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Migrating from being bank tellers to opening our own business in 2004 was a dream we finally realized! Susie and I had worked together for several years at a local bank and our passions for making our own wonderfully scented products made for a good working relationship there because of our mutual interests, and has caused our business to grow and expand since its inception. We each have our specialities, but we work together and collaborate on new items to be brought into the business. Our shop has all handmade items, either ours or others on consignment from local craft artisans in our area. Susie takes on the task of making the lotions, shower gels, mists, perfumes, body butters, and dry oils. She operates the shop single handedly a great deal of the time to free me up to make our lye soaps, lip balms, candles, our specialty "Baby Bakery Cakes", and to give me time to do the bookkeeping for our shop. One of my specialities is my handmade lye soap. I've always had this 'interest' in crafts - a love for making things and being a soaper is the ultimate! To have a person compliment you on your craft is the most wonderful feeling. I'm so proud that I am decended from a family of craft artisans and I have inherited that penchant for the older crafts that need to be passed down from generation to generation. I have learned to make a Hot Process lye soap that is made not quite like my Grandmother made it, but in an electric crock pot instead of the soap pot over the fire outside. Over the past few years I have accumulated a vast number of recipes, but have my favorites, like Lemongrass, Lilac or Oatmeal and Honey Milk soap. I have also started developing some of my own recipes and scent blends. My two latest ones are Calendula Vanilla and Ylang Ylang and Rose Hips. Both have been received very well by our customers. Our products have made their way from West Virginia to New Jersey and Florida, and from Washington, DC to California and numerous states in between. Locally, we have a large number of loyal customers returning time and again for their favorites. We believe this in itself shows the quality of our products and the excellent customer service we extend to everyone. Our products can be found in WV at Tamarack near Beckley, MountainMade in Thomas, and at the Artisan Shop in Wheeling. Nearby in Charleston at Baby Phases, St. Francis Hospital Gift Shop, Charleston Area Medical Centers Memorial Division, General Division, and Women and Children Division Gift Shops and at Thomas Memorial Hospital's Gift Shop in South Charleston. Our shop is located approximately 14 miles north of Charleston, WV on US Route 119, right next to the Elk River. We have participated in numerous faires in WV and also have been a vendor at Kentucky Crafted The Market in Louisville, KY for two years. We were one of six craft vendors sponsored by Tamarack. In WV we have participated in the Renaissance Faire held at Tamarack and have also been a vendor at The Arts & Craft Fair at Cedar Lakes. We have attended the Maple Syrup Festival in Pickens, the Strawberry Festival in Buckhannon and the Pumpkin Festival in Milton. Closer to home in Charleston, we have been at the Vandalia Gathering, The Garden Show, Symphony Sunday, the Rhododendron Christmas Show, and the Capitol City Arts & Crafts Show at the Charleston Civic Center. Our business is growing and our product line is expanding, but our backbone products, such as our lye soap, will only get better as time progresses. Our ancestors have laid out the framework for our products - we have just twisted the process a little to keep up with todays demands. We have to remember our Mothers and Grandmothers and how hard they worked to make the essentials of yesterday, and all the products we make today are dedicated to them. Thanks for visiting, Carolyn & Susie UPDATE!! I WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE FOR ALL THE PLEASURE I HAVE RECEIVED FROM BEING CONNECTED TO THIS SITE. I HAVE NOW RETIRED AND LOOK FORWARD TO ALL THE SEWING, QUILTING, AND WEAVING I CAN MANAGE TO GET INTO A DAY. MY MIND WOULD LOVE TO CONTINUE WITH WHAT I HAVE SO LOVINGLY CREATED, BUT MY BODY IS SAYING ITS TIME TO DO OTHER THINGS. THANK YOU, CAROLYN |