Working in the garden was part of growing up for me. The hours spent planting, weeding and harvesting taught me about about nature, self-reliance and hard work as I spent time with my parents and seven siblings. I didn't know then how my interest in nature and plants would grow.

Now we live next door to where I grew up. I enjoy teasing my dad across the fence while we both work in our gardens. I've extended what he taught me into growing fabulous herbs like calendula, comfrey, chickweed, St. John's Wort and lemongrass. These and other herbs fascinate me, and I've spent the past 20 years studying their properties and how to cultivate them.

In that same time I taught myself to to make soaps, lotions and other spa and skin care products. SkinTastic Creations has been on Etsy since 2009, but when I realized that I could infuse my homegrown herbs into my balms and lotions it changed my entire approach to creating these products. Making natural, skin-loving products is rewarding because I know I'm doing my little bit to help make this world a better place.

I love what these products do for my skin. When people tell me I don't look old enough to have four adult children, I can only smile. When they tell me I can never stop making the Herbal Facial Serum, or other favorite products, I find myself more committed to this journey of creating healthy products for wonderful people.