Soapy Seductions

Hello fellow readers!

I must admit, it's been a long (too long) time since I've last posted. I've been working on something pretty exciting and I can't wait to unveil it to you.  Anyone want to guess? (I'll give you a hint, it involves a soapy saddle. :) :) :)

In any event, I'm continuing the Soapkitten blog and in the near future, I'll be positing on a more regular basis.  

Until then,I'll leave you with a little bit of inspirational visual cat-nip inspired by different soaping techniques! 

Rainbow Cube Soap from Wizardatwork's Etsy Shop

Cupcake Soap from IndigoAmbiance's Etsy Shop

And last but not least-- a SOAPKITTEN fave! Majestic Autumn from TinyFavor's Etsy Store! 

Happy Soaping!

Love, SK

Visual Cat-Nip: Scentsy Premium Warmers

Here's a small peek of some of the exquisite warmers I have in my online store. They make puurfect gifts for all kinds of for anyone in your life! And, PS. They are pet-safe (meow)!

Forget-Me-Not Scentsy Warmer

Silvervine Warmer

Elemental Warmer

Cherry Blossom Warmer

All of these products and fragrance bars can be purchased directly through the link here or can be found at: https://thecandlecabinet.scentsy.us

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me here.

Rainbow Coasters

I saw these colorful coasters on my friend's Facebook page and  I was in awe. My friend purchased these on Etsy and immediately I went to the site to purchase a set of my own.  That was last year, and I've never regretted them.  Looking at these vibrant coasters make me just plain happy.

Made from reclaimed wooden branches, these eco-friendly coasters are handpainted with soy paint and sealed with an acrylic clear coat. I've had these for a year, and they are still as vibrant as the day I got them. And durable. Just ask my cat, who likes knocking them off the table. He's also responsible for the 6th coaster, who has since gone missing. I have no doubt it's rolling around under my furniture somewhere. 

You can find these vibrant coasters for purchase here. 

Soap Nerd

If you couldn't tell by now, I'm really a geek at heart.  Just take a look at my at my World of Warcraft post here and game controllers made out of soap here.

Although I haven't played video games in quite sometime, Zelda is one that stays close to my heart, and speaking of hearts, look what I've found . . .

Legend of Zelda Heart Container Soap

Image from Smallthingsforsale's Etsy store

And of course, who can forget rupees- Hyrule's currency:

Rupees
Image from Smallthingsforsale's Etsy store

This store has a really cute sale going on. Buy four heart pieces and get a heart container for free! 

Do-do-do-dooooo! 

Visual Cat-Nip: Happy Easter!

May everyone have a lovely Easter, a delightful spring and a blessed Ostara.

Easter Egg Soaps

Image from AJ'sSweetSoaps' Etsy Store

Marshmallow Chick Soap (also known as "Peeps" in candy form)

Image from TheBathTubBakery's Etsy Store

Get your "shine-on" with these sparkly soaps:

Image from DaisyKay's Etsy Store

Or "nibble" on a yummy confection:

Easter Petit Fours
Image from TimeOut4Me's Etsy Store

Back on the Soapy Saddle: Part 2

And this thing is just so slippery! Sorry I've been M.I.A.  Let's see, a job-change, a big move out of state, heck, even a broken engagement it's been a long year (or two) of projects, new job, moves, and lessons learned.  One thing I can't seem to leave behind my love of soap and writing.

2012 started with a bang of the worst kind (good, in hindsight).  Break-ups are never fun, broken engagements are worse. Like most of you can relate, it left me feeling uninspired, unmotivated and just awful. Did I mention I started a new job in the middle of it? Thank goodness for that, it gave me a focus that I desperately needed. My new job consists of working in customizing a very popular brand of notebooks. I won't say which one, as I don't want to drive my blog based on popular brand names, but I will say, it's a very good notebook.  I'll leave the guessing game up to you, my fellow readers.  ;)

And of course, I moved out of state, back to my fabulous homeland of NJ. Fortunately, I still work in NYC, so I feel like I just have the best of both worlds. A quite retreat in NJ, and the hustle and excitement of NYC, 15 mins away from my doorstep!

The best lesson I've learned from all of this, is that change is good.  It really is! I don't think I've ever encountered a point in my life where it's not.

And now that you know where I have been all this time, it's now time to celebrate with a barrage of visual cat-nip inspired by travel:

This pretty soap packaging reminds me of a sweet trip to Provence....

Jardin de Paris French Lilac Botanical Soap

Image from TerraViam Etsy's Store

Or how about a soap that makes you feel like a Grecian Goddess (I love the gold mica sparkles in this one)...

Goddess Shea Butter Soap

Image from Sherri's Scent and Soys Etsy's Store

Creamy NYC Soap (to wash out that city grit)...

Creative Juice Glycerine Bar

Image from NYC Metro Girl Etsy's Store

Beer Soap-Brooklyn's Finest!

Just in time for Father's Day, Brooklyn Brewery is offering a "Beer Soap". I've seen tutorials on this before, the soapmaker substittues beer for water in their cold-cold process soap receipe.
Sounds really, really neat! Guiness should definitely jump on the soap wagon!

Beer soap is $10, and you can get it here. 

Glass and Gold!

 images from Amethyst Soaps Etsy store

This soap is a beautiful work of art and reminiscent of cathedral stained glass. Created by Amethyst soaps (you can see my gem soaps post about them here) this soap was inspired by Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth.  While I never read the book, I did see the mini-series and it was EXCELLENT!

images from Amethyst Soaps Etsy store

 

Another Amethyst Soap creation is their Golden Egg Soap! This soap is made with luxurious skin-softening oils (jojoba and coconut) and it's luxurious-looking to boot! 

L'Objet d'Envy: Rock Candy

I first saw this lovely piece of jewelry on my co-worker (and cupcake Goddess), Rachel (www.cupcakestakethecake.com), and it was love at first sight!  As I inquired about the necklace, I couldn't help but saying it looked like a lovely, glittery string of rock candy.

"That's what its called", she said matching my excitement.

I'm normally not a jewlery person, but this was love at first sight. It is a perfect accessory that can be worn dressed up, or dressed down. The fact that it's pink just adds to its deliciousness.

I'm simply drooling over it.

Check it out here at Objets d'Envy.

Scrabble: Cooking Edition

Calling all gourmandizing word-Nazis . . . the “Cooking” edition of Scrabble is FINALLY here!
This Scrabble is slightly different than it’s original version. It allows players to earn additional bonus points for words relating to foodie pastimes and throws in recipe cards for a customize game-play. It even comes with a cute “shopping bag” for storing your tiles.
Talk about appetizing alphabetical vittles for the brain!
You can find Scrabble: Cooking Edition here.

Originally posted on my food-blog: http://devouringnyc.wordpress.com/

Animal Totem: Snow Leopard

In the last few days, I've been reading up on Animal Totems. One of my friends and dog/nature painter, Skye Sutherland, had mentioned totems to me in the past, but I never really sought them out. That is, until I couldn't get snow leopards out of my mind. In the last few months, I've been feeling a nagging persistence to go to the Bronx Zoo. It started out innocently enough, "let's go to the zoo" and then it was almost an obsessive chime in my head "Snow Leopards, Snow Leopards..".
Skye suggested that maybe it was my totem. I quickly Googled it and found scarily accurate things about my totem--things that reflect lessons I should be learning.

Here's the part that resonated with me the most:
"Snow Leopard Souls are here in part to learn the lesson of Self Reliance.  Like this Totem Spirit that has a mostly solitary life, the Two legged beside whom  Snow Leopard strides, will face many encounters and situations in their current incarnation which develop the ability to rely upon and trust the inner Self.

Curious, I started to wonder if there was jewelery I can purchase, so that I can be constantly reminded of my totem.This is where I found foxloft.com. The artist, Foxfeather Zenkova (yes, her real name) sells artwork and artisan jewelery of totems/animals. These beautifully crafted pendants are carved out of tagua, which according to her site is the "nut of a rain forest tree". Basically a natural, renewable resource that's similar to ivory in texture and hardness. 

  Much to my delight, they had snow leopards!


Check out Foxfeather's wares here.
And check out Skye Sutherland's gallery of paintings here.



All images are from foxloft.com

Back Again!

Hello my soapy readers!

I've decided to come back to my blog after realizing that there is just too much out there to write about. What initially started out as a "soap" blog is now going to be headed in a different direction. I'm passionate about lots of things, so I needed a blog to reflect some of that. A Blog About Unique Things is what this site is about, and that's what I'm going to stick to. Whether its about soap, or make-up, or items and services that I find wonderful and unique.

So, welcome (again). I hope you enjoy!

Stay tuned. :)

A Good Spirituality Blog

I'm not really a religious person, but I'm really diggin' my friend's blog on religion and spirituality.  It's filled with wonderful insight and common sense. While he talks about God and Him, I find that it's still suitable for those who are spiritual and not of his particular religion.   Check it out at:
http://jdsmodernspirit.blogspot.com


And in the spirit of spirituality, I leave you with some lovely soap pics from current Etsy vendors:

I love the description of this soap, taken from 8th Street Soaps etsy store, "Frankincense, myrrh, and gold: the gifts of the Magi. The ground resins of those age-old botanicals make for a divine soap. Just as the faithful burn frankincense to symbolize cleansing and purification, here’s a chance to experience your very own aromatic spirit-soothing ceremony every day."
Mmmm, frankincense, myrrh... if that doesn't make you want to try it, I dunno what will.  You can buy Balthazar soap here.

I've actually blogged about this company before, I can't help that they have such stunning designs. If you didn't catch it, they were featured here.  Anyway, I'm so in love with their glazed plaques and dishes. This one, I believe is a plaque, but it looks like it might stand up nicely as a soap holder as well.  Really nice stuff. Check out Artyard's Studio here.

Visual Catnip: Rainbows

Ha, I cannot even put into words how visually stunning this soap is! It's a psychedelic bloom of colors and inspiration.  Finding this, actually made my day.  Get it and other wares here at Layla's Etsy Shop.

Rainbow felt soap! How adorable are these?  I was surprised to find out that they are made with merino wool (high quality stuff) and each soap is it's own individual scent-- which is important for me, since I can't really stick to one scent for long. Like Pokémon, I gotta have them all!!!  :)

Check them out here at SoFino's Etsy Shop.

Halloween Candy

Feast your eyes on a real sweet treat! Halloween Candy Soaps! :)

Chocolate PB Cup from DirtyAssSoaps (I friggin' love their name!)

Candy Corn Soap-- because what's Halloween without a little candy corn!

Candy Corn Soap by BubblesUpByBethieB

More Candy Corn...

Candy Corn Cupcake Bath Bomb By SweetBodySoaps

Caramel Apple Soap by KcSoapsNMore

World of Warcraft...Soap?

If you read my previous posts, you'll know that aside from soap making and graphic design, that I am a World of Warcraft fan. More of a weekend warrior, or a weekend Druid...I usually when absolutely nothing else is going on.  If you are not sure what World of Warcraft is, click here.


Anyway, I stumbled upon actual World of Warcraft soaps-- who knew?!  Seems like I'm not the only soapmaker who plays! :)

Hearthstone Soap (soap and shop no longer avail...boo!)

This soap will transport you to the inn of your choosing

Mana Potion/Health Potion Soap by DirtyAssSoaps

Drink (no, not really., It's soap) for health/mana rejuvenation

Horde Soap by ElizabethRoseSundry

Horde Sucks! Alliance Rules!   :)

Seeing Orange

 One of my favorite colors of the season, orange is a wonderfully striking color that calls attention. While not demanding as red, orange can convey the feeling of warmth, and in lighter hues, comfort.  

Originally a "fruit of the gods", orange was exclusively for aristocrats and the wealthy, as seen in the symbolic references in Renaissance paintings.   In the Tibetan culture, coral (which is a hue of orange) symbolizes success in life, while in China it is a symbol of longevity.  Eventually, the popularity of the color plummeted amongst the elite since the color was used in logos for fast food restaurants (Burger King or Mc Donald's anyone?).

Still, to me, this color is a wonderful reminder of the season turning. Seeing orange, instantly prompts my mind to brace myself for the crisp cool air of the season. The wafting of spices and sweets in the air and one of my favorite holidays, for which I never dress up for, Halloween!

Here are some orange (and Halloween) inspired soapy presentations.

Enjoy! 

Candy Corn Goat Milk Soap by WickedSoaps

Publish Post

"Dirty" Pumpkin Soaps from BathingBella's Etsy Shop

 

 Halloween Candy Scrub (look at that texture!) from Battybath's Etsy Shop

Sweet Orange Shampoo Bar from DressGreen's Etsy Shop

Back on the Soapy Saddle

It seems that late August/early September often inspire me to make soaps. I'm not sure if it's the cool, crisp air-- or the fact that summer is over and I can finally stand to work in my kitchen.  Either way, was totally inspired to make a couple of soaps for gift-giving.  Pictured above are cream cheese frosting scented cupcakes!

Woodland Pear-scented sugar scrubbies! (so upset that Brambleberry no longer carries it-- whaaa!) :(

Vanilla buttercream bars and hearts! (Waiting for them to fully turn brown)

This is just a small part of my inventory. Not sure if I'm going to build it up and sell on Etsy again. With a full-time job and furthering my education, I feel like I'm often pressed for time... but we'll see. :)

Heirloom Soap Works Review

These soaps are absolutely divine. The owner, Becky, was nice enough to let me choose my samples. Having never tried goat milk soaps before, I chose Cedar Trails and Oatmeal, Milk and Honey and I was really pleased! Her soaps are generously sized, hand-cut and really convey a rustic, homemade feeling. 
The soaps lather up nicely into creamy fragrant bubbles. The two scents I chose were more outdoorsy  in aroma. Oatmeal, Milk and Honey smelled like homemade comfort, while Cedar Trails reminded me of lathering up somewhere in the woods somewhere. Both soaps left  my skin soft and wonderfully clean and moisturized with a hint of scent. 
The best part? These soaps are made with natural oils and ingredients... so basically, no funny stuff!!
Heirlooms Soap Works definitely live up to their name.

Thank you, Becky!

Check out her artisan soaps here.

Red: It's the color of passion

Known as as a very emotionally-striking hue, red symbolizes many things from love and Valentine's Day, to blood and war. Phsyciologically, red stimilates the adrenaline glands and activates the senses.  This attention-getting color is strong-willed itself, expressing strong emotions to the viewer. It's even proven that wearing red improves confidence in the wearer and commands the presence of others. If you want to create a visually-exiciting, emotionally-striking soap, then red is your color. 

Red Cherry Bath Jello Soap from TemptationsBathNBody's Etsy Store

Raspberry Vanilla Shea & Cocoa Butter Soap from Simply Suds Etsy Store

Cinnamon Red Hots from CatherineFilippelli's Etsy Shop