A lovely little diversion

I've always had a fascination with terrariums, they are such delightful little self-contained gardens. I've been seeing them more frequently lately, and decided to try my hand at putting one together as a gift for a friend.

I did a little reading online, made my list of things to buy, and headed out to a local nursery, and a few other shops to buy my supplies. Of course, while I was shopping for the goodies I needed for this project, I decided I needed a little terrarium for myself.

Shopping list
1. Lidded glass container
2. Small pebbles for drainage bottom of container
3. Sphagnum moss (to layer on top of pebbles to keep the soil from compacting into the pebbles)
4. Potting soil
5. Plants... all of which like the same living conditions (moisture, light), including sheet moss.

I found great little apothecary jars at Target (on sale - yay!) and everything else I needed at the nursery. There was a beautiful selection of tiny ferns, and other little plants which I just loved... it was difficult for me to limit myself to just enough for the two terrariums (that is, until I reminded myself that I'm really not that good with houseplants, and I should start slowly). I knew I was on the right track with my choices when I went to pay for my plants (etc) and the woman knew I was making a terrarium. Assembling the terrariums was really quite simple - I just layered everything, arranged the plants, added some water, and that was it! Now, we'll see if I can keep mine alive, and if so, I'll treat myself to a bigger container, and more lovely little plants.

Soup's On!

I thoroughly enjoy this time of year - sweater weather and fall foods. As much as I love the the first ripe tomato of the summer season, I am always ready for the cooler weather to arrive so I can make my first pot of soup! This weekend I'm cooking up the family favorite, my mom's beef and barley soup. (I know cousin Darcy will be drooling thinking about this...)

My mom owned a little restaurant for a few years when I was a teenager. It was called Soupcon (with a little curly thing under the c, pronounced "Soup's On") and was located in an old grist mill which had been converted to shops, just down the street from our house. The restaurant was tiny (it sat only 22), and had a wonderful view of the river. It was only open for lunch and tea. Mom served two choices for lunch, soup and salad or a casserole and salad, with different choices every day. There was delicious homemade bread, simple desserts and yummy cookies. That's all anyone could need.

So many of the foods I love today are from mom's time at the restaurant, favorite of all is the beef and barley soup. This soup was a staple in our house, and a part of our holiday traditions as well. A big pot simmered on the stove on Christmas Eve, to warm all of our family and friends as they came in from the cold for our holiday celebration. Lots of memories surround this soup.

Of course, mom's recipes are not very scientific... most are written on tattered old index cards (if they are written at all) and were created to serve 50 people, so there's a lot of instinct that goes into getting them just right. Thankfully, I have many of them down (and so does my brother - the most fabulous cook!), so I can still enjoy mom's recipes and the memories that go with them. So now it's back to my beef and barley soup. As always, I'll make enough so I can eat it for a few days, then freeze the leftovers in containers for the next time I have this craving.

Mmmmm.

Gone Fishin'

Well, maybe not fishin', but I will be out of town for a week, enjoying some down time at a lake it Maine. It's a girls vacation with two of my wonderful friends and four teenage girls. All the men and boys are off on various camping adventures, so it's girls only! We'll be lounging at the lake, sipping margaritas and just relaxing!

The shop will be open, but I won't be able to process or ship any orders until I return next weekend, and I'll have limited access to email (yikes... withdrawals...)

Happy Summer!

One of the things I love about having my own biz....

...is getting to know some really amazing small business owners, from all over the country (and world!). We share experiences, support and encourage each other, as we navigate through new business milestones, ups and downs.

I've been helping Carrie of Sommer Designs out a bit with how things work at a wholesale show, and sharing my many resources and long to-do and to-bring lists for setup and the show itself. Carrie is exhibiting in her first wholesale show - the California Gift Show next week, debuting her fabulous new full aprons, to complement her line of half aprons, beautiful bags, and sweet hand sewn gifts. You can visit her blog to get a peek at her new aprons, and the gorgeous photographs she has to show them off!

I was so excited to go to my PO Box today and find a lovely gift from Carrie - these beautiful lavender liners. Now my unmentionables will be smelling 0h-so-pretty.
Thanks so much for the wonderful gift, Carrie, and for thinking of me when I know you're so busy! (Oh, and of course, have a great show!)

What are you doing with your tax rebate check?

How about supporting American Craft!

Visit a local craft gallery and buy something handmade in the USA, or shop at one of your favorite online artisans and treat yourself to something fabulous.

It's show time!

Whew, finally checking in after the Boston Gift Show. I saw some of my favorite retailers, met some wonderful new shop owners and buyers who are going to be carrying my goodies in their shops, and got to visit with my fellow exhibitors in the handmade section of the show. Most of my neighbors return year after year, and we look forward to visiting with eachother and catching up on the last several months of news.

This year I introduced some new hand block printed coasters, and I'm so happy to say they were a hit! I'm quite busy printing now - as well as getting ready for the next show which is just 4 weeks away (National Stationery Show in NYC).... it's a busy time right now.

I'm also enjoying the fact that we finally have some beautiful spring weather here in New England - after the long winter I'm really loving every minute of the sunshine and warm weather (even if much of the time I can only enjoy it through an open window in my studio....)

March of the tools (Onion Goggles)

How did we ever live without them?

I gave my brother a pair of these onion goggles the Christmas before last, as a little bit of a joke, and made a whole theme gift around them. Turns out they're not really a joke at all, but a really useful kitchen tool! If you're one of those people who cries like a baby whenever you're chopping onions, you'll love them. Sure, they look a little geeky, but they really do work.

If you want to see more great tools visit Heather Bailey's blog and the flickr group, where you can see favorite tools from everyone who's participating!

March of the Tools

Heather Bailey has started a new blog feature for March - March of the Tools - and has invited others to join in - what fun! I'll be posting some of my favorite tools throughout the month, both related to my business, as well as some of my favs for everyday life.

Heather has also started a flickr group, where everyone can post their photos. Can't wait to see everyone's tools (and decide what to add to my shopping list!)

Join in, if you'd like!

Really, I'm not a spammer!

My mailbox has been filling up with email message bounces from messages I didn't send. At first it was a few messages, then I got inundated with 100 overnight! Seems I am a victim of spoofing. Yes, my email address has been used as the from address on someone's spammy email messages, and now I'm getting all the bounces and out of office replies. It's making me crabby, and there's nothing I can do about it!

On a more cheerful note, I'm feversihly working on new designs and products and will be sharing with everyone soon. I'm less than a month away from my first wholesale show of the season, and have lots of new goodies to get ready before the shows!