Week Three: Homemade Soap

I'm lucky to have a friend in the soap business. This weekend she invited me to her charming house for a "Mischief, Mayhem, Soap" party.

Each soap was simple, beautiful and decadently scented. She offered several varieties including Lavender w/ Salt, Green Tea, Rosewater, Calendula, and several types of shaving pucks. It was hard to choose a favorite, and I ended up walking away with six bars!

I'm thankful for the Handmade Crafting/Do-It-Yourself Movement. I love the idea of art created for and by the masses as a part-time hobby. An everyday object such as a bar of soap becomes extraordinary simply because it's homemade. Many do-it-yourself artisans live the dual life of an 8 - 5 office worker by weekday/crafter by weekend. For me, crafting is a great way to balance the benefits of life in the rat race (the pay, health insurance, etc) with my artistic, creative sensibilities.

This weekend, I also attended a housewarming party of a co-worker. She mentioned that there would be a fire pit, so I made vegan S'mores mini-cupcakes for the occasion.

These cupcakes involved several steps, including cutting and dipping individual graham cracker squares into melted chocolate and letting them cool. It was quite a production, but I loved how they turned out decoratively. The extra effort was worth it, as they were both adorable and delicious.

Andrew kept me company in the kitchen during this process. He helped by taste-testing after each step. He also decorated his own cupcakes for the first time!