Three Shows This Week

It's the start of the Holiday show season and the first couple of weeks of November is about as busy as it gets. The first week of December runs a close second. But I'm at three different shows this week, all on the Eastside. Here are the details:


Red Ribbons and Reindeer Holiday Boutique
at The Hollywood Schoolhouse
14810 NE 145th St, Woodinville
Dates:Nov 1-4
Hours: Wed 4-9pm, Thur-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm

Pickering Barn Christmas Crafts
at Pickering Barn (the big red barn where the Farmer's Market is)
at Pickering Place, behind Costco, Issaquah
Dates: Thursday through Saturday, November 2-4
Hours: Thurs-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm

Eastlake High School PTSA Holiday Bazaar
Eastlake High School (in the cafeteria)
400 - 228th Ave NE, Sammamish
Date: Saturday, Nov 4, 2006
Time: 9am-3:30pm

Just a note, this whole week coincides with the mailing of the Winter Holiday newsletter which showcases all the new products. Most of them I will have at these shows, but not the new soap fragrances this week. Since the first two begin almost before people even receive the letter, I'm using these shows to finish up the Autumn Seasonal scents. I have a bit of the Pumpkin Spice, Pear, Moroccan Fig and Cinnamon Stick soaps left and want to sell them before the whole holiday hoopla begins in earnest as we get further into November. So for inventory control purposes, I need to make sure I have enough of the winter scents in December and not be left with only Autumn Leaves scented soap for last minute Christmas gift shopping. So I'll have them at shows next week and so on, plus bringing a good selection of whatever is on hand until they are gone.

And mail orders in the next two weeks may take an extra day or two beyond the 1-2 day turnaround I usually have. The moment the letter hits the mailbox the orders rush in at once. Which is great and fabulous! But I take them one at a time as they arrive and with the running around to shows in between time, have just a little less time to work through the stack. It should only be a day or so. If there is any real delay, I give people a shout. But I'm not expecting any of that.

So I'm off to the races, so to speak.

It's always something

Got the mailing back from the printer on Friday, a day later than usual, and after much confusion and panic when someone on the other end of the line told me it was not ready yet, but next on the schedule. Anyway, sigh of relief, it really was done. Started stuffing last night during a mini scare-a-thon of Halloween movies, only to find that I had been shorted a bunch of the letter part. So yeah. I think it's still all going to work out on either Monday or Tuesday to be mailed out. There will be a little flurry tomorrow.

It's always one step forward, two steps back, another three forward . . . mostly I just feel like I'm hopping in place. Like doing the hokey pokey. The last two days have been a lot of very frustrating backward, with a just a little bit forward. But at least there's the extra hour today. Don't forget to set the clocks back. This is the only day in the year that we get the little gift of extra time.

And lastly, these pics have been making the internet rounds - some people are so clever with their pumpkins!

Things that go bump

I'm fascinated by ghost stories and love to read other people's true experiences. I know a few web sites that have archives of stories people have shared, and occasionally I'll hang out in the evening and read a few. Shivering in front of my little screen, hair standing up on the back of my neck, and goose flesh on my arms, I end up scaring myself half to death. But it's fun! And the perfect weekend to indulge yourself with scary happenings, so I'll share some of my favorites.

Obiwan has tons of stories, broken out by categories, like classic hauntings, animal spirits, poltergeists.

Castle of Spirits has new stories each month, one of the largest libraries of true stories on the internet.

American Folklore has creepy stories for Halloween -- ghost stories, campire tales, goblins and creatures. Plus they've got podcasts, so you can listen to them too, which might be fun for the kids.

About.com has a library of scary ghost stories that readers swear are true and really happened to them.

Interested in specific places? There are a few sites which feature local hauntings. Moonlit Road highlights the American South. New Orleans Tours has over 500 creepy tales. Kentucky and West Virginia have their own ghosts. And if you're in the mood for creepy castles and haunted inns of Britian, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, Ghost Stories UK is your place

And finally, Angels Online has all angel stories. Personal encounters with guardian angels, which isn't quite so scary, in case you need a few stories about hope and inspiration before you go to bed tonight.

Happy Haunting!

Just a Peek

So as I mentioned yesterday (no I did not write that drunk) -- today is Lip Balm Day. Insert toot of horn. I'm making up a stock pile of the lip balms for the next month or thereabouts.

Since you haven't seen the newsletter yet, this is a sneak peek into something new. I've added a couple of new flavors, and one old flavor, to the Winter Holiday menu. The new ones are Rum Raisin and Eggnog. The old one, which I haven't had all year but did offer it last winter, is Chocolate Mint. I'm keeping the Pumpkin Pie for awhile too, what the hey. Pumpkin Pie season has barely gotten started. You can't have November and Thanksgiving without the pie! Lots of folks go right on through til Christmas with that pie. So I've made more and will still have it available for now.

And since there's probably just a handful of folks checking in here in the next few days, you got to hear it here first. And since I'm feeling so generous, I'm putting it up on the web site right now. Booyah! If you can't wait another second to lick your lips with Egg Nog or Rum Raisin flavor, they are yours for the asking.

Charmed I'm Sure

Hello fellow pumpkin heads. I love Halloween, but not quite as much as my friend J. who loves this holiday more than Christmas, New Year's and his Birthday combined. He's had his house full of decorations for a month now. I've only had the time to spread out a little bit of cheer, and a little haphazardly too. Never got around to the outside. A few pumpkins waiting for carving on the steps, but that will have to happen over the weekend. In the meantime, I've contented myself with a plate of pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting.

This week has been so full already -- so much work on the web site, which will be completely re-vamped on Monday to mirror the newsletter which will be going out. The printer is a little bit delayed, but I'm still hoping to have a stuff-a-thon over the weekend and get it out in the mail on Monday. We'll see if they come through for me - it usually hinges on machine breakdowns because they are in the middle of some ginormous job that just keeps getting bigger and my little piddly job comes after that.

Plus I've been doing little photo shoots of all the new stuff. Packaging, packaging, packaging. Lip balm day tomorrow. Each day is a competition to see how much I can stuff into the hours I'm upright. Well, now that I'm rambling . . . I got a crock-pot for my birthday a bit ago and since I've never had one before, I've been trying out new recipes in it to see what's good.

It made a nice chicken chile verde, excellent beef stew and stroganoff. I'll say that the pork roast I did Tuesday was a little dry. It fell apart into a pulled pork mess which didn't have enough sauce for that kind of thing. It didn't taste bad, but wasn't at all what I was going for. I would rather have had an actual pork roast you could slice. I've heard it does excellent roasted nuts, so I'm going to try that too this week. But if anybody out there has a to-die-for recipe for a crock-pot, please send it over. The other drawback to these things, is that they cook all day long (yes, I know that's the point) but while I'm home working, and not away at some office cubicle thing working, the cooking smell for hours on end is making me so hungry.

And I don't understand a lot of the recipes I've seen online. My impression was that it was a convenience for long, slow cooked or braised things that you didn't have time to cook when you got home. What's the point of cooking things like bread pudding and rice pudding in it? Those don't take more than a half hour on the stove or in the oven. Why do that in the crock-pot and waste electricity for a whole 8 hours or so? I guess it's just because people can. Like the tv grill guy who grills every single item on his huge super duper grill - including baking brownies. I'd rather just use the appliance that does the best job.

Also if anyone has a great recommendation for a space heater? Send that along too. I have a tiny little box with a fan that should just warm my cold feet in this chilly basement office. Instead it cooks my ankles to a crisp, even on low, and if you set it halfway across the room it does basically nothing. It seems to only heat a tiny little space right it front of it, but roasty hot -- like my ankles burn while the tips of the toes still freeze. Or the toes are warm and the heels are out of range. Dumb.

Almost as dumb as this whole random stupid blog posting with no news. My excuse? The goblins have gotten me.

Caution

I bought some groovy new dishwashing soap today -- all biodegradable, eco-friendly, lavender and tea tree essential oils. Ooh la la, right? But I cracked it open and was starting in on some sudsing and found myself staring at the label.

"Caution: may be a mild eye irritant."

Erm, yes? Has anyone tried squirting dish soap into one's eye and found that it irritated just a little bit? I don't know about you, but I find that almost any kind of soap suds directly into the eye smarts. Anyway, if I was deciding to wash my eyes out (well if they were dirty or something) I don't think I would reach for the dish detergent.

But has it really come to this? Caution: do not insert into mouth, may leave a foul taste.

Scaring myself

I got out of the house for a bit yesterday. Abandoned all my work projects and enjoyed the sunshine for a a couple of hours. Such a perfect, beautiful fall day. And I began to wonder why I was even thinking I should be working anyway. I guess it's just habit. I'm so used to auto-pilot thinking that I need to fill whatever time I have with getting ready for the next thing, I forget that I can just do nothing, or do something for myself once in a while. What a revelation.

I was sort of thinking back to what it was like before I started working for myself, and realized that almost all the "real" jobs I've had required more work than the usual 8 hour day too. And quite a bit of the time, I was working TWO jobs. Maybe I just don't know any better. Or maybe I really like working more than anything else. I don't know. I haven't ever realized this before now. Duh. I'll have to think it through a bit more. Was I doing it at first because I had to, and it became a habit that just stuck? Or am I always working because that's just my nature and what I get the most satisfaction from? Or is it deeper than that, and I work all hours to fill up a void, or avoid something else? Eeep, scary.

But today being Monday, it's back to being productive. If anyone had telephone trouble trying to reach me the last few days, I finally have my phone line back. It was a broken wire on one of the lines, and I still had the bedroom phone but I'm pretty sure I missed a few calls during all the hubbub.

Staring Blankly at the Screen

Twirling my hair. Shifting in my chair. Tapping a few words on the keys and then delete delete delete. The words won't flow. I need just a few more paragraphs for the newsletter. Or a little blog posting. Probably both.

I scheduled a pretty ambitious day for myself. Lots of things I want to get accomplished. And I have a list longer than the hours in the day, but that's because I knew I wouldn't actually want to do some of those things. I sort of have to be in the mood for a few of the tasks, or in the flow. And if it ain't there, it ain't happening. Like the writing. So I move on to the next one. When that item is done, I'll either try again or go even farther down the list. Sometimes the momentum of getting other smaller chores out of the way will inspire action on the bigger ones. Sometimes it just doesn't happen at all that day.

I don't know if that is very efficient or not. But just sitting here staring at the screen again for the last hour, distracting myself with internet treasure hunting is not helping me get any other items off the list. So I'm giving up here. It will come later. Eventually. And when the spark is lit the fire glows like magic. I guess I'll wait for the magic and busy myself with something else for a little while.

Umbrella Weather

The gray and rain has finally settled in. It's kind of comforting to look out the droplet splattered windows and see the grass and garden just drinking it all in. The dust of summer all rinsed away, it feels moist, fresh and plump again. What I do miss is the daylight. It's dark in the morning until my day is well under way. And then it pretty much stays dark and cloudy through the afternoon, until it gets dark again in the early evening. Dark, dark, dark. Flipping the light switches in every room no matter what time it is. Sort of cave-like around here.

The Vasa Park show opened last night with quite a flurry of activity. Char is there painting eggs. Francesca is there with her lovely hand-decorated glass ornaments. A bevy of food giftie things. Wreaths and arrangements. Little mounds of pumpkins and witchie poos. Rebecca has her incredible hand-stitched baby blankies and wash cloths, plus new tooth fairy pouches. Hopefully the parking lot will stay packed for the next few days, and all the hard work of these gals will be carted off to a new home.

I'm working ahead all week on stockpiling what I think I'll need for the next few weeks. All the little pieces too, like price tags, shipping supplies, labels. Getting all my orders in for packaging supplies so they'll arrive in time for the mad rush. And putting the finishing touches on the mailing so it can be trotted over to the printer in the next few days. So many details to hold onto at once in my little old swimming head. Ooof. I think I've got it all under control and have written list after list so I don't forget anything. But I'm sure there will be something to panic about later.

Diane Sawyer is in North Korea all week. The only American journalist allowed in the country. She's been doing little reports on Good Morning America every morning, split into about 2-3 segments between 7-8am. It's fascinating. She's done interviews with military and government representatives, but mostly she's talking to the everyday people -- kids in schools, visiting homes and showing us what they have in their fridge and bedrooms, chatting with people on their way to work and university about how they feel, stopping in the beauty parlor and showing them Elle Magazine. It's so alien, so foreign - the brain washing and isolation of an entire nation would be unbelievable if I hadn't actually seen it myself through her eyes.

Random brain emptying after only half a cup of coffee. That's that. Shrug. A little peek inside my stew -- dark vs light, whether lavender oil causes young men to grow breasts (NY Times article 10/16), craft shows becoming dinosaurs, brainwashing, bling, reinvention, nuclear disaster, Jeffrey winning Project Runway (total ugh), competition healthy or no, taxes are due again, can man survive on cheese chocolate and wine alone . . .

Vasa Park Week

Yep, this is the week that we have our splendid autumn and harvest themed show at Vasa Park Ballroom on the shores of Lake Sammamish in Bellevue. It's a boutique style show, which means there is a central cashier and artists are not "working" their own booths.

Come during the week while it's raining so you can enjoy the pretty sunny Saturday weather doing something outside. Well, that's what I would do anyway. Lots of gift stuff and decorative home stuff for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Autumn occasions, plus little bits of Christmas stuff too, although the November and December shows are more geared towards actual Santa Claus and Rudolph styles. But it's chock full of great ideas to get you started on the holidays

Country Crafts Home and Gift Show
Vasa Park Ballroom
3549 W Lk Sammamish Pkwy
Bellevue, WA

Dates: October 18 - 21
Hours: Wed 3pm-9pm, Thur-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm

Link: Country Craft

I've made up some special gift bags for this particular show --

little foot treat sets in green raffia sacks,
and handmade brown paper bags stuffed with the popular pumpkin spice soap and one of the clever little wooden soap dishes,
there is more of the citrus splash bath confetti,
and little black "beauty" sacks decorated with pumpkin gift cards and filled with the confetti and luscious bath salts

-- all items that haven't been made in large enough quantities to appear on the web site. Just little special somethings at this particular show.

Topsy Turvy Day

Today is upside down and one giant mess. I'm packaging, packing and gathering the Vasa Park show items (for set-up tomorrow, more on that later) - in one big pile. Or maybe several piles. I've (finally!) gotten out all the fall and Halloween decorations for the house, and that is strewn about in little piles in several rooms, because I started it and then got distracted and then distracted again.

I've gotten phone calls and emails this morning about adding two new shows to the holiday schedule, which I'm going to try to swing but just don't know where I stand at this moment. Well, I know I am standing in a mess of piles. But I'm not sure where I am in the holiday hoopla. I'm just worried about having enough inventory of everything to cover all the bases I've already committed to. I'll get details posted as soon as I get it all settled.

And the bathroom is being painted all weekend. The stuff is all in little boxes and tubs and more piles, standing around the dining room while the trim is finished and the caulk dries etc. Paint cans, screwdrivers, hooks and fixtures. All in more piles.

Plus somewhere in the middle of all this, I decided that my closet needed to be fixed -- the fall and summer clothes flipped so I could actually get dressed for the weather again. My bedroom looks like it's exploded. And it's laundry dau to boot. All of this upheaval and disorganization is a little hard to maneuver around and keep focus. Maybe that's why it feels like I'm running in circles.

e.e. cummings

I'm not a poetry buff per se. I've always wanted to understand the whole artistry of the word placement and cadence and such but it's often lost on me. In an effort to "educate" myself a little bit I subscribed to Garrison Keillor's The Writers Almanac from American Public Radio. His little snippet of a radio program comes in your email box in text form, or you can click on the link to listen to it. Sometimes I just like to listen to his voice for a moment in the morning - the familiar, gentle sound of his speech a quiet comfort to start the day with.

Each day there is a little blurb about several well-known authors whose birthday falls on that date, plus a selected poem. Today is the birthday of e.e.cummings. I usually find myself drawn to his work. The poem that arrived today is no exception. Childlike, simple, with traditional rhyming patterns, it's just fun.

Poem: "87" by E.E. Cummings from 100 Selected Poems

87

o by the by
has anybody seen
little you-i
who stood on a green
hill and threw
his wish at blue

with a swoop and a dar
out flew his wish
(it dived like a fish
but it climbed like a dream)
throbbing like a heart
singing like a flame

blue took it my
far beyond far
and high beyond high
bluer took it your
but bluest took it our
away beyond where

what a wonderful thing
is the end of a string
(murmurs little you-i
as the hill becomes nil)
and will somebody tell
me why people let go

Garrison Keillor goes on to describe the man and his life - which made me smile and appreciate him all the more. So to borrow that little excerpt too . . .

"It's the birthday of poet E. E. Cummings (Edward Estlin Cummings), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts (1894). He was a man who wrote joyful, almost childlike poems about the beauty of nature and love, even though he was actually a conservative, irritable man who hated noisy modern inventions like vacuum cleaners and radios. He spent most of his life unhappy, struggling to pay the bills, ostracized for his unpopular political views.

He had published several books of poetry, including Tulips and Chimneys (1923), when he traveled to Russia in 1931, hoping to write about the superior society under the rule of communism. He was horrified at what he found. He saw no lovers, no one laughing, no one enjoying themselves. The theaters and museums were full of propaganda, and the people were scared to talk to each other in the street. Everyone was miserable.

When he got home, he wrote about the experience, comparing Russia to Dante's Inferno. Most of the publishers at the time were communists themselves, and they turned their backs on Cummings for criticizing communist Russia. Many magazines refused to publish his poetry or review his books. But the attacks only made him more stubborn. He said, "To be nobody-but-yourself -- in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."

He tried to write a script for a ballet, but it was never performed. He tried writing for the movies in Hollywood, but found that he spent all his time painting humming birds and sunsets instead of working on screenplays. He had to borrow money from his parents and his friends. He said, "I'm living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart." A few years later, he decided to make some extra money by giving a series of lectures at Harvard University. Most lecturers spoke from behind a lectern, but he sat on the stage, read his poetry aloud, and talked about what it meant to him.

The faculty members were embarrassed by his earnestness, but the undergraduates adored him and came to his lectures in droves. Even though he suffered from terrible back pains, and had to wear a metal brace that he called an "iron maiden," he began traveling and giving readings at universities across the country. By the end of the 1950s he had become the most popular poet in America. He loved performing and loved the applause, and the last few years of his life were the happiest. He died on September 2, 1962."

His unusual way of mixing up words and yet painting such a pretty little picture is truly a gift. Like the beginning of one of his other poems, "anyone lived in a pretty how town":

anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did
Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

You almost want to sing it like a children's nursery rhyme, or dance around the room with it while making musical accompaniments with made up instruments like forks for castanets , or march in time to the lines, banging your imaginary drum.

Wanderlust

Been watching a bunch of travel shows on the teevee lately while working on my little evening tasks -- like getting envelopes ready for the mailing, cutting the little cardboards for the soap, snipping up ribbons, etc. I also need to get a brighter light for the living room. It feels like a cave in there and I can't see anything, especially my knitting, which I've had to rip out a couple of times because the stitches look like a kindergartner got ahold of it. But I digress. So I'm having little daydreams about sipping espresso at an outdoor cafe on the piazza, or hot air ballooning over Stockholm.

Maybe because I'm facing the next two months with a little trepidation about how much work I have ahead. I've decided that this year will be different. I will at least TRY to actually notice the experience and find something each day to enjoy, rather than just ducking my head down and trying to get through it to the other side. Take a few moments here and there to look around at what is whizzing by, take a deep breath (or any breath at all besides the usual hyperventilating) and enjoy the so-called "holiday season." That's my challenge for myself. I'm making the statement here, out loud, and so be it.

The starlings have finally arrived. Wow! When they flock over to my little corner of the block in the afternoon it's a cacophany of chaos. All of them chattering, swooping from tree to tree, corner to corner, little bunches circling and dropping. We had to make a quick errand downtown the other evening and the real population is hanging out there on 5th Ave between the rooftops of Macy's and the trees across the street at Westlake. It's unbelievable. Sort of makes your heart skip when you look up at the thousands of birds packed into the little treetops, the sheer volume of noise (and poop). It's almost impossible not to feel fear -- flashbacks of the film "The Birds" running through your head, visions of the apocalypse or something. But also awe, at how organized and coordinated that huge number of animals are together. Magnificent.

Hmm, well the bird thing doesn't count today, since it was a few days ago. And the weather. Good heavens, it's so warm and gorgeous. I can hardly believe it's mid-October. Feels like the first week of September and that summer was just a week ago or so. How can we possibly be receiving Thanksgiving cooking magazines in the mail? The pumpkins and squashes seem so out of place. I haven't even needed to don a single sweater yet! What? There is snow in Buffalo? So what, they probably get snow in July. And today looks like another 70 degrees and sunny. The leaves are beginning to turn such pretty colors. I need to get over to my favorite little row of burgundy and gold maples and take photos this afternoon, see if they've gotten close to their peak of color yet. Maybe I can squeeze that in as my "moment" for today.

And yes, I made more patchouli soap last night. For all of you "patchouli only" fans. Where do you all come from? I'm not complaining. It's just curious. I've never had this many loyal fans of patchouli before. I'm guessing it's not a "trend" because then it would be a bar of this, a bar of that, maybe 2 of the patchouli . . . that sort of thing. This is "4 bars of patchouli," "I'll take 8 bars of patchouli - that's it," and "a dozen bars please, just the patchouli." No worries. I've got you covered. There's enough for everyone.

Messenger

Poem: Messenger by Mary Oliver
from Thirst by Beacon Press


My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird --
equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.

Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be
astonished.
The phoebe, the delphinium.
The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.
Which is mostly rejoicing, since all the ingredients are here,

which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart
and these body-clothes,
a mouth with which to give shouts of joy
to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,
telling them all, over and over, how it is
that we live forever.

Starving Housewives

Cute name for a craft show, no? Cindy and Cameron put on a series of shows throughout the year, and this week we are in Bothell at the 302 Union Hall near the Seattle Times Facility. It's quite a lot of harvest and autumn themed items, craft and antique vendors, lots of great gift items.

Dates: Tuesday through Saturday, October 10-14
Hours: Tues-Fri, 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm
Location: 302 Union Hall, 18701 120th Ave NE, Bothell
(Two blocks north of Woodinville Home Depot next to soccer fields)

Link: Starving Housewives

With the banks and post office closed yesterday (who even knows what Columbus Day is any more?) I had a reprieve from all the money chores and order packing, which gave me a free hour to shop for shoes. Or groceries. And throw in a load of laundry. After commiting to doing this show yesterday morning, all of a sudden it seemed much easier to get moving on all the things that needed to be done. And it turned out to be a productive day. I feel so much better -- I just hate to cancel anything.

I'm only two weeks away from that huge first week of November when the Holiday newsletter goes out, and I've got 6 shows going at once. There's mountains of work to be done and I need to get crackin'!

Breathe

Another big day at Salmon Days yesterday. Lots of crowds trying to catch glimpses of the huge chinook salmon jumping up the fish ladder at the hatchery -- having a family outing. The folks behind me with the birds got quite a lot of attention too, as I mentioned yesterday. They are a group called Hawk Quest, who primarily travel around to educate people on not only the wild birds, but a respect and an appreciation for all wild living things and their natural environment, and the importance of preserving the world in which they live. Excellent work and very nice people.



I packed up, dragged myself home and collapsed last night wondering how? if? I can possibly get enough product together before noon today to set up the Starving Housewives show in Bothell that happens all week. I'm still wondering that same thing this morning. But I just hate to cancel on my commitments and can't stand to disappoint any of my customers who are expecting me to be there, so I will do my best. It doesn't look quite so dire at the moment after a good night's sleep. But I will really need to burn the candle at both ends for the next few days, so I'm off to light a bonfire. And take my vitamins. And a few more deep breaths.

Drive-by

I meant to take my camera to Salmon Days yesterday and forgot it. I'm hoping today to get a good picture of all those HUGE fish crammed into the creek -- it's spectacular. So are the beautiful birds on display in the little info area behind me. A wild bird rescue group has brought a giant owl, a beautiful bald eagle and lots of hawks too. And they are giving little talks about them, doing a show and tell sort of thing, and drawing tons of crowds -- it's fun to watch.

Very crowded yesterday. The soap scraps sold out by afternoon. Last night was a big birthday bash for one of my bestest friends, and I raced home from the show to get a couple of quick things thrown together before I had to leave. Of course I have oversold what I had ready for this show. And spent the early hours this morning packaging up more bars and making another giant pile of lavender sachets. If you're doing the math, that means maybe 4 hours of sleep. And I'm still suffering from the margarita and taquito fiesta too. So today should be a hoot. Headed out . . . hoping to grab some good photos of the fun!

Soap Scraps $1

Yesterday morning, as I typed out my blog-o-rama, it looked like I had a fairly light day of work ahead. And I was looking forward to a chunk of time in the afternoon puttering around in my garden. That flew out the window at about the same time I clicked "publish." First there was the sort of extended version of my daily waltz around the internets. Found a couple of totally cool linkie poos, and an hour later looked up and decided I hadn't even had breakfast yet. So there was food, and well, maybe I can squeeze in a round of that obsessive computer game. Another hour of losing. Again. Wow, it's 10:30 already? I haven't even showered. Then a round of email duck-duck-goose, which means the slow version of instant messaging, by email, back and forth with a few folks over the course of another hour. A little shuffling of priorities and tasks -- time is beginning to run out. Then a quick half hour of work and it's lunch time, isn't it? Another quick game, because really, I can win this game. I know I can. I've done it before. Then I get back to work. Since I've already lost my focus and am spinning in circles, I decide that I can add on a couple of extra things that don't really need to be done today, but are at the bottom of my list and why not? By late afternoon I'm rushing around trying to get the three really small things I really, really needed to accomplish finished. Racing out the door to the post office to meet deadline. Missing out on all the other stuff I could have done and feeling like a pathetic loser. (Picture my fingers in a giant "L" pressed up to my forehead.) Am I the only one with this problem? Chronic time fritterer extraordinaire. Note the cosmopolitan "extraordin-aire." I'm an expert in avoidance, procrastination, wasting time with escapist activities that have no bearing on meaningful goals.

Er. So, here's what did happen. I scrounged up all the little dings, dents, leftover bars that were laying around and will have another one of those hullaballo soap scrap sales this weekend. Every bar only one dollar. There seemed to be a number of casualities during the Fair. Soaps that leapt off the edge of the cliff and made a run for it, only to dent their little tushes on the floor.

I will have a bin of them on Saturday morning. The good stuff goes pretty fast, and I don't have nearly the quantity I had at U District or Anacortes this year. But there's a full bin of them. So it's worth shlepping them out and letting the bargain bin hunters have at them. There is no way to do this on the web site. It's a bonus treat for those who come out to the shows. You kind of have to decide for yourself if the ugly is worth buying.

Happy Friday!

Salmon Days

The Issaquah Salmon Days Festival, presented by the Issaquah Chamber of Commerce, is the annual celebration of the returning salmon to our lakes, streams and downtown hatchery. This two day event held annually the first full weekend in October draws crowds of more than 150,000 people. Salmon Days features a weekend full of salmon and free fun, including more than 300 artists, the Foods of the World (50+ food vendors in Depot Park), a Grande Parade, 5k and 10k runs, four stages of live entertainment, the Field of Fun (tons of great kids activities), salmon viewing at the Hatchery, and much more.

Salmon Days prides itself in being an event the entire community can benefit from and enjoy. As a result, the Festival partners with more than 60 local non-profits operating out of, or significantly impacting Issaquah. They are on-site raising awareness, operating pay parking lots to raise funds or featuring activities that raise both.

The Kiwanis Salmon Bake -- yum. For 35 years (as old as the Festival itself) the "world famous" Kiwanis Salmon Bake has enticed festival goers with the wafting smells of fresh fish grilling on an open flame. As the Festival has grown so has the amount of mouth-watering salmon served, now totaling over 2,000 pounds each year. Located at Gibson Park on Newport Way, the feast is just a short walk from the hatchery. The first fillets come off the grill around 11:30am on both Saturday and Sunday.

Sounds like fun, right? And the weather is supposed to be great this year. Not like the pouring rain, thunder storms and what looked like a funnel cloud! hovering over us last year. My booth is located on W Sunset Way, a beautiful corner spot just at the entrance to the Hatchery and the Salmon Bake.

Come early because traffic and parking can be frustrating at the peak of the day. Check HERE for all the information about parking lots and shuttles.

Dates: Saturday and Sunday, October 7 and 8
Hours: 10am to 6pm
Soapworks Studio Booth: #318, W Sunset Way, corner spot at the driveway entrance to the Hatchery and the Kiwanis Salmon Bake

Link: Issaquah Salmon Days

I've got a lot of my stuff packaged up and packed up . . . mostly ready to go. So I think I might actually have a couple of free hours today to do a little gardening. Happy happy joy joy. I really want to chop out a couple of huge, overgrown, ugly, bushy things. Work up a sweat.

Snappy Story

Okay, after all that ranting yesterday, I am starting to get used to the giant orange house in my back yard. I think I yakked it all out. In the sort of cloudy, grey light we 've been having, and will have for months now, it doesn't look quite so garish. Maybe I'm hallucinating, but it actually felt a little cheerful when I glanced out there again with my cup of coffee. I think I can live with it -- at least through the winter. It's the sun shining on it, and the bouncing reflection, that made it worse. But by next summer, maybe some of the glare will have worn off, and there will be more leaves in the trees and I'll let some of my bushes grow up much higher to block out some of it. Anyway, today I am ok with it. And it definitely makes a good story - I can get a lot of mileage out of this one.

Anyone watching the new tv shows? I'm not a big tv watcher, but was intrigued by a few of the trailers and decided to watch a little bunch of new shows for the first couple of weeks to see if there was anything interesting happening besides more reality tv crap. Two of them are "Jericho" and "Heroes". Jericho is so darn scary that I've been watching with one eye closed, all tensed up so that by the end of the hour I have a giant cramp and heartburn. Heroes is fascinating. I'm still not sure I get it all, but I'm interested enough to keep watching. Super Hiro, the Japanese guy who teleports himself, is so amusing. But the end of last night was another major nuclear disaster. And I have had nightmares about the end of the world for two weeks now, over and over. It's clearly getting to me. Last night was a doozy, and I'm still a bit groggy -- sort of lost in all that space/time continuum mumbo jumbo.

All caught up on orders, paperwork and bookkeeping, so today is full-on preparations for Salmon Days this weekend. It's the final outdoor festival for the year. Gotta get the tent together and drag it out for one last outing.

Who does THIS?

This is the color of insanity.

The guy who owns this house, which sits in my backyard, is insane. There is no other explanation. He doesn't even live there. He has spent the last year or so teaching in India with his brand new wife (#3). And the poor renters are beside themselves. They have had to deal with so much craziness this past year, I don't know why they are still there or how they have escaped becoming lunatics themselves. But that is all a much longer story.

Without any communication whatsoever, the owner, N.J., decided the house needed paint. It did. Badly. He hadn't touched it for the entire 12 years or so since he bought the place (and which sat empty for years before that). It was such an eyesore in powder blue peeking out from all that mold and dirt. The renters had no advance warning when the team showed up to start power washing and papering over the windows. That was a few weeks ago. It was really slow going, with just one guy showing up every few days to work like a snail on the window trim. In the meantime, they lived in a cave with no light -- the brown papered up windows a cruel joke.

So I went on a long weekend getaway. And came home to Ronald McDonald's hair. A traffic cone orange edifice that you can probably see from space. The poor neighbors on the other side are just finishing up painting their new home a lovely shade of hunter green, which now looks neon orange instead. As does the interior of their entire home due to the heat lamp-like reflection which glows off this ridiculous circus tent. I'm a little farther away, and the reflection doesn't really color my back rooms, but the back yard will never be the same. You won't even notice that there are flower beds or grass -- because there is no way to not be riveted by the gigantic 4-alarm blaze that rises over everything. This is beyond inconsiderate. Beyond rude. Beyond artistic statement or just being "fun." It's insane. Nobody does this.

The painters apologized. They double and triple checked with him. He meticulously chose this color, and even opted for paying extra for the third coat it took to get the proper coverage. It's obviously a statement. And what bothers me the most? Is that he did it while not even living there - so it's not his artistic expression of the place he resides. It's an "in your face" way to blatantly oppose the norm while not dealing with the consequences, like a coward. It's one thing to stand for something loud and stand behind your words or actions. It's something else to spray paint it on somebody else's wall in the dark of night and run for cover.

All the neighbors have commiserated. There is nothing we can do. He doesn't return calls or emails anyway. Some day maybe he'll want to re-rent it? Or sell it? And have to change the color because nobody in their right mind would move in. I wasn't planning on moving in the near future (not that I haven't thought about it a lot in the last 24 hours), but now I couldn't possibly sell my house with that kind of thing in the backyard. It's so awful. I can't walk past a window here without glancing out and shuddering, shaking my head and rolling my eyes, all at once. If anyone saw me, they'd think I had some kind of nervous disorder. I'm not against color, really. But when I approached the front steps, and saw close up that it's the actual paint used to paint curbs and construction projects, true day-glo orange, I almost cried. It's 2 stories high!!!! And my little, low, one floor bungalow is dwarfed in its radiating nuclear shadow.

I'm going to have to come to terms with it. Accept it. I honestly like the fact that he chose a bright, non-conformist color and had the courage to do something not beige and boring. I usually like to support people who push the norm a little and poke at boundaries, because I often feel we are slowly beginning to lose some of our freedoms to express ourselves. So I'm faced with the internal struggle, literally, of "not in my back yard." Brick red would have been cool. Even burgundy. But this feels more hostile. I have been told it will fade, more quickly than a lot of other colors. And the siding will have to be replaced within 5-10 years anyway. Which pretty much means that N.J. won't think about it for another 20. Or decides to sell -- even longer.

The painters said you wouldn't believe how many people stopped, pulled over, asked questions. I said I would believe it. It just begs for some partying kids or angry thug to spray junk all over the side. Or maybe we should make a giant jack o'lantern face on it? And use it for a Halloween decoration all month?

And maybe I should just quit bitching about something so petty anyway. Seems like there is another major shooting at some school almost every day, and there are much more important things to get my undies in a wad over. But damn, the shock of this ORANGE is going to take a bit longer to fade, I think.

I'm imagining a big spotlight now, with a black construction paper pumpkin face taped over it, directed right at that great big monstrous thingie over the fence.

Back in the saddle

What a lovely few days away. The weather was gorgeous. The beach was immense -- roaring surf, thunderous waves, sand stretched out as far as the eye could see. I realize I don't get to see enough sunsets in my daily life. Or stars. And wished I had a dog, because there is no more perfect match than a happy, wagging, chasing dog and a piece of beach.

I'm back to a mountain of mail, an answering machine packed full, a bursting inbox, a pile of boxes on the stoop, a flurry of orders -- so many things to attend to. I hope the easy, breezy feeling doesn't wear off by noon today. But I've got to get to work early this morning and really chug away to get caught up. As of this moment, I'm still thinking it was worth it to make a quick getaway. Maybe ask me later.





Oh, and while I was gone, my back yard neighbor, who had been taking weeks just to primer and work on painting window trim, suddenly painted the entire exterior in two days. The whole house is neon, day-glo, traffic cone orange. Unbelievable. I'm so shocked I can hardly take it in. I will take pictures and come up with something to say about it tomorrow. WTF!!!???

Sand in my toes

The past two days have been so productive. Not in the getting stuff done sort of way, but in the getting stuff figured out sort of way. With no immediate deadlines hanging over my head for a few days this week, I've been able to square away a bunch of little details for the upcoming holiday stuff. Like making all the tags and cards for the new Terrific Tootsies foot care gift sets. And the adorable little labels for the Holiday Cheer Bath Confetti and Spiced Hot Cocoa Milk Bath. Oops, I've let out a few secrets.

I've been able to clear enough space to find my notes and catalogs for holiday gift sets galore. Still dithering about a couple of things, samples are on their way, but there will be lots of new gift items -- or ways to package gifts. New bags for single bars or several bars. Fun boxes to stuff full of items for special presents. It's all coming together a bit more. Not just ambiguous plans but actual stuff. All just sitting here waiting expectantly for their big debut. Later, when I get back from holiday, there will be an afternoon of putting it all together, filling containers, slapping on labels. And then the big photo op for the web page. It's nice to have it ready ahead of time. Much easier than imagining what it will look like (because I waited too long to order something) and just making up a description for the newsletter that is already late. Not that I've ever done that. Ahem.

Oh, and I rustled up a supply of cutie pie Halloween theme gift sets for the October shows. There's only a couple of dozen of those, so I'll bring some to Salmon Days, and a few to the Starving Housewives show in Bothell and a little bunch to the Vasa Park show too.

So I'm off on vacation. Three days. Towards the beach and the Oregon coast. No plans, no reservations, just open road. The weather should be stunning. I'll be back just in time to catch the tail end of St. Demetrios' Greek Festival this weekend. I never, ever miss that. It's my favorite feast all year. The huge tent, the festive music, the circles of little kids in folk costumes dancing and whirling, and the rounds upon rounds of wine tasting. Whew! I'm already drooling thinking about the grilled lamb, the piping hot calamari, the dripping gyro mess, and the delectable pastries with a shot of knock-your-socks-off Greek coffee. Oh I hope there's food left by Sunday. Save some for me, please!

Singing Moon

I am no expert in the phases of the moon. But I ran across a cool picture of a Harvest Moon last week and thought gee, maybe I can use this in my blog -- I'll look it up to see what it means. Well, THE HARVEST MOON was two months ago -- July and into early August. Then we had THE PROMISE MOON. We are currently in the phase of THE SINGING MOON. This is supposed to be "a time for exhiliration, completion, acceptance, mellowing, and rest after labor. A balance of light and dark leads to organization and clean-up of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual clutter".

09/22: Singing Moon - New
09/21, 22, 23: Mabon, Autumn Equinox
09/23: Libra Rises
10/07: Singing Moon - Full

This sounds uncannily right for me right now. The exhiliration I'm feeling after completing the last two weeks of shows combined with the release of the fall newsletter. It was tremendous labor, and later this week I am resting (on a two-day vacation). I have also spent the last few days cleaning up and re-organizing the office and work areas, which of course spills over into mental and emotional clutter clearing too. It's so spot on, it's a tad creepy.

Just in case you're planning ahead, October is THE BLOOD MOON -- "a time for sacrifice, letting go and clearing away to find justice, balance, and harmony. Inner cleansing and the lament of loss. Seeking shelter in friendship, karma, and reincarnation". Goes through Halloween and the full moon is November 5th. Sounds not so fun, eh. I'm a little nervous about what that means for me. Maybe it's like all the horoscope stuff, sometimes it's scarily accurate and the next month it's completely off. I sure hope so. I was hoping to be done with all the lamenting of loss and was beginning to think I was getting back to a little balance. Today is the one month anniversary of losing my little kitty, sniffle.

Birds are Gathering

The birds are beginning to gather and practice their formations in short spurts. I haven't quite seen the huge flocks of starlings that come each fall to the trees next door, descending like a plague of locusts, darkening the sky as they flly over and making such a clamour, cheeping and chattering, peeping and squawking as they roost just over the fence for a while in the late afternoon before jetting off like an explosion to some other corner. This week of warm, sunny weather is a little respite in the inevitable march of autumn. I'm going to take a couple of days off towards the end of the week and head to the beach for one last fling.

Yikes, it's Tuesday already. Did the clock speed up? The past few days have been a blur. Saturday was spent mostly in the car -- restocking shows and then tearing down the Lord Hill one in the evening. There is not one road, one highway in the entire Puget Sound Region that is not doing some kind of major road work, I swear. From south to north, there is constant construction projects. And the driving is a pain in the rumpus.

Sunday was supposed to be a bit of a free day for me. But I still had to work, unpacking and inventory from Lord Hill, which turned out to be a good show. Attendance was down just a tad, and it showed up in the sales just a little bit. But quite nice overall, and I know some artists did very well indeed.

Yesterday was another commute down to Puyallup for the final time, to pack it all up and head home at last. I took just a few minutes on the way home to gloat. My sales there this year were more than double the previous soap vendor's top number. I know -- beginner's luck, the newbie bump, yada, yada. I'm not getting a swelled head. Just wanted to feel really good about the accomplishment and to acknowledge the outcome of all that hard work, if only for a few minutes. So more unpacking, a few more orders, catching up on some bookeeping, whipping up another batch of soap.

I'm working on some of the christmas soap batches, and it's sort of hit and miss. Usually I like to take the opportunity to come up with new blends out of the little bit of leftover fragrance oils I have on hand. Because the holiday season requires so darn much soap, lends itself to fantasy and whimsy, and frankly there is just so much leftover stuff to get rid of before the big January inventory (for tax purposes). There's a mountain of bottles that have just a small amount of stuff left in them. And it's spendy stuff. I'm basically frugal anyway, but in this business you have to use up everything in order to maintain the facade of a profit margin. So I'll throw in a little leftover lemon something, mint something, berrry something, spice something. Add a little more cinnamon or orange -- and then rustle through my well-thumbed list of holiday notes, hum along a few christmas carols and pull a new name out of the hat. There's been "Jingle Bell," "Jack Frost," "Winter Wonderland" and the silly "Holiday Hoopla" something or other. Last night's soap was a little fruity vanilla, candy mint, red berry and cinnamon spice which was starting to smell a little like a sugar plum or candy thingamajig. I'll have to see how it mellows out in a couple of weeks before the name settles in. Sometimes it turns out great, and sometimes it's a bomb.

The bomb's you will not see on the list. I just sneak them into a couple of shows and if they really don't go anywhere, they end up in the sale bins by next spring and summer. The good ones end up in the newsletter and become a bonafide seasonal soap. Today is another little experiment - but this one has to be a definite go. It's Mexican Cocoa (working name, may change). I've got various types of chocolate fragrance left over -- from several years of a Hot Cocoa soap that is always popular during the holidays. And I'm adding some cinnamon, orange, possibly a titch of almond. A yummy, spicy chocolate soap, which I think will do well. What do I know? I usually guess wrong. But I've discussed this before. How can my instincts on what will do well be so bad? Yet somehow I've come up with enough good stuff or I wouldn't still be in business and doing alright. The bottom line? It's a crap shoot. And I could spend all day long second guessing myself. Or just keep pumping it out and what goes, goes. And what doesn't makes the bargain bin hunters happy. :)

News Bites

In the midst of all the hustle and bustle the last couple of weeks, some other things have been happening. Some quick updates about stuff:

1. Allied Arts of Whatcom Country sponsors the Holiday Festival of the Arts each year. It's a gallery style show that they put on in some sort of unleased business space -- ususally runs mid-November through Christmas eve. And I've participated in it for at least 9 years I think. Seems like I joined this show my first year in business and it's been wildly successful for me, even though the driving back and forth to Bellingham each week in the middle of my busiest show season is wildly insane. I love this show. However this year, the organization hit some rough spots. The very heart of the show, Judy Taylor, who organizes it, runs it, keeps all the books impeccably accurate, and is our rock -- quit. Then the director left a month ago and one of the board members is acting as interim director. And they've had a dickens of a time getting a new location this year - after we lost our space of a few years in a row. So with less than two months to go, when we are usually beginning to advertise and build up excitement, it looked lost. But the great news? Judy is BACK! She has rejoined the staff to get the train back on track and keep all us lost little hens together again this year. And they've (almost) got a space completed. I guess the ink is not quite dry on the contract, but pending something crazy, it will be in the old Penney's building in downtown Bellingham, on Cornwall street, about a block away from the office. A huge space that should be fabulous for us. Plus they are working on a theme this year -- Post War 1945. Don't know what that will mean exactly, but Kate Clark, the interim director has all kinds of other ideas too, for decorating, new promotions and other merchants on the street. So it might just be a banner year, after all.

2. The Starving Housewives, Cindy and Cameron, have had a little change in plans for their shows. This past year, they had added shows to the schedule with big ambitious plans. But it didn't work out, and they have, in fact, cancelled some of their previously scheduled shows. It doesn't affect my own schedule this year -- there will still be an October show at the Bothell Union Hall, there will also still be the big holiday show at Echo Falls Country Club in November, and Cameron's Hilltop Holiday show in Bellevue at the Northwest Arts Center during December is definitely still happening -- part of the City of Bellevue's holiday event schedule. What is missing is their December Last Chance show, and next year the two spring shows in March and May will not be scheduled. Anyway, they are excited and energized for the next three shows and looking forward to a big season.

3. I mentioned that I had sold out of some things yesterday, and I just wanted to clarify. There are only a few things that may/may not be available if your place an order. The only things in question are soap bars, because all the other products can be made instantly (or at least within a couple of days). Just for the record, soap needs to cure for 6-8 weeks before I sell it. It's actually safe for use at 2 weeks and good to go at 4 weeks, but it's still just a tad softer than I like, so in the best of circumstances I like to wait a few more weeks before I let it go. So I'm busily making batches this month, and trying to get a nice supply built up for the busiest months of November and December. At the same time, I'm transitioning a few "flavors" that I want to add later this year and early next year, while phasing out a couple too. It's harder than I thought. Because just when I've made a firm decision that yep, this one is really gone, there is some huge request or heartfelt plea for that particular one. Argh. The best example -- the Anise soap. I don't often take it to shows, because I never sell more than a couple of bars and my table space is at a premium, so the more popular scents get to travel. I've left it on the list, because a few folks truly love it, and they can order it online or by mail, and the two shops almost always order it too. But now at the Fair, I was told that the soap gal from last year displayed it and the fishermen around there went crazy for it. So I packed up the whole kit and caboodle, trundled it over and wouldn't you know it? It disappeared like a baker's dozen of scones. Which means that I'm sold out of it right now.

I'm not making more Anise soap right away. It's not a holiday soap, and I'm still deciding if I want to take up time and space by having it sitting on the shelf all year, or just make custom batches upon request, and of course, having it at the Fair next year. So it's just plain out of stock until further notice, or I can think straight.

The Baby Love also is down to the last few bars, and is at the same place. I'm in the same muddled, confused spot. It's not that popular, although for the few folks that prefer that scent, it's unthinkable that it may be gone. I hate to disappoint people, but I need to make some tough decisions. And while the scent is pretty, I've never liked how the color turns out -- the "baby" part turning the bar a tan color instead of the light, pretty pink that I want.

Sacred Smoke. Ditto. Favorite scent for a small but loyal group. But I want to replace it with something more universally loved. I can only do so many. It's just little old me here, and I've got a matchbook sized studio. I can't carry 30 kinds of soap, one for everybody. It's not about to run out this week, but order before the end of the year because it probably won't be around when the new list comes out.

Citrus Basil Scrub is on the runway too. I'm going to revamp the scent and change things up. So when it's gone, it's gone. I still have some left, but it's more of a summer soap, and I don't bring it to fall and winter shows unless requested. So it's available for order, for now. But won't continue next year.

Is all that clear as mud? Can't talk about the new stuff today. Have a great weekend -- it's supposed to be the perfect warm, fall weather. Leaf peeping. Gardening clean up. Last couple of days of the Fair with a free Beach Boys concert. Final day up at Lord Hill on Saturday, perfect for a day in Snohomish, antique hunting and lunching.

What's up with the snow?

I've been feeling all day like it's December. The frantic running back and forth between shows. The frenetic pace of pulling together just the bare minimum of inventory to get through the day. The late night packing of orders, running to the automated postal machine in the wee hours. This week does not feel like a typical September. It's scary, but it's almost over. And there is no show next week.

I had no idea. People told me the Fair was really big and that I should get an awful lot of inventory ready ahead of time. I thought I did. But I should have doubled my expectations. At least. And I didn't plan ahead for the other stuff either. The fact that the fall newsletter went out at the same time and all the new orders arrived at once during those same two weeks. I never truly factored in the two shows at once thing either. So it's been overwhelming and absurd. Working non-stop around the clock, except for the time I am in the car driving endless hours to the south or to the north and back again. In the rain and lousy commuter hour traffic.

My "catch up" items for next week -- I don't even want to think about it. I desperately need to make more soap. And fast. But I've sold out of sprays, salves, foot balms, all my little gift set items, the works. So I basically need to start from scratch again, building up my supplies for the next couple of months. At this moment I can hardly imagine what the next three months will be like. Or how I will survive it. Because I'm exhausted, worried, starting to feel like I might get sick (everyone else is, why not me?) and just plain overwhelmed.

So. I have very complete notes about what to do differently and better for next year. Of course there will be much more anise soap for all those fishermen in Puyallup. It was the first year and it was a huge learning experience. I've already got big plans for next year.

Whew. It's Thursday evening. I just got the last of the accumulated orders from this week off to the post office. All the deposits are made. I've got a head start on the restocking for tomorrow. There is a batch of soap on the stove to be whizzed this evening. And I'm going to bed early. Really early. Zzzzzzzzz. Something simply must be done about these bags hanging around under my bleary eyes.

Lord Hill Farm

Today I am setting up for the first of the fall craft shows. Lord Hill Farm is in Snohomish, a huge barn used for special events and weddings, which we take over for a few days and make into a jam-packed display of crafts, folk art and antiques, all dolled up in a harvest theme. Pumpkins, scarecrows, Halloween and Thanksgiving stuff, primitive style crafts - lots of great home and gift items for the upcoming holidays.

Details for the show, if you want to stop by:

Country Crafts Home & Gift Show at Lord Hill Farm
12525 Old Snohomish-Monroe Rd
Snohomish, WA

Dates: September 20 through 23
Hours: Wed 3-8pm, Thurs-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm.

Link to the show web site: Country Crafts

Stop for the Posies

The rush, rush, rush of this month is starting to overwhelm me. And usually that makes me just dig in deeper, stick my nose further into the grindstone and work myself into a lather. Which usually gets the work accomplished, but doesn't do much for my state of mind. Saturday I worked all darn day, evening and into the night. Woke up Sunday with a list even longer. Crammed a couple of bins full of just-priced items into the car and buzzed down to Puyallup in time for the gates to open.

My little display was all picked over and sparse again. I should be thrilled (and was) but also felt my stomach flip. Saturday's work was slated to head over to Lord Hill on Tuesday for the show this week. But in fact, it all ended up in Puyallup. Which means that I'm even farther behind getting ready for this week's show. I'm in a little trouble. So I should have headed straight home and worked until the wee hours, if I was smart.

Or not. I just decided that it will all work out somehow. And that life cannot possibly be all work, no play, no rest and no stopping for the posies. So I took a break yesterday and hung out with my sisters for a bit. Cooked a nice dinner and watched a movie last night. Had some wine. Went to bed early. So today I should be raring to go and be much more effective, right?

We'll see. I have a huge pile of mail orders which need to go out. I've got literally 3 days worth of labelling and packaging to do before tomorrow morning. I need to make soap today too. And there's a few errands and phone calls etc. Guess I better get cracking. Happy Monday.

Curly Fries

I've been spending all my time on the Fair -- either furiously packing up new items to bring over, doing the long drive back and forth, or working my shifts over there. I scheduled all my time there this week, because I will be ferrying back and forth in the opposite direction next week to the Lord Hill show in Snohomish. Am I crazy? The answer is yes.

The Fair is quite a kick. I've spent lunch breaks viewing the pygmy goats, the angora sheep, the 4-H produce displays, testing out the various food booths (for the record, Pete's BBQ is killer), and hoofing it around the huge fairgrounds just trying to see it all. I'm headed over there again today, and trying to pack up a few orders quickly this morning before I have to run out the door again.

This weekend needs to be massively productive in trying to get inventory together for next week's other show. The stress of the last month has finally settled in I guess. That zit I mentioned? Turns out to be the dreaded herpes virus. Never had one in my whole life. Ever. How awful. Here's a quick primer that I just learned about the virus. At least 80% of the population has this thing in their bodies. It lies dormant, living in hiding in your spine. A number of factors will bring on a flare-up -- mostly stress, hormones (with women it's tied to the onset of a period usuallly), low immune system, sun exposure. It travels up the nerve fibers and causes little outbreaks of cold sores on your mouth or fever blisters on your upper lip, lasts about a week, and then dies back down the nerve endings and goes back to resting until the next time. Nobody knows exactly how it happens, but it is contagious, obviously. It's just so uncertain when, where or how it travels, because the virus mostly hides and breaks out only in specific conditions. Oh, and there is no cure. Yippee. How does one go this many years (mumble, mumble, more than 40) and suddenly get it now? So weird. And so stupid.

Well, that was enough over-sharing for one day. I'm just so mad and frustrated about it just showing up now.

So, to end on a high note? I just got word that I was accepted into the Phinney Ridge show again for December. This was my best show for the entire year in 2005 and I was biting my nails that I might not get in again this time. But I'm IN!!!! So I've just added it to the calendar on the web site. I absolutely love that show. Coolest artists ever. Coolest customers ever. So many people, so much fun -- the last show of the year and it's always a blow-out before Christmas. So very much looking forward to it again this year. Yay!!

Alphabet Soup

Got a really early start this morning. The laundry is done. All the orders that have come in during the last few days are in the works and will go out today for sure. I'm brainstorming all kinds of new things to bring to Puyallup for the Fair -- it's going swimmingly, the crowds are shopping like mad, and I want to plump up my display to the max when I head back there tomorrow.

I am hoping to be so busy in my little studio today that all jabber about the 9/11 anniversary escapes me. Not that I'm belittling the importance of the event or it's place in history or current events. I'm just so, so tired of the overblown media hype, its use as a political tool, and the sheer self-indulgence it's become when compared with the magnitude of world events. I had one small moment this morning when I remembered what it felt like that day. And I'd like to never repeat it, myself, while fully knowing that some people on this planet live in that shock and horror on a regular basis. It's unimaginable.

So back to the chugging along in the little world of Soapworks. The pear soap seems to be a perfect hit. The French Lavender Spray has become a top seller immediately. Patchouli is very popular in Puyallup. The lack of sleep has inspired a new zit to appear on my face. I tried a new version of date/walnut/banana muesli that is amazing. Asian pears rock. A cup of strong black tea is the antidote to everything. September sunshine is such a unique and vivid shade of blue. Jury duty is the pits and they've hit me up AGAIN! And if anyone has a miracle cure for losing 10 lbs fast, give me a holler. I need to squeeze back in the fall wardrobe stat.

Cosmos

Eeeeek! The phone has NOT stopped ringing today. I'm not complaining. No way. Just surprised, I guess. And I'm not sure why. I always know that the few days after I send out the newsletter it's going to be hopping, but somehow I'm always a little taken aback that yes, people actually care, yet again.

Questions, orders, someone who saw my products and wants to know if I'll do their show, do I teach classes, what are the dates and hours for that one show in my neighborhood, and then . . . drumroll please . . . the Fair calling to say that they are already running out of products and will I be bringing in more tomorrow. Ta Dah! They've only been open HALF A DAY! Said the stuff was blowing out of there and they had already taken all my backstock out to the floor. Well most of it. I had a bunch of stuff already put together that I was planning on taking in when I go tomorrow morning to work my shift. But that set me right back on my heels. Spent the better part of the afternoon zipping up quite a bit more to take in there.

Which is all good. But rearranges my priorities a little. Yesterday afternoon I had just one order pending and was thinking lah dee dah I've got all day to work on it. Then last night a couple more orders came in. And this morning a few more pinged into the mailbox. And I was still thinking I could pop those off in the mail by the end of the day today. But it was not to be.

So it's looking like I'll be stuffing in work minutes around all my weekend shifts, and that I've got a much bigger Monday planned. Because of course there will be another pile added on over the weekend. So it's off to the races.

(and please, don't let any of this chatter deter you from calling, ordering, stopping by, or whatever you had in mind. that's what I'm here for and I love it. it just might take an extra day before the package shows up in the mailbox this week)

Puyallup Fair

They say it's a doozy of a fair this year. :)

So I'm going to have my wares at the Puyallup Fair this year. First time ever. I am a part of the "Artists in Action" area, which is in the Merchants Building -- the lower level of the Grandstand, at the west end, next to the Fisher Scone windows. It's sort of a boutique style craft show, with lots of pottery and fiber arts, demos every day with artists demonstrating their techniques and craft. And I'm really honored to have been invited to display my products there too. I'm working a bunch of shifts, but not actually demonstrating how to make soap while I'm there. It's a central cashier style thing, with all of us in baseball caps milling around on the floor, meeting and greeting our guests. Oh, and stuffing our faces with fair burgers, scones, deep-fried twinkies, chili cheese fries and um, stuff during our breaks. Ooof.

Of course the fair itself is great fun. So many food booths you can't possibly decide what to treat yourself to. Rides and shows. Rodeos and concerts. Vendors hawking a million gadgets and goods. So if you're headed to the fair in the next couple of weeks, stop by the Artists in Action shop and check it out!

The Fair is open September 8th through the 24th. Sunday through Thursday 10am-10pm. Fridays and Saturdays 10am -11pm. Yes, that means it opens this Friday night. The rodeo kicks things off at the beginning. Mmmm, cute cowboys.

The website -- doozy.net has more info about maps, directions, parking, concert and event schedules, ways to get discounted tickets, the works.

Autumn Newsletter

The Autumn newsletter is heading over to the post office today, and will be in mailboxes over the next few days. Just in case you are not on my snail mail or email newsletter lists, I'm also posting it here. The website has been updated for fall too, with a new color scheme, new pictures and all the new product listings. I think I've filled in the whole calendar too, from now through the end of the year. It was late last night, and I know there will be more updates as I get booth locations, and the actual address for Allied Arts in Bellingham this year, which is still being worked out. So "quality control" with the calendar will happen eventually.

I'm also missing a couple of product pix, which I'm working on today if I can get them done, but tomorrow at the lastest. It's a rush today to get price tags on all my Puyallup inventory, and pack what I need to set up early tomorrow morning. So it's all happening at once. Soap of the Month packages are going out too, today or tomorrow, it's just a matter of getting a free minute. The weekend's mail orders are definitely going out today. So it's just a race for time to see how much of the To-Do list can be accomplished before I collapse tonight. And then filling in the holes tomorrow afternoon when I get back. So here goes:

Dear Friends,

Somewhere, smack dab in the middle of August this year, our glorious summer began to retreat out the back door while we were mindlessly sunning ourselves. First it was just a few garden plants petering out. Then a few leaves on the trees began to wither and drop. The sunlight, while still dazzling and warm at midday, took longer to show up for work, and left early. Darker evenings took on a decidedly cool chill. And even the air began to smell different – not quite so green and lush. Maybe even, dare I say it, like FALL. And with it, the rumblings of endings and new beginnings. Even long past my own school days, September marks the start of brand new thinking. A return to regimented schedules. More project lists and less do nothing activities. Hope, like transformation, springs eternal, and autumn is the season most ripe and abundant with opportunity.

AUTUMN SEASONAL SOAPS

We all realize the only constant in life is change. Rather than resist change, at Soapworks Studio we’ve decided to embrace it – consciously and thoughtfully re-creating some of our products to reflect the styles and tastes of the moment, in harmony with each season's special magic. These unique soaps, bath products or sprays are only available for Autumn, and when sold out, are gone until next year. This year’s Autumn Harvest soaps are loaded with our favorite fruits and spices, taking the best of the season and celebrating the bounty. ($4.00 each or 4 bars for $15.00)

PEAR: I tried on dozens of names for this one – juicy pear, sweet pear, golden pear, green pear, asian pear, bosc pear – but they all seemed too precious. So it’s just “Pear.” The most swooningly delectable, ripe, juices dripping down your arm, crisp, perfect pear. It’s a shimmery, translucent light green bar, elegant and gorgeous.

MOROCCAN FIG: Dark, rich, ripe, fruity fig blended with an air of mystery — sensual, exotic, earthy and irresistible. It’s a plush, burgundy bar, abundant with fall’s fruits and leaves.

PUMPKIN SPICE: Sumptuous vanilla and caramel-laced pumpkin, sprinkled liberally with cinnamon, sugar, spice and everything nice.


AUTUMN AROMATIC SPRAYS

Our Autumn aromatic sprays will add a festive and cozy air to any home. Unlike potpourri or candles, these sprays can be used to scent table linens, a quilt in a guest room, freshen bathrooms and closets, spritz a note card or gift box, and a million other ways too. ($6.00 each)

FRESH PEAR: New this year! A companion to our new seasonal soap, this spritzer is crisp, light, luxurious, the perfect early Autumn fragrance that lingers like bubbles in a champagne flute.

APPLE HARVEST: This is the perennial favorite and back again this year. Tart, juicy green apples with a light sprinkling of cinnamon, It’s the quintessential scent of autumn, and one whiff transports you to nostalgic memories of apple orchards, cider presses, the crackle snap of crunchy leaves, and bobbing for apples.

PUMPKIN MOON: Luscious pumpkin and traditional spices, a rustling of fallen leaves, and the cool night air under a full moon. This is an unique take on a pumpkin scent, with a base of earthy leaves, smoke tendrils and crisp juniper berries, layered with cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon, and topped with fresh pumpkin.

NEW! FRENCH LAVENDER SPRAY: I have received hundreds of requests over the years for a “lavender only” type spray. Here it is. It is a pure, beautiful, 100% lavender essential oil based aromatic spray. Of course it has all the calming and relaxing qualities of the Sweet Dreams spray, perfect for pillow and linen misting. But it makes a nice facial mist too, And a squirt on your sweaters helps keep away moths. This is really the all purpose spray, for face and body, for rooms, closets and drawers, fancy up your lingerie, a bathroom freshener, a sleep aid, or a general calming mist for your car in traffic jams, and your office cubicle – it’s all good.

PUMPKIN PIE LIP BALM

Just for the autumn season, I’ve added a new flavor, PUMPKIN PIE LIP BALM to the regular line–up. Who can resist the creamy goodness of pumpkin custard, swirled up with cinnamon spices and sweet cream? It’s the same nourishing, natural lip balm base, in the perfect flavor for Halloween treats, Thanksgiving celebrations and Christmas memories.


BATH ACCESSORIES

I’ve searched for some time for a few high quality bath accessories to offer along with the soap and body care products. I now have some that I think are beautiful, excellently made, and useful to have around. These are pictured and detailed on the web site, and mostly sold just online, although certain items will pop up in gift sets here and there. All of them are made of gorgeous, natural hardwoods, and all–natural bristles, with comfortable handles and clean, simple design. The BODY BRUSH has a long, detachable handle for more manageability of backs, shoulders, elbows, thighs and hard to reach spots. The FOOT BRUSH has two sides – a brush for exfoliating and scrubbing tough dirt, and a pumice tool for removing calluses and rough bits. The charming NAIL BRUSH has a flat side for scrubbing tough garden grime and a super handy line of angled bristles on the other side, to whisk dirt from under fingernails. The soft, plushy cotton BOUCLE SOAP SACK is a great way to collect the little ends of soap bars and not waste a sliver, as well as the perfect size for a brand new bar – stuffed in the sack and efficiently adding scrub and suds, like an all–in–one washcloth. Finally, there is the hardwood SOAP DISH. It fits a square bar of Soapworks Studio soap like they were made for each other. And with the pretty curved ridges, allows the bars to fully dry between uses, for longest lasting soap.

The next few months are filled to the brim with craft shows, fairs and festivals too. I'm making an extra effort to bring the goodies to you – so check the enclosed calendar, and log onto the website to get even more details on the CALENDAR page, plus last minute information by clicking on RANDOM SUDS, my popular blog that takes you behind the big green curtain and into the studio.

As always, I sincerely appreciate your loyal business throughout the year, and wish you a brilliant and abundant harvest season!

A toast to the seasons!

Labor Day

Today is Labor Day. From the historical notes of The Writer's Almanac in today's inbox:

"The first Labor Day was celebrated one hundred and twenty-four years ago, on Tuesday, September 5, 1882. The holiday was the idea of the Central Labor Union in New York City, which organized a parade and a picnic featuring speeches by union leaders. It was intended to celebrate labor unions and to recognize the achievements of the American worker.

On that first Labor Day, twenty thousand workers crowded the streets in a parade up Broadway. They carried banners that said, "Labor creates all wealth," and "Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for recreation!" After the parade, people held picnics all over the city. They ate Irish stew, homemade bread, and apple pie. When it got dark, fireworks went off over the skyline. The celebrations became more popular across the country in the next ten years. In 1894, Congress made Labor Day a national holiday."

Today, for most of us, Labor Day is the traditional end of summer and the last day before the start of the school year. It's one last chance to frolic in summer activities-- head out to the water, have a backyard barbeque, work on garden projects. We took a day trip over to Vashon Island this morning. Just to take the ferry and be on the water a bit, walk on the beach, feel like we'd really gone somewhere remote, even if it's just a 10 minute trip away. Picked bunches of juicy blackberries and will have pie for dinner.

I'm trying to resist any kind of labor, just for today. Because I know that tomorrow brings a frantic day of work, getting packed to set up the Puyallup Fair show on Wednesday morning. Plus sending out the fall newsletter, updating the website, and having the whole new season begin with a bang. I'm ready, sort of. I have the pieces in place for the most part, I'm just mentally resisting what I know will be the increased pace of the next few months.

Labor. The satisfaction of a well-done job, through the sweat and toil of your own efforts. The gratification of a completed project, done painstakingly by your own hands. I hope we can all continue to honor that, and the hardworking people who labor in their jobs every day. Cheers to the working folks. Hopefully they didn't have to work today.

Percival Landing

Percival Landing is the name of the docks and waterfront in downtown Olympia where the Harbor Days show in going on this weekend. I'm embarrassed to say I had never been there before. I know it's our state capitol and all, but I just never had the opportunity to explore downtown Olympia before -- and it's really quite beautiful.

The show started yesterday, with just a few short evening hours -- 5pm-8pm. But it runs all day today and tomorrow. I'm looking forward to the tugboat races, and I hope I will be able to see something. I'll certainly hear all the whistles blowing. We are spread out all over the docks, our little tents, and I'm closer to the street than the water. Whew it was hot last night. And today is going to be hotter. Pack the sunglasses. Trot out the shorts and sleeveless shirts for one of the their last outings of the year, and come on down to see the fun.