Nifty New Niceties for Niche....

Am finally getting around to working through my production list for the upcoming Niche markets at the end of the month (eek!).

These are the new lip balm tins I mentioned a while back - I am really loving the little vintage tins and had fun making up new blends for lip 'shmackin' goodness too!

They all contain ingredients like Coconut Oil, Beeswax and Vitamin E, plus I add Organic Honey for extra softness and just a hint of sweetness!

I've done up four blends for the market:

Mandarin Mimosa (with gold Mica)

Spearmint & Lime

Vanilla & Red Grape Extract

Rose (with gold Mica)

This is one of my soy tea lights that I am testing for burn time and fragrance throw - this one's Cinnamon Sugar - yum!
The aroma is filling my kitchen and making me hungry......
Today I've made up Vanilla, White Tea & Ginger, Vintage Rose and Jasmine tealights - they are setting as we speak.

More touring...

This is becoming a bit of a tradition with anyone coming to visit with us down here - a trip to Penguin on the north coast and a photo with the big penguin (complete with halloween pumpkin on his head!?).

Aren't my folks cute?

Today we hit the Deloraine Craft Fair - it's HUGE! A bit tricky for us to get around to everything but we managed to see maybe half of what was on offer. Looking forward to next year - may even organise a stall for red bamboo.... hmmm.

I got to chat to Maya from Hideyo and she said the four days had been very busy and successful - they sold out of their beautiful origami flowers each day and spent the night and next day making more! Wé'll see them again at Niche in November.

We also managed to stumble apon the Pearns Steam World annual 'Steam Up' weekend. A rather (surprisingly for me) interesting family business centered around the preservation and restoration of old engines and machinery.

As you can see, plenty of rides for the 'kiddies'.....

Back to work tomorrow for hubby and me, then we'll be plotting the next trip....

It's been a little while....

It's been a little while since I blogged....

The folks are here for a holiday (their first to Tassie) and so our time has been well spent playing proud tour guide.

We have managed to cover some miles since they arrived and with the beautiful weather we have been having down here, it's been nice to get to know all of these wonderful places again and see it through their fresh eyes as well.

Unfortunately my Dad cannot walk as far as he used to, but fortunately, there are plenty of great places to drive to.

One of the places we've been to is Beaconsfield. Most will know of this town because of the Anzac Day 2006 Beaconsfield Mine Disaster. We went through the Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre and were really impressed with both the size of the place and the effort that has gone into it all. Worth a look if you are in the area. What the two men went through is documented really well and I definitely have more of a sense of their survival in extreme circumstances. Scary stuff...

The Centre is also on the sight of the original mine in the area and so you get to walk through ruins of the old pump house - I think it contrasts nicely with the current operating mine.

This abandoned shed lies just back from the main street in the town. Hubby and I had seen it on a previous visit and were pleased to get back again so we could photograph it.
These Californian Poppies are in the garden at a Lavender Farm in Rowella - what brilliant colour! Tassie is putting on her best face for my folks visit - I am totally grateful!
Another driving trip today through the North West of Tassie and tomorrow we are hitting the Deloraine Craft Fair - apparently the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere! Yay!

Tealight Packs

These are my little Tealights, all grown up and packaged, ready to go out on their own into the world!
I've chosen to put them into packs of 4 for a couple of reasons...

1. They fit neatly into plastic bags I already had - so I didn't have to buy another 5000 bags in a different size from my packaging supplier!

2. The durn things cost me almost $2 each to make and so to make them into a 6 pack, I felt, would have priced them out of the market.

3. Cause I could! No seriously, I kind of like the smaller packs - I think they will make great stocking fillers.

All of this is gearing me towards the upcoming Niche Markets at the end of November. This time around it's a 3 day markets and so trying to 'guestimate' what to make and how much has been a challenge.

I think I have finally got a list of products to make up and am just double checking I now have enough stock to make it all!

And with Christmas looming, I don't think I am the only one who is feeling like we need to get a wiggle on and start getting organised.

How does these things come around so quickly.

On a completely different note.... did anyone see Spicks and Specks last night (21st Oct)? They had a young Australian singer on there named Megan Washington. Such an amazing voice!! Check her out on youTube here and here....

Tempting Tealights

I love getting to make new things and this time around I have finally gotten to do something I have been wanting to do for some time now.... Soy Tealights!

I've just finished my first few batches of tealights and am really stoked with how they are turning out. I got some awesome new fragrances last week too and so have had a really wonderful morning in the kitchen!

I wanted to give people another option rather than just burning the 'Made in China' paraffin tealights that (granted) you can buy so cheaply everywhere. Plus I think they look nicer too!

Also, the new fragrances I now have in stock are:

Mango Mango: a straight mango fragrance that works well by itself or mixed with other fruit scents.

Raspberries & Violets: sweet and alluring - summer Raspberries combined with the light floral of Violets for the perfect summertime fragrance.

Coconut Citrus Sorbet: a bright, Summery fragrance with the refreshing notes of lemon, zesty lime, creamy coconut milk and sweet vanilla bean. It's the perfect combination of sweet and citrus that that will make you dream of summer days!

Sandalwood: This fragrance will add a woody, lush and sensual note to any blend. It blends well with Citrus notes, but smells great alone too.

Asian Amber: A calming yet potent blend of earthy amber and exotic asian herbs. Strong enough to grab attention without being overwhelming.

Mandarin Mimosa: begins with crisp dew fruit, mandarin, oranges, tangerines and sweet berries. The heart combines a medley of pineapple, mimosa blossoms, peaches, plums, fruity jasmine and soft lavender. The base is a beautiful lily and vanilla. I know this sounds like a lot of aroma's, but it works so well!

Green Tea & Lemongrass: this bright and natural smelling citrus fragrance is a complex blend of sharp lemongrass balanced with the rounded notes of green tea. Fresh and uplifting.

Himalayan Bamboo: a complex union of bamboo foliage and rich green florals. The subtle character of this fragrance is calming rather than overwhelming, good for where a room filling, not house filling fragrance is desired.

At the moment I am loving the Himalayan Bamboo and Asian Amber, but the Coconut Citrus Sorbet is coming in a very close third!

(I have to stop buying more and more fragrances.... it's becoming an obession!!)

miss me much?

This is one of our cats, Joseph, shot late yesterday afternoon after we got back from a few days away in Hobart.

Either he missed me and was trying to immerse himself in my handbag so we couldn't leave again without him or.....

.....he's a great accessoriser!!!

I guess black really does go with everything!

Holidaying in Hobart

We have just gotten back from a quick weekend away in Hobart (the other city in Tasmania). Arriving home it struck me as a little surreal to be driving home after being there, instead of flying back to Brisbane!

Drew managed to find the loveliest Bed & Breakfast for us to stay in. Wayne and Lynn Parkes are two incredibly welcoming and gracious hosts and Clydesdale Manor was a beautiful building that immediately felt warm and comfortable. Whether in the lovely garden or the warm and cosy sitting room in front of the fire sipping port. Such a hard life......

After arriving Friday we hit the Salamanca markets first thing Saturday morning. This is one of the largest markets I've been to and while there are definitely some great stalls, there was also a lot of the 'usual fare'. But, I do think I have been spoiled by being part of some amazing handmade design markets, so imported goods don't excite me that much anymore.

After the markets we went driving and found the Wooden Boat Centre at Franklin. This shed sitting on the side of the Franklin River plays host to an information centre, but they also run wooden boat building courses (an 18 month diploma and shorter 7 weeks course where you build a wooden dingy!). Very interesting to see and good to hear that crafts such as this are being kept alive by a passionate few.

Today was a mosey back to Lonnie with a stopover at Stefano Lubiana wines in Granton - about 20 minutes from Hobart. We were a bit taken with a few of their wines and a good few dollars later staggered out with a cartonful!

We also stopped off in New Norfolk at The Drill Hall Emporium. This amazing store is full of the wonders and wares of yesteryear! Everything in the store was very well displayed and in great condition. A bit pricey for us 'non-Antiquers' but well worth a wander if anyone is in the area.

All in all, a very lovely weekend - possibly the last free one before Christmas!!