Puyallup Fair 2009

Bonus double post today. Only because I'm late in announcing the Puyallup Fair this year. It actually started today - this morning was the free day. But if you're a real fair-goer, you probably already knew about that. This year the advertising line is "The Big Fantastic." It's big. I hope it's fantastic too.

I'm participating in the Artists in Action gallery this year, like I have the past few years. It's a really big undertaking, but pretty exciting too -and a much needed boost for me in September. We are located in the Artists in Action space, which is on the ground floor under the Grandstand. We have a little handcrafted artisan boutique -- a mix of pottery, fiber arts, painting, basketry, jewelry, clothing and a bunch of other stuff, which is my category - always the "other stuff" part.

New at my display this year: lip balms in a 3-pack, two different assortments of flavors; the Pacific Northwest Collections, which I've had since last winter, but didn't bring to this show last year; and the white berry basket gift sets. They have a bar of soap and one of the hand-crocheted washcloths in them, and I'm selling them there for $12, which is a bit of a bargain, since I've been selling them for $12.95 elsewhere all year. Snap them up, people!

Anyway, I wanted to post the details on the Puyallup Fair gig, in case anyone's headed over there in the next two weeks. It's like the biggest thing that happens all year for some folks, even if they are just going one night for an onion burger and a concert. Lots of great entertainment in the line up.

Puyallup Fair

The Fair is open September 11th through the 27th. Sunday through Thursday 10am-10pm. Fridays and Saturdays 10am -11pm.

The "Artists in Action" area, is in the Merchants Building -- the lower level of the Grandstand, at the west end, next to the Fisher Scone windows. It's a boutique style craft show, with lots of pottery and fiber arts, demos every day with artists demonstrating their techniques and craft. It's a central cashier style thing, with all of us artists in baseball caps milling around on the floor, meeting and greeting our guests. Don't mind the elephant ear crumbs on our shirts, we can't help ourselves.

The website (www.thefair.com) has more info about maps, directions, parking, concert and event schedules, ways to get discounted tickets, the works.

September

It's such a beautiful day today in Seattle. Crystal clear blue skies. The sunlight is dappled and rippling, likes waves on the water - so much different than a mid-summer sunny day. Yet it's warm and gorgeous. Almost exactly the same kind of day we had here on that horrible Sept. 11 eight years ago.

What I remember most about that day, besides how truly horrific and terrible it was, is that the day itself was so absolutely beautiful. Glued to my couch and the teevee for the entire day, I remember repeatedly walking to the doorway or the back yard and just looking up at the sky in wonder at how pretty it could be, especially on a day so full of tragedy. Of course it was a lot more quiet that day. No traffic, no planes in the sky, just silence. Today is the usual noise and hustle and bustle.

It's been a long time. Lots of things have changed. Most of them not for the better, if I'm being honest. 2001 was a good year for me overall. For the business, for all kinds of things. The past few, not so much. Not being a whiner or complaining, but it's been kind of tough lately.

Whenever I hear that ridiculous question, "do you feel safer today than you did then?" I just have to shake my head. How could you possibly? Nobody in their wildest imaginations thought something like that could happen here. But after witnessing that live, now you can imagine all kinds of horrors, happening all over, in all kinds of ways - ways that can never fully be prevented. The naivete is lost, and once gone, cannot be returned.

Today I'm just enjoying the beauty. I've got loads of work, but I need to just poke my head out, or eat my little lunch under the perfect sky and breathe deep. It's just too pretty to ignore. Life is good.

Autumn Newsletter 2009

Just cross-posting the new fall newsletter here as well. It's in the mail today, and in the email inboxes too. Plus the web site has been updated with all the new products.

I've been working on the site a bit too - rearranging it just a tad to make it easier to use. There's a "BUY NOW" button for all the products, rather than a list of tabs on the home page for each type of product, which was a bit more confusing and redundant. On the BUY NOW page is the one big-ass disclaimer about how the purchasing works for me - the little lecture about how the orders get processed back at the ranch, with shipping and taxes added later, rather than insto-presto while you are online. I've said all that before so I won't take up space here again on that, but as always, let me know if anything is unclear. And then the links to the soap page, the spray page, the gift items page, the seasonal stuff page (which I will feature new each season but always have available) and the clearance sale page. I think it makes a little more sense, even though it's one more level of clicking. It sort of clears up a lot of information all over the place that didn't quite make it across. I think. Anyway, here's the fall news scoop:

It's hard to believe our glorious summer is fading into fall, but the shorter days and cooler weather are signaling the winds of change. After all those days of record-breaking heat and endless sunshine, the return to our "usual" weather - chilly, breezy, drizzly - somehow feels like a welcome old friend who's been away too long.

As we head indoors, reacquainting ourselves with sweaters and hot tea, it feels like a return to the basics. Simple pleasures and appreciating what's right in front of us just feels right, especially now when Fall has so many treasures to offer. Although Autumn's magic sometimes sweeps by too quickly, the breath-taking color show of the trees and an over-abundant harvest is more than enough gifts for just one short season.

AUTUMN SEASONAL SOAPS

Autumn's cool, crisp air crystallizes our senses. The whisper of wind, the crunch of dead leaves, and the light patter of raindrops welcome us back indoors to the comforts of home. 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)

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.

Cinnamon Pear: Luscious yellow pear topped with a touch of cinnamon, this soap smells warm and delicious. It's the perfect little indulgence - sudsing up with this fruity delight is a simple daily luxury which nobody should live without.

Honey Orange Clove: Sweet orange, a dash of pomander cloves, and a spoonful of soothing honey. This is a lighter scented soap, with the added benefits of pure honey. Calming and hydrating are just a few of honey's wonders for skin - it heals and reduces infection too. The bright orange and clove scent is a traditional holiday treat I look forward to each year.

AUTUMN AROMATIC SPRAYS

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

Apple Harvest: 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.

Vanilla Bean Spice: Vanilla, first grown in Mexico, was considered a gift from the gods. The world's only edible orchid, vanilla grows on a vine and can only be pollinated by special small bees, hummingbirds or by hand in order to bear fruit - the vanilla bean. It's intoxicating scent is both calming and an aphrodisiac. This fragrance spray is rich vanilla with a sprinkling of cinnamon spice.

HOLIDAY LIP BALMS

Just for the Autumn season, I've added Pumpkin Pie, Egg Nog and Hot Cocoa 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 - Cupcake, Vanilla Tangerine, Root Beer, Raspberry Soda . . .mmm

BERRY BASKET SETS

Our sweet little vintage-style wire berry baskets are now white in color. They are 5 inches square, with wood handles and perfectly sized for gift basket making. Adorable with a bar of a soap and one of the little cotton scrubbie accessories - it's a charming way to decorate your bathroom with flair and fragrance. And they can be used for almost anything later - collecting keys on the front table to holding towels on the bathroom sink, to decorating your fall home. Check out the photos on the web site! (Set - $12.95)

MY OWN SHOP - 2 MORE GUEST APPEARANCES

I'll be repeating my temporary Group Health storefront two times this fall. I will have my own little retail shop for a few days in October and again in December. Group Health has a tiny jewel of a storefront that they loan it out to artists from time to time, and a percentage of all sales funds their TLC Guild which helps with patient's needs. It's designed to be a gift boutique, especially focused on fall and winter holiday gifts. It's located at 108 - 15th Ave E, kitty-corner from the Safeway on John St. Dates are October 7 - 9, and December 9 - 11. Hope to see you there!

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 Show Schedule page for more details.

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

Tomato Jam

Tomato jam. Best stuff ever. And it uses up a whole bunch of tomatoes that are coming at me too fast to eat fresh right now. I've made batch after batch of sauce in the last month. The little sungold cherry tomatoes, which ripen at about 100 a day, make an amazing sauce. But I've already got lots of bags of various kinds of tomato sauce in the freezer.

I've oven dried tomatoes, and frozen more tomatoes. And then yesterday I tasted some tomato jam at a restaurant -- just dotted on the plate with some cheese and a chunk of baguette. I had forgotten how delicious it is. And since I had another whole basket of tomatoes at home on the counter, I decided to make jam this morning. Oh, I'll need to do more sauce too, probably later today, and still have a few sandwiches for lunch and salads for dinner. There's still more tomatoes every day.

SInce I haven't made the jam in awhile, I googled a recipe and decided to go with Mark Bittman's recipe in the New York Times from last summer. Of course I had to make my own little tweaks to it. Mostly because I used more tomatoes than called for - so I added a touch more sugar, adjusted all the other stuff to my liking or due to pantry shortages, etc. Not too sweet, it has a kick of heat to it, and some great spices. Lordy, it came out good. And the best part? Two whole pounds of tomatoes are gone which made just these 3 little jars of jam. It will be eaten up so fast I didn't even process the jars. Just stuck them in the fridge.

Mmmmm. I just might need to make this again before the season is over. I'll want to have some of it last into the winter.

Front Page News

How funny! My plum tree is the top story of the Seattle Times today. Plum crazy - the story takes up about half of the whole front page.

I had no idea it would be such a big deal - maybe a little thing in the local section, or the life section on a Saturday. But it's great publicity for CityFruit.org, who I've mentioned here before. They are a bit overwhelmed with the the harvesting right now, because everything gets ripe at the same time. So spreading out the volunteers and pickers, delivering the fruit to all the various food banks and organizations must be a gigantic amount of work. Good for them. I hope this helps them out in some way.

This little ol' plum tree might be famous, but it's still a headache. Even though we've gotten a couple hundred pounds of fruit off of it at least, it's still loaded at the top with stuff we can't reach. And it's over-ripe now, and dropping bombs all over the sidewalk, the yard and our heads. It's getting trimmed back for next year, so I don't have to use so many poles to keep the branches off my electric wires and internet cable.

So today's story is plums. I really didn't know how many people still read the paper - we've gotten so many calls and emails this morning. A couple of cooking tips - if you're doing any cooking with them, they get brown fast. Toss them in a little lemon juice immediately. I made a delicious salad last night with slices of plums, halved cherry tomatoes (which I also have a LOT of right now), a bit of feta cheese, and a handful of mint leaves chopped. Since there was already a bunch of lemon juice on the plums, for dressing I added a teaspoon of honey, a splash of white wine vinegar and a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Super juicy and the peak of tastiness.

Oven drying was not the best. There's a Martha Stewart recipe (and variations) all over the internet which worked out well. I substituted a spice blend with a little star anise and cinnamon for the thyme leaves. You cook them on low for 3 hours and then turn off the oven overnight. They are totally juicy and not at all dried the next day. Tasted great though, and I froze them. The second time I tried this I decided to cook them all night (at 200) like I've done for oven dried tomatoes, which come out exactly like sun-dried. That is to say, actually dry. I was aiming for more of a prune or dried fruit like thing. But they were still a bit wetter the next morning, and had a terribly bitter taste. Totally inedible. I'm sure a food dehydrator would work, but I don't have one of those.

So mostly I've cooked sauces and frozen them. Some sweet, some savory for pork and chicken later. This year I did not can them into jam. I don't like it as well - my plums just get this weird gold/brown color and it doesn't make a pretty jam. Right now I'm so sick of them, I don't want to do anything else with them. They are best just fresh off the tree, but you can only do that for so long and then you want a dang banana or an orange. Anything but another plum.

Did I mention that I fell off the ladder? Right in front of the reporter while he was taking notes for the story? No? Probably because that's the most embarrassing thing ever. Yes there was a 911 call. And a fire truck raced over with sirens blaring. Super cute guys - one named "Almond" and one named "Berry." I kid you not. We could have made a great dessert together, but they had to go back to work. I am fine. A couple of bruises, nothing major. Not even a stiff neck, no broken bones, no major head injury or body cast. I guess I got very lucky. Just a little overzealous with getting that next branch and the ladder started to tip on the un-even hill. Dumb. I know. I'm still cringeing with how stupid the whole thing was. And now there's a front page news story to remind of that happy day. With photos of my chin in color and large pixels taking up half the front section. Hoo boy.

Random Bits

Somehow life got too busy for the blog. Almost a week after I finished the Anacortes show, I'm finally able to breathe again. In a few small spots I can even see the surface of my desk.

So here's what's new. Anacortes turned out to be a fairly good show. Even though I lost my corner space at the last minute and had an invisible spot in front of an empty bakery storefront, facing the giant double Costco-sized booth of some other guy's soap (argh!), I did ok. Pretty much the same as the last couple of years, so that's a ginormous achievement given the way all my other summer sales went.

Now it's on to fall. The fall newsletter, the fall soap production, the fall updates on the web site. All things fall. It even feels like fall. The chilly days of grey and rain, the leaves dropping everywhere, the summer plants that have all yellowed out and turned to crisp. I know we've got sunshine and summer for a few more weeks, starting tomorrow I guess. But right now, it's back to sweatshirts and pumpkin spice smells.

Soaps gone bad: I think I've found the problem that has been shortening the shelf-life of my soaps the past few months. Earlier this year I had changed the brand of one of my base oils. Turns out it was a slight variation of what I had been using in the past, and when I calculated out the recipe, it was not quite right. I've changed back to the old brand and there should be no more problems with the soaps I am making now. Tried to cut costs a little and it didn't work out - it backfired. I'm so frustrated.

The bottom line is this: any soaps that you may have gotten from me during the last 5 months or so do not have the same shelf life of the soaps you've grown accustomed to. If you haven't used them already, get them out pretty quickly. Some are fine, some are turning a little slimy or getting tiny orange spots. If it's already turned, do not panic. The soap itself is still good and usable, although not as attractive. But if you'd like to exchange it for a new bar, please feel free to call, email or contact me and I'll cheerfully replace it. If it's a seasonal one that is out of stock, then we'll do something else you like. But it's important to me that you don't just get disgusted and stop ordering - it was a temporary mistake that I've fixed and will not happen in the future. Anything not quite right up to this point, I'll replace at no charge.

I'll have to do a little blurb about all this in the fall mailing, but if you've been reading along here, I'm posting it early so that you can check your bars and use them up now instead of putting them in deep storage for winter or later. They won't last much longer. And again, if they're gone - I'll replace the bad ones.

Canning: hoo boy is it canning season. The tomatoes are constant, so we've tried oven drying. That doesn't work so good for cherry tomatoes. We made sauce and froze it. We've pickled. Bread and butter pickles with cukes this time. Twice. I've done strawberry and raspberry jam. And the plum tree just turned. Solid Ground/City Fruit are going to harvest over the weekend, to bring the hundred of pounds of plums to local food banks - plus a school organization that is going to dry them for lunch programs and snacks. BTW, if you've got a fruit tree in your yard that you'd like to have harvested and donated, go to CityFruit.org and get on the list. Even if it's for next year. They are a new group and just starting lists so that next year they can coordinate neighborhoods and harvest times better. Super great people.

NW Art Alliance (Best of the Northwest shows) finally hired a new executive director. Pamela Rembold, who was the interim director during the summer, is the new head honcho. She's wonderful, and very committed to building the organization, with a new focus on marketing our shows. Everyone else on staff previously has left. So it's all new, quite hopeful and freshly invigorated. We are still doing the fall show at Seattle Center - probably spread out between the Exhibition Hall and the Northwest Rooms like last year, which wasn't ideal but already committed to for this year. Except this time we might actually have some advertising.

The Puyallup Fair is right around the corner too - starts Sept.11. So I'm getting busy on plans for that too. I want to bring some lip balms again, but in a different kind of combo package. New styles of baskets for gift sets. Maybe a few different salts or spray flavors just for the fair. The past few years have given me a good idea of what that bunch of folks likes - and high on the list is vanilla and patchouli. So I want to make sure I've that all that and more. And the fishermen want the anise soap. Check.

I'm done with summer shows and summer stuff. I'm moving on to fall. Hoping to finally get around to doing another round of clearance stuff on the sale section and send something to the email list, which hasn't happened in months either.

And lastly: Bill Morris, the elegant, gentleman, calm in a sea of chaos - it was such a pleasure to work along side you for so many years. You'll be deeply missed. RIP.

Anacortes Arts Festival

This weekend is the Anacortes Arts Festival. The fifth show in five weeks. And the last one of the summer for me. So if you've put off stopping by to stock up - this is your last chance. Final call before fall comes around, which (gasp!) is right around the bend. But don't say that too loud.

Next week is going to feel so good. When I unload the car, I get to to actually put stuff away for a bit. And not spend the entire week getting ready for another show. The canopy is pooped, and I am too.

But Anacortes is my biggest show of the summer and I'm looking forward to ending the season with a humdinger. If you haven't been before, or haven't been in awhile, it's worth driving over and checking out. So many blocks after blocks of local artists and the best of the handmade stuff in our region. All kinds of stuff going on - 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 show at the Depot, working artist area, poetry reading at the port and more.

Anacortes Arts Festival

This is one of the largest and most popular art fairs in the entire Pacific Northwest, with

Dates: August 7, 8 AND 9
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 location as last year, directly in front of the empty space that used to be La Vie en Rose Bakery, near the corner of 5th street, on the West side. Booth # 419W. So sad - the bakery is gone this year.

Looking forward to seeing all my Anacortes friends!

Week in Review

Ouch.

Coupeville was lousy this year. It's never a big show for me anyway, but it's such a pleasant town, and I have regulars on the island. I've skipped a couple years in the last four years there - just to save expenses. It's an overnight stay, plus ferry, plus gas and meals. And being just the weekend after Anacortes, I figure most people have already just seen me in that little neck of the woods. But Anacortes and Coupeville switched weekends this year, so I thought I'd give it another whirl and see how things went. Why not?

Turned out to be my worst show there ever. My profit was next to nothing. Again. Worst summer ever. I'm in a bit of shock, frankly. To be just about at the end of my summer show blitz, and have so little money after all that work is hard to take in.

This coming weekend is Anacortes, and it's always my biggest show of the entire season, so I'm going to try to end it with a bang. Fingers crossed. And toes. And eyes.

Another little issue. In all this heat wave, I've had a few batches of soap start to turn bad. I've never had soap go bad in the past. Even after a couple of years of sitting around. These are ones that I made in the early spring, or even later. It's a big surprise and I'm not sure what is causing it. The new recipe of shea butter and hemp oil? That seems the obvious first choice, but I've used this recipe for a year and a half now, and they've not done this yet. It would take a lot more time of experimenting to pin that down - and waiting around for another six months to see what works and what doesn't. Obviously the heat and sunlight don't help, and we are at the end of that now with the fall just around the corner.

What this means is . . . well I don't know. I have to make some changes to the process, the recipe, the way I store them, what I keep on hand and for how long. All of it. I'm starting to adjust the recipe a little this month and will watch to see how it all goes, but I won't have answers until next spring. I am also temporarily not making a few scents of soap that don't sell as well, but that I keep on hand for a small loyal following. That's the Sacred Smoke soap and the Anise soap. I've got to have a new batch of Anise for Puyallup in September, but after that, I won't make more batches for a bit until I've figured it all out. The Smoke soap is done for now. The batch I had in inventory, which I made in the spring is starting to ooze little brown goo, which means that one of the oils has gone bad. I have to toss the whole thing.

While I'm in this business slump, I can't afford to have money tied up in inventory that doesn't move, and ends up going to waste. I can only keep going on the most popular scents. As I plan the new fall scents, I have to be ruthless with what I'm going to spend supply money on. If I end up disappointing a few people by not having something in stock, I truly apologize. This is temporary, I hope.

I just don't know any answers at the moment. I'm sort of reeling and overwhelmed by all of it. I'm not sure what to do. I'm still going to do all my fall and winter shows, and both the fall and winter newsletters with full seasonal products. The next four months is when I do probably half of my sales for the year and I have to make a go of it.

That's the ugly truth from here. I can't vouch for any other artist, any other soap seller, or the world at large. Maybe it's just me, but I suspect that most other people are having a tough time too overall, even if sales are up or down at specific shows. Gosh, I'd hate to lose this whole thing now - after 13 years. I don't have a Plan B.

Melting

Did you survive the historic heat wave this week? WOW! 103 degrees on Wednesday. That's hawt.

Last night's cool down was so nice. What a pleasant change. Today I'm just dealing with noise. The hydro's racing around the lake can be heard humming from here. And the air show, with the Blue Angels and other screaming stuff overhead starts in just a bit. It's definitely summer.

This weekend is the Coupeville Arts Festival. I am posting the info here in case you're heading over there.

It's downtown Coupeville, in a huge square on the main streets - along Front Streets and Coveland Streets, from Alexander to Main Streets. My usual spot is right in front of the museum at the corner of Front and Alexander. But I lost that space by not being there last year - this time I'm right across the street from there, facing my old spot. I think it's going to be a bit sunnier and hotter, because the afternoon sun goes the other way. But luckily the forecast is for slightly cooler temperatures. And hopefully the island will have a nice breeze.

Hours: August 1 and 2, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 10am-5pm.

There's kid's activities, food booths, an artists in action area - all the usual stuff. It's always cool on the ferries, and there's plenty of beaches on the island to dip a toe in the frigid ocean. Sounds pretty good to me.

Hot Days

Whew, it's hot and getting hotter. This week is going to be record breaking for us in the Pacific Northwest.

The Bellevue show last weekend was already hot. There was so much hype about how high the temperatures were going to get that I think everyone made plans to go to the beach or something instead of coming over to the show. It was dead and sales were so slow that it turned out truly awful. So disappointing.

And I came back to find that my pumpkins are suffering the dreaded powdery mildew disease now too. They looked great on Friday morning. And Monday morning the entire thing is a goner. There's nothing to be done at this point, it's too far gone to save anything. Total bummer. Now I remember why I decided a few years back to skip the veggie growing and just do flowers. You work so hard, spend so much extra time watering and caring for them, fighting bugs, fighting diseases, mulching etc and then they don't put out. I'm back to thinking I should just save all my time and energy - not to mention water bills - and just shop at the farmer's markets. Let the experts do the farming. I'll just do my picking there instead of the back yard. It usually looks better than what I grow anyway.

The exception is the tomatoes. I love those and they always do well here. They are exploding now in all this sunshine and I'm already giving some away, having more ripe ones than I can eat this week.

And OH MY GOD the plums! I have a plum tree in the front, little green things. Don't know what they are and I've never liked them all that much, even though they are tasty and free and no work at all. The neighbors go crazy for them, and I let them pick as much as they want. But this year? This year is different. I've never seen so many fruits in my whole life. The branches are so low you can hardly get under it. One big branch cracked and split under the weight over the weekend. And I spent Monday morning scrounging every piece of bamboo pole, 2x4, lumber scrap, pvc pipe, garden stake etc to prop up branches. I had to get them off the electrical wires too. It was starting to get really scary. So the front yard looks ridiculous - dozens of poles propping up branches all over the place. It's like a funhouse trying to maneuver around the poles, up the steps, and to the front door.

Cityfruit.org is keeping track of city fruit trees, with a huge list of projects they have in the works - from growing to help with harvesting. We've contacted Seattle Tilth to have volunteers come harvest the fruit this year, donating the plums to food banks etc. But we've got a few weeks before they are fully ripe and it's nuts out there.

The cats are totally crashed out, they are so hot. We keep trying to relocate them to cool spots in the basement or breezy windows - it's cooler inside, but they insist on being outside under the plants, their little fur coats must be so miserable. This week is Seafair - the boat races and the Blue Angels screaming overhead all week. The jets arrive today, which will make the cats even more unhappy. And a bit scary even for us.

And it's Coupeville this weekend. I'm already working on that. Anacortes and Coupeville switched weekends this year and Coupeville comes first in August. I'll get info and link up in a bit. Promise. I'm pickling beets this morning and need to get back to it. Super cute candy striped Chioggia beets in a crazy yummy pickling brine. Just a couple bunches of beets from Bellevue's Sunday market. Not a year's supply. Well, maybe that is a year's supply. I mean I like beets, but a jar of pickled beets can go a long way.

Bellevue - 6th St Fair

Since I blew it last week, I am definitely not going to forget to post the particulars for this weekend's show. It's usually a really good show, so I'm hoping for the best again this year.

This weekend is the Bellevue Arts Fair extravaganza. It's actually three different shows, all going on simultaneously in downtown Bellevue. The Bellevue Arts Museum ArtsFair, is the fancy pants show in the garage of the Bellevue Square Mall. It's exclusively fine art and is the biggest draw for national artists to travel here. The second show is called Bellevue Festival of the Art and is located in the Cost Plus parking lot across the street from Bell Square. Also only traditional fine art categories and lots of lovely folks there, another 300 artists or more.

And the third show - my show - is the 6th Street Fair. Now, this is not the poor cousin of art shows - it's just an extension of folks who show locally, and they in fact allow some other categories too, like traditional crafts, which are not allowed in the other two shows. Soapmaking is obviously not high end fine art. So the only show that me and others like me can even participate in, is Sixth Street. And believe me, there are some very lovely artists in our show too. All kinds of things, from furniture to glass, pottery, jewelry, woodworking - but also soap, candles, fabric arts etc., gift items that don't require a year's worth of salary to invest in. There are 120 artists, food booths and music stages over our way. If you've oodles of time, it's nice to visit the whole entire hullabaloo and see everything. The weather is supposed to be hot and sunny, hopefully not too hot as has happened in previous years. This particular calendar weekend usually breaks heat records in the summer, but I'll be in my same old spot under the tree in the shade.

Details: 6th Street Fair
downtown Bellevue along 6th Street

Friday, July 24: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Saturday, July 25: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sunday, July 26: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Soapworks Studio Booth Location: I am located in #3, at the corner of 106th & 6th, right in front of the California Pizza Kitchen, facing east towards the Bellevue Galleria complex. Same spot as last few years!

Side note: I made mozarella cheese today! It's messy and sort of weird. I had no idea that a gallon of milk had so little curd and so much whey. But it still made a good amount of cheese. I'll make pizza tonight I think. It's a tad tasteless. I added a bit of salt, but I think I'd add a sprinkle more next time. It's never a super tasty cheese anyway, but it will be fresh and lovely with all my ripening tomatoes and pots of basil, especially after the weekend's heat.

Fromage

Dudes, I totally forgot to post the specifics about Gig Harbor before the show last week. I came down with a snotty little cold over the weekend, and have been a little spaced out. The weather was perfect, and the weekend turned out lovely anyway.

I took it a little slow yesterday, mainly because that was all I could manage. But I've got a full plate this week in order to be ready for the Bellevue show this weekend. It's another 3 day show, and one of my biggest, so there is quite a lot to be done.

In between all this work work, I've made a couple of batches of cheese. Yes, you heard right, cheese. Mascarpone and chevre to be exact. And they turned out quite nicely for the first experiment. I plan to do more. It's easy! In fact, as I was reading through all the instructions for the harder cheeses - the molded ones and the rind ones - it sounded a lot like soap making. I think I might just be able to do this. Where can I find sheep's milk I wonder. Mozzarella is next. There are so many to try. Yum, cheese.

I was reading the other day about the tomato blight on the east coast - it's awful. So disappointing to put in all that hard work and then have the plants die off before you can get any crop. I know, that's what's happened to a bunch of my squash in the front. I'm trying to save 2 little ones off in the corner which still have healthy leaves on them, but the other ones are gone. I have no idea if it came from my soil or came from the plant itself, but it's awful. The pumpkins on the lower terrace are growing like mad, but my treasured little round zukes and yellow summer squash are no more. My tomatoes are incredible - biggest plants ever and they are all starting to turn this week. I've had a few small handfuls of cherry tomatoes, and the romas might be good for dinner. It's going to be so hot the next few days - I'm sure they will all ripen and fall off while I'm working in Bellevue on the weekend. I'll have to get up extra early to harvest.

In case anyone is wondering, business has been down. The shows are ok, some really awful, some just down a bit from last year, some borderline ok, nothing great. It dawned on me about a week ago that this soap business might just be a pot of hot water and I'm the frog. I'm hoping I can hold on this year and wait for the economy to pick up. At the moment, I'm in too deep with summer and fall commitments that I don't have a minute to make new plans or change anything. I just have to hang in there through this bunch of shows and see where I'm at in mid-August.

Favorite quote (at least this week): "It's not about miracles, it's about persistance." Gotta keep plugging away at it, that's all I can do.

July

Beautiful day today. Nice to have a bit of warm sunshine again after a few days of cool and cloudy.

Farmer's Market Day at Columbia City. And we've joined a CSA too, so we are up to our eyeballs in fresh produce. The best thing I've cooked this week: sauteed a summer squash with spring onions, garlic and sugar snap peas - a sprinkling of herbs de Provence tossed in. The peas stayed nice and crunchy but sweetened up even more than raw, the squash got that perfect melty brown - so delicious. There is sweet corn at the markets this week - it tastes terrible. I'll wait a while to try that again. And we're freezing flats of raspberries and blueberries to keep for winter. I got a half flat of the final strawberries of the season on Sunday. Got a few minutes to make jam on Monday evening - with a splash of balsamic and a hint of ginger. It's so yummy. The last bits in the pot that didn't fit in a jar made an amazing salad dressing, just mixed with olive oil and red wine vinegar. The perfect sweet tart for arugula, pecans and goat cheese. Oh and raspberry liqueur - we made just a little and couldn't help drinking it all once, it was that good. There will be more.

My own little garden is having a small crisis. All the squash and zuchini are catching some stupid blight or powdery mildew. I've been picking leaves, spraying with a natural spray and trying whatever I can to save them, but it seems to be moving from one plant over to the next. I'm so bummed. I have a few unusual squash and dark green pumpkins out front that I was really looking forward to. Fingers crossed I can save even a little something.

What I'm reading: Animal, Vegetable. Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and Mollie Wizenberg's new book, A Homemade Life, plus all the gossip on Michael Jackson that comes out daily. What I'm watching: the Tour de France, Wipeout, Superstars, Ghost Hunters, pretty much nothing on tv. Waiting for: Harry Potter at the Imax, ripe tomatoes, a few free days in August. What's percolating in the business: working on fall scents, finishing the fall show schedule, changes to the web site and email marketing, how to survive after a month of super crappy shows.

So that's the nutshell of what's going on here - vegetables and work. I'm buzzing around getting ready for Gig Harbor this weekend. I'll post the details on that tomorrow.

West Seattle Street Fair

This weekend is the West Seattle Street Fair - Friday through Sunday, July 10-12. It's a great community festival and everyone turns out for it. It's at "The Junction" on California Avenue. So all the restaurants up there set up sidewalk cafes, spilling out onto the streets. The shops bring tables out to the curb and have little sidewalk sales. There are beer gardens, bands and evening street dances. There's a huge kiddie playground area with those big blow up thingies to jump on and in. Fun for everyone. And shopping. Handmade crafts, arts, import stuff, and great goods. Plus a bunch of commercial sales-y stuff like chiropractors, vinyl siding, insurance, and nursing homes - soup to nuts at this one, but in a good way.

Friday and Saturday hours are 10am-8pm. Sunday is 11am to 7pm. I'll be in the north block, about mid-way, facing East (booth #102). Sorta near Matador's, maybe up a few booths or so, if you know where that is. It's the next little bunch of booths up from where I've been the last couple of years in front of Jak's.

So, that's the business bit. I know, right? It's all business and no play around here any more. Boring.

Here at the studio, it's been a holiday weekend of play. My last bit of summer for a while. I've got shows scheduled for the next 5 weeks in a row and I'm feeling a little blue about it. At the moment, the very cusp of the show blitz, I'm regretting that decision. But it's necessary. I have to make hay while the sun shines. And I'm going to need a lot of hay to catch up this year.

July is smack dab in the middle of summer and it's so full. The Tour de France and Bastille Day - I love to sip rose' and celebrate that. Birthdays. Setting up my calendar of fall shows. Starting to make all the fall soaps and plan Christmas. Harvesting scads of tomatoes - all that early hot weather has my tomato plants just loaded with fruits that are a few days away from turning color. The new Harry Potter movie at the Imax. I want to can stuff this year - pickles at least, tomatoes, maybe jam. Picnics. I've got stuff to do man, and all this working 7 days a week for a month and a half just doesn't fit. Phoooey.

What are you guys doing? Having any fun?

Best of the Northwest/Art 30

Art 30 is the new name for the new incarnation of the summer show that Best of the Northwest is doing. The last few years it's been in Marymoor Park (Redmond) in mid-August. This year it's back at Magnuson Park off Sand Point Way and it's June.

If you're following along to the Best of the Northwest story, we are probably never going back to the old location in the Hangar at the Naval station. The Cliff Notes version is that the building was decaying into such bad shape that the city wanted to sell it to a developer rather than fix it. And then a developer decided to buy it and fix it up. But it was to be for their own purposes and no longer available to be rented out to groups. Lots of protests from the community who wanted access. The deal stood. And then the deal fell through, some financing snafoo. But the building is not habitable and not worth fixing, I guess.

The NW Art Alliance (business name for Best of the Northwest shows) has signed a longish lease at Seattle Center now for the spring and fall shows. So they'll be staying put there. But this summer show is testing the waters back at Sand Point. It's teamed up with Live Arts of Bothell, and it doing this show during the same weekend as the bicycle ride "Artride '09" along the Burke Gilman Trail.

We are going to be at Hangar 30 this time - partly inside and partly outside. The Soapworks booth is outside and luckily it will be sunny and dry all weekend, or so the forecast predicts. It's free admission at the summer shows, and there is free parking right there and we're back in Seattle. All good things, so I'm hoping this version will be successful. Do not expect as many artists though - it's a busy summer and there are lots of shows to choose from, so some of the usual artists didn't want to take a risk for this first-time show, opting instead for the tried and true. Totally expected when times are tough. I think there's about 75 artists scheduled which would still be a nice showing, but I'm not on the inside track.

Deets: Saturday and Sunday, June 27-38, 10am-6pm both days

More info at Art 30

ETA: Linkie fixed

Boo

Yesterday I posted a picture of Louie, so it's only fair that I post a picture of my other beautiful girl, Dora. I usually call her Boo. Or Skinny Butt. or Chick Pea. She's got a hundred names.

I know. Pictures of your cat on a blog are stoooopid. I obviously don't have kid pictures to post. But some of you out there have heard so many stories about them, that maybe you want to see what they look like lately. Still super cute. Maybe the cutest cats in the world. I'm not biased :)

Zzzzzz

This is what I usually feel like on a Monday after a long show. Not so bad yesterday - it was a busy day around here. But this little gal had a rough night and needed a serious snooze.

Just wanted to post a little extra cuteness.

Edmonds Arts Festival

Lots of shows in June -- this weekend I'll be at the Edmonds Arts Festival - voted "Best Street Fair" in Western Washington for 2009 by the Evening Magazine poll for NW Escapes.

One of the most prestigious fine arts fairs in the Northwest, attracting artists from across the nation -- in a beautiful setting overlooking the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. There is also live entertainment, a juried gallery exhibition, a nationally-recognized juried children's art exhibit, a hands-on children's art activity area, wonderful food and a wine bar and bistro.

Dates: June 19, 20 & 21, 2008
Hours: Fri 11:00am-9pm, Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 10am-6pm

Soapworks Booth Location: I will be in the indoor Plaza Room, the top floor of the Edmonds Library, Space #P105. Just a note, Fine Art is located in the field at the street level. Traditional Craft (which my category of soap stuffs falls under) is located above the library, in the outside plaza and inside the Plaza Room at the top floor of the library. We're all above the street, on the other side of the building complex from the other art vendors, so look for us!

For more information: Edmonds Arts Festival There are lists of participants there, maps and shuttle information, free parking and more.

Sorticulture this weekend

I'm late in posting this. Sorry for the last minute. Lots of things going on - not the least of which was a water emergency the other day. Don't ask. Oh ok. I have to tell. I've been spending weeks on the front bushes. Taking them out I mean.

For the last month or so I've been hacking away at the two gigantic laurel bushes that were stupidly planted (not by us, the previous owners) right up against the house between the sidewalk and the foundation. For years I've battled those bushes, trimming them back like crazy, only to have them grow a foot in a week and flop over the sidewalk again. You couldn't even get to the front door anymore without trampsing through the flower bed on the other side of the walk to get in the house.

Then when we did the work downstairs we discovered the roots had come clear through the foundation and started growing in the basement. It was causing all kinds of trouble inside and out. It was time for them to go. So I decided heck yeah I can just rip them out myself. No problem. Right. I sawed and hacked each week until the giant yard waste bin was overloaded. Then the next week I did it again. I think it was a solid four weeks of branches and limbs. Until I got down to the two trunks sticking up out of the dirt. I started digging with my shovel. And axing. The first one would hardly budge.

Hopes dashed, I started calling around for stump grinders or someone to help. But since we live up a flight of stairs from the street, there was no equipment that could be used. I kept hearing "just dig it out by hand." So Saturday afternoon I donned the gloves and started in earnest. When I finally got the first trunk out I was ecstatic! Bliss! All my hard work and I finally did it - a hole in the ground!

That lasted about two whole minutes. I went back to get a piece of big-ass root that was caught up against the house foundation and it was really stuck in. Pushing and pulling, I felt a give and then whoooooosh - water started gushing up, making a swimming pool in the blink of an eye. I had dislodged the water main. My heart sank at the same time I ran for the shut off at the front curb. No budging it. Ran for the basement, muddy boots and all, to get tools. Ran back to the curb and finally got the water shut off. Emergency calls to plumbers, so sad.

Realistically, I knew that was going to happen. There was no way that giant root system was NOT wrapped around the water main line right there. It had come apart few years back for the same reason. I'm convinced that it was already slow leaking, the dirt seemed much damper than it should have been for that dry spot under the eaves.

What happened next was hours of panic and frantic calls. In a nutshell, there are no parts for that stupid piece of pipe from the street. They tried to convince me I needed to spend thousands and dismantle my new landscaping walls to re-dig the main line. I tried to convince them that I was not stupid and not rich. They then found a lovely fitting that worked, and a nice solid piece of copper pipe and fixed it for me. A few hundred bucks. Not a few thousand. I'm good to shower. But almost had a heart attack.

My next project? Removing a clump of bamboo that's like 30 feet high and crammed in a two foot space between the house and the patio up against the fence (again, bone-headed move of the previous owners, not me). I've spent hours the last few days trying to find a rescuer. But I'll still be digging the rhizomes out for months and years anyway. It's poking up through the patio stones again this summer, dropping leaves and messy junk all over my dinner and I just can't live with it any more. But it's beautiful and it should have a much roomier home. So we're trying to find a new owner for it.

Oh, and I'm doing a show this weekend. A gardening show. Did I forget to mention it? That was the whole purpose of the blog today. Sorticulture. If you like plants and gardening, you really should go. It's gorgeous and fabulous, filled with rare finds, new and lovely plants, garden art, funky stuff. Everett, this weekend. Link to all the seminars and talks and special guests and entertainment HERE. Plus hours and directions and map and stuff. It's free and the view is beautiful from that park up there. I so look forward to this show every year.

Summer Heat

It's been hot around here the last few days. The tomatoes, peppers, basil and pumpkins are really happy, and growing several inches a day.

I don't mind the hot, especially when we begged for sunshine for so long. And I'm not complaining about having to water the garden every day either. It's one of my favorite things to do in the morning, to check out how much has grown and what's new, the cats racing past the sprayer playing their daredevil games. Louie especially likes to outrun the water droplets and crosses back and forth under the hose spray. Hiding behind big leaf plants, she waits until I just get to her spot - waiting, waiting, as the spray gets closer until the first drops hit her in the nose, then leaping out, racing around again.

The greenery is suddenly so, well green. It seems like just a few weeks ago when there was hardly anything alive out there and now it's a jungle, a tangle of vines and drooping foliage and big fronds everywhere. The flower pots have suddenly gone from measly little starts dwarfed in their container to big frumpy masses of blossoms. It's lovely and wonderful.

Of course everyone keeps saying, "well you know it won't last - we always have rain in June." I try not to listen to them. Of course it will rain at some point, and that's fine. All this lushness needs a good soaking now and then. But I'm not hoping for a month of drizzle ahead, like I think the rain-lovers around here are. I think it's going to be a good month, and I'll be eating ripe, juicy little nuggets of cherry tomatos in no time.