bloomsoapery

This is my new, second store: to see my past feedback, check out my other store (in partnership with my mum), Grey Gardens Boutique, which sells sells vintage clothes, china and handmade miscellany: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Treasurefest

The theme that I chose for this series of vegan soaps is James Joyce's "Ulysses". It a book that can be read many times, and which needs to be read many times to appreciate its depth and structure. All my soaps are cold-process and handmade by me, in my kitchen. They are each 3oz, unless otherwise listed (samples are 1oz, shaving soap is 5oz). So what does "Ulysses" have to do with soap? Well, for one thing, Bloom, the main character carries a bar through most of the story (lemon). Ulysses, as a text, attempts to address all the senses, using only ink on paper and the imagination of the reader. However, there are frequent references to smells, textures, tastes, sounds, and often from the perspective of disparate characters, filtering the experiences of the senses through each character's personality. With scent, another dimension of the story is made available to the reader.

I was interested in trying to describe a chapter of text in an almost ridiculously different medium, in this case, soap, in an effort to better view and understand the author and his writing. Even as I begin this process of the opening of the store, I feel I've noticed parts of the book that I've skipped over again and again. I've limited myself to just one (933 page) novel, but with one type of soap for each of the 18 chapters. I've also placed my half-baked interpretations of each chapter after the factual information about each soap, so you can skip it easily if it's not your thing, although if you've gotten this far... it probably is, a little at least.

Please note: if you have any allergies to peanuts or tree nuts you should not use these soaps, as they contain almond oil and were made in a kitchen with peanut products around. All soaps are handmade; none of the statements or products in this shop have been evaluated by any health authority.