Back in the saddle

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

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





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

Sand in my toes

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

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

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

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

Singing Moon

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

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

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

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

Birds are Gathering

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

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

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

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

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

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

News Bites

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What's up with the snow?

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

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

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

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

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

Lord Hill Farm

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

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

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

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

Link to the show web site: Country Crafts

Stop for the Posies

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

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

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

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

Curly Fries

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

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

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

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

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

Alphabet Soup

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

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

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

Cosmos

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

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

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

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

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

Puyallup Fair

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

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

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

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

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

Autumn Newsletter

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

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

Dear Friends,

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

AUTUMN SEASONAL SOAPS

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

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

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

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


AUTUMN AROMATIC SPRAYS

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

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

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

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

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

PUMPKIN PIE LIP BALM

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


BATH ACCESSORIES

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

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

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

A toast to the seasons!

Labor Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

Percival Landing

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

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

Harbor Days

This weekend is the Harbor Days Arts & Crafts Fair in Olympia. This is a brand new show to me, so I can't give a personal description of the show. But here's what they say:

33 Years of Tugboats and Maritime Heritage celebrated on the beautiful Olympia, Washington waterfront.

Ahoy! Welcome to Olympia Harbor Days! If you are a tugboat enthusiast, a history buff, an arts & crafts lover, or simply someone in search of lots of fun, mark your calendar for September 1, 2 & 3, 2006.

Harbor Days is an annual festival where tugboats return to the southernmost tip of Puget Sound for three days of entertainment, food, art, history, and a last farewell to the summer. Vintage, working and retired tugboats are moored at Olympia's Percival Landing. Many of them are open for tour on Saturday of the festival. Be on hand at noon Sunday as the tugs leave shore to participate in the Annual Harbor Days Tugboat Races, out in the deep channel of the bay.

Extra attractions include a children's area, model tugboats, and the Lady Washington (star of the Pirates of the Caribbean) & her crew.

Hope you can join us and experience the South Sound's classiest event...with a little something for everyone in the family!

Dates: September 1, 2 and 3
Hours: Friday 5pm-8pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am-7pm
Location: Olympia's waterfront, Percival Landing along Water Street
Booth Space: #39, right along the tugboat landing, a few booths in from the corner of Water and State streets

Link: Harbor Days Yay for tugboat races!

A Saturday in the Country

Wow, the weather has really turned today. After a run of such glorious, warm days with dazzlingly bright blue skies, the chilly grey stuff is a bit disappointing. We truly are headed into fall, and I guess I'm not quite ready to give up summer. Mostly it's just that fall turns into the holidays so fast, and like a snowball headed down the mountain, everything just picks up speed so quickly and you get caught up in that avalanche of go-go-go activities. Before you know it, it's Christmas. And I'm usually so overworked, overstressed and zombie-like by that point -- without even realizing what hit me. Hmm, can't think about that today. It's just a couple of days of cooler weather. And then Thursday will be back to warmer weather. For the record, I WILL be in Tacoma for the market Thursday. And it will be my last day of the season. September is the start of the Puyallup Fair. And while I sometimes can add a day or two in September at the market, this year I cannot manage it, with the huge commitment that the fair will be. So hopefully I can catch anybody who needs to stock up before the season is over.

And this weekend, for Labor Day, I'll be at Harbor Days in Olympia. Selling my wares next to the tugboats at the waterfront. I need to gather all the details for that show, which I will post tomorrow. But if you're in the area, or want to check out a little maritime fun, set aside some time Friday afternoon through Sunday for the Harbor Days show.

Craven Farm's popular antique show last Saturday was quite a pleasant day. Sales were great for some, a little slow for others, but it's brand new this year and we're figuring out how to make it work for everyone. However, the day itself was so very beautiful. The hot air balloons gracefully floating overhead in the morning. A raucous air show, with little bi-planes doing loop-di-loops, figure 8's, and formations in the afternoon. I'm not sure if they were scheduled to entertain the gigantic soccer tournament nearby at one of the other farms in the valley. But it almost looked like they were there just for us. So, to stretch out a little bit of sunshine, here's a few more pics of Saturday at the farm. I tried to post them yesterday but couldn't get a connection while I had the little window at the computer.





Finally, just for closure, I feel like I need to mention that my wonderful, sweet, most beautiful cat in the world, lost her battle on Sunday. We are completely heartbroken and missing her terribly. Took the day yesterday to leave the house, try to distract ourselves from the loneliness and crying, and spent a few hours outside -- at the beach watching the waves, picking at lunch, just taking in the beauty of Puget Sound. The loss of my little beloved companion will be hard to take, as everyone who has ever had a pet knows, and especially because we spent almost every minute of every day together here at the home studio. Today I am moving forward with work, and things will be ok, it just takes time.

Fresh Air Country Market

Tomorrow is the Fresh Air Country Market at Craven Farm. Sue Van Gerpen, who organizes the fabulous Country Crafts shows at Lord Hill Farm and Vasa Park, is starting this new craft and handmade goodies show with the Craven Farm folks.

This brand new outdoor show will be held in tandem with Craven Farm's famously wonderful Primitive Antique Show -- their 12th year. An admisstion will be charged at the gate ($7) which gets you into both outstanding shows at the same time. Handcrafted treasures, garden plants, reclaimed and refurbished items, antiques, furniture and more -- from country elegance to farm junk! Come enjoy a day in the country as you browse, shop and delight in a gathering of handmade collectible folkart in a festive farm setting.

Where: 12525 Old Snohomish-Monroe Road, Snohomish
(here's a link to their map)
Dates: Saturday, August 26 only
Hours: 9am - 4pm

Link: Country Craft
Link: Craven Farm

This is a super popular show -- and all the little barns and outbuildings are filled with antique vendors. The crafters and such are in tents, scattered among the trees outside. Such a lovely setting at the edge of the corn maze and pumpkin fields. Can't wait!

Yes, Tacoma Market

Yes! Yes, yes, yes. I WILL be at the market today. I have turned over the feeding of the precious cat to my sister for the day, so I can finally head out and show my face at the market after being missing in action for the last three weeks.

Hips, hips, hooray!

Oh my gawsh. I'm almost nervous. Did I remember to pack everything? Will I remember how to set up? And what to say? I feel like it's been so long, and I'm out of practice. Will I pull it all together? I'm sure it will all fall into place - just like riding a bike. Sheesh, it's been 10 years. I know how to do this. Still, little baby butterflies. I've been holed up here at the house too long, I guess.

And Saturday is the Antique Fantabulous at Craven Farm. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. But if you like antiques, collectibles, vintage bling, and garden junk . . . plus a bunch of cool artistico handmade stuff too, you won't want to miss this show. Save a few hours on Saturday to drive out to the country and hunt for treasure.

Goat Milk Soap

Yesterday I tried my hand at making goat milk soap. I was determined to not go the easy-peasy route and just add a little pinch of powdered goat milk to the regular recipe. That's kind of cheating. And I'm not convinced that it will make any noticeable difference in the feel of the soap. I wanted to go whole hog (or whole goat) and use the unpasturized, raw, whole goat milk. Fresh from the goat.

Yum. I hadn't ever really tried goat milk. Or at least that I can remember. It's tasty. Like liquid chevre cheese. Well, duh. That's what the goat cheese is made from. And I love that stuff. So why wouldn't I like the goat milk? I'm not a milk drinker. But I tasted a bit. Then decided that since I had way more than I could use for a batch of soap, I needed to do something with it. I'll just say that it makes a very nice mashed potato. A tiny bit tangy, and extra creamy, just like adding chevre to the potatoes, which I am wont to do sometimes. And it added a little extra yumminess in the boxed mac-n-cheese for lunch. I'm glad that I measured what I needed before I got started with the cooking and drinking, or I wouldn't have had much left over to soap with!

So the upshot. The soap turned out great. After all the warnings and complicated directions that I had read about, I decided to make is really simple on myself. No freezing the milk into little chunks and adding it to the lye for a mini science demonstration of Mt Vesuvius. I just added it in while I was mixing. So far it looks great. Gelled nicely, no streaks or mess, and has turned a pretty caramel color, which is exactly what is supposed to happen. Still in the molds this morning, so hopefully it won't end up too sticky to remove, or not get hard enough later. I think it might work out. I added a pretty scent of almond and lemon sugar together -- and it kind of smells like cake. It's making me hungry.

My most favorite things in the garden right now -- big, ripe clumps of juicy sweet pink grape tomatoes, and the sunny Black-Eyed Susans, gathered daintily around the feet of the towering tomato plants.

Shea butter

I'm squeezing in some more experiment soap batches here this week. Adding ingredients and switching up recipes that are different from my standard bars. I am really strongly being drawn to some of the nutrient oils and additives. Maybe because I'm getting older and when I look in the mirror nowadays, the face that looks back is more pruney than rosey. And I've noticed dry skin in places that weren't dry before. Skin creams are great and all, but a soap that does double duty as a moisturizer? -- that's the ticket!

Ok, so shea butter is not really new to me. It's lovely stuff -- super moisturizing and rich, very light and absorbent. You can use this stuff straight, right from the jar, and many people do. I use it in all of the lip balms and my foot balm too. It's purported to be incredibly elegant when added to a soap recipe. Lots of unsaponifiable fatty acids, which means lots of leftover oils in the soap bar, making it rich, creamy and nourishing. The ideal treatment for dry and mature skin.

Yesterday I made a batch with quite a big chunk of shea butter in it, scented with that beautiful essential oil blend of bergamot, rosewood, geranium and other yummy stuff -- the fragrance that I came up with last month and sold out quickly. So far, it's gelled gorgeously and looks perfect, but it's still in the molds. Can't wait to try it. I'm hoping it's fabulous beyond words and will be a regular before the year is out.

I also did a small batch of peppermint eucalyptus soap. I've wanted to do some kind of herbal/minty thing, and have been playing around with scent combos, tweaking it a bit to find something really nice. It came out really wonderfully too. Translucent light mossy green color, the transparent gel phase was perfection. Again, still in the molds, but looking good, and I'm really anxious to see how it develops. Sometimes the essential oils will change a bit, or fade a bit. But sometimes they marry into something even better as they age a little bit. Fingers crossed.

Today is goat milk soap -- supposed to be a bit messy and persnickety. And I've just caught up on my bookeeping for the last two months. Big relief. Moving along on a few other things too, now that I'm able to focus on work again. Kitty is eating a bit more. Gaining miniscule amounts of weight and strength each day. So for the first time in a couple of weeks, I am not ferreting her out every single hour to see if she's alive, or able to eat. More big relief.

Finally, that humungous moonflower that has been amazing me all summer? Just thought you might want to see what the seed pods look like, now that they are developing. I can't remember if this turns out to be one big seed thingie, or if it becomes a pack of billions of seeds. I suppose I could look it up. But the anticipation and surprise are more fun.

Zzzzzzz

The things that make you truly happy aren't things. (or so says a billboard I saw recently . . . from a bank. indeed)

Well, we're still in limbo with the cat. I can't put into words how frustrating it is to go from a good day, to a downer day, to a fabulously hopeful great day, to really scary bad day, back to a good day.

So what else, besides the pet situation, is new? It's clear that the seasons are changing. Which should be very inspiring for me, as I begin to write my fall newsletter. Which neeeds to be done this weekend, pretty much. I can string it along for maybe a day or two into next week, but there are real deadlines here, dude. If only I could string a coherent sentence together.

As I've been bustling around the yard, tidying up and staring at the sky for long minutes, it appears as if the plants are starting to take notice that the light is fading. The mornings are darker, the evenings earlier. It's been pretty darn chilly overnight, and the windows that have been wide open for months are now being shuttered up when the sun sets. Even the scent in the air is different. It should shape up to be a nice, warm, sunny weekend, full of the final hurrah summer activities before the back-to-school onslaught. But there is no mistaking that our glorious summer is making its way out the door.

Whew! I was able to get a whole paragraph in about the weather. To be honest, I am totally fried. Haven't had enough sleep in days. Schedules all mixed up. Nothing but stress, worry, house cleaning (yes, still) and furiously trying to be productive in the little hours in between all the cat care. So I've been unable to actually write (or type) out anything focused in a few days. I've tried, but really nothing would flow. So this morning I thought to give it one more go, sort of a practice run for getting to work on the other tasks at hand.

I'm re-looking at everything in the house lately too. Do you do that when the seasons change? Start staring at the furniture and the accessories and wanting to re-decorate the whole place? I spent a chunk of time yesterday morning putting away the little beach postcards, seashells, summer doo dahs that were laying around. The fireplace mantel gets updated for each season, and it's too early for the October pumpkin theme. It's even too early for the September sunflower type stuff. But I'm going ahead and starting the transition. Maybe it's a little bare for the moment. But inspiration will strike to fill up the holes. A vase of olive branches. A new string of twinkie lights that are copper colored. Greens and golds rather than blues and whites.

Chugging along.

Mid-Week

This is a photo of thousands of paper lanterns which were lit and sent out over the Andaman Sea in remembrance of the tsunami victims at the first anniversary last December. Hard to believe it was more than a year and a half ago that the tragedy happened.

And it's now the 5-year anniversary of September 11th. And the 1-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. It seems that time has passed so quickly and it was oh so long ago. Yet at the same time, it all still feels so fresh and awful. I guess we never "get over" the really bad stuff. That's about as prophetic as I can get at the moment.

The kitty is back at the vet's today, for another round of tests, because she has definitely not been cured. We had a really rough night, and nobody slept. There are no answers yet. On the brink of hopeful and great despair.

I've cancelled myself at the Tacoma Market yet again tomorrow. It's worrisome and bleak, and I need to be here for care, medicine giving, small amounts of feeding, water with a syringe. Don't know about next week -- one day at a time.

And probably everyone is sick of me talking about my cat. And why I'm not showing up for anything the past week or so. So I'll just duck out for the moment and take care of the things at hand.

No weekend show this week. No big appearances anywhere. I'm quietly working behind the scenes on the fall newsletter, the new fall products, the next show at the very end of the month, the upcoming holiday preparations, and the immediate orders and necessities. It's mostly productive. And still really clean around here.

Blooming

The kitty is recovering. Still pretty zonked out, but getting up for food and water at her usual schedule, so that's encouraging. I forgot to mention, that the giant moonflower plant that has been producing at least one, but often two or three blooms every night for half the summer, went completely dark the night we brought her into the vet. Both nights that the cat was in the hospital, and not here, the plant had no blooms whatsoever. And Sunday night, the day she came home? FIVE gigantic blooms appeared. Cool, eh?

I made a bazillion lip balms yesterday while I was tethered here. And spent a rather embarrassing amount of time surfing the internet in between flavors. Which is actually good. Ran across some other really creative soap folks and bath stuff sites. Always inspirational. Found a few new suppliers, I think. Gathering info and prices, and imagining up new ideas for either later this year, or next year. I often don't get enough time to really do that, so it's fun.

And meandering the links, also found some truly great communities of folks in the same business. Style Bakery is a fun site which highlights hip, trendy new website and products, linking to all sorts of goodies. Found lots of great stuff there.

The Switchboards is a community of other like-minded indie creative women with business, who have formed a great little network to share information, help each other out, trade links, etc. In spending just a short time there, what a wealth of great stuff -- a wonderful resource for gals just starting out, and even me, who's been doing this for quite some time. There is always something new to learn. And with the rapidly changing world, internet, and ways of doing business -- it's great to be able to tap into what other folks are doing. The energy and enthusiasm of gals just starting out, experts in areas which I may not have much experience, and just a kick in the buns when I start to get a little too complacent with the way things are.

I found a forum for fragrance reviews, which had a couple of great insights too. I tapped into a new flavor site, and want to add a couple of seasonal flavored lip balms this year. And just generally, realized that my little world of soapmaking had gotten a little insulated -- there is really so much more out there, that I didn't even know existed. I had so much information overload and new stuff bouncing around my head last night, it was hard to sleep. But that's a good thing.

Good Housekeeping

I've spent the last couple of days obsessively cleaning my house and organizing my office. Trying to give myself the illusion that I have some control over my life and surroundings, I guess. With all the hustle this summer, I had sort of let the place go to pot. So now the piles and dust bunnies are gone. And I've started a couple of projects that I had been wanting to work on, now that I had a little unexpected time off. I felt the need to be productive and proactive, rather than just wander around pathetically feeling sorry for myself.

The cat is home. She was perky and hungry when she arrived. And then slunk away to sleep like a log for hours. I'm sure she didn't sleep much at the pet hospital, and she really needed it. We had a little kerfuffle by dinner time, trying to roust her for medications and a little food or water. Got the medicine in, and she was gone. Crept out a couple times over the course of the night for a midnight snack, which is a great sign and to vomit, which is a bad sign. She is sleeping in the darkest little hiding hole she can find ever since. So it's a little up and down. I think she's on the mend, but we've got a lot of recuperating to do. One step at a time.

So I'm a little housebound. But working steadily on moving forward in every area. With no show next weekend, and my inventory all ready for the market Thursday, I can focus on other things this week.

Biting my nails

Quick check-in. My universe has been a little wonky this week.

I had to cancel my appearance at Coupeville this weekend, at the very last minute Friday night. My sweetie pie kitty -- I've mentioned her before -- has been a bit under the weather for the last couple of weeks. Up and down, but this week she got suddenly worse. In a panic, I took her into the emergency vet Friday night. I think it was the nick of time. They thought it was kidney failure and curtains. But were taking tests and wouldn't know if she would make it through the night. I couldn't just leave, I had to be here for her, and to know what the outcome was on Saturday.

Turns out to be some kind of infection, nobody knows exactly what. But she's in the hospital getting IV's of fluids and antibiotics. I've been to visit her twice today, and she's a teeny bit better, but not much. We thought she might come home tonight, but no. She needs another night of care, at least. I'm hoping I can get her home tomorrow, but it's scary, though they keep repeating that it's all treatable and she should be ok within 48-72 hours. She's older though, and completely terrified, and this is really a rough patch.

I've never quit a show at the last minute like this. Not in the entire 10 years of business. So that is weighing on me heavily too. I feel so badly about letting down the folks who were counting on seeing me there. It's a big loss of revenue too, plus the lost booth fee. But there was no choice.

* * * * * *

Next topic: the credit card fraud that I hinted at earlier. I've been targeted. Someone has hacked into somewhere and gotten my business credit card number. And through the wonders of the internet, tracked down all my other particulars. It's not so secret . . . my name, phone number, address. All are publically available, through the web site, a google search, the local phone book. And ahem, maybe this blog thingie wasn't such a great idea. It lures you inter over-sharing personal details that could come back to haunt you. (Don't ever post your birthday, or family names, or pet's names, or anything else that can be used.) In case you are still under the impression that we are anonymous individuals in a free society? A couple of clicks can get let anyone know (hello, Classmates.com) when you graduated, where you went to school, what year you graduated etc. A few more clicks can get you almost any other record - DMV, property, marriage licenses. If they spend a few more minutes (and it's all charged to your account anyway) they may find your date of birth, your mother's maiden name, your pet's name. You are toast.

These folks were focused. They tried the usual routes. The account is closed of course, but not before endless hours of frustration. Endless phone calls. Major fraud investigations going on with a big list of companies. My credit history flagged. Why? Because they set up an online account to do web calling. Overseas. And then tried to wire money to that little country, whatever they call themselves, in the Gaza strip area where the Palestinian rebels are fighting. Erm. Uuuh. !!!!!!!!!

They have now labeled me as a terrorist probably. Because in this age of fear, war, and security at all costs, people lose. All innocence is lost. Everyone is a walking target. Nobody is safe.

I used to think that the wire tapping and plugging into people's personal bank records was over the line. But if they weren't doing that? We would not have had the raid in England that shut down the latest bombing plan. And I might be an even bigger victim in the whole game. I am now fighting for my own identity and safety. As are we all.

* * * * * * *

My sister is flying to London for business. The amount of aggravation, frustration, inconvenience . . . I guess it's worthwhile if we are actually safer? I don't know. Because there is truly no way to protect yourself from it. Bombs can be made in pill casings, quarters, a set of keys the detonator. Don't they watch "Alias?" Bombs have been made in fabric and eyeglass frames. We can't all fly naked. And if it ever does get that ridiculous? "They" will always be one step ahead.

I can't even tell you how much stress, how much time was expended, how much worry, how much pure trouble the whole thing has become. And it's clearly affecting everyone. On the planet. The world has truly changed.

* * * * * * * *

So, I've been taking a little "time-out" while I deal with my personal crises. And to be honest, sharing my personal day-to-day in the blog has lost a little bit of its luster. I know, intellectually, how dangerous the internet can be. I've tried to be smart and safe in all my dealings, feeling a little bit savvy and smug about how things work in cyberspace. And still, in retrospect, anything at all can be used against you.

The alternative -- hiding under the covers and living in total fear -- is worse. I refuse to operate that way, because that's not really living.

In the 13 years I've had my cat, I've never spent a single night without her. This is night number two. Alone. The house sort of echoes with emptiness. Maybe I can take her home tomorrow. And maybe there will be another day, in the not so distant future, where I will find her dancing along the fence top again, thinking she's a squirrel, and watching the goings on. It's her favorite thing. We call it "riding the rails." And she used to leap herself up there every night right after dinner, roam the entire back fence, and sit under the tree branches, using her ears as satellite antennae to hear the birds, the squirrels, the pelting apples next door, and neighbor car doors slamming. Wah.

Juggling

Juggling as fast as I can over here. Trying not to let any balls drop. Another show this weekend, big deadlines coming up, fall is approaching all too fast.

It feels a little "up a creek without a paddle" this week. And the little gears in my head are working so hard, the smoke is coming out my ears. So the blog will probably be a little sparse for the next few days as I work through this fog.

The whole place is a mess. Piles of stuff in transition. Overwhelming is the word of the day. I'm going to eat ice cream and get back to work.

Checks and Balances

The universe may not always send us what we want, but it always sends us what we need, and sometimes a little bit more to make us stronger.

-- Julia Butterfly Hill

A little topsy-turvy. Anacortes was the best sales for a show that I've done in my entire 10 years of doing business. By a lot. Which was fabulous. And scary. Because combined with the almost record-breaking Bellevue show the week before, I'm tapped out. I would really be enjoying this if I weren't fretting about how I'm going to swing the next few months. I'm so low in inventory. I've added that big Puyallup show in September, the month where I usually have pretty light shows and spend my time soapmaking like crazy in order to be prepared for the crazy-as-hell October through December Holiday rush.

Partly I'm just exhausted, and not quite recovered from the grueling marathon. But today was a huge challenge, just to get through the day.

I sold out of everything practically, and need to start from scratch this week, just to get enough inventory ready for Coupeville this weekend. I'm sure if I get a good night's sleep, it won't look quite so desperate tomorrow morning. But I'm still working through a few crises. Like the huge increase in olive oil I faced yesterday when picking up my order. The discontinuation of the tulip and pansy bags which I have had such huge success with. The end of the organza bags which make the perfect gift wrap for a single bar of soap, and have been so very popular, especially during the holidays. I haven't figured out how to work around those yet. Road blocks left and right. I can't even begin to describe all the other stuff I wrangled with today. Merchant account trouble, credit card dispute wrestling, online order circus acts, and customer service that wasn't anywhere near as helpful as it was last week.

I had to cancel the Tacoma Market this week. I'm sure nobody is really checking here. So I hope I don't disappoint too many of my loyal friends who are looking for me there this week, after two weeks away. I've never been this AWOL. Ever. And it's been 9 years at that market. I hope they still remember me. I have promised to be there next week. I have no shows the following weekend, so I shouldn't have any more crises. I'll bring whatever I can. But I will be there. I feel awful about it. But I'm just against the wall, doing the best I can to fulfill my commitments, starting with the most important ones, and working my way down.

Dandelion Fluff

Whoot! Big day Friday in Anacortes. Not an actual record breaker, but up there frolicking in the tree tops. So I'm quite happy, but quite tired. And raced home to spend a few hours making up more stuff to bring for Saturday, which is usually the bigger day. Out of bags, out of sachets, out of about 8 kinds of soap, and the scraps are down to the bottom of the barrel. Ran out of there so fast last night that I didn't get to check with anybody else. I hope everyone else did great too. Money should travel around like weed seeds, floating little bits of fluff up and down the street, depositing prickers on everybody's pant leg.

I'm probably the only nitwit who drives back and forth each day to Anacortes instead of getting a hotel room and just staying up there all weekend. Well, except for the folks who live in that area. It's an hour and a half drive each way. Which is bad, but not that bad. Some people spend that much time in their cars commuting to work every day.

Since I am usually alone, I don't really like staying in hotels. I'd rather spend an hour in the car to get home, to my own kitchen and bed. And the kitty needs me. :) It's a lot more expensive too, which just takes away from your profits and bottom line. Sure gas is more expensive now, but it's still cheaper than all those meals and rooms. But probably most importantly, I never know exactly how much of any item I'm going to sell, and don't have a big enough car to take the whole damn studio over there. So every night I'm packing up re-supplies of something and re-stocking for the following day. Sometimes it's an awful lot. Sometimes I'm up for hours after I get home, tying little ribbons around another bin of lavender soap. Or making some emergency sprays because I didn't get the inventory right. Packing more little sachets up, like last weekend and again last night. So I've convinced myself that the only way to do these big shows is to commute back and forth. I know, it's dumb. Limits me from doing bigger shows, in say Idaho, Arizona or Oregon. If I had a spouse/travel companion and we could take an extra day or two, have a little adventure and fun, maybe I'd re-think this thing. Nah. Doubt it. I'm so stressed out before hand getting ready. And then I'm so exhausted and drained afterwards, that I'm not sure I'd be fit to party. So there it is.

Anyway, today I am racing home after the show ends at 6pm, so I can be back in time to run over to the lake and watch the night-time air show and fireworks display -- new this year at Seafair. They have a concert too, but it's paid admission, and starts too early, and who cares. We can see the combat plane do acrobatics with music and fireworks from almost any hilltop. And an even bigger fireworks show after that. Did I mention that fireworks are one of my most favorite things in life? They are. When I die, I am stipulating that I get blown up in a firework (well my ashes, not my whole lumpy body). I want to explode in a flash of brilliance and beauty and then get scattered in the wind. I'm pretty sure it's done from a ship too. So I don't mind my bits floating away in the ocean. I'll have to check into this. My relatives can then party on the yacht to disco tunes and drink too much. It should be great.

Blue Angels

I work out of my house on Beacon Hill. If you're not familiar with it, it's the hill that begins at the cross-section of I-90 and I-5, and heads south, sandwiched between Boeing Field and Lake Washington. At this particular weekend each year, that's a pretty hopping place to be. Seafair happens this first weekend of August, with hydroplane races and air shows. Up on the hill we hear the roar of the boats, we get all kinds of fun airplanes roaring around the back yard, and we get our roofs taken off during the Blue Angels shows.

You can spout all your politically correct arguments about why the Blue Angels are 10 kinds of wrong -- from the obnoxious display of pompous military might, to the extreme waste of fuel, to the snarling traffic inconveniences and public safety issues. But when they arrive in town, screeching overhead and leaving a thunderous wake, it's heart-stopping and exhilirating. We all run out onto the lawns, climb out 2nd floor windows onto roofs, stand out in the middle of the street -- because almost all the maneuvers, circles and dives happen right over our heads, closer than anywhere else. Since we're so close to the lake, ground zero, we see it all. And as they let loose the smoke, zip off around downtown, shoot like rockets straight into the air, we can practically see the pilots gritting their teeth. Ok, slight exaggeration. But it's really low and really loud over here. And I love it.

I used to work at Seafair, so I have a special fondness for it. I worked for Gretchen's Of Course catering for years, and we did all the food concessions, VIP tents, barbeques for the pits, etc. And not to brag, but a couple of those years, I managed the whole shooting match. It was months of advance planning, about 2 weeks of solid prep, meaning 12 hour days. And then the actual weekend. I think we slept about 10 hours in 4 days, working from 4am until midnight or something ridiculous. We had our little "camp" off to the side with 2 refrigerator trucks and a couple of equipment trucks (semi trucks!), a fleet of golf carts, and hundreds of walkie talkies. Sorta made you feel important. That one year, the air show had a Harrier jet, the plane that can hover in mid-flight like a helicopter. Swooped in, stopped over the water and demonstrated a rescue maneuver, whipping up a froth of waves. Really incredible. I'll never see something like that again, probably.

Anyway, those days are long gone. And now I'm at Anacortes each year when the fun comes to town, and in Tacoma on the Thursday before. So I've been missing all the action dreadfully.

But yesterday I took the day off from Tacoma and went down to the lake to see the Blue Angel practice runs, not content to just see the drive-bys here from the house. I wanted the full-on show, the view of the white tents scattered around the park, the bustle of the pits. So me and the parents headed over in the morning, but the planers were mostly just doing wide circles, getting familiar with the geography. I took a ton of pictures, which are either blurry or look like little specs. We came home, and had lunch while they finished up, beginning to do a few formations and screeching through the back yard. The battery to my camera was dead already, after having been on high alert, zooming in and out for an hour.

The afternoon practice started promptly at 1:30pm. I raced outside to try and get a perfect photo of the underside of the plane 6 inches from my rooftop. I really wanted to post the ultimate picture for you. I got blank sky. Electric lines. A whiff of smoke. The formations were happening right over me. The racing back and forth, upside down, wheels out, the giant circles in the sky. It was breath-taking. And I didn't get a single good photo. I have excuses too. The shutter speed was too slow. The planes were too fast. The sun was in my eyes. But truthfully, every time they came around and thundered overhead, I flinched and ducked, thinking they were going to part my hair. So the picture here is the best I could do. Aaaah, but it sure was fun.

It's Thursday

And I'm on my final countdown to Anacortes tomorrow. I'm in pretty good shape, but still have a full day of work ahead. I'm hoping to have lunch with the Blue Angels, who are in town for Seafair. I'll tell you all about it when I get back.

A reminder -- I will not be at the Tacoma Farmer's market today. Probably a little late for that announcement. Forgot to mention it earlier, but it's been in the calendar and I announced it last week too. And my pals Nicole and Paula, my neighbors at the market, know my schedule and have been so sweet to let people know who are looking for me there. I will be back next week. With bells on.

Yesterday was a parade of delivery men. Miki sent me an emergency box of her gorgeous crocheted washcloths. The tons of lavender arrived, bags as big as I am, perfuming my dining room at the moment. A new box of soap sacks, foot tools and soap dishes arrived too. The shea butter sailed in. Two more deliveries: some packaging samples I ordered -- tins and pump bottles to play with for Christmas stuff. They just kept stomping up to the porch and dropping off boxes with a loud thud all day. It makes me jump each time I hear it, and I have to drop everything and run up to see what showed up.

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I have to marvel at the technology -- that sets up cameras in the remotest wilds of Alaska, in rushing stream that's a favorite haunt for a gang of brown bears, and relays those round-the-clock live videos through several networks to right here in Seattle, which streams them across the internet for anyone to sit around watch. Like you are sitting on a rock out there in the middle of nowhere, bathing with bears, right from your own chair. It's fascinating.

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One more thing. A rant about all the cheaters, liars and fakers who think they can get ahead by fraud. I'm looking at Floyd Landis, who's used every excuse from "maybe it was the beer I drank" to "it's natural testosterone" (yeah, 11 times! more than normal) and now that it's been found to be synthetic testerone, is trying to skewer the lab and the UCI for leaking the results. I'm looking at Justin Gatlin, who's trying to make us believe a masseuse with a grudge snuck some testerone cream onto his legs when he wasn't looking. Hoo boy, that's a good one. And the jerk who is using my credit card number to make long distance calls over the internet. What, I'm not going to notice $30 worth of calls? Each and every day?!? And the fishy business I found in my email this morning -- I am not interested in wholesaling my soap to Nigeria, especially if it means setting up some sort of courier service, bank information, etc. Once I get over my general pissiness, and the aspirin starts working, I am pretty sure I will have to deal with some boundary issues. Questions about whether all this sharing has made me a target for predator types.

Anacortes Arts Festival

Ooops, I promised the details about the Anacortes show this weekend, so you could plan ahead.

The Anacortes Arts Festival is HUGE. One of the largest art fairs in the Pacific Northwest, with a juried fine art exhibition, over 250 juried booth artisans, two music stages, international food court and beer garden, a hands-on youth area, fiber boutique at the Depot, a fine art exhibit, a working artist area, poetry reading at the port and more. The artists booth cover 6 whole city blocks, both sides of the street and a row down the middle too. So much to see and do. It's my best show of the summer, each and every year. So I'm looking forward to another fabulous weekend.

Dates: August 4, 5, and 6
Times: Friday and Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 10am-5pm
Location: Downtown Anacortes, on Commercial Ave between the port and 10th

Soapworks Studio booth location: same spot as last year, directly in front of La Vie en Rose Bakery, near the corner of 5th street, on the West side of the street. Yum - so many breakfast goodies to choose from.

For more information, maps, directions, etc: Anacortes Arts Festival

I am bringing all the soap scrap bars I can possibly find here to the show this weekend. All the dings, dents and dropped on the pavement. All the leftover bars of discontinued frangrances. Some of the usual suspects which came out with a streak (beauty marks?) or seem a little off kilter. There will be a tub of soap seconds for sale at $1.00 each. "Come early for best selection." Ha, that means that the best ones will go fast and if you wait til Sunday afternoon, there will be just a few ugly bumpkins left.

Press 2 for Spanish

Hooray for real live customer service people at the other end of the phone line! I can't tell you how many calls I had to make yesterday. There was the credit card dispute -- someone has hijacked my number and is making web phone calls daily and charging it to me. The credit card people were so helpful and nice, and reassuring to boot. It's all handled. Then about 4 different calls to Verizon to see if I could figure out whether it is just an accounting mistake or an actual identity theft. All of them were so understanding, helpful and personable. Not automated, or cold, or disinterested. Such a revelation -- although we haven't figured out what's going on yet. And the folks at 3 different supply companies -- about late orders, back orders, order confirmations, making sure that I get the supplies I've ordered for this week in time for the coming show. I can't sell lavender sachets without the sachet bags or the lavender -- and I practically sold out of them in Bellevue. All of them were efficient and helpful. No pushing endless option buttons, listening to crappy tunes, waiting on hold for the time it takes to boil an egg. Just a friendly voice on the first ring, and a real person to help me with my issues.

Usually I'm an online person. So after dropping my jar of fabulous face cream for the umpteenth time, and cleaning up a big gob off the floor, I decided I needed to jot off a little note to the cosmetic company about how lousy their packaging is. Sure it's eye-catching and classy looking, but the lids suck and the huge-o jars don't fit on my shelf. I've never seen a more impractical jar in my life. They don't have an address or "contact" button on the web site. They have a phone number. While still on my customer service high, I decided to call. And was answered immediately by a very pleasant gal who listened to my rant, made sympathetic noises, wrote it all down and promised to share it with the marketing team. I mean she actually said a number of times that she "really promised" to pass it all on. I believe her. And again, I'm amazed. When did all this personal customer service thing happen? Hasn't it been automated phones and Muzak forever? Or little "comment" boxes on web pages that only allow 40 words, and produce a meaningless auto response, leading you to believe it all goes into the round file unnoticed? This is brand new, or more like what's old is new again. Somebody finally bought a clue, it seems. People like to have their problems handled by actual people. A voice that hears what they say and responds. And not a robot that responds, "I'm sorry that is not a valid response. Please hang up and try again."

Whee! Who else can I call and solve all the problems of the world? Do they take calls at the White House?

P.S. I think I've finally hit the Big Time -- anonymous advertisers are posting links to their shizz in my comments section. I've contemplated turning off the comments capability, since nobody seems to be interested in chatting back anyway. I could also "moderate" the comments, but that feels like baby-sitting and more time than I want to invest. But I feel a little squicky about having advertisers dumping there under stealth headings which everyone is going to click on due to natural curiosity. If you guys want to leave an occassional shout out, I'm a little giddy that anybody would want to talk back to me, so I'm going to leave it as is for now. What to do. Suggestions? Anyone? tap tap tap Hello? Is this thing on?

P.P.S. My sister tells me that the "Big Time" is really much bigger than a couple of anonymous linkers. Sigh. I'm still officially "Small Potatoes." But still. Bigger than "No Man's Land." So there. I guess I'm going to just keep an eye on the ads dealie. Please don't spoil the party by posting your massive linkage to advertising lah-de-lah in the comments section. We're just hanging out around the water cooler here. But if you want to comment on the chatter, just say hi, tell us about your own similar site or blog, that's totally cool. Make sense? Personal stuff always welcome.