Artist Interview with Lisa Jenkins of Hearts Path Designs

Why do you craft/make? How did you learn?

I make Bath & Body luxuries that are great for pampering yourself with (and great for low-toxin households or those with allergies too) – cold process soaps, natural skin care, exfoliating scrubs, bath bombs, & shower steamers. I began my learning journey with my sister one day just dabbling with some glycerin soap base, a few Essential Oils, herbs and soap colorants.

From there, I was a hobbyist for a few years, making soaps for my friends and family. I also began formulating lotion bars, a wonderful dry lotion concept that naturally leaves skin richly moisturized without any preservatives. Next I discovered Bath Bombs, one of my passions, then over time learned all the ins & outs of true cold process soap making.

Lots of experimentation later, I released my cold process line and have continued to expand on it. I LOVE playing with recipes, tweaking the qualities in a finished soap bar, say, or adding certain ingredients for comfort, aromatherapy or skin softening to bath bombs.

I’m delighted to be able to offer a full range in soaps; from truly all-natural to designs with trendy or seasonal scents and more vivid colors. People really vary in their wants and needs in regards to personal care products too, so I love teaming up with my individual customers to create something just for them.

What is your favorite product or piece you’ve made lately?

It’s a toss-up between our Essential Oil Shower Steamers (who doesn’t love convenient Aromatherapy right in your shower?) and our all-natural Plant-based Face Serum, a product we’ve been working for a while and finally got JUST right for release. Both are actually perfect for when the weather gets colder and the air gets a little more dry and brisk, so we couldn’t be happier!!

What sorts of things are inspiring you right now? Where do you look for inspiration?

These past few months, I have been wrapped up in all things seasonal, spanning both cultural traditions and the sights and scents of each season. A lot of my energy has really been going there. Looking forward to a bit of a quiet winter and possibly a change of directions in the early Spring. I really love thematic lines, where a soap kind of tells its’ own story or is based on an event or story, that type of thing. I’ve also branched out into my first soap made especially for a particular cause and I’m loving that. Check out my website if you would like to learn more!

Are you bringing/selling anything special at the craft fair?

Definitely! I’m bringing a veritable lineup of delightful holiday-inspired scents such as Peppermint & Lavender, brisk Juniper Sage, rich Gingersnap Cookie, Peppermint, and a duplicate of Lush’s Yog Nog . . . come on out, smell them all and decide which is your personal favorite! I’m also super excited to be presenting both our aromatherapy Shower Steamers and our Plant-Based Face serum for the first time at this market. They have both been big hits so far and i’m excited for you all to get a chance to see them up close and personal!

The holidays put me in the mood to….

Take a nice hot bath with an Essential Oil bath bomb!

Favorite holiday movie?

Frosty the Snowman

All I want for Christmas is…?

Oh man. It’s hard having so many passions. I would like to get prepared to do a little traveling. New Ecobud water filter cartridges. More curing trays for soaps, ha! Some new seeds for the garden for when Spring comes around.