About

My name is Amy Phillips Keel. I am an artist by nature, designer by trade and soapmaker by sheer stubborn need to have things my way! :)

Seriously, I started making soap for my family to use a little over two years ago, and prior to that I always purchased handmade soaps at festivals and from a local soapmaker. Being an artist, I am a very hands on type of person, I have always enjoyed figuring things out, breaking them down to fundamental elements and understanding the process or the workings of various things... so, I decided to learn to make my own soap. I was partially prompted when I learned that LYE was taken off the market, and heard people saying in different circles that soapmakers were using RID (as in damp rid) in place of lye in their soaps. This concerned me as the chemical make up of RID is partially sodium hydroxide, but also many other chemicals are used, and for me, buying hand made soap was to try and avoid the onslaught of chemical based products we use everyday. That one little uncertainty was enough for me to figure it out on my own.

So I researched, botched a few batches... but finally figured it out. My husband (though skeptical at first) and children use my soap daily, I only purchase commercial soap for my 17 year old son who refuses to use mine because it "looks funny". (teeneagers!)

I enjoyed making my soap so much I then learned to make my own shampoo, and then my own lotion. I LOVE the lotion I make, as it really gets rid of my prickly winter skin, and I can use it knowing that it truely is so harmless that if one of my children ate it, nothing would happen!

This whole process is part of a natural progression for me. 3 years ago I planted my first garden. I have always loved working in the earth, but had never really planted more than flowers or herbs. I was overrun with cucumbers and tomatoes that year, so I learned to can the tomatoes, and called my aunt in NY to get grandma's recipe for bread and butter pickles... I swear I felt her (Grandma) looking over my shoulder, beaming with pride and egging me on... my pickles were a great hit! And I SO loved learning to making them! I have since started a compost, and learned to plant by light of the new moon... I use pie tins in my garden to scare away the birds, just like my Grandad always did... little things I am learning that strengthen my connection with the past, with my ancestors and the way of life that one day I, or even my children, may be better off for knowing. We recently purchased a few acres, and I plan to put goats and chickens on our land. My husband thinks I've lost it, but really I am coming into myself... in a way I feel as though I am finally home.