The delight of tea-themed soaps

Have you ever had any tea-themed soaps? A friend once gave me a great gift set of oval bars of tea-infused soaps, and another time I found some rectangular soaps bearing a teapot decal on top. This week, I received a surprise gift of the prettiest tea-themed soaps I have ever seen, and I think you just may agree!

The maker of these beautiful pieces is Dalene Ruhe of Martinez, Calif. She sent me a kind and humbling e-mail the other week saying she had been inspired by my blog and has started a new business of making these teatime soaps, and she'd love to share some as a thank-you if I'd send my address. Receiving such a sweet e-mail was thank-you enough to make me happy, but then a package arrived containing bars and bars of this gorgeous and pleasantly floral scented glycerine soap. One of the first ones I opened was this soap I'm calling the "Pink Roses Teapot" model. Have you ever *seen* a more perfect soap for a tea lover?

Dalene, I learned, made some of these soaps for a church boutique for 750 women (!) over the weekend, and I would love to have been there and seen the reaction to her pieces. She says it is her "bliss" to make them and that she enjoys combining two things she so loves, tea and soap. I love that! The teacup on this soap is the merest hint of pink with white relief roses on it, reminding me of those delicate old Jasperware teacups.

There was even a soap with the image of a teacup, teapot and cake on it, dusted with just a mere suggestion of iridescence. I was simply bowled over by these soaps, I must say. In fact, when they arrived I was on my way to meet tea friend Maureen for lunch, so I took one of the soaps to share with her and she loved it as well. I've already conveyed my thanks to Dalene, and I also told her I hope she sells these on eBay or Etsy one day, because I definitely think tea lovers would be excited to see them!