Member Interview

Introducing....

I am Andrea Badgley, and I live in St. Paul, Minnesota. My shop is Sacred Suds, and I handcraft spiritually inspired essential oil soaps. Many of my soaps are inspired by ancient Goddesses, including a healing Goddesses like Kuan Yin and Eirene, and as I deepen my Yoga practice, I have begun adding Yoga inspired soaps to my shop as well.




How did you learn about TeamEPE?
Back in the olden days, when we still waited into the middle of the night to grab a T West (remember those?), I remember seeing a lot of team EPE treasuries, and I was always amazed by the talent showcased in those treasuries. I learned about the team through those collections, and when my mom was diagnosed with endometrial cancer last year, I was so glad I had seen those treasuries. I needed a support group, and what a beautiful group I found in Etsy Project Embrace.

Aphrodite- Goddess of Love, handmade cold process soap
Amber, Rose, and Ylang Ylang- Vegan Friendly

Of all your creations, what is your favorite? And why?
I think it would have to be my Aphrodite soap. It was my first Goddess-inspired soap, and at the time that I created it, I had been pregnant or nursing for four (loooong) years. I felt frumpy, haggard, and like I had no identity of my own anymore. Someone else always needed something from me, and I felt I would have nothing left to give if I didn’t give myself what I needed.
And what I needed was to feel beautiful, and sexy, and womanly in a non-Mom way. I wanted to feel radiant, like a Goddess! So I turned to Aphrodite, “the lover’s goddess, beautiful, gold-crowned, a blossom riding the seafoam…” (Homeric hymn to Aphrodite). To me, Aphrodite (or Venus) represents the energy that we as women feel when we are confident in our femininity and beauty, and I wanted to channel that energy. Every time I smell the soap it makes me feel beautiful.






What is your favorite possession, and why do you cherish it?
Right now? My down comforter! I'm from Georgia, and this Minnesota winter thing is way beyond any cold I've ever known.
No, my favorite possession would have to be my engagement ring. It is a sapphire in a setting of two butterflies. My husband had it made for me, choosing the sapphire because it's my birthstone, but also because the sapphire represents both the heavens and the oceans, as well as sincerity, fidelity, and romantic love. It makes me feel very loved.

Prana- Breath of Life handmade essential soap
Peppermint- Vegan Friendly

Eirene Goddess of Peace, handmade cold process essential oil soap-
Lavender and Oats- Vegan Friendly

Do you have a blog? URL?
Yes! www.blog.sacredsuds.com/

Where do you hope to be, personally and in your artistic endeavors, in say 10 years time?
I hope to have figured out a way to balance my family life with running a rapidly growing business out of our home! In 10 years, both of my kids will be too grown up for me to think about right now. But I would like to be settled into our forever home, with happy, confident children who actually want to share their lives with my husband and me (they will be teenagers in 10 years). I envision free time to ride my bike, to practice yoga, and to sit still. I would love to have my own soap studio by then, dedicated solely to Sacred Suds (i.e. - not shared with our living space).


Thank you so much for sharing!
xoxo