The Handmade Market

I don't normally do markets. I have only done one and it was just not even a little close to my target demographic so even though I sold some things, it was a terrible fit for Ablutions. It was much too rustic and too much of a drive for my lazy self. Lugging a dozen 50lb boxes of soap and scrubs over 50 yards of gravel is not fun. I've never been a big fan of the porta-john either.

My husband is an abstract photographer who has just begun showing his work this year in local shops and galleries. He did a local market called Rock & Shop Market back in the summer that we both liked a lot. It's full of independant artisans and crafty people who handmake everything you can imagine- jewelry, handbags, aprons, journals, coasters, notecards, etc... Bands played live music while shoppers shimmied and squeezed around each other from booth to booth. It proved to be a good market for him and though the booths were a bit cramped for my taste, I secretly wished I was selling there too.

Rock & Shop Market has a very popular companion market in November called The Handmade Market and we both jumped at the chance to apply. I just learned that I was accepted and I'm delighted but I confess it's a bit bittersweet since Steve is on the waitlist. I'm more upset that he didn't get in than he is. I had fantasies of us selling, side by side, hanging out and having a blast. I'm sure it will still be great, but I'll miss him. Maybe he'll still make it in- keeping my fingers crossed.

http://www.decompositionstudios.com/ - coming soon!
http://www.thehandmademarket.com/

Bad blogger! Bad, bad blogger...

Wow, has it really been 5 months since my last post? Time flies and it seems to by flying at a horrifying rate as I get older. I will be better at keeping up with the blog! Summer was a busy season for Ablutions so I had a good reason for being a bad blogger.

As business builds, I've finally faced the need for a better accounting system and I've spent a few weeks implementing QuickBooks- Ultra Mega Time Sucker Edition. I don't know what is supposed to be quick about it, except how fast the $300+ was spent to buy the software. I don't have the brain or soul of an accountant so I must use the help menu often. Fortunately, the help section is quite good and it isn't quite as torturous as I'd imagined at the onset. Still, I'd rather have spent that few weeks making lovely products or ripping down sheetrock in my soon to be fabulous Japanese inspired spa bathroom.

Next year, I'm making the leap to a bookkeeper as a little gift to myself. I can't wait!

In business news, the lip butter promotion ends soon and the next one begins October first. I'll announce it in a few days so keep an eye out...

everything was beautiful and nothing hurt

And so it goes...

I discovered you in high school like so many. (Thanks Mrs. Gillingwaters!)
I laughed at your cameo in Back to School. I flinched while reading your interviews over the years and wondered how you could take yourself so seriously and not seriously at all simultaneously- you were an enigma if nothing else who enjoyed tormenting interviewers and I don't blame you one bit. Safe journey Kurt...

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
1922 — 2007
(drawing borrowed from the official website)

Moving on up...

...to a deluxe blog space, instead of the new page on the website. This will free up space to show photos of actual new products- now just to figure out how to link it all together...

We're also working with a new label company, Frontier Label. Frontier Label

I'm delighted about this as they are much closer and ship much more quickly than our previous custom labels vendor. Frontier Label will be making stickers for our new sample sizes. We've decided to add sample packs of facial products to the website. They will include cute little travel bottles with custom stickers that look idential to the full size versions currently offered. Who'd have thought ordering labels could be so exciting?!

I need to get out more.