Penori. Shop of the Week no. 6.

Every Saturday, a new shop of the week is chosen by the previous shop of the week, from the number of treasuries made for them. This week that honour belongs to Melissa from Penori. This is the winning treasury.

This wonderful shop takes me back to my childhood. The very sight of all those naturally scented soaps and body products reminds my of my aunt's thatched cottage, which was full of drying flowers, pot pourri, and the perfumes of essential oils, lavender, rose, and filled with wonderful colour. So although Melissa, the owner of Penori, lives and works in Wisconsin, there is something quintessentially English in the feel of her shop. Let's find out a little more about Melissa.

1.     Tell us a little about yourself and your work

I love to create, especially environmental and body-friendly products. My work started out when my

youngest son was born and I learned about all of the toxins in baby products and dug further and found almost everything was made with toxins that were not really needed to be in a product, so I started creating

Romantic Rose - Shea Butter Soap

natural products. I use my craft as a vent for the daily grind of life (my day job and all the stresses that go with it.) There’s nothing like jamming to music and whipping up a creation to ‘wash’ the stress away. I also like to think of myself as a wacky soul. I will bust out with a crazy dance move, facial expression, or dinosaur impression at the oddest times. I also like to make up mhy own words or use puns. One cannot be sad, stressed or angry if you’re smiling or being silly, so using the power of one’s own mind and body is what I use best to lift my spirits.

What inspires your work?

I get inspiration from everything! A colour, a flower, a smell, a shape and feel. If I feel it, it will come (the design or product that is).

Natural Cream Deodorant

What are your favourite colours?

Grey is my favourite colour, I just absolutely love this colour! It goes with any other colour and is just stunning by itself.

What is your favourite medium/material?

Sweet almond oil. It’s absolutely amazing and I have to pick on more, Lavender essential oil. I use it for everything from household cleaning, helping me sleep, on my face and body. There are just so many uses for it.

Almond Milk Soap - Kokum Butter Soap

What is your favourite holiday destination?

My living room surrounded by my family.

What other artists work to you admire and aspire to?

I admire knitters. For the life of me I can’t knit even though my grandmother relentlessly tried to teach me as a child.

Patchouli Coconut Milk Soap 

What are you most proud of?

In relation to my business the fact that I had the courage to start it, even though it sounded ridiculous coming from my mouth when I first started the process.  I overcame my own ‘what-ifs’ and just went for it because even if it doesn’t succeed I will have soap to clean my family for life and will give the gift of how to create awesome handmade bath, body and cleaning products to my children so they can continue to live a non-toxic life (although they have asked to send me monthly care packages when they move out because they said they don’t have time when they are in college.)

Peppermint Sugar Scrub

        Facial Toner

Mmmmm doesn't it make you just want to pick up a bar of that beautiful soap and dive into the bath right now? Thank you Melissa for this little insight into you and your business. To view this shop, just click here