I already wrote and posted this up over on G33Kmade.com, but I thought I’d also share the post here as well, as a way to wrap up how Gen Con went for me :)

Wow. Just… wow. Gen Con Indy was amazing! Thank you SO much to all of the fabulous people that stopped by our booth and supported handmade geek at the best four days in gaming!

Firstly, we have SO MUCH LOVE for all of the independent geek artists that made up G33Kmade’s booth. Though Kylee and I were there as the face promoting our cause, G33Kmade was more than just soap; we had amazing prints by GEEKLEETIST, fantastically detailed nerd pillows by Victoria the Germ, and epic dice bags designed by Lyndsay of Dragon Chow.  And not only that, we also represented other featured G33Kmade artists and friends such as GeekyCookies, UberDork Cafe, and Ruth of CthulhuChick, whose plush Cthulhu was our booth mascot. We were givin’ out super sweet geeky buttons made by Wendy of GeekyBoutiquey left and right, and tried to ensure our mission of spreading the love between everyone that made G33Kmade’s booth a success to anyone that would listen. And boy, did we have a lot of listeners!

Wil Wheaton came by the G33Kmade booth on Saturday and picked out a Dragon Chow dice bag as part of his mission to collect as many dice as possible at Gen Con. Getting a Dragon Chow dice bag was part of another spread-the-love geeky mission initiated by @cmdrsue via Twitter. It’s the kind of thing that makes you feel weak in the knees and love what you do that much more: seeing so many people come together under one banner for one awesome purpose… to support each other’s handmade geek. It’s the foundation that G33Kmade was built upon. Share. Support. Promote. Love. Geek. Wil picked up some of our soap sculptures of awesome offerings and chose a dice bag. When he realized what G33Kmade was and what we were all about, he told Kylee and I how PROUD he was of us. Of what we had started with G33Kmade. Of promoting independent geek artists and all of us working together. The fact that so many of you were on board doing this together. He compared it to how he got started and all of the people he’s worked with, and just kept repeating how proud he was. It was surreal. And awesome.

Who would’ve thought? Independent artists working together. G33Kmade is not just two people. It’s one giant geeky dogpile of epic proportions and each and every person supporting us – whether from the sidelines or as a featured artist – is an important part of that pile. It really was amazing to see how well received the whole concept was. People loved hearing stories about the artists of G33Kmade as they browsed geeky wares from all over North America. They were surprised to see Kylee and I selling soap side-by-side and promoting and cheering each other on instead of competing. But that’s what it’s all about, and the warm fuzzy feelings I got from being able to work with so many thoughtful, giving geeks had me glowing all weekend. I am proud to be a crafty geek.

The famously clean superheroine you all know as @DeodorantDame even came by so we could help aid her in her quest for cleanliness at cons everywhere! Equipped with her deodorant spray and a D20 Soap on a Rope, she was unstoppable. United we stand for a meaningful cause!

So enough gushing already, right? BRING ON THE PICTURES! For your viewing pleasure… (There are multiple pages, so don’t forget to click the Next links!)

THANK YOU to every single person who has supported G33Kmade. Handmade FTW!

As you can imagine, it’s been busy ever since Gen Con around here. On a personal note, I got a job offer for a school district on the north side of town about 10 minutes before our Gen Con booth opened, and started said job at 7:30am the Monday morning after Gen Con. The good news is that the job is amazing; I love it! The bad news is that it’s an hour commute for now, so not only am I juggling a successful small business in what little spare time I have, I also have a new full time job AND we’re planning to move in a few weeks to be closer to work. As if I needed more things on my plate, Lucas and I are going with a bunch of friends down to Atlanta, GA next weekend to attend Dragon Con, too. Should be a really fun time!

In crafting news, expect a few new little things coming to GEEKSOAP soon, and my Cthulhu Toque should be back in stock both on Etsy and over on geeksoap.net in the next few weeks as we get closer to fall and hat season. I’m also planning a slight redesign to my Baththulhu Cthulhu Bath Mitt pattern to create Cthulhu Mittens for this holiday season as well :) Oh, and did I mention that Lucas and I are trying new recipes each week and attempting to stay on top of our family blog, too? Stay tuned! Somehow I’ll accomplish all of this in the midst of a move ;) Take care!

–> Grab all of the G33Kmade booth details and Tweet Up information! <–

Basically, we’ll be at booth 2732 and you’re gonna find awesome soaps by me, @KyleeLane, and other handmade goodies from @GEEKLEETIST, @VictoriaTheGerm, and @GeekyLyndsay there, too! As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, G33Kmade is a company that Kylee and I started together to help spread the love and support of handmade geekery because that’s the way it should be. Showcasing and celebrating other handmade geek and helping them get their stories and inspiration out there for all the world to see!

Want more excitement? @UberDorkGirlie (of the amazing @UberDorkCafe that I mentioned previously that you NEED to support! Give the gift of geek!) will be in attendance at the Tweet Up, so if you want to meet the dream in person you just have to be there!

Be sure to check out the official post over on G33Kmade for all the Gen Con details. Hope to see you at Gen Con!

Live on the edge and shower with danger! While those tentacles may wish to suck your soul into Cthulhu’s gaping maw, they are made from completely harmless cotton. (Which may explain the look on Baththulhu’s face.) So instead of doing evil, those tentacles make for an excellent scrubby surface for soapy lather. Yes!

Baththulhu is a hand crocheted bath mitt pattern that I wrote; the first Cthulhu bath mitt in existence! I personally hand crochet each and every bath mitt for my customers from the softest 100% cotton I can find for a uniquely geek bathing experience. For a Cthulhu Clean you can’t get anywhere else, be sure to pair your mitt with the original Cthulhu soap! (#Fact, being Cthulhu Clean wards off horrific nightmares. Yup.)

The Baththulhu bath mitt comes in two mighty sizes and is crafted for right-handed souls by default, but never fear… a lefty-friendly version is available, too! Medium size fits most women perfectly, while Large is more suited for men and/or those with larger hands.

Use: Enjoy with suds in the bath or shower. When finished, rinse thoroughly and lay flat to dry. Made from 100% cotton.

Disclaimer: Not responsible for the loss of your brain should you get Baththulhu too close to your head.

Baththulhu is the fourth original Cthulhu-themed design I’ve created. Be sure to check out my Cthulhu toque, Sock-Thulhu™ sock plush, and Cthulhu GEEKSOAP!

Are you thinking what I’m thinking? YES – I will be creating a matching set of a modified version of these as Cthulhu mittens perfect for winter wear this fall, so stay tuned! :)

©2010 Lesley Karpiuk of The Pink Toque (thepinktoque.com) & geeksoap.net

Of course, being gone for 10 days meant I had a huge backlog of orders waiting for my personal attention when I returned, and I truly appreciate everyone for being so understanding with me being out of the country and all! I’ve gotten back on schedule right away, and I’m working on your orders as quickly as I can. :) And getting right back into the swing of prepping for Gen Con. Can you believe it’s just over a month away! Still lots of soapy goodness to work on, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

So… let’s introduce my newest soap already. (It’s like I can read your mind, right?) *drum roll* … Introducing the Soapstone! Some backstory first, k? I have had a very lengthy relationship with WoW, dating back to January 2005. (I tried EQ2 in Nov 2004 first… you can see how long that lasted since I had moved on by January.) Besides just plain playing, I’ve been featured twice on the official World of Warcraft website front page, and for over 2 years I wrote for Mentor Media/38 Studios as a paid staff writer and then editor with the Azeroth Advisor. I had a brief stint with WoWHead but was too busy to keep up and had taken a break from the game for a bit. I’ve taken breaks off and on in the more than 5 years I’ve played, but Azeroth always calls me back… and my most recent return brings the Soapstone along with it. Lucky you!

The concept of this soap design in particular is nothing new – I’ve always been inspired by ManaPrincess/Amethyst Soap and their hearthstone designs, but for the longest time I kept telling my customers I’d not make one because it had “already been done before.” I take great pride in the fact that ALL of my previous soap designs are unique and original – not only in the construction of how I do some of my signature soap, but before me there was no such thing as Dr. Who soap, or Game Cartridge soap. Or D20 Soap on a Rope, or Cthulhu soap… just to give a few of the many examples. Then it was brought to my attention that these crafty people were no longer creating and/or selling their hearthstone soap. That’s when I approached the previous makers because I wanted to create my own vision that depicted what *I* thought a hunk of carved stone would look and smell like. This means I’m not competing with either person’s sales or trying to take any of the credit for their idea. Special thanks to Margaret of Amethyst Soap – she has been a completely amazing person to work with as I designed my own unique handcarved version. Her support meant a lot in my quest to capture the essence of “home” in a bar of soap.  Thankfully I completed the quest successfully, and was rewarded with an epic shower and smelling great. Yes!

Anyway, even though I’m busy busy busy I couldn’t resist unveiling something new. I love it. :) There’s more new stuff coming very soon – my Baththulhu Cthulhu Bath Mitt (which will make the fourth of my original Cthulhu designs!) comes out Monday and is part of a giveaway over at Cthulhu Chick plus I have at least 2 other completely new and original soap designs you won’t find anywhere else headed your way in the coming weeks. Once I work out the kinks with them and get around to casting molds hehe. :)

OH! And before I forget… I’ve been tweeting about it, but want to make sure I cover it wherever I can… my Ninja Turtle GEEKSOAP Guest Soap set is ready to be released, but instead of just releasing it per usual, I’ve given my friend Tommy over at @SaturdayMorning (Saturday Morning Central) the very first set to give away in a fun TMNT contest they’re hosting! So not only do I have the new Soapstone out and 2 new soaps announced on the way, I am also finally debuting the Ninja Turtle soap via contest! Once the winner has received their set from Saturday Morning Central’s contest, I’ll release the soap in my store so it can finally be made available to the masses. :) Get over there and enter the contest already, you know you want to!

Thanks for all of your love and support! It’s people like YOU and the awesome comments and stories you send my way that keep inspiring me to make more and be the best that I can be for you, the customer. Thanks! <3

This fantastic handcarved soap is lovingly handmade one-at-a-time from all natural ingredients enriched with aloe and vitamin E. No two Soapstones are ever exactly alike, though all are intentionally designed to look realistically like roughly carved stone.

Each Soapstone bar emits a fresh & tropical coconut lime verbena fragrance that’ll bring the lush, clear water beaches of Stranglethorn Vale right to your shower, without the hassle of pesky jungle trolls of course.

Soapstones weigh approximately 5oz; they’re wrapped to seal in freshness and allow you to keep them on display until you’re ready to use them. And as always, GEEKSOAP is vegan friendly!

Disclaimer: Not responsible for your impending addiction to showering instead of raiding. (Sorry, guildies.) Once you smell the intoxicating awesome of using my Soapstone soap, you won’t be able to put it down, either.

Unlike the rest of the GEEKSOAP line, the concept of this soap design is not new. Special thanks to ManaPrincess/Ladykildare and Amethyst Soap for their inspiration & support as I set about to handcarve my own interpretation of what I thought a hunk of magical stone would look and smell like in their absence. This means I’m not competing with their sales nor trying to claim credit for their fantastic idea. :) Margaret of Amethyst Soap has been a dream to work with on creating my own unique version, and you should check out her amazing goodies on Etsy.

This is just one series design of many in my GEEKSOAP line. Check out the Soap category for more. My fun soaps are available for purchase at http://www.geeksoap.net

GEEKSOAP is geek soap for the internet. Soap for geeks; just pure geeky soap!

Hey readers!

I just wanted to give you a head’s up – GEEKSOAP will be on vacation from June 19 – June 29. Check out the On Vacation page of my store for more information. Basically the store will stay open, just be aware that my house sitter cannot make soap, so I won’t be able to begin work on your order until I return on June 30. :) I will then begin processing orders in the order they were received in my absence, and I promise to get your order out to you ASAP! Thanks for understanding :)

So what’s the vacation for? Well, Lucas and I’s anniversary is coming up on Sunday, and it’s our tradition to stay in a bed and breakfast on the ocean over our anniversary. Last summer we did Nova Scotia and I still daydream of the place we stayed at. I think the sound of the waves crashing up through the open patio door all night is the most relaxing thing ever! This year we’re going to Vancouver, which is a good choice since it means we get to stay on the ocean (we’re actually going out to Victora on Vancouver Island for 2 nights at a bed and breakfast there) and also head inland a little bit to visit friends and family. I’ve not yet been to Vancouver, so I’m excited about exploring after our getaway on the island. We’ll visit Lucas’ uncles and Matt and Laresha (brother and sister-in-law) and then head even further inland to spend some time in Penticton, where Lucas grew up, to visit his parents and some more friends. I can’t wait! I’m working extra hard this week in the GEEKSOAP soap studio to prepare; not only am I working on orders daily, I’m also still prepping for Gen Con in August! Whew!

When I return you can expect some new goodies, too! I’ve got 2-3 new soaps coming PLUS a rumored 3D Dalek soap from Dr. Who…. that won’t be ready immediately when I return, but it’s in the works! ALSO, the awesome Cthulhu bath mitt I designed and crocheted will also be made available. I will be calling it the Baththulhu Cthulhu Bath Mitt, and it’s extra cute! Currently I have a mens and womens’ size as well as being able to make it in a lefty-friendly design. It’s 100% original and made from super soft 100% cotton; perfect for getting clean with my Cthulhu GEEKSOAP! The Baththulhu mitt will be my FOURTH original Cthulhu design since 2007… first it was the Cthulhu toque (and a baby toque that came out last year), then it was my Sock-thulhu Cthulhu plushie in late 2009, then my Cthulhu soap came out in January 2010 and the Baththulhu mitt will be out July 2010! Exciting!

So July will bring some new soap and some new items for GEEKSOAP with the Baththulhu Cthulhu Bath Mitt! I will most likely be having my Cthulhu toques and Sock-thulhu plush added to my product listings at GEEKSOAP in the near future, even though they aren’t soap related… they’re still geek related and complete the set with my awesome, original Cthulhu soap. I want to prepare ahead of time because the Cthulhu toques get popular in the fall and winter months so I need to get started on some stock! I’d also like to take a few to Gen Con if I manage to get the time. Some bath mitts will for sure be going, but I may not have time to make very many toques or Sock-thulhus. (Speaking of which… I need to find a good wholesale supplier of various colored chenille socks… lol)

So that’s the news for where GEEKSOAP is right now, and what you can expect to see from me soon! Now I need to turn your attention to something incredibly awesome… my friend Natali (AKA @UberDorkGirlie) is amazing. She has this dream of a super fantastic geeky cafe that she calls Uber Dork Cafe – a family-friendly place where art and science and geek come together to provide patrons with a completely fantastic cafe experience – and she needs your help! Uber Dork Cafe was granted a pledge page at Kickstarter, where you can help pledge your support to various ideas and creations by all kinds of people and their dreams. Please go check out Uber Dork Cafe and pledge any amount that you can to help Natali fulfill her dream!

More ways to support UberDork Cafe: Head on over to the Facebook page and follow @UberDorkCafe on Twitter!

That’s it for today – I’ll see you back here after I get home from vacation with an update on the crafts I’ll be taking with me on the plane (Lots of Baththulhus will be made for sure!) and to announce new soap and finally release the bath mitts! Thanks for stopping by *hearts* <3

These bars weigh just under 5 ounces and have the dimensions of approximately 3″x3″x1.25″.

GEEKSOAP Arc Reactor bars are handmade one-at-a-time from all natural ingredients enriched with aloe and vitamin E. These bars are powered by a sultry unisex black amber musk scent, and come shrink-wrapped to seal in freshness and allow you to keep the soap on display until you’re ready to use it. Hold it up to your chest when you wash for the ultimate experience in awesome. GEEKSOAP is vegan friendly!

Both the blue & black (inspired by the first Iron Man movie) and the Iron Man 2 inspired red version of these power sources are equally epic and will start your morning off with the surge you need to make it through a long day.

The mold was custom designed and created by me so you can be sure that your soap is lovingly handmade and 100% one-of-a-kind. You won’t find soap like it anywhere else!

This is just one series design of many in my GEEKSOAP line. Check out the Soap category for more. My fun soaps are available for purchase at http://www.geeksoap.net

GEEKSOAP is geek soap for the internet. Soap for geeks; just pure geeky soap!

GEEKSOAP is handmade from all natural ingredients enriched with aloe and vitamin E. Soaps are lightly scented with invigorating clean scent and come shrink-wrapped to seal in freshness and allow you to keep the soap on display until you’re ready to use it. GEEKSOAP is vegan friendly!

These bars weigh 6.5oz and have the dimensions of 3″x3″x1.25″.

This is just one design of many in my GEEKSOAP line. Check out the Soap category for more. My fun soaps are available for purchase at http://www.geeksoap.net

GEEKSOAP is geek soap for the internet. Soap for geeks; just pure geeky soap!

Mystery Block GEEKSOAP bars are handmade one-at-a-time from all natural ingredients enriched with aloe and vitamin E. They are generously scented with deliciously clean scents: the old school version (orange) is a warm pumpkin spice, while the modern version (yellow) smells of cool and refreshing lemon. They’ll come shrink-wrapped to seal in freshness and allow you to keep the soap on display until you’re ready to use it. GEEKSOAP is vegan friendly!

Mystery Block GEEKSOAP bars weigh approximately 6.5 ounces and have the dimensions of 3″x3″x1″

The molds were custom designed and created by me so you can be sure that your soap is lovingly handmade and 100% one-of-a-kind. You won’t find soap like it anywhere else!

This is just one design of many in my GEEKSOAP line. Check out the Soap category for more. My fun soaps are available for purchase at http://www.geeksoap.net

GEEKSOAP is geek soap for the internet. Soap for geeks; just pure geeky soap!

BONUS! Also acts as a Vogon poetry deterrent. Just don’t forget your towel!

The Hitchhiker’s Guide GEEKSOAP bar weighs 5oz and has the dimensions of 3″x3″x1.25″.

GEEKSOAP is handmade from vegan friendly, hypoallergenic ingredients enriched with aloe and vitamin E. Soaps are lightly scented with a clean, invigorating smell and come shrink-wrapped to seal in freshness and allow you to keep the soap on display until you’re ready to use it. GEEKSOAP is vegan friendly!

This is just one series design of many in my GEEKSOAP line. Check out the Soap category for more. My fun soaps are available for purchase at http://www.geeksoap.net

GEEKSOAP is geek soap for the internet. Soap for geeks; just pure geeky soap!