GBK Productions Gift Lounge at the Emmy Awards!

Well, after months of planning and hours and hours of endless preparation, the 63rd Annual Emmy Awards are now history....What an amazing experience filled with anxiety, nervousness and overall giddy excitement being part of the GBK Productions gift lounge. An experience like no other!

I have never been a big Facebook lover, yet I was glued to it for Emmy's weekend...Who's coming and going - who checked out my soap - who tried to eat it - it was just so much fun!

So many great celebrities walked past our display and from the pictures it appears they were all very impressed with the talents of The Artisan Group! Who wouldn't be? The Artisan Group has everything covered, from handmade journals and jewelry, to handcrafted bags and body scrubs. Take a look a few shots that I'm particular proud of...


CS Lee from Dexter!


Fred Willard!


Nia Peeples!



Rico Rodriguez!

I was so happy with these pictures (who can't smile when they see Modern Family's Rico with that sundae? He's just adorable!) but one of the best things is Nia's picture - she's not only posing with my sundae soap, but also the stylish handbag from Tina Dean Designs (believe it or not, that bag is made from recycled plastic bags!) Let's not forget the gorgeous tutu from Atutudes in the background, along with all the beautiful bling from our artisans. She's truly decked out in style!

Rico's comment, "What's this? It looks delicious. Can I eat it? It's SOAP? No WAY!" says it all, and made the whole experience something special!

Check out The Artisan Group to share in other spectacular photos, and visit some of the shops mentioned - you'll be so impressed, and happy that you did!

AJSweetSoap featured at the 63rd Annual Emmy Awards!

We are so proud to be a member of The Artisan Group. What a phenomenal bunch of creative minds! Our group was present at the 63rd Annual Emmy Awards celebrity gift lounge, and our handmade items were gifted to celebrities such as Cloris Leachman, Jeff Probst, Catherine O'hara - the list goes on and on! It was such an exciting day keeping up with the hundreds of updates being sent to us all. I've never used Facebook as much as I did these past 2 days!

We included our spectacular 2,000 Calorie Banana Split Sundae soap, which was on display for 2 days for the celebrities to salivate over!


We then included our exclusive Gelato soaps (in Cake Batter Ice Cream, Orange Creamsicle, Key Lime and Lemon) in each and every celebrity gift bag.




Our celebrity lounge was hosted by GBK Productions, and it couldn't have been a more rewarding experience for all of us. It was such an honor to be included!


Also included were our Gummy Bear Waffle Bowl Sundaes for members of the press. Hopefully no one decided to take a bite! I can't imagine getting good reviews for how the soap tasted!





Congratulations to all my fellow Artisans who furnished their products for the event - it was such an honor to be included with you all! And for those of you who cheered us on and will participate in other events - you'll have a blast!

Congrats also to all of you who had celebrities asking for your products - how cool is that!?!

We've got an official website!

It's Officially Here!

AJSWEETSOAP

For the longest time, I've been wanting to start my own website but I really had no idea where to start (and definitely didn't have the patience!) As things got busier on Etsy I decided it was time to branch out with this "simple" project. Take a look and let me know what you think!!!!

NEW ADDICTION - eBooks!

For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a writer. I loved writing poems and short stories in my younger days (God, I sound so old!) and reading was always a passion. Over time, I traded in hefty, hardbound books for a daily newspaper as reading during my hour commute became the only time I really had to read and who wanted to lug a huge book around through the streets of New York (I did, of course make the exception for the Twilight Series which I read over the course of 2 weeks - it was SO much better than the movies!)

After my latest software on my blackberry, I found the Kindle App, and I am absolutely hooked! I've been downloading like crazy and find myself reading some cool books that I ordinarily never would have found....Of course, I've also learned that it's important to learn the PRICE of these books, since some of them are more costly as an eBook than they are in print (which makes NO sense whatsoever!) I find myself reading all over the place - while standing in line at the store, on the train platform and at work on my PC (thanks for the Kindle for PC App). Cool stuff! I've been averaging a book every 3-4 days and it's been great catching up on something that's not about Charlie Sheen!

My newest addiction is Amanda Hocking - her Tryll Trilogy series really made for great reading (although I would love the opportunity to re-write her ending!) and left me disappointed when it was over (no chance of a 4th book since it won't technically be a trilogy anymore!) I'm working on Hollowland now about Vampires that terrorize the world (ok, sounds silly, but it's actually quite an enjoyable read).

As I've been going through these books so quickly, I know this one will be nearing the end. Anyone with recommendations for which series to read next, please let me know!!!!!!

:)

Celebrate Mardi Gras!

Now that Valentine's Day is almost here (and it's so hard to believe these holidays seem to speed by as we get older!) it's time to look forward to a different kind of celebration - Mardi Gras!

Our newest items, our vegan King Cake and our Mardi Gras Cupcake Soap Set are just two ways to celebrate without having to bare your soul (amongst other things) for some cheap beads!

Check out our take on the King Cake - a Lemon Poundcake scented bundt, complete with a plastic baby inside (the traditional good luck charm!) I am so excited about these - I even found some great handmade Mardi Gras gift tags to go with them (handmade mini cards and tags is my other obsession!)





Our Mardi Gras Cupcake Soaps are another fun way to celebrate! A festive set of two beautifully decorated with purple, green and gold. You will definitely want to take a bite! I'm really excited for the packaging of this one as well - you'll find plastic beads and coins to complete the look. So much fun!

Inspiration or Imitation?

There is a lot to be said for inspiration. First comes an idea - it can come to you at any time, anywhere. I often find myself whipping out my blackberry to enter in some ideas that popped into my head before I lose them. This hits on the train in the morning, while I'm at work, cooking dinner - even while bringing the kids to school. My kids will often inspire me - their favorite foods and treats often make the list of new soaps to create. Inspiration can hit at anytime and it's important to be ready for it. One needs to visualize how a design should look from start to finish. From there, there's the implementation of these ideas. There's a great deal of time, patience, and persistence involved with each creation that's been inspired. There's trial and error, and not every piece works the first time around. There's so much involved and it becomes a personal triumph when it's been completed.

My soaps have often been described as "works of art" and "amazingly realistic". I take such pride in that, and the very fact of being original, creative and without sounding conceited - extraordinary. I don't want my soaps to be considered "the norm". I thrive to be different and have my products stand out from the crowd. There's a great level of pride when my products are recognized just by the detail that they contain, and I'm addicted to following the wonderful feedback my customers leave. My soaping has truly become my addiction!

With this said, I must say that there has been a great deal of frustration lately. With all the work involved in being original and coming up with creative ideas, there is a level of frustration and disappointment when an idea ends up rearing its head in another shop. My particular items are not necessarily made just from molds which can be easily duplicated - there's a lot of creativity put into each piece. I take pride in adding the slightest details to make it unique. I use custom molds wherever possible to remain different. To see these items appear as someone else's work is upsetting. I've been told to accept this as flattery, but on the contrary - to be blunt, I feel ripped off.

I know I'm not the only one to feel this way. There are other artisans who feel there work is being imitated, and I sympathize. Imitators are often sellers who are doing quite well for themselves and have lots of sales. I'm not saying they don't have their own creativity and artistic abilities. What I do say is don't copy the work of others and list it as your own. I have a great deal of respect for Etsy sellers in general, but I do wish there was more emphasis on "Inspiration" rather than "Imitation"

Valentine's Day Sweets and Treats

Time is moving along so quickly! Before we know it, Valentine's Day will be here!

We've had a lot of fun putting together some great Valentine soap treats - one of our favorite items was a joint project with Leslie, the artisan behind Satinandbirch. Leslie's soaps are amazing - true works of art! Be sure to check out her shop and admire her craft - she's truly outrageous and her artistic ability and originality simply cannot be imitated!

Leslie and I put together the Valentine Candy and Flowers Soap set - it consists of two of Leslie's beautifully crafted roses and a 5 piece heart gift box of "chocolate" (vegan soap, of course!) It's a beautifully packaged set that will impress your sweetie!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/66441924/candy-and-flowers-soap-set










Be sure to check out our other Valentine items:
http://www.ajsweetsoap.etsy.com

And be sure to check out Leslie's amazing work at her Etsy shop:
http://www.satinandbirch.etsy.com