Sandy - spartasoap.com

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T09:55:00.008-05:00

I want to wish all moms everywhere Happy Mother's Day.

It's so worth it, isn't it? :)
:(

quadorphenia

2008-05-08T21:08:00.002-05:00

quadrophenia was one of my favorites when I was very young

1

2

moo cards

2008-05-07T09:01:00.004-05:00

Moo cards are like business cards only smaller. Moo card dimensions are 28mm by 70mm, which is very roughly 1" x 2 3/4" just to give some idea.

Cards are purchased 100 at a time and you can use up to 100 different images. Info is on the back, so you get full use of the front of the card. They are fun and new enough so that people take notice when you share them. Moo cards may be purchased from MOO.com.

Here are my past and present cards:

another baby bunny picture

2008-05-06T14:58:00.001-05:00

Baby bunnies are so cute that I can hardly stand it.

ebay woes

2008-05-06T09:02:00.005-05:00

Lately, approximately 10% of my sales to new customers on ebay are not paid for. These sales are usually to new ebay accounts with less than 10 transactions. 'Buyers remorse', I suppose. I hope this trend doesn't continue for long or increase. It is time consuming to keep track of when to file for non-paying bidder so I can get my final value fees refunded.

Ironman

2008-05-06T07:10:00.003-05:00

Gary and I went to see Ironman last night. It was great! If you like the whole superhero / comicbook sort of thing, you'll like this.

baby bunny

2008-05-05T08:47:00.004-05:00

baby bunny
Originally uploaded by sandy - spartasoap

I love baby bunnies!

black tea leaf soap

2008-05-03T07:02:00.005-05:00

I posted this image on my flickr account and it immediately received quite a few views. Here it is complete with description.

Black Tea Leaf - Our Black Tea Leaf is scented with Clary Sage & Cardamom. It reminds us of a strong cup of black tea. This bar is loaded with black and orange pekoe tea leaves to give it quite a bit of scrub.

Ingredients: olive oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, water, sodium hydroxide, rice bran oil, essential oils of clary sage & cardamom, black & orange pekoe tea

-> Please note that our exfoliating soap has quite a bit of texture. If you have a more delicate skin, you may want to avoid this soap or limit it's use to feet and hands.

Black Tea Leaf can be purchased at spartasoap.com

Gingered Spice - New spice soap for summer

2008-05-01T05:45:00.004-05:00

We've reformulated our All Spice soap for summer. Gingered Spice has a more subtle scent and is lightly warm & spicy. The predominant scent is ginger.

Ingredients: Olive Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Coconut Oil, Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Rice Bran Oil, Essential Oils of Cinnamon Leaf, Benzoin, Clove bud, Ginger, Nutmeg, & Allspice, Allspice, Paprika Extract

Note: People with sensitive skin should avoid spice essential oils and spices in soap.

Gingered Spice can be purchased @ spartasoap.com.

Go Pens!

2008-04-30T08:41:00.001-05:00

The title says it all!

"Cimmeria"

2008-04-28T17:05:00.005-05:00

A very nice film:

Here are scans from The Savage Sword of Conan Vol 1 No. 24 November 1977
Featuring "Tower of the Elephant"

Poem by Robert E Howard
Art: Barry Smith & Tim Conrad

Cimmeria
by Robert E Howard

I remember
The dark woods, masking slopes of sombre hills;
The grey clouds' leaden everlasting arch;
The dusky streams that flowed without a sound,
And the lone winds that whispered down the passes.

Vista upon vista marching, hills on hills,
Slope beyond slope, each dark with sullen trees,
Our gaunt land lay. So when a man climbed up
A rugged peak and gazed, his shaded eye
Saw but the endless vista--hill on hill,
Slope beyond slope, each hooded like its brothers.

It was gloomy land that seemed to hold
All winds and clouds and dreams that shun the sun,
With bare boughs rattling in the lonesome winds,
And the dark woodlands brooding over all,
Not even lightened by the rare dim sun
Which made squat shadows out of men; they called it
Cimmeria, land of Darkness and deep Night.

It was so long ago and far away
I have forgotten the very name men called me.
The axe and flint-tipped spear are like a dream,
And hunts and wars are like shadows. I recall
Only the stillness of that sombre land;
The clouds that piled forever on the hills,
The dimness of the everlasting woods.
Cimmeria, land of Darkness and the Night.

a blog in a blog . . .

2008-04-25T21:37:00.002-05:00

things that make you wonder

2008-04-24T14:51:00.004-05:00

Hitler Action Figure Doll

I wonder if I should buy one for my nephew???? (j/k) But then again, I think 99% of all action figures copied after people are creepy.

edited because i keep making error after error

DNA

2008-04-24T14:45:00.003-05:00

I've been waiting for this to be necessary...

Senate votes to ban insurers from discriminating based on DNA

Hubble telescope captures images of colliding galaxies

2008-04-24T11:29:00.003-05:00

Fascinating x10:

Hubble & Spitzer Space Telescopes

Elephant's Memory - Old Man Willow (Midnight Cowboy 1969)

2008-04-24T08:25:00.005-05:00

I was about 10 when Midnight Cowboy came out. I've not seen it yet.

squalane - revisited

2008-04-19T15:17:00.004-05:00

Sparta Soap is now offering Squalane in 0.5 FL oz square hand frosted bottles:

Squalane can be purchased from the Sparta Soap website: spartasoap.com
Use the menu on the left of the page and click on Squalane.

More information:
Olive Squalane is a colorless, light oil derived from olive oil. It has a silky feel, sinks in fast and is not greasy. It is excellent under make-up or before bedtime. Like olive oil, it does not interfere with normal skin functions. Our Olive Squalane is packaged in our own hand frosted 1 fluid ounce dropper bottle and a hand frosted 0.5 ounce square bottle. A few drops is all most skin types need. We've tried various serum pumps, but they often stop working before the product is used up. Our squalane is unscented and odorless. Ingredients: Squalane

i love paper

2008-04-18T07:31:00.003-05:00

This was made with inkjet vellum paper, commercial handmade paper between signatures, sewn with hemp twine and covered with watercolors of quinces.

Garden 2008

2008-04-16T05:21:00.003-05:00

100_2508
Originally uploaded by sandy - spartasoap

My husband tilled our little garden and we planted onions, spinach, radishes and lettuce. It's still cold here, but it should warm up soon. If not, it was worth a shot and we can plant again later when it's warmer.

almond apricot, rosemary tea thyme, rose white, chamomile

2008-04-13T09:28:00.008-05:00

Almond Apricot, Rosemary Tea Thyme, Rose White & Chamomile (5 ways)are back in stock.

Almond Apricot - Our Almond Apricot soap is made with almond meal and apricot kernel. The scent blend of Bitter Almond & Palmarosa is a little sweet and a little "fruity". As always, the lather is rich and creamy!
Ingredients: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Water, Sweet Almond Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Essential Oils of Bitter Almond & Palmarosa, Almond Meal, Apricot Seed, Annatto Seed Extract (color)

Rosemary Tea Thyme - More than Rosemary, our Rosemary Tea Thyme soap contains an herbal blend of Rosemary, Tea Tree, Spearmint & White Thyme. The scent is herbal and very fresh. We've also added extracts of Parsley and Green Tea.
Ingredients: olive oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, water, sodium hydroxide, rice bran oil, , essential oils of rosemary, tea tree, spearmint & white thyme, extracts of green tea & parsley

Rose White - This highly fragrant soap is scented with an essential oil blend of Rose Geranium and soft Bulgarian Lavender. We've added Calamine Powder for rich lather and topped with rose petals. Please note that rose petals may be brushed off before use.
Ingredients: Olive Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Coconut Oil, Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Rice Bran Oil, Essential Oils of Bulgarian Lavender & Geranium, Calamine Powder, Rose Petals

Chamomile - Our Chamomile soap is most luxurious. We've used Chamomile five ways for this soap: Roman Chamomile Essential Oil, our soap oils have been infused with Chamomile Flowers & Calendula Petals, Chamomile Tea instead of water, a little ground Chamomile added to the soap and Chamomile flowers on top. Please note that the chamomile scent is light.
Ingredients: olive oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, water (infused with chamomile), sodium hydroxide, rice bran oil, chamomile, essential oils of german chamomile & roman chamomile, chamomile, calendula & annatto seed extract

Can be purchased at spartasoap.com

squalane is back at spartasoap.com

2008-04-08T07:48:00.006-05:00

I have brought back olive squalane and re-packaged it in a dropper bottle. The bottle is glass as is the dropper. The bottle is hand frosted and no two are exactly alike.

Squalane can be purchased from the Sparta Soap website: spartasoap.com
Use the menu on the left and click on Squalane.

More information:
Olive Squalane is a colorless, light oil derived from olive oil. It has a silky feel, sinks in fast and is not greasy. It is excellent under make-up or before bedtime. Like olive oil, it does not interfere with normal skin functions. Our Olive Squalane is packaged in our own hand frosted 1 fluid ounce dropper bottle. A few drops is all most skin types need. We've tried various serum pumps, but they often stop working before the product is used up. Our squalane is unscented and odorless. Ingredients: Squalane

Happy Birthday

2008-04-07T07:17:00.003-05:00

John!

handmade paper @ etsy

2008-04-05T11:11:00.010-05:00

I love handmade paper. I have had incredible handmade recycled paper from etsy sellers. They take something that was on its way to the trash and turn it into something beautiful. I plan on using my recent purchases for a bookbinding project. But not yet, I need to work on my neatness issues. Neatness does count, doesn't it?

Here is a book I made from some of my early purchases. My binding is bad, but the paper looks great together.

View more images at my flickr account.

Ali18974
Natural Collection of Handmade Papers 12 Piece Assortment Free Handmade Paper Tags with Purchase of this Paper Assortment

ClaudiasCreations
Handmade Recycled Paper - 10 Sheets - 8 1/2 x 11
Handmade Recycled Paper Black, Dark Grey - 5 Sheets 8 1/2 x 11
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - Handmade Recycled Paper - 5 Sheets 8 1/2 x 11

PhoenixPaperDesigns
SALE Handmade Recycled Paper GREEN LEAVES Art Paper 8 pieces
SALE Handmade Recycled Paper MOSS GREEN Assorted Art Paper 16 sheets
SALE Handmade Recycled Paper BROWN Art Paper 13 pieces
SALE Handmade Recycled Paper TAUPE and KRAFT YELLOW Art Paper 11 sheets
SALE Handmade Recycled Paper TERRA COTTA Art Paper 8 sheets
SALE Handmade Recycled Paper RED FEATHER Art paper
SALE Handmade Recycled Paper FEATHER Art Paper
SALE Handmade Recycled Paper YELLOW FEATHER Art Paper

ragqueen
Handmade Paper Multi Pack (C)
EtsyPaper Street Team Paper (4)
Handmade Paper Multi Pack (B)

SherryRenee
4 Sheets of Recycled Handmade Paper
4 Sheets of Recycled Handmade Paper Set 3
Handmade Paper with Potpourri added
4 Sheets of Recycled Handmade Paper Set 2

sivatonight
Variety Pack of HANDMADE PAPER in Various Colours

thegreenefairy
Handmade Recycled Paper (Pack of 4)

underpalace
Handmade paper

edit 04/08/2008 to add flickr account link

frosted bottle of olive squalane

2008-04-04T08:40:00.009-05:00

I frosted a bottle and filled it with olive squalane. I'm going to send this to my friend who loves olive squalane. If you are reading this, you know who you are! :)

monsterpromos

2008-04-03T15:13:00.007-05:00

This is where I buy my mini envelopes. I usually buy the white envelopes, but they have other colors, too.

I include an envelope when I ship out my soap orders. I can fit a regular size business card, a moo card and a soap sample in the envelope. I like doing it this way, because it's a more fun look than just tossing everything in the box. Sometimes I tie them with raffia or funky yarn:

Monsterpromos also sells customized totes, aprons, banners and bumper stickers and more. They ship quickly and are completely professional. Be sure to check them out.