Maker of the Month: Love Your Suds

How long have you been making soap, and how did you get started?

I first made soap in 2014 while working at Alive Magazine. At the time, I wanted to create handmade Christmas gifts for my colleagues, something practical but also creative and personal. Soap quickly became all of those things for me. It was a useful piece of art, a creative outlet, and a side project that allowed me to explore design in a completely new medium. Best of all, I discovered how good it was for my skin. I was hooked.

As I went deeper, I became fascinated by advanced techniques and achieving consistent designs across every slice. I wanted to create signature designs that could be repeated, not just one-off lucky pours. That curiosity naturally led me to start devising tools and techniques to achieve next-level designs with intention and reliability.
The shift from hobby to business happened when I began teaching others. Watching fellow soap makers light up as their skills and confidence grew showed me how powerful sharing this craft could be. When people started asking not just what I was making, but how, I knew this was something bigger. Rather than protecting my lane or guarding secrets, I chose to share them, and Love Your Suds grew from that decision.

What sets Love Your Suds products & tools apart, what makes them unique?

I’m a soap maker first. Every Love Your Suds tool is designed, created, tested, refined, and released by me in my own soap studio. That hands-on process is what makes them trustworthy. They are built by someone who uses them, not just designs them on a screen.

Love Your Suds is a blend of education, design, and innovation. My background in brand and graphic design informs the aesthetics, my experience as a soap maker ensures performance, and my role as an educator shapes how approachable and achievable everything is.

What truly sets Love Your Suds apart is how the tools and education work together. Through my Kaleidoscope Master Workshop, I show makers exactly how I use these tools in real time, with recipes, trace-control secrets, design planning, pouring patterns, slicing and more. There’s no guesswork or trial-and-error. Makers gain the confidence to create complex designs with ease and consistency.

Most soap tools help you make a bar. Mine help you create soap art, and my workshops give you the clarity and confidence to do it again and again.

Where do you find inspiration?

Inspiration comes from everywhere. Nature, the seasons, patterns, symmetry, and my design background all play a role, but so does the soap medium itself. I’m especially drawn to depth and storytelling, creating soaps that feel like more than a surface design.

Ideas usually start conceptually for me. I like to imagine how a design ties into the scent and ingredients. Constraints like mold size, batter behaviour, or tool limitations don’t frustrate me; they inspire me. They are simply another creative opportunity. While I do actively seek inspiration, it also shows up while I am working or exercising. Creativity feels like play to me, and I tend to apply it to most areas of life, with the exception of bookkeeping.

What has been your biggest challenge to navigate as a small business owner?

Time, wearing all the hats, and protecting my intellectual property have been some of my biggest challenges. There have definitely been moments when I questioned whether to continue.
Those moments always turned into pivots. Running a small business requires you to be nimble, adaptable, curious, and tenacious. What helped me move through those challenges was stepping back and realigning with why I started in the first place. I also make sure to do at least one fun thing every day, give myself space to think freely, and make time to move my body. Finding balance matters more than people often realize.

What is your favorite part of the creative process?

The pour and the reveal are hard to beat. There is something magical about watching a design come together and then slicing into it to see the result.
I also love teaching and sharing that excitement with other makers. Seeing someone realize they can create something they once thought was out of reach is incredibly rewarding.
I enjoy control and precision, always with room for creative flow. The most meditative moments for me are slicing, beveling, and stamping. That is where everything slows down, and the design truly comes to life through the finishing touches.

Are there other makers in the industry that have inspired you? What do you love about their work?

What advice would you give to other makers looking to start a small business?

A practical tip I wish I had learned earlier: wipe excess cold process soap batter from tools with reusable cloths before cleaning, then wait a day before tossing the cloths in the washing machine. No detergent needed, the batter becomes soap, and your drains will thank you.

More broadly, master your craft while learning business alongside it, not one instead of the other. Growth happens when you allow yourself to be both a student and a problem-solver. And do not be afraid to make mistakes. Some of my best discoveries and favourite designs started as soap fails.

What dreams do you have for your business moving forward?

What are your must-have Bramble Berry fragrances?

Bramble Berry fragrance oils and colourants are absolute staples in my studio, and I also love the Quick Mixes.

I rely on their premium fragrance oils with clear usage notes, especially when making Kaleidosoaps, where a slow trace and predictable behaviour are essential. I always recommend Apple Sage, Berry Silk, Ray of Sunshine, and Sunflower Sandalwood. They are versatile, well-behaved, and consistently loved by my customers and gift recipients.

For colourants, Queen’s Purple and Caribbean Blue micas are my top favourites. They are vibrant, consistent, and dependable.