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!!

Soap Arrival!

I am so stoked!!! What a great 'parcel' day!
Two orders arrived (always fun to unpack) plus my soaps from Bunny Bubbles Designs!

These were a prize from the SAFE challenge of BonBons n Booze a few weeks ago. These lovely little chappies have come all the way from the US - thanks Terry!

Looking forward to my bath tonight!!

New additions

Just quick entry to showcase the newest additions to my product lines. Have been looking for an interesting container for lip balms for some time now - kind of over the glass jar look. Found these little guys through one of my suppliers and they are on their way here as we speak. They still hold the same amount as my previous containers, but I hope that folks will like their 'old world' vintage charm as much as I do.

The second newcomer are these polycarbonate tealight cups. I've ordered clear ones so I can colour the candles themselves or leave them plain white. I have been feeling bad about selling the soy melts and then leaving folks to use the nasty paraffin wax tealights in their burners.

At this stage I hope to make up some plain, unscented ones as well as fragranced ones that people can use in colourful tealight holders or around the bathtub - anywhere really! Will see how they go anyway.

Playing with backgrounds

Some of you may have noticed I have been 'tinkering' with the look of my blog. You know how you can just get too used to how something looks and need a fresh feel to it?
I was put onto these two sites that offer free backgrounds for blogs and such. Very easy to install and they give you all of the instructions needed. There's dozens to choose from and you can even pick seasonal or celebration themes (ie autumn or christmas).
If nothing else, just feel free to have a look here and here.
Whether or not I keep the backgrounds is anyones guess - I do think that they can make the site download a little too long - but we shall see. It's fun for now...

Recovering nicely....

Wow! Thank you to all who posted comments on my last blog entry - I certainly appreciate everyones concern!
So here's an update on how I am 'recovering' from my Chinese massage torture... I mean treatment!!
The bruises will be with me for some time yet I think, but I am happy to announce that I am nowhere near as sore as I thought I would be - yay me! I managed to get through my massages yesterday quite well.
However, I did wake up in the morning with a ruptured capilary in my right eye.... hmmmm. I have let the business know and will go in tomorrow to actually show them. On a curious note though, I checked my iridology charts and it seems that this spot in my eye where the capillary is, correlates to the area for the shoulder blade in the iridology eye chart! And it's definitely where the therapist was seriously concentrating on!
I agree with everyone too - I think it may have been a bit of overkill with both the cupping and the massage itself. I do feel looser, but would be hard pressed to book in again for another treatment! I know that I can get as good, if not better results by working with the clients body rather than beating it into submission.
On a lighter note, it was a bit fun to freak out all my regular clients yesterday by showing them my back!!

Equipment Malfunction.......

Ok.. here's the thing... being a Massage Therapist means that on the odd occasion, my 'equipment' can malfunction. That is, my back can ache, my shoulders can tighten up, my neck won't move and I have a headache that last for.... oooh, about a month or so!

So getting maintainance for myself, while vital, is funnily enough, often far down on my to do list. Kind of a 'do what I say and not what I do' thing. Especially since I coach all of my own clients into regular treatments!
Anyhoo... a Chinese Massage business has recently opened here in Lonnie and after hearing from one of the girls I work with that she was getting good results, I picked up the phone and booked an appointment for earlier this afternoon.
HOLY GUACCAMOLY!
I have had chinese massage before (I've studied it myself) but I have never had this much cupping ever before in one hit and although I realise that this style of treatment is not light and fluffy, there were honestly times that I was ready to hop off the table and clock the young guy digging his elbow repeatedly into my back!
It hurt to move my arms just on the 5 minute drive home - heaven help me tomorrow as I am working and have massages of my own to give!
The picture below tells the tale - these should fade in a few weeks or so! Oi!

No pain, no gain...right??

New Stockist for Red Bamboo

I am terribly excited about the news I got today that Michelle from Nook in Brisbane is going to stock a selection my Soy Candles and Melts.

My box of samples arrived a few days ago and she has been burning them in her shop. I am looking forward to making her order up and can't wait to hear how they go up there. Yay!

Although it's funny that I moved down to Tassie only to be sending products back up to Brisbane! But I feel Nook is a very good outlet for my style of product and market - it's the kind of store I like to shop in.

Thanks Michelle!

Bespoke Letterpress Giveaway

This is a brilliant giveaway by the very generous folks at Bespoke. Bespoke produces the most exquisite hand made letterpress paperie and I have been savouring their blog for some time now like the quilty pleasure that it is!

When I came across this blog entry, I had to share (and not just because of the chance to score an amazing prize!), but also to support the work they are doing with emerging artists.

Earlier this year, Bespoke decided they wanted to be able to help launch young designers & illustrators. To be able to have to their work crafted on a vintage letterpress is a dream way beyond reach for most young designers.
So they opened the table for illustrators across the world to submit their work - The only rules were they must be emerging illustrators and they must produce a three colour illustration. See here for the results.

Some of my favourites are below:

So take a peek and see if there's anything that catches your eye.

It's been such a popular blog entry that there are 232 comments - takes you forever just to scroll through them all!

Driveby Deloraine

Finally!.... a weekend without rain!

We took this opportunity by the horns and went for a long overdue 'Sunday Drive'. We were headed for the Honey Farm at Chudleigh, only to find that the one Sunday the place was closed was today!

Slightly ruffled but not defeated we decided to hit the road again and see where we ended up.

Deloraine sits on the Meander River and is about 50kms west of Launceston. We found a lovely spot for a quiet lunch by the river at the Deloraine Train Park. That's where we spotted this little guy - what a cutie! I'd never seen a duck this colour before (all tan body and very orange feet!) and was quite taken with him. I've called him 'Desmond'.

This appears to be perhaps an old mill - certainly the trains would have passed beside the building and it looks like some renovations are being done. So our Sunday was capped off by sitting on the banks of the Meander River, eating a very good vegie pastie, drinking ginger beer and watching the ducks (and local families) play. Not a bad life really......