Oops.

In the mad rush to restock the web site after our holiday rush and fill some wholesale orders, we goofed.  We have a small batch of Grace soap that is… shall we say… cosmetically challenged.  There’s nothing wrong with the soap aside from its appearance.  Air bubbles here and there, slightly underweight (4.2 oz as opposed to 4.5 oz), and just not up to snuff.  Customers who have already purchased these are surprised we’re not selling them at full price, but we have very high standards around here.

So, I thought this might make a great win-win situation.   You get to try incredible soap at an incredible price, and these poor bars of Grace get a loving home.

Grace normally sells for $9.00 (yes, it’s worth it).   I’m offering these “slightly imperfect” bars to you for $6.50.   Nearly 30% off!

Grace is one of Sarva’s Premium Series soaps and was the first to sell out at Christmas.  People were clamoring for this soap!   You’ll be the first to get it in the new year, and at a discount too!  Lavender, Geranium, Rosewood (sustainably harvested Rosewood leaf), topped with organic rosebuds… all in a decadent Castille base, the same as our all-time top-seller, Purity.

Based on my own experience, if you have a cold, snowy winter like we do here in Ohio… accompanied by dry, itchy skin… this is the soap for you.  Creamy and mild.  And it smells incredible — elegant, heady, sweetly floral.  When I use this soap, I feel loved and special.

Want some? Go to  the product page. Note that you can  choose to receive your Slightly Imperfect bars unboxed and unlabeled (choose “unboxed” in the dropdown menu) and save another 25 cents per bar.  If you choose that option, we’ll bag your soaps in biodegradable waxed bags, no label.

…oh, and always remember to relax and take your time, even under pressure… I sure will from now on!

Felicity soap, © 2009 Sarva Soaps

We know you can spend less on commercial or handcrafted soaps.  (The truth is, you can also spend more.)  We also know that, for many people, it’s just soap!

Here at Sarva, we offer you mindfully, carefully developed soaps which are the culmination of years of knowledge, experience, and research. We bring our passion for natural, holistic living to everything we do. Sarva soaps are formulated and made by an artisan soapmaker who is formally trained in clinical aromatherapy and herbalism, and you benefit directly from that knowledge and experience.

Most soaps, even those which are labeled natural, are not 100% natural; often they include synthetic pigments or fragrances.  These drive manufacturing cost down and, unfortunately, are not good for us or our environment. Sarva uses no synthetic ingredients whatsoever.  We source out the finest sustainable all-natural raw materials—the best pure vegetable oils, luxuriously rich butters, beautiful natural colorants, divinely scented essential oils—so that you can treat yourself and your skin to a completely, truly natural and beautiful soap.

Sarva does not use cheap fillers in our soap such as soybean oil, an ingredient which does not contribute anything meaningful to a soap and, in fact, sometimes causes skin reactivity. Instead, we invest in the highest quality vegetable oils which bring you a far superior product: Better lather, better rinsing, and an overall more luxurious feel on the skin.

Our essential oil blends are painstakingly custom-formulated – by us, by hand – over a month-long process by our soapmaker, using principles of aromatherapy and natural perfumery.

We have spent literally years perfecting our all-natural color palette.  Almost all soap companies, even those claiming their products are natural, offer you soaps made with mineral oxides, which are a lab-created, synthetic ingredient.  We use only natural ingredients, and that goes for our pigments too.

In short, we believe the cost of these high-caliber natural ingredients is well worth it to you and your skin.

And we give you more of this goodness with every bar! Compare the size of other artisanal soaps to Sarva’s generous 4.5- to 5-ounce bars.

The meticulous formulation and craftsmanship of our soaps has garnered Sarva much recognition and admiration.  We create amazingly beautiful “art soaps” for you to enjoy on every level. We are passionate about our craft, and we want to share this passion with you.

Feed your spirit and treat your skin well. Allow us to bring you a small but luxurious indulgence which, at pennies a day, is a wonderfully economical investment in your sense of well-being.

Please consider the impact on our environment, and potentially your own well-being, when you choose synthetic products. Your favorite affordable commercial soaps might not be true soaps… often they are petroleum-based synthetic, mass-manufactured, non-biodegradable detergent bars which cost far less to make, in both time and materials, than the handcrafted, luxurious, environmentally-friendly creations you find at Sarva!

Did you know that Sarva has a fan page on Facebook?

Sometimes your intrepid soapmaker gets a little too busy to create a proper blog post (blush!), so it’s great to be able to give quick, on-the-fly updates.  

Info about brand new soaps is posted regularly… and be on the lookout for special savings for Facebook members as well!  

I’m posting any events or fairs that Sarva is attending, which will be of particular interest to our local (Cleveland, Ohio) customers and friends. 

I’ve also set up discussion forums, where I’ll be happy to answer your questions about Sarva Soaps, and you can even submit product requests for us to consider.   I’ve started a few discussion topics already, such as what a truly natural product really is.   Just click the “discussion” tab to view all forum topics. 

So, if you want the freshest, fastest info about Sarva Soaps, and you’re a Facebook member, become a fan of Sarva Soaps on Facebook!

Warren, Vermont - October 2007. Taken by Michelle Gilbert. Click image for enlarged view.

Goodness, it’s been so long since I had time to post a blog entry! I have so many new things to share with you – some great small businesses to feature and some absolutely beautiful new holiday soaps – all of which will be forthcoming in the next week or so.

But for now, I simply want to wish all of my friends, family, wonderful customers, and visitors to this blog a blessed, happy Thanksgiving full of peace and abundance.   May you enjoy the time you spend with those who are dear to you.

I have a lot to be thankful for, and I know I’ll be spending much of my day feeling very appreciative of the new people and successes that have come into my life this year.   It’s been a time of intense change for me, a year that started out one way, presented me with some challenges and losses, and then ended up taking me in a new and happy direction.  If you’re reading this blog, you are a part of that new direction, so I am grateful for you too!

Check back in a few days for some great new posts just in time for the holiday shopping season.  I’ve got a lot of cool things lined up!

Be well!

- Michelle

P.S.  Since I was asked   The photo was indeed taken by me, your intrepid soapmaker and wannabe photographer.  I spent some time ambling around (and falling in love with) Vermont in 2007 during my yoga therapy training.   I love to take photos of nature, and I was immensely inspired by my time in Vermont.  This scenery and the fresh air were very much the inspiration for my Gratitude soap.

Did you know that you can subscribe to this blog, Soap Leaves, and receive it in your mailbox?  Yes! You can get your soapy fix and save yourself time and surfing effort in the process!

Just click here, follow a few simple directions, and you’re done!  As a Soap Leaves subscriber, you are eligible for special savings during your birthday month; just select your birth month on the signup form.  (Veteran Soap Leaves subscribers may want to update their subscriptions to include this new option!)

A “subscribe via email” button lives permanently in the navigation menu to your right.

Tell your friends!  Spread the word!

Screen grab of Sarva Soaps, new web site. Click image for enlarged view.

EDIT:  It’s Saturday.  I couldn’t wait!  (I’m terrible that way.)   Mind you, there are a few bugs.  I’m working on them.

Finally!

All you eager shoppers, tune in to www.sarvasoap.com on Sunday night (sorry, I don’t have a firm time) for a brand new, improved Sarva Natural Artisan Soaps!

Many new features! Among them…

• Product search – I’ve created customized search terms for every bar of soap I make and sell.  You can search by ingredient, scent, mood, whatever!
• Better checkout experience – an improved shopping cart system provides a simpler, cleaner shopping experience for you.
• Better photos – bright, large photos of every soap.
• More detailed product descriptions – a more personal feel to the site, conveying the honesty and meaning of what I put into each and every soap I make.

I will still have a few things to do on the site… the gift section is under development… but I want to offer you the new site as soon as I can because it’s simply so much better than the present site.

Sarva remains a one-woman business, and that goes for the web site too.  I did it all myself (which explains the blatant lack of posting here on the blog lately!)… and it will always be a work in progress.  I do things a little differently.  I don’t have a marketing department, a web design department, a shipping department, and so on.  I am not a bath and body company… I’m an artist, and my medium is soap.  I strive to make the best soaps I can, and I aim to give you a personal, comfortable, uplifting shopping experience online!

Oh, and for any geeks out there… yes, I hand coded the site. 

Hope you all enjoy it!  Can’t wait to share it with you.

Sarva Soaps appearing in HSMG ad, Body + Soul magazine.

My sincere and very excited thanks to the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild (HSMG)!

The HSMG, the world’s largest organization representing soapmakers, held a member-wide call for photos.  They plan to use the winning member’s photo in the Guild’s holiday 2008 advertising campaign, promoting the benefits of handcrafted soap (see photo above).  The ad campaign will premier with the December 2008 issue of Body + Soul Magazine, available on 11/24.  This advertising will also appear in Natural Home magazine and other national publications.

Well, guess what?  We won! A photo of Sarva Soaps was chosen, which is truly a great, great honor.

Sarva Soaps is proud to represent a Guild of so many talented soapmakers.  I’ve been inspired by some really amazing and creative people, and to think that I could be a source of inspiration too is pretty profound.  I’ll continue to give my all, offering the best soaps I possibly can.  I love what I do, and it is truly an honor to be recognized for my work.

Check out the “official” news here at the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild blog.