Saturday 14 June 2008

My Interview With SoapScentsations


Most think soap is just soap but not in SoapScentsations!

When I first visited SoapScentsations it was great to see the traditional, good old fashioned reliable soap available but with a modern twist.

As you go around SoapScentsations you realise there is so much more: the favors are delicately designed with such care and detail, you can tell that the seller cares about her products and to top it off The Loofah Disc Soaps are so very classy :). Something for everyone, well worth a visit.

Please you tell us about yourself and your back ground?

I am a "semi-professional" full-time mom, part time soap maker, and crafter/artisian of all types. There aren't many art forms that I haven't at least tried once. I can't knit or crochet (I have tried on numerous occasions), but I love to paint, draw, sew, mosaic, scrap...just to name a few. I have a degree in secondary speech/theatre education that I have yet to use in a monetary sense. I do think it helped prepare me for what was to come with raising kids (especially a very DRAMATIC three-year old). Being home with my kiddos is the single most important thing for me. If the whole soap thing ever interfers with that I will definately close shop. I spend my days keeping up with my two boys, 6.5 and 3.5, and all their activities, trying to teach them how to be nice young men, keeping our house in a somewhat functional state, and keeping my etsy shop up and running. I am an active member (president elect) of my sons PTL and our church. I spend my spare time (oh wait--I don't have any) reading---it's been awhile since I picked up a book that had more than 5 words to a page. Ah well, such is life.


Can you tell us abit about your work and how did you start your etsy shop?

I feel very new to ETSY, but find I love it more every day. There are so many ways to promote your work and share ideas with all the other creative people on ETSY. A friend of mine told me about ETSY a couple months after I launched my home-based business "Soap Scent-sations". I just loved all the work on ETSY so much; it felt like home to me, that I decided I would give it a go. Since opening shop ( www.soapscentsations.etsy.com ) on ETSY I have had fairly steady sales (and more since I have been exploring the forums, virtual labs, and alcemy). I look forward to continued growth and meeting new and wonderfully creative people. I also still feel new to soap-making, but love every minute of it. Creating pretty, useful things for other people brings me great pleasure. I don't think I would enjoy it as much if I were just making them for myself and my family. Sharing is part of it. Making something with my two hands that someone else can enjoy. It is kind of like sending part of yourself out in each bar.


What usealy sparks off an idea?

There are lots of things that give me ideas for another soap. The whole soap-making idea came from trying to find a soap my youngest could use without breaking out. So my kids are definately inspiration to me. Interesting molds give me ideas. I've used everything from traditional soap molds to the plastic toys come in to make soaps. A favorite of my kids were the LEGO Star Wars character soaps I made for them. And just colors in general can make me grin. My whole shop is pretty colorful, especially the bath poofs. Those are my favorite soaps to make and use. That is mostly because they are really simple. Single colors, single scents, and it has a bath net in it that makes it ready to use as soon as you hit the shower.



Please tell us about your latest products:

My newest products are the solid lotion tins. I started using natural bee's wax from a fellow ETSIAN and I really think that has improved that particular product. The rich honey smell keeps me from really needing to add much else. I like keeping them natural and neutral. It is fun finding scents that compliment the honey.I am also really trying to promote the "Favor" soaps. They can be used for so many different things and can be customized by the buyer. Customers can choose from a variety of shapes (hearts, starts, frogs, turtles, bears, angels, and "thank you" bars), colors, and fragrances. Favor Soaps are great for baby showers, bridal showers, wedding favors, gift bags, customer appreciation gifts, and guest bathrooms. I can personalize the Favor Soaps with a small gift tag.

1 comment:

Beat Black said...

wonderful interview and the pictures you choose really show off her talent!