color, intriguing hand carved woodgrain design, and soothing almond scent make this an elegant gift for anyone on your list. This soap comes gift boxed with handmade printed insert and wrapped in mulberry paper with my signature letterpress tag. To see more pictures and read more about this design, go to the Soap Lab store.

I also only have 3 Kyoto Bars left and 4 Paisley Bars (at a great sample price), so go ahead and get yours in time for holiday parties. These make wonderful host/hostess gifts!

Thanks so much and have a delicious Thanksgiving!

The Soap Lab Shop Now Open With 2 New Styles!

Last night I sewed on the last of the dyed shell buttons onto my new Kyoto Bar Soap Boxes, and today I have launched an official Soap Lab shop, full of soaps! You will find the Peace and Quiet Soaps, the new Kyoto Bars (pictured), and a batch of Paisley Soap samples at an amazing price. I have had many requests to bring back the Writer's Blocks so I plan on making more in the next week or two.

Keep me in mind for holiday gifts. One nice thing about these soaps is that they are all unisex, and we all know how hard it is to get gifts for guys!

I hope you like the shop. Let me know what you think!

New Design is Coming but Don't Miss Out on the Woodgrain Bars!

I am working on packaging a new soap design that I will hopefully post about tomorrow. But in the meantime, I have a few woodgrain bars left (Peace and Quiet), so don't forget about Thanksgiving host/hostess gifts or any man on your list that's hard to shop for! It would make a great modest gift for a boss or co-worker, too.

Oh - due to an informal Twitter survey, music on blogs has been deemed "lame" so you will no longer need to be blasted with my song du jour anymore! I'm a little sad, but I totally understand, too. :)

New Peace and Quiet Soap Bar Now Available

I am so happy to show you the new Peace and Quiet Soap Bar. Its design was inspired by autumn walks through the redwoods of Santa Cruz. The misty air, cozy sweaters, and total silence made a big impression on me when I was in college. It was about as different from my San Diego upbringing as I could ever imagine.

These soaps have the beauty of wood but in sheer taupe and pure white. The deeply etched woodgrain design will last a very long time since it is within the soap. I hope you will enjoy the natural almond fragrance I chose.

Each bar comes in a mulberry paper wrapped box, with my signature letterpress tag. It's a perfect gift for a man or woman, or a special luxury for yourself.

I only made 9 of these soaps, and once they're gone I do not plan on making more. Each gift boxed soap is only $10.00. If you are in the US, you can buy online by clicking on the Buy Now button on the right hand side of this page. If you are outside of the US, please email me at debbie@soapylove.com for a custom invoice. Thank you!

Add a Little Peace and Quiet to your Daily Ritual

Here is a peek at my latest batch of soaps for The Soap Lab. They have deeply engraved wood grain details and a subtle, sheer smokey taupe color. The bar itself is mostly white, since I wanted a clean, minimal feel. The scent is Almond, which suits the unisex, earthy look of the soaps.

Next is the packaging. I'll post pics of that as soon as they're ready. Thanks!

The Soap Lab's Lights Are On!

After a much longer than intended break, I am switching the lights on in The Lab again! My notebook is loaded with sketches, my supplies are stocked with potential, and my molds are filling up. I have a new design that fans of The Maple Bar will really appreciate. But I won't give it away - check in this week to see peeks of the newest Soap Lab design. I hope you'll like it!

Busy busy busy!

Hello Soap Lab readers! Sorry I've been so absent lately. There is so much going on in Soapyland. For example, I've been having a lot of fun designing soaps as a guest blogger for The Soap Queen. On Monday, you will find the tutorial for these Fiery Energy Soap Bars. They're fun and easy to do!

I have so many designs I want to make for The Soap Lab, but first I want to get my new book called Soapylove's Bubbly Holidays published and ready to sell. This is a different book from the one I have been talking about before. I am self-publishing this one and am really excited about it! Bubbly Holidays will have 10 new tutorials, all with a winter/holiday theme. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, know that I will be back with more Soap Lab special soaps. Keep me in mind for holiday gifts!

Just a Little Eye Candy for the Weekend

Per my earlier post, I am currently cranking out massive amounts of soap for a new book I'm working on. It will be published next fall, but the photo shoot is later this month and I need all soap styles made in advance. Here's one that works for The Soap Lab and for Soapylove - which is really rare! I hope you like it!

If you're curious about other soaps that I have made, I have my entire portfolio available for your browsing enjoyment on Flickr. And if you feel like making my day, leave a comment or two! Thanks and have a great weekend!

Writer's Block Soaps Now Sold Out

I am excited to say that the Writer's Block Soap Sets are sold out! I won't be making more for quite a while because I'm working on a soap technique book which you can read more about here. I'll also begin my stint as the Featured Guest Designer on the Soap and the Finer Things blog. So I'll be making lots of soap but not more Writer's Blocks for a little while. But keep coming back to The Soap Lab blog for my thoughts on modern design and lots more!

Thank You!

Purchased Writer's Block Soaps are now arriving at their destinations and I was so pleased to get this feedback today:

Speaking as one of the new owners I love this soap! I really don't want to use it, but I keep stopping to smell it (I'm a dork like that). The coffee smell really smells like coffee but isn't so strong that you smell like you live in Dunkin Donuts. I've had it for less then 24 hours and already people are commenting on it.
-Ang from Ankyworks

Thank you so much! It's exciting to get such nice feedback on my first design. There's more to come!

P.S. If it's dorky to love fragrances, then I'm the queen of all dorks - and proud!

Writer's Block Soaps - SOLD OUT

Since I posted pictures of my new Writer's Block Soap, I have gotten a few requests to purchase them. Instead of getting bogged down in the process of getting my store completely set up and finishing all of the soaps in my collection first, I decided to just set up a way to purchase them as simply as possible. So here it goes...

My new Writer's Block Soap is handmade with a unique graphic design on the surface which is reminiscent of old typewriters and scrawled notes on napkins. The Black Coffee fragrance is realistic and subtle.

Each soap weighs 2.5 oz and comes with a handmade Black Acacia soap dish (shown in photos), which has drainage holes to keep the soap dry between uses. The Soap Lab letterpress tag and grograin ribbon complete the sophisticated packaging.

The Writer's Block Soap Set is $15.00, plus $3.50 for shipping (US only). If you have Paypal you can simply use the "Buy Now" button on the right side of the page, or feel free to email me (debbie@soapylove.com) if you prefer to use your own credit card or live outside of the US. I'm happy to ship internationally as well. Thank you!

Behind the Scenes - Soaps Are In Progress!

I have been working on several styles, preparing to finally open The Soap Lab. I seem to be agonizing over everything! I guess that's because I want every soap in the Lab to be very unique. Sometimes it's hard to execute what I have in my mind.

Today I made these new Cafe Chalkboard Soaps. They smell like hot black coffee and have white chalky text on top. For you tea lovers, I'm also doing a black tea version. I hope you like them! More coming soon!

Packaging Finally Done!

Phew! After a month of designing and ordering, I have finally gotten all of the parts together for my new packaging. Since the line is going to be more upscale I needed something suitable so I'm going with boxes which will have fitted, printed inserts that will hug the soaps snugly.

There will be an option to buy soap dishes as well. This photo shows the light Maple one. There's also a deep Black Acacia style that is really gorgeous. The custom letterpress tags are made by Joie Studios. (thanks Tina!)

Now on to the soaps! I have to make some molds so I'll probably list each design as they're done. I'll keep you posted!

Mini Modern - Pint Sized but Big on Style

Flickr is one of my favorite online places to poke around. There always seems to be some sort of new hobby (ie obsession) to discover. One day I came across Mini Modern's pics, which led me to the Mini Modern blog. I'm afraid the designer doesn't tell us much about himself, but he creates the coolest dollhouses I have ever seen. If only my Barbies could have lived in so much style!

This shot is of a loft space he put together. What's really neat about the blog entries is that you get to see all of his arrangements, whether they worked or not (in my opinion they all do, but he's a tough critic!). He also shares where he got his pieces and tips on where to find some good houses. The last thing I need is a new hobby or reason to buy stuff, so I'll just enjoy Mini Modern!

Add a little Todd Oldham style to your Google page!

Do you know about Todd Oldham? Chances are you do. He is an amazing designer who has designed everything from jeans to recliners, houses to dorm room decorations. He had his own show called Handmade Modern and is one of the judges on an interior design reality show.

What I love about him is that he seems like a really cool, laid back person who respects the fact that many of us don't have a huge budget for "designer" purchases and does things to make all of his creations accessible.

Like this little clock. You can add it to your iGoogle page and have a little Todd style for free!

One thing I notice about his style is that he often pulls inspiration from other eras. He just blogged about a new line of area rugs he designed, and explains his inspirations for each group. You can read all about them here.

And if you miss Handmade Modern like I do, you can see clips from some of the episodes here. Have fun!

What I Want Today...

Today I found, through the Oh Joy blog (which you should definitely check out!) about Lines & Shapes, a great series of design books. They're new - only 2 have been published. Each one is a collaboration of artists' interpretations of a theme. They have a very modern feel and the photos are beautiful. I even noticed a couple of soap designs in there (there are some great sneak peeks of pages on the site)!

At only $21 each, they're a bargain for how inspirational each one looks. I could imagine going back to this book, finding new details every time. Sigh!

Hello and Welcome to The Soap Lab!

Hello! Welcome to my new blog called The Soap Lab - a place where I can share my thoughts on design with a modern aesthetic. You may know me from Soapylove where I create soaps inspired by rainbows, candy, and kids, but I must be a little bipolar because I also love modern art, furniture design, fine art, and fashion.

Here I'll share my faves and also give you sneak peeks of my newest project called "The Soap Lab" - a mini collection of 4 soap designs inspired by a new theme each month.

Thanks for coming!