After last year’s holiday trip to Italy and the trip to the US and UK the year before, we decided to go back to our native Finland this year. It was a good decision because the ancient wood-framed and puttied … Continued
A while ago I made some big bars of all-coconut laundry soap. I took some pretty pictures and posted them in a couple of soapmaking groups on Facebook. To my surprise several soapmakers asked the same question: how do you … Continued
To Finns nothing spells out ’C L E A N’ more clearly than the natural pine wood smell of mäntysuopa, Finnish pine soap. It’s the smell of long, lazy childhood summers, saunas, lakes, boats – and rag rugs. It’s a … Continued
Here, close to the southernmost tip of Africa, our summers are warm and dry. The rain falls in winter when low-pressure fronts sweep in from the south. This is the heartland of South African wine country and the local vineyards … Continued
A couple of weeks ago I was experimenting with finely marbled agateware soap. In the process, I accidentally let one of my low-water soap batches get hard enough to lose its plasticity. Not wanting to waste the batch I ended … Continued
At age five I was the uncrowned queen of modelling clay. I don’t think I had any remarkable sculpting skills, but I loved the stuff. Since it would keep me entertained for hours, my mother fed my habit and made … Continued
We are lucky to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth here at the southernmost tip of Africa. We have a great climate and lots of wonderful things to see and do. For recreation we don’t need … Continued
When I first started making soap I saw the world with new eyes. Anything and everything equipped with some form of cavity became the centre of intense focus as a potential soap mould. This is a common phase that many … Continued
Once upon a time I swapped soap with Hajni Kele, the very talented soapmaster and owner at Mianra Soap in Cork, Ireland. The soap arrived, as international soap deliveries do, in a mail parcel. All the excitement of meeting soaps … Continued
The response to the un-coloured Ghost Swirl Soap that I posted about a month ago (you can read about it here) has been rather overwhelming. I’m humbled by all the positive comments and I’m very excited to see how other … Continued