Interview with Miss Kraftie
Some people have magical fairy dust coming off of them. Elisabete of Miss Kraftie is one of these people. I have been delighted by her soap creations for awhile, so when she agreed to be featured on SorcerySoap.com and SoapWitch.com I was delighted!
I hope you read through Elisabete's answers and learn how her fairy magic works.
1. What prompted your interest in soap making?
1.So three years ago my husband and I decided to go to Phuket in Thailand, both of us were looking forward to seeing that sea and super curious about how was life on that side of the world. I was fascinated for all the different fragrances in the air, all those different aromas from their skin products in their shops and I came back home certain that I would learn how to make soap.
2. Did you have knowledge of soap making before you began?
2. Not at all, I did not have a clue of what I was going for, so I have decided to start with melt and pour, learning through tutorials on you tube, and doing mistakes by myself.
3. How did you arrive at the name of your business?
3.The name of my business came out before the soap making craziness, it was around 2015 to 2016 that I decided to open a shop on Etsy, all about handmade crafts with felt, jewelry and recycled clothing, the name was MissysKrafties. I have always been related to arts and crafts since I was a child and this name was the perfect match at the time, when the soap come into my life I just did some adjustments and Miss Kraftie Soap was born.
4. What makes you happy to get out of bed regarding soap making? 
4. I love all the creative process, I always think of embeds, what else can I produce to decorate another bar of soap. Sometimes I start creating and modeling a shape and I always think in my mind to produce a few more, but then I lose myself with the creative flow and end up with three different designs.
5. What is your favorite way to connect with other soap makers?
5. My favourite way would be in person, but unfortunately that is not available to me for now, so I love to change ideas, share work, inspire myself and others on facebook groups soap related, it is unbelievable the knowledge that we can get from there, honestly I would love to go for a collaboration with a soap witch, that would be something up-lifting.
6. How do you design your soaps? Do you choose scent first or colors or… ?
6.My soaps had many different starts, but for the last year.... always with the embeds, with the mini sculptures made with soap dough. The design will be a process in my brain that goes with the time that I take to produce the embeds.
7. Where do you find your inspiration for your soaps?
7. I find inspiration in life itself, when going into the nature, through books and movies, through fashion and cities, my brain is always thirsty for inspiration so I am very aware of my surroundings and pay a lot of attention on details.
8. Are there things in your environment that aid in your creativity?
8. Yes there is, I was born from a very creative and special woman, my mother has an unlimited brain of creativity, you name it she makes it, I am lucky enough to live close to her, so it is very easy for us to inspire each other, our houses are always with something on the table to create.
9. What is your favorite part of soap making?
9. My favourite part is when the soap and embeds are together, in harmony and you just look at it and contemplate what you have created. That is when I feel fulfilled with soap making.
10. What do you do that is not soap related, but aids in your creative thinking?
10. I do quite a lot of creative work, from themed crowns, birthday parties decorations, create fairy houses with natural items from nature, recycle clothing. As mentioned above I am always surrounded by artistic work, it's part of my life.
11. What soaps, fragrances oils, colorants etc. have you created or used that surprised you?
11.Once I have made a beautiful blend of essential oils that did not accelerated trace, that was something really interesting because at that time I was quite new, and the scent stayed in the soap for quite a long time, I should have kept notes of it but no I haven't and that makes me sad, I only have one bar that I will keep for my soapy portfolio.
12. What soaps have you made that got a reaction from others you did not expect?
12. Well, I think the ones I did inspired by Tim Burton's characters, those soaps were made with so much pleasure, I went really deep into those movies and just put it all together in soap and the result was really good.
13. What makes you laugh about making soap?
13.What makes me laugh, oh well, when I decide for a theme and create a shape or a character with soap dough and I get so excited and can't control my fingers to produce it ten or twenty times more, I end up doing it differently, every time that happens I laugh at myself, another thing is when I need that tool that is right in front of my eyes and I can't see it, that's a very good laugh
Miss Kraftie Soap
Elisabete Balula
https://www.instagram.com/misskraftiesoap/
https://m.facebook.com/misskraftie/
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/ebalula/
https://www.youtube.com/user/BETTYBALULA1