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Most of what you'll find in the shop is made by my own hands. The soaps, the skincare, the candles, the crocheted pieces, the personalised gifts cut and pressed on my Cricut. Those are the heart of Sunshine and Petals.
But every now and then you'll come across something I haven't made myself, and I want you to know about that. There are beautiful pieces out there that fit perfectly into the world we are building here.
If I would not have it in my own home, it does not go in the shop.
Creative spirit, mum, and the hands behind Sunshine and Petals.
My Story
It started in 2018 with a single bar of soap.
I was just curious and wanted to see if I could make something with my own hands that was beautiful and useful and good for the skin. So I learned. I read everything I could, made batch after batch in my kitchen, and slowly fell in love with the slow craft of cold-process soap making. The patience of it. The way real ingredients behaved. The way a humble bar could feel like such a gift.
From there, it grew. One bar became a whole range. Soaps turned into skincare. I just love creating. I love the quiet hours of making something with my hands, and I love even more the moment someone opens a package and feels how much heart went into it.
Why Self-Care Sits At The Centre
I have lived enough life now to know that taking care of yourself is not a luxury. It is survival.
There were seasons where I felt completely drained. Stretched thin between being a mum, a wife, a daughter, a maker, holding down a day job I love and a thousand other little things in between. Then, I started journaling almost by accident, just a few honest lines, and it surprised me how much lighter I felt afterwards. Like I had set something down that I had been carrying without realising.
That little ritual changed me. So did slowing down enough to actually enjoy a hot shower with a beautiful bar of soap. So did lighting a candle and letting myself sit with a cup of tea before the next thing started. These small moments are not extras, lovely. They are how we keep going. They are how we come back to ourselves when life feels like a lot.
That is why everything I make sits somewhere along the path of caring for yourself.
Soap for your body, candles for your space, journals for your heart, gifts for the people who carry you. It is all part of the same thing.
What Goes Into Our Products
Living here in Aotearoa, I'm lucky to have so many beautiful local ingredients within reach, and wherever I can, I choose them first. New Zealand grown botanicals, native extracts, honey from our own meadows, and oils from suppliers who care about the land the way I do. Every product is made in small batches at my home studio in Rolleston, Canterbury. No shortcuts, no fillers, no harsh synthetics. Just good ingredients, made with care.
The Heart Of Sunshine And Petals
Imagine, you, a ray of sunshine and a shower of petals.
That is what I want for the people who find their way to this little shop. I want you to feel warm. I want you to feel cared for. I want you to remember that you deserve softness, the same way you give it to everyone else. And then, when you are ready, I want you to pass that feeling on. Send the gift. Write the note. Be the reason someone else feels seen today.
That is what we are really doing here. Making small, beautiful things that help people take care of themselves and the people they love.
Thank you for being here. I am so glad our paths crossed.
With love,
Shiela 🌸