Lists

A sleepless night and a day of lists.

Headache, lousy cramps, hot and uncomfortable, I was tossing and turning for hours. And the cat couldn't sleep either. She wanted snacks at midnight. She wanted to go out and watch the pouring rain from the porch at 2:30. She wanted to daintily slurp water from the bathroom sink faucet at 4 am. I was up every hour in between taking aspirin, getting another glass of water, opening the window, shuffling around. But mostly flopping and twisting in the sheets, wheels spinning about how much extra work I have ahead of me this year and fretting that I either can't get it done, or that actually getting it done will kill me.

This morning, I'm just tired. It will all work out fine, it always does. I'm busily working on lists in order to get organized, focus and stay on track. And hack away at some more things I wanted to get done this weekend.

Yes, I'm one of those neurotic list makers. I would make lists of which lists to make. Can't function without them. Invariably I leave the grocery one at home when I go to the store, and then I only come home with half of what I actually needed. I'm not sure what any of this says about me. Don't tell me. It's probably a sure sign of crazy and I don't want to know. It just helps me function. And doing this whole business myself, with so many aspects to keep track of at once, if I didn't write it down and keep copious notes in my calendars, all kinds of things would fall through through the continent-sized gaps in my short term memory.

Ok, then. I've crossed this blog item off my list. What's next?

flip FLOP

Yesterday afternoon, after just getting back from the Post Office (big end-of-the-week load: it's done, yippee!) -- I'm shlumping in the door and the phone starts ringing. Groaning and fretting about how I'm a mess, we meet for pizza in less than half an hour, the cat needs dinner, what can I possibly wear, everything's in the laundry, and yikes the floor is so dirty in here I can hardly walk on it, and why didn't I get that done today . . . . but I grab the phone and yes, it's a customer.

"I know your hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, and it's Friday at 5 minutes to 5 and I simply cannot live without more of your Baby Love soap", she cried. How can you not love that? Actually, the Baby Love was (or maybe still is?) one of the ones I was considering phasing out or changing up. But she needs it. And in fact, two other people ordered it specifically this week. And somebody else gave it a rave review in Tacoma on Thursday. So is this the universe telling me to keep it? Probably. But I'm a little slow on the uptake maybe. Anyway, I'm still percolating what I want to do. Every little comment helps, and I'll try to accommodate everyone who simply. cannot. live. without something. :)

So the pizza last night was every bit as good as anticipated. And the movie (Da Vinci Code) was just as bad as they said it was. Maybe worse. Sure, Ron Howard made a mess of it -- those silly flashbacks. But Tom Hanks, well, stank. He just wasn't the right guy for that role. I happen to think he's not a good actor. He has about 3 facial expressions that he uses for everything. The hurt puppy, the confused hurt puppy ("why did you kick me?") and the far-off vacant stare that we are supposed to believe is some kind of deep thinking but usually is my cue to mentally start a grocery list or inspect the shoes of someone across the aisle -- just generally nod off. But we enjoyed the night out anyway. And Columbia City was really hopping last night. Every little store front had live music and kewl folks spilling out onto the sidewalks. Restaurants, bars, even art galleries were all swinging last night! I'll have to make a date to go back there soon.

Soggy Day

Pretty lousy day yesterday to sit outside and try to sell little bars of suds-making thingies. Thank heavens I brought my big tent. I usually just bring my little striped umbrella, but I knew the forecast was scary, so I took precautions. And of course, the moment lunch hour arrived and people got ready to head out for lunch, the skies opened up and it began raining -- light at first, heading into downright rain, and settling into a steady downpour, right through packing up and inching up the highway home. I hauled out the tent which had been steadily dripping down my neck and car seats the whole way home, dumping whatever water was left trapped inside right down the front of my shirt. And headed inside, leaving the entire rest of the mess in the car to be dealt with once it stopped pouring -- which is what it had developed into by the time I got home. Huge rivers of water racing over the roof, down the downspouts, through my yard. So I gave up, donned my flannel jammie pants, had an early dinner with the kitty and watched lousy tv.

This morning I am cleaning it all up. And then back into the regular groove -- making soap, filling orders, hitting the post office with whatever I can before the weekend.

Tonight a bunch of us are going to see The Da Vinci Code film. I know -- it's lousy. Everyone on earth has said it's awful. And I'm not a fan of Tom Hanks, and I didn't even like the book all that well. The theory was interesting, but the writing was crappy and took quite a bit of effort to slog through. So I'm not expecting much. But I guess it must be done, sigh. At least I can look forward to the fabulous pizza we're hoping to score first at Tutta Bella in Columbia City.

Update: The new test batches I made using essential oil blends didn't turn out as stupendously as I had hoped. Even though I used a higher concentration of scenting ingredients than usual, every one of them is sort of faint and puny. One was anise, lemon and rose -- a variation of a fragrance called "Old Lace" -- which is pleasant and not too "rose-y", but just fresh and floral. You don't even notice the anise, as there is no overt licorice scent, just a little twist that you can't quite pinpoint. The next one was Orange Rosemary. I used 5-fold orange essential oil, which is five times the distillation of orange stuff, and it looks a little more orange than usual, but didn't come out as nicely as I would have wanted. Orange is notoriously volative, and one of the reasons people have so much trouble capturing that freshness in the soap. But even the pungent rosemary isn't quite hitting it's mark. And finally, there was a complicated blend of bergamot, palmarosa, fennel, and rosewood. Which so darn light you can't tell what it is. But there is a whiff of rosey something.

What I'm really hoping for, is that these develop. I'm not sure if I explained this before, but the fragrance actually changes quite a bit during the curing process. And most of the time, it's hard to predict. With fragrance oils, it's easier. What comes out the first day or two is how it usually ends up. Sometimes they fade quickly a few months after curing, but the scent itself doesn't mutate. With essential oils, there is often a few weeks in the middle of curing where the scent disappears altogether, and then comes back as it all settles out and becomes something quite lovely. Anyway, with these new essential oil blends, the following morning, I couldn't smell a single thing. Which could have just been me. But after a day or two, I had a couple of sniff testers try, and they were able to detect the scent, though faint. And now that it's been almost a week and they are out of the molds, it's a bit stronger. So it's still a test in progress.

Today, Ta Dah

Today I am catching up on all the orders that have come in over the weekend, yesterday and this morning. They will ALL be shipped out today. Promise.

Today I am also sending out the Soap of the Month club packages too. The summer soap gift bags will be in your hands by the weekend, hip hip hooray.

Today I am getting everything done that needs to be ready for the Tacoma Market tomorrow. Well, except for the Bugger Off spray. I thought I had a supply already made up, and it turns out it was just a few bottles which have already sold out. And now I don't have enough time today to make up a whole new batch. But they WILL be done within the next few days, labelled and ready to ship next week, and at the market next week too.

And today I am making more Patchouli soap. It is suddenly the soap of the moment. Who knew there were so many folks that use this particular bar of soap exclusively? Or at least regularly? I can't believe how many folks now order it 8 at a time, every other month or so. And it seems like there is not a single order that comes in without at least 1 or 2 patchouli bars in the list. So -- dandy. Happy to oblige. I'll keep it coming. Cheers!

Note: I've added a couple of new craft blogs to the list -- beautiful work, lovely women, so interesting to get a glimpse into their lives.

Anahata Katkin
Ornamental

And also Whip Up, which is a different sort of craft blog. It's a whole gaggle of crafters which contribute posts, bunches of links, and fun projects to try. It's a wealth of good stuff.

Bungle in the Jungle

Yesterday I was wondering what most people do on the long weekend -- head out of town for vacation? party with friends and family on patios and decks? big house projects? As it turned out, I did not much of anything. But it wasn't even planned. If I had made a real plan to just "do nothing" and relax, I could have anticipated it, let go of the actual plans I had and expectations for getting stuff done. And just let loose, slept in, stocked up on snacks and movies, or something along those lines. It's just that the weather was so crappy for most of it.

So we did the usual shopping chores, half-heartedly attempted catching up on some work tasks, cancelled the huge basement organization project due to bad timing, grilled dinner once but had to rush back in between meat turnings because it was so cold, and then eat inside with the heat on, and made lists of other projects we'd like to accomplish if there is ever another weekend free that actually has nice weather -- just a lot of meh.

And then Monday it finally cleared up enough to head outside. The single one thing I wanted to accomplish this weekend was the carving out of the jungle. We have an empty lot next door. And it's a bigger jungle than I've ever seen it -- the blackberries, ivy and creeping morning glory vine are out of control. And they not only cross the line into my flower beds daily, they are threatening to devour my fence and trees too. So I had purchased new clippers and hackers and gloves, donned the knee-high rubber boots and long sleeves, and headed over to rescue the fence. I chopped a little path along the whole length. That should last about five minutes. And we sawed and nipped and wrestled the tree-trunk size ivy off the fence completely. It looks great. Again, it should last about five minutes. It's so hopeless. The weeds always win. Why isn't the rest of the garden as strong and healthy as the stupid stuff I want gone?

After about half a day, we were covered in dirt, bugs, and sweat, exhausted to the point of dizziness, and so stiff and sore we coudn't walk -- well we could shuffle, hunched over like grannies. Oh, the grunting and swearing. But the yard looks really great. The birds and squirrels can enjoy it all week, now that it's finally sunny and nice, while we are back at work today. Anyway, at least something substantial was accomplished. What did you do?

Tea for Me

Yesteray I missed the torrential rains in Tacoma. But it was so decadent to have an extra day this week to just catch up on some things that have been laying around waiting for a few free moments. Like planning ahead for the seasonal stuff for fall and winter. Researching and surfing the internet for ideas, packaging, pricing. It takes a whole lot more time than one would think. It's actually a pretty huge undertaking. And when random folks approach me to ask where I found a certain container or supplier or ribbon it's always a dilemma. My standard policy is not to reveal my sources, heh, like a secret spy. It's not that I want to be rude or uncharitable. It's just that this is a LOT of work, and one of my trademarks. And if I give away the store, so to speak, to anyone who comes along -- well, then I've lost my uniqueness and my trademark stuff. And they've gotten some really cool stuff for free, with no intention of contributing to the effort. But I digress.

Anyone used the new home fragrance reed diffusers? They caught my eye yesterday and I think they might be kind of cool. It's a bottle of fragrance oil (and some of the bottles, vases or glass containers are gorgeously striking) which holds 6 to 12 reed diffuser sticks. The concept is that the reeds wick up the fragrance and subtly disperse it in the air. So it's like a non-stop room fragrance or air-freshener -- but way cooler than some crappy plastic plug-in, and obviously nicer scents. Doesn't have the smoke or mess or cost of candles, which you can't burn when you're not there to watch them. Lasts for months on end, not like the sprays which last just a few hours or less. And it's just a very pretty thing to have sitting on a table. I'm going to experiment with a couple and see if they actually work. I had seen them at the retail show in January and sort of thought they were a gimmick, because I couldn't tell if they smelled at all. However, there were a bunch of them in one single booth, with candles and soaps and other things, so the whole placed smelled. I need to test one at home. Course I've got no nose, so I'm going to have to ask people if they can smell anything. Well, maybe my house isn't the best test anyway, it ALWAYS smells in here, duh. Hmm. Well, I can farm it out to my sister or something. Have to think about that.

And I rummaged around my arsenol of leftover essential and fragrance oils, searched out all the newly released stuff, and surfed around a bunch of trendy fragrance sites. I like to check perfume and cosmetic giants, boutique and upscale candles, other popular soap and bath lines, etc. just to catch up on the trends and see what's out there. And then do something else entirely, heh. I have a huge thing against copy catting -- I have to give it my own twist and tweak at the very least. Like if I've seen a super cool name I may riff on that, but put together my own fantasy fragrance to match it. Or if I find a scent I am in love with, I make up a little different riff and a totally new name. It just makes my blood boil when I see new soapmakers (or anybody else) start up a line of products with the exact same names and scents that I (or others) are already doing. Petty rant -- but yes, there are a few newer soapmakers which have watched my sales at shows and seen which specific bars sell the most, and then just copied it outright when they set up shop. I guess it's a good business plan. I mean they are guaranteed success if they can duplicate it. Even if it's not quite as good as mine, they still probably have a hit on their hands, rather than a dog -- and who wants to incur great risks, or hurt their brains coming up with something on their own, eh? Bleah. End of petty rant. And just to clarify -- yes, there are a finite number of scents out there to work with, especially in essential oils and some combinations are just universally loved. So there will be repetition. I do understand and appreciate that. I am not the only person on earth to put lavender and lemongrass together. It's just the ratios, the color and flower petals that I use -- when you put it all together, it just works for me.

Wow, I've gotten off track AGAIN, and I've gotten right back into the "artists that copy other artists" broken record. Which I had no idea was such an issue this morning. I really wanted to talk about this super cool new soap that I came up with yesterday that I am so very excited about. It's tea and mint together in a gorgeous olive green color. I had thought it was going to be green tea -- which it still can be -- a really pungent strong green tea like macha. But it's got a smokiness to it too, almost lapsang souchong in depth, and would be such an exotic black tea. Tea of any kind is popular right now. And I kind of like the idea of "black" tea because it's more unusual. And the rich, smoky, depth would make more sense. Plus the green bar with a brown ribbon would look uber cool too. But it will have to wait. It's still "cooking" at the moment. 24 hours in the hot box, and then at least a couple of weeks for the curing process to settle down and the fragrance to develop. Another month or more before it's cured enough to actually sell. So I'm not entirely sure what will come out the other end yet. I have a good idea though, and it's thrilling to see how it's going.

And I've got a really fun working list of new soap scents for fall, and the christmas holidays, that I can start to ramp up by next month or so. I have to work so far ahead on the seasons on these in order to get them all cured in time for the newsletter and release. So if the fall soaps need to be ready for September 1, I start making them in June already. And that's next week. I know, right? I've already got about 6 I want to try for this fall. And a couple I'll do next week. I'll only end up with 4 probably. A few are just solo batches that don't get advertised if they aren't top notch. But the process is already under way. The other stuff, bath items or other seasonal items, don't always need as much lead time. But sometimes they do. In fact, I'm already starting to work out the holiday stuff, because there is always so much more of it, and I like to at least get something in production now because it gets so crazy busy later. Like labels made up, supplies ordered or at least a list made up and put into the calendar for ordering in the next few months, so it's all planned out. Baby steps. I'm usually notoriously good at procrastinating, or notoriously bad at being ready on time, so today I'm feeling just a tad bit smug about actually remembering to think about it before mid summer. Of course, this will last about 2 weeks, until I realize I didn't actually do more than just THINK about it, and panic sets in, and I'll be behind again. Sigh.

So in closing this long and spazzy post -- a quote someone sent me yesterday that is too perfect not to share.

"If we, citizens, do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams."
(Life of Pi, Yann Martel 2001)

Flowers

Flowers . . . have a mysterious and subtle influence upon the feelings, not unlike some strains of music. They relax the tenseness of the mind. They dissolve its rigor."

Henry Ward Beecher

The path

I knew I shouldn't have posted yesterday morning while I was still exhausted and crabby. I have absolutely no manners at all. I neglected to mention that sales were pretty darn good, and actually up quite a bit from last year. And that some of the most fabulous folks made the trip over just to see ME, and to wish me well, and to stock up on soaps for the year. I had lots of nice conversations with some truly wonderful people over the last couple of days -- the kind that make you feel like all this work is really important and appreciated. So a HUGE thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth at U District! Sheesh, I made it sound like painful torture, instead of a pretty pleasant way to spend the day and make money while I was at it.

You know the saying "can't see the forest for the trees"? Yeah, it's like that. While busily working away each day like a hamster on a wheel, it's really easy to lose sight of the big picture. In occasional odd moments, a glimmer of light will shine through and suddenly a new perspective appears. That has been happening for the last few months with my soap scents.

I've been tossing around the idea of changing up my soap menu, a lot. I'm tired - really tired - of about half of them. Ones that I started out with and are a little quirky, or was requested to do them, but I don't care for them much myself. They just don't work any more. I want to toss out a handful of them and make brand new ones. I've been brainstorming groovy new essential oil blends for them, wanting to re-direct the fragrances into more all-natural scents than the fragrance oil scents that have sort of taken over while I wasn't really paying attention. I've made up so many seasonal scents, and since they tend to lean towards florals, fruits and fantasy stuff - essential oils have kind of gotten pushed aside. And I've been regretting that. I truly like the more natural scents myself anyway, and it just fits more with my whole philosophy anyway. Some of the synthetic fragrances mixed in with the bunch are alright. There are an awful lot of really nice things out there, and I don't want to limit myself. But as far as the standard list - the day-in/day-out soap list - I want to return to the essential oils that I love. So today I'm going to do a few test batches that I narrowed it down to while I was jotting notes on little scraps of paper. And I'm kind of excited to see how they turn out. I'll keep you posted.

The morning after

I'm reluctant to post this morning, because I'm so completely exhausted that I can't possibly be cheerful, upbeat and optimistic.

The U Dist festival is so huge and crowded, it's truly an overwhelming assault on one's senses. The smells -- incense and cigarette smoke swirling from the street gang bunch hanging out behind the booth, burnt sugar caramel corn, fish sauce and mountains of greasy fried onion rings compete from the huddle of food tents at the corner, and endless streams of people from the hugely unwashed to the swimming in cologne. The sounds -- a million conversations going on around you and at you, all at once. Plus the twanging bluegrass band with full speakers set up at the bar not 5 feet behind the tent, and the screaming and hawking of buskers who take up space in the open spot under the tree right next to you. The early morning constitutional of homeless and mentally over-the-edge folks who walk back and forth, back and forth, bellowing gibberish or howling offkey to imagined songs in their heads. It's all ear-ringingly loud and difficult to conduct business and maintain focus. The sights -- so many faces that it becomes one big blur, their colorful dresses and eye-catching shirt prints are almost too much to take in. And the physical exhaustion -- from standing on the hard pavement for 12 hours, on a slight angle, with aches, pains and feet that swell to honeydew melon size when you finally sit down.

Not all shows are quite this large or taxing. But this is an outdoor street fair of the largest magnitude, and the weather was perfect for drawing out huge parades of local folks. So when the last item is tucked in the car -- usually my stupid chair which almost always flings a leg into my head on the way in -- settling into the seat for the drive home is when the adrenalin finally slows down. And by the time you reach the front door, it takes every last ounce of energy you have to turn the key in the door, shuffle to the bathroom and fall over.

I can almost stand up on my feet this morning. My ears have stopped ringing, but I'm still desperate for silence and as little stimulation as possible. And it's raining. The all day rain that my plants will love, but make me anxious for a break so I can unload the heaping pile of filthy tablecloths, dripping tent and dusty goods from my car. I've got loads of paperwork, a little pile of orders (again!), catching up and soap to make. It's going to be a full day. As long as I can do a bunch of it sitting down, in a dimly lit place, with no sound, I might be alright.

It's not as fun and glamorous as it looks, sorry to report . . . .

U District Street Fair

Yesterday was the most spectacular day for the opening day of the Farmer's Market in Tacoma. Snappy, folksy group doing music. The crowds were huge -- everybody flocking to the sun during lunch. The flower and food vendors sold out! Quite a great turnout all around.

And this weekend is the University District Street Fair -- the first big outdoor street fair of the season here in Seattle. It's usually a pretty big hoopla and lots of fun. I hear the gorgeous 80 degree sunny fiesta is over, and we should expect colder, cloudier, even rainier, weather this weekend. But that's how it almost always is, and we still have a big party -- so it should be fine.

Dates: May 20th & 21st
Hours: Saturday, 10am-7pm , Sunday, 10am-6pm
Booth Location: I'm on University Way, between 42nd & 43rd streets -- about mid-block, with a big corner space, in front of Finn McCool's.

Here's what they say: "For over 35 years the University District Street Fair has been the kick-off event for the festival season in the Seattle region. Attracting more than 50,000 people and nearly 400 craft and food booths to the District, the StreetFair is an energetic and exciting celebration of arts and crafts, community, music, and food. You'll find a whirl of color, craft, creativity and downright craziness! Join the thousands of people who attend. There will be two great music stages, a special children's area with age appropriate events, a live theatre stage, and a wonderful medley of street performers. Unique local and regional arts & crafts and an array of international food will delight you. The Street Fair is a free event, located in the heart of the University District on University Way NE, and is produced by the Greater University Chamber of Commerce."

I've caught up with most of the order rush that always happens right after a newsletter goes out. Just a few more to finish up today, what a relief. And there's a bunch of loose ends to take care of -- getting everything ready for tomorrow's show. Quite a bit of buzzing around, getting the tent stuffed into the car, etc. It's already quite a bit cooler today, what a shame. But it was certainly nice to have a little spot of July in the middle of May, a little unexpected surprise.

Just found this incredibly beautiful panorama of Paris at night via Alicia at Posie (which is making the rounds now). It's simply gorgeous. Be sure to scroll across the bottom to get the full 360 degree view. Click on Paris!

Tacoma Market Opens

Hooray! Thursday morning (tomorrow), the Tacoma Farmer's Market opens for the season. This is my 9th straight year participating in the Tacoma Market, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what we've got in store this year.

Business Deets: The Tacoma Market is located right downtown on Broadway, between 9th & 11th streets, next to the Pantages Theatre and that little park area, one block down from Antique Row. It's largely a lunch hour market for the downtown office folks, but plenty of tourists and locals stop by too. If you don't like huge crowds, come earlier in the morning! We open at 10am and close at 3pm, every Thursday, from May 18 - August 31. The market continues in a little smaller capacity through September to October 19th, closing an hour earlier on those Thursdays at 2pm. Oh, and my little booth? is located in the usual spot. I've got a colorful striped market umbrella (instead of a boring white tent), propped up right in front of "Pastrami's Deli". It's about mid-block, in front of the Rhodes Building, across from the grassy section. If you see Mike's 'Gig Harbor Rose Farm' sprawled out at the bottom of the stairs to the grassy park - I'm directly across from him.

Marketing Blurble: This is really a fun market to visit because not only is there a wide choice of farmers and handcrafters, there is also musical entertainment each week. We've got a huge variety of lunch food tents, entertainment up on the grass, a wonderful array of fruits, vegetables, fresh-cut flowers, plant growers, master gardeners and public service folks, plus a pretty classy bunch of artist type folks too (like me!). We've had steel drum bands, jazz combos, classical stuff, folk music, even tap dancers and Kodo drummers. It's always a party and a fun way to squish a little summer fun into the middle of the day, in the middle of the week, on an otherwise boring day at the office ;)

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I received the most flattering telephone call a week ago. It seems there is an opening for a soapmaker to participate in the Artists in Action demonstration and sale at The Puyallup Fair in September, and I was the first person on their list to fill the spot. It's really quite an honor -- and I couldn't believe they had known about me for years and were just waiting for an open space to have me join them. It's quite a big undertaking, mostly because it lasts through 3 weekends, and is such a large public event. So I'll have to be extra diligent in getting enough inventory ready. But I'm quite thrilled to be a part of this long-standing show. Dates: September 8 through 24, 2006. Hours: Sun -Thurs 10am - 10pm, Fri & Sat 10am - 11pm.

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And finally, the 'Tag - 5 Things' meme:

I was tagged a little while back for the 5 Things meme, but I hadn't quite gotten to it yet. Anyway, here goes...

1. Five minutes to yourself: how would you spend them, ideally?

Sitting on my favorite cushioned chair in the back garden, soaking in the sun and watching the clouds float by overhead

2. Five bucks to spend right now: how would you spend it?

A really decadent chocolate bar or a couple of exotic truffles

3. Five items in your house you could part with, right now, that you hadn't thought of already?

I'm ready to purge the closet again and get rid of some old clothes and beat up flip flops.

4. Five items you absolutely, positively could never part with in your house?

My computer (duh), all my photo albums and loose photos still unorganized (several year's worth, sigh) -- though I'm sure if I got around to organizing them there would be a big pile of tossers, my vintage Christmas ornaments and decorations, some antique jewelry, china and linens I've inherited, scads of dishes I've collected. Hmm, sounds like I've got quite a lot more keepers than tossers in these last two questions :)

5. Five words you love?

Stupendous, Excellent, Lollapalooza, Hullabaloo, Adore

Art School Confidential

"Don't have unrealistic expectations. Only one student out of a hundred will find work in his chosen field," intones a teacher played by John Malkovich. "The rest of you are essentially wasting your time learning a useless 'hobby'." This is a line from the new film, Art School Confidential.

The other morning, I caught NPR's interview with Daniel Clowes, the screenwriter of Art School Confidential, which explores art school and the whole concept of making your living as an artist -- as he put it, "the emotional landscape of being an artist, with all its pitfalls." Daniel Clowes is a comic and screenwriter, so his picture of being a commercially successful artist is slightly different than others, but there are striking similarities too. Listening to him talk about himself and his work, I couldn't help but find myself drawn into the discussion.

For the record, I don't consider myself a commercial artist. If pressed, I guess I would call myself an artisan -- meaning I have perfected a craft, and I replicate and produce goods using this method. I don't create one-of-a-kind pieces which portray my personal vision in a given medium. Yet the thought process for imagining my products follows a similar creative path. This company is my own personal vision and reflection. So in a slightly larger, broader sense, the shoe fits.

The way in which I sell my goods puts me in the same commercial arts shows and festivals as fine arts artists. We all set up together under the same tents and market our little handmade labors of love to the public. While some artists are searching for the right galleries, others are searching for the right retail outlets. All of us are trying to utilize the latest tools and trends (i.e., internet, technology) as a way to make our work financially successful and commercially viable. It's a tightrope, and often scary.

Another little audio clip from the film: "What do artists think about? ..... he lives only for that narcotic moment of creative bliss!" I laughed out loud at this. Because while it's completely ridiculous and stereotypical absurd, it's absolutely true in some sense. When it comes right down to the very source, the one little gizmo that holds this whole ship together? it is truly that moment when the sparks begin to fly, the little gears spin wildly and new ideas are born. The times when I'm totally bogged down by paperwork, exhaustion, business issues, day-to-day aggravations, if I can put all that aside and get back to the moment of coming up with a new idea -- new fragrance, new packaging idea, new product altogether, some big thing to change or do differently? That's where the joy lies, and I remember why I am still doing this ten years later.

When asked what he really thinks about, Daniel Clowes talked about how he obsesses over "the purity of what I'm doing. Am I guided by principles that lead me to do only my most personal distinctive work? Or am I making changes, that perhaps I'm not even aware of, that are designed to appeal to a marketplace or an audience?"

He's articulated a very important point for a lot of us, I think. The distinction for me, however, is that by design I really need to appeal to an audience and marketplace. But while I draw my line in the sand a little differently than some artists, I am still very much fighting the tug of war between doing what I think best represents me and my own viewpoint, and just doing what I think the marketplace wants me to do. I think when you sell something, anything, you are creating a vision that people relate to themselves. To me, it makes more sense to choose an audience that follows your own aesthetic, style and ethics, rather than trying to appeal to a completely unfamiliar marketplace. And since I have chosen to keep this business very small and intimate, I also do not need to attempt to appeal to the broad-based general public. While I don't want to limit myself too much, I also don't need to market myself as the next Wal-Mart or Costco either.

So, 10 years into this thing -- I actually am the '1 out of 100' who are making a living from my so-called art. This is not what I went to school for. Or what I dreamed of when I was younger. It just sort of popped up suddenly, and has evolved into this "what I do for a living" business. I am much more drawn to the 'artist' mindset than I am the entrepreneurial businessman mindset. So I'm very much looking forward to seeing this film and having a few laughs over the lampooning of art as business.

The interview is on NPR's website -- where you can listen to the actual interview and find out more.

Thank you!

What a beautiful weekend! Perfect weather for the first little cookout on the patio with Mom.

From my overflowing little in-box this morning, it seems the Summer Newsletter has indeed arrived. I also received one of the nicest little notes about my products, from a long-time loyal customer. It truly brightened my day. In fact, I had to share it right away with my familly. And what the heck, it's worth posting here too, because it's so good. (Hope you don't mind, N.R.!) Here's what she wrote to me:

"Heidi, I so enjoy your products! I don't know how many years I've been using them, but it's been quite a while. I want to tell you a couple of little stories.

A while back, I gave a co-worker a bar of your soap for her birthday. She came in the next week, so excited! She said she had given up using bar soap years ago because she found it so drying but when she took her shower that morning, she had taken off the wrapper of your soap, and used it. She couldn't believe how it made her skin feel! She said when she got out of the shower, she dug the wrapper out of the garbage, read it and found it had olive oil. She was so delighted that I made a copy of your flyer and brought it to her.

Story number two: I get a massage every two weeks. I started about 11-12 years ago as the practice-dummy for my dear friend who was attending massage school. It felt so good, that I've kept it up! She always comments on what nice skin I have and I work hard to accept that compliment because as I get older (almost 64 years old now), I'm getting age spots and little dry bumps, etc. About six weeks ago, she commented that my skin was so dry and asked if I had changed soap? I thought for a moment and said that I had changed soaps in the shower -- that I was using a free sample of the new Dove Moisturizing bar that I had received in the mail.

She said, "Well, go back to what you were using, because it was better for your skin." Then, I remembered what my co-worker had said (I have to admit that I have never really looked at the ingredients of your soap) about the olive oil. I went home, and tossed the Dove and put a new "Breakfast Soap" in the shower. I also mailed her a bar from the stash I keep on hand, along with a copy of your flyer. She's going to order some for her daughter, who has dry skin. Yesterday, I went for my massage and she immediately commented that my skin was back to "normal"!! So, Heidi -- thanks!"

It's just the nicest feeling to know that my hard efforts are noticed and appreciated. That one sweet little note of encouragement will certainly help me through what looks to be a pretty busy week. Happy Monday! The forecast is sunny, extra toasty and another stunner. Sounds like I need to take a little lunch break out in the garden at some point :)

TGIF

Yay! My Cath Kidston book finally arrived. It's her latest, called In Print, and it's all about darling little projects for your home using vintage fabrics. I am crazy in love with vintage tablecloths, wallpaper -- any kind of textile or design. So I've been anxiously waiting for this. I pre-ordered it a while back, seems like months, but probably only a few weeks. And it finally arrived on my doorstep. Ok, a few days ago, really. And I finally got a chance to flip through it today.

Whee! It's so cute. I probably will not make a single one of these projects . . . doorstops? fabric covered matchboxes? lampshades? But just looking at the pictures makes me happy, and inspires new ideas. So fun! I've taken a few pictures just to give you an idea of how truly gorgeous it is -- from antique lace stuff, to the sweetest little ironing board table made out of a flea market find. If only I actually had a laundry room, instead of a corner of the basement, sigh. Oh well. A gal can dream.







After all day yesterday, rushing around and tying up loose ends, I was just contemplating my so-called method on getting stuffs done this week. And decided that there is more madness to my method, than method to my madness. For instance, spending more time on the marketing and announcing of items, than actually getting the items ready for sale. It's all upside down, right? Don't folks usually get all their little items cooked up and ready to sell, and then take the show on the road? Hmm. I'll have to work on that a little better next time. But for now, it's one big race to the finish line, doing it all at once, at breakneck speed. Yahoo and Giddyap, I say.

Summer Newsletter Arrives

Whew! (Runs in panting and flushed.) Little flurry of activity around here this week -- getting the Summer Newsletter back from the printer, stuffed, and trotted over to the Post Office. It's headed out today, and should be in mailboxes during the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled.

In addition, the web site has been updated with the latest -- groovy new layout, new products, new descriptions, updated calendar, links checked and re-checked, etc. I'm hoping to get the last couple of photos up by tomorrow, but everything else is there. And the fun new summer products are all stocked on the shelves and ready to go . . . erm, maybe.

Ok, I'm getting ahead of myself. That was the plan, but the reality is I'm still working on some last minute orders today, and the sprays don't quite have labels on them, the soaps are stacked in their little boxes awaiting packaging too. But I'm working late tonight, and getting bits and pieces done as quickly as I can. Hey, the lip balms are done! It's all coming together, and by next week when the Tacoma Farmer's Market starts on Thursday, and the U District Festival happens on the weekend, Summer will have officially arrived. It's a process, and it's moving along. But I'm so excited to be gearing up for the next few months of outdoor shows, markets and just plain summer fun.

Oh, and all the spring soaps are still in stock. So is the Lilac Garden spray is you're still wanting to try that out. And the Lemon Sugar Body Scrub? I've got that too. I won't be bringing the scrub to shows this summer, because I've noticed that when it's outdoors in the warm air and hot sun that it tends to separate a little bit. So to keep the jars as clean and pristine as possible, with all its lemony lusciousness, it's a mail-order item only. Or if you know you are going to be seeing me at a show or market and want to call ahead so that I can bring it -- that would work out just fine too. I'm all about customer service and making it easy :)

Maltby Spring Show

That's where I'm at this week. In fact, it starts today as I am writing this. It's a craft, antique and garden show held May 9-13 indoors at the Maltby Community Club. Plus an one-day outdoor garden fair just outside in the parking lot and grass on Saturday, May 13. I'll be set up indoors all week, towards the back of this charming little building. It's small, and we are cozily packed together, displaying lots of cute Mother's Day and Easter things for gift giving and decorating.

Where: Maltby Community Club, 8711 - 206th Street SE, Maltby. And the Maltby Cafe is a great place to stop for lunch if you're making a day of it.

Dates: May 9-13
Hours: Wed - Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm

Link: Starving Housewives

Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without words
And never stops - at all.

Emily Dickenson

Under cloudy skies

A bit cloudy and cool at the Secret Garden sale today - perfect weather to putter around the displays and find buried treasure. Crowds were a little smaller than expected, so there are some great finds waiting for their moment.

If you need an old, beat up bike with a basket of blooms, there are quite a few. Or a rusty old wheelbarrow filled with posies. Pots, whiskey barrels, old buckets . . . containers galore for that rustic garden theme. Vintage patio furniture. Handmade dolls. Container starter plants. Free cookies and coffee. I've met some really fun and fabulous gals. And we are all doing the chicken bone voodoo tonight, to ward off the stupid weather forecast of rain tomorrow. Crossing my fingers . . . .

Our Secret Garden

Our Secret Garden is the name of the show I'm in this weekend. I had really wanted to take my camera out there yesterday while we were setting up so I could post these last night before the show started today, but I ran out of the house without the darn thing which was sitting in the middle of the dining room table. Oh well, here it is today, in the same glorious sunshine.

It's a fantastic antiques, flea market and garden stuff show in Rochester. Which is 75 miles south of Seattle, or about 10 minutes south of Olympia, just off I-5 in a pretty as a picture garden and property. It was so hard not to spend every penny I made today on beautiful rusty, chipped paint, vintage-y stuff -- which I love. But at the moment, I have no room for any of it. I'm pining for the old picnic round picnic tables, ancient Adirondack chairs, a million posy planted pots, wheelbarrows and window frames boxes. And if you are too -- come on down this weekend.

Hours are 10-5 Saturday and Sunday. If you're doing Mapquest or Google Maps, the address is 18431 Elderberry St, Rochester. From I-5, take exit #88, head west 1 block to Elderberry St. Turn right on Elderberry. Go about half a mile to the "T" and turn left onto 193rd. Go half a block (to where the pavement turns to gravel) and turn right again on Elderberry. It's not quite a mile down the road on the left. You'll see all the charming tents lined up along the road. And fields to park your car. A day in the country hunting for flea market treasure. I can't think of anything I'd rather do!

Little Things

I've got a pretty big day ahead. And when I woke up to such a gorgeous morning, with the promise of an even more beautiful day, I was disappointed that I had to spend so much time working toay. And in the basement at that, with just a little window overlooking a large overgrown rhubarb plant. I'm not knocking the rhubarb -- it's given me some incredibly delicious little treats this month. But it's not that pretty, and it's at ground level, with a drab, dinkyl view of the othrwise great outdoors.

So I stood at the back door, looking out at my little patch of garden with my morning cup, and stared longingly at the blue sky and the ginormous lilac bush which is right now in full bloom. It's got more blossoms than I ever remember, and it's absolutely stunning. So here's a picture of my garden and a moment in my shoes.

Next I rumbled downstairs to the office and computer. I have a couple of calendars to keep me straight. The working one has dates and events scrawled all over them, and are more functional than beautiful. But I also have one that I buy each year just to look cute on the desk. It's called "Magic Spectacles" and all the sweet little illustrations are taken from the Book and Ephemera Collection of the Green Tiger Press. Mostly they are darling illustrations from old vintage children's books and postcards, little poems and sayings, and it never fails to make me smile.

Each month has a theme -- A January of Parties, A June of Playing Games, An August of Picture Books, A September of Lanterns, A November of Fireplaces. I had forgetten to turn the page for May until today, and it's a May of Balloons. How fun!

Sometimes it's just the little things that perk up a day . . .

Raspberry Soda Lip Balm

Today was Lip Balm Lollapalooza Day once again. And trying to get some last minutes things finished before the show this weekend. And tying up loose ends for the summer newsletter which I still haven't quite polished up as of this afternoon. It needs to be at the printer by Thursday morning, so it can be in production all weekend, stuffed and rushed to the post office next week. Anyhooooo. Today was "make a bazillion lip balms" once again.

And I had it in my head that I wanted at least one more new flavor to announce for summer. For those in the know, I've already started making the "Cupcake" flavor lip balm, and taken in to a few shows this spring. I cooked it up too late for the spring newsie letter, but I'll give it a debutante party in the summer letter. I just wanted another pretty little partner for it, and something new and delicious to have ready for all the festivals.

So, TA DA! It's "Rasberry Soda"! Stupendous. Tremendous. Think raspberries and cream, kinda fruity and creamy and almost fizzy. Lip lickingly sweet. Mouth wateringly fruity. Swooningly creamy and sweet. I'm taking it with me this weekend. But it won't be up on the web site for purchase until next week when the whole site gets updated for summer. I've just got too much on my hands the next few days to do it. But it will all be there next week -- the beach scenes, the updated "what's new", the whole shebang. I'm spinning like a top at the moment pulling it all together at the same time as this little flurry of May shows is on the horizon. *insert groan* I know I should have planned it all out earlier and worked ahead. Yes, I do know this. :)

Snapshot

Sometimes it's hard to come up with a little journal entry. And I get a little anxious about how much I should share, am I sharing too much, is this vulnerability good or bad, does anyone even care, will they think I am weird? dumb? or even worse, boring?

But then I realize it's not really about me, as much as just a little snapshot of somebody else's life and brain. We are all voyeurs to some extent. That's why we read, watch movies or television, or get hooked on reading blogs. We are just curious about what other people are doing, thinking, feeling. It's human nature. I like peeping into other people's heads as much as the next guy -- and I'm not really making judgements or comparisons, as much as just enjoying the view. It's not such a big deal.

And with all the incessant rambling, rumbling that goes on in my head, it's not too hard to type a few of those tidbits out. It's just the editing that's a little tricky :)

Thoughts for today . . . in no particular order:

I really need to work on my tendency to procrastinate.

Patricia Wexler makes the best skincare line I have ever, ever tried. (And I intend to do a longer post about that soon)

There is absolutly no comparison between fresh, handmade tortillas (carried on the plane directly to me, still warm, from the Southwest) and the gummy grocery store tortillas. I need to find a local place that has better tortillas. Help me out if you know a source?

Mondays are my least favorite day of the week.

A freshly cleaned house is such a wonderful thing.

Sunny Day

Oh, it's so beautiful again today! I'm racing through my work this morning, in an effort to head out into the sunshine later and soak it in.

Housekeeping notes: I've added a whole bunch of new shows to the calendar for summer and fall. Things are starting to fall into place. I'll be at Taste of Tacoma's "Art a La Carte" art and craft show in July. I haven't done that one for a few years, but for those folks in the south end, try to catch me here because I will NOT be at Gig Harbor's art show this year. I'm going to return to West Seattle's Junction Fest on that weekend in July instead. Big stuff to look forward to in May -- The Spring Gathering in Rochester, Starving Housewives' Spring Garden show in Maltby, and the U District Street Fair. I'll do a post on those details as they come up.

And the summer newsletter is in the works. I'm just dipping my toes into it -- with the deadline of getting it out just before the Tacoma Farmer's Market opens in mid-May. That is not quite falling into place yet, but it's gaining momentum :)

Can't live without today: Hummus. QFC carries the "Sabra" brand in their kosher section, and it's my absolute favorite. Drizzle of olive oil, a few flakes of greek oregano and a sprinkling of whole chickpeas on top, it's incredibly delish. I could eat a whole container with my finger in no time flat. But baby carrots are lovelier, or tortilla chips.

P.S. Happy Birthday, Dad!

Authenticity

I was reading an interview with Rosie O'Donnell the other day. In it, she was discussing the fakeness of Hollywood, what she dislikes about the whole fame situation -- a common theme for her since she sort of "retired" from the whole scene.

I had also been contemplating my own little biz at the time . . . something I spend most of my time doing actually.
Little swirls of "how can I make this little endeavor more successful"

Dancing with "how can I connect with my customers better"

Swimming around with "am I being honest and genuine about my products"

oh and lots more stuff in the whole cha, cha, cha line dance - dosey do-ing around in my brain.

For some reason, it has always seemed to me that this little business is not just a fanciful hobby, or just some little scheme to make easy money (ha! easy? No Way!), but that this soap business is more important than that. I'm not quite ready to state that it's my life's mission, or my true calling, or some high-falutin' sharing of my soul. But I keep coming back to the idea that this is meaningful work for me. And the path to so-called success, is for me to really shine within in. Feed it more of my real personality, connect with my customers in an honest way, make it a relationship -- not some faceless service. And rewards will come out of that relationship. Not just money, but satisfaction. Of course, money and profit needs to be there too, since this is my sole source of financial survival. But it seems to be all wrapped up together, and if something in the recipe is missing, the whole cake falls flat.

So, I've been working on shifting perceptions, making little changes, and trying to get into that sort of synergistic flow -- that I think was there at the beginning, and seemed to have drifted away for a while. The energy and excitement of doing what you love to do, and having others love it also. Not just toiling away at tasks to make a buck.

Oh, so back to the Rosie article -- here's her quote which made my eyebrows jump and my skin tingle . . .

"Authenticity is the only thing that people want to buy." -- Rosie O'Donnell

She's a smart cookie, and I believe her. Kind of. I mean, I think that's true in a perfect world. But we're not living in a perfect world. It's full of cheap imports, and Wal-Marts, and tough economic times, and war. People need to make decisions to buy stuff for all kinds of reasons, and desperation and budgets have a role in that. But I do believe that people are drawn to authenticity, and can spot fakes a mile away. They generally don't like to be duped, snowed, manipulated, etc. out of their hard earned cash. And they like to support things that they believe in, buy stuff that makes them feel good for reasons bigger than the instant rush of acquisition.

/end of rainbows and kittens and kumbayah songs . . .

Agog over blogs

What a pleasant surprise to find the Food section of this morning's paper headlining food blogs. I LOVE food blogs! I've visited every single one mentioned in the article, and have several of them bookmarked that I read regularly. What fun! It's one of my favorite ways to waste a few free moments, in the morning with my first cup of coffee, or at lunch when I've got a couple of extra minutes . . . or late evening when there is nothing on tv and I've got an hour to spare. I don't often actually cook the recipes, I just like to revel in the descriptions, pictures and sometimes get inspired to do new stuff with the ingredients listed. I think I read more food blogs than craft blogs or tech blogs or entertainment blogs . . . or whatever blogs.

Clearly there are blogs galore in this universe. Crickey! Their stats said that there is a new blog created every single second of every single day. And right this minute, there are 36.5 million blogs on the web. Well, probably another thousand just while I'm scribbling this. Nobody can keep up, or even read a fraction of those, even on an occassional basis. I've found myself having to sacrifice reading even my most favorite ones for a week or so, when doing a little hunting around and finding something else to pique my interest. Yesterday I was on a music blog jag.

I'm going to share some of my faves today -- it's kind of a mini-tour of my little travels around the web. I've toyed with the idea of adding huge lists of them to this very page . . . but I'm still turning that around a bit.

Two of the food blogs in this morning's paper (by Seattle writers) I think are swell are Orangette and I Heart Bacon. I also get a kick out of David Lebovitz who was the pastry chef at Chez Panisse with Alice Waters in Berkeley, and is now living and writing from Paris. And another expat in Paris Oswego Tea has lovely photos, stories and great food. The Traveler's Lunchbox also combines travel with food, great stories and really interesting dishes. Delicious Days writes from Munich, and every recipe I've tried from her has been truly delicious. The Scent of Green Bananas writes from Guam, and has gorgeous desserts and a fun style. And finally Accidental Hedonist, the big Kahuna of them all, is also a Seattle woman with an amazing amount of information, links and reference stuff. You can find anything there -- including every single link to the folks mentioned in the article this morning. Naturally, she's already got it all there. She's amazing.

Seattle Bon Vivant also focuses on food, but has lots of great stuff about local restaurants and markets and places to shop, not necessarily recipe testing. Super resource!

Another insatiably curious Seattle gal, who gets huge props for her crafty type blog everywhere, is not martha. Speaking of craft blogs, a couple that I've just recently found, and haven't had enough time to really explore, but keep getting drawn back to -- Pam Garrison, who does mostly paper collage art and Hop skip jump, who makes soft sculpture toys, super cute. Once you start travelling along following the links on any of these pages, you just keep finding more and more along the back roads, until you are miles from home, with no idea what town you've arrived in, and no idea how to get home. That's what it feels like. A Sunday drive with no clear goal, just trying out a new road, winding along, taking turns and curves, happening upon a new town, then another, until it's sunset and you're lost. But supremely happy and a bit giddy from the sheer delight of the adventure.

I've just happened upon a couple of cool music blogs, or audioblogs, where a new song is posted each day for downloading. Honey, where you been so long is pre-war blues, and such a kick in the pants. Old, scratchy, vinyl from the 30's! Unfortunately, I'm having trouble getting the darn songs to play in my ITunes (if anyone knows how to save these mp3's in the new ITunes 6, please, please help me out!). Keep the Coffee Coming does not have downloadable songs, but is charming, mostly geared to folk music, with a new listenable song every day and a little rambling : ) Womenfolk is a great resource for new women artists. And finally, because I'm a huge fan of old school soul music Soul Sides posts tons of fabulous soul songs, that you just can't hear anywhere else.

Satan's Laundromat is a photo blog of New York City, when I just need a little spark of "the city that never sleeps" and A walk through Durham Township, Pennsylvania has simply beautiful photos of tranquil, serene, rural scenery.

Maybe I'll stop here. I skippy hop through a bunch of political blogs, news, techie tips, trashy entertainment . . . but I've got to save something for another day. So I'll stop here for now. If you're reading, hopefully you'll find at least something that strikes your fancy in this list. If nothing else, just the amusement of what this supreme dork does with her free time should give you a chuckle:)

Chugging along

Just a quickie -- I'm still trying to catch up after the show. Yesterday was my so-called "day off". I could take a little time for myself . . . just as soon as I finished unloading the car, unpacking everything, doing inventory, money stuff and processing credit cards slips, laundry, hosing the tent sides, washing the car, grocery shopping, weeding through my pile of mail, email and phone messages, and then just a smidge of gardening too because overnight a jungle has taken over.

Well, as you may guess, I not only didn't get it all done early so I could sit in the glorious sunshine with a book or take a nap. I am still wading through my desk pile this morning. With yet a whole new list of stuff that really, really has to be done today, no excuses. And again, it's another sparkling and glorious morning, and all I really want to do is just sit out there in it, admiring all the new posies, and the fluffy little clouds, -- instead of inside this messy little office, plugging along.

But it was a great weekend over all. And really fun to see a bunch of familiar folks, old customers and friends, watch the parade of kids, dogs, grandmas and ice cream cones go by. We were lucky to have such spectacular weather. And the synchronicity of actually having the tulips in bloom at the same time? That almost never happens. Ok, onward with the grind. Tally ho.

Peanut Gallery

There's no business . . .
Like SHOW business . . .
Like no business I know . . .

If any of you work in retail, this will not be new to you. Or just work with the public in general, in any capacity. Key word: the public. People. Nuts.

Assorted comments heard from said public during the last coupla days (yes, at my booth, where I sell soap):

"What is that? A washcloth? What do you do with that?"

"Are you selling cheese?"

"Is this a spice shop?"

"What are these for? What do you do with these?"

"I'm tired of lavender -- everything is lavender."

"Is that all you have? Lavender?"

"That would make a great drink -- with a shot of tequila."

"Oh My GOD -- that blew my head open, like disinfectant!"

"Do you know where I can find that thing to put hot rollers in? I got one before -- it's teflon."

"Where do you use this 'foot balm'?"

And the ubiquitous -- "Breakfast soap? Does it smell like bacon and eggs?"

There are a million more. Some really sweet and adorable. Many very complimentary. Some just more random. But my feet are swollen stumps. My face is chapped. The slice of bacon and a stale roll I had for dinner is starting to repeat. What? The fridge is SAD, y'all!

I sold out of almost everything today and have so much to do before I leave tomorrow. And right now? I must collapse. Dead. And hope that I can wake up early enough to be productive at the crack of dawn, or before that, while the birds are still dreaming of worms -- or I'll be selling my tablecloths and hot air tomorrow.

A Hinkie of Fate

Re: The Tulip Festival street fair.

I got moved due to some CRAZY shenanigans involving a U-Haul truck on Friday morning. I'm just two booths down -- at the very intersection of Myrtle -- still in front of Draft Pic's but right on the corner -- beeeeyoooooteeeefuuuuul spot. So I win and it's all good and the weather is supposed to be postcard perfect. Hope to see some friendly faces there!

Ok, I'm sure the U-Haul truck would be a great story to tell. But it would make the guys who parked that freakin' gigantic rig right on top of two vendor's spots, left it over night, didn't show up the next morning, etc. look kind of dumb. And really, in retrospect, I guess it was just a miscommunication. And the fact that they had to drive over two sidewalks, three curbs, scrape the side of a mini-van, and take out a large number of branches from a small tree -- not to mention the inconvenience of a very panicky group of people who actually belonged to that spot, ran the show, etc. . . . . well, they certainly were very apologetic, if still unclear on the concept. I hope they do well this weekend, wherever they may be :)

Tiptoe through the tulips

This weekend is the Mt Vernon Tulip Festival Street Fair. The fields of the Skagit Valley are in full bloom right now -- rows upon rows of fabulous colors, varieties and blooms. If you've never seen it, or haven't seen it in a while, it's a great time to go. The weather is supposed to be spectacular this weekend too -- sunny, warm and perfect for an outing!

The street fair is planted right in the middle of downtown Mt. Vernon. Hundreds of artists will have their tents up for the first time this year with lots of fabulous stuff. The festival is Friday through Sunday (Apr 21-23), 10am-6pm on Fri and Sat, and 10am-5pm on Sunday. We are stretched up and down Main Street, and my booth location is the same one I've had for years now -- right in front of Draft Pics bar near the corner of Myrtle.

Here's the link to the Tulip Festival website for details about all the events happening during this month of the festival, including details about this weekend's street fair.

It's always a little hectic trying to get ready for the first big show . . . did I remember the bungees? the cash box? the shopping bags? So many pieces to pack up. Today is moving the mountain of stuff to the car day. And double checking everything. And getting all the last minute stuff done. Chop chop!

New Life

I love to celebrate holidays, especially if they involve feasting and presents (and chocolate!). So we have a big champagne brunch planned this weekend. I'm stuffing little baskets full of treats for everyone too. And decorating the house with baskets, bowls and nests of eggs -- all kinds of cool eggs, from hand painted wooden ones, to ethereal glass ones, to pretty little wax ones, to real eggshells in gorgeous shades of light blues and greens, and tiny little brown speckled quail eggs too.

While I do not celebrate the Christian part of the holiday, I am very fond of the symbolism of new life and new beginnings, which is both the older and more universal underpinnings for this particular festivity. The return of dazzling sunlight, the return of warm weather, and the returning life of plants, trees and gardens are truly something to celebrate after a long, dreary winter. It's finally happening this week! Funny how it all came together at once -- the daylight savings time, the flowering trees all blooming at once, the temperatures finally hitting 60 degrees. I've gotten outside to dig in the dirt, plop a few posies in my pots, cut the lawn and tidy up my little backyard sanctuary. I find myself staring out the back door at my little square foot of patio every time I walk in the kitchen -- or just stare in wonderment out the front windows at the amazing cherry and apple trees that have exploded like fireworks in gorgeous pink blossoms, little petals gently swirling to the ground like happy snowflakes. I can't get enough of it, feeling restless, distracted, energized, ready for more.

Asparagus, strawberries, baked ham, roasted lamb, carrots, rhubarb, shrimp & grits, artichokes, smoked salmon, a bevy of cakes and desserts, peach bellinis, the whole coffee bar, Mexican hot chocolate, and fresh eggs from backyard chickens -- our little army of friends and family are in for an amazing treat! Gotta get cookin' --

Resistance

I'm in complete rebel mode today. I don't want to do anything I have to do. Not work, not chores -- no grocery shopping, no orders, no making soap, no nothing. It's not that I have a terribly busy day planned, but for some reason, none of it sounds appealing. In fact, I'm a little angry and frustrated that I have to do anything at all. Why is that? I don't know.

I have a fairly light week, anyway. And if I was motivated, I could really get ahead on some things, be really productive, or get some long standing projects out of the way. Or I could blow it all off and spend some quality time on fun stuff. And I can't even come up with that might be. I tried shopping the other morning -- spring clothes, Easter stuff, and what not. And after about a half hour in the stores, found it all rather boring and left. Just gave up on the whole thing and drove home.

Maybe it's just an off day. I'll start with something easy and small, and see if that doesn't move me into doing the next little task. If not, I'll just shove myself head first into the biggest and most important thing, with the dangling carrot that if I just get the one big thing done, I can take a few hours off to myself. See how that goes. At least by that point I will have accomplished a couple of priority items on the list and don't have to beat myself up with guilt for the rest of the day. Maybe?

Open your eyes

We are so small we can barely be seen.

How can this great love be inside us?

Look at our eyes.


They are small, but they see wondrous things. -- Rumi

Look upward
where the white gull screams,

What does it see that we do not see?

Is that a star? or the lamp that gleams

On some outward voyaging argosy -

Aha! can it be

We have lived our lives
in a land of dreams

-- Oscar Wilde

No Animal Testing

After last week's little flurry of shows, I've unpacked, taken inventory and am having a morning of re-grouping and taking stock . . . sort of figuring out which of the new scents and new products worked or didn't work. This is a necessary step, and after doing about five shows this year, and having a few months of mail orders to look back on, I can get a pretty good idea which items were flops.

And today it doesn't look that good. The vintage hankie sachets are going nowhere. A couple of the new spring soaps are a bust. The lemon sugar body scrub -- zilcho, and they seem to be breaking up a little bit, separating ingredients now that they have travelled around a bit, and when opened up for customers to smell, are leaking at the top, ruining labels and oozing sticky sugary goo everywhere in the bins. New jars? Re-mix the base? Sale time? It just smells so delish , and it made my skin really soft too. Back to the kitchen on this one.

Now, some of this stuff I test out and some I rush into madly with huge hopes that they will work out. Usually it's just time crunches and deadlines that just don't allow me to make things far enough in advance to test fanatically. And glitches in packaging sometimes don't show up anyway, until they've ventured out for a couple of months to shows (shlepping back and forth to the car, bouncing down the highway, sitting in the warm sun or cold rain) and travelled cross country in a box handled by gorillas.

My absolute favorite soap this time around is the Candied Ginger. I love it to death. Nobody else on earth does, it seems. Which is really dampening my spirits this morning. It's petty, I know. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes, and though I try to do a big variety so that most people will find something they are attracted to, there will be people who only like one or two, or don't like anything. Some will be huge hits, some just have a little cult following, and sometimes one of my personal faves doesn't become the next big thing. Imagine that. When I test these scents on family and friends, I usually get a gamut of opinions too, and I just have to follow my gut instinct. This morning, I am telling myself that I STILL have to follow my gut instinct, because after all, it's gotten me ten years of fairly successful business, hasn't it? Even if nobody likes the darn ginger soap? Or the hankies aren't as cute as I thought they were? Not everyone is going to have the exact same taste as me. But I'm just hoping I haven't really begun to lose it either. All in all, it was a pretty darn successful week and sales were up, so I'll have to let the pouting go, and get back to work :)

It's Raining?!?

Dude! Fo' shizzle -- this drizzle is the fizzle. We've had such a bonanza of sunshine all week that I guess I just expected we'd have more of it over the weekend. What a fool believes.

Whilst zipping around to my shows this week, I darted into the plant store and snatched a few plantlings to stuff in my pots -- for the front steps, the back patio and the hanging ones outside the bedroom windows. Just to add a little color to the large expanse of green out there before Easter comes. Because we always have a huge champagne Easter feast at my place, and I want it to resemble a little bit of Spring, instead of the tundra. It's hard to celebrate the return of life without . . . well, life.

So I woke up to rain. A stop in the action while I breakfasted, then more rain while I ran out to restock the Pickering Barn show. My little plantlings are enjoying the water, I guess. But I'm a weenie, and don't relish heading outside in the rain to dig in the dirt. So I will console myself with indoor tasks, poo.

This year, like every other year, I have (extravagantly grandiose) landscape plans for the yard. Oh yeah, pathways, retaining walls, tearing out ratty bushes, installing lovely flowering trees, etc. But on my little scrooge-ie budget, I am resigned to just move a little bit of stuff around, shove in a few annual posies, a tomato plant or two. I'm still scheming grand, tremendous, stupendous things for the outside of my little casa. But first we need at least one darn weekend day with sunshine so I can at least mow the lawn!!!

Spring Cleaning

I've gotten a little stir crazy with all the glorious sunshine the last few days -- and woke up with a mission to Spring Clean my entire office and work area. It's a big project y'all! Pulling out all the boxes of supplies, dusting and vaccuming out all the accumulated little mounds of cat hair, dust bunnies and assorted flotsam. Mopping the stairs and floors, hosing off the floor mats. More vaccuming -- all the little floatie webs in the corners. Actually moving the desk piles, cleaning the printer and computer equipment. It's astounding how fresh and clean it all is. And it's astounding how much extra inventory I've dredged up -- a couple dozen tins, jars, bottles, sacks, boxes etc -- all left over from some kind of seasonal something or other from years past. So I need to come up with some new ideas for all these little items, or figure out how to get them up on Ebay, or just plain toss the stinky bits that are long past their prime. Maybe I'll have a little sale on the web site of extra stuff. Anyway, I'm collecting it all now, making a list, and trying to match things up. So don't be surprised to see some odd new item at a show in the next couple of months -- I'll probably only have a few, and they'll be priced to go, go, GO! Hmm, I'm thinking lavender linen water, heavenly bath salts, little tubes of fragrant tea leaves.

Whee! Today's cleaning is actually fun. And I never thought I'd say that.

More Craft Shows!

Couple more spring craft shows happening this week -- Top Notch in Enumclaw and Pickering Barn in Issaquah. Here are the details, in case you have time to come on over and check it out. You'll be able to find lots of Easter goodies, spring crafts, gourmet foods and just plain cool stuff.

Top Notch Craft Show
VFW Hall
44426 - 244th SE, Enumclaw
Apr 6-8, Thurs - Sat, 10am-7pm

Pickering Barn Craft Show
Pickering Barn, behind Costco at Pickering Place
Apr 6-8, Thurs - Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm

As usual, I've put off truly getting ready til the very last minute. My to-do list for today is ridiculously long -- packaging, labelling, price tagging, making great piles of display items in the dining room, awaiting the morning for shlepping to the car. Oh, and if I can squeeze it in, making another batch of soap too, since I'm perenially behind on that too. And place a couple of supply orders, get that order to the post office, blah, blah, blah. Why am I still sitting here in front of my computer?

Tomorrow is set-up day for both of them, and I'll be racing the highways getting everything in place. I hope the sun pops out a bit. It's been amazing watching my little garden explode this past week. It was just a few daffodils and some little noses peeking out of the ground, and almost overnight there are blooming trees, tall stalks, green stuff and of course a bazillion weeds. I'm still crossing my fingers that the fuschia plant (which had turned in to a rather large bush in the span of a year) will take hold in it's new place. I moved it Sunday to more spacious digs, and it's decided to curl up and droop precariously. I might have killed it. Which would be disappointing, but the prospect of having to shop for new plants is quite nice too. Cheerio -- I'm off to work zealously.

Serendipity

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and spendid plans: That the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur that would never otherwise have occured. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no (human) could have dreamed would come his way." - Goethe