Hello All,

My name is Lissi and I live in Kent.  I've been making CP soap for about 5 years now and this time next week I will (hopefully) be selling a small selection of my soaps at my first little village fete. 

I got into making soap when I was pregnant with my son and I needed something to keep my mind off of being so ill with the pregnancy.  I used to do a fair amount of needlework but I found I wanted a change, something new to get my teeth into.  I don't remember exactly how I came across soap making but I do remember my first attempts at M&P. I'm a web developer and spend a lot of my time in front of a computer so I turned to the Internet for help and saw so many beautifully made M&P soaps that I quickly became frustrated by my own efforts, to be honest I was and still am terrible at it! Through my online research into M&P I found the CP method.  I was instantly intrigued and the idea it's made from scratch with entirely natural ingredients really appealed to me.  If I was going to make soap I wanted it to be mine from the very beginning.  Like cooking a lasagna, I can make a really great meal using jars from a supermarket (and often do!) but for me it's never quite the same as when you make the sauces yourself and better still, grow your own herbs!

So, 5 years & many many many blocks of something that barely resembles a bar of soap later...  Here I am.  I've learnt a huge amount & loved every second of my journey (well, perhaps not so much when my stunning, luxurious natural oils and expensive EOs happen to turn into caustic concrete or curdle their way to being used in my washing machine only! Thankfully those days are mostly behind me).  I've hit my head against legal red tape, lurked on many a forum, read countless books and told more people that my soap is not edible than I can even remember. Now I think it's time I came out of the woodwork and said hello to my fellow soap makers!

Being used to spending my days alone staring at web code and rarely interacting with human beings unless it was on a strictly need to basis, I was happy to learn from other soap makers only by reading books, websites and forums.  Now I'm on the threshold of a new journey I feel the need to actually communicate!  Hopefully I can offer advise to fellow soap makers as well as share my own feelings of impending doom because, despite working towards it for a long time, I'm in no way prepared for my first stall! 

I have a website but it's not quite ready yet.  When the full version is live I'll let you know

Thank you for reading and I hope to get to know you all better,
Lissi
x

Wow Lissi what a journey. Youve told us so much I feel as if I know you already.

I hope you're going to really love it on this forum, everyone is very friendly and we interact, question and encourage all the time, plus the occasional times when we are norty and get put in naughty corner(which is quite a fun place to be by the way)

We love piccies, of failures or soap faeries as we call em as wel as our successes.

I make mp but have madee one hp soap and cant wait to do some more

Looking forward to sharing your journey with you.

Michelle
(twas edited for my godawful spelling, its really bad today)

Welcome Lissi. You will have fun and learn a lot on here.

Hi Lissi,

what a fab intoduction. I've recently started CP soap with a view to selling (i sell M&P and butter atm). I love it and love making things from scratch.

We LOVE pics, any kind but especially soapy creations (the bood and bad as MIchelle said) so if you've any pics of any soaps you made, feel free to post them up.

Looking foward to speaking to you more on the forum  :buttrf:

Polly

Hello Lissi nice to "see your face" now you've delurked.

You're almost certain to get asked for advice about website building!!

If you haven't done so during your lurking click on the About button on the menu bar - then you'll see that more boards will be available to you if you make more posts.

Hello - and welcome as an official member -  you have a head start as you are already an accomplished soaper - you will be asked for pics, I'm certain.

Hi Lissi welcome I'm new too. Great place to hang out and learn.

Hi Lissie and welcome!  :buttrf: :buttrf:

Good of you to unlurk. This is a comfy, friendly, funny and inspirational place to be.

I don't do much of anything but keep single handed stronghold against the dark forces of soapers. I will not be drawn in!  :mwaha:  :mwaha:

Some may mention we love pics!

Hey there, delurking is always good.. hope you enjoy it here.

Not sure if anyone mentioned that we love pics? If not, we love pics!

Hi Lissi,
Welcome to the forum! I bet you feel better having come out of the woodwork.  Looking forward to seeing loads of pickys as if your avatar is anything to go by then we could all be in for a treat    

Thank you very much.  It's so friendly here I couldn't help but say hello.  Years ago I used to play with Henna and was part of a forum then but I'm sad to say I didn't have the best of experiences and never joined another forum until now.  It's clear to see what a lovey community you have all made here so I'm happy to be part of it.  Forgive me though if I post in the wrong place or do something silly! 

I'm happy to give advise on websites etc.  I've built many and I rather love it!  Having said that, I hand code all my sites so I have little experience of WYSIWYG instant site makers like Mr Site (not a huge fan) but I'm happy to help where I can. 

Reading my own post back I do hope I didn't give anyone the impression I'm anti M&P!  I'm just in love with CP.  I really admire the artwork that goes into some M&P soaps, most especially because I'm not so gifted. 

I've attached some pictures that are on my website.  I'd love to show some of my 'ugly' soaps but for some reason they are camera shy! 

Yep just what I thought candy for the eyes    I'm always doing something silly  :mwaha:

Ohh they are beautiful - first and last are my favs, I can almost smell the mint choc in the final one!

I use Mr Site mostly because I don't have the skills you do in web design but still wanted to design my own site and do my own thing when I wanted so it was my solution.  When the company gets bigger, I'll look into getting someone to design something for me.  If I had your skills, I wouldn't have gone there either  :mwaha:

Beautiful soaps! I'm sure you'll do very well at your market - ne need to be nervous as far as I can tell  :buttrf: Welcome!

They all look lovely, and the packaging really suits them too.