Fanfare...for Product Body!

Ruby Rock Star Soap


Crush On You Shea Scrubby Wash (Sexy Laundry Day)


Mazu Perfume Oil


Yes Yes Yes...a very very long overdue blog post.
A while back (a long while!) Jo Jo sent me some proddy.
Just as the recession hit, we'd been having a few email convo's and twitter DM's about the sorry state of the economy all over the world and how we were suffering with it all...I won't elaborate...but just know that it has certainly hit us hard.
Anyways, Jo had already blogged my soap - bless her, and generated a few sales for me, which was super duper cool and I wanted so badly to try her Crush On You scrub. I'd read reviews, I'd seen blogs about it and comments on Sexy Laundry Day - the scent.
There is nothing like reading about a product to create the want inside us is there!
Jo does it for everybody...so it's only right that somebody reviews her awesome products as a kind of pay it forward thingy.
Jo had promised me some goodies and one day they arrived all wrapped so beautifully it was a shame to open them...but I HAD to!
I didn't use the products for a long time. I had lots on the go and didn't want to use them all together. I had sniffed them of course and I love love loved the scents of all 3 of these products so much.
The soap was to die for. Now...you will find this odd....
When I smelled the soap I was reminded of Roseanne's house. Yep, I mean the Roseanne TV show house. WTF? I have no idea. All I know is I watched that show religiously and taped every single one every week when they were on Ch4 at 10pm on a Friday night.
Something about that show made me feel so homely and of course it cracked me up. Such a funny show. Loved it so much.
Living in England is weird. Anything that was coming out of the USA came here like 6 months later and all us kids wanted to have an American accent. We wanted houses like in the movies and families like theirs. We wanted their food and their sweets along with their cars and general household goods...well I did! ...so when I sniffed at the soap it gave me the same feeling I had when I watched that show. Make sense? Thought not!
The smell of the soap is so fresh but has a scent in it I've never smelled before...kind of foreign...kind of American...yes American! Me likey.
I waited for about 3 months before cracking that soap open...and when I did I was not disappointed. It lathered well, it felt super soft to hold and cleaned me real good. I didn't want to use it all up..but thought I'll get another one some day...JO, DON'T STOP MAKING IT!
Once I'd opened the soap, the rest got opened too.

The scrub...OMFG! Amaze or what. Now the scent in this reminds me of The Body Shop Ananya perfume...do you get that in the states? It got discontinued here then brought back again. Such a warm, sweet, feminine aroma with a nuzzly snuggly finish. The scrub itself is fine and scrubs really well...especially on the behind! The fact that it washes at the same time gives it even more of a thumbs up from me. I even used it on my face and I sparkled!
That scrub is one of the best I've ever ever tried. Just fantastical. I still have a bit left as Jo sent me a large tub. I use it about once every few days. You have to try this if you haven't already.

Now then...onto this perfume, Mazu.
She's only gone and done it hasn't she?! ADDICT!
This smells incredible. I've tried a few perfume oils of late including my own!...and this is one of my top 3 for sure. To me it smells caramelly, sweet, dark and totally addictive. when I first put it on Matt could smell me all around the house. We then went out for a walk and the scent just seemed to follow me! LOL. I love it. I am going to purchase some more as soon as I can...but I want the large bottle!
Jo states in her describtion the following:
Pronouned Mat-Zu.
Coconut milk, lemongrass, blackened vanilla, crushed Indonesian lime leaves, smokey clove, a whisper of Jasmine and a tiny hint of dark musk.
I mean...if that don't sell it to ya, what will?
With that my friends I leave you to go on a shopping frenzy at Product Body.
Jo's online shop is here
and her Etsy is here

2 new bundles...

3 Seasons soap bundle

3 Lines soap bundle

Both now available here & here

Our bundles have always sold very well...so we're bringing them back bundle by bundle.

Once some of our new Autumn/Winter soaps are cured and ready, more bundles shall appear.

Love these pics...like a feast for the eyes!

x

Winners of the comp...

Ok, this morning I used the random number picker thingy...here to pick the winners of the Generosity Chain thingamebob.

There are 5 winners.

1st winner is Kari Weaver Hopkins who came in with comment no. 12

2nd winner is Kristen who came in with comment no. 6

3rd winner is Cooking With Gas who came in with comment no. 5

4th winner is Ks196 - no link but a fellow Fresholi Forum hanger-outerer! comment no.11

5th winner is Joanna - who came in with comment no.24

Thank you all so much for entering.. I wish you could all have won something!
Now...will you all email me and send me your preferred shipping address so that over the course of the coming year I can send out your free stuff!
email: tiggy@futureprimitive.co.uk
Oh...and you 5...don't forget you gotta pay it forward...you have a year! I like the year idea!

Have a great weekend!
Tiggy
x

One Ring....

The Woods on Bredon Hill, Worcs - the inspiration for a new soap.


'One Ring'



It may not look like much but there are 10 different fragrant components in this one along with freshly gathered moss and an incredibly rare incense.
The incense came from a little shop in Malvern, Worcs, which I visited last week - The Emerald Grove. The incense is called 'God's Smile' and has been made since 450AD. The first half is made by the monks in one monastery, the other by the monks of another monastery. Neither of the monks knows what the other puts in so it is a very well kept secret.
It is only available in this one shop in the UK and they're moving further away...well to Ledbury, which is one of the most beautiful towns so I shall go and see her...may even take her a chunk of this 'ere soap.
I had to put it into soap didn't I? Couldn't help myself!
Very oddly, I can detect the scent too...although I must admit the scent is wonderful when burning on a charcoal disc.
It smells just like an old church...in that good way. Very woodsy with a hint of spice and citrus top notes.
I have 5 different essential oils in here and 5 different fragrances. The scent however is very very subtle.
Every time I smell it I'm reminded of Lord of The Rings so the name just stuck as 'One Ring' and is inspired by this:

One Ring to rule them all
One Ring to find them
One Ring to bring them all
And in the darkness bind them

The moss on the top made me think of the 'fellowship' so there we have it.
A Tolkien inspired soap.

A Most Treasured Barn...and a competition

The little barn - by Tracey Broome


The pendant...people beam in on it whenever I wear it.

My two treasured barns.

Ok...so this post is a long time overdue.

Back in July I entered a comp on Tracey Broome's blog to win a random item.

Whaddya know, I only went and bloody won!

When I saw my name come up I was so over the moon it was hard to contain myself. WHATever it was I would receive was gonna be super good.

Anyhooo....about a month or so later a package turns up in the mail, which I missed as I was working in Cheltenham that day.

The next day I go to the PO to pick up the parcel (thinking it was essential oils for soap) when to my surprise there was a sticker on the front saying it was from T Broome.

Oh man...you know what I did? I opened the box up whilst sitting in my car in the high street and the first thing I pull out is a very well wrapped item...little too big for a little something something!

I could NOT believe it. A beautiful, most humble little barn in the most exquisite colour you can imagine (my favourite colour of all...you've only gotta check out my soap to know this!)....a duck egg blue barn!

I unwrapped him and held him tight and the tears just rolled! I know...bloomin' cry baby or what...but you really don't know how much this meant to me.

I am an avid reader of Tracey's blog and when I'm not up to my neck in work I leave her comments (I know I should leave more) to let her know I'm about. And...these barns have had me hooked on her blog for weeks and weeks. They are absolutely amazing and I've wanted one since I saw them. NOBODY is making anything like these, they are completely unique...I only hope it stays that way.

I held that little barn to my chest and said 'YES!' with the most amount of joy I could muster.

Then...out pops a little pendant shaped like a barn and in the same colour. Oh man, I couldn't have wished for a better pressie. I put the pendant around my neck straight away and wore it all day...proudly showing everybody.

I felt truly blessed that day. I really really did.

Tracey...thank you with all my might...thank you!

The little barn hangs over our television at the moment (i know how crap) but will find a proud spot as soon as Matt has moved into his workshop and I regain my house and space! At least hanging over the TV I get to look at it rather a lot!

So...there you have it....

Now for some more excitement....

Wanna win some stuff from me? Here's your chance.

I agreed to do this when I entered Tracey's blog so here goes:

This is called the Generosity Train, which Tracey found here and which I am now to pass on.

Here's the deal...

Please leave me a comment here on this post to be entered into the competition.

The posting will be open until Saturday morning (GMT - London) when I will put all the names into a bowl, shuffle them up a bit then announce the winners.

I will get Matt to pick the names out and read them out to me so there is no chance of me knowing who it will be!

There will be 5 (yes 5) winners in total so you stand more of a chance here!

I then have up to 1 year to post out a random gift to each person.

Your gift could turn up at any time over the course of the next year.

How cool is that?!

Good luck..!

White Witch....

White Witch Perfume Oil - a bewitching brew of Black aged Indonesian Patchouli & Bourbon Geranium with a sprinkling of Patchouli Leaf and a nugget of Devils Claw Root Bark in every bottle.
It smells just as the soap does...only a tad stronger of course.


White Witch 3 Salt Bathing Grains - again the same beautiful blend.


White Witch Shea Butter Sugar Scrub made with 2 types of Fair Trade pure cane sugar, lashings of Organic Shea and again the White Witch essential oil blend.
On the top is a dusting of dried Patchouli leaf.


I've so enjoyed making all these ghoulish treats for Halloween and really hope they do well at the next Vintage Fair I've applied for on Oct. 30th.
My favourite out of the 3 is for certain 'Rook and Raven' with White Witch coming in a close second.
Pirates is a dreamy blend, which I love but after making the products found that I'd smelled it too much...yanno how blends do that to you sometimes...you know they're good when you're making them then all of a sudden you go off them as fast as you liked them!?
Well...that's me all over.
It's only when I come back to something after time has passed that I realise how good they were in the first place.
Thing with me is I start something, complete it then I immediately want to move on...which is what is happening.
Now my mind is contemplating late Autumn blends and the beginning of the Christmas countdown.
I'll be sick of Christmas when it finally arrives!

Pirates...

Pirates Aromatic Perfume Oil.
Gusts of Oceanic winds billowing across High Seas.
Dark Cedarwood, Sandalwood & rare Musk smuggled amongst Marram Grass fresh from the dunes. An ozonic scent amplified with a grassy freshness and a lingering antiqued wood background....like the heart of an old tall ship.
Pure Mysore Sandalwood and North American Cedarwood chips are nestled inside each bottle.
Give it a shake to infuse the woods into the perfume a little more.


Pirates Shea Butter Sugar Scrub - with 2 types of Fair Trade Cane sugar, lashings of Organic Shea Butter, a dose of Vitamin E - rich sunflower oil and an Ozonic, grassy, woody scent.


Pirates '3 Salt Bathing Grains' - made with wonderfully relaxing Epsom salts, therapeutic Dead Sea salt and a fine Marine Salt with tumbled Organic Shea butter.


Pirates...the soap.
Included in the mix is an infusion of Oak bark and a big dollop of organic cocoa butter to harden it up a bit as well as to give our usual luxurious lather.
Peaks of Aussie Organic red clay, activated charcoal and yellow oxide.
With a scattering of 'Portholes'...or 'Canonballs'. You choose what they are!



There you have it, another new scent for the Halloween season. The soap is only just made so won't be available for a good few weeks. I will be sure to mention when it's ready though.
It smells super fresh. It has a good glug of Cedarwood essential oil inside it, which at the moment I cannot detect but am confident that once it mellows all the scents I've chosen will be detectable. It's very oceanic with a crispy freshness and an inner warmth.
Even though the same blend was used in all of these products, each one smells slightly different due to the raw ingredients used. The salts take on a different scent due to the un-refined shea butter, whilst the sugar scrubs smell more earthy and sweet.
A really nice range for autumn. One that smells kinda like summer! Lest we forget our summer...I don't think I want to let it go just yet.
The grains, scrubs and perfume will be available on Saturday 18th September (eek..that's tomorrow!). The soap will follow just in time for Halloween...well a few weeks before to give you time to stock up.

Introducing....'Rook & Raven'

'Rook and Raven' Shea Butter Sugar Scrub.


Rook & Raven Perfume Oil - with real cardamon seeds and a black marabou stork feather in each bottle.


Rook & Raven Bathing Grains

Soon to be available on the website and Etsy.
Expected launch date will be this weekend. The soap is to come shortly....I'm waiting on some vital supplies so until they're here these 2 products will be available.
The scent is a dark, mystical blend of Sweet Sicilian Orange with a drydown of black Patchouli, Sandalwood & aged Vanilla.
It's quite sweet with woody undertones and totally stunning!
The Bathing Grains are made with our 3 salt base recipe (epsom, dead sea & fine marine) with tumbled Organic Shea Butter - and inside every bag is a cheeky little black marabou stork feather.
The perfume comes in a dark amber 5ml bottle.
The Shea Scrub comes in a 200g pot with an aluminium lid.
Soon to be available will be the much anticipated soap.

Also to come are other new products, which go by the names of:
'Shores of Fiji' & 'Pirates'.....

'Shores of Fiji' is a tropical paradise blend of dry but creamy coconut blended with lush ripe juicy mangoes. I love this one...and so do the people who recently purchased it at my last Vintage Fair. This will be available as soap, grains & scrub...and maybe perfume if it's liked enough.

'Pirates' is a blend of Oceanic winds tempered with fresh cut Marram grass, Sandalwood, Musk & Cedarwood. Quite a fresh scent inspired by the High Seas and Swashbuckling nutcases.
Again, will be available as soap, grains & scrub.
I will be back with more news as these new products take on their new lives.

Etsy vs Us

It's been a big question over my little head for a while.

Do our customers prefer to shop Etsy or get a little more personal and shop via our website?

I know what I prefer...

I love Etsy, I really do, but the costs involved can be a little much.

Sure, it's not much to list items but it does cost none the less.

I am an Etsy shopper, I love to browse and find things but as of late I've found businesses via Etsy then have found that they also have their own website.

I prefer a more personal shop. I like to browse the pages of a website to get more of a 'feel' of what that company is about. I also want to see pictures of the owners/owner.

I think that when you are making something by hand and putting it up for sale most customers want to see YOU..the person.

ANYBODY can list on Etsy can't they? Anybody!

So...when I find a really lovely website with really lovely things I am more inclined to buy from there if it makes me feel like I'm getting to know the people behind it all.

There are literally billions of us in the world and I want to at least try to get to know a few more people than I already do, and if I can do that by purchasing something from them then all the better for all concerned.

Which brings me to my own website. I've worked so hard on producing something of interest. I change colours, I change pages and I add lots of pics to make it more 'poppy'. This is something Etsy can't do for us artisans.

I've recently added new pages with even more info about what it is that we do here in the middle of England.

I've added a page called 'Handmade Soap' to give everybody more of an idea about what goes into making handmade soap.

I've added a page called 'Natural Soap' to show some of the rawness, which goes into every batch of soap.

I've also added a page called 'Fair Trade Soap' to show how we try to always source fairly traded, sustainable raw ingredients.

Again...you can't do this on Etsy as you only have 1 page.

What use is 1 page?!

So...what I'm saying is please do come visit http://www.futureprimitivesoap.com/ and grab some goodies from us over there sometime. The postage costs are the same (the absolute minimum we can go to), we ship worldwide and there are many more interesting things to read about other than....'THIS IS ME AND THIS IS MY SHOP'!