English Handmade Soap
I am a designer maker of high quality glycerine soaps which are both decorative and practical. Being based in the beautiful Surrey Hills area of the South East of Britain, I am lucky that the wonderful design inspiration found in our London museums and galleries is also reasonably accessible to me. I am particularly drawn to the 1950’s patterns and colour palettes and as a result find myself a frequent visitor to the V&A. As a child I was always pointed out as a ‘cutter and sticker’ and later used candle-making as an excuse for messing about with shape and colour. Many years later I discovered that clear glycerine soap had similar creative possibilities and have been creating quirky and decorative soaps for more than seven years. A short training course got me started but experience has been my main teacher.
A bar of soap presents design possibilities from a variety of dimensions and angles and once I have been inspired to create a new ‘picture’ I enjoy solving the practical manufacturing problems that often arise. Alongside that I really enjoy perfecting colour combinations which can make the difference between something ‘quite clever’ and something ‘irresistibly attractive’. I am gradually spreading the word about what an excellent versatile gift is the gift of a beautiful-smelling and gorgeous-looking soap. It can say ‘Thank-You’, ‘Happy Birthday’, ‘Thinking of You’, ‘I Love You’, ‘I’m Sorry’ …the possibilities are endless and none of them involve calories! Soap can also, of course, make a marvellous gift for oneself.