March Shows

The shows are starting up again for spring. I've got a small craft show this week, and the larger Best of the Northwest next week. It's a good time to shop for small gifts with Easter coming up, Mother's Day on the horizon too.


Vasa Park Spring Gift Show
March 17 - 19, Thurs and Fri 10am - 7pm, Sat 10am-5pm
Vasa Park Ballroom, 3560 W Lake Sammamish Pkwy SE
Bellevue

This show is free admission, free parking and has all kinds of spring crafts, home decor plus antiques and collectibles too. It's a boutique style show, with a single cashier at the door.


Best of the Northwest
March 26 -27, Sat and Sun 10am-6pm
Hangar 30, Warren G Magnuson Park
Seattle

This one has free parking, but admission to get in ($5 online, $7 at door). It's 110 regional artists in every medium, displaying their work in their own booths. Tons of artist demonstrations, food booths, entertainment - the works. Click the link for ticket info, artist info, directions on how to get there (Sand Point). My booth location is the very last row against the farthest wall from the front entrance.

Oh, I also have a handful of free passes to this show too, so if you know that you are planning on coming, give me a holler. I've sent out a few this week, but got a little bunch left for whoever needs one.

Taking the calls

The downside to having your own business? It's all the phone calls. All day long. From other businesses that want to do business with your business.

Local schools that want you to sponsor the girl's volleyball team. Or buy t-shirts for them. Or tote bags.
Life insurance companies. Phone and internet companies. Packaging reps. Suppliers of all kinds from everywhere on earth.
Banks, credit card reps, merchant service reps.
Label printers. Office equipment. Manufacturing equipment.
A few random folks who want jobs.
People with web sites, or people that want to "optimize" your web site.
Groups that want free samples. Groups that want auction donation items.
Charities galore with special needs or matching funds opportunities.

I'm sure there's more. That was just the past week or two.

How did I get on this big list of "call me" so we can do business?

Before, when I didn't have caller ID, I thought that just getting that little service would make my life so much easier. Heaven.

But I was so wrong. Whenever any of the above call in, the little ID tells me it's "unkown" or "cell phone San Jose" or something equally useless. There is no way to know if it is a customer or a bothersome telemarketer. During business hours (and even after) I still answer every call. And it's a real time-waster.

I've never liked the phone much. Maybe it's a throw-back to when I had to start my working life as a receptionist and secretary. But today I am very much hating it.

Oh, as I was typing this, I got another one. Some guy from "Hollywood Precious Metals" wants me to convert some of my hard-earned savings into buying a solid piece of metal something as a better retirement option. Is he kidding? I'm not sure what is more ridiculous - that I would buy metal junk instead of keep my cash, or that I would even have any kind of savings, heh.

Hibernation

It's been very quiet the last couple of weeks. I think everyone is hibernating until winter is over. The cold and the grey continue, even though the first little pops of crocus are blooming. Myself, I'm not motivated to do anything more than sleep, read and snuggle by the fire. It's really nice to have even a couple of weeks with so few deadlines that I can spend most of my time doing my own little projects and activities.

Martha Beck's blog just had a really nice discussion about how important it is to have down-time and a significant amount of just plain sleep in order to keep the creative juices flowing. So that's what I'm doing. Thank God for her - now I don't have to feel any guilt about slacking off :)

But now that we're into March, action is afoot. There are a couple of shows happening later this month (Vasa and Best of the Northwest). Plus I'm working out details on adding one in Mount Vernon in April during the Tulip Festival. I'll post details here on all of that next week.

Also, I wanted to mention that the Helping Hands soap is finally back in stock. It takes a long time to make and cure all five scents of soap needed for those. January was a flurry of just getting all the bars back in stock after the frenzied holiday season, plus make sure all the spring soaps were ready for the early February spring newsletter. Now, a few weeks later, I've got all the mini bars ready to go, and I'm hoping that I can keep them fully stocked up for the whole year.

The little packages of small soaps are such a nice gift item - perfect for adult Easter baskets, hostess gifts, or any other spring special event coming up.

West Seattle Art Walk

I'll be participating in the West Seattle Art Walk this evening. That link brings you to their website which lists all the venues and artists participating this month. The artist list rotates each month, so it's a fun way to see new artists.

I'll be at The Kenney, a retirement community, at 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW, near the Fauntlerory/Lincoln Park area. It runs from 6pm-9pm in the main lobby, open to everyone. There will be another jewelry artist there, a painting exhibit of one of the residents, and a live band too.

I'll have the spring products and a bunch of Valentine cards, ribbons and packaging to make up little sweetheart gift sets. Sounds like a fun evening!

Spring Newsletter 2011

I know it doesn't feel like spring is on its way this week. But it's time for the spring newsletter anyway. Maybe it will chase away a little of the winter blahs that we're feeling. Here in Seattle, even though we aren't struggling with all the massive snow and storms that most of the country is facing, I think we all have a little winter fatigue and can't wait for a little warmer, sunnier, happier weather. So here's the latest news - all of it on the website right now:


SPRING 2011

Oh how we wait anxiously and impatiently for Spring to arrive! I imagine Winter as a stark canvas with only dark structural lines for the horizon, tree limbs and jagged rocks. As Spring slowly tiptoes in, each sun break is a paintbrush stroke of color. First a few small sprouts and a sprinkling of pink buds, then a couple of bold swatches of green grass, building into more swirls and dots of blooms and blossoms, until all of a sudden the canvas is lushly alive and brilliantly colored, so much beauty to behold.

As I stare out the window to the mud pit that was once the back yard, I can see the first tiny signs that Spring is sneaking in. There are fuzzy little tips on the magnolia and the tiniest of green tips poking out of the dirt. Proud stalks of hellebore flowers are rising out of the cold ground. And after months of darkness and grey skies, there are warm peek-a-boo sun spots on the back window sill for a cat to curl up in and dream of summer.


SPRING SEASONAL SOAPS

To celebrate the season of love, flowers, and new beginnings, I’ve cooked up a few new soap fragrances. For me, Spring scents are inherently light, green, fresh or flowery. After months of dead leaves and barren trees, the whiff of blossoms in the breeze is a breath of fresh air. Pretty flowers, flouncy skirts, tip-toeing through the tulips – that’s Spring!

White Lilac – A runaway hit when I introduced it two years ago, it’s a repeat again this year due to all the fan requests. Potent and absolutely true to its name, it’s a gorgeous lilac fragrance. Sophisticated, elegant, lushly floral in a creamy white bar.

Spring Rain – Spring rains are lighter and fresher than Fall or Winter rains. They dance in the new green leaves and splash around the blooming flowers. This fragrance is lightly floral but not too sweet with a bit of jasmine and gardenia added to a bright, clean, rain scent. Pretty pink petal-colored, it’s perfectly lovely.

Orange Ginger Mint – For those who like a little scrub with their rub-a-dub-dub, I’ve cooked up a poppy seed scrubber soap for spring. It’s happy and energizing, with a blend of sweet orange, a pinch of ginger, and three types of mint. A soft cantaloupe melon color, the poppy seeds give it a light textured feel for gentle exfoliation and a wake-up massage. (100% natural).

Sunshine Citrus - This is a soft lemon scent, with a squeeze of grapefruit and mandarin orange to boost the citrus. It’s light and clean with a subtle fruitiness, perfect for brightening the Winter drearies. (100% natural)


LILAC GARDEN AROMATIC SPRAY

New and improved! The Lilac Garden scent that I’ve had for years has always been so good, such a true duplication of actual lilac blooms. I could not have believed that a better one existed. But last fall I came across a new lilac fragrance that absolutely knocks your socks off. There is some indescribable, magical something in this new fragrance – you feel as if you have your nose buried deep in a just-blossomed bouquet of lilacs. Unfortunately, it didn’t hold up in the soap-making process. In the spray, however, it’s just heavenly gorgeous. Spritz this stuff around the house and there is no question that spring has arrived . . . with bells on! (4 oz bottle, $ 6.00 each)


VALENTINE’S DAY GUILT-FREE TREATS

There’s plenty of time to order gifts for your favorite sweeties. Bath goodies are the perfect thing for those of us with healthy New Year’s resolutions. And I’ve got sweet pink polka-dot organza bags, charming heart-patterned ribbons, and vintage postcards to dress up just a single bar or a whole basket full of treats. Check out the web site to see some of my ideas, or give me a call to rustle up your own.


SPRING SHOWS

It’s still a tad early to announce a big show schedule for spring. Deadlines are still in the works with notifications and contracts to be determined later this month. But here are the few that are on the calendar right now. Please check the website (under “Show Schedule”) for the latest information.

March 17 – 19
Vasa Park Spring Craft Show, Vasa Park, Bellevue
Thurs-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm

March 26 – 28
Best of the Northwest, Hangar 30, Magnuson Park, Seattle
Saturday and Sunday 10am-6pm

April 15 – 17
27th Annual Tulip Festival Street Fair, downtown Mt Vernon
Friday and Sat 10-6, Sunday 10-5

May 4 – 6
Mother’s Day Gift Sale, Group Health Central shop space
108 - 15th Ave E, Capitol Hill, Seattle
Wed-Fri 9am-4pm

May 4 - 7
Hilltop Craft, Antique & Garden Show
NW Arts Center, 9825 NE 24th St
Bellevue (Clyde Hill)
Wed - Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-5pm

May 21 – 22
University District Street Fair
Sat 10-7, Sun 10-6

Sweat the Small Stuff

Details. That's what I'm trying to control this week. Getting all the little stuff right. I'm up to my eyeballs in getting the spring newsletter and accompanying email newsletter, blog post and all the website updates all done at the same time. It's due out tomorrow.

My camera broke yesterday. Well, that's not exactly true. It's never worked right since I bought it last October. It's intermittant though. It seems to work just fine whenever I'm on vacation or taking pictures of fun stuff. It always goes haywire whenever I'm taking product photos and trying to do something important under deadline. Yesterday the sun here was so bright and gorgeous that I wanted to re-do all kinds of photos, plus the new spring stuff. I got about 4 photos in, and then nothing would upload. All the files are corrupted and cannot be edited, exported or viewed. So much frustration. I thought my head would explode. I lost hours of time and still don't have even the few photos I really, really needed. I'm going to borrow a camera today and try to do the last couple under dark, cloudy skies. Who knows when we'll get great light again. And the camera is on it's way to the fixer-folks. Which I have every confidence that they won't find anything wrong with. It just hates to do close-ups of soap. Which is weird because it takes beautiful close-ups of cocktails, beautiful dinner plates and my toes in flip-flops on the sand. Who knows.

This is such a great quote: "Getting noticed in a meaningful way is less about the grand gesture and more about the small, thoughtful things we do every day. There's often a pay-it-forward beauty to going that extra inch . . .Too often in our elbows-out world, it's assumed that being considerate and being competitive are mutually exclusive. The opposite is true."

- Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval in The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All The Difference (Broadway)

Back in the studio

Here's where I spent the last week. Hawaii. Non-stop sun so bright it makes your eyes hurt. But in a good way.

The blues are so blue. And the greens are so green over there. So different from our palette of grey on grey over here.

I'm still feeling the ocean waves. And I'm totally not 100% hyped to be back at my desk working. But there is a pile of orders. A long list of emails to get to. A mountain of mail. And a to-do list a mile long.

So I'm taking it one step at a time and just moving forwards. Hopefully a little momentum will build. I've got a lot to make happen this week.

Studio Closed

Just a quick pop-in to say that the studio is closed, pretty much starting right now. I'm taking a week off for vacation. I just really need a little bit of space to regroup and relax before I get this whole year geared up.

I've put a notice on the website too. But any orders or inquiries will be on hold until Monday, Jan 28. I'll get back to work next week.

Until then,

Sale update

Yesterday was the announcement of the Winter Clearance Sale, and I got a flurry of orders all day so things are going fast.

The Ponderosa Pine and Spiced Mocha soaps are now sold out. There are just a few of the Cinnamon Cedar and Winter Mint soaps left too - maybe 4 or 5 of them. And not a whole lot more of the other 3 soaps either (Apple, Nutmeg, Berry).

If you were going to think about it for a few days or maybe have more time over the weekend, don't delay too long or the opportunity will gone.

And in other news, I can't wait for Sunday. Another miracle Seahawks game. The Golden Globes. And all day snacking on the couch in front the teevs. Wheeee!

P.S. Oh yeah, I can't leave the blog alone. The poppies were way too much distraction and intense color. I had to mess around with the design again. Sorry to give you all whiplash. It's going to stay this way for at least a couple of months. I think. But then the snowy tree photo will be so over. And I'll have to give it another facelift. Just saying.

Winter Clearance Sale

If you're on the email list, you will be receiving a notice today that I've just begun a Winter Clearance Sale. After all the clearing out and counting here, I've got a few bars left of almost all of the fall and winter seasonal soaps. So I've put them up on the Clearance Sale page on the website today.

Usually priced at $4.25 per bar, they are now $2.50 - a great big deal! And the perfect time to stock up on whatever you tried and and loved the last couple of months before they are gone.

Shop now because they will go fast.

It's a day for warm socks

And hot beverages. Blustery and wet here. Which is just a slight improvement over the frigid and dry we've had the last week or so. I think I hate the cold more because the darn heat is on all. the. time. And it does bad things to my stupid hair. Makes it all flat and wimpy and split end-y.

I have spent all week on numbers. And if you know me at all, you know that I HATE "the maths". Year-end inventory. Catching up on the last two months of bookkeeping. And then year-end statements and bottom lines and expenses and reports and what-not. All the numbers by month and then summaries of the year. Oof. My head hurts. And my bottom line is flat, or my bottom is flat, or something, from sitting here in front of the computer too long. The actual money bottom line is sort of flat too. Last year wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, since the last couple of months were up a bit. But it's darn near the same as last year. Which wasn't at all good.

What to do next. That's the question. I've been pondering that, and still trying to figure it out. This brand spanking new year has got to improve somehow. Just saying that makes me tired. I already want to take a nap.

But I'm working on files today. Organizing the whole file system, clearing out 2010, making new files for 2011, starting all new spreadsheets and books. That kind of thing. I should have a secretary for that kind of thing. Come to think of it, I need an accountant too. And maybe a worker bee to do some of the other stuff that I don't like doing either. And seriously, the maid needs to show up any time now and start cleaning this place. There are huge cat hair dust bunnies all over since they seem to have permanently set up camp in front of my little heater.

The "to do" list is long this week. Both work and personal. It feels like a grind. I'm so glad it's Friday, even though it looks like I have to work over the weekend too. Ah well, back to the file drawer. Happy Friday all.

Back to work

Awwww, the holidays are truly over. It's Monday and it's back to work. Really back to work. Not half days or short weeks, but full on working again.

Today is office clean-up and inventory. The painful day where I have to clean up every corner of the studio and count every single piece of inventory and supplies for the once-a-year inventory. As a business, it's required by the IRS. Love those guys. It all has to be counted and then valued, meaning not only do I need to know how many of everything there is. I need to have a list of what each item is valued at (wholesale) or what the price was when I bought it. So that I come up with a full spreadsheet of exactly how many dollars and cents worth of stuff I have in here at this very moment. It is one of my least favorite tasks of all time.

But the good news is that when I get this part done, I'll be putting up all the leftover holiday items on the clearance page at a fabulous sale price. I'll post it here when that's ready, and I'll also send out an announcement to the email subscriber list. Which reminds me, I'm planning on doing a lot more special deals and sales on the email list this year. Really. Lots. It's so much easier to contact you all by email than waiting for the seasonal snail mail letter. And the blog is a little hit and miss - you never know who might be checking in this week or not. So if you want to get on the email list, sign up HERE and go down to "Email" or "Give me Both" in the drop down box.

Oh, you might have noticed that I changed the blog style too. I'm not fully convinced this is the one - but it's the one for now. I really needed some bright color and happy flowers to start off the new year. Let me know if you love it or hate it. I was playing around yesterday with other designs too and there are so many different ways to go I got a little overwhelmed. The poppies are happy and I just let it go at that for now. Too much?

1.1.11

Happy New Year!!!

1.1.11. All those ones. So pretty. And it seems fitting and optimistic for new beginnings and a fresh start.

I'm looking forward to a brand new year and doing a bit of starting over. Honestly 2010 wasn't all that great, and I'm glad it's over. Not that it didn't have its moments. But there was an awful lot of bad news, bad weather and rough spots. I like to think that this new year will bring with it a breath of fresh air and moving forward.

Best wishes to all of you too, for a brighter year ahead.

Wheee - top pick!

I know I've been AWOL for the past couple of weeks. I have been seriously trying to keep my head above water over here in the holiday rush.

But I had to pop in to just to squee about something. I got an email this morning from Anne R. a loyal customer and a fabulous blogger. She was letting me know about her recent post on Remote Stylist, about her top picks for holiday presents and my sprays were listed. Wow! She's chosen 6 of her favorite things, and my Lavender Lemongrass spray is something she can't live without!

I'm terribly honored, and it's such a lovely compliment. Such a nice way to start my morning, and of course I had to share.

If you are thinking that you might need some for your holiday gift giving, I'll be over at Group Health in my little shop space all day today (Friday). It's on Capitol Hill in Seattle - 108 E 15th Street at John. Just a half block south of the big Safeway there.

Stop by for last minute gifts. I'll be there from 9:30 to 4:00 pm. Mail order is getting close to deadline. I think Monday is the last day to order if you want to ship something by Christmas.

Make it a clean, green holiday. Or start off the new year with a clean start. Heh.

Shows Dec 1-5

I
It's a whirlwind over here. Way too much to do in any single day. The mail orders are coming in steadily. I've got several huge corporate orders and a big wholesale order going out this week too. And then there are shows too.

With the snow and bad weather last week, I wasn't able to drive up to Bellingham to restock the Allied Arts show. I'm worried that it looks picked over. Since they are closed on Monday and Tuesday, I'm headed up Thursday morning first thing, and working my shift there during the morning. I've got some new stock with me. But I have no idea what I'm missing, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will fill in most of the holes. My next trip back there is Wednesday, Dec 8 when they open. So just a note to anyone in Bellingham looking for something specific, or a bigger order, call me quick today and I'll stash it away under the table for you. I can do this all month too - so if you want me to set aside a special order for you, just holler.

What's new this week in shows is the Warm Beach "Lights of Christmas" and Phinney Ridge Winter Fest.

Warm BeachCamp has a gigantic light display with fresh hot donuts, carolers, gift shops and the works set up all month. It opens tomorrow.

Dates: Thurs thru Sun Dec 2-5, 9-12, Thurs thru Christmas Eve 16-23, Sun - Wed 26-29
Hours: are 5pm to 10pm. There is an admission charge and you can buy tickets online from the site. Check there for more info on everything, including driving directions.
Address: Warm Beach Camp, 20800 Marine Dr., Stanwood

I set that up yesterday and it is really starting to look good. I can't wait to go back myself and see it all lit up.

Next up, Winter Fest on the weekend.
Dates: Sat and Sun, Dec 4 - 5
Hours: 10am - 5pm both days
Address: Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave N, Seattle

If you are looking for unique and handmade gifts for the holidays, this is the place to go. There are so many wonderful artists here - I just love this show. There is an admission fee - $2 for PNA members and $4 for the general public. There are treats, fresh wreaths, entertainment too. So looking forward to this. Oh, I'm back in my old spot in the Blue Building, lower level, red room. Same spot I've had for years, with the exception of last year when I got scooted across the hall.

Next week is a just one small show over at Group Health in Bellevue (Dec 10), but I'll be back at Group Health in my little shop space the following week (Dec 15-17). And both Allied Arts in Bellingham and Warm Beach are ongoing through the month. There's where you'll find me . . . probably with that scary panicked look in my eyes.

Where's Waldo?

Here's my weekly post on where I'll be this week . . .

Allied Arts Holiday Fest

I set up yesterday in Bellingham for this one. The 31st Annual Holiday Festival of the Arts is a six week long festival featuring the work of over one hundred local artisans and craftspeople. The affordable handmade products range from jewelry to paintings to wearable art to specialty foods. Weekends are packed with activities; hear live local music, catch some of our artists in action, and bring the kids in for fun art projects.

The festival will be open weekly, Wednesday through Sunday, 10am to 6pm. Join us for a special night, December 3rd during the festival to meet some of the artists and do some exclusive shopping. We will also be open Monday and Tuesday, December 20th and 21st for last minute shopping before Christmas. The Festival will close at 3pm on December 24th.

Nov 19 - Dec 24
3548 Meridian St., Bellingham
(same location as last year - Old Michael's bldg)
Wed - Sun (closed Mon & Tues), 10am-6pm
AlliedArts.org


Vasa Park
Nov 18 - 20
Vasa Park Ballroom, 3560 W Lk Samm Rd SE, Bellevue
Thurs - Fri 10am - 7pm, Sat 10am-5pm

We're setting up this one today. It's a boutique style holiday craft show, and that last one for this group this year (we had one here in October and another one at Pickering Barn a couple of weeks ago). Lots of great gift ideas, all locally handmade, plus holiday decor.


PLU
Sorry, but I won't be participating in this one, even though it was on the schedule earlier. I just can't swing it. It's been too many in a row over the last few weeks and this became one too many this week. It's in a new location too, and split in half. Half of the show is in the same auditorium, but the other half, that is usually in the gym, is moved to some other spot down the street, with shuttle buses between the two. I'm thinking that's going to put a damper on things overall, and since I was put into the new location - probably not going to be worth the huge effort. We'll see what happens next year.

Where

Best of the Northwest Nov 12-14

This week is the Best of the Northwest show. Brand-spanking new and fabulous location at the Smith Cove Pier 91 cruise ship terminal. The staff has been working so hard to make this a really special show. Besides the hundreds of us artists (the best of the best, of course) there is all kinds of food, wine tasting, fashion shows, musical entertainment, demos and more.

Ok, basic details:
Friday through Sunday, Nov 12-14. Hours are Fri and Sat 10am-6pm and Sun 10am-5pm.
Pier 91, Smith Cove cruise ship terminal. See a map with directions on the website or the flyer (pdf).
Tickets are $6 if you buy them online in advance, or $8 at the door. You can buy tickets at the website. Kids under 12 are FREE. Parking is free over there too.

*Over 200 exceptional artists presenting jewelry, designer clothing, painting, metal, glass & more

*Wine tasting on Saturday and Sunday featuring 24 local boutique wineries hosted by noted sommelier, David LeClaire (proceeds benefit Children's Hospital)

*Art talks by local cognoscenti - Ciscoe Morris giving "Art in the Garden" talk 2pm on Saturday (see the schedule HERE)

*Entertainment vignettes by Lelavision

Music from Pearl Django (Fri aft) & other strolling musicians

The list of participating artists and lots more info on NW Art Alliance site. I think this is going to be a great time!

Newsletter: Winter Holiday 2010

The Winter Holiday Newsletter for this year has just been shipped off in the snail mail, and pinged off in email too. So I'm posting it here to cover all the bases.

Ed Note: As always, I'm not going to spend all morning tying in links for each product. But you can see all the new seasonal products HERE on this one page.

Dear Friends,

After much anticipation, the first snowflakes begin to fall. You notice one, and then another one, slowly drifting down from the sky, It seems as if you can count each individual snowflake, but as they begin to multiply, they speed up too. Suddenly the sky is full - a swirling, dizzying array of white. This is a reflection of the season – what starts off as a leisurely ticking off of to-do lists, gift lists, social events, and holiday tasks, rather quickly becomes a blizzard. The next couple of months are a whirlwind of activity, dancing past before we can breathe it all in. And then, like any winter storm, as the next day dawns, a peaceful, beautiful serenity awaits in the stillness.

As the holidays get closer, the gift lists begin to grow. But after another year of tightening budgets and evaluating priorities, we’re shopping a little more carefully. Rather than the old way of exchanging piles of “stuff,” we all seem to be looking for more simplicity and meaning, and in a cost effective way too. Handmade gifts and items that are both useful and use-able make more sense. Soapworks Studio’s little gifts of soap and bath goodies are the perfect fit. All locally handmade and reasonably priced, there is something for everyone on your holiday gift list.

Holiday Seasonal Soaps

The upcoming holidays have sparked a bunch of new wintry wonderful soap scents for a little fun in the shower, or a special gift for someone (or everyone) on your list. ($4.25 each or 4 bars for $16.00)

Ponderosa Pine – The perfect winter day is spent outside in a lush Northwest forest – skiing, hiking, or searching for that magical Christmas tree. One whiff of the fresh pine and fir needles, balsam spruce, juniper berries, woodsmoke and newly fallen snow will transport you right into the woods. A lovely green bar, this will be a hit with your nature-loving friends or the discerning men on your list.

Winter Mint - Icy peppermint with a kiss of secret spice., this soap is as tingly and cool as freshly fallen snow. You’ll be singing “Frosty the Snowman” in your morning shower, but in a yummy good way. (100% natural soap)

Red Berry – Fruity red currant - so tart and juicy, luscious and ripe - is softened with a sprig of rosehips, and brightened with a squeeze of cranberry. It’s softly pink and devilishly irresistible, a truly inspired blend.

Cinnamon Cedar - Warm, earthy cedarwood is the perfect base for a cinnamon soap. The finished scent is pure cinnamon stick all the way. Simple and true, it’s all cinnamon spice, the quintessential scent of the holiday season. Men will love it. Women will adore it. Kids won’t be able to put it down either – don’t let the dog get it! (100% natural soap)

Spiced Mocha – A mug of rich, creamy hot cocoa, just a splash of coffee, and deliciously spiced up with a blend of cinnamon cream and hazelnut sugar. Ooh what a perfect treat for a cold day!

Holiday Spice Home Fragrance Spray

Add a little festive spirit to your cozy house with our Holiday Spice home fragrance spray. Mist your rooms just before guests arrive,. Or spritz your gift boxes, cards and stockings -- your family and friends will receive a whoosh of holiday scent when they open their presents! Holiday Spice is our most requested seasonal spray, every year since the very beginning - oranges, cranberries, spices and greens all blended together for the perfect scent of magic and delight.
(4 oz bottle - $ 6.00)

Mini Soap Sets

New for fall, the first batch sold out fast! I’ve made bunches more of the mini 2 oz bars in the most popular regular fragrances: Lavender Lemongrass, Clove Mint, Vanilla Bean & Honey, French Lavender and Moroccan Fig. One of each of the 5 fabulous scents are piled up in a little stack and tied with bakery twine. Such pretty colors. Such a great idea for guest baths, travel soaps, or small gifts. Such a reasonable price - it’s only $10 for the whole package. I have attached a little card which describes the soaps and lists the scents too, so it’s all tied up for the perfect gift for absolutely everyone. You’ll want loads of these for the holiday season – one for everyone on your gift list. ($ 10.00)

Ponderosa Pine Sachets

Elegant and simple ivory organza bags filled with a holiday greens potpourri to bring the beautiful scent of the outdoors inside. Cedar tips, balsam fir needles, cinnamon chips, small pinecones, rosehip berries and the gorgeous scent of the Northwest forest all in one small little gem of a package that’s perfect for stuffing in a stocking, or tucking into a gift box for an extra whiff of delight. As pretty as can be, and anchored with scent-holding grains, they will last for quite a long time, lending a peaceful scent to your holiday household. Pretty as decorations in bedrooms and guest rooms, charming as place settings at an event, tie one to every banister, chair back or doorknob! ( 4x6 pouch, $ 3.00 each)

Gift Ideas

Attention Holiday Shoppers! It’s the gift-giving season, and fun bath stuff is the perfect gift for everyone on your list. I’ve got an elfin mountain of gift sets and packaging ideas. I’ve listed just a few ideas below, but check out the Gift Items button on the website for more gift sets, ideas, and photos of all of our packages:

• Add a beautiful wooden soap dish to your gift of a holiday-scented soap (2 item set - $8.00)

• Take it up a notch by adding a cotton scrubby mitt, a cotton soap sack, or a beautiful hand-crocheted cotton washcloth too. (3 item set - $10.00)

• Put your soap bar, soap dish and cotton scrubby item in a sweet berry basket – turning your humdrum bathroom into a magazine-worthy spa in a jiffy. (3 or 4 item set - $12.95 – 15.95)

• Is your lovey more of a bathing beauty? Pair a bottle of our luxury bath salts with the wonderful long-handled massaging body brush and a bar of soap ($ 20.00).

• Go Green: Skip the wrapping paper this year and gift a bar of soap inside one of our scrubby mitts or sacks. A little piece of recycled ribbon makes it special. Order them separately on the accessories page, or as a set on our gift ideas page.

Internet & Mail Ordering

Holiday shopping online or by mail saves you time, expense, and the headache of traffic jams and crowded malls. We usually ship within two business days, and can send your items directly to family and friends with gift enclosure cards too. Send in the enclosed order form, call during business hours, or for late night brainstorms, order from our website at SoapworksStudio.com. Spend more time celebrating and less time fretting. Let Soapworks Studio be your answer for holiday gifts!

May your holidays be twinkly and bright!

Robots

Oh My GAWWW! Stop with the robo-calls already!

The past week or so has been nuts with all the robo-calls I'm getting here at the studio for political stuff. If they aren't trying to tell me how to vote, they are calling with a survey to ask how I'm going to vote. It's so hard to get anything done when the phone is ringing all day.

And the mailbox is absolutely stuffed every day too. What a waste of trees for all those mailers.

I can. not. wait. for it all to be over next Tuesday.

Please do make the effort to vote though. It's really important stuff and the issues affect everyone, whether you like it or not. You can't just complain about how it turned out later, if you didn't take the time to state your opinion by voting in the first place.

Shows: Nov 3-6

I'm posting my show schedule for next week because it's going to be NOVEMBER already. Ugh.

That "ugh" was just my anxiety about how much is left to do this week before the whole madness begins next week. The Winter Holiday newsletter will be going out at the beginning of next week. Followed by 3 shows the first week, 3 more shows the next week, 3 more shows the week after that, and then a whole bunch more as the month goes on. December is more of the same.

I will be stressed out and ragged, no matter what. I know this. After all these years of going through this madness in November and December, it's just as scary every time. There's no way around it though. This is the shopping season, and this is the time I need to maximize every minute in order to make enough money to continue this business next year. So it's head down and plow through to the other side, one step in front of the other.

One thing I am excited about though are the new winter soap scents. This time all of them came out really good and were just what I was hoping for. This first week of shows will be a mix of both fall and winter scents, and I won't have all of them at all three shows. If you are looking for something specific, please email or call to know where to find it. Starting next week, there will be winter soaps everywhere, and the fall scents will be pretty much gone. Sneak peek: Ponderosa Pine, Red Berry, Holiday Mint, Cinnamon Cedar and Spiced Mocha.

So here's the first week's line-up:

Nov 3 - 6
Red Ribbons & Reindeer
Hollywood Schoolhouse
14810 NE 145th St, Woodinville
Wed 3pm-8pm, Thur & Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm

Nov 4 - 6
Pickering Barn Christmas Show
Pickering Barn, 1720 10th Ave NW, Issaquah
(across from Costco)
Wed - Fri 10am -7pm, Sat 10am-5pm

Nov 6
Eastlake High School's Holiday Bazaar
Eastlake High, 400 228th Ave NE, Sammamish
Saturday only 9am - 4pm

Soapworks

No fancy pictures or exciting stories today. Just popping in to say that I AM NOT the same woman who was on the Glen Beck show on Friday.

Not that anybody is actually going to spend the time to come over here and check out my blog, sigh.

But since my website and email box is going insane over the weekend, and still is today, I just thought I should say something.

Amilya Antonetti started a business named "Soapworks" at just about the same time I did - oh a million years ago now or so. She started big. Really big, with a factory, full staff, etc. Her product line was big too. Shower soap bars, but liquid soaps, laundry soaps, home cleaning products. They were in the grocery stores and Trader Joe's. I think it was in California somewhere.

It was so long ago that I don't think Google even existed. Anyway, I started out small. Very small. But my super bright idea for my brand spanking new business was "Soapworks." Yes, the same one. About a year into it, I realized that I had the same name as another company, because a couple of people said they saw my laundry soap at Trader Joe's. (I guess I never saw that, naive me.) So I changed my name to "Soapworks Studio" just to be on the up-and-up.

I looked her up, knew vaguely what she was doing. And then that was that.

Some years back I started to get contacted by people who were looking for "Soapworks" stuff and found me instead. Computers were big now. So I searched for her. I had clipped a magazine article about her whole back story, so I knew her name. And from everything I could find, she had stopped doing the business. Her great big website was suddenly gone. She was no longer making soap stuff. At least as far as I could track down - just so I could point folks in the right direction.

When you Google the word "Soapworks" today I am the number one listing. So when Amilya Antonetti was on the teevee the other day, talking about her past projects, viewers started searching for her long-ago company name and they are headed over to my place in droves. Some are looking for laundry soap. Others are just looking to buy whatever she's making.

I am very sorry, but I am not her. And I don't make laundry stuff or household cleaners. But my soaps are better than hers ever were :) I would be very honored if you decided to try them. Especially since she isn't making them any more.

From her website, she appears to be a media personality, with a book about leadership and entrepreneurial whatnot that she's promoting. You can continue your search there if you are looking for her specifically.

In the meantime, I'm still making some really great handmade, natural soap products over here. And i just thought I should clear that whole thing up, because there are obviously a very large number of confused and searching customers out there traveling the internets.

This Week: Vasa Park

I was absolutely glued to the miner's rescue yesterday. I had the live feed on the computer while I was working and every time the whistle blew, I had to run over and watch as each men emerged from the capsule. Incredible.

I also set up the Vasa Park show yesterday. Such a gorgeous, sunny, fall afternoon. I took over my new camera to take pictures of the place, but the best one is somehow corrupted and I can't upload it. Wouldn't you know it. So here's a rather uninteresting sign of the actual park across the street. I know you're thinking "how special." And you're right. Dumbest photo ever.



The building where we have our shows is across the street from the park on Lake Sammamish. It was a super hopping ballroom for dances back in the day. Now it's a rickety little wooden building in a parking lot. But it's open and easily accessible, perfect for a craft show. Yesterday was chaos as everybody dragged in cartloads and giant hauls of stuff. Display and goods, decorations and lights. It will be a wonderland of crafts by this morning when it opens at 10am.

The actual park is across the street. It has a little beach, which was so crystal clear yesterday against the mountains. And it's all decorated for Halloween with pumpkins and big scary balloons. There's a campground area too. (More info about Vasa Park Resort.)



If you're looking for handcrafted fall decor, halloween gifties, and great handmade goods, here's the scoop:

Dates: Thursday through Saturday, Oct 14-16
Hours: Thurs and Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-5pm
Location: Vasa Park Ballroom, 3560 W Lk Samm Rd SE, Bellevue

Random Porn

I named my little blog "Random Suds" when I started out, but much to my surprise, it's become Random Porn lately.

I know I've been a little lax on blogging in recent months, and in fact, I haven't even checked in much. But last week, when I had a little more time, I decided to do some housekeeping here. What I found in the comments section was so nuts. Dozens and dozens of comments added to long ago postings - mostly in Russian and mostly containing links to porn.

Huh? Why would anyone think that was a good idea? Seriously, I don't get that much traffic over here, but I can't imagine anyone, even a Russian speaking someone, is traveling back through time and reading all those old posts. And if that Russian speaking someone is just catching up on what I was yabbering about a year (or two) ago, would they even come across those comments? And then Oh! Hello! why yes, it looks like hot Russian girls looking for action! How did I not think of that?! I'd much rather be surfing Eastern European porn than reading about which shows this girl was doing in June of 2008!

Oh, I know, it's probably just a robot. But anyway, it just seemed so crazy. I spent about half an hour deleting all that junk. Just in case you happened to see it before and wondered why I didn't take care of it earlier.

There were other old comments too that I missed. A couple of them had me thinking. Both were along the same lines, that my blog needed more pictures instead of just text if I wanted anyone to be interested in it. My catty self immediately dismissed them - "they probably don't even read books" - but of course they are right. We are conditioned to need all kinds of stimulation from our internets. Video clips, huge strings of photos about what we had for breakfast and what we did today. Usually it takes too long to load and we're already clicking on to the next thing anyway. But we expect all that stuff to be there. Not just reading - that's so last decade.

I recently bought a new camera. My old digital camera started to fall apart, literally - the entire side piece was hanging off of it and to try to hold it together while shooting a pic usually meant there was a chunk of thumb or something in every picture. So I got a new one and my plan is to use it more. Maybe post more pictures of my actual business and products and stuff. Not breakfast. But in the spirit of things, today I have posted a picture of myself. My sister took it on the day I bought the camera. We were taking pictures of each other and the garden and stuff, just to test it out. I typically hate pictures of myself and don't like those candid point-and-shoot things at all. So this is what they mostly looked like. It's a beauty.

Cheers! And oh, if you were actually looking for random porn. You've come to the wrong place. Heh.

And porn linkers (office supplies, electronic equipment, dating sites): I'm on to you.

Procrastination

If you've followed along for awhile, you know that I am a procrastinator. I am. It's not that I like waiting until the last minute, and in fact I try - really try - to work ahead and prepare in advance and get things done before it gets really stressful.

But somehow, there is always a crunch at deadline time, and I realize that I just didn't get enough done earlier and now there's a whole pile of stuff left. The adrenaline rush makes me work extra fast and sorta more efficiently. It also makes me crazy - making stupid decisions, missing important stuff, making mistakes, which isn't so efficient after all. So I've been working at this procrastination problem. And I think I've done a much better job this year.

One of the little quotes that I cut from a magazine long ago and keep in my little stack of goals and to-do's and stuff is this:

"Procrastination is a way for us to be satisfied with second-rate results; we can tell ourselves we'd have done a better job if only we'd had more time . . . If you're good at rationalizing, you can keep yourself feeling rather satisfied this way, but it's a cheap happy. You're whittling your expectations of yourself down lower and lower." - Richard O'Connor, PhD, in Happy At Last: The Thinking Person's Guide to Finding Joy (St. Martin)

This quote, when I read it, made so much sense to me. I realized that I was starting to get a little too comfortable with the "well, it's good enough for now" thinking that I was doing. But if I was honest with myself, it really wasn't good enough. I had bigger goals, higher expectations. Not perfection, but not the rushed and sloppy bits either.

It's all probably a lot deeper than just a habit. There's really only certain things that I put off - other things never get affected. I suppose I should be spending time figuring out what and why those particular tasks are bothering me.

While I was working through some long forgotten piles last week (it was suuuuper slow over at Group Health last week which was both bad for sales but good for my getting work done) I found this little scrap tucked into the wrong folder. I loved reading it again. Just thought I'd share it in case you're in the same place.

Monday morning - I worked a lot over the weekend and was all ahead of the game today. Ran out to do some banking and drop off all the orders I packed ahead. Oh yeah. It's a flippin' holiday today and those people all have the day off. Arrrgh.

Streeeeeeetch

Cats are the bendiest, stretchiest things ever.

Today's fun fact: the average person’s total skin covering would weigh about 6 pounds if collected in one mass.

I can't believe today is already October. September went by in one big blur. I've been buried in orders and the Puyallup Fair. Which was down quite a bit this year. Not just for me, but the whole fair. The economy hasn't gotten better, but they raised the ticket prices and the parking fees. Plus the weather was so wet and cool for most of the time, especially the weekends, so attendance was down overall quite a lot. Anyway, it was still a successful endeavor. And I'm so glad it's over.

Moving on to this weekend. It's Salmon Days. And we're supposed to have dry weather! What a change, eh? It's usually beautiful in September for the Fair and raining and storming for Salmon Days. Sunshine on Saturday? Unheard of!

Details: It's the whole downtown area of Issaquah, with the main streets closed off. Saturday and Sunday, October 2 and 3. Hours are 10-6 both days. I'll be in my usual spot, which is Sunset Way, right at the corner of the driveway into the fish ladder and salmon hatchery.

I will not have the mini-soap sets. I sold out of everything I had made at the fair. I've got more curing right now, but they are a couple of weeks away. I will have everything else - all the fall soaps and bath salts and lip balms. Plus a few scrap bags on sale - not a lot, but some so come early for those.

Next week I'll be back at Group Health for my little mini shop. And the following week is Vasa Park. I'll post details about those later. It's going to be a busy holiday season . . .

Autumn 2010 Newsletter

Just for those of you who may not be on the mailing list or email list - I'm posting the new Autumn Newsletter here too. It explains all the new fall products in detail. And because I'm pressed for time this week, I'm not doing links for each item mentioned, just one link for all the products which are in one place on the Seasonal Products page. And one other link - my schedule of events for the next few months.

Cheers!

Dear Friends,

While we’ve been frolicking about carefree in our shorts and flipflops, summer’s begun to fade. It’s true. The once vibrant flower beds are becoming sort of dry, crinkly and past their prime. Dried, yellow leaves are just beginning to drift out of the trees, signaling another change of seasons. Fall is on its way.

Autumn brings a renewed sense of purpose – a return to school, work, and routines as familiar as your favorite old pair of shoes. It’s a bit of a comfort really, to sink into a warm, cozy chair and spend time just watching the rain drops splash against the window. The cool, crisp brilliance of a sunny September, with its picture-perfect days and star-filled nights come and go so quickly. October’s stunning show of colors turn from yellow to red to brown in a flash. Suddenly it’s already November, a return of the rains and the doorway to the holidays. Savor all the little moments, because like the spookiest little carved pumpkin, it doesn’t last long.

AUTUMN SEASONAL SOAPS

Autumn’s cool, crisp air crystallizes our senses. The whisper of wind and the crunch of dead leaves shoo us back indoors to the comforts of home – soups stewing, goodies baking and fireplaces burning. This year’s Autumn Harvest soaps are loaded with our favorite fruits and spices, taking the best of the season and celebrating the bounty. ($4.25 each or 4 bars for $16.00)

Pumpkin Carrot: Scented with creamy pumpkin, rich vanilla, and a sprinkling of spice, it’s always one of the most popular soaps we make each fall, but this year’s soap has a little something extra. Carrot powder adds both depth of orange color and nutrient properties too. Carrots are packed with vitamins, have anti-aging benefits, and help heal dry, cracked or chapped skin, a common problem as we head into cooler weather.

Nutmeg Buttermilk: Pure toasty nutmeg, warm and comforting. I’ve wanted to do this single spice scent for a long time and I’m sorry I waited because it’s truly lovely. Colored with rhassoul clay, it’s the exact caramel color of a sprinkling of nutmeg. Fresh buttermilk in the recipe makes it extra rich, creamy and moisturizing. (100% natural ingredients)

Apple Jack: Autumn and apples are inseparable partners. This soap is an irresistible blend of tart green apples, orange peel, cinnamon sticks, spicy clove, and nutmeg – a wonderful take on a traditional apple spice style fragrance.

Almond Mint: Candy! This blend of dreamy almond and two kinds of mints is sweet and fresh at the same time. A pretty ivory-colored bar, the combination brings out the best of everything for a deliciously creamy, delightfully fun soap.

Many of the previous Autumn soaps have become such favorites that they’ve continued on and become regulars on the standard menu. Lavender Pear, Moroccan Fig, and Cinnamon Pear are especially lovely treats at this time of the year and worth another try.

HOLIDAY LIP BALMS

For both the Autumn and Winter seasons, I’ve added Latte Caffe, Chai Spice, and Cinnamon Ginger Mint flavored lip balms to the menu du jour. Who can resist these treats? It’s the same nourishing, natural lip balm base that I carry in a dozen lip—smacking flavors, but the perfect flavor for Halloween treats, Thanksgiving celebrations and Christmas memories. See the enclosed brochure or the web site for the full list of flavors – Vanilla Tangerine, Root Beer, Raspberry Soda, Herbal Mint, Strawberry Rose, Coconut Lemon, mmmm . . . (1/2 oz tin - $ 2.00)

MINI SOAP SETS

New! I’ve made bunches of the mini 2 oz bars in the most popular regular fragrances: Lavender Lemongrass, Clove Mint, Vanilla Bean & Honey, French Lavender and Moroccan Fig. One of each of the 5 fabulous scents are piled up in a little stack, tied with bakery twine. Such pretty colors. Such a great idea for guest baths, travel soaps, or small gifts. Such a reasonable price - it’s only $10 for the whole package. I have attached a little card which describes the soaps and lists the scents too, so it’s all tied up for the perfect gift for absolutely everyone. You’ll want loads of these for the holiday season.

DEAD SEA BATH SALTS

Our rustic, chunky bath salts come directly from the Dead Sea. Completely unrefined, these salts are solar evaporated from southern Dead Sea water in southern Israel. Pure, fresh salts with a mineral content that is 7 times greater than other types of sea salts, they work wonders on purifying and detoxifying, improving circulation and moisturizing skin, soaking away stress, and relaxing muscles, aches and pains.

The Dead Sea salts are quite concentrated in their healing and nourishing properties, so a little goes a long way. Just toss a small handful, or approximately a quarter of a cup into your bath water, and use even less for foot soaks. The fragrance may seem a little strong at first whiff in the bottle but they are scented to fill a full bath.

The standard fragrances are: French Lavender, Vanilla Bean & Honey and Almond Ginger. Just for fall, I’ve added Sandalwood Jasmine – a beautiful blend of soft wood and pretty floral. (16 oz bottle - $ 8.00)

WHERE TO FIND ME

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. See the enclosed calendar or log onto the website to get more details on the “Show Schedule” page.

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

Bumbershoot

Ok, just in case anyone is driving by the blog this weekend: I'm at Bumbershoot the next 3 days. I'm sharing a booth with my friend Miranda. It's her charity booth - she sells handicrafts made by her friends in Cofan, Ecuador. Cofan is geographically the top of the Amazon in Ecuador, and she guides tours there, and buys hand crafted items - mostly gorgeous woven hammocks, but other things too, like bracelets and small goods. What she brings back with her, she sells here and gives the profits to the Cofan Survival Fund, which helps the children go to school, in addition to saving their culture and environment. I'll get the exact link and post here later.

So I'm sharing her booth space this time around, and a portion of all my sales will go to them too. We're in the Alki Court area, which is just behind and below the Key Arena. There is a music stage there, and the Museum of Hot Glass show tent too, right in front of us. We're next to the building that is doing all the catering for the event (not the food vendors) - the catering for the bands and staff etc. So there will be lots of activity and entertainment all around. We're not part of the official "Indie Market" areas, but we're right in the middle of things, just off the path of the food vendors. That is as specific as I can get.

Bob Dylan and Mary J Blige are headliners, but there are tons of bands. Check out all the info about the festival HERE.

It's all one big cramming fest this week and next. The Autumn newsletter went in the mailbox late this afternoon. It will show up in mailboxes tomorrow or early next week, for those out-of-towners. The email version will hit mailboxes tomorrow morning, And I'll have an online version here too tomorrow morning. The website is live right this very mintue.

All that Autumn push happened in the last few days, in addition to suddenly trying to get ready for this show, all at the same time I'm trying to get my mountain of stuff done for the Puyallup Fair which happens next week. The Fair sets up Wednesday morning, so I have only Tuesday as my turn-around day. After working 3 straight days of 12-15 hour days at Bumbershoot, I think Tuesday is going to really hurt. Bumbershoot goes late. Really late. We stay open til at least 9pm, but the last biggest shows end at 11:30 or midnight and we might stay open later if it's busy.

I'm rambling tonight. Just got back from setting up over at Seattle Center. I'm excited and tired and overwhelmed and so many mixed emotions. I'm really looking forward to this thing. And then I'm a bit apprehensive about how it will all work out in the end too. But you gotta take on new challenges and try new stuff. That's what life is all about. Otherwise you're just dead, eh? Bring it on. Catch ya on the flip side.

This Weekend

Just a quick note to say that I won't probably know any more about my Bumbershoot location until set-up on Friday. We're getting squeezed into some little leftover corner, and probably around the Alki Court area, but I'll post Friday afternoon when I get final word.

I'm sharing a space with a friend, so I have only a half-booth to set up in. I won't have the sprays or lip balms, and I'm not sure what else. It's a work-in-progress this week to figure out what I can take and what I can't fit in. Plus I need to make sure that I'm not over-extending myself this weekend, and that I have enough inventory to set up the Puyallup Fair next week. It's a crunch.

Bumbershoot is Seattle's biggest music festival. Probably the entire Pacific Northwest's biggest music festival. It runs Sat through Mon at Seattle Center. You have to buy tickets and they are cheaper online now than they will be at the gate. I think. Hours that the gates are open is 11am to 10pm, although some concerts run later to 11pm. You just can't get in past 10pm. There are lots of indie craft market booths all over the place - the fountain, the covered walkway, Fisher Plaza area etc. And there are food booths all over too. It's a really big deal and there will be so many people there during the 3 days, whew.

I'll keep you posted here, but if you already have tickets and are looking for something specific to pick up there, then give me a holler by phone or email and I'll try to accommodate requests.

The year of no tomatoes

It's the "year of no tomatoes." Well, to be fair, there have been just a few and they were awesome.

But this past week the weather has already changed. It's cool, cloudy and dry. The lack of heat stopped the tomato plants cold. They were just putting out a bazillion of green tomatoes - some half formed and some fully ready to start ripening. But now they have gone on break. Probably permanently. Without rain for a while, the whole garden is starting to just give up and die out. Leaves are falling and there is dead stuff everywhere. It's so depressing. Summer is over and we're heading back to the grind - fall and school and work and work and then holidays and winter, all happening so fast you can almost hear it rushing by.

Maybe I'm feeling it a little more intensely because I'm in full fall mode anyway. I've been working on the new fall products, and this weekend is the touch-ups on the fall newsletter which will come out probably by the end of the week. I've got website updates and email letters to work on too. All at the same time I'm trying to get a pile of stuff ready for the Puyallup Fair (starting Sept 10th).

Oh, and a little other tiny thing happened yesterday. I got a half a space at Bumbershoot. I was fully expecting to have one more long weekend to truly get ahead of the game for the fair, and this little gem popped up. I'll be totally scrunched for time and inventory, but it's an amazing and wonderful opportunity which I just couldn't say no to. I'll do a bigger post in a day or two when I know more. But this is a gigantic show in Seattle and I'm thrilled to get a chance to display there - even if it's a little half of a booth in a corner somewhere. More soon . . .

Art in the Alley

I'll be at this little Art in the Alley show this afternoon. It's organized by the Columbia City Gallery, and is outside in Dorothy's Alley. Sounds like fun. They'll be selling cold drinks, snacks and otter pops inside, and there's a sausage cart outside. Goes from 4pm to 9pm.

I don't get a big space here - we're lined up in an alley. So I'm bringing just the basics. Most of the regular soap bars, the balms, maybe a few sprays and/or salts if I can fit them in. So if you're looking for something specific - give me a call before I head over there this morning. I know that's last minute.

This is just a little quickie show, that's right near my house. I love this neighborhood and wanted to spend an afternoon seeing what's going on over there.

Anacortes Arts Festival

This lounging flip flop photo? That's the exact opposite of what I'm doing this week. Maybe later . . .

This weekend is the humungous hoopla that is the Anacortes Arts Festival.

On August 6, 7 and 8, 2010, the streets of Anacortes fill with 260 outstanding juried Booth Artisans, first class Fine Art Exhibitions, Culinary Art with an international selection of foods, and a creative Youth Activities area for the youngest artists. It's their 49th annual festival, with live music and entertainment all over the place too.

They are expanding the number of Booth Artisans this year to include a Garden Art area between 2nd and 3rd Streets just north of the Main Stage. Nine Booth Artisans will provide a great selection of artistic creations for your home. Artists come from throughout the Northwest and as far away as New York, Florida and Arizona- it's really a huge event and one of my biggest shows of the year, so this week is pretty hectic trying to get it all packed up and ready to go.

The info:

Dates: Friday through Sunday, Aug 6-8
Hours: 10am-6pm all days
Soapworks booth location: Same spot as always. west side of the street, south end of the 400 block, almost at the corner of 5th street - just north of that intersection in front of the space that used to be La Vie en Rose Bakery. Map Here

I'm trying to get tons done. Really. Tons. For this show I can't even get enough inventory in my car to sell for more than a day. So I drive back and forth home each evening to re-load the car with another day's bundle of goods to sell. I'm never exactly sure what's going to be the best seller each year. But after all these years, I know which ones I need to have bins and bins of. So I'm working like crazy to get tons of it piled up and ready to just load out the door. This is still never quite enough though. And I end up working in the evenings and working again in the early morning hours before I have to jet out the door to drive up in time to open the tent again. I'll be toast by Monday. But fingers crossed the weather is good, the crowds are huge and I make enough money to cover my butt for little while.

Safe Cosmetics Act 2010

In August of 2008 all of us indie bath, beauty and bodycare businesses were in a panic about the FDA Globalization act that was going to put us out of business. I blogged about it then. And for the moment we were saved.

But now comes the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010. And it's got the whole industry in another panic. Much like the earlier proposition, anyone who manufactures and retails soap and beauty products, no matter how big or how small, will have to put their products through expensive and rigorous testing in order to label every single element of every single ingredient in every single product.

Since current technology can literally detect parts per billion through scientific testing, this is going to be a huge undertaking. And it will take its toll on the small, woman-owned, cottage businesses the most. Only the biggest corporate manufacturers will be able pay for that kind of testing.

The intention of this over-reaching legislation is to "protect" people from dangerous ingredients. That sounds great. However, it's not so cut and dried. Natural ingredients are extremely complex, unlike much more simple synthetic ingredients. A plant compound often has so many trace elements in it, that when you break it down into parts per billion, there will be an element that on its own can be found on a carcinogenic or contaminant list. This element, when ingested in extreme amounts by rodent lab animals might cause cancer. But when found in its natural state, in combination with the rest of the elements in that single plant ingredient, might even be anti-carcinogenic, antioxidant, or anti-inflammatory. This new legislation goes so far overboard that many natural product makers will be just give up.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is behind all this, as they were behind the FDA Globalization Act of 2008. They have quite a lot more lobbiest pull than any of us little guys. So we need to work together to petition against this proposal.

This post at Kayla's blog (Essential Wholesale) has infinitely more detailed information about what is being said, what is being done, and how you can help stop this.

And Anne-Marie (Brambleberry) wrote such an excellent, succinct and easy to understand list of reasons why this is going to hurt us, that it's a must read too.

Please sign the petition against it.

Bellingham Arts Festival

If you live in Bellingham, you have probably heard about the Chalk Art Festival over the years. You register for a section of downtown sidewalk space, bring your chalk pieces and create your masterpiece for awards and prizes. The last couple of years, they've added art and craft booths to the mix. And this year it's even bigger and better. With a new name, Bellingham Arts Festival, there are now 60 art vendors, plus music and all kinds of activities.

This year the festival will feature:

60 incredible arts and crafts booths
Local food vendors
Terrific live music from local bands on the Main Stage
Chalk Art creations adorning the sidewalks throughout downtown
Horse drawn wagon tours from the Bellingham Senior Activity Center
Beer from Boundary Bay and wine tasting provided by Bellingham Bar and Grill in our ArtBar

When: Saturday, July 31st, 10am to 6pm and Sunday, August 1st, 11am to 5pm

Where: 1200, 1300, and 1400 Blocks of Cornwall Ave in Downtown Bellingham, Washington

Full list of Participating Artists

Chalk Art Festival part is Saturday, 7/31, 10am to 1pm.

Allied Arts Chalk ArtFest from ENW with Deb Slater on Vimeo.

I'll be participating this year in the art festival. My booth of soap goods is in the 1300 block of Cornwall, between Magnolia and Holly Streets. I haven't been to this one before, so I'm looking forward to a new adventure. Hope to see some of Bellingham fans!

Bellevue 6th Street Fair

Whew! The shows are fast and furious this month. I never even got around to announcing the Gig Harbor festival last weekend, but it was a good show. Weather was great - cool mornings and sunny but not hot afternoons. And I guess it's a good thing I didn't post my location either, because it all got shuffled around. Small mix up with the parking signs, and there were cars parked all over the street when everyone arrived to set up. I got moved around to 3 different places before I finally got a spot I could set up shop in. But it all worked out fine and sales were great.

Now this weekend is the whole Bellevue Art Fair hoopla. The museum show is at Bellevue Square. Plus there's the other show across the street in the Cost Plus parking lot. And then there's us - the Sixth Street Fair - which sets up on 106th, a block over. I'll be in my same space in front of the California Pizza Kitchen, under the trees. This is a really big event, drawing huge crowds.

And so many years it's been hotter than Hades - we're all wilting in the heat and everyone is running for the indoor air conditioning. But not this time. Because this year we are having the summer that never showed up. I'm sure that if you are reading this from the East Coast or other parts of the country you probably don't want to hear us complain about our chilly summer. The heat waves everywhere else are insane. But we are not having any of it. Overnight it gets cloudy and cool, dropping into the low 50's. We wake up to early spring weather. And if we are really, really lucky (maybe a dozen days now) we can get into the 70's in the afternoon if the sun breaks through. It's stupid. Which proves to everyone that I'm not a true Northwesterner. Because a lot of people around here love that. Me? I'd be happier with more sun, warmer temperatures, and an actual summer-like day or two. I have 7 tomato plants that are going nowhere. The 2 squash plants that made it past our freezing spring weather (in June) are now getting powdery mildew. I didn't even try anything else because it was just so darn cold all the time. It's nearing the end of July and I'm still wearing sweaters.

Back to the show this weekend:

Friday, July 23: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Saturday, July 24: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sunday, July 25: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Here is the map which lists all the other vendors and their locations. There is food and music too. Hope you get a chance to come over.

West Seattle Street Fair

This weekend is the West Seattle Summer Festival. And it's going to be hot. Well, not East Coast hot, but warm for us.

I love hanging out at this show because it's such a great neighborhood and community event. Everybody knows each other, or runs into neighbors and friends they haven't seen in a while - grabbing tables at the outdoor patios of the restaurants on the street, or having drinks and watching the live music in the evenings. It's a big family party with kids areas (called the "Super Terrific Happy Fun Zone"), sidewalk sales, local business promotions, and of course, all of us with our tents selling crafts, wares, imports and all sorts of cool stuff.

My booth is in a slightly different location this time. I've got a nice corner booth just up the street a bit. I'll be in space #133, which you can find on the zoomable map. It's on the west side of street, closer to SW Oregon St - sort of near the liquor store, I guess.

I'm selling scrap bars of soap this weekend. Dings and dents, or ugly ones that got stuck in the mold. Some leftover older flavors too. They are $1.50 a bar, and all full-size bars too - a real bargain. Come early, they won't last long.

Vendor hours are: Friday 10-6, Sat 10-8, Sun 11-5, July 9th - 11th. There are live music concerts all day and into the evening, with a full schedule here. Hope to see you at the party!