I Have Another Hobby....

I have another hobby, I like to take photographs. But really, I have many many hobbies. I like to knit, garden, cook & bake, hike, sail, and much more. That is how my soap business started, I took my hobby and turned it into a business.

So, since I had these nice pictures of Maine, lobster buoys, flowers, boats etc. I made a few into note cards. I am now selling them at market. And I really am selling them! People love them and the price is right. I only have 4 packets left of 4 note cards. I better hurry and make some more!

Yarmouth, Opening Day

Great opening day in Yarmouth yesterday, we were very happy to see many of our old customers shopping the market.

We are now open for the season in Yarmouth and will be there all summer long, exclude the week of The Yarmouth Clam Festival (the space we are in is used for a profitable parking lot that week).

Hope to see you all there!

Rain, again.

Well, I have missed yet another Farmers Market due to the rain. So sorry to disappoint my customers (but really, how many of you are shopping in the rain?).

Thursday is opening day in Yarmouth and the weather should finally turn and we shall see the sun again. I look forward to selling my soaps in this picturesque New England town.

Yarmouth Farmers Market ~ Thursdays 2:30-6:00 Main St. @ Sacred Heart Church

Vanilla Bean Soap

Vanilla Bean soap is on it's way....I stirred up a batch of this sweet smelling soap today. It is very popular among my younger customers, particularly girls in the 10-15 age range. They just love the sweet, rich smell of vanilla and the little poppy seeds that I stir in mimic the look of real vanilla beans. Those poppy seeds are great for gentle exfoliation as well. It is still in the mold and will take about 4 weeks to appear at market, it's on the way....

Find it here, when available: http://cascobaysoap.com/vanilla-bean.html

Great Market in Gray

What a great opening day in Gray yesterday!

The weather was a bit iffy, but many of us braved the sprinkles to make a good market in Gray. We were welcomed with open arms and oohs, and aahs. I sold a record amount of soap and was very happy to met many new folks. I put up some new screen sides on my tent to offer a bit of protection from the sprinkles, it will also work well on super sunny days to screen out some of the sun.

We will be back again July 16th. I look forward to seeing some familiar faces and met new folks. Thank you to the town of Gray for a great welcome!

Pink Grapefruit

Pink Grapefruit soap will be at market this week. Deliciously sweet and tart smelling and swirled with a coral pink, this soap is a refreshing wake-me-up in the morning.

A Special Delivery

I got this great opportunity to provide thank you gifts for a company that was holding a seminar for their group. I tucked an assortment of full size soaps into the organza pouches (also available for sale on my website) and a thank you note from the company to their attendees. The thank you note said in the bottom corner "Thanks for having some good clean fun". Isn't that cute!? Inside the thank you note, the whole group that put on the seminar signed the card. I am delivering these tomorrow to a hotel in Portland, 60 of them. They requested a variety of soaps and there are many of my top selling fragrances in the selection.

I just know that the group is going to love them. I only wish I was there to hear all the ohs and ahs and watch the sniffing and trading among the attendees of the different types of soaps.

Nordic Walking

I recently completed a 3 weeks class and learned quite a bit about Nordic Walking, also called Fitrek. I take classes with the Freeport Recreation Department every so often and this time this cool class peaked my interest. The 3 weeks class taught basic instruction for fitness walking with these special poles that are similar to ski poles. What the class description didn't mention in the published brochure was that I would have a fantastic upbeat instructor that would also become a great mini personal trainer and super tour guide of Freeport!

Barb of The Freeport Clipper Inn on Main St. in Freeport teaches these classes and is SO knowledgable of all the ins and outs of Freeport walking trails, history of the homes in the area, and many of the folks in town. I enjoyed walking all around town and listening to the stories of the antique homes in town and learning more about what it is like to run a B&B. Our walks went from the first week of about 2 miles, to the second week of about 6 miles and the last week was about 4. I gained knowledge of a great new exercise and a new perspective on town.

You can learn more about Nordic Walking (Fitrek) here: http://www.abc-of-nordicwalking.com/info/

And if you are in need of lodging in Freeport, check out The Freeport Clipper Inn http://www.freeportclipperinn.com/index.htm

My Other Blog

When you have a chance be sure to hop on over and check out the other blog I maintain, The Cumberland Farmers Market Association blog. I take pictures each week at each of the Farmers Markets I attend and try to feature all our vendors at least once. Although I haven't featured to everyone just yet. I also try to include new items coming to market and special events etc. I think you may enjoy reading and seeing what is happening at the market.

http:/cumberlandfarmersmarketassociation.blogspot.com/

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Strawberries have come into season here in Maine...how I love them so! I will be planning a "pick-your-own" trip very very soon to the local farm. I always pick and buy too many and eat so much that my stomach protests. But I just can't help myself. I LOVE STRAWBERRIES! Those extra berries that can't be eaten fast enough, get made into jam or pie or muffins and then even more go into the freezer for a rainy day.

Many of you know that I love to cook. Cook and bake. In fact my "day job" is as a baker for a gourmet brownie company. Baking and Soap Making, both are a great way for me to express my creative side. Rest assured, I never mix the two up!

So I got a new blender and one of my most favorite things is milkshakes. While I am watching my figure this time of year and trying to lose a few L B's, I will not be making a milkshake anytime soon. But I did make the best smoothie I have ever had!

Whenever I have overripe bananas or ones that I'm sure Captain and I won't get around to eating, I pop them in the freezer, skin and all. No need to peel and mash them, just freeze them whole. So I grabbed a banana out of the freezer and microwaved it for about 30 secs to defrost it. Gently squeeze the skin and you will see that it is soft inside. I put 8 oz. of skim milk in the blender, tore the top off the banana and squeezed the whole thing into the blender. I added 1/2 C. vanilla LF yogurt. Then I found 2 frozen strawberries in the freezer and put them in the microwave for 20 secs, just so I could cut the tops off (I didn't need any green in the smoothie!). I added the berries to the blender. I put it on the blender stand and whirled away. One taste and I added a t. of Splenda. Delicious! Love it! Now that this is my base for a great smoothie, I am dreaming of other great combinations. Never add ice, I think that is the trick. You want a smooth creamy smoothie and ice chunks will just get in the way. Using frozen fruit helps thicken and cool down the smoothie.

I know that this may not seem like anything new, recipe wise, there are lots of strawberry banana smoothies out there. I will be experimenting all summer long and will post more unique recipes. I am imagining a kiwi-berry concoction, pineapple-orange, blueberry-lemonade and more. I will also try added some local honey as a sweetener (although that adds calories, I might stick to Splenda right now, but wait! I just remembered that I purchased a Stevia plant at the Farmers Market! A natural herb, it is 200x sweeter than sugar and no calories. I can use that!) and I am looking into protein powders or all the other fancy stuff the health food stores have.

Lily Of The Valley

I stirred up a batch of a new soap fragrance today. Lilly of the Valley. This has been a customer request more than once. A nice light floral, it will be a great addition to my soaps.

Lily-of-the-Valley is an old-fashioned perennial that looks so delicate with its tiny bell shaped flowers and smells so fragrant. I have grown up with Lilly of the Valley. It grew in abundance at the back edge of my childhood home as a bridge between the green grass of our yard and the deep woods. I have a small patch of it in my yard here in Maine and enjoy seeing the flowers bloom early each summer.

Rainy Day...

I didn't make it to the market on Wednesday due to the light rain. Even a light rain is enough to ruin my soap. The soaps get wet and the labels will spot and run. I hate to miss a market and disappoint customers, but I know that you all understand.

I spent the afternoon making a new batch of Casco Bay Rum soap and organizing my new work space. I have moved my supplies into a larger room in my home. I needed more space for all the supplies and great soaps I am producing for you.

Come on sun, Friday is the next market and I hope to be there....

25 Soaps...

At the end of the day on Saturday while picking up at the end of market, I started counting the different types of soaps I had.

I was putting them away and just started counting, I really don't know why, but sometimes I count things, and this time it was the soap.

I then thought, this is cool...I should know how many different types of soap I have available everyday at market and post it on a board.

Have you ever seen the ones at the supermarket "We have 5 different types of local tomatoes today". I can proudly post "25 different types of soap for you to choose from today".

I'm going to work on a cool chalkboard to post the info. on, it should be at market soon...

Gone Clamming

Went clamming over the weekend. Really I walked the beach and took pictures of flowers and shells, and neat things. My husband Glen and his friend Rick went clamming. they each got their fair share and we enjoyed some steamers and beer for dinner. This is what we wait all winter for.

I milked a Goat!

Yes, what fun I had at market this week...just Wednesday I held a baby pig and on Saturday I got to milk a goat. I had no idea what I was doing! I got some help from my farmer friend Kathy, she showed me the basic way to do it. These are all her and her husbands animals from their farm a few town over from me. There was a bit of a crowd watching me (see the shadows in the foreground of the picture, plus the surrounding market vendors watching from their tents) I was very nervous, I didn't want to hurt the goat and I said "Hell" in front of some kids (sorry!) but I squirted enough milk in the bucket to maybe a lighten a coffee, it would have taken me forever to milk that goat. What fun!

Lilac soap was POPULAR!

Lilac soap went FAST at market. I have only a few bars left....It is a limited edition soap, and just as the actually blooming flower, will be gone soon. I am considering producing more later in the season, just for those that couldn't get enough...

This Little Piggy Went To Market...

Soap sales at the market are going great. I had a moment yesterday to hold a baby pig for about 5 minutes. I figured, when am I going to get the opportunity to hold a baby pig? So cute! She nestled right in like a kitten or puppy would, even resting her head on my shoulder! I held the one without the spots, seems that the one with the spots poops when you pick her up, it's part of her defense system!