Time flies when you're being lazy...

Somehow yesterday went by without a single thought towards my blog.  Perhaps it was the "Biggest Loser" marathon I watched... because I'm productive like that.  So today I will attend to the things I neglected Monday.  Not all, but some.  One of those things is sharing a great shop called Swan Mountain Soaps.  What's funny is yesterday I spent a good hour plus going through this shop and making a list of things I want.  How I forgot to write about it and share that, I don't quite know... it's all a blur.

Swan Mountain Soaps is a family show; Christina is the head swan, and is assisted by her husband/cheerleader/guinea pig Mike.  They also have five little gardeners, who help gather the wild Alaskan ingredients used in their fabulous products.  Inspired by Alaska's beauty, Swan Mountain Soaps is dedicated to making quality, handmade bath and body (and a few edible!) products from natural ingredients.  These materials include dandelions, birch sap, chickweed, chamomile, and cocoa and shea butters.  

One of the first things that made my birthday wish list:

Citrus and Kumquat soap/shampoo bar... with birch sap!  Despite being wary of rubbing tree sap in my hair, this sounds awesome.  I've always wanted to try a shampoo bar.  And the scent couldn't be more perfect for summer.  It was a close tie between this one and the Creamy Coconut soap/shampoo bar!

I'm such a sucker for lip balm... and Chai Tea (yum yum).  I considered buying this right off the bat, but I'm not sure if eating sticks of lip balm is healthy for you.  The lip balms can also be requested as vegan, so this is a great gift for every single person you know.  Even the geek who lives next door... yes, there is even a geek collection!

Genius!  Geek soap, lotion, lip balm... "Normally our Geek Lip Balm comes unscented, but upon request we can offer it in Apple Pie, Mountain Dew or Mike & Ike."  Hahahahaha.  I love it!  For those of us slightly more refined... bath fizzies in Lemon Verbena:

So besides the delightful lotions, body butter, body and lip balms, perfumes, bath fizzies, handmade soaps, and scrubs, I mentioned earlier that Swan Mountain Soaps also has "edible" items.  Also, featured on my wish list, are:  Birch Beer Mustard (wow) and Birch Beer Jelly!

These sound so incredible!  So you understand: "We use wonderful extra stout beer, sap from our own birch trees here on our property near Wasilla, Alaska, organic fair-trade sugar, organic lemon juice and pectin. And that's it. No hidden chemicals, food coloring or preservatives."  I'm sold!

So in addition to all the amazing things Swan Mountain Soaps offers on Etsy, they also have a great little blog, where Christina shares other great artists she's found and talks about the wonderful resources she uses (there's a great section on how they harvest their birch sap!), as well as life in rugged Alaska.

Fabulous store!  Thanks for letting me share your story!