Welcome to my website!   My name is Elin Criswell, but when   it comes to soap, you may call me ... The Country Soaper.
  Soapmaking is my passion, my business, and my hobby.
  It is my creative outlet, something I greatly enjoy.
  Soapmaking has come a long way since the days of
  'Grandma' stirring soap for hours in a kettle on an open fire. But I tell folks that Grandma had it right all along because lye soap is REAL soap.  No lye... no soap... no foolin'!  But what makes real handcrafted soap so special?
Simply put, real soap is a more natural product for your skin.  This is in stark contrast to most commerical bath bars which are really detergent bars made with synthetic ingredients.  Real soap is made with lye.  To make soap, a lye/liquid solution is combined with fats and/oils to make a completely different product ... soap!  There is no lye left in the finished soap.  What real soap does contain is approximately 3 parts soap AND one part glycerin (that naturally occurs during the soapmaking process)... thus, it is a much better product for your skin.

The old-fashioned soap of Grandma's day had both a good and bad reputation.  It was well known for it's cleaning ability, but it was also known to be harsh on the skin.   This was due to being 'lye heavy.'  Today, we have a much better understanding of the chemistry behind soapmaking.  Soap that is lye heavy only happens by accident now.  If Grandma could see us now, I think she would be very pleased.  Unlike in her day, we now have access to a wide variety of soapmaking fats and oils, essential and fragrance oils for scent and a wide variety of different additives.  Soapmaking is not just for practical purposes anymore, it has become an art form!  In the photo above, you can see my grandparents, Ida & Lee Carlson, and their five girls.  My Mom, Thelma Carlson Borg, is on the far left (date of photo: approximately 1925).  Mom, Grandma, and my Great Grandma Emeila Johnson.... were all soapmakers.  Not many soapmakers have a heritage in the craft, so this is something I treasure.  I often introduce myself by saying that I am a ... fourth-generation Williamson County, Texas, soapmaker... of Swedish descent!

  My personal history with the craft... I first
  experimented with soapmaking back in the early
  1990's.  Made a few batches, lost interest,
  laid it aside.  Fast forward to July 4, 2000...on
  this day I attended an arts & craft show in Belton,
  Texas.  I bought a bar of peppermint soap from a
  soapmaker vendor, interest was rekindled and I've
  been making soap ever since!  At first, I was content
  to be a hobbyist, but eventually I got bit by the
  business bug.  My soap business, The Country Soaper was launched in October, 2003.  Since then I have been selling my handcrafted soap through direct sales, wholesale accounts and at arts & craft shows. Since 2010, I have served as co-leader and seminar planner for the Texas-based soapmaker's group, Lone Star Soap & Toiletries.  In September, 2010, I published my first book, Creative Soap Making.  Since I really enjoy bringing others into the craft, I conduct soapmaking classes in my home on a regular basis.

Soapmaking is a great craft!  It is my hobby, my business... my passion.  I believe that God gives us different things in life, to enjoy life.  This is what soapmaking means to me.