The Gwendolyn Story

This story starts out with a sad beginning, but makes it way to where I am today.

My sister passed away suddenly in 2011. At the time her adorable daughter (my niece) was just 3 years old. My niece became a huge part of my family and was staying with us quite often. She would struggle to settle down to go to sleep, so I made up this fabulous story about a unicorn named Gwendolyn and her best friends. They had some excellent adventures and they always helped someone out. However, my niece was not a fan of Gwendolyn and I would go so far to say that she hated the stories and didn’t even like me saying the name Gwendolyn! All she wanted was the “Three Little Pigs”, so Gwendolyn the Unicorn was put to rest.

Fast forward a few years, I started to learn about essential oils and the benefits they could provide. I discovered I could make my own bath bombs, soaps and roller bottles. I then found out that I have an awesome supplier for almost everything I need for my creations just 10 mins away from my house! It was a glorious time of growth.

Once I was confident in my products, I started to share some goodies to family, friends and co-workers. They were impressed and encouraged me to make more! I gradually got more supplies and finalized my recipes. For my first market, I needed a name, so I asked my niece and she said “Why not Gwendolyn”, and just like that, Gwendolyn was reborn, and this time it was in paradise.

I have always been a crafter of some sort, collecting rocks during the summer, gluing anything together with old school glue, doing craft kits with my kids, then with my nieces. I made cards for years, scrapbooked everything, made macramé bracelets, beaded things and even tried stained glass!

At the moment, Gwendolyn’s Paradise is a part-time passion project and my full-time job is as a Special Education Assistant at one of the high schools in Langley, BC. I love it but it is mentally draining some days, and I would love to be able to make bath products all day, but I can’t make that leap just yet.

As for my darling niece, she is almost 13 years old! Ahh time flies. She is a fabulous young person with a wicked sense of humour and so much talent for music, art and taekwondo! She is growing up too fast but still loves to hang out with her Auntie Megs and do crafts. She is a product tester of my goodies, along with my other nieces, and always enjoy a good bath!