I love May for so many reasons. Getting to celebrate my birthday, watch the farm markets start up, having lots of weekend shows, and gardening are just a few of my favorite things.
This year the garden has already been worked on quite a bit. The peas are up, I think the radishes are almost done, lettuce is up, and the corn is up too. I love the process of gardening. To me there is a sense of adventure I find every day. I was elated when my asparagus came up this year. I had planted it last year and was so happy to see it made the winter. I go out every day or so and see things growing before my eyes. Sometimes things I try work, like learning I love kohlrabi, and some things don't, like the fava bean debacle of 2011. I think my outlook on life is best reflected in my garden- just try it, if you don't like it or it doesn't work, it doesn't have to happen again. I don't take my garden too seriously, and I am pleased for any outcome I get each season. Every bite is a tiny blessing, a tiny way to be proud that some of my food actually is grown by my own hand, I get very proud of my garden.
Now I love that farm markets start soon. We take part in two of them, and they start next week. They are wonderful communities to be a part of and I enjoy the fact that when my garden doesn't produce, I can always get things from people I have come to know so well. The spring craft shows are always so much fun. I can just see the smiles on peoples faces when the sun comes out and you can see their stress lift. I just completed my first outdoor show of the season yesterday and I found it tiring but rewarding. I forgot how much work goes into setting up the booth and then having the breeze whipping at you all day, all I can say is that I slept very well last night. But my favorite part is seeing customers I haven't seen since the fall. I get to see kids grow up, people get married (or divorced), move away or move back home. I never thought when I started crafting that this would be an aspect of my life, having this family of customers. It has been such a pleasant surprise to have happen to me.
So I hope you all have a great Spring. I hope you take care of yourselves and your families. I wish upon you time to relax and enjoy the sunshine and breezes. I hope to see you soon!
5.06.2013
4.29.2013
Special Orders: Inspiration from Customers
I love making soap. Now after saying that, I can honestly say that after making Lavender soap exactly the same way for the last 10 years, that particular kind has lost it's excitement factor for me. I no longer think "yippee it's lavender day", it's more like "ho hum, time to make the lavender soap, wonder what else exciting I can make today".
So the way that I break out of the doldrums of day to day production is with two things. First, every year I make 8 new fragrances. The research and development that goes into choosing these 8 and figuring out the best recipe to highlight the fragrance takes me at least two months each year. I keep a list of all the things that are asked for or suggested to me by customers, as well as things I see and hear that inspire me, and try out the things that seem different and well, honestly, affordable.
The second thing I do throughout the year is to make special orders. Typically what happens is that a customer has seen something or used something in the past that they would like me to make or try to replicate with my own spin on it. Often these are things people found on vacation and love the scent of, or have a particular ingredient that is of interest to them, possibly passed down through their ethnic heritage. Once they contact me I research the desired product and work up a price quote. Often we then have to work together to make some decisions: is it OK to use the third pressing of Ylang Ylang, because the first pressing costs $30 an ounce, or can we use sandalwood fragrance rather than the essential oil, wild-crafted rosemary essential oil, or just organic? Once I start posing these questions many customers are amazed by the number of decisions that go into just one kind of soap.
OK, now we have an agreed upon recipe, and a price quote for a 10 bar minimum order. Next the product goes out for a fast buy. I post the special order on my web site and send out a newsletter telling all about it. This helps me in two ways: 1) if enough people join in, then I can waive the 10 bar minimum order for the person who placed the special order, and 2) I can gauge interest in the product overall. Many special orders have gone onto be a new product the next year, and some of those have even gone on to be best sellers (ginger white tea is an example of that).
Once the fast buy has been completed, I order the needed ingredients, and make up the product. Typically 6 to 8 weeks from the initial order, the product ships to the customers who have participated in the fast buy. Any extra soaps then go onto the web site and can be ordered by anyone, but I try to make exactly what I need for an order, so there usually only 3 or 4 extras available.
So thanks to everyone who participates in the special order and fast buy process, I love the inspiration that it gives me throughout the year, and leads me to work with new ingredients and combinations of ingredients that I would have never thought of on my own!
So the way that I break out of the doldrums of day to day production is with two things. First, every year I make 8 new fragrances. The research and development that goes into choosing these 8 and figuring out the best recipe to highlight the fragrance takes me at least two months each year. I keep a list of all the things that are asked for or suggested to me by customers, as well as things I see and hear that inspire me, and try out the things that seem different and well, honestly, affordable.
The second thing I do throughout the year is to make special orders. Typically what happens is that a customer has seen something or used something in the past that they would like me to make or try to replicate with my own spin on it. Often these are things people found on vacation and love the scent of, or have a particular ingredient that is of interest to them, possibly passed down through their ethnic heritage. Once they contact me I research the desired product and work up a price quote. Often we then have to work together to make some decisions: is it OK to use the third pressing of Ylang Ylang, because the first pressing costs $30 an ounce, or can we use sandalwood fragrance rather than the essential oil, wild-crafted rosemary essential oil, or just organic? Once I start posing these questions many customers are amazed by the number of decisions that go into just one kind of soap.
OK, now we have an agreed upon recipe, and a price quote for a 10 bar minimum order. Next the product goes out for a fast buy. I post the special order on my web site and send out a newsletter telling all about it. This helps me in two ways: 1) if enough people join in, then I can waive the 10 bar minimum order for the person who placed the special order, and 2) I can gauge interest in the product overall. Many special orders have gone onto be a new product the next year, and some of those have even gone on to be best sellers (ginger white tea is an example of that).
Once the fast buy has been completed, I order the needed ingredients, and make up the product. Typically 6 to 8 weeks from the initial order, the product ships to the customers who have participated in the fast buy. Any extra soaps then go onto the web site and can be ordered by anyone, but I try to make exactly what I need for an order, so there usually only 3 or 4 extras available.
So thanks to everyone who participates in the special order and fast buy process, I love the inspiration that it gives me throughout the year, and leads me to work with new ingredients and combinations of ingredients that I would have never thought of on my own!
4.25.2013
A Week Off, now I need a real vacation!
So I officially need a vacation to get over my vacation. Typically when we go and take time off, we just vegetate and relax, this time we had the opportunity to see things we hadn't seen before so every day was another excursion, both tiring on the mind and the body.
C and I, with two friends, took a cruise that brought us through Spain, Monaco, Italy, and Tunisia. It was amazing to see the "old world" and to see the architecture. The things that the human race could build hundreds of years ago is an utterly amazing sight to see. The fact that these things still remain is even more amazing to me, not so much because they were built to stand the test of time, but because I think humanity is overall pretty focused on the moment, so the fact we have saved these things and not torn them down is the amazing part.
It was rushed, many times we had just a walking tour and time for lunch in a location before heading off to the next one. I didn't have much time to really soak in the sights and the sounds of each place. All I know is that I would love to go back to Barcelona, and maybe some parts of Italy.
But these are the things that I learned:
1) I know Monaco is the playground for the rich. It was beautiful, but I didn't find it so special. Maybe I am not rich enough to "get" it.
2) St. Peter's Basilica is an amazing piece of architecture and should be seen regardless of your religion. The fact that they have to post signs with a dress code (no shorts, bare mid-drifts, or bare shoulders) makes me loose my faith in humanity, so did the barriers to keep people from damaging things (like playing in the confession boxes).
3) Just because they are European and dressed nice, do not assume they will be a gentleman. Jerks are universal.
4) I was so happy to return to our green landscape where there is so much space between us. Barcelona and Palermo seemed like walls of buildings when overlooking the cities. So very little green space, so many people.
5) If you can wing it in Tunisia you can wing it just about anywhere.
6) Refrigerator magnets are deceptively heavy. Buy enough of them and your bag will get heavy fast.
7) Try on everything before you pack it. Nothing like finding out the new pair of jeans you packed don't fit and you just dragged them halfway around the world. and back.
8) A carriage ride through Florence really is the way to go.
9) Do not bring a lace weight yarn project on the trip. You will mess up. You will pull it all out. You will do this three or four times. Think brainless and big (yarn and needles).
10) I expected more fragrance inspiration. I think of Europe as the home of great perfumes. The only handcrafted soap I saw was in Tunisia, and it wasn't scented with anything I could recognize.
And now I am back in the real world. There is lots of catching up to do. I have orders to send, inventory to deliver, shows to apply to and lots of laundry!
Hope to see you soon!
C and I, with two friends, took a cruise that brought us through Spain, Monaco, Italy, and Tunisia. It was amazing to see the "old world" and to see the architecture. The things that the human race could build hundreds of years ago is an utterly amazing sight to see. The fact that these things still remain is even more amazing to me, not so much because they were built to stand the test of time, but because I think humanity is overall pretty focused on the moment, so the fact we have saved these things and not torn them down is the amazing part.
It was rushed, many times we had just a walking tour and time for lunch in a location before heading off to the next one. I didn't have much time to really soak in the sights and the sounds of each place. All I know is that I would love to go back to Barcelona, and maybe some parts of Italy.
But these are the things that I learned:
1) I know Monaco is the playground for the rich. It was beautiful, but I didn't find it so special. Maybe I am not rich enough to "get" it.
2) St. Peter's Basilica is an amazing piece of architecture and should be seen regardless of your religion. The fact that they have to post signs with a dress code (no shorts, bare mid-drifts, or bare shoulders) makes me loose my faith in humanity, so did the barriers to keep people from damaging things (like playing in the confession boxes).
3) Just because they are European and dressed nice, do not assume they will be a gentleman. Jerks are universal.
4) I was so happy to return to our green landscape where there is so much space between us. Barcelona and Palermo seemed like walls of buildings when overlooking the cities. So very little green space, so many people.
5) If you can wing it in Tunisia you can wing it just about anywhere.
6) Refrigerator magnets are deceptively heavy. Buy enough of them and your bag will get heavy fast.
7) Try on everything before you pack it. Nothing like finding out the new pair of jeans you packed don't fit and you just dragged them halfway around the world. and back.
8) A carriage ride through Florence really is the way to go.
9) Do not bring a lace weight yarn project on the trip. You will mess up. You will pull it all out. You will do this three or four times. Think brainless and big (yarn and needles).
10) I expected more fragrance inspiration. I think of Europe as the home of great perfumes. The only handcrafted soap I saw was in Tunisia, and it wasn't scented with anything I could recognize.
And now I am back in the real world. There is lots of catching up to do. I have orders to send, inventory to deliver, shows to apply to and lots of laundry!
Hope to see you soon!
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