Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Etsy Finds: Soap Dishes

It's the great dilemma: what to do with your beautiful handmade soap when you're not lathering up? In my quest for the perfect resting spot for my bars of soap (yes, I have many around the house), I came across these works of art on Etsy.com. Enjoy and check out the links for more beautiful stuff.

Ceramics by Mary Judy


Ceramics by lurearts.


Fused glass by Mediums to Masses.


Ceramics by Second Harvest Pottery.


Fused glass by Little Hand Studios.


Ceramics by Stonewareporcelain.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Don't Want the Flu? Wash Your Hands!

As the number of swine flu cases increases, it's really important to remember that it's not the only flu out there. We're still in the regular human flu season and the CDC estimates that about 36,000 people die each flu season in the United States. But there's one very simple thing that we can all do to lower the odds of getting sick from the flu virus (your mom knew it): wash your hands!

Studies show that washing with soap and warm water is as good as, or even a little better than, alcohol gel at killing influenza viruses, including the one that causes swine flu. The action of the soap helps to kill the virus and remove it from your skin, and the warm water washes it all down the drain. The CDC makes a great case for thorough hand washing with this video.

So grab your soap often during the day, lather up and keep yourself healthy!

Monday, April 27, 2009

New Look, New Attitude

So, I did some redecorating of the blog this weekend. I was inspired by Tim Adam at Handmadeology. He has a wealth of information and tips on where and how to sell your handmade items.

So, the first piece of advice that I'm putting into practice is to get consistent about blogging. No one wants to follow a blog with nothing to say. I've decided to make this deal right now: you follow this blog and I'll keep writing. All I need is a little encouragement. Really.

So, what do you think of the new look of the blog? If I am going to write more frequently, I had to tone it down a bit from the last ribbon-bedecked background. (Well, it seemed cute at the time.) I like this one much better, and hopefully readers will, too.