Shiny NEW things coming soon...!

Hi folks,


It's been a while but I'm finally emerging from blog hibernation with some lovely exciting new things to tempt you.

The last few months have been a time of reflection and contemplation, and some enforced rest due to the awful weather we've had here in the North East of England! This has given me a little chance to take time out for 'me' and figure out what's next in soap land. That's the thing with working for yourself, there are no rights or wrongs on how and when you work, this is great for flexibility and scope to work however I want, don't get me wrong, but sometimes it can lead to a lack of direction or focus for me, and this is what happened earlier this year. With no clear plan, I was floundering a little. It took me a while but I got there in the end. I have some longer term plans which will unfurl throughout the year, but for now...I have some new things to tell you about.

Spring (now it's finally here) represents new beginnings for me, and after much deliberation and procrastination I've devised a little new capsule collection of products which will be listed very soon over on the website. I've been formulating with some wonderful natural ingredients which are incredibly beneficial to the skin, my top faves being Himalayan pink salt, and Epson salt. They both possess incredible benefits to the skin and the whole system when used in the bath as a soothing soak or as an exfoliating scrub. Read more about the amazing properties of salt baths here on the Naturally Living Ideas blog or check out the quick reference guide to the right.

You'll find Himalayan Pink salt and Epsom salt in our NEW Limited edition Botanical Himalayan Salt Baths. Simply toss a handful of salts, fragrant with pure essential oils and botanicals into your bath and lie back for 20 minutes. Emerge feeling refreshed, relaxed, revived and renewed - all the 'R's :)
Our new Salt Scrubs can be used in the shower or bath, scrubbed over arms and legs, to slough off dead skin and moisturise you from top to toe with skin loving coconut oil, revealing a fresh new glowing you.





Do you love natural skincare too? I do. I believe we can find everything we need to care for our bodies in nature, and this includes our skin. I've been playing with some lovely pure, plant based ingredients and essential oils over the last few months to come up with a simple skincare plan. On the cards are some lovely gentle oatmeal and lavender scrubs, botanical steams, and gentle cleansing oils to compliment our natural clay masks and cleansing bars. I've used our own organically grown botanicals as ground exfoliants, in oil infusions and as whole flowers to create a really pretty little collection, I've been using these myself over the last few weeks and I am delighted with how they are performing. My skin is softer, more hydrated and brighter as a result, hopefully you will see the benefits too, if you try them out.





I've long been a fan of skin brushing too, not heard of this...check it our here on the Wellness Mama blog. Apart from superb for exfoliation, it helps the body detox and prevents dry patches, spots and skin congestion of the skin amongst many other things. I'm delighted to have become a stockist of a range of high quality, sustainable and eco-certified bathing accessories, brushes, pumice and bamboo facial cloths from Hydrea London to compliment my handmade products. and help you get your skin in tip top condition, naturally.

Shop the range over on my website. 

I hope you are enjoying the new beginnings of Spring, and can find a few minutes each day to rest and recharge, watch the birds, observe the fresh green shoots emerging and generally enjoy being present in the now. Time out for you is never wasted.

Shop the new 'Collections' department 

www.oakwoodsoaperie.co.uk

That's about it for now, feel free to follow my blog, Instagram and new Facebook Group to stay up to date with all the NEW goodies in the pipeline this year. Fancy signing up to my newsletter too, for special offers and exclusives? You can do this here. - Newsletter Signup..

TTFN,

Ceri xx

All things garden'ey

Happy Easter Peeps!!

I hope you've all had a lovely time out and about during this gorgeous little spell of sunshine.
Unfortunately I've been battling a horrid cough the last couple of weeks so have had less 'studio time' than I'd like, but it has given me the chance to do a spot of much needed gardening at home.

I found out today that it's 'National Gardening Week' so I thought it quite apt to do a wee post about my gardens. I'm lucky enough to have some outdoor space at home, and a lovely plot in the walled garden at the National Trust's Gibside Estate, where my studio is based.

My lovely Botanical Plot at Gibside Estate

My home garden has seen lots of weeding and clearing happening this week, in between bouts of coughing!! I'm planning to make up a couple of raised beds to grow veggies this year, making space by expanding my meagre herb bed and getting rid of some gravel and (sadly) a tree...but it's blocking all my veggie growing light, and the lovely evening light that dances in the sun catchers hanging in my window. I've always grown herbs, spuds (in re-claimed tea chests), and the odd crop of chard, carrots and salad greens but nothing substantial. Hopefully this year will prove more fruitfull (veggiefull!!). The spuds are in, spinach, shallots and sweet pea seeds are in the propagator, and the tree felling should hopefully happen next week, then I'm good to get really cracking. Watch this space.

Do you Pinterest? I love to gather inspiration for things here, take a peek at my gardening board if you like...it's a bit of a guilty pleasure.

Follow Oakwood Soaperie's board Garden gubbins on Pinterest.

Meanwhile in my botanical plot at Gibside, the ground is being cleared ready for the lovely ripe seeds of blue and red cornflowers, marigolds, chamomile, poppies and lots of lovely lavender plants going in over the next few weeks. They are all organically grown without the use of any pesticides or artificial fertilisers specifically for me to use in my soaps, bath salts, bath bombs, truffles and bathing bubbles..

Natural and handmade bath bombs.

Gibside Gardener's soap with my beautiful botanicals lashings of fresh honey from our bees, clays and pumice.

Soap making in action...freshly poured and decortated batches setting overnight.

The real heroes (apart from the beautiful blooms) are the National Trust gardening volunteers who do all the hard work tending and tidying the plot and generally looking after them for me. I'd love to be able to do more in there, but running my little soapmaking business takes over. I do however help with the weeding, watering and do all the harvesting and drying later in the year.

Frosty spring morning looking towards the Chapel

Garden Cottage at Gibside in the morning sun

Here's a little shot of the plot earlier in the year, and then once it was in full bloom last summer, fingers crossed for lots of sunny summer days ahead.

Flowers flowers everywhere

Cornflowers and Calendula

The studio, festooned in drying blooms

Continuing on the garden theme of this post...a date for your diaries...I'll be holding a stall at the beautiful Blagdon Estate just north of Newcastle on Sunday 17th May as part of their National Garden Scheme, garden's open for Charity. The event runs from 1 - 4pm. I'll have lots of flower related soaps, bathing goodies and more on my stall, pop along if you fancy a day out, hopefully the weather will be kind.

Well, that's all for now, I'm off to make candles...Enjoy your garden time folks...I'd love to hear what you're planning in your gardens this year.

TTFN

Ceri
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