Monday, March 23, 2009

Fancy Mountain Memories

The weather was chilly yesterday, but the sun was uber bright as we went up and down the isles at our local flea market. Several weeks ago, at this same flea market, I purchased a bar of handmade soap from a great little shop called Fancy Mountain Memories. They set up at various spots throughout a fairly large area. I spoke to the husband of the lovely lady that makes the soaps, lotions and such, and he gave me quite a bit of history about how her soap recipe was handed down from previous generations and how it has evolved into such a lovely range of natural products.

All of their products were displayed in a lovely presentation, laid out in a very pleasing fashion with lace on all the tables. They set up under a tent-like shelter that helps to block the sun, while allowing you to take your time looking at all the lovely things Mindy has created.


(This is a picture from the Fancy website)

Since I have such sensitive skin, I am hesitant to buy handmade soaps and creams, but the ingredients were plainly printed on the labels. Everything is natural and I decided to give it a try. I hate the thought of throwing out something if I can't use it, so I asked if there were any samples sizes, or any broken bars that I could purchase at a discount. (yea, that's me, always looking for a deal) He thought a minute , brought out a bar of "Sophie's Dream" which supposedly had some minor imperfection and wasn't being put on the table. He sold it to me for half price and told me about their website.

After I got home and tried my new soap I was so impressed. This is not the commercial, hard, sudsy soap that I am used to. When I picked up this bar and went to wash my hands, it was creamy and luxurious. The fragrance was beautiful. It took me a moment to get used to this natural soap because it is so different. I mean different in the best sense of the word. Talk about a deal, the bar was actually too large for my hand, so I used a steak knife and easily cut it in half. So I got two bars of Sophie soap for the already discounted price of one.

I went on their website and checked out the other products and noted when they would be back in town. I went back yesterday and had the pleasure of talking directly to Mindy, the artist that makes these lovely products. She had a pretty bad fall recently and is still recovering, but was so gracious in showing me the products and letting me sample the body butter. I did buy the body butter and she gave me a free bar of soap. It was a lovely experience.

So I just wanted to let all my friends know about her. Check out her website to see if you are in any of the areas that they visit, or place an online order with her. Perhaps you prefer to just visit her site and sign in on her guest book. Either way, I just wanted to make a quick post about her and let everyone know that I really love her products.

8 comments:

vivian said...

i love home made soaps, I have a friend that makes them also!

Tina said...

So nice of you to pass this on. I love personal recommendations for things.
T

angela recada said...

Handmade soaps are wonderful! Thanks for the info and recommendation.

Countryfolk Keepsakes said...

I LOVE handmade soaps too!! I'll have to check out their site. Thanks!
~Peanut

Kimmi said...

Great info! Thanks for sharing :)

Kristen H said...

Another thing in common, Susan!!! I use all natural soap products for body and face. It is amazing waht kind of chemicals are in a majority of soaps, shampoos etc. I found out the other day that baby carrots are big carrots tumbled down to size (that part I knew) What I didn't know is that they soak those carrots in a chlorine solution to keep their bright orange color. No more short cuts in the kitchen. I love all natural EVERYTHING!!! There are some flowers and natural oils that bother my skin as much as the chemical versions, so I have found a product I stick with. I love all the scents of the handmade soaps though. Especially Sandalwood. Yum!

Ronnie said...

Hey Susan,
Loved your description of the creamy goodness of handmade soups. They are certainly worth it and are like a little vacation when you use them.
Thanks also for your wise thoughts yesterday on my blog. I needed some calming words and you were there.
Have a great day happy lady.

cherokeefox said...

I tried my hand at making soap but I don't have access to quality ingredients without ordering online. And you won't know if you will like those until you get it and work with it. It was turning into a long-term trial & error process that I just didn't have time for. If only I had a family recipe...that would be wonderful.