Teach Soap

So I keep finding myself disliking many of the most popular soap craft designs I come across that everyone else seems to love.
I think I may be too logical to be crafty ... Here's some examples of what I've been thinking:

I personally would never make a soap that looked like a food, or was made to imitate a dessert.
My thought on this is, why would I want to clean with food, or why mix in a theme and have some poor person or kid think my soap is edible and learn the hard way.
Are people decorating their bathrooms with cupcakes these days? I see sooo many cupcake soaps, and I guess they would work in a kitchen -- but are people really USING the soaps, or just putting them out to display?

And some soaps have such an odd shape - how does one start to use a soap that's shaped like a popsicle for example.

I guess part of my problem is, I want to be creative, but overall, I want the product to be usable. Function over form.

I love seeing everyone's designs - and of course, each to his/her own, but am I alone in this?
I want my friends and family to like my soaps aesthetically, but overall, I want them to use it!

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Jen
"Soap and water and common sense are the best disinfectants." William Osler

I have to agree with you. I won't make soap that looks like food. It's bad enough that some kid at a craft show takes a bite out of your soap because he thinks it's fudge or cheese.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm one of those food soap people. But I totally have that fear some kid would try to eat it even with a "Do Not Eat" sign! My boyfriend suggests I make broccoli soap and I'll never have to worry about kids eating my stuff! Ha!

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The Black Currant- Shipping within the US!

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While I find some "foodie" soaps to be very pretty, I don't make them. In my mind a soap should look like a soap! I also don't make decorative bars, just pretty ones that are 100% made to be used.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

Yes, there are some folks that will purchase a soap just to display in their bathroom or kitchen. So I am sure that many of the cupcake soaps are used for this. I also think that the majority of the cupcake soaps are given to little girls to use in the tub... anything to get them to wash and use soap! I do have two friends that keep the soaps I give them as decoration, I figure sooner or later they will actually use one.
I do decorate my soap, but do not do the cupcakes or cakes. I did put some soap strawberries, blueberries on the top of my soap loaf. In fact today I made my first coffee soap and put little soap coffee beans on top. I guess I do it because I like some swirling but not a lot and this gives me another artistic outlet.
As for the use of food ideas... I think in the deep recesses of our mind we will always find some comfort in food.... but no I will not be doing a mac and cheese soap anytime soon!

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

I just made a batch of soap using BBs Dark Rich Chocolate f.o. It smells good enough to eat but it still looks like soap. I wouldn't want anyone to take a bite. Some of the other food scented f.o.s really smell good too. Being a newbie soaper I am experimenting with different scents to see what I like the best. Think I am leaning toward clean and natural light fruity scents.


MaryLou

Hey! I don't think you're being too logical. Like you, I'd never ever get a soap that looks like food. It's fine if it looks abstract and/or out of this world, but to imitate how food looks like is just no. It plays hard on my own mind - it's almost as if I'm using cream and sugar to bathe. It feels.. eww.. Just.. eww.

But on a side note, it does look nice and I do enjoy taking some time looking at these beautiful crafts, except that I'd never buy or make them.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

I'm with you, but I don't find it hard to make "creative" soaps despite it. Or I do find it a little hard, because I'm not an inherently visually creative person. But even then I usually have more ideas than time to execute them. I have no desire to try to make a cupcake soap, and most of the super intricate soaps (food or otherwise) don't appeal to me much. I mean, soap is for washing with. One exception, just because I think it will look really cool and it won't look exactly like the food but just very much inspired by the food, is that I want to make an avocado soap, colored like the different colored layers of the avocado (dark green, light green, and yellowish green) and funnel poured, so it looks kind of like a bar made up of avocado slices. I'm hoping it works out like it does in my mind...

Thank you, everyone, for the replies.
It's nice to know I'm not alone out there in a world of soapy cupcakes!
This forum and community has been great for the year or so since I've started soaping. I love you all!

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Jen
"Soap and water and common sense are the best disinfectants." William Osler

I, too, don't like to make the food looking soap unless it is a guest size "candy" soap for christmas or something. I like to put those in my guest bathroom and people like to use them. I don't understand the cupcakes and large cake slices, etc... it would seem odd to handle something like that to wash with. They look pretty and I always admire them but I wouldn't get one or make one, personally. Now, I do like to make my cp soaps pretty with swirls and stuff but they are most definitely usable.

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Haven

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Linda

I learn so much when I can't leave well enough alone!