Artisan in residence

Carmen showed up this morning with a duffel bag full of soap-making supplies and announced she’s turning my kitchen into her personal workshop for the day. Apparently she watched some YouTube tutorial last week and decided she needed to become the next great soap artisan of our generation.

Artisan in residence

She’s been at this for two hours now, measuring and remeasuring essential oils like she’s conducting a chemistry experiment. The whole apartment smells like a spa, which I’m not complaining about, but I’m pretty sure my breakfast bar is never going to be the same. She brought enough supplies to make soap for the entire building.

Quality control team in action

I got recruited as her assistant about an hour in when she realized she needed extra hands to hold things steady while she poured. We’re currently waiting for the first batch to set in these little silicone molds shaped like flowers. Carmen’s already planning her next project - apparently peppermint soap is going to be her Christmas gift to everyone this year. My kitchen counter might never recover.