As entrepreneurs fairly new on the scene, we think it's a great opportunity to have other great Makers in our area. "LovelyBubbly" by Amanda is based right around the corner from us and makes some absolutely amazing soaps that look good enough to eat - and when I took my 3 year old over to her shop she literally tried to take a bite!
Here is a great opportunity to get to know her and her craft!
How did you get into soap making?
I started off by trying the melt and pour bases first, to get a feel for the mica and fragrances. But in my heart I knew I had to make cold process, there's something about making it from scratch that's so satisfying. And my initial goal was to make a soap cake! So I started with a lot of reading on the internet and you tube watching. Then I stumbled across a lady in Oxford that was taking small classes to show how it was done. Once I did that, I was away, and addicted. Although soap is certainly a 'practice makes perfect...sometimes' kind of activity.
What made you make the decision to turn soap making from a hobby into a business?
When I went on maternity leave with my third child, I took that as the opportunity to try and start turning something I love into something I love, for a job.
It's still a work in progress!
What inspires you in the design process of coming up with each piece?
I usually buy a fragrance that tickles my fancy and then go from there. Something that smells like a cake or cupcake usually turn into that!
What is your personal favourite scent?
That's a hard one! I love coffee scents because I live on coffee. I also love anything with lemon in it, or coconut, it's so hard to have just one!
What is you favourite thing about being in business?
It is really nice being able to chip away at a small business while at home, and while I'm juggling the kids school plus one at home. There is a lot of learning as I'm not from a 'business' background being a Nurse, but with Facebook, you tube and google...anything is possible for a stay at home now!
What do you love about your customers?
I love when they order something and you end up having long one on one conversations about life. One soap can turn into 'how was your day' and away we go. It's really nice that Facebook allows that sort of connection when a customer is buying something 'online'.
Amanda has a local following of fans due to her love for her craft and the creativity into which she puts into making truly original - but also practical - works of art. Every piece is beautiful enough to make an amazing gift, but also has a lot of thought put into which scents will complement eachother and work well. Some of the more elaborate pieces can be cut or broken down into smaller chunks so they aren't all used up at once - or look quite so tempting to small children!
Amanda is stocked in the Post Shop in Darfield, but has also recently opened up a physical shop in a freestanding building next to her home in Coalgate (and YES! it is Eftpos equipped!). She finds a lot of people buy off her directly as she is very accessible via her Facebook page and her shopify page makes purchasing very easy. Each soap is labelled with a guideline of how strong the scent is so people can buy to their tastes easily, even online.