This week I administered an adrenaline pen into my my eldest daughters right thigh. I believed her to be having a biphasic reaction or protracted anaphylaxsis reaction.

It was the first time I've done it.

She was conscious and I explained to her that I was going to do it.

We were both scared.

She is almost 13 years old. Her first allergic reaction to a peanut exposure was at 9 months old and her second was an anaphylactic reaction at 18 months. From the age of 2 we have carried an adrenaline auto-injector. So... we've carried an adrenaline auto injector pen (now 2 pens) for over 10 years and yet I've never administered it before??

Why? Well mostly because I was too scared.

Kicking off this new interview series with a bang and introducing Sophie from @thequietcreative.ie! I've followed Sophie for some time via instagram and purchased some of her beautiful wildflower cards and a print. I reached out to her six months ago for help, with product photographs, for my own website. I bundled up a box of skin mousses and a selection of soaps and sent them to her Cork studio. 

Can I just say, it is not easy to relinquish any creative control when you are an online creative business. It is only possible when you 1) trust the individual and 2) realise, and accept, you absolutely can't do everything and choose what you can delegate, to that individual you can trust.  

It's the summer of 2021. My favourite hours are spent like this, pottering in the kitchen garden, with the girls chattering away to me. Emmy - who is almost eight, a wise old soul and my second in command in the soap studio, took this photo of  me.

Flashback to 2019 and The Leitrim Design House ran a Meet The Maker video series. They featured local makers and creatives from Co. Leitrim. Laura and Padraig came to film me on a damp autumnal November day. I remember that we had the stove lit! I hope the 'behind the scenes' video below, of my attic studio here in rural Bornacoola, will help to introduce me. My hair is much longer now and I've more laughter lines, but my favourite Lucy & Yak navy dungarees are going strong...

Since the Cider & Ginger solid shampoo bar was released in 2016 it's been my bestselling product. Currently the strong desire for plastic free cosmetics and less plastic bottles in the shower is increasing demand. You might have lots of questions though about what to expect when using the cider & ginger shampoo bar. Read on for a list of frequently asked questions, answered with helpful feedback from customers...

The feel and smell of your new born baby's soft and wrinkly, but ever so precious, skin is incrediby special. We all want the best for our little ones so let's ask the question - is there gentle ways to take care of it naturally?  

Want to reduce the amount of synthetic chemicals in your skincare? Fancy making your own natural body scrub? This free downloadable pdf guide and video tutorial has simple to follow steps. Using easy to source ingredients you can get gorgeous feeling skin and give a gift with that homemade personal touch!

I often get asked what I use to cleanse my own skin and I thought it would be helfpul for me to tell you here. I keep it simple and make my own blend of oils,  which is something that is super easy to do yourself. It's completely natural, doesn't strip the skin of it's own oils and is extremely cost effective.