I was looking back at old emails to see what I had told you previously about the Field Museum collaboration. But it looks like...I never did?! I did share some posts on Instagram but nothing went out to my mailing list. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? It was March 2020, the "before-times." And I think I was going to wait and tell you all about it when everything was, "back to normal." Which at the time was a naive and yet plausible assumption. Then weeks turned into months, and months turned to years, and and well, here we are.
So. Everyone, I did a collaboration with THE FIELD MUSEUM! And it was great.
The Field Museum was one of the very first places I visited on my inaugural trip Chicago over 20 years ago and I still remember being amazed at the size of the building and the variety of exhibits. In the spring of 2019 I went to the Museum’s, “Member’s Night.” As I walked by the museum gift shop, I had the fleeting thought, “Wouldn’t it be wild to have Nature’s Trace Soap on the shelves in there...?”
Then I got an email in June of 2019. The Field Museum was going to be revamping their gift shop to have a vintage apothecary vibe and they thought Nature's Trace was the perfect compliment to the space. Would I be interested in creating a soap line using ingredients inspired by the botanicals exhibit at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition? Yes, Yes I would.
A series of phone calls and emails were followed by a visit to the Museum. I toured the botanical library that had come to Chicago from every corner of the globe. I got to physically hold some of the specimens in my hands, and combed through the list of Fritzsche Brothers essential oils collection donated to the museum in the 1920s. (Shocking to no one - lavender was also popular in 1920.)
Their botanical collection includes specimens from as far away as India and as close as neighboring Michigan, from wild and fanciful mangoes to a humble and plain walnut tree. Working with those botanicals and scents I came up with 4 new varieties specific to Field and their fantastic history in this city.
Christine Niezgoda, the Collections Flowering Plants manager shared the carefully recorded botanical catalog. Each record indicates the acquisition source for each specimen. The Walnut entry caught my attention: found, “floating at sea.” This was one of the most unique acquisitions on the list and my favorite! And was the spark that ignited the idea for Sandalwood Walnut soap.
So, now you know the Field Museum collaboration story. They still have some of the other varieties available in person and online if you want to shop there. Sandalwood Walnut is sold out but available now in our Forest Bathing Collection!
When I started the Forest Bathing collection I new Sandalwood Walnut would be the perfect companion. This soap celebrates tall, fragrant trees, and an exfoliating scrub, bringing together sandalwood and walnut shells for a soothing, satisfying clean. This soap smells like, well, Sandalwood :) With notes of leather and cedar. Walnut is the perfect companion, offering a woody undertone, as well as offering an exfoliating scrub. This is the most exfoliating-est Forest Bathing bar! Let me know what you think of it. Go get some, and transform your shower into an invigorating forest.