Mistletoe and Wonderland

My head is spinning with ideas this morning. I spent a few hours yesterday trying to mock up all the new things I want to offer for the holidays this year, and it got to be a longer and longer list. So many ideas, so little time, and I have a tendency to get in over my head a little bit.

For each new thingie I need to list not only the item, but plan out the list of ingredients, packaging pieces I need, supplies, etc., so that I order absolutely everything I need in advance and don't get caught at the list minute trying to put it all in production with something missing. I started going round and round with it. This bag? No, that bag? Ribbon on that, or just a label? Sets with dishes or with washcloths or with soap sacks or with towels? Stick with this scent, or all new scents? I've got to spend a lot of moolah this month - tins for this and that, bits and pieces, scents and fragrances. It's all under wraps right now, big secrets. But you all will know soon enough. November is just around the corner, ooh scary.

So I have a desk full of notes, scribbles of prices and designs. I decided to walk away from it yesterday, sleep on it, and come back this morning with a clear head to make some real decisions. But I'm no closer at the moment. I took one look at it and fell right back into the same hole. I don't want to overdo it - partly because it's just unreasonable to be able to do that many different things, but mostly because at most of my shows I have very little space to display it all. And I want sort of a cohesive look and not be spread too thin, or a random jumbled mess. So I need to narrow it down to just a few things that all go together a little bit.

I think I need to step away again for the moment, and package soap, get back into a mindless rhythm and let it work itself out. It's probably best to place all my orders Monday anyway, after I've collected a little money to spend.

Snowflakes and simmering spices, sleigh rides and winter berries, candy canes and Christmas forests, all swirling in my brain . . . so looking forward to the holidays, I can almost taste it.