Buy & Sell Handmade on ArtFire

I just discovered this hot new marketplace and I wanted to share it with you. It's called ArtFire, a grassroots community of artisans that care about making a positive impact on the world and who wholeheartedly support handmade. Opening your own studio is easy and anyone can join (to buy or sell) for free, but for a limited time you can sign up to be a verified member (with lots of added benefits) for only $7 a month! Is that cheap or what? Just think of all the fun you'll have!

Use this link to register now on ArtFire.com and say soapRISING referred you when you sign up to become a verified member and I'll get credit for turning you on to ArtFire. Trust me, it's really easy. I had my soapRISING studio up and running in a couple of hours and I'm having a blast there discovering all its features. Even if you don't want to open a studio, you'll want to browse the free site for loads of funky, unique, people-oriented goods ... awesome stuff you won't find just anywhere.

ArtFire is a fun place to connect with passionate artists, artisans, and art lovers of all kinds. In this age of huge faceless corporations and mass produced junk, it's more important than ever to buy and sell quality handmade items. THAT'S where our sustainable future lies.

Downsize DC

The more I delve into finding out what's really going on in this country (as opposed to what the corporate controlled mainstream media or Washington insiders are telling me)... the more I find myself compelled to act. And I discovered this cool new political action site that I'm finding incredibly useful! Things have gotten so out of control, so corrupt, so blatantly bad...I'm not even sure how much influence I can exert any more. But at least Downsize DC gives me an easy way to study the issues and voice my opinion. Whether anybody in Congress is listening on the other end is another story.

Medical Fascism Hidden in “Stimulus” Package

According to the Natural Solutions Foundation, "The Economic Stimulus Bill President Obama is proposing, unless millions of us act promptly, may signal the end of any health freedom in the United States... (it) will enslave you so that you - and they (your doctors) - can make no health care choices, have no medical privacy, and select no course of treatment that the new Federal bureaucratic overlords of "Health Care" do not authorize for you, at your age, and at your financial 'worth' to society. When the slaves cannot produce for the masters, it is time to let them (us) just die..."

Sound preposterous? Welcome to reality. Your freedoms are being eroded daily and you cannot afford to be complacent any longer! YOU are the only first aid kit you have against a repressive government! If you find this as alarming as I do, please read the full article and sign the petition to stop medical facism in this country. That this hideous legislation is buried in the new economic "stimulus" package is NO mistake. Wonder what other atrocities are lurking there, waiting to be rushed into law under the guise of "stimulating" our economy, hoping no one will notice?

Remember the Patriot Act? Will we ever learn?

LadyBug Gardener Soap Gift Set

Just in time for Spring, our new LadyBug Gardener Soap Gift Set is perfect for nature lovers, outdoor enthusiasts, and budding green thumbs. With its fresh aroma of lavender rosemary and sprinkles of organic garden mint, this two piece gift set is cute as a bug! It includes a 3.5 oz. ladybug glycerine soap with a round terra cotta soap dish. They're handcrafted in limited quantities, so adopt yours now before they all fly away!

Now, some of you may wonder why someone who's been making cold process soaps for 14 years suddenly turns to making glycerine soaps? They're a totally different animal you know. Well, it's not really me... or even my son Jory (who's now our master soapmaker)... it's his girlfriend Jackie. She's been itching to start her own business and with her current 4 day work schedule, she has at least one whole day to devote to a start up biz. With our expertise to rely on and the use of our manufacturing facility, I guess soap seemed like a no brainer.

I hope you'll check out her fun new wild ideas glycerine soap sets. She hopes to expand the gift line rapidly, so check back often. But remember, she only makes these one day a week so they'll probably sell out fairly quickly. You can rest assured though, that your purchase will be supporting a bright young mind who's willing to work hard to achieve success. After all, that's the American way!

Is Stimulus Right For You?

"Stimulus" Pork

Mr. Obama would have us believe that unless we pass his 900 billion dollar "stimulus" package immediately, our entire nation is going to plunge into oblivion. That's right, no time to study or rationally review anything! Just throw massive amounts of money at random targets and "hope" it all somehow gets better.

Didn't we learn anything at ALL from the last "stimulus" fiasco? More precisely... is there anybody left in Washington with a brain? And why the big rush Mr. President? Could it be because your "stimulus" package is so full of pork it virtually oinks?

It's been jokingly referred to as every Democratic special interest group's 40 Year Wish List. Most American's don't find that funny. Even The Wall Street Journal said "By our estimate only $90 billion out of $825 billion, or about 12 cents of every $1, is for something that can plausibly be considered a growth stimulus. And even many of these projects aren't likely to help the economy immediately. The rest is pork." Here's some of what we can expect out of this newest spending orgy. The only thing it stimulates is my sense of outrage!!! What part of THIS COUNTRY IS ALREADY BANKRUPT do they not understand?

•$2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Dept. of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.

• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.

• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.

• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).

• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.

• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.

• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.

• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.

• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.

• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.

• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.

• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.

• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."

• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.

• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.

• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.

• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.

• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.

• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.

• $500 million for state and local fire stations.

• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.

• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.

• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.

• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.

• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities
in Bethesda, Maryland.

• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.

• $850 million for Amtrak.

• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.

• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.

• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.

• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.

Oink. Oink. Oink.

Deeply Embarassed?

And we're supposed to actually believe these shysters? First it was Timothy Geithner's neglected payment of $34,000 in self-employment taxes to the IRS (the one he clearly knew about but oh yeah... conveniently failed to pay). Of course he was confirmed as our new Treasury Secretary anyway! Nice work Washington. Now Health Secretary designate Tom Daschle apologizes for "errors" that caused him to owe $130,000 in back taxes! That's a helluva error folks! He's deeply embarassed though (just look at his face), so maybe we should forgive the guy...

How much more rotten will it have to get before we smell the stench coming out of the new administration???

Bath Bomb Recall

I guess they weren't kidding when they called them bath "bombs"...just another example of why Americans should stop buying cheap stuff made in China at Wal Mart! Instead, why not try making your own bath bombs and fizzies....just remember NOT to store them in an airtight container.