Black Friday through Cyber Monday Sale!

Shop Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen from 6am ET Black Friday (November 26, 2010) through 11pm ET on Cyber Monday (November 29, 2010) for 20% off everything in the shop! Prices will automatically be marked down during this time. No coupon code needed. Be sure to shop early for the best selection. I will not be renewing or relisting items during this time so the sale is limited only to items currently in stock. Offer not valid on previous purchases or custom listings. As always, I can ship up to eight bars of soap for a flat $5 fee within the US. Excess shipping charges are refunded when your orders ships. Shop now.

Read full post with comments »»

Deck the halls.

Handmade holiday products for making your table merry.

1. Hand Printed Linen Napkins - Set of 5, $22.50 from Hand Print by Sima
2. Floating Flakes - 2 Pint Glass Hand Engraved with Snowflakes, $31.85 from Daydreem Designs
3. Napkin Rings - Set of 6 made with Burlap and Sola Flowers, $29 from House of Peltier
4. Just A Dollop and A Little Spread - Dip and Spreader Set, $38 from Sycamore Hill
5. Christmas Wine Glass Charms - One of a Kind Set of 6, $48 from NoniBam
6. Christmas Azalea Napkin Rings - Set of 6, $20 from Endless Floral Home Decor
7. Cranberry Garland, $24 from MadeMary
8. Set of Luxury Linen Tablecloth and 6 Napkins, $109 from Evgene

Read full post with comments »»

Happily Handmade Pouch Giveaway

Enter to win this adorable, handmade Sparrow on a Girl Zipper Pouch from Bird Trouble filled with three of your favorite handmade, shea butter soaps from Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen! This fun pouch features a tattooed girl and measures approximately 8" x 5" with a purple zipper closure. It's perfect for pens and pencils, cosmetics, or even traveling accessories! The soaps? Well, those are your choice!

If you'd like to enter to this contest, you'll just need to visit Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen and choose the three soaps from from Rebecca's shop that you'd like to receive if you win.  Then leave a comment with your favorite item. This contest will end on December 15, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. Limit one entry per person per entry method. Open within the United States of America to those ages 18+. The winner will be chosen at random from among all eligible entries using random.org. Your information will not be shared or sold. One person will win the pouch featured along with the three bars of soap of his or her choice as indicated in the entry. This prize is valued at $35.

The first method of entry is required to enter this contest. If you'd like additional entries into this contest, you may complete each of the following tasks for one additional entry each.

1. Fan Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen on Facebook. Leave a comment with your Facebook name stating that you've become a fan.

2. Follow Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen on Twitter. Leave a comment with your twitter username.

3. Follow Soap Deli New Blog. Leave a comment stating that you're a follower.

4. Tweet this contest on Twitter. Include @soapdeli in your tweet so I know you've done so. Leave a comment stated that you've tweeted this contest.

5. Blog about this contest. Leave a comment with the link back to the blog post.

Also, don't forget to enter My Christmas Wish List Contest for your chance to win up to $100 in products from Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen. The contest runs through November 30, 2010. You can enter that contest here.

Read full post with comments »»

Holiday Gift Wrap Ideas.

Ten Creative ways to wrap your Christmas gifts for the holidays.

Read full post with comments »»

Unique DIY Christmas Gifts

Make your Christmas merry with a touch of handmade! Following are ten remarkable Christmas gifts that you can craft yourself!

1. The "Adults Only" Red Cordial from Scrap Petrina Just Scrap
2. Spiced Pecan Hostess Gift from Martha Stewart
3. Lip Balms from Martha Stewart
4. Geek Soap from Green Eyed Monster Blog
5. Embroidery Hoop Monogram from The Scrap Shoppe Blog
6. CD Visor from Instructables
7. Vintage Book Planter from Cottage Hill Blog
8. Storage Bin from Modge Podge Rocks Blog
9. Cinnamon Honey Butter and Toffee Popcorn from Life In Grace Blog
10. Cold Process Soap from ReadyMade - This is my own tutorial. Please vote for it in the ReadyMade 100 Contest.

For more handmade gift ideas and tutorials, please see my previous posts:
1.) Preparing for the upcoming holiday season: Christmas planner and handmade gift ideas.
2.) Crafting your way into Christmas.
3.) Make your holiday a success.
4.) Making gifts for the holidays.

Read full post with comments »»

A little love for dry winter skin.

"Wow, this stuff is good. The moment the dry Winter air shows up, my hands begin to crack and bleed, and it has already started this year. This creme is so luscious and thick, and yet it is smooth and doesn’t leave my skin feeling greasy. I can put it on during the day and at night before bed. I recommend buying this if and only if you want your skin to look great and feel like a baby! Thanks Soapdeli!" - outwardbound

Read full post with comments »»

A few fun finds for those Christmas stockings!

Stocking stuffers are sometimes a challenge to find. Something other than the usual candy and tiny toys. Here are a few handmade products that make for some fun finds on the big holiday!

1. Handmade Wooden Folk Art Magnets - Girls with Frills, $18 from MooShoo

2. Sweet Foxy Brooch, $15 from Beauty Spot

3. Dog Butt Floss Bundle, $25 from Fanimals

4. Orange Cassette Tape iPhone Case, $20 from Crank Cases

5. I Like to Draw Pencil Pack, $16 from The Small Object

6. Perfect Pear Organic Sugar Cookies - 3 Dozen, $13.50 from Cukor

7. Artisan Vanilla Chocolate Natural Perfume, $15 from Roxana Illuminated Perfume

8. Cranberry Apple Butter (Half Pint), $5 from Monadnock Mountain Muffins and More

Read full post with comments »»

My Favorite Cornbread Recipe

Regular cornbread is fine and dandy, but I like mine best moist and little sweet. Here's my recipe for a cake like cornbread that will have you and your family coming back for seconds!

Ingredients:

1 box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
3/4 can of creamed corn
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar

Instructions:

Mix together all of ingredients - you'll be omitting the milk it says you need on the back of the box - and bake in the oven according to the instructions on the box. Enjoy!

Read full post with comments »»

Making gifts for the holidays.

Here are a few handmade gift ideas for all of you DIY'ers out there. These would make great gifts not only for Christmas, but also year round.

Make your own homemade vanilla extract. This is a perfect gift for anyone who enjoys baking!

Craft a handful of soap rocks for a unique and fun stocking stuffer. You can also use this technique to make "coal."

Not only are these hand knit fingerless gloves beautiful, they're useful too! A pair of these are sure to be worn all season!

Know someone with a sweet tooth? These scrumptious, chocolate truffles are easy to make and delicious to receive!

This Recipe Booklet is so easy to make. Fill it with your favorite recipes and gift it to a pair of newlyweds!

This gorgeous notebook is perfect for anyone who likes to journal! It's easy to make and easy to use!

Have you run out of time to craft the perfect gift? Print out these holiday wine labels and attach them to a bottle of wine for a personalized touch! Find more printable gift tags and labels here.

For the gardener, create a miniature terrarium using moss or succulents. These little eco-systems are not only fun, but easy to care for. 

Once you've made your gifts, all that's left is the gift wrap! Martha Stewart has some great ideas for handmade gift wrap. Also be sure to check out these other DIY holiday gift posts:
1.) Preparing for the upcoming holiday season: Christmas planner and handmade gift ideas.
2.) Crafting your way into Christmas.
3.) Make your holiday a success.

Read full post with comments »»

Introducing the Grass Monkey Band Soap!

Grass Monkey has partnered with Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen to bring you an amazing shea butter soap - so now that you can smell like the band! After all, every amazing bluegrass band should have it's own soap.

 This incredible, handmade cold process shea butter soap was created for and is named after the local band, Grass Monkey of Roanoke, VA. It is a decorative green and cream colored bar that mimics the look of grass in nature. It is scented with a Twilight in the Woods fragrance that is perfect for both men and women alike. It's described as the night seeping into the Red Wood Forest, Misty Moss and Patchouli while gently gliding over the Sandal Trees as the White Musky Clouds dampen the Amber Glow of this eerie aura. It contains top notes of Mandarin Balm, Tangelo, Eucalyptus; middles notes of Jungle Moss, Patchouli Leaf, Sandal Tree; and base notes of Red Wood Forest, Amber Glow, Musk. It really is a truly amazing scent! These bars are a huge 5oz. or more. It is completely natural except for the fragrance. 

 The band Grass Monkey has been described by Amanda Bocchi of RoanokeRevolution.com as: "Bulgarian bluegrass, spoons, and shots of whiskey. How many drunk people can dance to jamtrashgrass at Blues BBQ? Um...apparently everyone. Grass Monkey obviously gets their roots from the bluegrass side of town, but they also kick it with the unexpected Beastie Boys influence too. It's this wicka-WHAt combo that turns you into their Grass Monkey junkie. It doesn't hurt that the lead guitar/singer has serious Jim Morrison sex appeal. And they're ALL really talented too. Bobby Moore triples on mandolin, fiddle and banjo. Kind of makes you want to tromp through a knee high dewy field down to the creek in the light of a full moon."

Currently you can buy this soap online from Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen or at any Grass Monkey show!

Read full post with comments »»

Reinventing the lost art of letter writing.

Email isn't always accessible and letters sent electronically generally aren't worth keeping. Make what you have to say to someone both memorable and worthy of a scrapbook. Send a paper letter. Here are a few worthwhile stationery sets perfect for writing down what will potentially become keepsake memorabilia.

1. Sleepy Bunny Writing Set - Recycled Kraft Envelopes, $9 from Scatterbox Originals
2. Bookish Owl Too Mini Letter Writing Set, $15 from Stephanie Fizer
3. Pennant Letter Writing Set, $12 from briones+co.
4. Message in a Bottle Kit, $11 from Paper Pastries
5. Woodlands Squirrel Digital Stationery Set, $2.50 from jingerup.shop
6. Red Riding Hood Fold Up Stationery, $8 from  Kate Dolamore Art

Read full post with comments »»

My Christmas Wish List Contest

Want to win your favorite handmade, bath and body products from Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen? I thought so! 

This contest is easy to enter. Simply add between three and five of your favorite items from Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen to your Christmas Wish List on Kaboodle, ThisNext and/or WishPot. Then post a comment here with a link to your wish list for a chance to win those products! The total value of this prize is up to $100. For each site you create a wish list on, leave a comment with a link to the list. Each list counts as one entry into the contest. Share your wish list on facebook and twitter for an additional entry each. Just post a link to your profiles in the comments, one comment for twitter and one comment for facebook. The winner will receive the items from Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen posted to his or her wish list. This contest ends on November 30, 2010 at 11:59pm ET. It is open to residents of the United States ages 18 and up. One winner will be chosen at random from among all eligible entries using random.org. Your information will not be shared or sold.

Read full post with comments »»

Make your holiday a success.

A handmade Christmas full of DIY projects that you can make and give! This post is a continuation of gifts you can make spun off of the original blog post 1.) Preparing for the upcoming holiday season: Christmas planner and handmade gift ideas. and it's consort 2.) Crafting your way into Christmas.

Create your own DIY clay gift tags for giving your holiday packages a unique and personalized touch. The gift tags can then be used by the recipients year after year as Christmas tree ornaments.

Make a cone advent calendar for your family to enjoy before the big day! Tuck a tiny treat into each cone for your children to discover.

Besides being fashionable, these textured string bracelets are a great way to use up leftover string from craft projects.

Is your friend a fan of sushi? Gift a handmade Chopsticks Wrap with a new pair of chopsticks!

Big, bold necklaces are all the rave. Craft your own Yo Yo Necklace from easy to sew yo yo's in any print and color!

80's fashion has reemerged, and with it, friendship bracelets! Craft a handful for your school aged children to show off after Christmas break!

These origami box ornaments would look perfect on a tree! Tuck a tiny gift inside then hang them on your Christmas tree until the big day!

These unique drawer hangers make recycling fun and serve as a year round functional accessory.

Give thanks to someone who has been a blessing in your life. Visit I Love It All Blog for an array of thankful project ideas and printable downloads.

Read full post with comments »»

A special limited edition Bayberry Shea Butter Soap.

Yesterday my niece, Maddie, and I made a batch of Bayberry scented glycerin soap with orange, hot toddy scented cold process soap balls inside. Maddie is in kindergarten.

Here Maddie is mixing the all natural, glycerin soap base as it melts. She also stirred in the bayberry fragrance.

Maddie is carefully adding the orange soap balls to the poured soap.

I help pull Maddie's hair back as she places the orange soap balls so her hair doesn't get in the soap.

The completed soap after I unmolded it and cut it into bars.

This limited edition handmade, Glycerin Bayberry Shea Butter Soap is the perfect scent for the Christmas holiday! The decorative yellow and orange soap is scented with a blend of bayberry, lavender, fir needle, clove and camphor melded into a balsam base. Bayberry is a unisex scent making it suitable for both men and women. It is strongly scented so you are left with a light fragrance on your skin afterward. This soap rinses cleanly away and is all natural except for the fragrance. Made from an all natural, glycerin shea butter soap base, this soap contains orange balls of cold process, shea butter Hot Toddy Soap. Each bar weighs 4.5oz. - 5.5oz. You can buy this soap now online at Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen.

Read full post with comments »»

Stocking Stuffer Ideas for the Holidays!

Stuff those stockings with handmade goodies this year and gift a smile! Here a few unique products that will fit neatly into a Christmas stocking.

1. Paper Mache - Chubby Little House 17, $32 from Fishstikks
2. Orange and Ginger Spice Goat Milk and Shea Butter Soap, $5 from Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen
3. Red Velvet Cake Goat Milk, Honey, and Shea Butter Lotion - 2oz., $4 from Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen
4. Small Clutch/Coin Purse, $15 from Gracefulcrafts
5. Wee Chunky Book in a Rustic Blue and Black Leather with Medieval Binding, $22 from Wee Bindery
6. Fabric Necklace - Handmade Beads, $35 from Laurence Collection
7. Mini 2011 Calendar Set - Petit Paris, $12 from little brown pen
8. Pinback Buttons/Badges - See the Rabbit (Set of 2), from SoleDeVita

Read full post with comments »»

Are you a fan of fine art?

There is a new movement for fine art called Fine Art Friday. "Fine Art Friday was created by Jessica Torrant to bring awareness to independent artists online. It began on Twitter and is now expanding to many other venues. Sarah John Afana is the co-manager of the Fine Art Friday movement and together we are putting together a number of ways people can show off and share their favorite art online once a week. It's a day of celebration, of sharing and promotion of Fine Artists online." Source: Finding Fine Art Blog

You can participate on Twitter, Flickr, and Tumblr. Be sure to check out the blog, Finding Fine Art, for additional information and to keep up to date on fine art favorites!

Read full post with comments »»

Decorating your tree for the holidays.

Skip the store bought ornaments this year and make your tree both special and unique with a selection of handmade Christmas ornaments! Here are some of my top picks.

1. Unique Winter Ornament - A Snowy Slope, $15.50 from pilli pilli

2. Small Topsy-Turvy Sit-Around Handmade Paper Ornament, $7 from Green Trike Press

3. Custom Design Embroidered Ornament, $25 from SeptemberHouse

4. 5 Owl Ornaments - Made to Order, $38 from EvelynX Gift Shop

5. Vintage Style Frosty Snowflake, $4.95 from Paper Treats

6. Dragonfly with Bubbles Porcelain Christmas Ornament, $14 from d. hergt design

7. Mini Snowflake Wooden Ornament Set (5), $12.95 from Timber Green Woods

8. Felt Embellished Circle Christmas Ornaments - Pick Your Four, $15 from ShesSoCrafty Goods

Read full post with comments »»

It's all about the love.

New drawings from my sketch book. All artwork is 5"x7" and drawn using Prismacolor NUPASTELS hard chalk pastels.

The band, Earnhardt, plays Blues BBQ where it's all about the love. Left to right: Jeremiah Rhodes (drums), Jesse Ray Carter (guitar), and Shaun Dickerson (bass.)

Fox in the woods.

Barn owl.

Read full post with comments »»

Pretty in Pink

Ever so lovely and soft, pink inspires fabulousness. Here are a few delightful, handmade finds from Etsy sellers.

pink and white glas... taragilchrist $22.00	Scilla Necklace - Y... ulaandenaldie $24.00	Faux Bois Song Bird... WickedlyGoodWa... $42.00	Strawberry Champagn... soapdeli $5.00
Chocolate cookie pi... KGSweets $15.00	Black White and Pin... RedHenStudios $10.00	Love - 8x8 print talis $30.00	White, Pink, and Go... Mirilovelove $22.00
Hand felted Dahlia ... JurgitaMi $30.00	Alice Eat Me Cake, ... Middleburg $33.00	Oil On Paper One Ki... cgallafineart $39.00	Pink and white shab... Octavi $45.00
Ceramic Flower Pend... iktomi $9.00	Queen Bee--signed (... PalePreoccupat... $25.00	Lily Flower Post Ea... BenAndOliver $7.25	Pink and White Hydr... dedeetsyshop $35.00

Read full post with comments »»