Etsy

The revolution will be squeaky clean! Welcome to Paintbox Soapworks, my labor of love & outlet for nonsensical highjinks since 2009...

I'm a former pastry chef, lifetime nature & media nerd, & the mother of two ridiculous boys, with my heart in west England, my soul in Chicago, & my feet in south-central PA. I'm also tartchef on Etsy & at bpal.org :)

Paintbox Soapworks was born out of my love for handicraft, beautiful fragrances, clean hands & awesome colors. It's not a far leap from tempering chocolate to making soap, & I bring a lot of my pastry skills to the workbench, from piping techniques to working in percentages to blending scents. The sturdy, dough-kneading biceps help, too. My best ideas come to me in the middle of the night, or when I've had a song stuck in my head for a few days. Inspiration is a capricious beast, one I like to poke with a sharp stick on occasion to see what it does.

Stuff you *won't* find in my products: SLS or other harsh surfactants, parabens, propylene glycol, mineral oil, silicones, designer fragrance dupes, the same old scents...

Stuff you *will* find: organic and/or sustainably harvested vegetable oils & butters, real soap, gentle preservatives, skin-safe colorants, & a stunning array of unique, irreverent scents that you won't find anywhere else!

I create everything you'll find in my shop with my own two hands, from the products to the labels to the photos. I use a range of amazing bases for my glycerin soaps, lotions, creams & scrubs, ensuring a safe & consistent product for you, the customer. I make my hot process soaps & scent balms from scratch, deliciously messy projects that destroy the kitchen but are ridiculously satisfying.

If you'd told me three years ago that I'd get to quit my day job, make soap & write all day, & be all geeked out over marketing theory & shop stats, I'd have said you were crazy. It just goes to show - you can always surprise yourself, if you're willing to take that first leap :)

Thanks for visiting my shop - I hope you find something here that makes you smile, swoon, or snort with laughter: http://www.etsy.com/shop/paintboxsoapworks

Blog? Blargh! Check out Paintbox Soapworks on WordPress for behind-the-scenes ramblings & sneak previews! http://paintboxsoapworks.wordpress.com/

Visit Paintbox Soapworks on Facebook for news, updates & soapy chatter: http://tinyurl.com/paintboxsoapworksonfacebook

Like your news a little more... unfiltered? (Meaning, I swear a lot...) Follow me on Twitter! https://twitter.com/paintboxsoaps

Paintbox Soapworks was featured at French Revelation! Thank you!! http://frenchrevelation.blogspot.com/2010/01/featurama-monday_25.html