Sunday 11 July 2010

Product page updated


After cutting the latest batch of Grubby Gardener this morning, I have managed to get our products page updated with the Summer Soap photographs. These soaps were launched at the Rowhedge Regatta last Saturday.

Some people who saw us at the Regatta have stopped me in the street and asked for a product list so I made an A4 flyer, and have now completed an on-line version with photographs of each soap.



Friday 9 July 2010

A Real success at Rowhedge Regatta

3rd July arrived and everything was packed and ready for the stall. Fabian had lent us a beautiful yellow trestle table and late the previous night, Clare had located the only spare gazebo in the village still intact after the windy Saturday of the Strawberry Fair. So on the morning of the Regatta all we had to do was take it all across to the quay, set it up and sell soap... And so we did!

I liked to see which soaps interested different people, (and why) and the most popular - on that hot and sticky day - was the refreshing and cleansing tea-tree oil soap we call Grubby Gardener. It also has sweet orange and cedar wood essential oils, as well as rose madder root, which colours it a deep red/maroon. Perhaps it was because I told everyone that the first thing I do when I get home on a hot day is use it to wash my feet. (well, not until we've made some more, I won't be, as we nearly ran out of it on Saturday- only a few bars left until the next batch is ready)

Christian's Volcanic Lava Swirl came a close second- sweet orange oil again, but this time mixed with geranium oil- a lovely combination. Lots of things noted from people's comments and suggestions for the next range- clove, cinnamon and orange for winter will be a definite, I think.

Lavender was popular and we also gave out samples of Dave's Soap (with nothing in it) to several people who need to use very pure soap on their skin.

We offered hand washing opportunities on a small table in the gazebo- a chance to wash off the ice-cream and candy floss and try different types of soap. There were several children with extremely clean hands that afternoon, having made extensive use of this facility. Friends' children were however very useful for running errands - Charlie kindly ran home to re-fill our water container and Tilly left us a cuddly lamb, for company.

The gazebo provided a shelter for some of the visiting grandmas, too. Our stall was right on the front of the quay, offering unrivalled views of the duck race, blindfold canoeing and visiting barges and smacks. The ladies we accumulated over the course of the afternoon therefore had a shady place to sit, in our very comfy fold-up chairs and they didn't miss a thing (we might do them a nice cup of tea next time). Maz's mum, down from the North, for her very first Regatta: 'Well, I liked your stall, but I've really enjoyed just sitting here these last couple of hours' she said, as she made her way off to check if she'd won the lucky programme draw.

Look out for some of Christian's photos of Regatta day and the River Colne, coming soon...


Wednesday 7 July 2010

10 simple ways to use less oil | Greenpeace International

Saw this on Facebook this evening:

10 simple ways to use less oil | Greenpeace International

The simple ways to use less oil in relation to products are:
  • Prefer products packaged without plastic.
  • Buy beauty products (shampoo, soap, make-up) based on natural ingredients, not oil.
  • Prefer locally produced products (less transport involved).
These all apply to our soap- and, in addition, handmade cold process soap uses very little energy in the making- our natural vegetable oils are melted and heated for just a short while, to get them to the correct temperature before we add the lye-water and that's it. Everything else is done by hand. So a lot greener than mass-produced cleansing products. And no parabens or SLS.