Crush Part 2

Lordy - I had a record breaking number of hits yesterday on my post about the Crush scammers. I guess it's a huge deal. I looked into it a bit more and it's worldwide. Australia, Canada, England, and more are all suffering from this mess. No, I don't know how it got started. Apparently you can get duped into signing up for it by doing some little online quiz to find your soul mate. If you don't read the fine print, you get suckered into agreeing to their service. But I did not do this, believe me. It came out of the blue. And I'm not the only one. Some of the folks were bemoaning that their teenage daughters got hoodwinked, but most people were caught off guard, like me.

And there doesn't seem to be any easy way to stop it. The web sites don't have information on how to contact them. Some do, but following their instructions to stop is futile. It never happens. You are supposed to be able to send a "STOP" text message to some short code thingie. Maybe I'm not technologically advanced enough, but my phone would not recognize any of those short codes and just returned the messages. This is all new to me.

This morning I actually got a phone call from an 800 number. I didn't answer it because I didn't recognize the number and wasn't expecting anything. But I googled it, and of course a whole list of complaints about that crush crap came up - it's just another twist to the same scam. So now they are actually dialing me, which is annoying beyond belief. But I don't have to answer it, which means I don't have to pay for it. For the people who can't block all emails because they actually need that service, it must be pure hell.

For everyone who's stopping by for answers: I don't know what it is. I don't know how it happened. I don't know how to make it stop. I'm sorry to be no help. I'm just another sufferer.

Ok new topic - I'm done with this. Oh wait, I don't have another topic. I've spent all my time the last few days totally wasted on some idiotic scammers and the backlash. Guess I'll just give it a rest and try to get some real work done today. There's a SHOW this weekend, a great big beautiful show of fabulous artists.

Make plans to see Best of the Northwest this weekend, or Friday night after work, we're open late until 8pm on Friday.

Crushed

I know this will sound odd, but I guard my privacy pretty fiercely. Yep, for someone who has a blog and blabs about their personal life to the entire universe, that sounds pretty dumb. But what I mean is that even though I chatter randomly about small stuff that's happening in my corner, I don't discuss my private life - the names or details of those close to me, etc. I have certain boundaries.

If you followed along for awhile, you've heard my rants when I got my credit card hijacked and terrorist groups were using my account to wire money to the Hezbollah. They also tried to use the internet to find out more personal information about me to steal my whole identity. It's a scary world out there. You have to be vigilant and not give out those details that could possibly put you at risk. And at the same time, somehow still be sharing and open and have something to talk about. All business is boring. I'm never interested in just business. It's a lot more fun to hear about other people's experiences, opinions about stuff and different perspectives. So my blog is a mix of personal, business, and well, other stuff.

So when I got "crushed" late Friday night, it was all new to me. Let me explain. For those of you, like me, who don't know about this stuff - there are websites that allow you to sign up and try to meet possible romances online. Not the usual stuff like E-Harmony or Match.com, but much shadier stuff for teens, from what I can tell. I cannot possibly tell how many there are - You Got Crushed, My Secret Crush, Spring Crush, etc. Note the constant word "crush." Maybe they are all run by the same weasels, but they are set up to be different services, and they charge your cell phone monthly, $5.99 to $9.99 per month

It was fairly late on Friday night when suddenly my cell phone started binging. The text message bing. Now I am not a huge cell phone user. I have one for shows and stuff, and only a handful of friends and family have the number. We hardly ever text message unless somebody is travelling out of town, like London, and are in a completely different time zone. So I shuffle around the purse for it, and it's one of those weird "crush" messages, with a web site address listed and a 4-digit code as the sender. I've never had one before. But before I can even ponder what it is, the damn thing went off about 4 more times.

It's getting much later, and still ringing, so I turn off the phone but try to look up what the whole crush thing is. Half the websites are not even funcitonal. But one is, so I called their 800 number, automated of course, and there is an option to quit the service by punching in your phone number. All good. Just to finish it off, I also email them with a hostile note to take me off immediately, because I am paying for these stupid calls.

The next morning, I turn on my phone, and there are more. I'm now wasting time with my cell phone company to find out how to block them. We are creating email filters for those 4-digit codes. But my phone is continuing to ring, 5 more crushes while I'm sitting there. All of them have a different code. It's like they are multiplying like rabbits, and each message is yet another "Crush" site of some variation. I'm going mad. I add each of them to my email blocking, dial the 800 number again, email again.

Saturday night I get more. Sunday I get even more. I've turned off the phone mostly, but each time I turn it on to make a call, there is another 5, 6 or 9 crush messages. I begin to think that a) I'm doomed and need to drop my phone into the ocean, or b) maybe they don't do any updates on the weekend and I should wait until Monday.

Good morning, Monday. I've gotten crushed another 6 times in the middle of the night. I am insane with pissy-ness. At first I tried to look up the new web sites. It seems that whoever dyslexic or horrifically cruel person this is that signed up my cell phone number - they signed me up not just once but to at least a dozen different crush services. I'm so crushed I can't think straight. I log into my account again, and realize that it's at least another 6 numbers to block each day. Crushing blow. I decide to call the support line. They can hear my frantic frustration and give me a few bonus text messages to cover this onslaught so I'm not paying double for these - once to receive them and another time to reply STOP STOP STOP it right NOW! to each of them.

Turns out that with one button, you can block any and all email from arriving to your phone. I was avoiding that, because I still want to receive text messages from time to time, from people I actually know - not crushers. This option is perfect, because it blocks all the crap that comes from the internet mailboxes, but still allows you to receive actual text messages from another phone.

I'm now crush free. I think. If it was an accidental mistake (yeah, right, a dozen mistakes) then maybe they will have to stop the service now and whatever dope started this will have to start over to find true love by text message. And if it's intentional -- but it can't be, can it, nobody knows my number? -- then I need to keep watching my phone for add-on services charged, or possibly deal with future crushing pranks. I still don't really understand what happened. But it was certainly a very crushy weekend.

Jet Trails

Cool art Sunday.

From photographer Chris Jordan's website:

"Running the Numbers
An American Self-Portrait

This series looks at contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics. Each image portrays a specific quantity of something: fifteen million sheets of office paper (five minutes of paper use); 106,000 aluminum cans (thirty seconds of can consumption) and so on. My hope is that images representing these quantities might have a different effect than the raw numbers alone, such as we find daily in articles and books. Statistics can feel abstract and anesthetizing, making it difficult to connect with and make meaning of 3.6 million SUV sales in one year, for example, or 2.3 million Americans in prison, or 410,000 paper cups used every fifteen minutes. This project visually examines these vast and bizarre measures of our society, in large intricately detailed prints assembled from thousands of smaller photographs. The underlying desire is to emphasize the role of the individual in a society that is increasingly enormous, incomprehensible, and overwhelming. "

A local Seattle artist - absolutely incredible, and unbelievably sobering - take a look at this gallery: Chris Jordan

His previous collections are amazing too.

Balms away!

I spent yesterday making lip balms. Lots of lip balms. They've been out of stock the last couple of months, as I mentioned earlier, because my supplier stopped carrying the tins and I couldn't find a replacement. But it's all solved now, for the moment, and I've got all the happy little flavors back on the web site.

Current yummy flavors (order HERE) are Vanilla Tangerine, Coconut Lemon, Strawberry Rose, Raspberry Soda, Cupcake, Herbal Mint, Root Beer and Lavender.

I'll have them at the Best of the Northwest show next weekend. And there's been a small supply at Collage all along, but I'll restock the most popular flavors there too. Plus, you can always order them from the web site.

Awwwww, my little poll over here is lonely. I know there have been more visitors than that stopping by each day - but I guess you all must trust me to come up with something good on my own. Okey doke. :)

Happy Friday!

Shop Talk

I worked at Collage yesterday, and with all the beautiful sunshine yesterday, finally people are coming out from hibernation and doing a little shopping. I had people to talk with yesterday!

I brought in some of the Easter card packages for my display there - just in case somebody needs a special little gift for their upcoming Easter baskets. It seems early this year, March 23rd, but I guess I don't really keep track of those things.

Just in case you didn't notice, when I mentioned Collage up there in the first paragraph - I included a link. A LINK! Yes, the website is up and humming. It's not 100% completely finished because a couple of gals are re-writing their little bio paragraph and we want to upgrade some of the photos - but the basics are all there and it looks pretty cute, so check it out if you have a free minute.

We're having a shop meeting on Sunday to make new plans. I will, of course, post any exciting new developments here - and on our spanking new website too.

Easter goodies

Just one more thought about the scent "family" thing from last night's poll posting - a couple of other categories which I didn't touch on are sweet (vanilla, sugar, chocolate), spice (cinnamon, clove, anise), floral (jasmine, gardenia, lilac, rose). For me, those styles of scents seem to partner with other seasons than summer. I try to do more floral type things in the Spring. And the sweet and spicy ones usually pop up in the fall and winter. But if that's your thing? Please leave a note about what you want and when you want it, and I'll certainly consider it. I toss in earthy from time to time too - and I think I've got that part covered pretty well with the Sandalwood, Patchouli, Musk soaps on the regular list. But again, if you're dying to see something, shoot me a note in the comments, or email.

Ok, enough with the begging for suggestions. It's not that I don't have any new, fresh ideas on my own this time. I have scads of lists and notebooks of notes and a million things to try. It's just that sometimes I get all carried away over here in my own little corner of the universe, and when I show up at the festivals in the summer and get asked for something completely different, it reminds me that I could just ask once in a while.

So for something completely different: first craft show of the year begins tomorrow - Starving Housewives at Echo Falls. I'm off to set up today. And I've got some sweet little Mother's Day and Easter sweeties gift packages too. Just working on them this morning, and will have them at the Best of the Northwest show too. I'll try to add them to the web site shortly.

Talk to me

I've added a poll! (See box to the immediate right.)

New tricks, don't ya know. I've posted up a little opinion poll to hear what y'all think about summer scents, just to keep in touch with what you want to see the most.

There seem to be "families" of scents that people like or prefer. Some people are all about the "all natural" thing - and I have to admit that I lean that way. As I've read more about the pthalates in fragrances, I've tried to head more in the direction of blending pure plant essential oils, rather than experimenting more with synthetic fragrance oils. Most of my current menu is 100% natural at this point, but frankly, essential oils can sometimes be a bit limiting. So I still keep a few scents that are a mix - part essential, part fragrance (lavender pear, red currant & tangerine, masculine musk, sandalwood). And there are some that are completely synthetic (baby love, vanilla bean). But my biggest priority - right after making the best stuff I can - is to make exactly what you all simply have to have in your life. It's more about what you want, than what I prefer in my shower. So I'm giving you guys a chance to steer the bus for the next round. I have a few ideas in mind, and things that I may or may not do. But it can all be changed if I get a flurry of suggestions. So I'm trying this new experiment with the poll to see what happens. Do the click!

When we get to the summer season, sometimes what we think of most tends to be things that aren't represented by an essential oil - fruity stuff, tropical pina colada stuff, cucumber and grass, etc. I would die to be able to create a super luscious coconut soap, but I can't seem to get any coconut fragrance to hold well - it always comes out weak and stupid (still trying, though). But there are some that blend with pineapple and other notes that seem to work better. Coconut?

I have not tried a ripe raspberry type fragrance in soap before - almost all the samples so far seem kind of chemical smelling instead of a true fruit, but if I hear from a bunch of you that you simply must have blackberry or loganberry or huckleberry or whatever, I'll check it out. Likewise with the melon - honeydew, watermelon, cantalope.

Maybe you're a green fiend - you want it tall, cool, and green. I tend to think of these as cucumber, fresh cut grass, bamboo, some mint blends. These can be natural or synthetic or a mix of both. I've done some of these in the past - is there a hankering for more?

Or keep on keeping on with the all-natural. Most of what I've done lately has been this direction - Bergamot Shea, Rosemary Orange, Citrus Mint Poppy, Lemon Bliss. I can do more - herb garden stuff, minty fresh stuff.

And if I haven't covered your preference or you want to be more specific, there is always the comment box. Jot down whatever you're thinking and leave me a quickie note. I've got the poll up for a couple of weeks, but then I need to start cranking out the soap.

Leap Day!

Leap Day! One extra day this month. One more day to shuffle my stuff around here in preparation for a show next week. Dang, it's hard to do the very first one. I must have turned into a slacker during the last month. Oh, that's right. I already was a slacker.

I got a notice in the mail yesterday that the sales tax rate is going to increase here locally. The new rate in Seattle, King County, Bellevue, etc. changes as of April 1st - from 8.9% to a full 9%. Yowza. I hate to have to make the change for my customers. But I hate to have to pay it myself too - for everything I buy. And right now, in the midst of a recession (or slow down, or brink of economic havoc or whatever you call it). Gas prices are going up too. Groceries are higher than ever. And the financial predictions keep saying it's going to get worse. What's up with all this bad news?

Can't think about it. Today is a super busy one. And I just finished my bookkeeping for this month - it was record-breaking good for a February. Guess I'll have to pinch all those pennies for next month, ooooch.

Happy Friday! I'd be giddy about the fact that it's almost the weekend, but I have to work all weekend. So I'll just be half giddy for everybody else. We're marching into March -and that means flowers and spring are finally here. The birds are back and singing sweetly. That's giddy-making enough for me.

I can't decide anything

If you've popped into the blog today, you may have seen one of like a gajillion different versions, with different styles, different colors, different photos for the heading. I am now certifiably nutso. I can't decide one single thing.

Should I go for all the cool colors and boxes? Or should I go plain and simple with a white background and black text? I've tried about 4 different pictures at the top, from funky, to cool design, to just pretty stuff. My head is spinning and I need lunch.

So, I'm just going to walk away for today. It's like this just for now. If you love it, let me know. If you stopped by and hated it, let me know. And like always, if you could care less, then just ignore the commotion.

I think it all starts with the picture up top. I want a new one, and need to figure that out first.

Pardon my dust while I do a little redecorating in here over the next few days.

March Shows

I am participating in 2 shows in March, and wanted to post details in advance, so folks can plan ahead or have time to contact me with questions or requests.

Echo Falls

Starving Housewives at Echo Falls Country Club
20414 - 121st Ave SE
Snohomish, WA (Maltby)

Dates: Tuesday through Saturday, March 4 - 8, 2008
Times: Tues-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm

This is a boutique style show with a central cashier. Wonderful handcrafts and charming antiques. Look for one-of-a-kind gifts! New longer hours on Saturday. Stop by the Greenside Grill - open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Link: Starving Housewives

Best of the Northwest - Spring Show

Our 12th Spring show moves downtown to Qwest Field Plaza. This will be our debut show at this facility. A seasonal exposition showcasing over 220 artisans presenting the best in American crafts and fine art.

Dates: March 14, 15 and 16, 2008
Hours: Friday 12 noon to 8pm, Sat and Sun 10am to 6pm
Location: Qwest Field Plaza, 800 Occidental Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98134
Ticket Price: $8.00

Link: Northwest Crafts Alliance
Link: Qwest Field - Getting There

I've got a handful of free tickets for this one, so if you're planning on attending this show and think a freebie would be cool, call or email me. I'll give them away until they are gone.

Wow, I haven't packed up for a show for a whole 3 months or something. It feels really weird, so much to remember. Where did I put everything? What happened to all those great ideas I had to spiffy up the booth? I can't believe it's almost March already - I think I really need that extra day this month.

Fishs

The name of this darling little shop in NYC is Fishs Eddy. Coolest dishes ever.

I, however, am feeling decidedly uncool today. I'm bored with the blog, and the same old plotz that I've been doing lately. I want to change it all up and make it cool again, with new colors, new links, better photos of stuff. You know what happened -- I was surfing around some cool indie handmade sites, and browsing stuff at Etsy, and realizing that there is so. much. cooler. stuff out there.

But I've got a full day with several long-winded errands and I can't spend any more time in front of the computer. I'm making notes and hoping I can work on it soon, maybe over the weekend. I need to kick myself into gear and start working a little harder than I have been this last month. You know, get with the program. I'm usually a little more ambitious and motivated, but this has been a particularly lazy month. Which is ok, but it can't last forever. March is the beginning of shows again. In fact, I set up the very first one on Sunday.

If I had a million dollars and cabinet space for days I would get all of these from Fishs Eddy, and probably more:

Telemarketers Be Gone

I think I blogged about the Do Not Call list a while back. I had heard that the bill which covered the Do Not Call registry had expired, and I had quite suddenly been deluged with telemarketing calls all day. My blissfully quiet days were gone.

Well, after a particularly aggravating few days last week, I decided to do a little googling to find out what happened to the registry and why I was being hounded.

The bottom line is: it was signed back into law.

"On Friday, February 15, 2008, the President signed into law:
H.R. 3541, the "Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007," which prohibits the automatic removal of telephone numbers registered on the Federal "do-not-call" registry; and

S. 781, the "Do-Not-Call Registry Fee Extension Act of 2007," which extends permanently the authority of the Federal Trade Commission to charge fees to telemarketers required to access the Federal "do-not-call" registry and specifies the fees to be charged."

Hooray! I think what happened to me in particular was the 5 year limit ran out. I signed up probably on the first or second day of its existence in 2003 and my number just fell off the list early or something. I noticed a pretty radical change in phone calls all of a sudden last fall. Anyway, the good news is that it's back on, and you don't need to remember to go back every so often to sign up again.

Go HERE right now to register your home phone, your cell phones, everything. Even if you've done it in the past, just do it again to be sure. Because telemarketers are such a bore and have such bad timing.

Compost!

This is the coolest thing ever! I just ordered one and can hardly wait until it arrives. It's so perfect, it's unbelievable.

It's a Nature Mill compost machine. You add your food scraps to it all day long and it makes compost for your garden in 2 weeks. Perfect, gorgeous compost. No smell, only 5 kw of power a month, and no stinky garbage disposal or yard waste bin. I don't normally advertise or plug stuff here, but when came acroos this fabulous new item, I just couldn't keep it to myself. Yay - no more smelly catfood in the sink, no more rotting onion skins in the yard waste bin collecting maggots! Plus my little plants outside will get healthy servings of yummy compost all year long. Seriously, a dream come true.

End of annoying promotion.

Another sunny day! All the windows open and sun streaming in everywhere. It makes me so darn happy. Unfortch, I need to get a little computer work done today, and I'm stuck in the dark basement studio for a couple of hours. But I'm taking it in small chunks, running upstairs to poke my head out into the sun and watch the cats chasing around the back yard.

I'm percolating summer seasonal stuff. If you have a great idea for a soap scent, bath salt scent, lip balm flavor that you really want to see me do, leave a comment here or shoot me an email. Tropical, coconut, cucumber, some new version of Beach House? A repeat of something I've done in the past that you really miss? I truly value any feedback I get, so give me a holler.

Friday afternoon

Ooh, pretty little postcard graphic. I have no idea what "many happy returns of the day" means. At all. But this has been a mostly happy day and if it returns tomorrow, like groundhog day, I wouldn't be terribly disappointed.

It's been a stunningly beautiful day - warm, sunny and stress free. I've been working on some new scent combinations for the summer seasonals and the upcoming spring shows. I want to bring some new bath salts to my first two shows in a couple of weeks. So I'm fiddling about in the studio, mixing and blending and rooting around for leftover bits I can I recycle to make something brand new. And then I got a little distracted and starting putzing around with a new cd of copyright-free artwork that I can work into new labels.

I do not have photoshop or any other graphics type softwear, it's all cut and paste with my little collages and labels. So I'm playing around with a couple of ideas. I'm really into vintage birds at the moment, but that doesn't quite represent bath salts or any particular scent.

It's all half-baked, and nothing is finished or finalized, but it didn't have to be. It's just playing, for now. A perfect Friday afternoon. The cats are lazing in the sunny windows and chasing flies. Maybe a quick run to the post office for the last time this week, and then a nap. Sounds pretty good.

A few news bits

In my slow plod to the finish line last week, I managed to teach myself a few new webmaster tricks. I'm starting to build a website for Collage, which we want to introduce any day now. But it's a collection of a whole bunch of people with their own ideas. And it takes time to get really super photos of every artist's work. So we're putting finishing touches on that this week. My hope is that it's done next week and we can start hooting and hollering about it.

But I figured out how to add the coding for maps in a web site. So I've added maps to my Shops section of my own site, which is a cool feature - and I hope, helpful for anybody who is interested in heading over to find one of the shops. All of them have the new spring stuff in them. Even D Avenue Nursery in Anacortes! Ruth had a rough time last year when her husband died suddenly, but her daughter has been helping get the place moving along, and they've added a little coffee counter in the gift shop, called Supreme Bean. It's still early for plants, but they are hoping that customers will stop in for quick visits even during the winter months - have a latte and pick up a little gift item (like a bar of breakfast soap, hint).

Product update: maybe somebody has wondered where in the heck the little lip balm tins have gone. Well, the story is that I have been carrying those little slider tins for years - but it's been a challenge to maintain a supplier for them. The first company I bought from went out of business. There was a small lapse and I found a new gal, but they were sort of expensive, far away and shipping was quite a bit of expense too. I continued to search for a better answer and finally found a (sort of) close by supplier who had much better prices. I kept going with them, but I was getting more disappointed with the quality - lots had loose lids or were dented.

So in late fall, I just decided not to re-order and try a whole new tin, packaging and look for the holidays. It was a bit of an experiment to see how that would go - everything from the process, to the look, to the cost, and how well they would be received. It was so-so and probably not long enough of an experiment. In the meantime, the supplier stopped carrying those sliding tins. Oh no, not again. The manufacturer had closed them out.

The last month has been a mix of searching high and low for the sliding tins, waiting to decide what I wanted to do, and just basically holding off on any decision for the moment while I worked through the big Spring newsletter push. The lip balms have been mysteriously absent.

Insert horn toot. I just found another supplier for the sliding tins. And they are even more local and reasonably priced. I have to work through a few leftover cases of old tins, and see if the new tins are going to be a bit better quality. But I've just ordered today and they haven't arrived yet. I'll do a little manfacturing mumbo jumbo here in the next few weeks - check it all out. And then I'm hoping to have the good old lip balms back in action by early March. Good? Yes? Anybody out there care at all? I haven't gotten frantic calls or complaints yet, so maybe you're still finishing up the eggnog stuff from November?

Turtle-ing Around

A cheery President's Day to you. Hopefully you are out enjoying the gorgeous sunshine and warmer weather we are having this weekend. What a nice surprise.

When I checked in this morning, I couldn't believe it's been almost a week since I last felt like I had something to blog about. I actually still don't have much today, but I was starting to miss this place. I've just been turtle-ing around all week. Which basically means moving super slow. But still moving, nonetheless! I just haven't had much energy or motivation to truly get stuff done or be productive. There's no flow, no "aha" moments, no creativity.



When we were in Hawaii a few weeks ago, we had gotten special little disposable underwater cameras to take snorkeling with us. I just got the photos back and they are pretty dumb - colorless, grainy and mostly missing all the gorgeous fish we thought we were seeing. But we putzed around in the water with some giant sea turtle one day, and he started swimming right at me and my camera. I thought for sure I had gotten some extreme Jacque Cousteau footage, and ended up with this one ridiculous head shot which barely made the corner of the photo, plus a bunch of shadowy, murky shapes. My GOD he was close, eh? I thought he was going to smack me with a flipper and I couldn't back away fast enough.

I've been feeling mostly like this guy swimming - clumsy, slow, sort of random and unfocused, underwater and paddling away in a pond of seaweed. I have an ambitious list of projects I wanted to accomplish this month, but I'm just able to get the bare minimum done. I'm grateful for at least that much, though. Orders are getting out on time. Some of the production is still happening, though just enough. And all the big house projects, excursions, exercise plans, etc. are just waiting for a new day. One in which I wake up energized and rarin' to go. That just isn't happening. Maybe I'm just missing the sun. And if that's true, I'm going to need more than 2 days of it.

Let's get spring under way here! I'm so impatiently waiting to see my garden bust open. I go out every day, to nip, to fluff, to shape dead stuff that has just the slightest hint that a leaf or two are approaching. The few bulbs poking out have promptly been chomped off by slugs. The first few new shoots got hit a couple too many nights with frost and have withered. There might be a little pink bud or two on the bushes, yes, yes, I think it's alive. But I'm dying to see how it all turns out.

The neighbors next door spent the week chopping trees. What used to be a row of 4 great big maples is now razored off stumps and decimation. It's so sad. They really did have to go, and I knew it. But it looks worse than awful now. I'm trying to be glad that it's around the corner from my view and not directly across the street. And to be happy that I'll have a lot more sun in the back yard, especially now when I need it most. Change. There's always change. Sometimes it hops along like a jack-rabbit.

But mostly it just turtles along in little stops and starts and small things - only adding up to something significant when you look back on it all much later. The important thing is to just keep moving, I guess. So I'm turtle-ing along until the flow catches up with me again.

Happy Valentine's Day

Flowers? chocolates? champagne? hugs and kisses?

What's not to love about this day?

Pink, my favorite color. At least today, anyway. Like creme brulee with raspberries, mmmmm.

Happy sweetie day to you!

noodles for lunch today?

yes, quite.

suffering from some sort of stupid virus. no energy. super sore throat. coughing.

everyone else in the whole world apparently has it too. everyone i've talked to, everyone on the bus, everyone in everyone else's office too. flu season sux.

thanx for all the orders coming in from the spring newsletter. i'm working on all of them as quickly as possible - between bouts of coughing my head off, short naps and breaks for tea. it's all still on time for now, nothing late - yet.

caucusing on sat was really fun! this is going to be an interesting year, eh? i met so many new neighbors i never even knew i had - we had 10 times more people show up than 2004!

in my netflix queue: Rosemary & Thyme - those 2 nosy parker gardner ladies that solve mysteries, a BBC tv show. it goes so nicely with soup, tea, cookies (bicuits) and blankies.

noodles for lunch today? yes, quite.

Plastic Soup

Have you heard about the island of plastic debris that floats around Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? It's now twice the size of the US. "The vast expanse of debris – in effect the world's largest rubbish dump – is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting "soup" stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan."

Read the full article here. I had heard a bit about it before, but there are new studies out and it's absolutely horrifying. 100 million tons of garbage.

"Plastic is believed to constitute 90 per cent of all rubbish floating in the oceans. The UN Environment Programme estimated in 2006 that every square mile of ocean contains 46,000 pieces of floating plastic." And the article further warns, "that unless consumers cut back on their use of disposable plastics, the plastic stew would double in size over the next decade."

This was one of the very first news-y stories I read this morning, and I clicked around to read more. Totally disgusted, I then heard the familiar "bomb" of the UPS guy dropping delivery boxes on the front porch. Of course it was the plastic bags I just ordered for shows this year. You might remember that I was agonizing over the paper vs plastic debate for my own little shows and sales. It invariably rains here in the Pacific Northwest and the soap gets ruined in paper sacks. So I searched long and hard to find 100% recycled materials, made in the US bags. The above photo is the cute little design - added bonus.

But of course they arrive today when I am reading about how every single bottle cap, 6-pack ring, bag, etc has made its way into the middle of the ocean and killing untold millions of sea creatures. Ugh.

I guess I'll still need to use them sometimes, but I'm back to paper primarily. I read an article last night that listed decomposition times for these things. It's 1 to 5 months for a paper bag. It's decades for plastic bags. My new recycled plastic bags: "contain 100% recycled plastic which consists of a minimum of 10% Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) and is made in the USA from high quality domestic resins in a clean environmentally rated facility. It also is degradable by the addition of a special additive that allows the bag to degrade in the presence of oxygen. The wildflower design is printed with water-based inks.

Maybe that's the best I can do for now. But I'm still looking for alternatives. Would anyone pay a few extra dollars for canvas bags? Maybe this summer everyone will already have their own tote bags and the little paper sack will be all I need (to keep it from dinging and smelling up other purchases).

I'm trying to keep my "less, less, less" mantra top of mind this year. Trying to leave a smaller footprint. Less of everything, and the business is part of it. There will be less packaging, less ingredients and accessories that need to be packed and shipped from afar. Less buying of anything. Less using of anything. It all seems to go together while we're heading into a bad recession year too. Yikes, it's all scary bad news, isn't it?

Positive note: tomorrow is the Valentine's Sweet Treat day at Collage. 10% off all your purchases. Home-baked sweet treats to munch on. I made red-hot brownies. Parking is free. We are open late - 10am to 8pm. Skip all the crowds at the Hillary and Obama events (heh, now they remember lonely little Seattle) and make a date to go shopping instead.

Tuesday. Super.

Hey dee ho, it's Super Tuesday. And another day of stock market turmoil. At this rate, my miniscule retirement fund will be enough to buy me a latte when I turn 75. In all this mind-boggling muddle of what the heck a delegate is, and what kind of crazy person invented this insane delegate system (gaw, probably the same ones who invented that cracked electoral college system) . . .

well, I was sort of wondering to myself about "hope" and "change" and the like. Is there an age-limit on all this hope business? I'm not even that old, but I know that I certainly don't feel quite the same about hope and change as I once did. There's a certain amount of cynicism that happens during a lifetime of big and little disappointments. Ah, Hope Floats. There is nothing in life except change. All those cliches. And yet there really is a feeling out there that we can and must do something different, better even, than what we've been slogging through. I've got pizza and a bottle of wine tonight, to watch the teevee in all it's mind numbing boring punditry and ridiculousness. I guess I've still got a little hope left . . I'm hoping that we'll have some sort of answer and not just a Punxatawny Phil moment with an announcement of several more months of the same.

*

More sharing: I give myself a few minutes of shallow cyber surfing with my lunch on most days. Today I had to give up the news and politicking and go even shallower - to TMZ for news of BritBrit or some other celebrity fall from grace. What I found was their little section called "Memba Them?!" It's a photo gallery of long forgotten celebs with a little side-by-side comparison of them in their most glorious studio shots from their heyday, with a recent photo of them somewhere, obviously aged quite a bit. Most of them are in their mid-50's to 70 now, so the difference is huge. Age is not pretty when seen over and over again as you scroll through the photo gallery. Why do all those older women wear that weird burgundy or rust-colored eyeliner and eye shadow? I'm so scared to get older now. Not another year, please, while I still have my neck. And seriously, Sally Kellerman? once you're in you're 70's it's not believeable that you're still rocking those blonde long locks anymore. The whole thing is spooky scary. I almost had to watch with one eye covered as I clicked through. The wrinkles, the super red eyes, the weirdest hair and make-up ever.

I will admit, some are still looking good. Obviously women did a little better than men, what with all the hair color, make up tricks and fancy face creams. I guess I'm just reaching that age when it's all downhill now, and I'm looking forward - just to know what to expect. I was flipping the remote the other night when I hit on that new Dr. Drew celeb rehab show. I was absolutely SHOCKED to see that Brigitte Nielsen (ex-wife of Stallone and ex-lover of Flava Flav) looked like she was in her 60's. She's only in her early 40's! That's what hard living (or loving) will do to a gal, I guess. Maybe I should trade the pizza and wine tonight for brown rice and wheat grass juice instead? Oy, it hurts my head to think about it all. I'm going for vitamins.

*

More sharing: while in Hawaii last week (sniff, it's already over a week now) I gave up on sunscreen and just wore long sleeves most of the time. I'm trying to save my skin now, and I know it's probably already too late. But a year ago in Mexico we all used the 30 and 45 versions (brand new bottles!) and we all got sunburns. I hate that feeling, and didn't want a minute of sunburn this time. Sis wore the sunscreens religiously and got some kind of huge rash reaction to one of them. Mom reported that she used some other kind of sunscreen (a 45) just this week in Hilo and got an unbelievable burn on her chest. No other body parts got even pink, just the part that got slathered in sunscreen. Something very fishy is going on here. I'm skeeered of sunscreens now. I'm sticking with sleeves.

Spring Newsletter

The printed newsletter is shipping off today via snail mail. I'm posting it here too, just to catch anyone who might not be on the mailing list. And if you'd like to be added to the list - shoot me an email or sign up on the website HERE. I send them out 4 times a year (Feb, May, Sept, Nov) to keep you updated on all the new seasonal products and my show schedule. Without any further ado --



Spring News

If you’ve opened your mailbox and found my cheery little spring newsletter, and then looked out the window – yes, it’s still pretty darn cold, gray and rainy. Hardly spring yet. But it’s coming, I know it, because the days are getting just a wee bit longer. February is a little brighter, a little warmer, and the tiny tops of little green things begin poking out of the ground. Spring brings the wonder of new life - and with it, the inspiration for new beginnings, its cheery optimism daring you to try that new thing too.

More of a good thing . . .

Is even better! I’m taking it up a notch this year and tweaking the standard recipe on all the soap bars to include some organic shea butter and organic hemp seed oil for super luxurious moisturizing and a more lush and plushy feel to the lather. If you’ve tried the Bergamot Shea Butter soap or the Rosemary Orange Hemp soap, which I added last year, all the bars will have that same creaminess and nourishing feel.

African healers have used shea butter for thousands of years as the ideal treatment for dry or aging skin. Its high content of fatty acids gives it the ability to moisturize and retain elasticity in the skin while helping to protect against the damaging effects of the sun and repairing cellular degeneration. I am using pure, unrefined, unbleached shea butter in its most natural state as an added nutrient in all my bars.

Hemp seed oil is one of the world’s richest sources of essential fatty acids (Omega 3 and Omega 6) and Vitamin E in the plant kingdom, making it a top natural choice for healing dry or damaged skin, and reversing the effects of sun and aging. Hemp oil’s healing enzymes and vitamins absorb directly into the skin, replenishing and repairing. The best part? Prices are still the same as always - $4 each or 4 bars for $15.00.

New Additions to the List

During the course of last year, I created a few soap bars that were such big hits I continued to make them. This year they are officially on the regular list and will be available all year long. ($4.00 each or 4 bars for $15.00)

Almond Lemon Goat Milk – Goat milk, rich in proteins and calcium, is renowned for its moisturizing and replenishing abilities, and gentle nature - being the soap of choice for people with sensitive skin or skin conditions. This recipe uses pure, fresh, raw, organic goat milk, not powdered or tinned milk, for a truly luxurious feel. Scented with luscious lemon and warm almond, this soap is almost edible, it’s so yummy.

Lavender Pear - Lovely lavender pairs with sweet yellow pear and a smidge of clove in this very pretty, elegant fragrance. It’s a shimmery, translucent, light green bar, simply gorgeous.

Red Currant & Tangerine - Rich, ripe, fruity red currant tangos with bright tangerine and a sprinkling of tiny red cranberry seeds which give it just a touch of light texture or a gentle scrubby feel. It looks just like the inside of a lush fig, prettily pink with tiny flecks of seeds.

Spring Seasonal Soaps

To celebrate the season of love, flowers, and new beginnings, I’ve created a few new scents, all utilizing the new lush shea butter and hemp oil recipe.

Roses & Violets – “Roses are red, violets are blue . . .” this charming little pink bar is chock full of fresh pink rosebuds and sweet violet sprigs. It’s the perfect choice for Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, or anyone with a flair for flowers or more traditional tastes.

Lemon Bliss – I’m absolutely crazy about citrus lately, so this bar is my own blend of lemon, ruby grapefruit, tangerine, and mandarin orange, with a teeny kick of ginger and vanilla to brighten my mornings. (100% natural)

Citrus Mint & Poppy – For those who like a little scrub with their rub-a-dub-dub, I’ve cooked up a poppy seed scrubber soap for spring. It’s super fresh and energizing, with a combination of citrus flavors and three types of mint. The poppy seeds give it a light textured feel for gentle exfoliation and a wake-up massage. (100% natural)

Orange Blossom – The classic, elegant, floral scent of orange tree blossoms is timeless and intoxicating in its lushness (also called Neroli). This bar is a favorite of mine – strong and exotic – a flashback of the captivating gardens of Seville in the spring.

Spring Aromatic Sprays

Turn up the volume on your romance dial – I’m bringing back the world famous Lilac Garden aromatic spray for Spring. This Lilac Garden scent is incredibly true, a lush and fragrant floral mist to brighten up the winter doldrums. This fragrances makes a lovely spritzer for everything imaginable - delightful as a body spray, a great deodorizer for linens, rooms, closets, cars, plus a fabulous pick-me-up anywhere, any time. ($6.00 each)

Gift Giving

If you’ve got a special someone on your list for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or any other special spring occasion, peruse the website for gift ideas. There are charming little sets with bars of soaps paired with dishes, brushes, sacks and scrubby mitts. And larger combinations of products featuring the sprays, sachets and other items too – a little something for everybody!

The website has just been completely updated and features a Spring clearance sale, so check in often. I’m planning ahead for a gangbuster year of craft shows, festivals, and fairs. It’s still early for all the scheduling, but the enclosed calendar has the confirmed dates so far. Plus the online calendar has more detailed information, new dates as they are confirmed, and all up-to-the minute-changes or additions. Happy, sunny Spring!

The great procrastinator

I am so bad sometimes.

I spent at least half of yesterday catching up on Jay McCarroll's blog about the current season of Project Runway. To be honest, this season is so darn boring I was hardly even watching the show. But a friend forwarded Jay's blog, and I almost peed myself laughing. So then of course I had to go back and read all of them from the beginning, and compare the photo galleries for each show, and then don't know you it, a whole afternoon POOF disappeared. Jay is beyond hilarious - he rocks. They need to just make a show of him commenting on the other reality shows. Way more fun than The Soup.

Anyway, the plan was originally to head over to Collage yesterday afternoon. But I got lost obviously, and then didn't want to sit in traffic at rush hour. So I headed over there this morning, before it opened, and restocked the whole display. It's got all the most popular soaps back, plus all the new ones for spring too. Fully loaded.

Just to keep y'all up to date - the shop is restocked for now, and I've updated the calendar for February with the dates I'm working there. Basically my shift is every Wednesday morning from 10am-2pm. That's my (sort of) permanent gig. And this coming Friday (2/8) is our sweetie pie Valentines' event (ta dah!). From 10am to 8pm (open 2 hours later!), if you stop into the shop, you get 10% off all your purchases. And we're going to have sweet treats too - we're all baking some little noshes for you to snack on while shopping. Oy, that means I need to get busy baking something.

The shop will continue to be closed every Monday during February too. Otherwise we're open 10am-6pm Tuesday through Sunday for regular hours. In case you need deets, here's the LINK to my shop info page.

Veering off track again (I can't focus for more than a minute at a time) -- can I just also mention that I'm totally smitten with Uwajimaya? I spent a goodly portion of wasted afternoon over there the other day too. Just wandering the isles and stocking up on sauces and stuffs that are all on sale for to Chinese New Year this weekend. It's a great time to get bargains on pantry things I have around all year. But I was also really missing Hawaii, and they have every possible thing you could ever buy in a Honolulu grocery store, right here in freezing Seattle. A whole section of shelves dedicated to the Hawaiian Sun juices in cans (mmm, Passion Orange Guava). They had more varieties of the coconut syrup I fell in love with there - Coconut plain, Coconut Pineapple, Coconut Macademia. I came home with Huli Huli sauce, Pineapple Mango Teriyaki sauce, fresh pineapple, ripe mangos, even a plate lunch from the little food court with kahlua pork and macaroni salad. I lurve that place.

My sun-pinked nose is peeling. Trader Joe's has the most adorable mini, tiny, little organic cheese crackers which I can't stop eating for lunch. Help me. I'm trying to take pictures for the updated web site and it's still so darn grey and bleak outside that nothing looks good in the cold light. Do you watch Good Morning America ever? I sometimes have it on as background when I'm checking the paper with my coffee. I found their meatloaf challenge online yesterday by accident, and felt compelled to try Chris Cuomo's meatloaf recipe. Diane's was a standard ketchup one. Sam and Robin had tomato soup and ritz crackers versions. But Chris' - oh my. There is grated apple, fresh parsley, cinnamon sugar, vanilla extract and a topping of ketchup, dijon and honey. I'd never seen that stuff in a meatloaf before and needed to do it last night. It's lovely, really. And makes a fine sandwich too. Here's the recipe.

Ok, that's all I got for now. Have a great weekend.

Yes, it's really that blue

Just a few photos of Hawaii from last week. Yes, the water really is that incredible turquoise blue, the sky is really that unbelievable blue, and the superfine sand is really that white - so amazing. I still can't believe I was there just a few days ago. It's such a different world from here.









The last two days have been a flurry of work. All the orders are caught up. The mailing is at the printer now and should be ready tomorrow. Which means that I'll spend the weekend stuffing it, and finishing up the website for the big announcements on Monday.

I've updated the calendar section of the website so far, and am working behind the scenes on the rest of it. It's now a lovely pink scene, with a few new photos too. The rest will be uploaded Sunday - when I get the bulk of the product photos finished and everything proof-read.

Today I'm working on getting a pile of new inventory ready to take over to Collage. I want the shop to be ready for the spring debut, and I'd like to have a pile of new things for Valentine's Day too. I'll have my little display all fixed up there tomorrow, when I can get a break to drive over and do the shuffle. Just wanted to mention that the shop is closed Mondays this month, since it's such a slow month. I'll check on the schedule for February and make a note of it here and on the website so nobody makes a wasted trip over.

And with that, I'll leave you with a few seconds of surfing the Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore - super windy day, and major big waves - so that's all the rushing sound in the background. It's just a teeny clip from my digital camera, not a real video, so it's not going to get an Oscar. Just wanted to try a new thingie.

I'm back!

Just flew in late last night from a week in Hawaii. I sorely needed a little bit of sunny paradise and it looks like I took the perfect week of cold and snow warnings to ditch the gray skies.

It's hard to readjust to this shabby looking little world I left just a few days ago. This morning, looking out my window to the blowing winds and gray little winter neighborhood, it looks like a scene in black and white after all that technicolor turquoise ocean, brilliant tropical jungle flowers, lush vegetation and colorful paradise. January in Seattle is not nearly as pretty, it looks bleak and dead.

I'm glad to be back to my lonely little cats and fluffy bed. But the pile of work I need to plow through today is huge and I miss the beach already. The very worst part of vacations is the first day back home - unpacking and laundry, replying to all the calls, emails and whatnot, catching up and getting back into the groove. By the second day, you're in the swing. Today I'm still floating on the waves and not ready to get started.

Just dusting off the cobwebs in here and checking to make sure it still works. Then I'm finishing up orders all afternoon. I'm even optimistically hoping to get the last little polishing touches done on the mailing and over to the printers - but if I'm being honest, it's not going anywhere until tomorrow.

Standing on the white sand beach, the vast and powerful ocean lapping at your toes, and the limitless, mysterious universe of stars overhead . . . well, it's an awesome thing. Just a tiny speck. Even less than a speck, I am. Peaceful was what I took away from it. No big breakthroughs or life changing moments. Just a calming, a frolic in the warm sun, and a little check on the list of things I've always wanted to see. It's beautiful there, the people are so friendly and helpful, but I'm not a big rum and fruit juice drinker and I think they need more consonants or less vowels in their language. Every word we tried to pronounce had multiple a,e,i,o,u's and a few k's and l's - sounding more like we were suffering some stomach ailment.

Not complaining - I'll go back any time. Tomorrow even.

Winter Break

Ooooh, I love stamps. And I love Chinese lanterns too. So these new stamps, just released, are doubly wonderful. I had to have them for the new spring mailing in February. Yes, you'll get one if you're on my mailing list. Soooooo pretty.

Big Announcement - drum roll please. I am closing up the shop this week for a winter break. No orders, no calls, no nothing until Tuesday Jan 29th. Everything is on hold for a week of rest, recuperation and play. Hopefully this doesn't cause somebody grief and inconvenience. But I need a break and this boring, sleepy time of year is a good excuse to slip off and play hookie.

Have a good week everybody!

Nothing is Lost

Nothing Is Lost

Deep in our sub-conscious, we are told
Lie all our memories, lie all the notes
Of all the music we have ever heard
And all the phrases those we loved have spoken,
Sorrows and losses time has since consoled,
Family jokes, out-moded anecdotes
Each sentimental souvenir and token
Everything seen, experienced, each word
Addressed to us in infancy, before
Before we could even know or understand
The implications of our wonderland.
There they all are, the legendary lies
The birthday treats, the sights, the sounds, the tears
Forgotten debris of forgotten years
Waiting to be recalled, waiting to rise
Before our world dissolves before our eyes
Waiting for some small, intimate reminder,
A word, a tune, a known familiar scent
An echo from the past when, innocent
We looked upon the present with delight
And doubted not the future would be kinder
And never knew the loneliness of night.

by Noel Coward

Shorts

A few quickie updates today:

The soapmaking class at Molbak's is postponed due to construction work in the main stage area. Don't exactly know the new date yet, but working on it, and will let you know as soon as it's finalized.

I've updated the clearance page of the web site with some of the winter holiday stuff, in case you're looking for a little bargain.

I'll be closing the office from Jan 22 through the 28th for a short mid-winter break. Any orders that come in during that time will be shipped Jan 29th.

I'm working towards getting the spring newsletter and announcements out Feb 1st. It's a really short deadline between the holidays and the end of January. Spring is a relatively quiet season, so I'm not planning a whole list of new products. I'm focusing on a splendid list of new soap scents instead. And I'll have all the regular soaps back in stock, most of them with the new, super luscious recipe. I'm adding a smidge of shea butter and hemp oil to the standard recipe for all the soaps, just to make them that much better. More moisturizing, more creamy, more yummy than ever before.

Soap is what I do, so I'm trying to give you all the very best. There's a bunch of it on the drying racks now, and I'm adding the "sold out" scents back to the website as quickly as I can.

Feed the birds

Yesterday. One afternoon of glorious sunshine. And it was really beautiful, don't get me wrong. But after all these days of dark grey skies, the sunshine illuminated a whole lot of dirt in the house that I hadn't really noticed before. Dust and cobwebs, filthy windows, it was horrifying. I had to spend the day cleaning.

My neighbor was shouting about how it was the best snowboarding day of the year, but I was outdoors washing my windows from the outside. It really made such a difference, so much brighter and lighter in here. Not that you'd know that today - its' grey, cold and raining again, sigh.

I think that's why everyone gets in the mood to do some spring cleaning. A few sunny days and you realize that you've been living in dust bunny heaven and have to do something about it. It's obviously a little early for all that yet, but our one big day of sunshine certainly reminded me that spring is truly right around the corner.

Little tops of bulbs are poking up in my garden everywhere. And the bushes are budding out little pink pokey things. I can't wait to see green and life again. Birds too. There are a few that show up for little bits of time when the rains stops for a minute. But I miss all the squawking and carrying on that spring brings.

What I love this week: lemon and citrus everything - I can't get enough lemon (scurvy?), the new FRS health supplements that just arrived, hanging out in front of the heater vents with the cats, the colors pink and orange, flannel sheets (light blue, with polka dots!) and filing. You? what's up, yo?

Rain, rain, go away

It's been so dark, gray and wet that it's hard to get out from under the blankies in the morning. And hard to get motivated to leave the house or do anything at all.

My shift at the shop yesterday was lonely - hardly a peep from anyone, the streets empty, even the radio was dull and lethargic. I'm headed back there tomorrow, but I'll bring a magazine or something to keep me occupied while the rest of the world hibernates.

Even though it is supremely difficult to get excited about work again, I've somehow managed to finish all the bookkeeping chores and last year turned out ok. A teeny bit down from the year before, but with the loss of all the Country Craft shows, plus the first year without the Tacoma market too, I really can't complain. Somehow the rest of my sales rallied to almost cover what was missing. The competitive side of me is rallying to make this year a whole lot better.

Soap making is under way too. And that is almost harder to get up and running again. It's like a giant rock that you were rolling up hill and chugging along, but once you stop for a break, it's back-breaking to start moving again. I don't know why - because I'm actually excited about the new soaps. I've got some Spring soaps that I really want to see how they turn out. And I'm working out a little change in the recipe for all the soaps. I'm taking them up a notch and adding shea butter and hemp oil to all the soaps for just a little more pampering and moisturizing luxury. It's worked out so nicely in the Rosemary Orange and Bergamot soaps that I wanted to make the whole line just a tad bit more luscious. The first few batches are just catch-up of what I've done in the past, but I'm doing a new batch here and there to work out any glitches before I go whole hog.

And there's other ideas too that I need to work on. And I WANT to work on them. But the gray skies, cold winds, and happily napping cats are making me sleepy and tired all week. In the end, I think January really is a month for nurturing oneself and I probably need the sleep. Eating healthy, taking it slow, catching up on sleep and slowly rebuilding strength for what's to come this year. It's part of the cycle, and a necessary step in the progression of seasons.

Spring will be here before you know it, but that's next month. For now, we're still buried under the blankies, making plans.

Cashmere Booties

Mmmmm, warm cashmere booties, so precious. This was the window display at Purl Soho in New York a few weeks ago when I went to visit just before Christmas. I mostly spent the time window shopping all over town, soaking in the holiday lights and decorations, taking in all the holiday spirit.

Yah, I know I mentioned that I would post pics of the lights to share, but I just got a little too frazzled in those last few days before Christmas and had to remove myself for a brief bit. Now it's all long over, but I wanted to share a few of the cuter little displays anyway. Cuz it's all so cute and creative and nothing like the same old stuff we see here.

Here's another little window at Purl:



ABC Carpet & Home



Tinsel Trading Company



Two cool windows at the big Anthropologie store at Rockefeller Plaza. An igloo made out of milk cartons, and a little skating scene illuminated in the middle of like a 2-story dress (only a slight exaggeration).





The most amazing little sweets at a Japanese treat shop. Almost architectural, they looked like they were made from clay.



And the most fun - the holiday markets around town. Little clusters of outdoor tents set up, with artisans and craftspeople selling their cool wares for holiday gifts, similar to the markets they have in Europe during December. We browsed around Columbus Circle (here) and the other one in Bryant Park too, around the skating rink. Several soap vendors out there too, everyone with their own little take on the business. Loved it.

TGIF

Ah the joys of working at home. I am spending the morning in my flannel jammie pants at the computer. It's boring, to be sure. I need to input all the mailing list info, order info, and bookkeeping stuff from the last couple of months.

It's all data and numbers and mumbo that is necessary for the business, but stuff I hate. If I can plow through even a chunk of it, I need to do a complete inventory this afternoon of every single item of product or supply in the studio. Necessary for taxes. But a good way to get things organized and cleaned up after the mad rush. If there are any crumbs left, I may have a few things to put up on the clearance sale page. But I'm not expecting it, there's not a lot here. Just a jumble.

I met with Lauren, the events planner at Molbak's (the best nursery/garden store in the universe) yesterday. We have big plans. I'll be teaching a soapmaking class there on Feb 2nd. And if it goes great, there will be more, and possibly my soaps in the shop, and maybe a spa series of workshops down the road, and, and. We'll see. One step at a time.

But the first class is a for-sure thing. I've started working on the handouts and class description. It will be on their calendar page in a few days or so. And when we get it in print, and have a phone number for registering, I'll post all the info here immediately - and on the calendar of the web site too. But if you are so inclined to learn how to make soap the old-fashioned way, from scratch, put a little star on your own calendar for Sat, Feb 2, 2:30pm and check back next week.

Today I feel out of sorts - not in the bad mood way, just not sorted out. Like there is a mountain of bits and pieces I need to put together to make sense of what needs to be done this month. I just transferred my 2008 calendar, writing in the birthdays and such, setting up my new system for this year. But I have a pile of stuff next to it that still needs to be put into time. Fliers, notices, due dates of things that are awaiting placement in the big book of "WHAT TO DO". Without my little system I am lost. And since the first lists haven't even been started yet, I'm still wandering around in the forest a bit. I'm starting on the first few tasks of the month that have to be done first. And I have to sort out the giant mound of everything else that needs attention this month. January can be really hard, with all the planning and scheduling and rush to get spring in the hopper before February 1.

I'm trying not to feel overwhelmed and behind already, on the like the second day into the new year. I'm still a little fragile from all the overwhelm of the last few months. I know it's all doable and I've been here before. But I'm not feeling that sort of "endless time to do it all in" feeling that I usually get in January. Instead I'm already feeling the pressure of deadlines with a planned vacation coming up at the end of the month plus the class, newsletter, spring seasonals and announcements all due the following week. Better get cracking.

At least it's in my slippers, with the cats napping cozily next to me. Rough, eh? Cue the violins.