Stephanie Munden Jones initially launched Love Yourself Bath Co. in 2017 under the name “Mommy & Me Beyoutiful.” Her varied life experiences taught her that all children should believe they are beautiful as created. “When my daughter Rochelle was around three years old, she came running into the house after playing with the neighbor girl and was crying so profusely, I could barely understand what she was saying. The little girl had informed Rochelle she was ‘blaaaack!’ I am assuming from the cries coming from my beautiful daughter that it was said and taken in a negative manner,” she recalled. “This truly broke my heart; I could not imagine my child feeling less than for being who God created her to be. From that day forward, I have always made it my life mission to make my child feel and believe she was beYOUtiful just the way she was.” Years later, Jones’ godson Joshua was born and diagnosed with microcephaly and cerebral palsy. “You can trust that Joshua is so much more than his diagnosis. He is an inspiration to me and many others,” exclaimed Jones. And then, in 2008, she took the steps to become a foster parent. “In this journey, I learned even more that we must raise our children to believe in themselves and to believe in their own beauty and worth. So many children go through life believing others’ perceptions of them. They are too dark, too light, too skinny, too fat, not smart enough, too different, etc.,” Jones explained. “I want all children to know they are exactly who God created them to be. BeYOUtiful! I believe it is our jobs as mothers to instill in our children the self-confidence, self-worth, self-love, and the ability to be who they are and know they are beautiful just as they are.”

Jones now expresses this passionate sentiment through Love Yourself Bath Co. “About six months after the creation of our shop, we changed the name to better reflect the what and the why and Love Yourself Bath Co was born,” she said. “Spending time together with your child whether it is bath time or hair care time or even doing facials together gives a child an opportunity not only to bond with you, but feel important to you.”

The small shop features handmade soaps, colorful bath bombs, bubble bath, shower steamers and soaks crafted from high quality ingredients. “My favorite is our classic Manic Mango. The scent is just so relaxing and refreshing to me,” Jones shared. The shop’s surprise toy bath bombs for kids are the most popular and come in scents like “Fruit Loops” and “Lemon Sugar.” My boys are still playing with the baby shark and rubber duck toys that came atop their Love Yourself Bath Co. bath bombs (baby shark, do do do….), and I was impressed by the beautiful colors of the shop’s moisturizing Summer Cloud bath bomb. “We are always trying to evolve and revamp to better, brighter, and more exciting. I love coming up with something new and beautiful and the anticipation of the bath art the product will create,” said Jones.

This fall, expect more pumpkin-scented bubbles from Love Yourself Bath Co. “Lots of yummy fall scents are coming. Fall is my favorite season and I love all the smells that give you those feel-good memories.” All orders over $49 ship free (in the U.S.) and turnaround time is about a week. Check out all the fizzy fun on the Love Yourself Bath Co. website and get sneak peaks and discounts in the shop’s VIP Facebook group here.

“It all started nine years ago when my daughter Olivia was diagnosed with cancer,” Jennifer Ashley Brobst of Jennie B Jewelry recalled. “Beading became therapeutic for me and I started making accessories for my daughter’s first birthday. After she was in the clear, I kept crafting. She has always been my muse.” 

In 2013, the photography studio where Brobst was working went under and she soon transitioned to being a full-time caregiver for her daughter while building Jennie B Jewelry. “I was left with a sense of sadness and relief. The portrait studio was a very demanding job and I was happy to spend more time with my daughter. I had more time to create,” said Brobst. “Olivia was very interested in what I was making, so I used beads to teach her patterns.” That spring, Brobst took a leap of faith and consigned some of her beaded necklaces at a children’s boutique in Delaware. “My husband later got a job offer in Bellingham, Washington and we moved to the west coast. That fall, I finally decided to open up my Etsy shop. It was great for me because I was able to combine my skills from my degree in photography with my love for creating jewelry.”

Jennie B Jewelry has since expanded beyond one-of-a-kind necklaces and offers small shoppers bracelets, earrings, headbands, flower crowns, bows, bow ties, teething necklaces, key chains, beaded pens, and ornaments. “I mostly create wearable art for children, so color is a big part of that. Many of my creations tend to be bright and bold and sometimes I have to remind myself that it’s okay to have subtle pieces too,” said Brobst. “All my flower crowns are adjustable to fit kids to adults. Most of my necklaces can fit both kids and adults too.” Her favorite designs incorporate an ombré effect, “but my most popular necklaces usually include a unicorn, like a unicorn necklace with matching headband.” Olivia, now safely cancer-free, continues to inspire Brobst’s creativity. “I really enjoy collaborating with my daughter. One of my favorite pieces we created together included shades of the land and sea. It was a big hit,” she shared proudly. “It’s obvious my little shop would not exist without my daughter and I most likely would have never created a line of bow ties if I didn’t have my son, Alex. All of our adventuring out west inspired a lot of my work too. Exploring tide pools, taking in the amazing views of Artist Point, and feeling the mist of waterfalls on your face are all little reminders of the natural joys of being a kid.”

The small shop has developed its own design style over the years. “I started out using big gumball beads because that was the most popular back then. I mostly stick with smaller sized beads now,” Brobst explained. “I now do craft shows, online auctions and charity events, in addition to running my Facebook page and Etsy shop.” You can also regularly find Jennie B Jewelry creations online in groups like Hip Kids Market and NoMad Auction House. “I absolutely love being part of groups of talented female designers. 99% off the bead vendors and suppliers I purchase from are all strong, inspiring women.” Equally important to Brobst, as a mother of a child who underwent cancer treatments, is supporting the Live Love Foundation through jewelry donations. “They put together personalized presents for kids battling cancer all over the country. It is a cause close to my heart.”

Brobst is presently working on some spooky creations for Halloween, one of her favorite times of the year. “Expect to see some of your favorite character necklaces with matching bows in the fall. I might even throw in some classic horror movie pieces,” she predicted. “Spooky bow ties are definitely on the way. I hope to mix in some zebra or tiger ears for trick or treating. The cat and unicorn classics will be available.” Step up your accessory game with a piece from Jennie B Jewelry through Brobst’s Etsy shop and Facebook page here.

“Every night I lie in bed / The brightest colors fill my head / A million dreams are keeping me awake.” – A Million Dreams

“Design inspiration comes to me in dreams,” Amanda Tuck shared. “But, I don’t sleep well at night, so I will lay there thinking of ideas. I also like to research different clothing eras online.” Tuck is the creative designer behind North Carolina-based La Boutique Noel, which features vintage-inspired handmade children’s clothing. “I love using vintage materials. I think I was born in the wrong decade,” she joked. “Anytime I can make something with repurposed materials like vintage sheets, it is my favorite design. I look for unique fabrics and I am always changing up the pattern design. I just like working outside the box.” Tuck has an eye for unique patterns and color combinations and I appreciate all the little ruffles, buttons and bows. “I spend a lot of time on planning my design and I am very OCD about details,” she shared. “I like to change things up and pair colors together that most people would not normally do. 95% of my fabrics are vintage and I also love hunting for fabrics that others don’t use.” “We can live in a world that we design.”

Tuck started La Boutique Noel in March this year with support from friends and family. “My friend encouraged me to start selling hair accessories, but I loved making dresses more, so that is my main focus now.” The small shop – pronounced like the Christmas season – is named after Tuck’s husband. “His middle name is Noel, but it is pronounced as ‘Knoll.’ I included ‘La Boutique’ because I wanted it to sound fancy,” she laughed. “I am a stay at home mom and I wanted to contribute to our family’s income. I needed a job that I could do from home, but I also wanted it to be something I enjoyed doing. This is the only job where I don’t mind spending all day doing – if my 3 year old lets me.” Over the past six months, Tuck has also sharpened her design and seamstress skills. “My sewing has come a long way,” she said. “I had not sewn in years and my focus wasn’t previously on clothing, so I am very proud of myself for accomplishing what I have in such a short time.”

Like so many makers, Tuck cherishes all of the reactions from her little customers. “My favorite part is watching the excitement in their faces when the kids see their outfits for the first time,” she exclaimed. “Just knowing that I made them happy makes me happy. I am a people pleaser, so if they didn’t like it, I think I would cry. I truly do put a piece of my heart in everything I make.” “However big, however small / Let me be part of it all / Share your dreams with me.”

La Boutique Noel is about to release a new line of dresses for the holidays (“Be on the look out for plaids and Christmas”) and you can place your custom order through the shop’s Facebook page here.

“Designing and making stuffed animals is almost like warm glass of milk and homemade cookies for my spirit,” Stormy Stricklin professed. “These days, we need more cute, more cuddly, just more positivity in general. So now, I make these creatures to not only bring joy to kids and plushie lovers, but also to heal myself.”

Stricklin is the chief Dumpling designer behind Little Sugar Dumpling Shop. The small shop has become known for its guinea pig-like stuffed animals. “I created cute, fuzzy creatures that have chubby little faces and furry paws that shyly cover their faces a bit. My inspiration comes mostly from things I find cute, like Pomeranian dogs, cupcakes, freckles and chubby cheeks,” she laughed. Stricklin’s sugary sweet plush pals come in a variety of colorful minky fabrics and feature hand embroidered faces. “By some awesome turn of events, I love embroidering. My favorites are details and facial expressions; I love to see the personalities come to life,” she shared. We were recently the highest bidder in a charity auction for a pumpkin-themed orange Sugar Dumpling with adorable candy corn freckles and it was a big hit with my boys. “My favorite design is a lightly stuffed Sugar Dumpling. I love the feel of the springy stuffing but also some looseness for extra squish.” For Stricklin, the squeals (of delight) for the squish motivate her creatively. “My hands-down most favorite part of the process is when a child’s face lights up seeing something I have made. I’m like, ‘wow! I sparked imagination!’ It is incredible and humbling.”

Before Little Sugar Dumplings, Stricklin operated as Dream Big Ponies sewing fleece baby ponies. “I love horses and think people should follow their dreams, but I didn’t want to be confined to ponies only. After a few months in business, I was brainstorming about what my new shop name would be. My oldest son, Noah, age 14, walked in the room and I said, ‘hey sugar dumpling!’ That’s when it hit me!” she recalled. “I have called all three of my boys sugar dumplings since they were born. I don’t even know where I got it from, but it stuck and I thought it would be the perfect new name for my shop.” Speaking of family, Stricklin’s sister, Jessica Johnson of small shop Button Jar Monsters, also provides her with support and encouragement. “My shop started out of admiration for my sister. She is an amazing monster maker, businesswoman, mom, and friend. Seeing her passion and enjoyment made me want to bring smiles to kids’ faces too.”  

Little Sugar Dumplings is poised to breakout this holiday season. “Little Sugar Dumplings has evolved into a whole world. I have plans for a lot of new colors and surprises, like Fairy Dumplings, Dragon Dumplings and more fun. Every month, I am going to introduce Dumpling animals. This month, I focused on Dumpling koalas, and next month will be brown, black and golden bear Dumplings,” she teased. “I do plan on bring a limited number of ponies and donkeys back for drops in January, but the Dumplings are the direction I am heading. They bring me so much joy.”

Bring some guinea pig-shaped joy home for your own kiddos and don’t miss the new drop from Little Sugar Dumplings today, September 27^th at 5pm Central on its website. Plus, follow the shop on Instagram for sneak peaks and new releases.

It is an ongoing joke in my house that I am a plant killer. Houseplants live (for a brief time) in fear of my black thumb. I have over-watered, under-watered, sun scorched and also underexposed plants of all different varieties, but they all eventually meet the same untimely fate: my garbage can. 

Jamie Leigh Griffiths has met many reformed plant killers over the years. The artist behind Shop Little Pricks hand crochets succulent plants – no watering or direct sunshine required! “When I see a gorgeous succulent, I accept the challenge of recreating it with acrylic yarn,” she said. “I personally crochet every piece and they generally consist of over 600 individual knots each. I particularly enjoy looking for their ‘pots’ or ‘vessels,’ which is a really meditative experience for me.” The shop specializes in soft, potted succulent sculptures, like the “Muscle Man Sheila,” “Bearded Ladies,” and the floral “Fat Bottom Girl,” which range in size from 2-5 inches tall. “All of my Little Pricks emanate a different aspect of the fierce femme personality. Regardless of who you are and what you experience, we all deserve love and we especially deserve self-love,” shared Griffiths. “My soft sculptures are my representation of positive body image and encourage every woman to be unapologetically herself. Something that took me a long time to do myself.”

Originally from Philadelphia, Griffiths launched Shop Little Pricks in 2015 after moving to South Florida. “My Mommom taught me to crochet when I was very young and, after 30 odd years of crocheting, I finally landed on succulents,” she recalled. “It came out of necessity when all my plants died in my poorly lit apartment and I have been passionate about creating them ever since.” Griffiths explained her design process as a “spiritual experience:” “My favorite part is how serendipitously all the plants and pots come together, as if they were meant to marry all along. Sometimes, I just gaze at my inventory space and behold the beautiful handmade garden I have created and think about how grateful I am for this gift that I have and the ability to share it with other people.” 

Griffiths is also a self-described “home design addict.” “I save so many gorgeous home-porn pictures from Instagram and Pinterest. Especially if the picture has a beautiful plant in it, I’m all over it,” she laughed. “Also, my house is basically a giant garden. Curating a beautiful space that I feel that I can calm down and grow in is really important to me.” Griffiths regularly showcases her crocheted plants at local craft fairs and events, but often restocks her online shop. “Transferring my brand personality to a website has been one of the most challenging aspects of having a handmade business, but just the fact that I have items on Etsy is a feat in itself!” 

Do you love the look of succulent plants but hate the maintenance of keeping one more thing alive in your own home? “Each Little Prick is joyfully designed with love and respect for all the plants we have involuntarily put out of their misery. May they always grow in our hearts.” Check out all the Little Pricks popping up in Griffiths’ Etsy shop and Instagram account here. 

Naked Mangoes is unapologetically authentic and that is how shop owner Jessica Markovich wants it. “Most of my designs center around feminism and female empowerment because I practice these principles every day of my life, whether at work with a 75% male staff or trying to set an example for other women and young girls,” she shared. “I also have a dark sense of humor – I am the house of Slytherin after all – and love designing items that have a shock value, like my ‘Be Nice or I’ll Poison You’ or ‘Free the Belly’ designs. Most of the time I will not get the ‘Awww, that’s so cute’ reaction from my customers and I am 100% okay with that.”

Naked Mangoes screen-prints apparel designs for kiddos through adult sizes. “Most of my designs are handmade by me. The screens are coated and prepped by my husband, and then I hand print each item with a squeegee and ink and cure the ink with a heat gun,” Markovich explained. “But, it doesn’t end there. Most people will request their tee cut with fringe or a front knot. Most people don’t know how much work goes into each item.” Her favorite t-shirt design is the “Sour Girl” design (inspired by the Stone Temple Pilots song). “It was my first acid washed design I ever did. It set me down the path of bringing in retro 90’s and grunge designs when I was simply doing what I loved and making things for my daughters.” Small shoppers love the Naked Mangoes rainbow ombré designs, so much so that Markovich does not regularly list them for sale on her website, but only during her ready to ship sales. “It requires me to take the six colors of the rainbow and carefully flood the screen with these colors and print them perfectly on the garment. The error rate is high for rainbow prints, but they always sell quick!” While the design process has become a creative outlet for Markovich, she most enjoys when the kiddos love wearing her apparel. “I love when parents comment about how much their kid loves something I made because I hope it is giving them the same confidence and joy that I see when my girls wear something they love.”

Markovich ventured into t-shirt printing in 2016 while pregnant with her oldest daughter, Shiloh. “When I found out I was pregnant with a girl, I wasted no time in creating designs that were more empowering to females. I spent months in my garage teaching myself how to screen-print the old school way – coating screens with emulsion, burning the image into screens using exposure by sunlight and hand pressing items with real ink,” she recalled. “The amount of patience it took to perfect the craft most likely made me a more patient mother when Shiloh finally came!” She initially named the shop “Naked Mangoes” back in 2016, but later switched to “That Oregon Girl” before finally reverting back to the original name. “When I was younger, I had a journal that had quotes scattered all around it and one asked the question, ‘Have you ever ate mangoes naked?’ and that had always stuck out to me,” said Markovich. “I liked the idea of living a carefree life, but being weird and quirky at the same time. It also represents idealism. How would you act or be if you were taken out of your shell? Mangoes are one of the tricky fruits to peel, but the reward when you peel a mango and enjoy the delicious fruit inside is worth all of the work.” Two daughters later, Markovich is still dedicated to promoting women’s rights and gender quality. “When I first started, I felt like most people viewed ‘feminism’ as a bad word and for that reason, I held back more than I do today. My shop started when Obama was president and now it is Trump. I think many people have become more vocal under the current circumstances and they have put their passion into their craft – myself included,” she exclaimed. “Mostly, Naked Mangoes has evolved in a way that has enabled personal growth within myself. Sometimes, you have to tell people ‘no’ and that is okay. You can’t please everyone and stretching yourself too thin isn’t worth the possibility of my shop becoming something that doesn’t bring me joy.”

Check out all the snarky designs in the Naked Mangoes online shop here and join the VIP Facebook group for sneak peaks, especially while Halloween is creeping close (“Expect some awesome new Halloween designs, but also some in-your-face designs since the 2020 election is around the corner.”). Plus, use the code “smallshopdrop” to save on your next purchase. Thanks Jessica!

Stephie’s Beauties are indeed beautiful. The Florida-based (like me!) small shop handcrafts ring and trinket dishes from colorful swirls of polymer clay and then stamps or paints the finished pieces with intricate designs. “I want my shop to spread positivity and beauty throughout the world. I try to make beautiful designs on my dishes that speak for themselves and share some light,” said Stephanie Newton. “I like to think that every time I send out a dish, I am spreading love to that person or whoever they are gifting it to.”

Stephie’s Beauties opened about two years ago, but this is not Newton’s first foray into the small shop business. “In 2013, my original shop was called Nana’s Hidden Treasure. My mom, sister, aunt and I loved crafting and began the shop together. However, my aunt passed away in 2016 and the shop became something of the past. In 2017, I began working with polymer clay and loved it so much, I decided to start Stephie’s Beauties,” she recalled. “When I first decided to open my shop, I was making duct tape hair bows and I was all over the place. Now, I am more focused with what I place in my shop. My designs have also become more complicated than when I began.” These days, the shop focuses exclusively on tiny dishes personalized for every occasion, like weddings and even tooth fairy holders. Each dish is roughly 3 ½ – 4 ½ inches in size and they are perfect for holding jewelry, loose change and keys. “I have quite a few dish designs that I have always loved. One of my absolute favorite dishes is also one of my best sellers.  That is the dish that says ‘you are fearfully and wonderfully made.’ I love the color combination and I love what it stands for,” Newton shared. “I also love the gold scalloped edged dishes. I feel like it gives them something extra.”

Newton starts her design process with various clumps of polymer clay and a general concept in mind. “It may be a positive quote, or maybe something that will be used in a wedding ceremony. I will see which colors look beautiful together and, once my clay is marbled and my shape is formed, I add my design,” she explained. “A lot of my designs come from how I am feeling at the moment. I love bright and vibrant colors and seeing how the colors interact with each other. Plus, I love sparkle and spreading a positive message. All I really want is for my dishes to bring joy and inspiration to others and I try to make dishes that would do just that.” Newton usually gets plenty of feedback and design input from her supportive family. “I have a lot of helpers, especially my twin sister and my niece and nephews. They will tell me what they like about the dish I am designing and what they think I should change. I have had some interesting suggestions from the kids,” she laughed.

Most of the dishes range in price from $21-$24 (including shipping!) and make perfect gifts <think bridesmaids presents>. And, while we are still a few months away, Newton is already gearing up for the holiday season. “I have started planning ahead for Christmas and the fall season and have some new design concepts in the work,” she said. Check out all the designs currently available in the Stephie’s Beauties Etsy shop and Facebook page here. 

“My favorite part of designing is the process. When all of the unique beads and metals come together to create one of kind and really unique modern pieces for people to enjoy wearing,” shared Rebecca Dorise of Dorise Irene Jewelry. “I am often inspired by nature, as well as companies like Tiffany, and from the stones I work with.”

The Illinois-based jewelry designer started Dorise Irene Jewelry in the fall of 2016, focused on crafting jewelry for sensitive skin. “My interest came from wanting to make jewelry for myself that was affordable, made from natural stones, quality metals, and modern but classic in design.” The shop designs expanded over the last three years – for example, Dorise recently created a sterling silver wirewrapped labradorite necklace with virtually no tools (other than for cutting the wire). The small shop has become known for its 14-karat rose gold bead necklace on a simple sterling silver chain. “It is an incredibly versatile piece and my most popular design. The rose gold adds elegance, timeless color and luster,” said Dorise. “My most favorite design is creating the simple pieces with metal and beads with unique cuts and types of stones. My favorite stone is probably blue moonstone,” she added.

I love how the shop’s jewelry designs are feminine and delicate-looking, but sturdy enough for normal wear (and withstanding pulls from little hands). “My jewelry is backed with quality in the materials and design and I offer affordable repairs when necessary because life happens. If you wear a piece often, it will need some upkeep and I am more than happy to work with clients to help them enjoy that ‘everyday’ piece,” Dorise explained. “I hand solder all my metal work, so nothing will slip or fall apart with normal use. I also hand select each stone and all the materials that go into making a piece, I look for the best quality. I have a great eye for stone authenticity and quality.”

You can regularly find Dorise Irene Jewelry in Refine309, a local boutique in Bloomington, Illinois. “Custom orders have also been a huge part of my growth as a business. I wasn’t so sure about doing custom orders – it is a lot of pressure – but it is some of the most rewarding work I do.” These days, Dorise is busy designing new pieces for the end of summer and fall. “I am working with lots of new metal necklaces, interchangeable pendants, and other summer colors in beaded necklaces, earrings and bracelets…always something new to check out!” Browse her latest pieces on the Dorise Irene Jewelry Facebook page and Instagram account here.

Wugga Monsters was born serendipitously from the ashes of Jen Nicholson’s former Etsy shop. “Wugga Monsters was created completely on a whim. I have been selling on Etsy since 2016 as a side hobby and it wasn’t until spring of 2019 that I quit my full time job to become a full time small business owner,” she recalled. “I created my first ‘Wugga’ as a silly project for myself with fabric I had laying around from another failed Etsy shop I ran. When I posted a photo of it on Facebook, I was surprised by how many people showed interest. I created a couple more and they sold!”

“Wugga” is Nicholson’s coined name for her plush creations, inspired by her husband and three year old son, Sylas. “My husband liked to call my monsters ‘Wubbas,’ and a nickname we have for our son is Bug (Bugga-bear, bugga-boo, etc.).” Her favorite monster in the current collection is named “Nimbus:” “It is a panda with purple limbs and galaxy print eyes and ears. I like to fill my studio with pandas and purple is my favorite color.” Small shoppers have made frequent requests for Nicholson’s “Gordy” monster, named for its pumpkin shape and coloring. “Gordy is a green monster with a pumpkin face and is my largest Wugga to date,” she shared. “An Instagram follower asked if I would be making any seasonal monsters, which got me thinking. So, I whipped up my first Gordy and he sold very quickly. People started asking for more and I recreated him, but now I can’t seem to keep him in stock!”

Each Wugga Monsters plush is handmade by Nicholson and stitched with an embroidered face. “I am against using small plastic pieces, like safety eyes and buttons, because I am an anxious mom, so I embroider all of the facial features and characteristics on an embroidery machine,” she explained. “I don’t want to create anything meant for a child that could be potentially harmful. The beneficial part about this is it gives me peace of mind and design consistency because each one will be the same every time it stitches out on my machine.” Before steaming ahead with Wugga Monsters, Nicholson surveyed the small shop landscape to find her own niche. “A lot of my inspiration comes from my Instagram followers and from other designers. Now, I know what you’re thinking. ‘Other designers?!,’ but it’s not like that,” she laughed. “I love seeing all of the other plushies that other creators make because everyone has their own style. I look at them and think, ‘how can I stand out? What is something that no one else is doing?’ This pushes me to look within myself and find something unique to offer. And lucky for me, if I have a creative block, my followers are not shy to tell me what they would like to see in future Wuggas.”

Focusing on the Wuggas full-time allows Nicholson to design the minky creatures she imagined during childhood. “I liked dolls that were eccentric or funny looking, so I love that I can create derpy little plushies for other kids that like plushies the way I do.” But, running a small shop has its own small challenges. “As a small shop owner and a mom, I struggle with time management. I find that I need to spend a lot more time on social media to engage with my followers, post new products, give updates, and so much more,” said Nicholson. “I am a very introverted person and spending so much time on social media can be exhausting and scary because now all of these folks can see me and comment on my work. However, I have met some amazing makers and fellow moms and it is great to have people I can relate to.”

Nicholson already has her sights set on the holiday season this year. “Often, when you hear winter you think of Christmas, but Christmas is not very inclusive for folks who celebrate Chanukah, Kwanza, or Yule. Rather than create a Santa or reindeer plush, I am shooting for a winter theme, perhaps a snowman or gnome, something that represents the season and not the holidays. This way everyone can find something appropriate.” Get a jump on your holiday shopping through the Wugga Monsters Etsy shop and join the Wugga Monsters VIP Facebook group here for discounts and sneak peaks.

Fall smells like apple cider and pumpkin spice to me. “I have a pumpkin spice cake fragrance I’m kind of obsessed with that I am excited to add to the shop this fall,” teased soap maker Mary-Christina Sprouse of Second Street Soaps, a small shop focused exclusively on handmade artisan soaps. “I tend to make more ‘fun’ scented soap than the typical bars you would find in big box stores,” she said. “I really enjoy all the different fragrances and color combinations. I like that I can use the same oils and adjust the quantities to achieve a different feel to my bars or swap in different oils and butters so that my bars have different properties, like more moisturizing or bubbly.”

While she personally prefers “food type fragrances,” Sprouse identified the shop’s two most popular scents as jellybean and sandalwood rose. “I get a scent that I want to use or a request for a scent and I try to think of a fun look that connects the fragrance to the look of the bar. Sometimes it comes out the way I wanted it to and sometimes the soap has a mind of its own and it ends up working out well anyway,” she explained. “I think that is one of the things I like most about making it. You never know the look you will get for sure when you pour the soap into the mold.” I was drawn to the Second Chances collection, made from scraps of previous batches of soap and scented with a new fragrance, like apple berry. “The profits from each Second Chance bar sold benefit the Oswego Animal Shelter,” said Sprouse.

Second Street Soaps officially launched this year, but Sprouse has been lathering up for much longer. “I often found myself watching soap making videos on YouTube. I thought it looked like fun and it was just really fascinating to me,” she recalled. “My dad bought me my first loaf mold and mica colorants. I started making soap right away and immediately fell in love with the process. I talked about making soap so often that my husband said that I should try selling it and we decided to come up with a business plan for it.” The shop name originates from the Sprouse family home, which also serves as soap central. “The name comes from the street we live on. It is where all the soap is made so we thought it worked really well.” While working from home, Sprouse also receives the benefit of lots of design input from her family. “My husband helps me come up with names for the soap and descriptions for my website and has even designed a bar or two. My four year old helped me make the ‘gummy bears’ for my gummy bear scented soap. He also designed his own Fruity Pebbles scented soap (named ‘Professor P,’ after Professor Poopypants, the evil scientist in Captain Underpants) and helped mix the colors for that,” she shared proudly. “My mother-in-law attends every vendor event with me and helps take care of my boys so that I can focus on customers. My grandmother-in-law tells everyone she talks to that I make soap and has even sold a few bars for me.” All (clean) hands on deck at Second Street Soaps!

As the new shop grows, Sprouse has found different ways to streamline her creation process to increase productivity. “The more soap I can produce, the more options people will have. My main goal is to give people a lot of fun soaps that they can enjoy themselves or together with their family.” Right now, she is working on expanding her different product lines. “I am researching how to make liquid soap and I would like to add that to my shop lineup soon. I’m also going to have soaps that align with the upcoming holidays.” Pick your favorite scented creation on the Second Street Soaps website and Facebook page here.