As the holidays are approaching, do you wonder what to gift to your loved ones? I start preparations for the holiday season long before and I always look for unique and useful gifts. I look for gifts locally at craft fairs as I want to support small businesses. It matters a great deal to me that the money I spend on gifts stay in the community.
When I started to do my own craft fairs, I was amazed at how many talented people we have and how supportive the communities are. From my experience I know how time consuming it is to create the products, search for suitable craft fairs, set up a booth, and the best part-meet my customers. I love meeting new and familiar people and talk passionately about my soaps. I usually get many compliments about my displays and do you know what the most common question is? Did you make them all yourself? How pretty! This is what makes my day and makes me do it all over again!
I always wonder what to bring to the craft fair. My absolute favorites are soaps and I make them with herbs, flowers, clays, extracts, and even yogurt and juice. I love to experiment and sometimes don't know how the juice or milk will behave. Of course I follow the common rules and freeze the milk and juice used as a water replacement. I also infuse oils with herbs and flowers that I grow in my garden. I even make puree from carrots, pumpkins, cucumbers, bananas, etc. I am in for any challenge.
Why do I do that? The answer is very simple. I want to know what goes in my body products and that I grew and cared for my plants, fruit, and veggies. I like to share the bounty of my produce with my family and friends. That's how I give back to the community.
I like the idea of creating eco-friendly products and that includes packaging. You will often find paper, fabric, and string on my soaps. And yes, I create my own labels on the computer and then cut out the labels, glue, and string them myself. It brings me satisfaction and I find it calming and soothing on cozy cold evenings.
Although now is a busy time, I am enjoying every minute of the process. A few craft fairs that you will be able to see my soaps at are the Adair Inn in Bethlehem, H C Middle School in Haverhill, Green Mountain Mall in St, Johnsbury, Opera House in Littleton, and at Mary Beth's craft fair in Dalton. It would matter a lot to me if you check out my web site and subscribe to notifications, updates, and news from me.
