New for the Holidays

Hello Everyone,

I have been working on this idea for months, and I finally have some items for sale. I have a few holiday boxes on my site now, and I hope to offer these soap boxes as an option for purchase for other occasions as well.

I have also added some new Rubber Ducky soaps. Who doesn't love Rubber Ducky? I have a selection of rubber Ducky soaps for the holidays. He is so cute in his Santa suit and reindeer antlers. As you can see in the center photo, he floats on a bar of soapy clean aloe soap. That's all for this time. But soon there will be more. I am currently working on a snowflake box and a snowy village box. I guess I'd better get a move on if I want to post them by Christmas.

Holiday Soap

Hello Everyone,

It is so hard to believe that Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. Before we know it, we will be rushing around for last minute gifts. I have been working on my holiday soaps. I have one of my favorites for Show and Tell Monday. I love the simplicity of this soap. The big bow is so appealling to me. I usually make this in Candy Cane fragrance with the red bow or in Bayberry with a green bow. One of the things I like about this soap (and all my soaps) is that it is perfect as a little supplement to a gift cetificate. A gift certificate can be exactly what someone wants, but I still like to add a little something that can be unwrapped. This one still looks wrapped even after opening it.

Shop Hop Begins with Birthday Wishes for Marie Antoinette

Thanks to Marie Antoinette of Dolls by Marie Antoinette for inviting me to the lovely birthday soiree given by Joy of Cupid's Charm. Joy has decided to honor Marie Anoinette, everyone's favorite French Queen on Sunday, November 2, 2008. If you are not familiar with Marie's and Joy's blogs, click the links above. You will be delighted. Both ladies have wonderful blogs; I promise you won't be diappointed.

I can't think of a better way to begin the Twelve Days of Christmas Shop Hop. Savon Marie is participating in this fun-filled shopping event sponsored by Make Mine Pink . Each day I will be adding new items or featuring customer favorites at special prices. It's easy and fun to participate just register at Make Mine Pink and visit each participating boutique.

Marie Antoinette certainly knew how to throw a party! As a close personal friend of the Queen, I am very honored to participate in yet another of her birthday celebrations. I just happen to have a photo of her birthday soiree a few years ago. Here I am sizing up her shoes when she nodded off after a sugar binge. She did promise them to me. Really, she did. But that's another story. Her shoes were too big for me anyway.

I did make some lovely tarts for this year's soiree. I have three varieties.

The first is a delicately scented Rose Petal Tart. The second one is the ever popular Cherry Tart, and finally, in honor of Marie's Austrian heritage, a luscious Apricot Creme Tart. As you can see, I did get the shoes after all.

Unfortunately, I am not a baker. I am a soap maker, so please don't eat the tarts. Enjoy them in your bath, instead.

Show and Tell Monday

Hello Everybody,

So many people love this time of year and I am one of them. I love the cool crisp weather, the lovely colors of Fall, and Halloween.

Today, I am showing my latest soap creation. These leaf soaps are dusted with a bit of gold mica and scented with a fragrance called Indian Summer. It is a wonderful fall fragrance reminiscent of an afternoon walk down a country lane. Apples, woodsy, and a little spice make it a fragrance that both men and women enjoy.

It is packaged in a rustic oval box, embellished with golden highlights along the side. On the lid, there is a silhouette of a group of trees embossed in gold.

Show and Tell Monday Give Away

Hello Everybody,

At last, I have something to show and tell. I have been in a holiday soap making frenzy. I will share a few of my designs, but they are still in the rough stages. Read on to find out about the giveaway.

The first is a Christmas Stocking. the soap itself has a gold metalic shimmer. The colors are also shimmery mica. I have a few other options which are not yet completed.

The next is a snowflake with just a touch of pearly white mica. I also make this in a clear soap, but everyone seems to like this one.

The third is a holly soap. This is just made with layers of different colors and a few touches of soap paint (made from mica) on the berries. Next to the holly is Joy, again just layers of clear soap topped with an opaque white soap.

Last is the Santa Soap. This is still a work in progress. It requires lots of layers of color. It is still not right. I won't point out my mistake, but I bet someone will find it. You will probably find more than one, but the first person to find the one I am thinking of will win $10 worth of products from my web site. Take a look at these versions of Santa, and good luck.

SBS Teas

Hi Everyone,

I want to tell you all about a wonderful new company, SBS Teas. Today I received my first order. Even though SBS is a tea company, I ordered some coffee. The packaging is great and the coffee is wonderful. Take a look at my photos.

The photo on the right shows my Brazil Baggio Platinum Decaf with the SBS Favorite Blends Sampler. I also received two biscotti as a treat for ordering. On the left is my selection of favorite blends. Notice the stirrer. Notice that the biscotti are missing. I ate them. Photography builds up an appetite.

I was fortunate to meet Sharon and her mother at the Make Mine Pink Retreat. We were at the same table for dinner. They are both very lovely ladies, and as you can see, their products are top notch.

Tagged

I've been tagged by Carrie of Noelle Garrett Designs. Thanks, Carrie. Now I must list seven facts about myself. This is fun, yet challenging. I want to seem at least interesting, if not exciting, and still tell the truth :o) I can only promise my facts will be truthful.

1 I love jazz. As a teenager I was so passionate about it. In a time when Elvis Presley was everyone's idol, my idol was Max Roach, a drummer. My dream was to have a son who played the drums. My idol is now Thelonious Monk, but I do have a son who plays the drums.

2 My all time favorite thing to eat is ice cream, especially Ben and Jerry's. However, I can still remember Edy's White Out. I had it once and searched and searched only to discover it was a limited flavor. I even wrote to them and asked them to bring it back.

3 It has only been 5 years since I have been able to travel. I have been to Nice and Paris alone and to Rome with a school trip. The only place I would return to in a heartbeat is Nice. I always thought it would be Paris.

4 I was raised to believe that girls should get married and have families and stay at home and live happily (or unhappily) married ever after. It did not work for me. I was divorced with 2 babies 3 months and 15 months old. I raised my sons alone and have lived alone for so long, I don't know how I would behave if I had a husband. Not at all what I thought would happen, but I am happy with my life.

5 My son, the drummer, followed in my footsteps and became a teacher, even though I warned him not to do it. He is a brilliant teacher who gets measurable results, and he loves it. I am so glad he did not listen to me. My other son is handicapped; he has a big heart and is a history buff.

6 I was born in Philadelphia, but moved to New York almost 25 years ago. I love where I live in the Bronx. Even though I live in apartment, I have a back yard. It is so peaceful and quiet. One of my friends from Manhattan said living here it was like living in the country. I love it.

7 I published 2 books and am working on a third.

So now I must tag some people. I have chosen

Theresa of Cottage Violets

Cathy of Treasured Heirlooms

Silena of The Enchanted Valley Boutique

Susan of The Dutch Rose

And the winner is....

Thanks to everyone who left a comment for the giveaway. There certainly are a lot of great blonde movie stars, male and female. I used the random number generator on the mathgoodies site. The winning number was 20. The twentieth person to post was Cynthia, so she is the winner. The prize is a six ounce bar of Aloe Soap, a nine ounce jar of Primrose Moisturizer, and a 5 ounce bottle of Moisturizing Mist. All are scented with a fragrance called Marilyn's Marvelous Melons, which is a delicious blend of watermelon and berries.

Make Mine Pink

Get Down to Business

September 19, 20, 2008

Do you wish you could start your own business?
Do you want to grow your small business?
Even if owning your own business is just a dream,

you won't want to miss this opportunity.

You can start making that dream come true right now.
Take a look at this wonderful opportunity to start or grow your own business.
Click here.

Time for another giveaway

Hi Everybody,

It's that time again. Time for another giveaway. It's very easy this time. Just answer this question. Who is your favorite blonde movie star. The winner will be chosen on August 6th. The prize will be a selection of Blonde in the Bathtub products. Thanks in advance for your participation.

Noelle Garret Designs

Hi Everyone,

I just had to share with you the lovely gift I received from Carrie of Noelle Garret Designs. I was lucky enough to win this gift on her blog contest. For once I remembered to take a picture before opening. Well, actually, no, I didn't. I just slipped my goodies out and left the lovely packaging in tact. But isn't her presentation just beautiful.

My prize was two Inspirational quotes from Carrie's new line of quotes called Words to Dream By Inspirational Quotes. Here are pictures of Carrie's exquisite work. As you can see, Carrie is very talented. She makes journals, gift tags, bookmarks, and lots of other lovely items. You can find it all at her web site, Noelle Garrett Designs.

I just love everything. Thanks, Carrie.

Flip Flop Flip Flop Flip Flop

Just how many shoes does one woman need? Is this enough? Of course not, There are no left shoes here. Besides, we can never have enough shoes, chocolate, fun.

These Flip Flop (couldn't think of a better name, so I am calling it what it is) soaps are my Show and Tell for today. They weigh over 5 ounces and they come in luscious fragrances like Lemon Splash, Water Blossom, Mango Raspberry, Berried in Cherries and more. You can even choose your own color combination. They will soon be available on my web site. Actually, they will be available for a stroll down the Garden Path.

If that sounds a little too cryptic, it relates to Make Mine Pink's themed shopping event which takes place every Friday. Our next theme, on July 18th, is the Garden Path. Watch for an announcement, or just stop by on any Friday. The theme changes every week.

Strawberries and Champagne

Congratulations to Patricia.

Patricia has won this month's giveaway.

She will receive an assortment of Savon Marie products.

Thanks to everyone who participated.

See you all for next month's giveaway.

Roses! Roses! Roses!

Pink Friday!

This week's theme is Romantically Roses. Join all of us at Make Mine Pink in a romantically rosy shopping extraganza. Say that three times fast! Better yet, click on the Pink Friday Gift Box and start your romantic shopping spree.

Life is good

Today is my first day of retirement. I don't think it has sunk in yet. I may not feel the full impact until September when everyone else returns to work while I merely yawn and roll over. Someone, peel me a grape. Please. Thanks ever so.

It has been a very busy week, but I am happy to say much of it has been in the form of celebration. One very special celebration took place yesterday morning. But first a little background. For a number of years I did a fund raiser for the school library; it was called the Library Cafe. As with all things, it came to an end. There are a number of reasons why I had to end it, but we all missed it. Well, yesterday morning, when I walked into the library for the last time as a full-time employee, my colleagues had set up the Library Cafe. In addition to coffee, there was a buffet with cakes, muffins, Danish, bagels, croissants, and many other items. It was such a delightful and heartwarming surprise. Many of my colleagues and friends drifted in and out all morning. We sat and reminisced about "the old days" and other wonderful memories...and a few not so good memories that we can now laugh about. It was a perfect last day.

I was stunned by the gifts I received. My house looks like a flower shop. As you all know, my pictures leave a lot to be desired. But now I will have time to improve that skill. I will start tomorrow...or maybe next week.


Here are some of the gifts I received. The pendant is actually a beautiful cushion cut green stone and the earrings have crystals in the center. The watch is also really beautiful. I love the interchangeable straps. Note to my Pink Friends: one of them is PINK. The gift certificate is for my very favorite restaurant. That was given to me by my younger friends. We had a lovely party last Friday at a Mexican restaurant and later adjourned to a friend's nearby apartment. That was also a memorable event and lots of fun. I even forgot that I was old enough to be everyone's mother.





And one of my very favorites was from Carolyn. There is a little story to this one. I will share it with you. One day Carolyn offered me a slice of her home-made lemon pound cake. Oh my goodness! It was lemon heaven in my mouth. So her gift to me was a copy of the recipe with some of the ingredients packed in a bundt cake pan. And a giant Retirement coffee mug. Just perfect for our morning coffee chats.



Oh dear, Buddha's belly is sticking out. I did mention that I was going to start working on the photography thing, didn't I? In a month or two.
Well now, you know two things must happen. First, I will post Carolyn's pound cake recipe.
Second, it's once again time for a giveawy. It's not just a giveawy... it's a RETIREMENT GIVEAWAY. So because retirement means no work for me, my giveaway means no work for you! No quiz, no questions. All you have to do is leave a comment. The fragrance of this month's gift is appropriately, Strawberries and Champagne. Winner will be announced July 3.

Now for Carolyn's Lemon Pound Cake Recipe

Ingredients
1/2 pound of sweet butter
1/2 pound or cream cheese (8 oz.)
2 cups sugar
2 cups Presto Cake Flour
6 eggs
2 Tablespoons of lemon extract

Beat butter, sugar, cream cheese, egg yolks, and lemon extract together. Add flour, beat at medium speed for 4 minutes. Beat egg whites for two minutes at high speed. Fold into batter. Bake in a greased 10-inch tube pan. for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Arte y Pico Award

I had the honor and privilege of receiving the Arte Y Pico, award from Janet of Janet's Creative Pillows. The Arte y Pico Award is “given to those who are creative and have a penchant for art.” Thank you Janet; I feel very fortunate to be in such creative company.

Here are the rules:
1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award for their creativity,design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2. Each award has to have the name of the author and a link to his/her blog to be visited by everyone.

3.Each award winner has to show the award and put the name of and link to the blog that presented her/him with the award (I know it says this is a rule , but I know not everyone likes to do this, so I won't be upset if you don't.)

4. The award winner and one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y Pico blog so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5. To show these rules.Now for the fun yet very hard part... to choose 5 other people for this award...drum roll please....

1. Carrie of Noelle Garrett Designs

2. Carol of Clutterbug Studio

3. Pei Li of Miniature Patisserie Chef

4. Roxie of Business in THE Bag

5. Inka of Inklings Designs

I am so happy to present this award to all of you lovely ladies. I think you are extremely talented and so deserving of this award!

My C List

It has been a while, but at last I had a hot minute to get my C list up. This was so easy. Many of the items seem decadant, but you only live once, and according to Joe E. Lewis, "If you do it right, once is enough." So here are a few of my favorite "C" things and people.
Champagne
Chocolate
Chenille
Cheerios
Chico Hamilton
Cake
Cookies
Candy,
Cross Stistch
Charlie Parker
Casablanca (film)
Cheese
Cinnamon
Coffee
Cats

Show and Tell Monday

Well this is a bizzare photo, but it is what I have to show and tell for today. I am sure my sisters at Make Mine Pink have had enough of my retirement news. Too bad. One more time today, and then I will be quiet until the champagne toasts have been made.

I worked on my retirement papers, located in the photo. I am also working on my offering for Pink Friday. It's a wonderful Honey Lemon Hand Soap. Quite a mouthful, but it is quite a soap. Made from a goatmilk and honey formula, it is scented with lemon. It smells divine, but more important, it cleanses, moisturizes and removes those pesky kitchen odors, like onions or garlic from your lovely hands.

Janet & Roscoe

Today I received a custom painted pillow from Janet of www.Janetscreativepillows.com Janet is as talented as she is lovely. She creates lots of pillows, including custom painted pillows. This was painted from a photograph I sent to Janet. As you can see, she did a great job. She also has great prices. Roscoe's family, including my grand daughter, who calls him her brother, will be wildly delighted when they see this. And I am not exaggerating about the wild part; they really are a wild bunch, but you just gotta love them. And I do. Thank you, Janet. Once again you have made Grandma look like a brilliant gift giver. This was supposed to be saved for Christmas. but one day DIL plied Grandma with a rum punch. What can I say, I spilled the beans.

Congratulations, Colby

I am pleased to announce that the winner of this month's giveaway is Colby. I was going to have my cat, Spike draw the winner My method would have been to throw numbered pieces of paper on the floor. The paper he pounced on first would be the winner. Luckily, I visited Francie's blog and saw that she used a random math calculator. Francie's blog is so delightful. Stop by and say hello. thescentedcottageblogspot.com

Thanks everyone for participating in this month's giveaway. Check back at the end of the month for the next one.

Name Change

Hello Everyone,

At last, Spring is in full swing. All of those rainy days have given us pretty flowers, the days are sunny and bright, and we're ready for some relaxation.

The name of my blog has been changed. I decided to return to the original name of my business: Savon Marie. This was the name I used for about ten years. I changed it thinking I needed or wanted to have the feeling of a store. Your Bath Boutique seemed apporopriate, but it never seemed quite right. I have decided to simplify a lot of things in my life, and my business is one of them. I can assure you that the only thing that is changing is the title. The products will remain the same. In fact, simplifying is allowing me to do what I have been doing even better. So I am working on a few new formulas for lotions and potions.

To celebrate, I am having a giveaway. June 1 happens to be Marilyn Monroe's birthday. So anyone who leaves a comment will be eligible for a gift of Body Wash and Hand Cream in a fragrance named for Marilyn; it's Marilyn's Marvelous Melons. Add a piece of information about Marilyn, and if you win, I will add a bonus of Lotion Spray. The winner's name will be drawn on Friday, June 6.

Show and Tell Monday

Hello Cupcakes,
Here is my latest soap creation. For some reason, I could not post here, so they are on the right. They are made of glycerin soap with aloe and foaming bath whip. The cupcakes are Strawberry and the frosting is Vanilla Cream. I am waiting for packaging which looks like a cupcake. I am still working on the name. Today they are Bath Cakes; I was thinking of Soap Cakes or Tub Cakes. Any suggestions?

Chocolate

Hello Fellow Chocolate Lovers,

Today has been quiet but productive. I did a little soap making, gardening, and reading. I have also been thinking about my C List which will be completed and posted soon. One of the first things I wrote on my list was chocolate. It was beat only by coffee, which I happened to be drinking at the time. Chocolate is such a heavenly treat, and now it is even considered healthy. An ounce of dark anti-oxident rich chocolate is actually good for you. A pint of Ben and Jerry's triple chocolate whatever would not be a good substitute. But we already know that, don't we.


By the way, if you are looking for a sinfully delicious treat, try Oooh Fudge, pictured above. Carol of Clutterbug Studio makes the best fudge from scratch. It truly is a bit of Chocolate Heaven. One taste, and you will be hooked. As you can see, it is also beautifully packaged; it comes with its own serving spoon and it's all tied up in a pretty pink ribbon. Try some of Carol's own homemade fudge today. Taste the love!

What Your Taste in Chocolate Says About You!

Now, let's have some chocolate fun. It's calorie free. It's a Chocolate Quiz.

The Chocolate Oracle

Show and Tell Monday

My oh My! Is it a Pie? Whipped Cream? Well, it is whipped. It's a new product I created using lots and lots of Aloe. Aloe is such a wonderful ingredient. It soothes, moisturizes, and even helps heal the skin. It's Whipped Body Butter. So new, I have not even created the packaging for it. But soon, it will be available. So that's it for my Show and Tell today.

Notable Quote and Giveaway

On Success...

"I never sought success in order to get fame and money; it's the talent and the passion that count."

Words to live by. Talent and passion are always a winning combination. Have you noticed how everything changes when you have a passion for something?

Let's celebrate our passion with a give-away.

It's simple. Just leave a comment. In your comment, identify the classic beauty (pictured above) who said these powerful words and you will receive a gift set of soap and lotion. Want a bonus? Identify the fragrance on my website named for her and where it came from, and I will add Body Mist and a few other goodies. It really is so easy. If more than one person provides the information, the gift goes to the first person with the most complete information. Start here Blonde in a Bathtub.

B is for...

Black Cats

Books

Blue

Bubbles

Bette Davis

Blue Monk (my all-time favorite song)

The Best Years of Our Lives

Beaches

Blackberries, well really ALL berries

Babies

Bakeries, and most of what's in bakeries

Balloons

Birthdays

Butterflies

Billie HolidayBarbara Stanwyk

Because of Winn Dixie, the book

Bracelets

Brownies

Blue Eyes

That's my B list. Certainly not in order and certainly not complete. What about you? What's on your B List?

Do your Duty!

Here is a delightful quote that should remind us all what we need to add to our "To Do" list.

"There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy."

- Robert Louis Stevenson

One Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words.

I just had to share this with everyone. This adorable pink confection (on the left) is one of Janet's Creative Pillows. It is being held up by my grand daughter, Lili. She is featured in the picture on the right, and she was absolutely thrilled with her Easter present. I spotted this pillow at Janet's web site, and I knew immediately it would be perfect for Lili. It is a gift fit for a princess, and Lili reminds all of us quite frequently that she is, indeed, a princess.

Janet creates lovely pillows, but she is also a talented artist. Take a look at her lovely creations. Just click on this link. Janet's Creative Pillows. You won't be disappointed. And Janet is as lovely as her creations. Thanks, Janet.