Natural Handmade Soap

The Marula Tree Soap Co. makes natural handmade soap from glycerin bases with additives such as Goat's Milk, Shea Butter, Honey and Marula Oil. Marula Oil is a unique oil pressed from the kernels of the Marula Trees in southern Africa. To learn more about the benefits of Marula Oil click here. All my products are vegan friendly except those with Goat's Milk and Honey. Thanks!

You can purchase my soaps from my etsy store here!

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

All moved in

So the move went really well and we're all settled in. We couldn't be happier with our new place and how the backyard and beside us is all part of a green belt full of walking trails! We hear birds chirping from our kitchen and there's little wild bunnies everywhere. We couldn't have picked a better location and even with our track record of moving a lot, I think we're going to be here for awhile!

I spent an afternoon organizing all my soap supplies and managed to get most of it in one place. I still have a few scattered items, and a huge box full of molds, and another with all my shipping supplies. This is what made it into the cupboards:



I thought I'd share because I personally love seeing other peoples work spaces and how they organize them (especially soapers!). I got 4 new molds and 12 new fragrance oils coming next week to add to that stash. (I'm seriously addicted?) :)!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

New this week!

Apricot Cybilla


Bahama Berry & Melon Starfish


Fragrance Free Honey Soap with exfoliating Clay Beads


Freesia


And "Monkey Love" (kind of like candied bananas)


I'll have to put any other new projects on hold because we are moving in 2 days!! Woohoo!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

All Natural Mineral Make-up


This beautiful store belongs to noellabeautyworks. Her all natural mineral make-up is so gorgeous and I had the pleasure of trying out some samples recently. I love powdered eye shadow versus the compact kind at the drug store and I was so impressed by these. When I was in highschool I used to buy a lot of eye shadows from a certain popular make-up company (every colour under the sun) and they were definitely not cheap, but still lacked the "wow" factor one would expect when paying so much. At the time I didn't know any better so paying upwards of $16.00 for 1 pod seemed okay. Now I know better! Check out her store, and try them out! You won't be disappointed and Jackie is a pleasure to deal with.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

A few new Bath Bombs

Japanese Cherry Blossom


Spicy Orange Chili Pepper


And Hawaiian Splash


These bombs will become available in my store this coming week.

We are moving at the end of the month (just signed the paperwork today!) so it's going to be a really busy few weeks. I'm excited though because the place is bigger and brighter, and has more room for my soap supplies as they are currently exploding out of every drawer and cupboard. I'm really dreading packing it all but in the end it will be so much better. I might just have to have a huge sale during the last week of May to sell off any current stock I have... I'll keep you posted. :)


Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Terrariums


I'm seriously in love with these little terrariums! This shop belongs to seaandasters on etsy and they have done such a good job! What I love about these little globes is that they can be hung from the ceiling, preventing my cats from destroying them. We currently can't have ANY plants because the minute we turn our backs they won't have leaves.

But how can you stay mad?


Happy Wednesday!


Friday, May 6, 2011

A few reasons to just GO.

 (On a Round-The-World trip)



1. You are only going to get older.

Whether you’re 17 and sitting in class right now, or whether you’re already retired sitting at home sipping your morning coffee, or you’re at any age in between, one thing is for sure: you are only going to get older.  So now is the time.  No matter your age, as time goes on, it’s common you will want more comfort and less adventure in your life.  It’s a lot easier to endure 24 hour bus rides, stinky, grimy, loud hostels, and multi-day treks through the Andes when you’re young.  These are many of the things you may have to do when on an extended trip around the world, and the older you get, the less likely you are to enjoy these types of activities.  One thing is certain, though, the longer you wait, the harder it will be to pull the trigger.

2. You can be free from all your crap.

Don’t misunderstand me here.  I like stuff.  I grew up and live in America, a culture built upon collecting as much stuff as you can.  And while I do still enjoy having nice stuff, after having lived both ways, I can firmly say that happiness does not only come from how many possessions one has.  Happiness, at least for me, comes more from experiences, from living life, from seeing amazing sites and meeting new and interesting people.  You can have your 5 pairs of $100 jeans.  I’ll take my dirty backpack, ridiculous-looking zip-off pants, and Chang Beer tank top (which could be reason #12 why RTW travel is awesome-men get to wear sleeveless shirts).

3. You can be free to finally pursue what it is you truly love.

When you’re working 50-60 hours a week and have family, friends, and obligations, it’s difficult to pursue what it is that truly makes you happy.  Sure, there are some who are lucky enough to love their job and have that as their passion.  But the majority of us don’t do what we really want to do for our careers.  We do what it is we have to do to get by.  This is your chance to do something different.
Have you always dreamt about getting certified to teach yoga?  Have you always wanted to learn how to scuba dive?  Do you love photography but never had the time to really work on it?  Have you thought about volunteering with young children in need?  Do you want to learn how to cook a new cuisine?  Or maybe, like me, you’ve thought about what it would be like to pursue that one dream you had growing up – to be a writer?  Whatever your dream or passion is, a RTW trip will allow you the time and freedom to finally pursue those dreams.  The excuses for not following what it is you truly love are now gone, replaced by all the time and freedom in the world.  If I was ranking these reasons, this would probably be #1.  There is no price tag for getting a second chance to do what it is you love.  And extended travel releases you from your obligations and gives you that chance.
4. You get to do what you want, when you want, every single day.
Want to go sit and lounge on the beach all day for a week with your favorite pile of books?  Do it!  Want to go hike to the top of a mountain or volcano?  Go for it!  Want to eat yourself into a coma?  Nothing wrong with that!  Want to sleep all day and sit in the common area of your hostel watching movies?  Who’s going to tell you not to?  Want to go to the pub and drink yourself silly?  Hey, you don’t have to work tomorrow!
One of our favorite mantras of the trip was, “What, you gotta work tomorrow or something?  Didn’t think so.”  Whenever someone made an excuse for not wanting to do something, this was our response, both to each other and friends we met along the way.  Once you get out of college and start working, there aren’t many times in life when you can say, for an extended period of time, “No, I don’t have to work tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after, or for several more months, so you’re right.  I can do whatever the hell I want!”
5. Putting your career/relationship/purchases on hold is just temporary.
For those of us who grew up in cultures where you go to school, graduate, start a career, get married, buy a house, and have kids, straying from that path can be daunting.  Believe me, I know.  We were on that exact path before deciding to go on our RTW.  But what if you don’t really want that path?  What if you constantly think of doing something different?  What if you just want to quit it all and go explore for a while?
You can do that.  I assure you.  While you may be met with negative words from some people, most of the time it’s because they wish they had the guts to do the same.  All that stuff you’d be leaving behind?  It will still be there when you return.  You may not be able to get the same job, be on the same career path, have the same boyfriend or girlfriend, or buy that same house.  But after a trip like this, chances are you won’t want all those same things.
6. It WILL change your view on life.
It was probably a combination of everything, but suddenly, I wanted more out of life.  Whatever I was going to do when we returned, I wanted to love it.  I was no longer satisfied with a job that I enjoyed, a life I really liked.  I wasn’t unhappy before we left.  Quite the contrary, I was very happy with my life.  But after the trip, I wanted more.  Call me greedy, but I wanted to not only enjoy my job, but feel passionate about it.  I wanted to not only be happy with my daily life, but love where I lived and what I did.  The trip really hit home for me and made me re-evaluate what I wanted out of life.  As corny as it sounds, our RTW trip made me realize just how short this life is, and it gave me the confidence and motivation to seek out the life I truly want.
Credit to this article goes to BootsnAll Travel Network.(Where you can book RTW trips!)

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Finally something new!


Energy! This scent is amazing. I've named this the WAKE UP bar because it is seriously neon.


Lemongrass Bath Bomb


Sweet Pea!


And Vanilla Lime Sea Salt Bar. Not going to lie, this one was inspired from smelling a Yankee candle.

Night!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Packaging





I was having a hard time deciding how I was going to package my soaps for wholesale. This large order pushed me to make a decision quick and I'm really happy with how they turned out! Nothing too fancy, just jute twine, a kraft paper tag, and a label on the back of the soap with the name and logo. The giftsets get a bit fancier ribbon but otherwise they are the same.
I hope everyone had a good weekend! - Mine just flew by, can't believe it's Monday already, and May!