I am a certified soapmaker who specializes in making small batches of gentle, artisanal luxury soap using the cold process method of soapmaking.

My craft started as a hobby and grew into a business, and now, though the use of the internet and social media, I am able to sell my soap to customers throughout the United States.

When I first began soapmaking, I made very simple soap, but then started experimenting with making more creative designs, using my love of cooking and gardening for inspiration. I sometimes color my soaps in a shade that matches the flowers in my garden, or I use real cake-decorating tools to decorate my soaps in a way that makes them look almost edible. As I often say about my unconventional soap designs; this is not your great grandmother’s handmade soap! I’m especially drawn to the whimsical and fun things in life, and that carries over into my soap designs.

I like to add a touch of local ingredients to my soap whenever possible since I feel this adds an additional element of authenticity, and since ‘buying local’ also helps keep money circulating though our small community. And when I do use local goat milk, honey, beer or other ingredients in a certain batch of my soap, I am a strong believer in posting about it on social media so those other West Virginia and Appalachian small farmers or crafters who produced those ingredient can also benefit from the exposure.

Biography

I grew up in Huntington, West Virginia, but as an adult I lived at various times in Ohio, California and North Carolina, before eventually moving back to the area nine years ago.

I became interested in cold process soapmaking when I was searching for scented soap online and instead came across beautiful photos and blogs of people who made their own soap at home. I immediately became fascinated with soapmaking and learned the process from books, internet videos and blogs by expert soapmakers all over the world.

My love of gardening and cooking inspires my soap designs in the form using flower-influenced colors or garden botanicals to embellish my soap bars or even piping wet soap onto bars in the same manner that a pastry chef decorates cakes.

I am certified through the Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild, and I constantly seek out new information on soapmaking so that my craft can continue to evolve.

Other Creative Skills

Bath & Body Product-making