Ch...Ch...Ch...Changes...

New Dirty Soap

Here's the inaugural (well, not really, but the official one) post of my Changes series. As I get more adventurous in my soap making prowess, I'll be making over or improving upon the older "models" of some of my and your favorite soaps. Up first is Dirty. I have been really overwhelmed by the response this soap has gotten. Mainly because I didn't think it would sell. I went way overboard with the chocolate lines, but it was after all, the inspiration behind the name, and the customers loved it-but me, not so much.

Old Dirty Soap

While I've kept the name, and the scent, Sicilian Olive Blossom, which by the way, is this indescribable aroma of crisp meets fresh. It reminds me of sprayable laundry starch. I know that's a horrible description and quite possibly a turnoff, but I associate that scent with my childhood. I attended Catholic school up til high school, and I would have to iron my own shirts. I wore the ones with the Peter Pan collar-with the round awkward-shaped corners. To get all the wrinkles and creases out, I'd spray the hell out of mys shirts with spray starch, and the scent was just really, well, crisp and fresh....

As you can see, I now have two, thinner chocolate lines, and thanks to Jo at The Soap Bar for suggesting I cut the soap on its side to minimize "streaking."  And I was able to miraculously duplicate the minty, shimmery green topping. I used a green chrome oxide with a touch of pearl mica. And so, this concludes this episode of Changes. Up next, Buffy The Dead Skin Slayer gets a new hue and scent!

Simplistic Sunday

You've all heard of Wordless Wednesdays (or maybe not). Well I'm starting Simplistic Sundays. To me Sundays are about relaxation, and reflection. It's the calm before the weekday storm. So why not look at some soothing works before starting your crazy week?! Each week, I'll scour the venues in search of beautiful works of handmade art that are plain in its presentation, but gorgeous in its simplicity. This week's finds are courtesy of Art Fire!

Dang's World

flapper doodle

YooLa


bomobob

Two Belles & a Bead

Tuesday Treasury: Afro Sheen!

I can never get a frickin Treasury on Etsy to save my life! I don't have time to watch the number fall below 333, so I've decided to do my own thing. Every Tuesday, I'm gonna post my own Treasury on the left sidebar of my favorite things. This week's inaugural Treasury is an homage to my hair. I call it Afro Sheen, and I've got a lot of saving to do. I actually want some of these things!

New Blog Feature: Rhymes With ______________

I’m always thinking of new and exciting ways to entertain and engage you, my lovely readers! After racking what’s left of my brain, I have decided to start a new weekly feature called Rhymes With ______. The premise of this feature is to create my own personal Treasury of all the things I find wonderful and lovely. This inaugural Treasury is called Rhymes With “hollower”. Okay, I made that word up. I couldn't think of anything to rhyme with follower. I’m sure some smarty-pants will reply with an appropriate word. This week’s Treasury is dedicated to all my followers. Check out how talented you all are!

Something New

Hey All,

This is a long post, so grab a coffee, tea, beer, whatever you drink at 7am EST! I’ve blogged briefly a few weeks ago about Art Fire, a new online selling venue for artisans (I like this word so much better than “crafter”.) One of my goals for the year was to become more involved with Art Fire building up my store and becoming an active member of the Art Fire community. I’m happy to report that I’ve actually done that. That in itself is a miracle being the lazy ass that I am. I’ve even joined two Guilds (the Etsy equivalent of a Team.) I am now an official member of Blog Fire and We Love Art Fire. Isn't Blog Fire the coolest name? I really love Art Fire because it’s new, it’s fresh, and I feel a true sense of community there. For every account that is opened, they plant a tree for the environment, and if you refer at least 10 artisans to open a store on Art Fire, you get a free ride (i.e., no fees) for LIFE! You can join at the basic level for free-no listing fees and no commissions, however, you’re only limited to listing 10 items, and you’re listings are limited (no categories, only 4 pics….) Or, you can sign up for the VERIFIED status and pay a flat monthly fee of $7.00 for life (if you’re among the first 5,000 to join). With the verified status, you can list as many items and as often as you’d like with no listing or commission fees, unlike Etsy. Another plus: you get shop statistics via Google Analytics. I recently closed my candle store there because I’m not really making candles as much as I used to, and I got an actual e-mail from the president of Art Fire asking me why I closed my shop, and if there was anything wrong that they did. How impressive is that? Okay, you can play devil’s advocate and say, well, yeah, he would contact you because they’re a fledgling site who really can’t afford to lose members at this point. BUT, the fact still remains that he took the time to personally e-mail me, and it wasn’t some lame auto-response either. That’s what I call customer service!

With all that being said, I’m starting a new feature on my blog called Chillin’ With…. and I’ll be spotlighting a seller from Art Fire. The spotlight will consist of a series of questions about the artisan and their artistry. My intent is to generate some positive buzz for both the artisan and Art Fire. If you are an artisan on Art Fire and would like to be featured, please leave a comment in this post, and I’ll contact you with the details. The first artisan will be featured on 1/23/08.

To join, click my link, and I’ll send you a nice token of my appreciation!