It Began on a Whim: How I became a Soap Artisan

It was a crisp chilly morning in early April 2010.  Our family of 5, living at the time in Victoria, B.C. stepped aboard a mid-size ferry. (Anyone familiar with Texas ferries would esteem it as gargantuan, however)
Our destination was Salt Spring Island, one of the Gulf Islands nestled among other such islands in the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the Mainland B.C..

B.C. ferry; Sweet ride!

I had searched the internet a day or two before determined to find a do-able one-day excursion for the weekend.  Salt Spring seemed a perfect destination.  Their famed Ganges Market would be open, and the weather forecast boded fair skies.
An added plus were a few stellar hiking possibilities, one trail touting gnome doors hidden along the path.

Cheese, Glorious Cheese!

The market did not disappoint. As the morning drew on, the darling white tents and rustic farmers' stands bustled with the people, most of whom had traveled by boat to sample and taste the best the island had to offer.  The market's mantra -- Make It, Bake It, Grow It -- attracts a growing population of people who desire to support local communities like Salt Spring by buying that which has been grown or made locally.

Handcrafted Pottery

We had a wonderful time sampling cheeses made from local goat milk.  These were definitely the fanciest cheeses I have ever had.  So flavorful and rich, we could not leave this island without buying a couple of them. Neither can I  speak highly enough of the tasty artisan bread, perfectly crusty on the outside, delicately tender within.  There were tables filled with decadent candies, pastries, and the like; there were jams and jellies, beautiful pottery, jewelry, knitted items. There were tables upon tables of fresh vegetables and fruits.  So much goodness on all sides.  

SaltSpring Soapworks:  I bought my first soap right here!

And then there was this one booth.  I only stopped  as an afterthought right before we left the market square.  Something must have caught my eye. It was a booth of handmade soap.  I know now that it was cold-processed soap.  I knew absolutely nothing about soap that day. Intrigued by the display of tin buckets with soap peeking out,  I stopped to smell, and I was hooked into the sale at that very moment.  I really liked the look of the loofah soaps; I had to have one of those.

Cool Loofah Soap

Handmade Soap in Tin buckets

 I took a few minutes to decide and noticing a restless family, grabbed 3 in haste. (I chose one with mango, one with strawberry and one with rose) We left the market to eat takeout pizza and explore the beach of Salt Spring Island before heading home that day.

Yep, that's our picnic spot.

I could say the rest is history. But my lackluster first encounter with handmade soap was really just the precursor to an adventure into the realm of chemistry and art.  I guess for me, it has also turned into an escalator down into the realm of accounting and marketing. (Yikes!).

My kiddos on a tin horse right near the Market

During the weeks after our trip to Salt Spring Island I fell in love with the soap. I began researching and reading everything I could get my hands on about cold-processed soap. I bought soap from every local soapmaker I encountered.  I spent hours on forums and gathered recipes and troubleshooting advice, lists of all sorts of topics, far too many to list here.  And so I researched for close to a year before I ever attempted my first batch.  And boy was that first batch a scary endeavor!  But how fun to unwrap and cut that first slice of good soap.  I think the slicing is my favorite part of the process, second only to trying a new soap out in the shower.  There's no luxury or feeling of satisfaction quite like it. How blessed I am to be able to make something with my hands that pampers the body and promotes healthy skin, simultaneously providing aromatherapy benefits. I love being a soap artisan. And I am so thankful that what started out as a whim to  explore an island and its market has led to so many fruitful opportunities.