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New Scents for 2016

lavender mint soap

Every year I try to incorporate something new into my sales inventory.  I usually try to mix things up by dropping some items and adding or bringing back others.  I will probably downsize the amount of scarves I produce since they didn’t do as well this year.  Wall hangings are going to be coming back by popular demand.

I will still offer all of the same felted soap scents online but will be leaving a few behind when I head to shows.  Oatmeal, Pomegranate, Plumeria and Sandalwood will be traded for Chocolate, Citrus Miny, Honeysuckle and Cedarwood.  I’m excited to see how they perform next to my current bestsellers!

 

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Felted Soaps Galore!

I have been madly making enough felted soaps to get me thru my upcoming season of craft fairs.  Next weekend, Labor Day, kicks off my very full fair season with the Paul Bunyan Days in Fort Bragg.  I have 14 fairs packed between Labor Day and mid-December; this my busiest year yet!

I won’t have time to felt much in between fairs and the rest of my life/farm obligations during the fall so I’ve had to get all my stock ready this summer.  I have amassed about 1400 felted soaps that I’m hoping I will sell during this busy holiday season.  This will be my last week of felting and I think I will be ready and set to sell, sell, sell.

I am amazed that at this point I’m not sick of the process or of the scents but I guess that is a testament to how much I love this work.  Even the bad days creating are really pretty good.  Now that does not ring true for fairs exactly. A bad fair can be really bad depending on weather, people, sales, etc and can be pretty discouraging.  Even then though, I am living my dream so it is rewarding in a way as well. At least I am living my life the way I want to.

Maybe I won’t have any bad shows this season and all my hard work will be snatched up and taken away by happy customers.  Ah, one can hope at least. 🙂 Wish me luck!

colorful soaps

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FAQs for the Shepherdess

black sheeps eye

I often get a lot of the same questions over and over when I am sitting in the booth at fairs.   Just in case any of you are having the same questions I thought I would answer a few of them here:

eucalyptus peppermint soap

What is a felted soap?

Easy to grip, this 100% wool covered soap gently exfoliates, leaving skin feeling clean and soft.
Also, works great for cleaning hard-working hands.

Wool will shrink along with soap. When soap is gone you will be left with a little scrubby which can be re-filled with soap slivers, guest soaps or used with your favorite liquid soap.

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How many sheep do you have?

34.  25 Wensleydales, 7 Karakuls and 3 Corriedales.

Do they all have names?

Yes!  They are all individuals and have unique faces and personalities.  When I first met them I had no idea how I would ever tell them apart but now there is no way I could ever confuse one with another.

Do you shear them yourself?

No luckily I have a wonderful shearer I trust and who I think is worth his weight in gold.

Do you do all your own dyeing?

Yes!  Dyeing is one of my favorite parts of the creative process.

Do the dryer balls actually work?

Yes!  I have had nothing but enthusiastic reviews from my dryer balls.  They reduce static, cut down on drying time and soften clothes all without the use of harsh chemicals found in dryer sheets and fabric softeners.

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How did you get into this?

I feel like I have always been headed toward this lifestyle.  As a little girl I always connected more with animals than with people.  I have been drawn to the country and a simpler way of life for as long as I can remember.  The sheep, bless their souls, helped me see how suited I really am for rural life and at the same time share their wool to give me a healthy creative outlet.

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Soap Season

colorful soaps

It’s soap season once again here at Plum Blossom Farm.  The time of year where I’m making LOTS of felted soaps in preparation for upcoming fairs and this year’s holiday season.  I try to create a variety of colors and shapes to suit all personal tastes.  I usually offer four different scents: lavender, jasmine, cucumber and coconut.  This year I’ve decided to try to give customers more options by offering 6 to 8 fragrances.  In addition to my regulars I will offer a different combination of  these scents at each fair: pomegranate, oatmeal stout, peppermint/eucalyptus, sandalwood and the gardener’s soap- tangerine/bergamot.

I love to smell the familiar fragrances and get creative with the fiber dye color combinations.  There does start to be some monotony though after the 100th soap!

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Bright and Colorful

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