One of my favorite series of books to read growing up were the Little House books (OK, who am I kidding, I re-read them every few years even as an adult). Between the smell of Pa's smokehouse, the smell of Ma's kitchen - in fact, all the food described throughout the series - thinking about the linens drying in the sun and breeze on the prairie, what the air might smell like after a blizzard stops... it was hard to keep this club to only nine bars!
While all nine fragrances are different, the base of the soap is the same. Some fragrances can be found individually elsewhere in my shop, but some are only available in this set. Each bar is comparable to my other bars of soap and run between 3-5 ounces.
Fragrances included in this set are:
40 Miles for Christmas – Two things, even now, make me tear up whenever I read the Little House books. One is Mr. Edwards walking 40 miles in the sleet and fording a swollen river to bring two little girls candy, tin cups, and a penny. For that, the fragrance is part pine and part gingerbread, with just the barest hint of peppermint.
After the Snowfall – Snow figures prominently in many of the books. From bundling up as a child and going to the sugar-in, to sledding through the snow with Almanzo to get to and from town while she’s teaching… and of course, the blizzards. I wanted to acknowledge the snow, but wasn’t sure how to get it across in a soap. The scent is a little fresh air, a little ozone, a little like ice water, and just the barest hint of juniper.
Fresh Baked Bread – Hands down, one of my favorite fragrances not just of this club, but in general. Pa used to say that Ma needed no seasoning other than resting her hand on top of the bread as it was rising, and if the bread tasted as good as this soap smells, I do not doubt it.
Fresh Linens – Remember how Ma had certain chores for certain days of the week? Wash on Monday; iron on Tuesday. This is what I imagine freshly washed clothes might smell like. Rubbed with homemade soap, scrubbed on a washboard, and hung on a line in the sun and breeze to dry. A little like cotton, a little like soap, a little like fresh summer wind.
Leather – While never specifically mentioned, the smell of leather must have been all around Laura while growing up. Between the tack for the horses and oxen, the hides that Pa made from catching foxes, beavers, muskrats, and mink? Laura writes about how soft they were to touch, but surely they must have also smelled something like this soap.
Ma’s Kitchen – Pa used to say that Ma’s cooking was so good it only needed her hands for seasoning. I can only imagine how wonderful that pantry and kitchen must have smelled. Bread, spices, sugar, some smoked meat, pumpkins on the floor, onions hanging, not to mention the bountiful cakes and pies that came out near Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Maple Sugar – Oh, how after reading Little House in the Big Woods, did I ever want to live somewhere that you could go outside, get snow, pour maple sugar over it, and make your own candy! (Oh, who am I kidding, I STILL want to do that!) The whole sugar-in party sounded like fun, with grandma’s dance-off, and piles of sleeping children, and beautiful dresses. And the maple sugar! The scent is the barest hint of maple syrup and brown sugar. It’s a very light scent which promises not to be cloying during use. (In fact, during transit this soap packaging may pick up the smells of the soap it is next to in the box, but I promise once you unwrap and use it that the soft maple sugar scent will come through.)
Pa’s Smokehouse – I’ve been told by a friend that I ran this by that this soap smells like bacon and bourbon… which is close to what I was aiming for, since Pa smoked his meat in hickory and oak. This smells like different woods, meaty smoke, a little bit of brown sugar, and really just pure heaven. If you love to be near a smoker or barbeque, you will love this soap!
Sunflower – This may seem like a strange one to have in there, but in cold weather I seem to hear Pa singing, as he did when cold, “Oh, I’m as happy as a big sunflower, that nods and bends in the breezes, oh.”
Goat's Milk has been celebrated for its moisturizing and skin-softening properties for centuries. Natural vitamins and minerals in fresh goat's milk are easily absorbed into the skin, along with protein, healing rough skin and making you feel soft and rejuvenated when you rinse away the creamy lather.
The base of this soap has a creamy, custard color to it; but some fragrances - especially those containing vanilla - can cause the soap to darken to a tan or even a dark brown. I try to wait until this begins to happen to photograph my soap so that you are aware of what you are getting; however, it does get darker over time so your soap may be darker than photographed.
Soap Ingredients: Glycerine, Palm Oil, Coconut Oil, Lauric Acid, Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sorbitol, Triethanolamine, Sodium Chloride, Goat’s Milk Powder, EDTA, Titanium Dioxide, Fragrance Oil
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