Soap carving doesn’t seem like a hobby that just anyone can participate in. However, the Soap Carving Club at UNL is trying to prove that belief false. Ian Vosburg and Kirby Washburn started the club in 2009, and now Kelsey Loontijer, a senior biology major at UNL is the “Queen” (president) of the club.“The purpose is for people to have a creative, unique outlet,” Kelsey stated. “We really just want people to have fun trying something new and meeting new people. It's also a great way to catch up with old friends you might not be able to see every week.”

Loontijer got involved with the club her freshman year. And has been very involved with it throughout her college career.

“Anyone can get involved with the group simply by showing up to a meeting! We also have a Facebook group, UNL Soap Carving Club, which anyone can request to join. All our meeting dates are posted there and we create events just as a reminder for everyone,” Kelsey said. The club meets about once a month on a Monday at 9:30 pm in the Union.

“During the typical meeting you will walk up to the sign in table, pay $1.50 for the meeting (or $5 if you want to be a member for the rest of the semester), and we will give you a bar of Ivory soap and a pocket knife. Then you're pretty much on your own to carve what you want! You can stay for however long you want. We also have pop, snacks and music. We will occasionally have competitions, often for holidays. In that case, we'll let you know what the theme is and you can turn in your carving at the end of the night to be judged by everyone present. The three people with the most votes goes home with a random assortment of prizes. It's all very laid back.”

Not only are the meetings very laid back, soap carving is also a great stress-reliever.

“A lot of people will just make ‘snow’ their first few meetings. This is just when you attempt to carve something and end up with just a bunch of really tiny soap scraps,” Kelsey said.

Kelsey says even she isn’t a fantastic soap carver, but likes it for the fun and uniqueness of the hobby. With a smile, she said, “Practice makes perfect. Or at least something that's halfway recognizable.”