I have always enjoyed arts and crafts, and get a great deal of pleasure out of the creative process. My interest in ceramics is one I have held for many years, but I have only recently started making my own moulds, and pouring my own pieces. The mould making involves "building up" clay around a piece, "blocking in" the piece, pouring the plaster, waiting for it to dry, then doing the same process to the other side of the piece. It is a bit time-consuming, but I enjoy it. This gives me two halves of a mould, which I then band tightly together to pour the clay into. The excess clay is then tipped out, and the piece remains in the mould for 60 - 120 minutes (depending on the temperature) before being unmoulded. It is then left to dry completely, which can take a few days depending on the weather! Then it is sanded to a smooth finish, and either painted if I am using underglaze paints, or fired in a kiln and then painted. The firing process can take a few days. The piece is then glazed with a clear glaze, and fired again. As the piece is "built from the ground up", as it were, the creative process can take up to 4 weeks.

My soap making, however, is much less time-consuming, and as satisfying creatively. I enjoy experimenting with new fragrances and colour combinations. I only use cruelty-free ingredients to make my soaps - they have not been tested on animals or derived from animals. I feel very strongly that we can have lovely things and pamper ourselves without causing pain or suffering to other living beings.

I have also created some glass painted pieces, which I am really happy with! Future plans include making some lead-light pieces.