This business was started in 1999, though has changed names and products slightly over the years! I had always been creating, and then met my current husband who couldn't understand why I wasn't offering my art to the public. Much to my pleasure, he's an artist too and plays a large hand in the wood carved items and soaps that we offer, which he does in his spare time from his full-time job.

We each have our own roles in the shop. He carves and makes soaps and I do everything else! I paint his carvings, make jewelry, come up with the scents for the soaps, make the body products, crochet....I also handle all of the marketing, customer service, shipping, etc. I am always looking to keep people interested and excited about what we do! There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not creating some thing.

We like to work outside as much as possible, and both feel a strong connection to the Earth. We also have a small area we call "The Workshop" that's attached to our home where we keep all of our supplies, projects in process, display props, etc. It's where we make the soap and occasionally hold a workshop. It's a chaotic, cluttered artist space!

We try and incorporate found materials from nature, gifted supplies, or leftovers from other projects to keep as much as out of the landfills as possible. It is always my goal to use as much of some thing as I can, every part of it. Ever since I was a child I've always looked for ways to be creative with items, re-use them, recycle and up-cycle. I would take empty food boxes or plastic containers, such as shampoo bottles, and set up a little store that I could "shop" at. When we first started making art, we knew that we wanted to give a new voice to things that most people would over-look.

To reduce our carbon footprint we create on-site, here at our home. It works out great when the weather is bad and roads are impassable! We buy supplies as locally as possible, and at this time only ship within the United States. We run a dehumidifier in the workshop, instead of air conditioning, and use the water collected to water our non-food plants. We only use lights and the heat (in the winter) when we're out there, otherwise it is all shut off. Recyclable/re-usable packaging is always a goal for us as well and we are always looking for ways to better ourselves in that area.

We understand that every one needs a little Peace and comfort in each day and we here at Soapwood try to capture some thing like that in our art for you. Be it with color, subject, energy, or materials, we love those moments when our clients connect with our art and you can see it click. A sigh, a smile, hands clasped at the chest, some times even tears. We want our art to be sanctuary for the body, mind, and soul.

You CAN afford to have quality art that you love and will want to proudly display and we believe that everyone should be able to own beautiful art so we make every effort to find affordable ways to produce quality work. No matter the price or piece, we pay attention to the details. Nothing gives me joy more than looking at an item, listening to its voice, and envisioning it re-made in to some thing new. I find that sitting at a certain spot at the kitchen table, or outside on the patio, overlooking the front yard of trees, birds and all things green and alive let that beauty and quality be infused in to whatever it is we're making.

It is our dream to retire to a Green Living/Artist community in the Michigan area and create full-time. Lucky us and you!