Photo of the Day

Vanilla latte soap

Photo of the Day

Orange Vanilla

Photo of the Day

Uncut Soap Loaf

Photo of the Day

Almost Nakes aka Calendula & Chamomile Soap

Inspire me.

Ok so I admit it sometimes I have a real issue with writer's block when it comes to blogging. I have thousands of ideas floating about in my head but then I can't seem to get them across my fingertips. I want that to change. I want you to know me and why I make soap and drink herbal teas. I want you to know my passion but, I don't want to talk about me all the time. I want to hear from YOU!

How do YOU see Lana Bella?

What do you want to see from Lana Bella in the future?

Where do you want to see Lana Bella at shows or shops?

How would you like to see Lana Bella change?

So there you have it  EMAIL ME or just comment away but let's hear from you about what you want!

Frantically getting ready!

Its a busy week at the Lana Bella HQ aka my house! Our youngest assistant is about to have a birthday turning ONE on Friday! Happy Birthday Finn!! Its been a great year!

We are also getting ready for our very first craft show. The elves they are busy cutting, wrapping, simmering, & decanting. Take glimpse behind the scenes images taken by 5yo Jack.

Get in the Holiday mood by attending Sophia’s 6th Annual Holiday Fair Saturday, November 21, 2009 Noon to 5 pm

Memorial Episcopal Church 1407 Bolton Street Baltimore, MD 410-669-0220 

Begin your day by having a light lunch and beverage, then you can shop ’til you drop for Christmas gifts made by our very talented crafters, and before you leave purchase a home made dessert for your Thanksgiving feast!

TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS AND BRING A FRIEND!!

What is coming soon...

Ever wonder just what is up my sleeves? Well here you go a glimpse of whats on the racks or in pots I have 36 hours until my deadline of getting all of these done for holiday giving!

lavender oat
chocolate lavender
lavender vanilla
lavender eucalyptus & bergamot
moroccan fig
rosemary mint
mint julep (peppermint orange)
vanilla latte
orange vanilla
Ant-y thing bars
la-min-chouli (lavender spearmint patchouli)
scarborough faire
mojito
nekkid jaybird
chai
citrus basil
moonlight path
vetyver
doggie bars

Shampoo Bars:
redheaded stepchild (Hibiscus, red clover & rose)
blondes have fun (lavender & chamomile)
deliciously dark (lavender & sage)
squeaky clean (lemongrass, lemon balm, yarrow infused with rosemary, tea tree & peppermint essential oils)

Thats all I can think of for now!

Oh and did you see if you purchase through this weekend (11/6-11/8) you get free shipping if you use code "keenrory" in the etsy seller comments.

Save the Date!! December 6th

What I'm working on .... Soap of Course

Its been busy busy here! Fall is HERE in Baltimore which means for the girl who has been living in sunny warm South Carolina for the past 4 years its COLD! There are adjustments being made with my children and I who are just not used to cold like this so early! With the cold and the rain .. oh the rain there is much more time being spent inside so there has been much more crafting going on.

Soap making in action. Believe it or not these pictures are not as easy to take yourself WHILE making soap!

solid soap oils measured out and heating up (Coconut oil, Palm kernal oil, Shea butter, Cocoa butter)

Ok really there were multiple batches measured out to be made back to back because thats how I roll. Its just easier to make a bunch after bedtime than spend many nights doing it. Its like making two lasagnas at once so you can freeze one rather than spending the time to pull everything out multiple times as far as I'm concerned.

Welcome to the complete overtaking of my kitchen.

Water and Lye solution cooling in my sink.

Melting in progress.

Essential Oils measured mixed and set aside (Lavender, Sweet Orange & Geranium)

Oils melted (liquid oils of olive and sunflower added) and lye solution mixed together. Just Started blending.

Coming along well.

Poured into the mold (sorry missed a few steps with the camera there like I said its hard to photograph yourself making soap).

Unwrapped and ready to be cut. Smells delicious!

Cut, staged and photographed ready to be listed in the etsy store in a few more weeks. We have to let them cure a bit first!

Check and see what we do have ready for you today! Lana Bella' Etsy Shop oh and as a special treat how about a 5% discount with code "SoapMaking" added to the seller box now through 10 am tomorrow (October 28)

How Lana Bella happened...

Back in the spring of 2004 I was a happy little cloth diaper maker who was buying this great wool wash from another WAHM sewing along on my merry way and giving out samples with all my wool covers. Then one day in 2005  I got an email that she was closing shop but selling her business. Well in 2005 there weren't many WAHM wool washes out there and I loved this one so it was only natural or so I thought that I should buy it. I casually mentioned it to an online friend and we decided to try together. Long story short she sold it to someone else.

Then the other friend mentions why don't we make out own so together in 2 states hundreds of miles apart we decide to do just that. It was in my kitchen that the liquid wool wash and spray lanolin for Sheepish Grins was born. Unfortunately I was also getting ready to move with 2 small children and one Coast Guard Hubby from Cape Cod, MA to Charleston, SC. My partner wanted to grow Sheepish Grins big and fast and I wanted slow and small so I could move then get adjusted. In the end we parted ways (she later went on to sell Sheepish Grins) so we could remain friends.

A few months pass I'm settled in our new home somewhat and lonely and nearly out of all the wool care products I made before the move. I need to make more for myself but I also want to stock my store but what do I call them they have no identity anymore. I pose the question to my little online group of mommy friends. One of the suggestions is LANA BELLA loosely translated to beautiful wool in Italian (which I am partly) interestingly so wool was also used as currency during the Renaissance period. Its perfect!

So you see it all started with wool washes. The per Pelle idea came to fruition a few months later when I needed to figure out gifts for relatives 1000 miles away on a very tight budget so I pulled the lanolin tweaked the recipe some and the very first of the skin care bars were on their way to CT. During the same time I was involved with a wonderful produce co-op and someone was mentioning some skin issues and I mentioned my soaps which had been working so wonderfully on my own daughters eczema that one bar gift of soap opened the door to a whole new market for me a market not online but in the real world. A similar situation happened a few months down the line in early 2006 at my chiropractors office and thus my first brick and mortar location. although it was farmers market style with a basket of my soap and an envelope it got more of my soap out in the local area.

I began playing with more herbs and teas and natural pigments more and more and by 2008 I was growing all of the herbs used in my soaps. Along came early 2009 and the salves really were launched other than just the diaper balm and others here and there as people needed them. Spring 2009 came the herbal teas and pink lip balms.

Currently far away from that local market I fell in love with and residing in Baltimore, MD I'm feeling a bit misplaced but have stumbled across once again hopefully at the right time a group who could help me really turn this overrated hobby shop into a real business. I will always look fondly of those days where I feel I really got my start sitting on the grass in the sun surrounded by great friends and sounds of laughing, playing children  with a basket of soap being passed around and ideas of things to come.