Crafty Manolo

Sometimes the same artist has a really Good Idea, and a really Bad Idea. This new feature will help us all identify which is which.

Let’s start the ball rolling with Etsy artist Fetosoap. The tagline for the store is: Everything from natural to novelty handmade bath and body. Let me tell you, she isn’t kidding.

First the Good Idea:

I love, love, love this soap. It’s vegetarian-friendly, hypo allergenic, and scented with a soothing combination of honey, almond, and vanilla. The charming honeycomb and bee motif is there because of the natural local honey used, which also creates the natural amber coloring. Recommended for dry or sensitive skin, it’s $6.00 a cake. Pretty, practical, and all natural? I’m there!

And yet somehow the same artist produced this Very Bad Idea:

Yes, it’s a razor blade (a real one that has not been dulled) embedded in a bar of glycerine soap. Glycerine, by the by, is hydrophilic (it soaks up water) so the razor blade will rust over time. And since using the soap could, over time, result in a trip to the ER, it is recommended for display purposes only. Then again, if you choose to display potentially lethal soaps in your bathroom, I recommend trying to find insurance against the possible consequences since we all know That Person who uses the display only guest towels and reaches immediately for the display only soap.

I think I’ll stick to the first bar of soap. After all, it’s much prettier, smells nice, and has no negative consequences if someone chooses to break it in while you want it to stay pretty… unless they have a horrible honey allergy.

Have you ever thought about making your own soap? I’m contemplating the concept right now. And what got me thinking about creating my own body cleansing products? Finding the site Soap Making Essentials. If you’ve had dreams of your own bath bars or just have been curious about how it’s done, this is the place to go for more information.

Cold process, hot process, room temperature process, whipped cream soap, there are basic instructions for a variety of methods of soap making. Then  there are the recipes, the soap making forum, the source directory, galleries of reader’s work, and the blog. In short, if you want to know from soap, this is a great place to begin.

Why not go check it out? It’s good clean fun!

I love handmade soap.

And wandering Etsy, I found this delicious sounding one. Pumpkin and cocoa. Two of my favorite flavors, and – amazingly enough! – two of my favorite scents of all time.

The marbled look is attractive enough for any bath, and the scents… oh the scents!

So if you’re looking for something to add a touch of holiday cheer to your soapdish, or a great stocking stuffer for someone who loves to smell good, this is a winner. And at just $5.00, it may well be the perfect answer to your office Secret Santa exchange, too!

Not wild about pumpkin and cocoa? That’s okay, the same shop sells such delicious soaps as grapefruit and basil, or spearmint, too, as well as some comfortable looking crochet goodies.