IM SO EXCITED..... Ive got a new workshop!

Yes, really, I have been waiting so long for this moment.  I am incredibly lucky, my fab boyfriend, who has always been supportive of Naturally Made Soaps from the very beginning, could see how difficult it was getting for me to run the business from my garden workshop.  So he has given me his precious garage!, can you believe it?  You know about men and their sheds, well this garage has been his sanctuary/shed/workshop for as long as he has lived in his house (over 15 years).

 

The Europa just after it passed its flying tests - it took Rik almost 5 years to build

It used to be his escape from noisy, loud kids when I moved in 6 years ago with my two, where he tinkered with engine things and where, most importantly, he built the Europa.  So to give it up for soap is amazing and I feel truly lucky and grateful.

Its still got a way to go, I still have to get Rik to move quite a lot of stuff out, we have swapped workshops, so he now has to squeeze into my old one.  I need to put up more shelves and I need more curing racks but its already so much better and easier to work in.

Above is a close up of my new work bench which is over 3m long.  I am putting shelves up above eventually to house all my utensils, cutters and pots & pans.  To the left is my cooking and preparation area with a new double gas burner and microwave, to the right is my packing area which still needs sorting out.

This is the view from the other angle, left is my prep bench and to the end (by the door) is my packing area.  The door is set into new insulated walls and opens out onto the end of the garage which enables me to load up my car for markets in double time.

Market storage right down at the end by the new door, tables, boxes of wrapped soaps, shelves, signs and by display trugs hanging from the roof.  Then the raw materials storage area and lastly my curing racks which I hope to double soon.

It still seems very strange to come into this room, turn on the lights and get working.  This room was always the aircraft hanger and mans territory, now it smells really lovely as soon as you walk in and is a pleasure to work in.  No more tripping over clutter (well still a bit but that will go soon), no more knocking things over, piling stuff up and generally feeling very cramped.  I now have enough space to think about all sorts of other things such as courses, wholesale and best of all - experimenting with new soap ideas

BRING IT ON!

Let me know what you think, if you have any pictures of your workshop or ideas on how I could make mine better let me know, I could start a new photo library on this blog for all to see!