How did Velvet Moon Bathery come to fruition?
VMB came about after years of endless searching for products with a dark flare. I longed for perfumes and toiletries to pamper the body that added a bit of dark romance, a victorian macabre, witchy and haunting ambiance to my every day dressing. When I did come across something I liked it was seasonal and was labeled as Halloween novelty items so if I ran out of something I had to wait until next year to get it. So I decided to start to create my own line of products to be available all year round with a theme fitting the those who like me were darkly inclined. Products that were not comical and one would be proud to display in bathroom to add to dark one's dark decor. At first it was little hobby for myself but soon I found out that there were many out there who where looking for the same thing in products. So so off I went to create a website, advertised with a few webrings and forums, Myspace and blogs, until eventually word got out and my lovely customers began to appear... and well here it is today!

Why the name?
Well, I chose a name that would set a mood for my customers when they came to shop online. A name that gives imagery of a place where femininity and dark gothic romance meet among the red velvet drapes of a victorian bathing room, where antique claw foot tubs are filled with exotic scented waters softly lit by candlelight and shadows from the light of a full moon. p>

Where do the ideas for the themes of your products come from?
Mainly they come from inside my curious and dark mind. I have an imagination that never stops, but also ideas come from books, magazines, music, day dreams, thoughts and memories . There is always a drive of inspiration within me to create bath and body goods that reflected the dark gothic ladies taste .....possibilities are endless! p>

Any disaster stories for products that didn't quite work out?
I will admit, I did have a few mishaps when I started making soaps in adding different additives and oils. I learned very quickly that..well, lets just say cinnamon oil and peppermint oil are to be used in moderation. Trial and error... got to love it! p>

Any scents that turned out wrong?
Oh yes, I laugh on this one as I do recall once making a scent that turned out smelling horrid! I was going for herbals with a the touch of lemon zing but instead what it resulted in was a fragrance that was something one would use as a house hold cleaner. I still cringe at that one, yuck! p>

Have you always had an interest in dark victorian, gothique and boudoir type things?
Yes, my fascination started when I was small with Vampires and scary movies. I remember watching the old "Dark Shadows" Vampire soap opera re-runs that came out in the early 80's. The dark romance, victorian attire and setting really appealed to me. I loved everything about it! I have a fascination with funeral customs and and Victorian Mourning fashions, as well as a deep love for Southern Gothic Style and Antibellum homes, 1920's era, ghost stories, withcraft and murder mysteries. So it is with that I bring forth the theme for my work. p>

When did you get your start in hand crafting soaps, perfumes and things?
About 6 years ago I started to experiment with making soaps for family and freinds as gifts and wedding favors with very basic scents. As time went on I went into my own perfume blending and from there ventured into selling my creations in not only soap bars but lotions,body sprays and bath salts. Gift sets and candles, came later which was a whole new venture I enjoyed very much discovering. I added sachet dolls to incorporate my other hobby of doll making into my bath and body business, so I make a little bit of everything. p>

Any strange requests for custom made products?
Nothing requested is too strange for me,after all my labels, scent names and coffin gift boxes are pretty unusual to begin with. There have been a few that have made me step out of my normal range of thinking or challenged me. Once I was asked to create a candle that smells like a funeral fire or musty basement. It was a quite a task but I came up with something suitable. I just do my best to capture what it is my customers want to the best of my abilites. I welcome all ideas and custom creations as I love to play and design! p>

Do you have any new products that you're working on?
Why of course! I am working on body dusting powders and new sachet dolls. I also have a seasonal holiday collection of perfumes to be out I call "Winter of Despair", as well as two other permanent collections called"The Midnight Opera" and "Seven Deadly Sins". There are many more gift box ideas I have yet to add on for next year, I am having such a wonderful time creating all these new goodies! p>

If so, when will they be available?
Dusting powders and dolls will be available by the end of October, the "Winter of Despair" Perfume Collection will not be out until November. The "Midnight Opera" and "Seven Deadly Sins" collections, well that is more towards January or February at the moment as I am still in the blending process, but who knows perhaps I shall have them out sooner than expected given time. The new year will bring many more additions indeed. p>

Any plans to turn the Velvet Moon Bathery into a real store?
It has been a plan of mine since the day I started my business venture and I do aspire to do so. I think about it so much that I have many day dreams and visions on it and I even have what the decor will be like down to the pictures on the wall and the make your own bath salt bar! For the moment VMB is a one woman ran business that I work part time in the evenings on, as I still work a full time job. It is a big transition and there is a lot involved taking that step so things have to be planned just right and then we shall see. I never imagined that things would take off as they have and from a hobby really. Just now my little business is starting to show significant progress of growth and is evolving every day which pushes me ever so much closer to my vision of creating an actual storefront full of gothic bath and body indulgence for the dark hearted. Who knows what the future holds and in the mean time I will just enjoy the present path I am on, once scented step at a time. p>

Check out the Velvet Moon Bathery website, where you can pick up some deliciously dark potions.