Living in the beautiful, rural village of Kilchoan, Ardnamurchan in the Scottish Highlands for my whole life has definitely influenced my choice to take a more creative path when it comes to my business. I knew from a very young age that an office job just wasn’t for me. I have always loved home fragrance and bath products. As a teenager you were unlikely to find me without a candle burning in my bedroom or a bath bomb fizzing in the bath, and so the passion for home fragrance and bath & body products begun. I was always crafting as a child and loved anything I turned my hand to (to this day I still have not found a craft I didn’t enjoy!). I started making and selling cards at the age of 11 and now, looking back, that was the moment I realised what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to run my own business, create and sell my own products, and hopefully have people love them as much as I do.  

In 2018 someone gifted me a candle making kit, and this completely changed everything. I realised I could make my own candles, bath bombs, soaps and everything in between. I started playing around with ideas and making things to gift to friends and family. I was now creating the products that I loved to use, it was perfect. The feedback I received was fantastic, so in the beginning of 2019 I began the process of creating my products: candles, wax melts, soap and bath bombs. It was a complicated, yearlong process to make sure everything had the correct assessments and certifications, as well as making sure all designs, labels and packaging were completed. In January 2020 I launched my business Sarah Emily Handmade along with a website and products going to small local stockists. It was unbelievable how well received my products were, and I gained some lovely customers/supporters from all over the UK. I learned a lot over the initial stages of my business and started to think about how I could recreate my products and make them even better, as well as adding some new collections. I also wanted to create products which felt more natural and in keeping with the beautiful environment I am in, and something in a sense which felt more ‘me’. 

I started the process of rebranding my products slowly behind the scenes and finally in July 2023 everything is complete. I have created new product lines and added reed diffusers, diffuser refills, bath tea and lip balms, and streamlined everything else. All products are made completely by hand in my wee workshop, even down to printing and cutting our own labels, and have been carefully created to be eco-friendly. All of our products are also completely vegan friendly and cruelty free which is something that is very important to me. All of our items are biodegradable, and packaging is 100% recyclable. I have taken care to also only use UK based businesses to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible. As well as all of our lovely eco credentials, I have taken great joy in designing the final packaging and embracing my love of the colour green with its obvious nod towards nature. I am incredibly proud of the products I have created, and I am extremely excited to be able to share them all with you. I hope you love them as much as I do.  

Sarah Emily x