🌸 The Women Who Inspire Me: A Mother’s Day Tribute

With Mother’s Day around the corner, I’ve been reflecting on three incredible women who shaped so much of who I am — my mom and my two grandmothers.

Magnolia Street Soap Mill wouldn’t exist without their influence, love, and quiet strength. So today, I want to share a little tribute to them.

My mom taught me the joy of creating with my hands. Whether it was baking in the kitchen (her pumpkin rolls and peppermint cookies are the best!) or crafting my homecoming mums for middle and high school football games, she showed me that making something from scratch is an act of love. Every summer when we were young, she enrolled my brother and me in the Casa De La Cultura Art Camp. It was magical — stations filled with amazing teachers ready to introduce us to new skills, from papermaking to cake decorating to drawing. The “Casa” was the place to be for young creatives! My mom is the reason I fell in love with making things — and why so much love goes into every bar of soap I craft today.

My maternal grandma has an incredible work ethic, hustle, and resilience. Though she only completed a third-grade education, she developed her reading skills by flipping through the Del Rio News Herald (I’ll tie this local newspaper into another blog) and honed her people skills, which helped her support herself financially. I can’t remember a time when she wasn’t selling at weekend flea markets. As a kid, I loved visiting her as she worked the market crowds, always greeting people warmly and striking up conversations. Even today, she hosts monthly garage sales! From her, I learned how to interact with people at markets and how to be resourceful — lessons that shape how I run my business today.

Lastly, my paternal grandma raised nine children, with my dad being the youngest. When my father was just five, my grandfather passed away, and my grandma never remarried. Her quiet strength amazed me. When I became a single mom in early adulthood, I often turned to her story for the courage to press forward. When she passed away in October of 2022, I learned that our family had found bars of my Rose Clay soap in her drawers — her favorite. I’d always bring her a bar when visiting or for special occasions. It made me smile knowing she kept them tucked away, though part of me wondered why she never used them. Was she saving them for something special? My grandma taught me fortitude, grace, and the joy of life’s small pleasures.

When I craft soaps, I think about these women — the way they cared for others, the way they turned simple moments into something meaningful. That’s what I hope my products bring to you: a little comfort, a little beauty, and a gentle reminder to pause and care for yourself.

So this Mother’s Day, here’s to the women who inspire us, lift us up, and leave a little bit of themselves in everything we do. 💛