FREE SHIPPING!

YEAH!


For this Thanksgiving weekend only, November 27th to December 1st, we are offering FREE FIRST-CLASS SHIPPING on all orders being delivered to a US address. You will receive a shipping refund ASAP after your order is placed.


If you need Priority mail or another method, just let us know at the time of your order. Unfortunately, other shipping methods are not free, but they will be discounted!



And let me introduce you to our lovely new soap, Chandana:



Chandana is sandalwood wth bayberry, real sandalwood powder, and honeybush tea. It's smoky and wonderful for both men and women, and i can't think of a person i've ever met who didn't like sandalwood. It's available in our Victorian Sampler, too. Hope you like it!

BOY HAVE WE BEEN BUSY.

Holy crizzap! Okay, rather than bore you all with the details, here's the dirty:


- New lower prices! We've been able to decrease our prices across the board because of a sweet deal with a new supplier. Boy, bet you never saw coming. XD


- Lower shipping! Okay, this one was just us working the kinks out of our shipping process. For the US, Canada, and the UK, shipping is down significantly.

Unfortunately, the USPS has raised prices for packages over 5 ounces or so outside of the US, so soaps going elsewhere are more. Sorry about that! You'll still never pay more than what it costs us to mail, though.


- New packaging! We've switched from the pretty, but hard-to-recycle plastic to paper wrapping with a cute green raffia ribbon. We hope to have our labels sorted out by the end of the week, and then we'll be looking pretty spiff.

Victorian Samplers will now come in a lovely green organza bag. We love the Sampler (and so does everyone else, woo) but it's always been our most difficult item to package. Hopefully, this will make the difference! We'll add packaging photos to all the listings soon.


- New shop section! For All Genders contains our gender-neutral and man-friendly scents for easy picking. I really like masculine, or at least non-girly scents, so doubtless there will be plenty in this section in the days to come.


- AND NEW SCENTS. Our take on Sandalwood will be up this weekend, and there's one last, fresh batch of Late Harvest for the snatching. We'll try to keep it in stock through the holiday, but once it's gone, it's gone until next pumpkin season.

And Winter Melody is back! Lots of people told us just how much they loved the chai notes in it, so we've started making this soap with chai tea instead of blackcurrant. We hope you like the changeup!


Okay, that's the nooz. Back to work. xD

Good news!

Due to finding a new supplier, buying in larger quantities, and general streamlining and budget magic, we were actually able to LOWER our shipping prices. Shipping is now only two bucks in the US and $2.25 to Canada, and only .75 per additional item. Awesome.


We're also having a sale on a few items for the holiday weekend! This is the last day of the sale, but Mexican Hot Chocolate and Twilight On The Pacific Coast are currently 30% off, and so is our Victorian Sampler set, which now includes FOUR scents instead of three. The discount expires soon, but the extra bar is a permanent change. :D


Enjoy!

Late Harvest and a fresh batch of Tea Tree, Lemon and Lavender blemish soap are up. :D

Oooh, we're in a Treasury West collection today. Check it out here!


Pumpkin soaps are ready for this weekend. <3 As soon as the listing is written, they'll be going up. I also made a new batch of facial soaps, so those will be restocked as well.

It's soapmaking-and-laundry day, but i can't seem to do anything but sprawl uselessly in the papasan, which i've been doing for at least an hour and a half. We've had a request to restock the facial soap, though, so i should really get on top of that. There are a few bars of Cinnaroll up, at least, and we put up the eu-spearmint bar, now named Refuge. Pictures!







Yeah, still noodling on the woody thing. I'm waiting for a couple more scents to arrive and to take up some of Wendy's suggestions, and we'll see how that goes. Sandalwood component is a clear winner, though, so no worries, that won't be left behind.


The day i receive stuff for the pumpkin soap (should be Tuesday) is the day they're made, so they should be ready just in time. :3 Also really want to do a fig scent to go with it, so should start mucking with that now.


And now that i've yapped sufficiently, and if to have any hope of doll pics today, it's time to clean up a bit and get a move on.

YAAAAAAY.

Yay! My supplies are FINALLY on their way. :D :D :D!


Turns out that besides having them on backorder, my supplier was also in the process of being transfered to a new owner, which explains why there was no one around to answer my phone calls or emails. But, it's all sorted out now, everything's hunky-dory, and in a few weeks, i get to restock the shop! THANK GOD.


This did teach me a lesson, though: Always have a backup plan. I have another supplier now who's ready and eager to step in should there be another backorder flub-up, and they carry everything i'll need for soy milk soap. Yes, vegan bars soon!


Right now, though, i've got to find my Supah Sekrit Recipe Book. It got tossed somewhere safe during the flood, and while i have most of the recipes memorized by now, there's still a few things in it i need to refer to. Tearing apart the studio commences this weekend.

I think i've got to give up on my supplier for now.


I placed an order on May 6th [!], was advised of a back order a week later... and here we are on July 12th with no order, low stock, and most importantly - no communication. I've just sent my third email in two weeks trying to find out what's happening, and if no response, i'll be forced to do a chargeback through my credit card company. They have customer service chat, but no one ever seems to be on, and i've left a couple of voicemails to no avail.


All that being said, i think i've finally found another supplier whose items are up to snuff (one of the reasons i was clinging to this company is that they're one of the very few who meet standard without charging higher-than-retail prices) for almost exactly the same price point. Worst and worse and i have to get a refund, we should be back to up to speed again in no time. :D


And we still have plenty of stock in the teardrop samplers with the exception of Blackcurrant Tea and Tea in the Herb Garden teardrops, so all should be well there for a while yet.

!!! We're featured!

Tea in the Herb Garden will be on Etsy's mailing list this Thursday!


Hi there,
I just wanted to let you know that we are featuring this item in Thursday's Etsy Finds, Etsy's daily shopping email. The Finds email currently goes to over 10,500 subscribers (you subscribe to them at http://mailinglist.etsy.com )
Congrats!


Whee!

BIG SALE IS BIG

That is right. If i get this position, i am going to need at least a week's worth of train fare, which is a lot more than i have now. Taking both the bus and the commuter train is not a pretty sight.


THEREFORE.

From today, Tuesday June 17th, to next Tuesday, June 24th, everything at Heart and Dart is 20% off. Doesn't matter what it is or how much you buy; even the Yart Sale soap is an additional 20% off.


Just enter the code "CARFARE" in the comments of your order, and i will refund you the difference before shipping out.


Anything that sells out stays sold out for at least the next three to six weeks, so get hopping!

*groan*

As it turns out, my supplies are on backorder and won't arrive for another three to four weeks. I really love my supplier, but i have to find a local one as backup for situations like this. Would be nice to save shipping once in a while, too. (which is always the killer when you're ordering by the gallon and 50-pound block. o___O)


Well, at least i have plenty of stock that will be finishing their cure times in that window, so the shop will stay piled nice and high. Staggered batches for the win!


It does give me a bit of time to finally look good and hard at where exactly i want to advertise with Project Wonderful. Webcomics or blogs? Mainstream-type, or stick with freaks like us? I'm a bit constrained, as i only have a 125 x 125 banner made up, but there have to be a few nice, friendly sites with a steady flow to call home.


One day, i'll actually be advertising in the newspaper, or - eep - have a catalog. Now there's a terrifying thought. XD

Tea in the Herb Garden is up!

Tea in the Herb Garden is finally finished. It's a base of cedar with lavender, green tea, basil flower and Dragon Jasmine Pearl tea added, along with finely minced lavender leaves.



Yay!

We're back!

Yeah, so after the internet outage, the power outage, the phone outage, the toilet in the basement blowing up [?!], and about a million other things, i'm finally back online. Thank goodness - it's safer in here. Yeesh.


That being said, I've spent the last week stocking up big-time for the Victorian sampler sets, and since I was at it, made a fresh batch of just about everything else. XD


Used up all my supplies, too! Now i've got to wait for a new shipment (should be here this week) before i can plunge into new scents for the spring and summer. Actually, one of them is curing already. Moo-hoo-ha-hah.

Offline!

We're still offline for the time being; have been since Tuesday. If i'm lucky, i can log in once a day for about fifteen minutes. D: Orders are still being received and packed, but there may be some delay geting them out; please let me know ASAP if you're ordering for Mother's Day!

Gardening, Gardening, Gardening

I'm so tired of being dirty.


Been out in the yard at least four or five hours a day since last Monday, and just now am approaching completion. Our yard is only about 30 feet by 30 feet (30 by 40 if you count the herb bed) - you wouldn't think there'd be so much to be done, but there is. Whew.


My perennial herbs are finally up, and i was able to harvest enough lavender leaves for the new soap, tentatively named Tea in the Herb Garden. I'm looking forward to experimenting with fresh herbal teas, and especially pleased that the lovage came back - damn gardeners grubbed it up last year without so much as a by-your-leave.


Would love to have another pot of chamomile this year, but the thing about chamomile is that even if a container, you don't just plant it for yourself; you plant it for the neighbors, the next block, the apartments down the street... >.< There's a house a couple of blocks away that still has wild chamomile in their lawn from when i first
planted just a little pot on the back porch - ten years ago. Oops.


Just a couple of things left to do: mulching, one more tomato, some more plants that had to be ordered are on their way and will need homes (coleus, a miniature daylily, and a picotee lilac that i've wanted for years [!]) and the most ambitious project - building a concrete planter for the driveway/front yard.



And now i need a bath. Shouldn't have kept washing and wearing the same short-sleeved dress to do all this, because now i've got a perfect farmer's tan. Doh.

Mystery Solved

Wow. So not only are we in not one, but two treasuries, but one of those treasuries made it to the front page!


Holy crap!


I entirely blame my husband's stellar photography for this bit of luck. XD

Holy Crizzap!

I woke up from a late-evening nap to find a huge suprise - two sales, a custom order inquiry, over 30 new hearts, and over 800 views on one of my items: the Mexican Hot Chocolate soap.


!!!!


I have no idea what happened. It must have gotten into a treasury (i never get to look at them, if we're being honest here) and - maybe front page from there? Did anyone happen to see it?


Guess i'll just enjoy the windfall, and try to make the next soap worthy of that kind of attention, too. Whee!

The Terrible Thing about the Love of Soap

When i started this little shop, i thought to myself, "This'll be great! I'll use only my own products, and not only be able to evaluate them over the long term, but save a little money, too! :D!"


Great idea, right? Only i've hardly been able to yet. Why? I just went around the house and gathered up all my bath products. I still have fourteen - count 'em, 14 - bars from other artisans. Most of them are so well-cured (read:ancient of days) that once i do start on them, they'll last a couple of months.


[facepalm.] Guess the husband's going to have to continue to be my guinea pig for a while yet.

Cool Stuff on a Theme

Something i've been doing off and on (mostly off, if we're being honest) is assembling a taste of my favorite Etsy items for friends, usually on a theme. I'll have to think of a suitably fruity name for this in the future, but in the meantime: have some Cool Etsy Stuff!


The theme for today: Shoes!



From The Purple Fern:



from Art and Ghosts:



from Netamir:



from etrelles:



from zerkahloostrah



from paisleypanda:




And a few that have expired or been moved, but they're too awesome to let go:








I don't know why, but these make me laugh. The little bobble is just so cheerful.

Soaps On Sale

My remaining Chocolate Truffle, Cinnaroll, and Winter Comfort soaps are currently on sale at 20% off.


Grab them while you can; i'm reformulating them and need to make room. :D

Don't think small; think selective.

Just got a big box of new oils today; now i'm positively dizzy from all the sniffing and testing. Oi.


One thing i've been thinking about lately with the shop direction is how much happier it would make me to have a small, tightly-edited group of scents and items rather than a sprawling list that tries to cover everyone's tastes. I think i've managed that now, and will keep it, rather than succumbing to the temptation to make a batch of absolutely everything that's on hand. If i can't rhapsodize on it, i don't want it in the window.


This does slow down the process. For the next soap, i want something woody and masculine; there are dozens of pre-made scents out there that would doubtless fit the bill, but instead, i've been plugging away at my own blend for about a month now. Hopefully, one of these oils will provide the Elusive Final Ingredient; i'll be damned if i sink to adding patchouli to the mix.

Popular items

Just to start off, a few of the new and more popular items in the shop.





Mexican Hot Chocolate; dark chocolate soap with real cocoa and spice.




Twilight on the Pacific Coast soap, a non-funky seaside scent which i'm awfully proud of.




And the Victorian sampler; guest sizes of any three of our soaps for a low price.


That's just a wee taste, though; head over to the Heart and Dart shop for the full offering.

I've beaten up my unfortunate friends enough.

Time to get down to business.


This blog will mainly be for musings, links and updates to my tiny soap shop, Heart and Dart Teacrafted Soaps, started in November on 2007 after a rather shocking layoff and a very timely suggestion from a friend.


We're just starting our journey: a studio kitchen, one soap pot, one work table, and a soap knife. It ain't much, but we're making it work!


What we do have is tea. Lots and lots of tea.


My husband has been an enthusiast of rare and gourmet teas since he was a teenager, and has long since dragged us down his darkened path. As are result, we're steeped (ha!) in unusual, amazing teas: some from countries you've probably never even heard of, others as familiar as breakfast.


And then it occurred to us: Hey. Tea is great for your skin. It's soothing, softening, mildly astringent, and it smells great, too. Can't waste it all in our teapots!


We're learning as we go, with the love of tea to lead us.

Only a test.

Testing the amazing powers of Blogger.

Hello, world!