Hard to believe that summer is already ending. It’s still hot here in Houston and will be for a while yet but the rows of school buses lining up tell us that we should be turning our thoughts to fall again. This year has been another whirlwind for us here but we have truly enjoyed the time we have spent out there with you all. As we’re shifting gears for the fall events, it seemed a good time to sit down and take a look at what all has happened both on and offline for us this year. I apologise for those looking for my “only soap” posts but it’s time to step back and look at the entire creative tornado that is Texas Pioneer Creations. Although, admittedly, online for us is always fun- each new section of the website is a new challenge for me conquer or break! 🙂
We continued expanding our product lines, growing even more of our own soap ingredients in the garden, and adding more custom soap projects from the start this year. It is always a treat to make someone’s soapy dreams come true and this has been a great year for accomplishing that! From baby soaps to abuelita’s style to some crazy looking funky soaps, I would almost say we’ve covered all of our bases- but I really, really hope not!! It is so much fun to see someone’s face when they get their perfect creations that I can’t wait to try again and again. A few have challenged me to go outside of my soap box and incorporate scents, colors, and designs that may never have made it off the to do list otherwise. There are a few soap scents and looks that have become permanent additions and I think of those people every time I make “their soap.” I found so much inspiration during some of our road trips and time with family and friends that it should provide enough ideas to keep me out of trouble, at least for a little bit. Good thing there are more designs and markets scheduled on the calendar though because a bored soaper can be a dangerous thing……
This year we continued to come out and support local events and markets as much as we possibly could. Between making soaps, running the booth, hanging out talking soap with everyone, working on the website, doing our charity work, expanding into local stores, and lots of research time, I must admit my workaholic streak is probably an asset. We lost two family members earlier this year also in the midst of spring markets and I owe hubby a huge thanks forever for helping me keep everything together as we grieved while keeping the company in gear. There were four months that it seemed we were always on the road either for work, driving to say goodbye to a loved one, burying them, or spending some much needed time enjoying life with those left living. It did prove very difficult for me to maintain my desired blog posting goal for the year and that has been a bitter pill to swallow. In hindsight, I realize that it is more important to keep our work schedule on track, deliver orders & meetings when promised, and keep spending time with those around me. Next month restarts my blog posting goals and we’ll see if life allows me to meet it or if I’m just going to need to set a more realistic goal.
As I’m finishing up for this posting, I see that the FAQ page has now reappeared on our site but I will need to figure out where the questions in it went. Coming this week will be more posting in our catalog to finally get those great new booth items listed here online. There is a review of some great soap molds, fun pictures, and a preview of fall scents. Also, the listing of our fall market dates along with what stores you can get your soapy fix in for instant gratification should work too. Feel free to drop us a line below in the comments or email us directly. As always, you can also find us thru our Facebook page. I must now return to the waiting soap molds and logs. I’m restocking the Lavender and Sage again this week and working on more of those sweet florals for our flower nuts! If you haven’t smelled the new ones- you are seriously missing out. And that’s from a girl who isn’t a fan of flowery smells- although I am still in love with the oatmeal and honey. What is your favorite bar produced by us? Let me know. I’d love to hear your opinion. For now, just grab a bar of your favorite soap today and go have some fun!
Happy Washing!
Dorothy