An Overdue Salute to...

Silvia from Taller de sabó!


Silvia is the talented soapmaker behind the wonderful soap shop Le botigueta del taller in Spain, and I'm also blessed to have her as my soap swap counterpart in Julia's International Soap Swap on her Soap Artists blog.


I have to admit that I was a little intimidated by the fact that I would be swapping soaps with someone as talented and as accomplished as Silvia.  After all, I'm just a hobby soap lover whose soap world pretty much ends at my own front door.   What do I have to share with someone so way out of my league?  But after a few email exchange, I found Silvia to be such a friendly and warm person that I felt a little more comfortable sharing my passion with.


We agreed to swap two bars of soap of our own choice, as a kind of surprise for each other.  And these are what I received in my mailbox....

Lavender with lavender essential oil from the Provence

I just love this bright, eye-catching blue!  Beautiful, stunning, and it smells oh so good!  For someone like me who doesn't normally soap with essential oil, this one is definitely a special treat.   It lathers so easily and the wonderful scent lingers afterwards.  I'm in love with it!

Marrakech, with organic shea butter fair trade of Burkina Fasso

This is one gentle, moisturizing soap!  I have to force myself to use it just so that I know what to say about this bar.  If I weren't going to write this blog post, I swear I would have kept it and cherished it for a very long time.  It has a mild citric fragrance to go with the beautiful orange hue.  A bar that brightens your day and wakes up your senses.

Didn't I just say we'd swap two bars of soap?  Apparently not!

Silvia surprised me with this unexpected gift, a beautiful felted soap.  Notice the small handle on top of the soap?  It's such a thoughtful touch.  Now I can hang it in the shower without worrying about it soaked in water.  I have yet to give this a try - again, love it too much - but I know for sure that I'll love it just as much.


I have to mention that each of these three soaps came individually wrapped and protected.  I was so very touched by the thoughts and efforts Silvia put into this swap.  Thank you so much, Silvia!