Workshop-Studio

Simply Soap®

Wild Oaks Art & Enchantasies ®

The Workshop & The Art Studio

Many of you have repeatedly asked us over the years, "Show us where you MAKE the soap and do art! Please show us your 'factory'!" Due to insurance liability and residential zoning limitations, we are unable to conduct on-site tours, so I thought a photo tour would be the next best thing! I kept putting it off till I cleaned the place up---which never seems to fully happen because there's always a mess in-progress, so photos were taken "as is"... 'xcuse the clutter, please! We are not actually a "factory" (That sounds HUGE and very Proctor & Gamble-ish!)...but I DO manage to produce some very large quantities of handmade soap here, .....make art, .....and LOVE being home-based! A certain amount of magic most definitely takes place in our workshop/art studio...taking ordinary ingredients and materials and changing them into something altogether different!!!

Ten steps out my back door, I cross my patio, and BOOM, I'm at work! Sure beats traffic, dress-code is cut-offs and tank tops, and I can blast Aerosmith to my heart's content!

The workshop is 800 sq. ft. and was custom-built by the previous home-owner who ran an exotic car-building & repair service. Yup---I now make soap where Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and Porsches used to have their sparkplugs replaced and innards tinkered with. I keep *thinking* I see the ghost of a Carrera GT, midnight blue to match my eyes in the workshop .....but my husband assures me it will likely REMAIN "a ghost"..... ::sigh:: Ah well, ...a girl can dream!

Anyway, we used to live just a few houses down the street. The previous owner of THIS house/workshop was a soap customer of mine who decided to move to Montana. He knew I was looking for larger space to make soap and suggested we come look at his house-for-sale + workshop. We saw the workshop before we saw the inside of the house and immediately said "we'll take it" ...perfect for my business! As it turned out, we liked the house too!

The soapmaking hub and my main workbench...jars of dried herbs, oils, weighing scale, and other potions that go into the soap recipes! Sometimes sparks actually fly as I feverishly work! *wink*

It really IS perpetually messy, but what's the ol' saying?... "Clutter is the mother of creativity"? (Or did I just make that up?) I want to re-paint the whole workshop in a bright and lively set of colors and epoxy the floor, but the thought of having to drag everything out to do so makes me groan in agony, both for the work involved as well as the down-time from my production schedule! Someday.....(in my *free* time...whatever that is)!

400 lb. drums of oils, bottles of essential oils, soap drying racks, and miscellaneous boxes of ribbons & packaging stored on top.

Gallon jugs of olive oil on a bright window ledge being infused with the magic of fresh herbs in the San Diego sunlight.

Measured & weighed olive, coconut, palm kernel & castor oils. A soap batch being mixed. I take great pride in everything we do is "handmade" Old World style...from choosing ingredients--even growing some botanicals myself, to the soapmaking, to the hand-cutting and packaging, to every small detail! Someday I may kick myself and wonder why we didn't mechanize things like the rest of the world (LOL!), but so far, I STILL think that handmade-ness is what makes Simply Soap, Simply Soap! Or maybe I'm just a throw-back to another time...now stuck in the 21rst century!

A freshly mixed and poured batch of Linden Blossom soap. Grated white soap is added to green for that soap's design.

After soap batches are poured, the molds are stacked and wrapped in old quilts for insulation. This keeps the chemical heat reaction from cooling too quickly.

In 24 hours, after "saponification" (i.e. the mixed oils & lye turns into "soap"), the blocks of soap are un-molded from collapsible-sided molds, and cut to dry and cure.

11 pound blocks of freshly un-molded soap drying. We make soap in 11 and 30 pound blocks. Eleven pounders were drying the day of these photos. Natural colorants and botanicals are used for interesting designs, texture, and skin-nourishing attributes!

After the blocks dry a day or two, they're cut into logs and/or bars and further cured, ...some customers order in "bulk blocks" to cut themselves. We offer cutters for sale, made by a gentleman neighbor.

We also make many gift items like these "candy box" soaps (above) and MORE.....

One of many bags of soap trimmings we're always accumulating. Aesthetically-challenged odd end-pieces are sold as White Elephant Soap Scraps by-the-pound. Trimmings are cut-up and used in new soap batches for color, or donated to organizations we support where scraps can be wetted and shaped into balls for use by homeless shelters. So, .....nothing gets wasted from our production! We also "Green Manufacture" so nothing hazardous is created or disposed of from our premises. All of our methods are cruelty-free.

The Workshop Office/Paperwork/Computer Hub......where I sit as I type this, albeit a newer computer came to live in the workshop since this photo was taken. Up above are racked stainless steel pots for 30 lb. batches. My kids (who earn extra money as pot washers and my soap chore crew) call them "the cauldrons". I'm often referred to as, ahem... "The Soap Witch"....which I'm certain is meant with the kindest of intentions...um, right?

I mostly work on art at night, after my busy days in the workshop making soap.

An art piece in-progress. I use a lot of different mediums, watercolor, acrylics, pastels, colored pencils, ink.....

And I am an art book collector. Some just for the pure pleasure of looking at, others for reference examples.

I love my old flip-top apothecary table. It can open up as big as I need and has lots of drawer space. Many have asked where I got my table...it was a limited time table offered through Staples. They supposedly do not plan to bring them back, but you may get lucky and nab a remaining display model at a store near you! PERFECT fold-out project workspace!

A continuous breeze blows in my art studio window, flutters the curtains, and sets my imagination in-motion. A giant lavender bush grows just outside, so the breeze carries the heavenly aroma! The bed makes a most perfect napping or daydreaming spot for coming up with new art ideas, and is usually occupied by my near-constant companion, Miss Sophie Bella - the magical kitty!

The other art studio resident is Newman, a ball python snake we inherited from son Nick when he moved out. He lives in the tank next to my computer where I answer most email and work on digital art. Sophie and Newman carry on endless games of tag-between-the-glass each night, each striking the glass trying to *tag* each other.

I often sit in my favorite 100-year-old rocker in front of the fountain in our patio garden to sketch or soap-brainstorm, dog curled-up at my feet! "FEET, Codie...at my FEET!" (She hogs the bed, too! And yes...even the pups are bathed with Simply Soap--a special no-flea blend!) The garden is my little piece of sanctuary to draw inspiration from the quiet, enchanted life there.

You just never know what magical creatures you may come across there in the fragrant, tangled growth, or that will come to life....especially in the moonlight!

While I love the convenience of my workshop in our lil slice of suburbia...I dream of having land and horses again....someday!


The Workshop Meece Mascots		"Newman"--- our Ball Python snake ...a.k.a. Leg-o-Less. (Inherited from a son when he moved out.)


*"Mocha", who goes by many names.....and answers to none.*	"Samantha"-- The most VOCAL cat, and she has thumbs!	And our newest family member, "Sophie Bella", who quite by magic and accident, pounced into our lives and who as you can see, happens to like dogs!

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I also enjoy creating fiber arts and usually have a shawl or other project going.....

Something I haven't really shared widely is, I LOVE fiber arts and usually have some project going. I particularly like to make shawls! Shawls are such wonderful comfort items, ya know? Like a hug you can wrap around you any time, without the sloppy kiss from Aunt Bessie attached. I have a variety of them laying all over my house, in all kinds of colors to go with anything...for use on simple walks, to dew dancing in the morning garden, to head covers as you dash in the rain...when is a shawl not necessary? I have ALWAYS had them in my wardrobe, as standard as jean, T-shirts, and that little black dress.

The shawls I make are of an incredibly cuddly yarn known for it's superior softness, and I like to use a tight crochet stitch for a truly WARM shawl...nothing flimsy about my shawls...they are blanket-like and heirloom-quality! With proper care, it should last you a lifetime!

If you are interested in having one made especially for you, let me know! faescribbles@aol.com

My method is.... I like to call them Intention Shawls....if I know a bit about you (or your shawl recipient) before beginning, I think of you the whole time I'm making it, so your shawl is not only made especially for you, but infused with good thoughts and intentions directed especially toward you and perhaps any special needs you may have!

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I broke-down and sacrificed soapmaking space to give David the right THIRD of the workshop for his gym....but not without a fight....hehe. I must admit, the kids and I use it a lot too, so it's space well-sacrificed! That's my treadmilI I hop on every morning to do my laps. Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) usually accompanies me on those walks or jogs, as The Demon of Screamin' wakes me up! Yes....I may be married to a jazz guitarist, but you simply cannot take rock out of this gal. (We compromise when it comes to attending concerts and I am pleased to report that David has NOT lost his rock roots, nor I my appreciation for jazz!)

My husband David owns a plumbing contracting business and is a contemporary jazz guitarist, well-known here in local jazz circles and currently composing his first CD. My kids, all busy with school, work, and their own endeavors, manage to help with soap chores and are guinea pigs for new soap formulas. They help too, with art, being photo models & critics. I'm gifted with a terrifically supportive family, which you really NEED to manage a hectic business life! Don't be fooled that "working from home" is somehow easier...you often work way more hours than a 9-to-5er.

All Simply Soap is made and shipped from this location, we're a totally on-site, self-contained business. The smallest retail order we've ever filled was one bar. The largest wholesale soap order we ever completed was 132 - 30 pound blocks (approx. 4000 lbs., or 2 tons of soap) which took approx. 2 weeks to make and we brought in extra stored racks to dry it all. Phew!

Our art ventures continue to grow as we gain new fantasy art collectors and licensing deals!

Amazing what ventures you can conjure-up in your own backyard with a little magic and imagination, eh? The best part is, I can be in the middle of a huge mess and just close the doors and walk away for the night.....or I can work late into the evening/wee hours of the morn, and not disturb anyone, still be accessible to my family.

Many, many thanks to our countless dedicated customers who have helped our business grow! It's our continued pleasure to serve you!

Feel free to contact us if you have questions, comments or suggestions! simplysoap@aol.com

Many have inquired whether we conduct actual tours or soapmaking teaching sessions HERE at our workshop. Sorry, no .... due to our insurance limitations and residential zoning, we are unable to conduct on-site commerce, order pick-ups, or tours....all orders are shipped-out. Thank you for your interest though!

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