Before ...

... 30 pounds of glycerin soap.

After photos later this week.

Saturday Market Report

Today was a gorgeous day at market. The high temps and humidity blew through the past day or so, and today was sunny and much cooler, with a breeze that bordered on downright wind at times. I was glad I had my canopy bungie-corded to the car!

Here's a photo of my stand. I need to seriously rearrange next week to fit soap on this table! I didn't have as many felted bowls last summer, so I think I'll try to display them differently. Another table is maybe an option for later.

And here's my market neighbor - Eileen of Gigi's Sweets

And here's the guy who kept me company for most of the morning

That's about life-size. He was the largest fly I've ever seen, if that's what he was. He flew like a wasp, and he has wings with a pattern like a moth, or even a cicada. He wasn't aggressive, and he just sort of hung on the back of the tablecloth for most of the morning. He very calmly let me photograph him, and then flew away about an hour later.

I would have taken more pictures, but this is an Amish market, and they don't like their photos taken. About half the vendors there are "english," but all of the vegetable vendors are old-school Amish farmers. On a day when all the vendors are at market, there are about 15 businesses, ranging from me with crafts and soap, Eileen with her unique baked goods (think lavender/lemon scones and French bread - not something you see from our traditional Amish bakers), two barbeque vendors, the Amish flower vendor with gorgeous vegetable and flower plants and cut bouquets, Jeff with his brown eggs, Linda with floral arrangements and door wreaths, to soft pretzels and hotdogs on pretzel rolls, Amish baked goods, and several Amish vegetable vendors.

We're a pretty friendly group - if someone needs help setting up a canopy, someone else is always there to lend a hand. We all try to patronize each other, and we all care about the success of the market. We have more and more customers attending each week, and it's funny to hear a long-time resident of the area say that they never knew the market was there, which happens just about every weekend. There are signs all over town, but being an Amish market, there might not be any other publicity. We each have loyal customers that try to buy something from us on a regular basis.

Next week I'll have soap again, and I hope to see my sales increase. But even if they don't, I still enjoy being at market and miss setting up every week when it closes the end of October.

This little piggy is going to market ...

And so are these two little piggies ...

 And so are these three little piggies ...

And my fingers are crossed that none of them come home with me (as much as I love them)!

The End.

I'm so excited!

My son sent me an e-mail yesterday saying he was sending me some cash to fund my soapmaking for market. I immediately ordered glycerin bases and fragrance oils from Bramble Berry and Wholesale Supplies Plus, and I'm anxious to get started! I've missed having soaps at market, and my soap customers from last summer have been asking when I'll have soap back in stock. They're great customers, all of them, but they can only buy so many greeting cards and amigurumi. Soap is something they buy on a regular basis, and it was a large chunk of my market income last summer.

The supplies from WSP should be arriving early next week, and I'll be able to get started on several best-selling soaps with the fragrance oils I have here. I want to update my unscented/uncolored line, as well, and I'll be able to get started with that, too. I'm going to be stalking UPS tracking until everything gets here!

I love, love, love making soap; and I'm thrilled to be getting back to it! I'll put up photos and links to my Etsy shop as I get finished. YAY!

Great Market Day!

I have no photographic evidence, but today was a really good market day! The weather was cloudy and muggy when I started set-up at 8:00 this morning, but the wind freshened and the sun wasn't far behind. The day ended up sunny and hot, but I was in the shade under my canopy and there was a nice breeze for most of the day. The crowd was a little larger today than it was the past two Saturdays, and I sold enough that I could actually patronize the other vendors at the market. I brought home a boatload of fresh vegetables: lima beans, green beans, wax beans, beets, candy onions, zucchini and yellow squash, cucumbers, tomatoes (oh, the tomatoes!) and a handful of basil that one of my customers handed me because she had more than she needed. I'm thinking about putting it in a glass of water on my work table so that I can smell that wonderful aroma for the next few days! I also picked up lunch: barbequed chicken quarters and pulled pork sandwiches.

I'm ready for a nap now! LOL!

And also - lima beans! So excited about the lima beans!

So, I finally ...

... posted again. Yes, it's been well over a year. I'm sort of surprised blogs stay around that long when so many people start them and don't continue on with them. But maybe that's just me?

... listed some stuff in my Etsy store. Here are some examples:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/156950900/hand-dyed-sock-yarn-fruit-stripes?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/157093635/hand-dyed-sock-yarn-fruit-stripes-pink?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/157094235/hand-dyed-sock-yarn-fruit-stripes?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/154905823/baby-elephant-crocheted-stuffed-toy?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/154903398/soft-crab-redorangelime?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/155937319/felted-bowl-frosted-rainbow?

I don't know why these aren't coming up as links. Just copy/paste into your browser if you'd like to check these out in my Etsy shop.

More project photos ...

Mesh market/beach bags - these bags are crocheted from sturdy 100% cotton yarn and stretch dramatically to hold a LOT of stuff! Use them at farmers' markets to hold all fruits and veggies or take them to the beach, stuffed with towels, flip-flops, a beach read and your shades! The handles are double-thick and very comfortable for over-the-shoulder use. I will have these in a variety of colors, including variegateds.

These spa facecloths are crocheted from luxuriously soft, long-staple cotton yarn. I plan to make a matching soap and sell them as a set. Great gift idea for Mother's Day, or a great gift for a BFF or coworker.

Next up are earrings. These are high-quality silver plated. I could work with sterling, but I want my projects to be affordable. Nothing that I sell is over $15 - the best price point for gifts. The first group contains some of my Wind Chime Earrings. They really do tinkle when you turn your head or in a breeze outside. I love the soft jingling in my ears. The beads are Swarovski crystals, so they catch the sunlight and twinkle.

And these are my Moon & Stars Earrings. I've combined moon and star charms with sparkling Swarovski crystals and have hung them from fine chain. Really pretty, and really fun to wear. They also tinkle slightly when you turn your head.

Uploading more photos soon!

In other news, my son surprised me with a credit card reader that hooks up to my iPhone. He got it all set up yesterday, so now I'm set to accept credit cards at shows. I've had a few people ask, and I've had to turn away a few sales, but now I won't have to! Very exciting stuff!