Camp Topisaw

Camp Topisaw is our home—95 acres on the beautiful Topisaw Creek in southwest Mississippi. Here in La Petite Maison (our “Little House” studio built with lumber from vintage railroad cars) we handcraft traditional soaps + natural wax candles. From our greenhouse, we offer plants (succulents, aloes and tillandsia), new + vintage containers and potting supplies. We love sharing growing tips onour blog. We strive to offer fun, useful and unique products that help you assemble a joyful life! By the way, WE are David and Edie plus our 5 kids, all grown now but still very much part of the Topisaw Way. Reading books and sharing knowledge. Celebrating over simple elegant meals. Beer and bonfires by the creek. Growing plants and noting the passage of the seasons. Walking the trails that wind through our woods. Relishing memories of people and places and events that have shaped our lives. 25 years on the banks of the Topisaw Creek have taught us a few things. We’ve seen it rise and fall, have bathed in it when Hurricane Katrina knocked out our electricity for 10 days, have baptized our youngest daughter in it, have lazily floated down it in old inner tubes and have almost drowned in it when we underestimated it’s fast-rising floodwaters. Most days, though, our time is spent prepping our guest houses and camp sites, pottering about in the greenhouse and crafting soap + natural wax candles. Edie:I’ve spent a lifetime as a cook, a baker, a soap and candle maker, a mom and a traveler and have recently gotten hooked on elder flower liqueur and learning French. David says I always want to be where I’m not (true.) Since I’m a baker, here area baker’s dozen random facts about me! David:A botanist, tropical plant/cold hardy palm guru and former high school French + Spanish teacher (25 years!). David is a premier storyteller and loves to share his knowledge of all things nature. He has lately combined his fascination for air plants, rocks and found objects to craft stunning rock+plant sculptures. AND he has an alias: the well-loved Sir Succulent! Mel:Our behind-the-scenes “ranch manager”, Mel is who makes all the dreams come true, who mows the pasture, carves the trails, repairs the fences and says YES to every project I propose. Originally from Washington state, he’s also a genius in grapevine and spent palm frond construction (yes, that’s a thing!) A HUGE part of Camp Topisaw is the animals. We have dogs, cats, chickens, cows, a horse and a single donkey. They now have their very own page right HERE. By the way, did you know that our dogs and cats are mostly rescue animals AND that they’re all spayed or neutered? We’re pretty proud of that!