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Smithmade Essentials

@smithmade_essentials

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• Artisan Soap & Soy Candles
• Creatively handmade in New Haven, CT
• Eco-friendly & Powered by botanicals 🌱
• By @kiahsmithcreative

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✨ Holiday Vendor Spotlight: Smithmade Essentials ✨
Say hello to Smithmade Essentials, bringing beautifully crafted, feel-good goods to our Holiday Market! Their artisan soaps and soy candles are thoughtfully handmade in New Haven, CT — eco-friendly, botanical-powered, and perfect for gifting (or treating yourself!). 🌱🕯️
Come experience their creativity, craftsmanship, and calming aromatics in person.
📍 Elicit Brewing Co., Fairfield 📅 Sunday, 12/7 ⏰ 12–5 PM
Shop small, support local makers, and bring home something lovely. ✨ by @smithmade_essentials

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10 months ago

GIVEAWAY! Happy merry holiday season! We’re spreading peace & love and celebrating women makers with this calming gift set featuring a Calm lavender-vanilla soy candle topped with an amethyst crystal from @florapothecarie, an amethyst moment necklace from @katestephenjewelry and two gorgeous soaps and a wick trimmer from @smithmade_essentials. A $110 value! Gift it to your favorite person or keep it for yourself, we won’t judge 😘

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Follow @florapothecarie @katestephenjewelry and @smithmade_essentials
2. Like this post.
3. Tag three people who need this gift box in the comments. 💜

Giveaway is limited to US residents only. Closes December 13, 2024. Winner will be chosen at random and notified on December 14.

This giveaway is not affiliated with or endorsed by Instagram. Winner will be chosen at random and notified via Instagram message by @florapothecarie on December 14!!!
#giveaway #unboxing #madeinct #womanowned #holiday taken in Connecticut by @smithmade_essentials

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2 years ago

Envision a sprawling metropolis bathed in the bright blue and pink hues of dazzling neon lights. The air is buzzing with energy as people gather to explore the night. ✨

This is the scene I had in mind when I came up with the idea for Neon Night, the second candle created for the Muse collection. I was inspired by cyberpunk settings like Blade Runner or Ghost in the Shell and wanted to create a scent that captured the vibrancy of these futuristic places.

I started with zesty notes of mandarin, lemon, and bergamot to add energy. Middle notes of jasmine, green tea, and neroli add a touch of passion. The base of sandalwood, cedar, and patchouli balance and ground the scent. All together, they create a candle that inspires curiosity and exploration into a Neon Night of sci-fi wonders.

✨ Neon Night candles are available now in the shop. Link in bio.

#neonnight #cyberpunk #futurism #metropolis #nightlife #neonlights #candlesforwriters #findyourmuse #nanowrimo #novelwriting #scifi #sciencefiction #bladerunner #ghostintheshell #philipkdick #writersblock #bookstagram #writers #writerscommunity #welovewriting #pickupthepen #madeinct #newhaven #westvillect #nhv by @smithmade_essentials

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2 years ago

Know what's perfect on a crisp autumn morning? A cup of tea. 🍵

You can't drink these Cup of Tea bars, but you can certainly bathe in them. Bergamot is the primary scent that makes this soap smell like a steaming cup of Earl Grey. It's rich, floral, and so comforting.

These Cup of Tea bars have been around since the beginning. They're one of my personal favorites among my collections and are my first recommendation when people ask. Scroll down in my feed, and you'll see how the design has developed over time. It took some trial and error to finally get to this current look. I'm in love with the sharp marbling and gold details.

🫖Cup of Tea artisan soap is available now for shipping. Link in bio.

#artisansoap #handmadesoap #barsoap #earlgrey #smellsamazing #ladygrey#coldprocessed #soapdesign #instasoap #madeinct #newhaven #westvillect #nhv #soapmaking #seasonalsoap #cupoftea #teasoap #tealover #marble #micaline # by @smithmade_essentials

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2 years ago

Aurora Dreams was the first scent I created for the Muse collection. It came together before I fully understood the vision for the collection. Once I smelled it, a spark of inspiration went off and I knew I wanted to create more scents that were evocative of time, place, and theme. And so, the Muse collection was born.

This invigorating scent blends notes of birch, lemon, honey, and eucalyptus. It's the centerpiece of the Muse collection because it opened up a world of creativity in fragrance that I hadn't explored until now. My goal in creating this collection and sharing these scents is to inspire your creativity and help you find your muse.

🍋 Aurora Dreams is available now for shipping. Link in bio.

#dream #aurora #enchantedforest #makersgonnamake #discover #explore #creativelife #birch #lemon #eucalyptus #scentedcandle #handmadecandle #golden #ginkgo #beinspired #madetocreate #liveartistically #whatdreamsaremadeof #westvillect #nhv #newhaven #madeinct #findyourmuse by @smithmade_essentials

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2 years ago

Say hello to the new Herbaceous artisan soap bars! This is another Garden Collection soap that got a redesign this year. I was GIDDY when I came up with this new look and executed it just as I wanted it.

The original Herbaceous bars were one of my easier to make piped top soaps. However, I thought it had the potential to be a little better. Maybe that's my flaw as an artist, the inability to leave well enough alone. 😅

Taking this soap back to the drawing board, I wanted it to be simple but maintain a pop of interest. I decided it was time to try my hand at using soap stencils. ✨

At the start of the year, I invested in a cutter to help out with my in-house packaging. This opened up a world of possibilities for things I could do, and making stencils was one of them. I came up with a simple wave design that could be pulled through the wet soap batter to carry the design through the length of the loaf. It took some testing to get right, but the end result is adorable.

This new design features ghost swirls in the white base, a copper mica line, and beautiful copper oil swirls on top. The scent is still a crisp blend of rosemary and mint.

🌿 What do you think of this redesign?
Available for shipping. Link in bio.

#handmadesoap #artisansoap #creativesoap #soapdesign #makersgonnamake #soapswirls #mica #micaline #coldprocessedsoap #barsoap #instasoap #madeinct #newhaven #nhv #westvillect #rosemary #mint #freshandclean #vegansoap #sheabutter #smellsgood #feelsgood #wintersoap #handmadegifts by @smithmade_essentials

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2 years ago

I have a confession to make; I'm not a spooky-season person. 🙈 I'm much more of a cozy vibes-type. However! When I made these The Crow's Nest candles, I thought that they'd be a good middle ground for those who like a darker vibe without the macabre.

The Crow's Nest is part of my Muse collection of scents that launched at the start of the year. This is an original collection of scents that express abstract themes and inspire imagination. The themes that inspired The Crow's Nest were speakeasy, noir, and mystery.

The Crow's Nest captures the smoky haze of a dark night and the spice of cynicism with an intricate blend that includes such infamous notes as oudh, amber, and myrrh. Dark musk, saffron, and peppercorn can be detected with unexpected undercurrents of rose.

🌙 If you like dark and mysterious, then give The Crow's Nest a try. Available for shipping. Link in bio.

#speakeasy #noir #itsamystery #oudh #oud #agarwood #candlesforwriters #findyourmuse #nanowrimo #novelwriting #genre #filmnoir #sixofcrows #leighbardugo #thecrowsnest #writersblock #bookstagram #writers #writerscommunity #welovewriting #pickupthepen #madeinct #newhaven #westvillect #nhv by @smithmade_essentials

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2 years ago

Towards the end of summer, I relaunched my Wildflower artisan soap bars with a new design. I've been wanting to make terrazzo-style bars for a long time and this soap was a great candidate for it.

These bars were my go-to summer scent for several years, but the difficulty of working with floral-scented soaps is that the fragrance has a tendency to speed up the saponification process, making it difficult to make intricate designs. Initially, these Wildflower bars featured hand-piped flowers on top and a floral swirl design. Beautiful, but not the ideal design for this particular scent blend. 😅

I wanted this redesign to be as colorful as the original and speak to the scent notes. I created a palette of pinks, teals, and pale purples that could be sprinkled throughout a base of white. These bars are made in two stages. I first made the individually colored bars and then chopped them up to add to the white base. The tops then got a splattering of gold mica. The end result is a fun design with speckles of color throughout.

I also reblended the scent to make it a little easier to work with. The new scent has notes of orchid, lily, berry, and musk. 🌸

I love how these came out and the new scent blend has also resonated with many of you who got to smell them in person. There are still a couple bars left in the shop. Once they're gone, they won't be back until next year. Grab them while you can!

Do you like hearing about my design thoughts and process? Let me know if this part of the art interests you. by @smithmade_essentials

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2 years ago

Have you been looking for soap that isn't floral, fruity, or sweet? Then these Agarwood Grove bars are for you.

Agarwood is a fragrant, dark, resinous wood that's sometimes referred to as oudh. It gives the perfect base note to evoke a sense of a deep dark forest without pine or fir at the forefront. Instead, you'll find notes of sandalwood, cedar, and frankincense wrapped around the agarwood base.

If you like earthy, musky scents then these Argarwood Grove bars are for you.

Available now for shipping. Link in bio.

#handmadesoap #artisansoap #agarwood #oud #ouhd #deepforest #darkwood #resin #frankincense #sandalwood #cedarwood #giftsforhim #madeinct #westvillect #newhaven #hvn #soapdesign #coldprocessedsoap #barsoap #woodland #shopsmallct by @smithmade_essentials

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2 years ago

Candles aren't the only thing in season. My Avalon's Orchard artisan soap bars are available again. I start making these as soon as September rolls around, and I try to keep them around through winter, but they're a popular scent and get snatched up fast.

These bars closely resemble the new Apple Picking candles, featuring a fragrance blend of sweet apple, peach, citrus, and musky undertones.

Available now for shipping! Link in bio.

#artisansoap #handmadesoap #barsoap #sweetapple #smellsamazing #bodybar #coldprocessed #soapdesign #instasoap #madeinct #newhaven #westvillect #nhv #soapmaking #seasonalsoap #applepicking #apples #goldmica #itstheseason by @smithmade_essentials

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2 years ago

Autumn is undoubtedly the most festive season. Night markets, fall fests, and the buzz of everyone preparing for the holidays. There's so much to do and nothing is better than sharing these moments with friends and family. These were my thoughts when creating the Wassail Wishes candles.

Wassail is a mulled cider, spiced wine, or ale. Enjoying these drinks with loved ones creates warmth inside and out. I wish for everyone to have people they can create wonderful memories with that they can cherish year after year.

🍊 What's your wish?

These Wassail Wishes candles are a spiced blend of mulled cider, cinnamon, clove, and a hint of orange zest to fill your autumn nights with that festive feeling.

Available now for shipping.

#fall #autumn #soycandle #seasonalscent #falldecor #fallfest #festive #fallfoliage #spicedwine #wassail #mulledcider #cinnamon #pomander #madeinct #newhaven #nhv #westvillect #handmade #creativelife #autumnvibes by @smithmade_essentials

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2 years ago

Fall isn't complete without apple picking! Growing up in New England, apple picking was a go-to activity whether it was for a field trip in school or a family outing. Walking through the orchard, plucking apples fresh from the tree, and trying to find the sweetest ones is the experience that inspired the Apple Picking candles.

These candles are a lovely blend of sweet apples balanced with green leaves, cedar, and a touch of vanilla base at the base.

🍎 The Apple Picking soy candles are available now for shipping. Link in bio.

#applepicking #soycandle #seasonalscent #autumnmoments #autumn #appleseason #appleorchard #orchard #cozyvibes #appletree #feelslikefall #newengland #madeinct #westvillect #nhv #newhaven by @smithmade_essentials

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2 years ago