At home with the Kozlowskis.....

This is what Friday night consists of around here:

• DVR: Project Runway, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Ghost Hunters, Fringe
• Homemade green chile enchiladas (yum!)
• And this....

It was actually kind of wonderful, as far as wines go. Got it from World Market for less than $10, which makes it a success in my book. I'm not much of a wine drinker, but I liked it. Fruitier than most, with no sulfate taste left in the mouth.

Bolstered by its "finish that never dies," I have a number of Halloween soaps that I'm ready to introduce you to. Coming soon!

Regards!
Amanda

New Product: The Highwayman Handcast Soaps, Or......Why is Black Soap so rare?

Hello there!

I trust you had a relaxing and enjoyable Labor Day weekend that was free of laboring. I was fortunate enough to spend a little bit in a cabin in the northwoods of Wisconsin. There was some paddle boating involved, and a barbecue with a whole roasted goat. Let's just say it was interesting, and leave it at that. I also bought my Halloween soap supplies and can hardly contain my excitement at starting the new soap line - I'm testing out some new fragrance oils and bought A LOT of interesting colored mica. I'm particularly looking forward to using Brambleberry's lustre black mica, which is to die for.

On the subject of black, there seems to be an absence of the color in the soaping world. Occasionally, you'll see an activated charcoal bar, or a few around Halloween. To remedy this, I created my own black soap bar without any charcoal or spooky conotations as a part of my Victorian Gothic line.

May I present The Highwayman collection of soaps based on Alfred Noyes poem, "The Highwayman":

The Highwayman
And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees, When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, A highwayman comes riding— Riding—riding— A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.
- Alfred Noyes, "The Highwayman"

Black and proud like his brigand heart, the patent leather sheen of Highwayman belies the epic ardor immortalized in Alfred Noye's poem, "The Highwayman" - the story of a doomed highwayman battling against the Redcoats and the woman who sacrifices everything for him. Expensive neroli, golden amber, the earthiness of warmed skin, and saddle leather.

Looks like: Black patent leather

Smells like: Warmed skin, sexy leather, and cologne.

This is - BY FAR - my favorite bar of soap. A customer just posted this in my feedback after buying it last week, "I gave this soap to my sister and she loves it! Eight hours after using it, she can still smell it on her skin." An independent film based on the novel will also be using this bar in their movie. Check out their site here! The movie looks great!


Dark Red Love Knot

"Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,
And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair."

Based on Alfred Noyes' tale of the gallant highwayman and the woman he loves and loses. The smell of sacrifice, ill-fated love, and redemption: sweet berries, flowering wisteria, exotic spices, night blooming heliotrope, and forget-me-not. A tribute to those who love and lose, Love Knot features a dark red base with a dark, oppressing gray haze of whipped soap, drizzled all over with red whorls of passion, honor, and true love.

Looks like: a hazy mauve base with a dark gray whipped top,
laced with red drizzles

Smells like: Sexy spices with a touch of floral

Well, I'm off to wrap soap for a small soap show, take care.

Regards!
Amanda

You Know You're a Horror Geek When...

While I was out at a craft store today, I had a revelation. I walked through the automatic doors, my eyes adjusting to the light, and my heart soared: it's HALLOWEEN TIME! It's really freakish how much I love this holiday. I joke that it's one of the few times a year that I feel normal, but in my line of study (Gothic Literature, gender in the horror film) it's rare for anyone to share your love of creepy stuff. Halloween is a validation for me, in a way. And makes me do a happy jig dance when the Halloween Express opens nearby (and yes, I have already been there).

I got this list from a Facebook Group I belong to of the same name. I dedicate it to all those people who celebrate Halloween every day and love it as much as I do. Enjoy!

P.S. Joann Fabrics has scrapbooking paper on sale! Sorry, I get excited about these things.

You Know You're a Horror Geek When...

• believe the gore the merrier
• have ever been mistaken for a Satanist.
• root for the mutant family in "The Hills Have Eyes."
• laugh during "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."
• cry while watching "It's Alive."
• believe Rob Zombie is a great director.
• prefer slow, shambling zombies over the fast ones.
• hate CGI.
• refer to classic films as the original so people don't think you're talking about the remake.
• detest the rating "PG-13."
• have seen any of the movies Peter Jackson directed before "Lord of the Rings."
• hope that Steven Spielberg stops with the Oscar contenders and returns to stuff like "Jaws."
• die inside every time another remake is announced.
• can't get enough of "The Stuff."
• go out of your way to watch anything that might have Bruce Campbell in it.
• see any movie based on Stephen King even though you know it's going to suck.
• drooled when "Masters of Horror" was announced.
• argue that Tobe Hooper, not Steven Spielberg, directed "Poltergeist."
• have seen Christopher Lee in a drag.
• watch "From Dusk till Dawn" for Tom Savini instead of George Clooney.
• try to get people to admit that "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Seven" are horror flicks.
• randomly say "BRAINS!"
• get pissed when all channels play Christmas movies instead of scary movies on Halloween.
• believe that "Van Helsing" ruined the classic monsters.
• ever yelled for any reason at the screen "Just Kill that Bitch!"
• think baby Selwyn is cute.
• know that "28 Days Later" was not the first movie to have running zombies.
• want your enemies' heads to pop like in "Scanners."
• wanted Bill Moseley to get an Oscar nomination for playing Otis in "The Devil's Rejects."
• threaten to suck people's brains dry.
• can explain Chucky's (of the Rugrats) fear of the guy on the oatmeal box.
• know that Chucky's (the doll) real name is Charles Lee Ray.
• import dvd's from Japan.
• read Fangoria.
• hope the makers "Alien vs. Predator" burn in hell for ruining two of your favorite monsters in one movie.
• warn people about hardshell peppercorns.
• know all the slashers and their backstories.
• refer to shotguns as "boomsticks."
• ever wanted to cut off your hand and replace it with a chainsaw
• expand your horizons by watching a David Cronenberg movie.
• have read "The Zombie Survival Guide" and know what to do if the undead should rise.
• run out of the room if someone starts saying Candyman into the mirror.
• believe all the rich people in the world are really aliens that you can only see when you wear special sunglasses.
• can actually understand the plot of "Phantasm."
• know that "Prince of Darkness" beat out "The Davinci Code."
• warn real estate developers about building on Indian burial ground.
• wonder why George Romero couldn't have directed "Resident Evil" the movie.
• are aware that "Re-Animator" provided the world's first visual pun.
• are on the lookout for Dick Miller in a Joe Dante movie.
• know that Klopek is not a Slavic name.
• realize that a tire is not a good hiding spot from a graboid.
• pay to get in and pray to get out.
• will always remember Johnny Depp as the guy who was vomited up in a geyser of guts by Freddy Kruger.
• made nitrous oxide your drug of choice after watching "Blue Velvet."
• have either "The Dead Zone" or "Sleepy Hollow" as your favorite Cristopher Walken movie.
• still can't accept that James Cameron directed "Titanic."
• are aware "The Exorcist" has sequels and not just prequels.
• heard of "I am Legend" before it was a Will Smith movie.
• know what KNB stands for.
• have the right to remain silent... forever.
• must resist the urge to introduce yourself with "Name's Ash. Housewares."
• stick to explored caves because of "The Descent."
• appreciate life so as not to get kidnapped by Jigsaw.
• ever had people look at you funny when you tell them what your favorite movies are.
• debate bipedal versus four-legged werewolves.
• ever asked for a Nixon pardon.
• hope for a zombie apocalypse so you can use what you learned from "The Zombie Survival Guide."
• can explain all the rules of all the vampire movies you've ever seen.
• believe Bruce Campbell does Elvis better than Elvis.
• get angry when someone says they don't like scary movies, but they go see one when everyone's talking about it.
• fondly remember the Video Nasties.
• lecture people about why the infected from "28 Days Later" are not zombies.
• tell people it's lonely being a cannibal because it's tough making friends.
• know which line "Kill Bill" took from "Eaten Alive."
• would rather vampires go for the throat instead of the heart.
• believe "Drag Me to Hell" was Sam Raimi's apology for "Spider-Man 3."
• have dreams that play out like Dario Argento movies.
• can't take Jason Voorhees seriously because he was once killed by Corey Feldman.
• call stupid people Jordy Verrill.
• don't require any assistance understanding the above.
  

Special Summer Labor Day Weekend Soap Sale! Yipee!

Hi there folks, I've got a special surprise for you all!

In honor of Labor Day Weekend, BDDMMS will be offering special discounts and giveaways now through Monday, September 7th.










10% off all orders and free samples with every order! Suh-weet!

Please use code: "I Love Labor Day" in the message to seller box.

Please be aware that I will be out of town this weekend (something along the lines of northwoods cabin, lake boat, and campfires) and will not be able to refund your discounts and/or ship until Tuesday, September 8th. Just FYI.


As I myself am a sucker for getting the most bang for your buck, the complete Midsummer Line six bar collection - already a great savings - would be super cheap with the discount. You save .75 with EACH BAR. OMG.

The Shop: BellaDonnaDellaMente.etsy.com

Have a wonderful weekend, stay safe, and happy soaping!

Regards!
Amanda

New Products: Charlotte Bronte Soap Collection

As a grad student, I read a lot of books. It's part of the territory. While I enjoy some of them in an academic way, others - for whatever reason - seem to touch a nerve and bloom within the reader's soul. Angela Carter's The Magic Toyshop, for instance, was one of those just this summer.

The most intense of these reader-book connections was as a junior in high school, reading Jane Eyre in AP. It was love, love, love from the first sentence. Ever since, it's still my #1 favorite book (though I am long out of high school) and I can still - like all great books - find new and interesting aspects of the novel that surprise me every time I read it. It is naturally no surprise that my first themed soaps were from Bronte.

Plus, as I wrote to a customer and fellow Bronte fan, Rochester gives me the vapors. *swoon*

It is with great pleasure, therefore, to introduce you to my version of a Bronte homage.

The eponymous Jane Eyre Handcast Glycerin Soap

For independent women who speak their minds, who think substance wins over style, for those who stay true to themselves at all costs. Brilliant, clear glycerin with a halo of whipped soap that descends gently into it in a swirl of contradictions: Tea leaves, tuberose moss, and a feminine undertone of sweet pea (we won’t tell if you won’t).

Rochester in Exile Handcast Glycerin Soap

Sent by his family in search of a wealthy bride, he soon fell under the enchantment of Spanish Town's resident madwoman. A golden apothecary color of vintage soaps, it contains the heady but doomed smell of deceitful passion: a traditional nineteenth century men's cologne of mahogany and spices and the bright and alluring smell of kumquat.

Madwoman in the Attic Handcast Glycerin Soap

The dark brooding of love lost, madness, and confined passion. Flecked with bright red spots of insanity, the scent is of the impassioned, raging madwoman in all of us: dragon's blood, rose, and island coconut. This is for all you Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea fans!

And, for extra special fun: a bit from the recent BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre, starring Ruth Wilson and Tobey Stephens. From experience I can say it is truly excellent in all respects. And Stephens is the most convincing Rochester I've ever seen (yes, even more so than Timothy Dalton and Orson Welles. I know - blasphemy!)

Chicago Renegade Craft Fair - September 12th & 13th

Hi folks!

Just wanted to take a moment and give a shout out to my fellow crafters who will be at the Chicago branch of the Renegade Craft Fair next weekend. I'm sure a lot of Etsians will be there and it would be lovely for you to go and support their wonderful handmade endeavors by browsing their treasures. Even get some Christmas shopping done!

Unfortunately, I won't be participating in this one. Sad face.

The event is free - if you're in the area, please check it out. Looks like good, cheap fun!

Link: http://www.renegadecraft.com/chicago

Etsy be having a meet-up there as well.

New Product: Capitola the Madcap

Greeting and salutations:

For all you American Gothic fans, may I present the latest in the Victorian Gothic line, a tribute to E.D.E.N. Southworth and her marvelous book, The Hidden Hand:

Capitola the Madcap

Don’t let the name fool you: Cap Black is as sweet as they come. Made for hijinks, adventures, romance, and sassing authority figures, Cap is for those girls who just always seem to get in and out of trouble with the utmost grace...and always with a smile. This one is for the troublemakers, the rebels, and the sassy. Spun sugar, lemon meringue, and summer apples (red AND green, of course, and probably stolen). Cap is the most perfect shade of light pink, glittered all over with sparkles of mischief and merriment.

INGREDIENTS:
Propylene Glycol, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Myristate, Fragrance, Color, Soap Glitter, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Triethanolamine, Water, Silica.


















































Regards,
Amanda

New Product: The Rose from Kathmandu

Greeting and salutations:

Folks, I've just been finishing up the first two soaps of my Victorian Gothic line.

I'd like to present the first:

The Rose from Kathmandu

A reminder that dreams change, often for the better. She longed for fame and renown on the English stage. Instead, she found infamy in the halls of the Moulin Rouge in scandalous Paris as the Rose from Kathmandu. Traditional English florals with salacious undertones of exotic Eastern spices, the smell of affairs de coeur, youthful indiscretion, and a burning ambition.

A vibrant vermillion, The Rose contains thousands of tendrils of soap-grade cosmetic glitter in scarlet and iridescent. When they catch the light, it's as if a flame has ignited from within.

INGREDIENTS: Propylene Glycol, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Myristate, Fragrance, Color, Soap Glitter, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Triethanolamine, Water, Silica

Enjoy!





























Regards,
Amanda

Greetings and Salutations!

Hello there! Welcome to my little corner of the internets. I'm so glad you came.

I'm Amanda. Hi, how you doing? I own and operate the La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente Soapworks, which should be in full operation in the near future. Whatever has brought you here (facebook, etsy, twitter) let's take a moment and get to know each other, shall we?

Currently I'm a DePaul grad student majoring in English Literature. My emphases are horror film studies and American Gothic. Swear to God, I'm not as weird as that sounds. Truly. I like kittens and romance novels and all sorts of normal stuff too.

I've been handcasting melt and pour soap (mostly glycerine, goats milk and olive oil) for the last five years or so, give or take. Mostly as gifts for my family and friends.

Let me give you an idea of what you'll find here:

• Skin-loving, long-lasting coconut oil/glycerine/goats milk soaps.
• Simple, handcast shapes that are easy to hold.
  
• Sustainable designs: our soaps will still retain their beauty even after they've been washed with ten times.
  
• Complex fragrance blends, utilizing the perfumer's arts.
  
• Glitter! Can't get enough!
• Lather! That's good too.
• A sensory impression that incorparates the title, scent and design of each bar and/or product line.
  
• Wonderful, friendly customer service.
  

What you WON'T find here:

• Simple one-note fragrances. Even my simple coconut and pomegranate scents are multilayered.
  
• Complicated soap moldings. After one washing, it will just look like mush anyway. Why waste your money?
• A lament bemoaning the use of SLS/SLES in my soaps. I use them in small doses and they're not bad for you (as the hype would have you believe). It's in toothpaste, for Pete's sake.
  
• Boredom and/or lack of intellectual stimulation. Why should soap be boring? I like to give your soap a fabulous basckstory that you can ruminate on in the shower.
  

That all being said: if you are dying for The Rose from Kathmandu to come in blue, half sparkles, half goats milk and shaped like a sheep - I can do that. I will do it gladly, with a smile on my face and a skip in my step. It's about what you want.

I'm hoping you're willing to forego the junkity-junk in favor of more important issues.

Like: OMG, DOES IT SPARKLE?

Thanks for stopping by and keep checking back for more updates and products in the next few weeks.

Regards,
Amanda