Finding my ..... Niche`

This is an upcoming 2 day market event. A percentage of everyones proceeds go to St Giles school (always a good thing as this is a school for children with disabilities) and there promises to be a great range of handmade goodies to be had.
It's on the 2nd and 3rd May (Mothers Day weekend) and will be held at The Academy of Arts Gallery at UTAS at Inveresk. The nice thing is that it is not far from our home, so I won't have far to sneak off to for a cuppa! Check out the blog for this markets all organised by the lovely Selina! http://www.nicheallwrappedup.blogspot.com/

New packaging

Have just finished batching up some hand and body lotions ready for an upcoming 2 day Market here in Lonnie (Niche - but more on this later). I have been having trouble with purchasing the great little bottles I had been using (and were really happy with) and so have gone a different route with the good old amber 'boston rounds'. Still playing with what I will do for labelling, but these guys should get me out of mischief for now.

At this point I have done up batches of Lavender and Rosewood (yum), Frankincense and Rose (deep and heady) and Vanilla and Marshmallow Extract (very soft and feminine). The pictures aren't showing the colours at their best, but the Vanilla and Marshmallow is at the bottom and is a really lovely soft pink - very marshmallowey though that's not what the extract is! The Frank and Rose is in the middle and has come out an almost light ochre from the natural pink clay I have added.

At the top is the Lavender and Rosewood and with adding ivory clay, the colour has gone to a very slight off white. Still debating what else I might make up or if I will leave it as just these three. Thinking of making up my Chocolate and Fig body scrub perhaps. Hmmm....we'll see.

Am still waiting on the rest of my ingredient orders so I can finish the candles and the soaps I have planned. I am actually closer to most of my suppliers then when we were in Brisbane, but it takes just that little longer! How funny.

New red bamboo email address

I meant to do this earlier, just didn't seem to remember it whenever I was logged on, but with the move to Tassie - we found that Optus doesn't service here for internet (yay) so we have had to go with Telstra.
Of course all my lovely business cards and products lists I gave out last year all have the old email on it, but what can you do?
Anyway, my new email is: redbamboohandmade@gmail.com, if any one needs.
Ciao!

red bamboo rides again!

Today was the first time since we moved to Tassie, that I really got into some product creation. I mentioned a handmade shop opening in town a few posts ago, and we are gearing up to open this Saturday! I don't have a lot of ingredients here (sold most of them off before packing up our house in Brisbane), but I have been able to get some soaps batched up and curing (Lavender & Sandalwood, Organic Honey & Poppyseed, Moroccan Rhassoul with Nutmeg, Cinnamon and Orange in it), and spent the rest of the day playing with soy wax making candles.
I am using a new wax, fragrances and also these great frosted containers. I did look at doing the colourful mosaic containers as well as the stainless steel tins that I have used in the past - but I thought these would look stylish and fit any decor. I am playing with dyes as well, but am didn't use them with this first lot as I am still learning concentration ratio's and such.
I made up five different candles with fragrances of: Jasmine, Magnolia, Lemon Verbena, White Tea & Ginger and Vanilla, Pomegranate and Black Currant (my new favourite!). I was happy with how the labels came out and I just hope that they sell well in the shop. Tomorrow it's more soap and into the body lotions time permitting!
Ciao!

Sunday Drives in Tassie....

Thought would put a few words down to go with some photos hubby has taken on one of our Sunday Drives. We like to pick a direction and just see where we end up. Kind of hard to find an 'ugly spot' down here.

I will apologise now, as I probably won't be able to tell you where they are all from. They are just some great buildings and structures.

We are very much enjoying our time here as you can see.

The bridge here is in a lovely little town called Ross. The whole town is very quaint with the obvious tourism ramifications that go with it. An old Police colleague of hubby's dad owns the post office (below), so we took a photo to send to him - complete with crocheted lap rugs for sale out the front!

This beautiful church is on the highway between Launceston and the turn off to Ross - a very cute spot called Campbelltown. We're not sure if it is still in use, but it is such a glorious building anyway.

Update from Tassie...!

Thought I should make an effort to catch everyone up with the 'happenings' down here.
After arriving early Feb, safe and sound (complete with drugged up pussycats), getting the house unpacked as much as possible was the first task. I have to say the 'Matilda' has done a wonderful job of letting us feel right at home very quickly. I spent a week here by myself before hubby arrived and she felt safe and warm every nite!
'Matilda' sits on a corner block and there is no garden as yet. That's good in that we get a clean slate to work with, the down side is you feel like a 'pimple on a bum cheek', as in you are right out there for traffic and walkers by to see. So we have planted our first hedge on the weekend and I am now willing each and every plant to grow and prosper!
We were recommended to plant Pittosporum 'Silver Sheen', as it is supposed to be fast growing. Having never had a garden before, I hope I can be patient enough to wait for it to bush out and give us some privacy and noise reduction. Fingers crossed.

I had an interview at a beauty clinic at Riverside the first Wednesday I was here and started work on the Friday! Hmmm. So much for a settling in period!
But it has been good to get back into work and keep the dollars coming in. Us new mortagee's get very nervous about these things you know.
I have been doing lots of massage treatments (especially Hot Stone Massage) and have also been lecturing in Anatomy and Physiology in the Training Academy that is part of the clinic. It has made me study up myself on all of this information I have not really thought about in around 4-5 years! It's getting more fun though, the more I do it. I am also getting back into facials and other such stuff so I am relearning lots of things. So that has been fun too.

We have been absolutely blessed to have Drew's cousin, wife and beautful daughter nearby to help welcome us to our new state. Gemma is the brains behind 'Loz & Dinny' (lozanddinny.blogspot.com) - an amazing range of handmade childrens clothing and more. Along with another crafty friend, Gem is about to open a 'den of handmade treasures' here in Lonnie and has kindly asked me to create some goodies to sell. The space they have found will also be used for craft nites and get togethers. It's all very exciting and I can't wait to get back to creating my little goodies again. I have missed them.
Promise I will have some fresh piccies to show next time!
Ciao!

red bamboo is online once more...!

Dear all,
Just a quickie to let everyone know we have finally received our modem and are back online as of today! Yay!
It's amazing how much we have come to depend on email and the internet. Especially for information gathering - it has been almost 2 months since we have been connected and it has made things definitely more difficult (and expensive since we have had to use Internet Cafe's in the meantime).
We are settled down here in the Apple Isle and are finding our feet in our new home.
Will write more when I have some piccies to show off and more time - got a few emails to answer right now!
Ciao!

Annie