Soap that's out of this world....

Can be found lovingly made by the talented Celyn from CosmicCleanBody. Not only does Celyn make some gorgeous soap, candles, and various other beautiful creations, she also does amazing handmade glass jewelry/art. Her gorgeous glass art can be found at GazedUponGlass

But who really are the warm bodies behind such fantastic creations?
Celyn and her husband brew up the soapy goodness over in CosmicCleanBody. Her husband is the mathematician and brains of the operation, and Celyn is the creativity and loving touch! Their love of soap co-exists nicely with their secret desire to be mad scientists...after all, handmade, cold process soap is really all about science, with a good nose and creative brains thrown in!

You'll note an out of this world theme over at CosmicCleanBody...space, the final handmade frontier! Most of the creations have an outer worldly theme! Such creations include Galactic Bubbly - Champagne scented Soap, Martian Melon - Watermelon scented Soap and of course the ever popular Free the Pink Alien Monster Soap! Blockhead Radio was assured no aliens are harmed in the making of any soaps!

But soaps are not enough for Celyn! She also makes glass soap dishes, bath puffs, body/linen sprays, candles, sachets and incense holders!! When does she sleep you might wonder?

I'm curious of her sleeping habits also, because not ONLY does she make all this loveliness, but she ALSO does fused glass art and jewelry!! See, this is where most people would take a nap in their busy days,but not Celyn!! She is a glass artist who uses copper foil, leading, mosaic, fusing and torch work to create her glass creations. Celyn says, "Both of my grandmothers were very artistic and I grew up drawing and painting with them. Throughout my school years I won numerous awards for drawing and painting. But when I discovered glass I knew I had found my medium."

But Celyn knows that it is important to draw the line between work and family. As she says, "Time is my biggest obstacle. I have 4 children. One is grown and out on his own, another is a teenager in high school and then two young toddlers. I know how quickly they grow, and I try to spend as much time as I can with them because it's over before you know it. There just isn't enough time in the day"

Family is obviously important to Celyn, because, as previously mentioned, her husband works closely with her. He even offered to send her to photography lessons because she feels that is one area she could improve on. Personally, I think her shots are GORGEOUS, but she is right, everyone could improve their photography just a little!! As Celyn put it, "Since my main selling venue is online, pictures tell the story!"

Her work is not without challenges. Celyn faces what many handmade artisans face, dealing with our innate urge to provide only perfect items for our customers! When asked what her biggest challenge was, Celyn replied, "Myself... Many of my customers want custom creations. I struggle with this because everything I do I want to be perfect and the very best it can be and sometimes I doubt myself. So being my own biggest critic is my biggest challenge." This is an all to familiar theme and feeling among handmade artisans. Despite the fact that the slight variations in handmade items are one of the things that makes them appealing, we all struggle with the question of, is my work good enough?

There is no doubt in my mind, Celyn's work IS indeed good enough--MORE Than good enough! Because not only does she provide excellent work, but she is most proud (and should be!) of her excellent customer service! Celyn says, "I know what I want/expect from someone I purchase from and I try to take that to the next level. I try to ship all orders within 24 hours (with the exception of custom orders) and I make them enjoyable to open, each one a gift to whoever is opening it."

It is indeed this attitude that helps Celyn's work stand out. Her art of soap and fused glass is in two genres that indeed are full of fantastic artisans. Yet her work stands out and is frequently featured in treasuries, blogs, and more. The tight knit handmade community also helps in this aspect! One might think that selling on the Internet would result in anonymity and a 'closed in' feeling...but that is one unique thing about the handmade community. Due to various teams, groups, forums, and venues (and awesome places like Blockhead Radio!) we can all join together and share our work, ideas, thoughts and inspirations!

Celyn is currently working with several artisans, including Cozy Cabin Creations
by turning Cozy's fabric scraps into lovely scented sachets!! She also has several other collaborations in the works and is proud of her Etsy Street Teams, Cafemom Etsy Moms (CEM) and Michigan Street Team (MICE)..

Of COURSE Celyn blogs and you can read her soapy, shiny goodness at http://gazeduponglass.blogspot.com/
You can also find her on Myspace at: http://www.myspace.com/gazeduponglass

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8118657@N05

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/celyn4

So be sure to check out BOTH of Celyn's shops if you do nothing else today!!

And because I can, I am leaving you with two of her most awesome pieces of work! :)