Winter Farmers Market !

Fishmongers sells fresh mussels, like Phil Gray of New Meadows Mussels, who hand-harvests the wild version.

Bob Perol of Diversity Farm in Troy cuts samples of aged cheddar cheese.

Vegetables from Ben Dearnley of Life Force Farm in Bowdoinham at Fort Andross in Brunswick.

A Winter Farmers Market, how exciting! I will be selling at not 1, not 2, but 3 indoor Winter Farmer Markets this season! Come get your favorite Casco Bay Soap all winter long as well as seasonal vegetables, fresh eggs, local meats, seafood, hand made cheeses, hand knit and sewn items, jewlery, exotic spices, herbs, fresh baked breads, Alpaca yarns, and much more. Often there is fantastic local music performers as well.

Wednesdays 10-2
Allen, Sterling & Lothrop
http://www.allensterlinglothrop.com/
Rt. 1, Falmouth

Fridays 10-2
Skillins Greehouse
http://www.skillins.com/
Rt. 100/Gray Rd., Cumblerand

Saturday 9-12
Ft. Androos
Main St. Brunswick

I will also be participating in many craft fairs this Holiday season, so I may not be at every market during November and December. But you can always check this blog or my website for up-to-date information on my location so you can purchase your soaps.

Here are 2 articles from the 2008/2009 successfull first season selling indoors:

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=233232

http://www.chowmaineguide.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=132&cntnt01returnid=67

I look forward to seeing all of you this winter!

Lemon Grass Soap

I just stirred up the most intoxicating smelling batch of Lemon Grass soap. This is the first time I have made a Lemon Grass soap and since my Lemon Verbena, Pink Grapefruit and the Citrus Scrub are so popular, I thought trying another type of citrus would be in order. What a delicious smelling soap! Light creamy yellow in color, this soap is very lemon and a bit earthy. I think my citrus fans are going to snap it up in a flash!

Here Comes Autumn...

Fantastic day at the market today. Folks are starting to think of Holiday gifts and I seem to have what they are looking for. I offer about 25 different soaps at the market and have 3 different types of gift packaging at this time.

The weather was beautiful and a bit fall like. It cooled off in the afternoon and I had to put a light sweater on over the short sleeves...I even bought a bag of crisp, tart early season apples!

So, this means that it is time for me to start making the Apple Pie, Pumpkin Spice soaps that you all love soo much. Stay tuned, it will be ready soon.

Sneak Peek!

This is what I am going with...this is a copy of my business card. I am also going to use the mermaid/ship image on my labels, all my promotional materials, my banner etc. I will start pushing the blue and green colors on my packaging and decor at the Farmers Market. I wanted an old fashion nautical feeling to it. I am right here on the coast of Maine after all, and love all things to do with the ocean.

Thanks to Daina, a graphic designer from Minnesota ~ http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6215966 ~ which I found on Etsy.com (the whole site has super fantastic stuff by the way!) she is doing a great job working with me. Thanks Daina!

New Look, labels and more....

Working on a whole new look for my soap labels...I found a fantastic graphic designer and she is super! She is working with me on a new logo, new biz. cards, new labels! I'm very excited, I have wanted to get my look together for a while now, and have taken the plunge. Stay tuned for some updates and exciting new projects!

Lots of New Soaps

Come on out to the market and smell the soaps! I have plenty of the old favorite in stock....

Lavender, Wild Sea Rose, Blueberry Cream, Maine Pine...and new this week, Lavender & Tea Tree & Tomato Leaf (!). Brought back by customer request, Pink Grapefruit!

Freeport Farmers Market, Fridays ~ Town Hall Offices on Main St. 2-6!

Yikes!

Sorry I haven't written in about 2 weeks! Wow! Time goes by fast...lots of stuff to do, and summer is short. I will be sure to update the blog this week....lots of soap on the shelves curing, lots of plans for the fall/winter selling season are underway! ~ Shannon

"Green" Smoothies

I have met the coolest girls at market...Jeanette and Heidi are the Fender Blender girls. Blending "green" smoothies with a bicycle powered blender, they offer close to the Earth smoothies made with fresh veggies from the market such as Parsley, Kale, Mint and more. Adding in Mango, Bananas, Strawberries or more as the only natural sweetener, these green smoothies are DELICIOUS! I am holding what is left of the smoothie I had that day, and it was so refreshing when the temperature and the humidity went into the high numbers last week. You can't even see their booth, just beyond the smoothie, as it was crowded with people watching Heidi pedal the bike to mix up more of these cool drinks. I am thinking of starting my day, everyday, with a green smoothie (only difference is I will be using my electric powered blender). It's a great way to get in some fantastic fiber and a serving of a veggie I may not necessarily eat. If you are in the area, be sure to stop at the Falmouth Farmers Market on Wednesdays, they are always there mixing up the good stuff.

Update: I made my own Green Smoothie! I bought some fresh organic Kale at the market and had a frozen banana and some mango in the freezer. YUM! I do think that I need to add some Parsley or Mint for some additional pizazz. But loved it none-the-less!

Mast Climbing

Friends of ours in the boat slip next to us are just as enthusiastic about sailing as us.

Our friend Mark had to climb his mast to do some minor repairs and here is the shot I snapped of him climbing the mast. Thing is, it always looks easy, when you are standing on land. I'm sure that once you get to the top of that mast and the boat is swaying, you want to get down quickly!

Here is the link to his blog, where he covers all things boating: http://www.onboardwithmarkcorke.com/on_board/