Soak up artist Shannon Martin's free spirit with her new bath salts

I'm a sucker for refrigerator art, especially when it complements my kitchen aesthetic -- country comfort and naughty retro chic.

One of my favorite magnets features three women, circa early 1960s, sporting seriously lacquered beehive hairdos and grinning at an enormous birthday cake. Accompanied by an Erma Bombeck zinger about women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart, it's classic Shannon Martin, the Seattle self-described "girl designer."

It's hard to miss Martin's cards, notepads and other paraphernalia around town, with her trademark pairing of sultry, cheeky or downright sentimental vintage family photographs topped by unforgettable quotes such as Oscar Wilde's "Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."

Now you can add a dose of that sass to your bath with Martin's newly released line of Feel Goods Bath Salts. She's created an even dozen of "everyday scents," including Uplift (rosemary mint), Dream (coconut lime), Unwind (citrus ginger) and two that turned my bath hour into happy hour: Spirit (honey almond) and Renew (avocado oil).

Retailing for $6.95, they're a swell little bargain. Given the distinctive scents, which lasted well into a one-hour soak (I'm also a sucker for long baths), there's enough for two to three baths per package. I also came out grit- and oil-free, as did my tub.

In addition to emerging silky soft and sweetly scented, you'll be charmed by Martin's selection of appropriately chosen photos on the packaging: vintage bathing beauties in various stages of repose or play, frolicking in waves, and all giving their best come-hither look.

Martin says she uses personal photos of family and friends from days gone by, not just for the images, but for the spirit they represent. "My mother is such card, and my aunt and the rest of my family. I think that's what makes what I do special."

Feel Goods Bath Salts are available at Portage Bay Goods, Ravenna Gardens, Rue de Lyon, Wild Rose's Antiques and Gifts, University Bookstore and City People's Mercantile. Martin will be following up with six holiday scents later this year, with plans, she says, "for lots more. It's all about comfort and cheer."

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