Pioneer Days

We're packing up tvala Handmade's favorites next week for a show in Snowflake. Problem is....they are all my favorites. Really. There's not a one that I don't like. (ok, ok, honestly, I don't care for Tea Tree. The benefits of the essential oil are amazing, but the as soon as the cap is off the bottle, the aroma gives me an instant headache. IMO. The glorious soap bar of it, though, is so awesome that I can easily get over it :) ). So, back to my dilemma. What to bring?!

I made the bar, 1847, specifically for this show. The name of the bar comes from the date that the pioneers came into the Salt Lake Valley; July 24, 1847. My way to honor and remember those who made their soap the old fashioned way. (ok, honesty sets in again. I admit that I didn't stir it with my wooden spoon.....the stick blender came in quite handy while making 20 lbs of it....) I was surprised how much I like the 1847. I was sure it was going to be more of a novelty, but I actually like the soap! It's lack of added fragrance oils leave it with a simple plain 'clean'. The lather has a nice creamy base, but what surprised me the most was the workup of mounds of bubbles from something so simple. I can't wait to tag all the bars with our commemorative label and recount the story of how pioneer women would sit by the fire and stir the soap pot, sometimes for days, making such a basic soap for their family.