Girl With A Curl Soap Company

         For a busy gal on the go, there's few things as luxurious as stopping to take an hour long babble bath til you're all pruny and relaxed beyond measure. No angry bosses. Or screaming kids. Just a slice in time to pamper yourself and recharge. Great handmade soap is a gift I never really appreciated until I was out on my own working full-time with too much to do and too little time to do it in.
        Which is why I'm really glad to know Nicole. She runs the lovely Girl With A Curl Soap Company right up the street. If you see her at a show, you have to drop by and just smell for a few minutes. Even better, pick up a bar of heaven that won't break the bank.

         It's hard to pick a favorite of hers, but I'm partial to her rosemary mint with tea soap. She also makes a great grapefruit soap. I'm looking forward to trying some of her guy's soaps for Nash this year. Now you know where the profits from my arts and crafts shows go.
        Check out her Etsy shop here. Have a great day and see ya tomorrow.

Art ' n ' Silk

           Certain people, if you're going to do something crazy or you don't know if you can pull off, you want them in the fox hole with you. Shannon and I have collaborated on more projects than I can count and had a great time doing it as well as sharing office space. She's a dyer, I'm a sewer. It's a good combination.
             She does lovely work in silk and cotton custom printing and hand painting one-of-a-kind pieces of art either by order or from nature.  She also teaches silk printing as one of the instructors at Techshop RD from time to time.
            If you want to get a unique gift for someone in your life who loves custom scarves and silk, I recommend dropping by her booth next week. She also does great custom cotton tees. Check out her Etsy shop here.

Fall Shows: Craftland and Acorn to Oak Handmade

              I love to watch Nash smile at me. He's got a look just for me, that's mine alone. He has sea eyes that change with his mood, and for me they turn a brilliant shade of green. It's often accompanied by a soft quiet, "I love you." I would probably walk naked barefoot in the snow for ten miles for that look (and we all know I hate cold weather.). Thankfully for the eyes of little children everywhere, that level of sacrifice has not been required. There's an even better version of this whenever I wear lace or leather and he sees me. His eyes get gold flecks of happiness in them.
             This season we are sold out until at least January with a particular client doing private label work in utilitarian fashion which is saving lives. I'm really enjoying it. It has given me some unexpected flexibility to follow Nash's smile and make a collection simply to make people I know happy. And hopefully see some more happy Nash eyes. It is my wish for you too to see you loved one's eyes light up this season.
            We will be showing at two holiday shows as well as posting a small selection online. I want to stress that these will be very limited edition collections with a small sampling of looks and pieces so hopefully people will enjoy their pieces of art as much as I did making them.

Craftland, The  Scrap Exchange, Durham, NC November 16th- January 18th- This is an annual holiday collection of local artists and crafters focusing on reused and recycled items. I will be showing a small collection of handmade accessories there.

Acorn to Oak Handmade Etsy Team Arts and Craft Sale, The Visual Art Exchange, Raleigh, NC- December 8th from 12-6 pm- A one day show of fun looks and custom designers here in the Triangle. I love the variety of this show our team puts on semi-annually. This time we are partnering with the Visual Art Exchange in downtown Raleigh which promises to be a fun new twist.

For Everyone who is local, can't wait to see you at one or both shows. For everyone else, please feel free to follow online. We look forward to seeing you this season.

Day Sixteen: Acorn to Oak Holiday Craft Show

We're back from the show this past week and wanted to show you this fun video Melsie Glass took of the Acorn to Oak Handmade Etsy Team Craft Show. I'm going to start shortening Etsy Team Craft to ETC for laughs. We loved everyone who came out and made us laugh and can't wait for the next one in the spring right before Mother's Day.

It was so much fun to have you.

I can't believe we're at 670 members for the year. We have grown so much. We started with just 16 good friends at the beginning. Glad to have met each and every one of you and so looking forward to seeing what the new year brings.