The Lightbox

I built a lightbox today. It was a success! My first victim was Coconilla, a hybrid soap made from emollient-rich glycerin topped off with a generous amount of olive oil-heavy cold process shavings. Guess what it smells like? It's divine. On sale soon at Etsy and Artfire.

New picture... I think I am liking the background on this one, rather than the palm trees. Less busy, plus look how fabulous the soap looks. I'm in love!

Happy Father's Day Sale

Bollandi is holding two sales this weekend, one on Etsy, the other on Artfire, both offering 20 percent off of all products in the store.

Etsy Store

Artfire Store

Happy Father's Day!

Brand New Soap Pics

I held a photo shoot to bring some new life to my soaps. I am not a photographer and don't know a thing about proper lighting when shooting indoors, etc. But I am happy to say that I am thrilled with how this new set turned out. Turns out that natural light is your best friend when taking these kinds of pictures...so outside we went! My friend, Chris, was instrumental in lay out and composition. You can view more at my Flickr account. I am not done uploading all of them yet, but I will be by tomorrow.

New Labels

My new labels are being created as I type this. There is no turning back now! I should have the new look no later than May 15.

Lots Going On: New Studio, New Listings

First, here are the new listings on Etsy and Artfire:

Etsy - The featured listings are the new items.

Artfire - Same as above. One of the many things I like about Artfire is that the customer does not have to sign up for Artfire in order to purchase something from there. Customers can also buy right from my blog by clicking the Artfire listing.

I also moved into a new studio, but this is a temporary location in the same building complex. The tenants are still in the unit that I really want and they should be finishing their construction job soon. Then I will be able to really move in and make it my own. Having all of my equipment and supplies in one spot is the greatest thing ever.

Fiore: Orange Blossoms and Jasmine

The two below soaps will be up for sale soon on Etsy and Artfire.

A Cool Breeze

New Lavanda - Ready May 2, 2009

Ready just in time for Mother's Day... New lavender essential oil and cocoa butter recipe. Delicious and super moisturizing. Ships May 2, 2009. Choose from 7 ounce or 4.5 ounce bar. This new soap will be posted to my on-line shops at Etsy and Artfire on April 27, 2009.


Free Shipping if ordered before May 2, 2009!

7 Ounce Bar





4.5 Ounce Bar - Limited Quantities




Vanilla Sugar - Shea Butter Recipe

Ready May 2.

Another Pic of Bianca

I really like this pic with the turquoise blue plate, white soap, and black background. The pics, along with my photoshop skills, are improving but still aren't where I would like them to be. I have a vision of how I want my pics to look but I don't have the skill yet to pull it off. I'm slowly getting there. I actually would like to hire a professional photographer - and I might just do that. I would rather make soap than mess around with the pics.

Bianca - Very Mild and Unscented

Freshly cut Bianca per custom order. Uncolored, unscented - Shea butter and goat milk soap at its finest.

Samples Sent With Each Order

Little sample bars I send with each order. These are fun and customers love love love them.

Menta - Shea Butter and Goat Milk Soap

Menta - Up Close

Olive Oil, Shea Butter, and Goat Milk Soaps

Pics of my cold process soaps made with high quality ingredients such as olive oil, shea butter, goat milk, and essential oils. I'm still trying to get some good shots of them individually.

Top and Bottom: Arancia: Sweet orange, pink grapefruit, and patchouli essential oils
Second: Dolce: Luscious and sweet brown sugar fragrance oil
Third: Lavanda: Lavender and peppermint essential oils

New Molds

The Three Lavenders

Soap Collage, originally uploaded by Ciao Bolla.

I found a new photo editing program/site that is associated with Flickr. I am spending way too much time here having fun. Now I'm off to make four batches of soap!

Goat's Milk and Bentonite Clay - New Shaving Soap

Cocamint Goat's Milk and Bentonite Clay, originally uploaded by Ciao Bolla.

Hi ~ Just testing out this linked blog thing from flickr. Here's a pic of some new shaving soap I made the other day.