It's exactly one year since my last blog post here (shame on me!) and a few things have changed......
Rest assured I still have my lovely chooks, minus old Ruby who sadly died last year :-( but still our mountainwildlife home has a plentiful supply of yummy fresh eggs from our 8 hens, watched over and protected by Jet the Australorp Rooster.
I still love my food gardening, I built 3 large raised veg beds last year from colorbond left from friends building projects, and they have been brimming with variousl produce ever since. We have also managed to plant a huge amount of fruit trees and bushes on out little 700sq metre block! Our apple trees and hazelnut trees fruited for the first time this summer, I was so excited!!
I have been reading your blogs every now and then too, trying to keep up with everyone else's changes and big events, although I haven't been commenting, I was still there!
But looking back at my last post it's hard to believe my working life has changed so much! The guesthouse job didn't last very long as my massage business took off very quickly, and I found I was turning clients away because I had work at the guesthouse, so massage took over my working hours and I handed the old job over to someone else.
Having my own Massage Therapy business suits me very well, I love the work and working in school hours so I can still take my children to and from school. I have built up a regular client base of local people which I am thrilled about.
If any of my blog followers are interested I have a business facebook page here - MASSAGE MATTERS
And in my gaps between massage work, I decided to start another business! Yes! I have always loved handmade soap, and have been buying from various places for about 10 years. Pair that with my love of all things crafty.... and I thought it was about time I made my own. It soon became apparent there was a bit of demand, with friends asking for my soaps too.
So ..... 'The Natural Soap Emporium' was born!
Some of my range of natural hand made soaps
I am concentrating on all-natural, skin friendly soaps, without synthetic colours or fragrances (let's face it, there are enough of them out there!) and including only plant based oils, essential oils, milks, honey, oats, herbs and other botanicals.... you get the idea.
I have an online shop, with a blog and facebook page, and I was thrilled to be approached by a local artisan shop to sell through them, which I agreed to of course! ( I am yet to master building a website, to be honest I have more fun things to do, so facebook and blog it is - comfortable and familiar!)
I just love the process, somewhere between science and art, of creating a beautiful product from a range of ingredients. It's not so different to cooking, where I can create a different recipe every time, and although I'm never exactly sure how the end product will look, I have never been disappointed yet and they are amazing to use!
If you are interested, I have started a few pages -
BLOG for The Natural Soap Emporium ~ HERE
Etsy SHOP ~ HERE
or find me on FACEBOOK! ~ HERE
Of course running 2 businesses as well as a family, animals and garden, means I have had very little time for my old loves, like blogging here :-( But I hope you will understand and come follow me on new adventures over at the soap blog!
Lisa :-)
