The Valhalla Voice

True Soap vs Synthetic

2009-06-22T17:18:00.006-07:00

As usual business was slow during the winter months. Sometimes painfully slow when everyone is suffering the effects of rapidly declining economy. And face it. Our product is not one that most would consider to me a necessity. Most who do not know the health benefits of using naturally handmade bath soap consider it to be a luxury item that gets pushed to the back of the budget in these economic times.

Let's examine some of the reasons to consider handmade soap a regular commodity to be added to your normal shopping regimen.

NO DETERGENTS OR SYNTHETICS

These days the majority of commercial bar soap and most all liquid soap found on store shelves are actually synthetic detergents. According to the FDA, it no long fits the definition of "true soap".

NATURAL SKIN HYDRATING GLYCERIN

As is the way of big business, commercial soap manufacturers found a way to make and sell two products from one. When soap is made a natural occurrence is the formation of Glycerin; a humectant. One molecule of glycerin is created for every three molecules of soap. So commercial soap manufacturers remove the glycerin, replacing it with synthetic ingredients. They then sell off the beneficial glycerin to pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies. Thus making double the profits from one original product. It's quite brilliant.

QUALITY CONTROL

Most handmade soap is made is smaller batches. Any where from 5 lbs to 50 lbs at a time. As opposed to thousands if not millions of pounds at a time. By making smaller batches it is much easier to control the process from mixing of oils, to molding, unmolding, cutting, etc. You can rest assured that your handmade soap was "supervised" from start to finish.

PASSION

Yes, I said passion. Handmade Soapmakers are passionate about their skill. Not only do they take classes and stay abreast of the lastest in handmade soapmaking technology. But they love what they do. Yes, one can make a decent live at it. But few do it just to make a living. I've been a soapmaker for 13 years, and soapmaker that I've met is passionate about his (yes their are men in this industry) or her skill. They just plain enjoy making soap. Learning new methods such as "Funnel" soapmaking. Yep, pouring various colors of soap through a funnel into your mold so as to achieve a certain design in the out coming cut bars of soap.

SUPPORT

So you can buy synthetic detergent bars or bottled liquid in the store. But your just not going to get the love and passion, and energy put into a wholesome, healthy, beautiful bar of handmade soap full of skin hydrating glycerin like you would if you purchased some great handmade soap from a skilled, passionate Soapmaker at your local Farmer's Market. Or do a web search for Soapmaker in your area. Or go to The Soap Guild and look for a Soapmaker in your state. Be patriotic. Please support local small business and buy MADE IN THE USA!

And if you live in the Greater Spokane, WA area come see us at the Community Roots Farmer's market every Sunday from 11 am till 4 pm at 2015 N. Division St. Mention This article and our Blog and receive a 10% discount on your purchase!

Todays Drying Rack & Memorial Day 25% Off Sale

2009-05-25T18:12:00.004-07:00

Today's soaps are made with essential oils only. This means that the fragrance used to scent them is not man made but instead comes expressly from plant materials via distilation or expressing. They are colored with natural earth pigments. These soaps can therefore be labeled as 100% All Natural.

Rain Dance All Natural Handmade Soap

Garden Dreams or maybe Green Dreams All Natural Handmade Soap.

I'm still as yet undecided on a name for this one. It has a very green scent to it. And I was initially going for a green, herbal, garden feel for the scent. Unfortuantely my green soap set up faster than I wanted and I was not able to swirl it like I wanted. So it came out as you see it. And I'm not sure the name now matches the look AND the scent. Oh well, it still smells very nice.

These two batches will be ready in about 2 weeks.

Until next time. Hope your Memorial day was great. And if you have time, stop over at our website to take advantage of our 25% of Sale that ends tonight at midnight.

On The Drying Rack

2009-05-23T16:20:00.005-07:00

I'm very exited about how this soap came out. I use red moroccan clay to color the bottom layer and added coursely powdered tomato flakes. Then scented it with tomato leaf. The top layer just has parsely flakes since basil turns brown and is scented with basil EO. It smells amazing and I think it turned out pretty to boot.

Also on the drying rack is a batch of Tuscan Garden to go along with our Tuscan Dreams perfume spray. They will make a very nice matched set. I'll try to get a photo up after my camera battery recharges.

I also made a small batch of Pirates Bounty for the men a few weeks ago. It's only 6 bars but these are manly 6 oz bars. They should be ready in about 2 more weeks.

That's it for now. I'll be making more soap tomorrow. If there is a particual scent that you may be looking for, drop us line. We just might have it and can make up a batch of soap for ya.

Hello from Sedona!

2009-04-10T21:39:00.003-07:00

We have been so busy since arriving in Sedona that I've had no time to update. So sorry.

We picked up our dear friends John and Hannah at the airport in Flagstaff on Friday afternoon. Then took them to lunch at the fabulous and famous Cowboy Club in downtown Sedona. Famous for it's cactus fries and buffulo burgers. But also for it's past patrons. It is one of the oldest establishments in the Sedona area, made a popular hotsot by the film entertainment industry back in the days of black and white, silent pictures and white horse, hero ridding westrns. It was much cheapers to film westerns in Sedona than it was in Hollywood in the 1920's and 30's so many a director, actor and starlet could be found sitting by the fire hashing out a script at the Cowboy Club. In fact, it was in front of the fireplace that the Cowboy Artists of America was founded.

Back in the day, when someone said, "saddle up to the bar", it was easy to do at the Cowboy Club. Real saddles were mounted and modified for use as bar stools. Though they have been replaced with the more traditional bar stool, the Cowboy Club is a place you don't want to miss if your ever in Sedona. The atmosphere is buzzing with the energy of yesteryears silverscreen cowboys, the food is hearty and tasty, and the customer service is top notch.

After lunch, we headed over to Bell Rock, one of the known vortexes in the Oak Creek area. After about a 10 minute climb, we stumbled into a pocket of energy that was "like a mirage" as John described it. It was several small pockets in a larger area that seemed to kind of "hang" or "hoover", simililar in some sense to how a mirage might appear to someone. So that was a very good description. We all went seperate directions for a while for some alone time on the rock, then came back to this area of energy. Each of us had a very pround and personal experience within it. All in all it was a very good day for our friends on their first day in Sedona. And any day in Sedona, is a good day for us :)

Reno!!!

2009-04-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Reno on Monday after a long and tiring drive. All we wanted to do was find food and sleep. After checking into our rooms at the Eldorado we went to eat then just kicked back in our room for a nice quick night and turned in early.
Tuesday we walked about 7 blocks to the Harrah Western Automobile Museum, of which my husbands cousin is the currator. Unfortunating, cousin Jay was out that day traveling for the museum and we did not get to see him. So we walked the 7 blocks back to the Eldorado, had lunch, did a bit of shopping, and by then it was time for Happy Hour. Oh Darn! LOL. Our favorite bar doesn't start their happy hour until 5 pm. So, we headed over to a new club called Arua, where ladies drink free during happy hour. Also where I discovered that I LOVE Chocolate Martini's LOL!!
Time to head to The Rum Bullion our fav Reno bar, for happy hour. Tuesday's are Kareoke/Gong Show nights which are an absolute blast. And when that is over, they open up the dance floor and play 80's music till its time to close. We met a super couple from Redding, CA; who knew right off that we would forget their names. She said we could call her Vanilla, and since I've never met a cop I liked, I've dubbed him "Nice Cop". We had an awesome time with "Goddess Vanilla" and "God Nice Cop". So if they are reading, the two of you ROCK!! Good luck in nursing school :)
We reluctantly said farewell to The Rum Bullion and Reno on Wednesday and headed for Laughlin, NV. It's a long drive from Reno and we will only be staying over night and then back on the road to Sedona. So I catch you later!

Medford, Oregon!!

2009-04-03T19:06:00.001-07:00

Today we landed at my sister Breannas house in Medford, Or. It was great to get away from all the snow. The sun was shining and it was around 66 degrees. That may not seem warm to some, but to us it was a heatwave! Just to be able to stand out in the sunshine and bar-b-que instead of huddling under the porch in and parka was a real treat, lol.
But best of all was getting to see my two adorable neices for the first time ever. Tatum Nova is 6 years old and I had still never met her. And Payton Skye was born almost a year ago and just as with Tatum, all I've see of her are pictures. It almost brought tears to my eyes when Tatum ran up to me first thing upon our arrival, gave me a hug and said, "I know who you are".
Our three days and nights with Bre and her family went by way two fast and we had so much that we didn't want to leave. However, we had a long road trip ahead if we were to make it to Sedona by Thursday. So, we reluctantly said our goodbuys and got back on the road again Monday morning. This time heading for Reno, NV. I'll catch up with you when we get there. Bye for now :)

Project: Turn Peace Around

2009-03-22T11:53:00.005-07:00

In 1958, Gerald Holtom designed what we know as the Peace Sign.

It was designed as a badge for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in the UK, and as a visual plea to end the atomic arms race that started with the devastating attack on Hiroshima during World War II.

When asked about it later, Gerald said: "I was in despair. Deep despair. I drew myself: the representative of an individual in despair, with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of Goya’s peasant before the firing squad. I formalised the drawing into a line and put a circle round it."

A man in despair.... Is that really the symbol we want to use to represent a positive thought like "peace"?

I've recently been inspired by this site, TurnPeaceAround, to spread the
positive message of turning the original peace sign around, so that the
'arms' face upward.
In ancient runes arms are raised up to receive. They are a symbol of life. When they are dropped down, they are a symbol of death.

It is because of this meaning of the current peace sign, along with my conviction that positive energy begets only more positive energy (thus a negative symbol will not bring positive change), that I have decided to do what I can to spread this message.

After all, we don’t want an “anti-war” symbol. We need a “pro-peace” symbol.

If you're still here thus far, humor me this.

Try being the symbol. It's not hard, I promise. You'll only look silly to those that don't get it.

Wherever you are, stand up. Stretch your arms out to the side, pointing downward. Now stay like that, 10 seconds even, and notice how you feel. Do you feel at peace within? Do you feel like smiling and spreading the good news? Probably not.

Shake it off, but stay standing.

Now try the same stance, but with your arms pointed upward, toward the sky, reaching toward divinity. Doesn't that bring a smile to your face? Don't you feel much more peaceful and happy this way? Exactly.

That's the idea.

A positive symbol brings positive energies, which in turn brings the positive change you've been looking for.

That's all I am trying to do.

As Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." And to do that, I am going to spread the word about turning peace around.

This exerpt was "borrowed" from dear friend Sunfire's blog. All of us here are Valhalla Soap Co. stand in support of Sunfire and the Turn Peace Around Project. We would be thrilled if you would join us. For more information on this Project, please visit these websites:

Turn Peace Around

iPeace

Peace,
Matt, Donna & the Tribe

New Soaping Technique - Funnel Soaping

2009-03-11T05:06:00.004-07:00

So, one of the newest thing in techniques (new to me anyway), is called Funnel Soaping. It is a method by which you pour your thinly traced cold process soap into your mold through a funnel.

After you are done pouring it appears as the above photo, revealing a series of concentric circles. The end result should be something like these.

These are two batches of absolutes gorgeous funnel soaps made by Shawna of Body Luxe. Breath-taking!
Clearly she has had some practice.

Mine on the other hand, did not result in such a beautiful display of talent. Instead, this is what I got after cutting.

Such a disappointment this was for me. I'm told that it is difficult to get the same results as Shawna (concentric circles) from a log mould, which is what I use. And I'm told that first attempts quite often come out exactly like this. So, I will keep at it. And maybe try a few different kinds of moulds. I'm thinking maybe a deep round silicon cake pan since I don't have a slab mold. Now that might yield something interesting.

At any rate, you will see this batch on the website after it has finished drying. It will be listed under the Silk & Shea category - Moonbeams & Magick :)

Full Moon Madness Sale!!!

2009-03-10T08:03:00.005-07:00

OUTRAGEOUS FULL MOON HOME FRAGRANCE SALE!!!

We're sick of snow! We're sick of cold! And tonight's a Full Moon!
It's ALL making us crazy!!! So we're having a sale to liven things up.

Save up to 50%

Ceramic Tart/Oil Diffusers 27% Off

7.5 oz Flint Jar Soy Candles 30% Off

6 oz Flint Jar Soy Candles 37% Off

Dents & Dings Soy Tarts Sale 50% Off

Many items have only 1 in stock so hurry and get them before they run out. First come first served. No Rain Checks. No Back Orders.

CLICK HERE TO SHOP NOW!

Fresh Baked Bread Soap......

2009-02-26T10:00:00.003-08:00

or lotion, bath bombs, body spray or any bath product for that matter. Would you use it?

What about a candle? Would you swoon over a soy candle made to fill your house with the scent of Fresh Baked Bread?

We just received a sample in the mail of this trendy new fragrance oil and I have to be honest with you it made most of the staff want to ..... well, you know..... toss their cookies to be blunt.

There is just a certain essence about real bread when it is baking that cannot be captured in a bottle. No matter how hard a lab tries to fake us out. The real thing is embedded in our memory, in our soul, maybe even in our DNA. It is one of those "comfort" scents associated with Grandma's house, holidays, and cold winter days. Or maybe your one of the lucky with a bread machine and it permeates your home more often.

However, it is not something that should come from a bottle, slathered on our skin, sudzed in the shower or wafting from a warm pool of wax in the guest bath. To do so destroys the very appeal, the "warm fuzzy-ness", the anticipation, the melt-in-your-mouth joy that comes from cutting off that end piece and slathering it with butter.

And that is the way we see it here at VSC. We just cannot bring ourselves to adulterate this wonderful food by injecting it's scent into non food items. So if you stop by looking for Hot Buttered Bread Body Butter, or Fresh Bread Soy Tarts, you won't find them. But we might offer you a warm slice of REAL buttered bread fresh from the bread machine, LOL.

5 Days of Friendship- Grand Prize Winner!!

2009-02-09T21:31:00.002-08:00

First let me say that we had many great, heart warming entries about friendship that touched our hearts and really spoke of the true meaning of Valentines Day. We had entiries from women and from men, from young adults and from those "wise" in years. Each one was a blessing to read. And made each of us here value our own relationship more. thank you for sharing your stories with us. It was an honor and a privledge for us to read them.

After much reading and re-reading and much deliberation among our team, we finally had to call in the big guy; the President of the company himself to make the final decision. And we are very happy to announce that the winners of our First Annual 5 Days of Friendship Contest is:

DEBBIE S. & PEGGY
Prize: $50 Gift Certificate Each*

You will get an E-Gift Certificate in your email box soon so watch for it. And happy shopping!

*Cost of shipping is NOT redeemable with Gift Certificate and is the responsibility of prize winner/s. Gift certificate cannot be combined with any other coupon or offer. Gift Certificate is not transferable. Void Were prohibited.

Internet Problems

2009-02-06T21:23:00.002-08:00

Please forgive the lag time in posting winners for our daily contest winners. We have had very intermittent internet the past two days. We have continued to draw from the names entered, however the tower that our wireless internet comes from has been down more than it has been up.
I have updated the blog post with the newest results tonight while we have service.

We have gotten some amazing stories of friendships that have weathered the storms of life. We've really enjoyed going over them and it will really be a tough choice when it comes time to chose a winner. Please keep them coming in. And thank you for sharing this important part of your life with us.

Blessings,
The Valhalla Tribe

5 Days of Friendship- Daily Drawing Winners

2009-02-03T17:20:00.004-08:00

This Blog post will be a ongoing update of winners from our Daily Drawings.
2/9/09 Monday Grand Prize Winner Announced!!
We have a tie! Waiting for one more Valhalla Tribe member to read entries and break the tie. Will report back soon :)

2/8/09 Sunday 5 pm
Cynthya P. and her friend Thelma won tonight's drawing which will be 2 bars of soap from our Limited Edition Collection yet TBD.

2/8/09 Sunday 9 am
Denise M. D. and friend Debra won this morning's drawing which will be 2 bars of soap from our Limited Edition Collection yet TBD.

2/7/09 Saturday 5 pm
Deborah B. and her best friend her Sister won tonight's drawing which will be 2 bars of soap from our Limited Edition Collection yet TBD.

2/7/09 Saturday 9 am
Jennifer H. and friend Carrie won this morning's drawing which will be 2 bars of soap from our Limited Edition Collection yet TBD.

2/6/09 Friday 5 pm
Debbie S. and friend (sister) Peggy are tonight's winners. Congrat's to you both!!
Prize TBD.

2/6/09 Friday 9 am
Daphne and friend Sue are this mornings winners. Congratulations!
Prize TBD.

2/5/09 Thursday 5 pm
Frankie C. and friend Kerri are tonights winners. Each will receive a bar of Spiced Raspberry Handmade Soap from our Limited Edition Collection. Congrats!

2/5/09 Thursday 9 am
Denise D. & friend Kathlene are this mornings winners. They each will receive a bar of our "Black Magick Woman" Handmade Soap from our Limited Edition Collection. Congratulations!!

2/4/09 Wednesday 5 pm
Nicole S. & her much older friend (Nicloe left our her friends name), are tonights winners. They each will receive a bar of our popular Love Sick Handmade Soap from our Silk & Shea Butter Collection. Enjoy!!

2/4/09 Wednesday 9 am
Trystn B. & friend Diana are this mornings winners. Trystn wins a bar of Balefire Handmade Soap from our Men's Collection & and his friend Diana wins a bar of Spiced Raspberry Handmade Soap from our Limited Edition Collection. Congrats!

2/3/09 Tuesday 5 pm
Otto W & friend Mitch are the winners in our 5:00 drawing! Each wins a bar of Thorr's Thunder Handmade Soap from our Men's Collection. Congratulations!!

WINNERS: If you have not gotten an email from us, please contact us with your mailing address so we can mail your prizes to you.

Thanks for participating in our 5 Days of Friendship Contest. It's not over yet. So go tell your friends to enter!

5 Days of Friendship Contest

2009-02-03T08:10:00.005-08:00

Happy Tuesday!
We're excited to announce our 5 Days of Friendship Contest.
Starting today and ending at 6:00 pm PST February 8, 2009 you have the chance to win Gift Certificates and Prizes for you and a friend! Here's how it works:

Go to our website and find the Contact Page (hint: a link can be found at the top of any page). Fill out the form with your name and email address, and then tell us about something about your best friend. Tell why they are special to you. What makes them unique. What is different about your friendship from anyone else's. And tell us why you and your friend should win our Grand Prize of a $50 Gift Certificate each!! That's right, if chosen, each of you will win a $50 Gift Certificate to spend towards anything at our Valhalla Soap Company webstore!
**NOTE: *Shipping on redeemed goods NOT included. Winner is responsible for shipping on redeemed goods.

Also during the 5 days we will be doing random drawings for product prizes. Winners and their friends will win product prizes all through out the 5 days of the contest.

Entries will be read by our staff, and then anonymously voted on to determine the Grand Prize winners. Winners will be announced no later than 10:00 am February 9, 2009. Winners will be notified via email. So it is very important that we have your correct email address. Fill out that contact form carefully :)

While your at the website entering the contest, be sure to check out the newest Valentine additions which can be found on the Limited Edition page on our website. Or by doing a search on our site using the keyword "valentine" .

These amazing romantic, sensual scents have proven to be very popular here in our local venues. We are confident they will be just as popular on our website.

**These are only available for the month of February. So get them will supplies last, because they won't be available again until next year.

We've also restocked the always popular Love Sick Handmade Soap for the holiday. You all know how fast it sells out so rush over quickly and pick up your bars while supplies last.

And save 14% on orders of $20 or more by entering discount code " bestfriend " at checkout! (expires 2/15/09)

That's all for now. Have a great day! And good Luck in our 5 Days of Friendship Contest!

Blessed Be,
Matt, Donna & The VSC Tribe

New Additions for Valentines Day

2009-02-02T15:08:00.004-08:00

Just wanted to post a quick update to let everyone know that today we added 4 new Valentine's Day Soaps which can be found in the Limited Edition section of our website. Or by doing a search on our site using the keyword "valentine" .

These amazing romantic, sensual scents have proven to be very popular here in our local venues. We are confident they will be just as popular on our website.

These are only available for the month of February. So get them will supplies last, because they won't be available again until next year.

We've also restocked the always popular Love Sick Handmade Soap for the holiday. You all know how fast it sells out so rush over quickly and pick up your bars while supplies last.

That's all for now. Have a great day!

Spring Soaping Surprise!

2009-01-29T13:36:00.006-08:00

Today I started my spring soaping. With all the good intentions in tow, I headed out to the shop to take a gander at my inventory of floral fragrance oils. They ranged from clean ozone scents like Aloe Vera, Blue Chamomile and Green Clover to more the heady florals like Gardenia, Jasmine, and Hawaiian White Ginger.

Living in the Spokane area, I thought that I would chose Antique Lilac in preparation for our annual Lilac Festival. Also because it is one of the first flowers to bloom in this area. So I set about my usual soapmaking process. I made sure to let all my oils cool due to the fact that I was working with a floral fragrance oil. Florals tend to cause the rest of the oils to seize up if temps are too warm.

After doing some office work while my oils cooled, I went back to work mixing everything together and adding some purple color to a small amount of soap for swirling. Well, there was no time for that!! Within a matter of just a few minutes, maybe 3 minutes tops. Just long enough for me to get the purple mixed in with a spoon, everything started to sieze up!!

Needless to say, this batch got glopped and smooshed into the mold instead of poured. It is in the oven in the shop at a very low temp at the moment in the hopes that it will warm enough to relax down into the mold leaving no air pockets.

Soaping is always an adventure, lol!

Reporting back with pictures of the "Seized Surprise"

This is the left half of the 5 lbs mold. You can see on the top how uneven it looks. Those were individual seized pieces that I tried to mash back down into the rest of the soap.

Here are some of the bars after cutting. As you can see they are riddled with pockets and crevasses. Some bars had holes in the middle.

And here are a few bars that didn't look too bad. However, there were only about 5 bars out of 23 that looked like this. That lovely purple shade was supposed to be delicate wispy swirls. Instead it ended up glopped and smashed into the rest of soap batch, resulting in ...... well, glops of purple color.

Suffice to say, this batch after cure will end up going through the shredder to be made into another bath. See, not all is a lost when it comes to soapmaking. It can almost always go back in the pot.

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-02T10:24:00.003-08:00

We're Back in Business!

Yes, that’s right.
After consulting with our advisors, accountant, and many of you; our customers, it has been decided that it was the best decision for all parties that we keep Valhalla Soap Company open. So, we are up and running a full speed, and working to re-stock many of your old favorites.We’re very excited about the re-opening and are looking forward to serving your bath & body care needs for another 7 years or more.

New Year's Sale

In celebration of New Beginnings; our Re-Opening and the New Year, we are having a 4 day Sales Event! Starting today Dec. 31st thru Sunday Jan. 4th everything on our website will be 25% off! Just enter the code New2009 at check out and the shopping cart will automatically deduct the discount from your total.

We've added a few nice Gift Bags to our Gift Center to make your holiday shopping easier. Be sure to check them out.

For a really Fabulous Holiday Gift check out our Soap of the Month Club for that special friend. Or gift yourself with a Soap Club subscription for only $19.95 a month!

All of us here wish you all a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year!

All Remaining Stock MUST Go!!

2008-09-02T12:01:00.004-07:00

We are liquidating ALL remaining inventory in order to make room for our up and coming make over. Everything MUST GO!!

New items recently added.

Whipped Shea Butter - 40% OFF!!
MSM-Menthol Cream - 40% OFF!!

Prices as low as 45% OFF!
Don't miss out on this opportunity. Items are going fast.

ATTENTION!! Soapmakers!
We have an extensive list of fragrance oils that we are also liquidating. If interested, please Contact Us for more info.

While you are here, please take a moment to vote our poll regarding All Natural vs Synthetic Bath & Body Products.

Vote in our poll!

Thank You!

Inventory Clearance Sale!!

2008-08-21T00:33:00.004-07:00

Valhalla Soap Company is Shifting Gears!!

Over the next few months you will see lots of changes take place. But one thing that won't change is the Superior Quality you have come to know and love in our products. And the Excellent Customer Service we have provided you for more than 5 years now!

Phase 2
Today we enter into Phase 2 of the plan we told you about last week. The Inventory Clearance Sale. Beginning Today, August 21st, 2008 you will find many items throughout our site that will be at drastically Reduced or Discontinued Prices! We will continue to add more items as we continue to clear out products that we will no longer be offering in order to make room for new inventory.

Special Candle Clearance:
Be sure and check out our Sale & Discontinued Candles page. It is not linked on any of the menus. You may access it via our Blog, via the Index Page announcement or via the Site Map.

Changes you may notice:
We are committed to keeping our environment clean. And therefore are moving into a greener packaging system for wrapping soaps. We will be phasing out the present labeling system. When the last of the "on hand" printed labels are gone, we will not be printing any more. Instead, your soaps will be nicely wrapped as always in 100% recycled tissue paper affixed with a product label. Ingredient information can be found on our website listed under the various soap categories. New and improved "greener" labels will be introduced in Phase 3 the last and final Phase of our "Re-Birth"

You will notice that some categories on our site no longer have any products in them. This is because we have already sold out of these products, or we are not producing any of these products until after the final phases of our "Re-Birth".

We ask that you bare with us during this transition. We promise that when the dust settles we will be "new & improved", and better able to serve your needs. Thank you for continued support.

Blessed Be,
Matt & Donna

Down for Maintenance??

2008-08-12T17:47:00.003-07:00

I'm sure some of you have stopped by the site only to find the following:

Down for Maintenance ...

Valhalla Soap is currently down for maintenance. Please excuse the dust, and we will be back later.

You are probably scratching your head wondering what happened and why? Truth is, Valhalla was long overdue for some major house cleaning. We had just finished some major de-junking of our home, and decided that we may as well keep right on going while we still had the "bug" :)

The end result will will take place in several "phases". Phase One will begin soon with an Overstock/Discontinued "type" sale. At which point we will bring the site back up "Live" for shopping to begin again. These items will be significantly reduced. We will announce the Re-opening for this sale soon via our newsletter and our blog. All Sales Will Be Final.

After the sale is over, Phase Two will begin. We will go back down again for a short period of time to prepare for the holiday season.

After the holidays, the Third and Final Phase will begin. Stay tuned for details :)

Bloggy Carnival

2008-07-31T07:25:00.004-07:00

Though ValhallaSoap.com is closed temporarily closed for maintanince and updating, I thought you all might be interested in this little jewel I ran across.

The Blog Carnival is packed full of great Bath & Body vendors as well as other super vendors so pop over and check it out. Here's all the details:

Bloggy Carnival Is HERE All Week Long! Over $1000.00 In Prizes!

Special Announcement

The Bloggy Carnival is here! Starting on July 28th 2008 and ending at midnight Pacific time Saturday August 2nd 2008. You will have several ways to win the AMAZING prizes listed on our blog. Winners will be announced by Wednesday August 6th. Remember to visit all of the other participating blogs at the Bloggy Carnival. We are just one stop of hundreds! Many of our contributors ship internationally, so don’t be shy, everybody whether you are in the US or not, or whether you have your own blog is welcome to participate!!

CONTEST INFO

Readers, here’s how to enter the contest. You can do one or all of these things, and each one will give an additional entry and thus MORE chances to win.

1. SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter here on the right hand side of the site. You MUST verify your subscription via the email the site will send you. Unverified subscribers will not be entered into the contest. This option is for new subscribers only.

2. Post this blog post in it’s entirety with a link to our contest here at your blog, group or website and you will be given additional entries to win. You MUST post the links where you have shared the info in one response here in this thread. The more places you post the event, the more entries you get, so spread the word! NOTE: Don’t worry if your post doesn’t show up right away or you get an error message, the spam filter on the site will catch it if there are too many links. I will approve your posts so no need to worry, if this happens please don’t post your list multiple times. Check back later in the week to see if it is up.

3. Visit each of the sites who have contributed to our event below and pick ONE favorite item from each store and come post the LINK to that item or the page the items is on here in this post. You can do one or all of the sites, you get an entry for each business you visit and the ONE item link you post here. Try to combine all of your items into one big post. NOTE: Don’t worry if your post doesn’t show up right away or you get an error message, the spam filter on the site will catch it if there are too many links. I will approve your posts so no need to worry, if this happens please don’t post your list multiple times. Check back later in the week to see if it is up.

4. Make a purchase today from ANY or all of the retailers participating on our page (see list below) and send us a copy of the receipt for your purchase to: racoo.smith @ gmail.com (no spaces) for an additional entry. You get entries for every purchase you make. Be SURE to put WSIMD Contest Entry in the subject line so it doesn’t get lost in our spam filter.

5. Read through our Weird Stuff in my Desk blog and find your favorite post and come back here and post the LINK to it. One favorite post per contestant please.

6. Come back daily to see more options for winning and possibly more prizes to compete for. New companies or prizes may be added to the bottom of the list.

7. Add us as your friend on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bittenbybooks

Add us as your friend on Facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=614064436

8. Stumble or share the post with any social networking sites. There is a button right at the end of this post that says share.

Be sure you leave a valid email and your name when posting here so we can contact you if you are the winner. We will contact the winners and request your first/last name and a valid email which we will give to the retailer whose prize you have one. It is up to the individual retailers to award your prizes. If we do not hear back from winners within one week of contacting you, you prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be chosen. We reserve the right to delete any inappropriate or inflammatory remarks or comments.

Be SURE to visit our sister site Bitten by Books will be offering a $50.00 Amazon.com Gift Card as well as HUNDREDS of dollars in different prizes, books and gift certificates for the Bloggy Carnival ! Go here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=738 and see what you could win! The directions for entry are set up there as well! Have fun and happy Carnival!

A BIG thank you to our fabulous contributors!!

Here is the list of AMAZING prizes you are trying to win!

KLEAN Bath & Body - $100.00 Gift Code
http://www.kleanbathandbody.com/
Klean Bath & Body provides luxurious, hand-mixed, bath and body products at an affordable price.

Flying Needle Gallery - $20.00 Gift Certificate
http://flyingneedlegallery.com
Gifts for the body & home: Offering velvet scarves, silk pillows, eco-friendly napkins & handkerchiefs and more. Includes FREE shipping if the prize winner is in the US — but will ship worldwide.

Broken Teepee Designs - $25.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.brokenteepeedesigns.com/
Beautiful beaded jewelry. Made in Montana. Free shipping on your order, will ship internationally

Get Happy Goat Soap - $10.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.gethappygoatsoap.com/
Handcrafted soap made with the milk from my Nigerian dwarf goats Pricilla and Abigail plus other rich ingredients. Get happy! Free shipping on your order, will ship internationally

Starring…! Fragrances - $26.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.starringfragrances.com/
Organic & Natural Perfumes & Body Products that Star you in Sweet, Sensual Scents!

Little Black Boxes - 2 $20.00 Gift Certificates for Little Black Boxes
http://www.thelittleblackboxes.com
The Little Black Box is the perfect place for consumers to learn about our wonderful online retailers before purchasing. It’s a handmade revolution!

Bovine Bubbles and Hogwash - Canadian Company - 2 $25.00 Gift Certificates
http://www.bovinebubblesandhogwash.com/
Udderly the best handcrafted body care in the world.

South Main Designs - $25.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.mysouthmaindesigns.com/155
Beautiful jewelry at affordable prices! Shipping to US and Canada.

Lillian Skincare - $50.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.lillianskincare.com/
At Lillian Skincare, we believe that caring for your whole body not only means being careful about what you eat, but also what you feed your skin from the outside.

Pampertini - $25.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.pampertini.com/
We offer a variety of pampering items for you to enjoy, whether you are a shower person or love to indulge in a tub of bubbles, come by for some ONE STOP SHOPPING fun!

Bauble Bath - $50.00 Gift Certificate
http://baublebath.com/
Thick Creamy scrubs as well as bath bombs in indulgent fragrances.

Crater Lake Company - $30.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.craterlakecompany.com

Delightfully Wed - $15.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.delightfullywed.com/
Delightfully Wed supplier of wedding accessories, supplies, decorations, and favors, specializing in western-themes. Shipping is free within the US - we will ship internationally if the winner wishes to pay the shipping costs.

Candles and Woodcrafts - $15.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.candlesandwoodcrafts.com/
We provide a wide array of items from wooden soap molds and displays to wax tarts, finished woodcrafts, clocks, lighted holiday items….way to much to mention in one line so come on over and take a look!

Ginger’s Garden - 2 - $10.00 Gift Certificates
http://www.gingersgarden.com/
Come visit Ginger’s Garden for handmade soaps, skin and body care, gift baskets, toiletries, Zodiac Perfume blends, sculpted soap flowers and more. US Shipping Only.

Snowberry Creek - A Gift Certificate for a sampler box valued at $22.95
http://www.snowberrycreek.com/
A box full of luxurious, fragrant samples and full-sized items, such as handmade soaps, lotions, massage oil, bath teas, bath salts, shea butter, votives, tarts, bath bombs, teas, coffees, decorative soaps, potpourri, jewelry, candles, bubble bath and much more. Shipping is free within the US - we will ship internationally if the winner wishes to pay the shipping costs.

FeltLikeStitchin - $20.00 Paypal Gift Certificate - UK Company
http://feltlikestitchin.etsy.com/
DiDi Dolls are small, unique hand stitched felt dolls, each with a note in its pocket with the name and date of creation. Will ship worldwide from their store.

Things That Make Scents - $25.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.thingsthatmakescents.com/
Things That Make Scents is a Jersey Shore-based candle manufacturer offering superior customer service and a diverse menu of all-natural soy wax candles and scented wax bears. With many scents available, you are sure to find a favorite! Carrying candle accessories, gift baskets, jewelry and great gift items, its your one stop shop for your gift giving needs! Ships to the US and Canada.

Linda’s Gifts and Decor - $25.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.lindasgiftsanddecor.com/
Shipping to Canada and US ***Come by on Wednesday for a special offer from this retailer.

The Bath Project - $25.00 Gift Certificate
http://TheBathProject.com
Handcrafted body care, inspired by nature, crafted in small batches using certified organic ingredients. Will ship internationally.

Chunky Butt Candle & Bath Co. - $20.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.chunkybuttcandles.com/
As a small business, Chunky Butt Candle & Bath Company, we are dedicated to making a unique candle and bath & body experience. World wide shipping

Bad Girlz Bath Co. - $50.00 Gift Code
http://badgirlzbath.com/
Do you have a Fragrance Fetish, a Lust for Lather, Massage oils make you Hot & Bothered? We’re NOT your mother’s Bath & Body shop, we’re SO much more fun!

Just Right Candles - $15.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.justrightcandles.com/
Just Right Candles you a No Flame, No soot, SAFE alternative to traditional candles.

Lindsay’s Candles & Stuff - Canadian Company - $25.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.lindsayscandles.com/
Lindsay’s Candles & Stuff proudly handcrafts scented candles, soaps and bath & body products.

Lily Gulch Soaps - $30.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.lilygulchsoaps.com/
Handmade 100% natural cold process soaps, unique bath & body products and natural bath accessories. International Shipping Worldwide using United States Postal Service (USPS).

Bin Hog Designs $25.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.binhog.com/
Custom embroidered Luggage ID Handle Wraps - choose from one of our many designs or get them personalized!

Pacific Scents $20.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.pacificscents.com
Hand-poured Custom Candles, Bath and Body Products. Over 150 scents!

J.Lynne Cosmetics - $25.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.jlynne.com/
Handcrafted mineral makeup. Purely beautiful, naturally you! Shipping to US and Canada.

Manic Trout - $25.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.manictrout.com/
Handmade jewelry that is both colorful and unique, using unusual and quite often vintage materials. Worldwide shipping.

Vintage Body Spa LLC - $15 Gift Certificate
http://www.vintagebodyspa.com/
Vintage Body Spa handcrafts natural, luxurious and paraben-free spa products designed to ‘Indulge Your Body’ ™.

Flower Peddler - $30.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.flower-peddler.com/
Naturally-sourced bath, body, and skincare - always fresh, never boring.

Wylde Ivy - $50.00 Gift Certificate
http://www.wyldeivy.com/
Wylde Ivy is all about unique and inspired scent blends, high quality handmade products, and exquisite little luxuries!

Weird Stuff In My Desk - $20.00 Sephora Gift Certificate
http://weirdstuffinmydesk.com

Soapier - $30.00 Gift Certificate
http://Soapier.com

The Blue Raven Tea Co. - 2 $10.00 Gift Certificates
http://blueraventea.com
Let us delight you with our irresistible and fragrant teas. Every cup is a journey. Shipping to US and Canada

NEW PRIZES ADDED!

Marr Williams - $25.00 Gift Card/Discount Code
http://marrwilliams.etsy.com
Pamper yourself. Simply. Naturally. Shipping to the US And Canada.

The Muse - $30.00 Gift Certificate to White Iris Designs
http://www.i-am-the-muse.com/

Weird Stuff In My Desk

2008-04-18T17:05:00.003-07:00

Check out this great review on some of our products. We sure appreciate the kind words from customer Rachel and her great review on her fun blog; Weird Stuff In My Desk.

While your there take some time to cruise around the blog as there's lots of other really interesting stuff. You'll find book reviews, free stuff, shopping and product review and more.
Enjoy!!

New Shopping Experience

2008-02-12T06:14:00.000-08:00

If you've noticed that things have looked kind of sparse around the 'ole Valhalla website, well....you'd be right. We haven't done any updating since the holidays. That's because we have been very busy upgrading to a new shopping cart. We are very excited to be able to offer our customers a new, more efficient shopping experience.

With you register your new account, you can now take part in various services we were preciously unable to offer you. Some of these services include:

Permanent Cart - Any products added to your online cart remain there until you remove them, or check them out. This is a handy feature in case you get interrupted, or bumped offline.

Address Book - We can now deliver your products to another address other than yours! This is perfect to send birthday, Secret Pal, or other Holiday Gifts direct to the giftee themselves.

Order History - Can't remember the name of that great bar of soap, or the scent of that luscious lotion you ordered last time? Just look it up! View your history of purchases that you have made with us.

Products Reviews - Share your opinions on products with our other customers. When you share a review of a product that you have used in the past, we will send you a Coupon Code good for 10% off your next order.

Create Your Own Package Deals - Now you can save money and time by putting together you own packages. Select soap pages have matching lotions and body sprays right there at a discount on the same page. No need to wander all over the site looking them.

We've also added a few new soaps and are trying to get pictures done to get up on the site. So stop by and check out the new digs. For a limited time, when you Register with our new site, we will email you a Coupon Code good for 10% your first purchase.

Drop us line telling us what you think of the new shopping cart. We'd love to hear your thoughts. And don't forget to Register to get that 10% off coupon.

Blessings!!

Patience!! Part 2

2008-01-11T05:37:00.000-08:00

The saga continues all through the week, but yesterday was the icing on the cake. And a valuable lesson learned.
I opened the door to my workshop yesterday morning and the blast of hot air that hit me in the face sent an instant wave of panic though me. I immediately scanned the interior for flames. Whew!! No flames, no fire. That checked off, now I needed to find the heat source. It didn't take long for me to realize that I had forgotten to turn down to free standing heater when I closed up the workshop the night before (the shop has no independent heat source yet and in winter here it can get down to 20 degrees in there. So we set the heater low at night to keep the shop at around 50 degrees when no one is working). Instantly I begin mentally berating myself and playing the "what-if" game in my head. "You idiot, you could have burned the shop down. You would have lost thousands of dollars worth of supplies & equipment. All your inventory would have been lost. And possibly the cars in the carport. You know better! Blah, blah, blah."

While mentally abusing myself I was doing a once over of everything to be sure that the heat had not done any damage. All appeared to be well. That is until I turned to the stainless counter top. This is where most of the expensive equipment is; scales, microwave, industrial mixer, etc. I noticed what appeared to be a large pool of water over most of the surface area of the counter including under all of the equipment. I had left a 2 gallon container of distilled water on the counter the day before so I assumed that it has somehow expanded in the heat and sprung a leak. Ok, if that was the worst outcome of my absent mindedness, no worries.

However, there's alway a However, . I ran my finger through the puddle, and I realized that it wasn't water. It was oil. I buy all my fixed oils that go into soapmaking in large bulk quantities. But for easier managability, I transfer smaller amounts into 1-3 lb size bottles, buckets or bags and store them on the shelf above my counter. After inspecting the shelf I saw that my bag of pricey, decadent Babassu oil was empty where there had once been just a bit over a pound in it. Yep!! That pricey pound of oil was now all over my counter! It could not have been a less expensive oil, NO. It had to be one of the spendy ones.

It was a chore to clean up I tell ya. Lots of newspaper to absorb the mess. I was so disgusted knowing that this awesome oil was just being absorbed into newsprint and thrown into the garbage. Thankfully not of the equipment was damaged. It all has raised feet and kept it sitting up out of the oil. Just a little foot washing and it was l good as new, lol. And after cleaning up, my hands were very nice and soft ;)

Lesson learned: Don't leave the shop without going over the new checklist hanging by the door.

Lights off
Stove off
Small appliances unplugged
Refridgerater door closed
HEATER TURNED DOWN

Today is a new day. And I'm taking the day off. My husband has the day off, so we are going to the movies. We are trying to decide if we will see The Bucket List, or The Golden Compass. I'm not sure which it will be. But I am sure, that there will be no soaping disasters today. At least not for this soaper :)

Patience!! Part 1

2008-01-11T04:47:00.000-08:00

Have you ever gone through time when it seemed nothing went right? Everything you'd pick up you would immediately drop? Everytime you would go to turn around you would run into something or trip over the dog/cat? That items you ordered and needed to arrive on time would be late or backordered? Traffic would be backed up when you are already late for an appointment? I could go on but I think you catch my drift :) Well, this week has been a lesson in patience for me. Because it has been all of the above and more.

Lets start with soapmaking. As most of you know if you have visited our site lately, we are seriously out of stock on most everything. The holiday rush put the hurt on us (in a good way). So, I've been in a frenzy trying to get soap made to re-stock. We've gotten in some fantastic new fragrance oils for the new year and I've been itching to soap them so I made a deal with myself that I had to do two soap to re-stock per day if I wanted to soap a new one. So, that means 3 batches a day plus keep up with incoming orders. No problem when things run smoothly.

I was looking forward to showing my new helper how to make soap and I just new we would be caught up in no time and with lots of new scents to boot. Well, good and bad news comes along via my new helper. GOOD NEWS: She's pregnant!!!! YEA!!!! They wanted another baby badly. so this is great. We're all excited. BAD NEWS: A few days later she comes down with an upper respiratory bug of some sort and it has really kicked her butt. And on top of it, morning sickness turns into afternoon sickness with dizziness. Poor thing is double-whammied!!!

Ok, I'm on my own this week. No biggy, I was on my own before I can do it again. Monday comes and I knock out two out of stock soap and get ready to do a new men's scent; Cedar & Sage. Well, I recently decided to "color outside the lines" and try FD&C colorants. Until now all I've ever used are natural pigments. so, I'm thinking that I'll try and go for a redish-cedar color for this fantastic scent. The fragrance oil soaps up fine, it doesn't misbehave, I color it and it is a beautiful cedar color. In the mold it goes. Tuesday morning I'm anxious to unmold my masterpiece. I pull away the blankets and............WHAT?!?!?! Please NO!! Please mind, tell me I'm seeing things. Tell me that this soap IS NOT PINK?!?!?! But sadly it was. Actually kind of a pinkish salmon color. But not any where close to being the rich redish cedar color that it was the day before :(

So how am I to market a wonderful masculine smelling soap to men? When it is PINK!! If anyone you men are reading then and you are in touch with, or not threatened by your feminine side, lol, I've got a great smelling, awesome lathering bar of soap for you!! And who knows, you ladies just might like it too :)