A Post!

I apologize about the lack of posts here lately. Each day brings its' own unique set of "goings on" and it seems as if the days begin to run together at times. Oh well, I'm here and posting..... at the moment!!! Please forgive me if I miss a day or two or three between posts; I honestly feel badly about it!

Saturday, Momma and I packed up Shoppe and headed over/up/or down (not sure about the direction here) to Iva for a craft fair! It was a beautiful thirty minute drive which took us through flatland and through hills!! Momma made the comment that this part of South Carolina is the states' best kept secret! I think it's true! It's absolutely gorgeous during fall!

This is how Momma "dooded up" the cupboard this time! It still draws comments from people who have their own "Southern Style Hoosier" *disclaimer* this is what I've been told it's called! I don't know it for certain! This craft fair had a much smaller crowd BUT, we did even better than we did at the Honea Path festival!! Momma and I were tickled pink!!!!

This is an "Apron Bonnet" that Momma makes for MarmeeDear & Co. She actually found an apron just like this in a box of stuff that my Grandpa had bought at an auction. She thought the apron was something unique and a "part of the past" and made a pattern from it!

This is the cutest book ever!! Loretta Hayward owns quite a few rabbits and has a home business called Garden Gate Cards. She photographs her rabbits and turns the photos into cards (very abbreviated and sketchy description here!)! She recently published "On the Banks of Durbin Creek" (which you can find here ) and it is such a delightful and funny book!! We really appreciate the scripture that she has sprinkled throughout her books and cards.

Momma made this apron.......
.....and this matching clothespin bag last week! We have it up for sale at the Craft Fairs, and if it doesn't sell at those, Marmee wants it!
We are also selling these cute burlap bags that are great for.........

......Planters!!!

I think my Mom is nothing short of a genius to have thought of this idea!!!

I absolutely LOVE this clothespin bag! The colors are terrific and the fabric is "fun"! You can see it more in detail here.... I remember reading the Dick and Jane books when I was a kid and this brings back memories!

Tristan learned the art of "Trivet Making" from our Grandpa and has in turn begun blessing others with home made trivets! You might wonder what a trivet is..... I don't know the exact definition but according to "The Dictionary of Ashley" it is something somewhat related to a hot pad. In other words, you use it to put hot stuff on! We have a cabinet drawer with about six or eight of them in different sizes. I personally like this size as it's perfect for a casserole dish or a cookie sheet! We don't have them up on the website, and I think I'll ask Momma about loading them....

The Festival

Bright and Early on Saturday morning, The WashBasin descended on the downtown of Honea Path! I make it sound very dramatic, but in reality it wasn't....... unless you call seeing a "sleep deprived soap maker" dramatic!!!

Daddy and Tristan brought "the beast" all loaded down with our props while Momma and I drove "the 'burb" loaded down with all our wares!! The cupboard pictured above was our main prop. As you can see it held all of our goodies and had a "reminiscent of old times" feel to it! I was the centerpiece of the booth
A view from "the aisle"
We will confess that several of us in the Castlebury family thought our dear mother was going mad when she *ahem* "adopted" this piece of furniture! Now I think we're rather thankful for it; several people stopped and asked questions about it and even told us about the cupboard that they owned! I will admit that the cupboard was a good salesman as everything looked so inviting hung, draped, or placed on this older piece of kitchen furniture.
Sawyer stayed with us during the morning, and Momma and I had fun walking him around looking at the various booths.
Momma had the ingenious idea to make a planter out of one of the mini burlap bags that we were selling! One lady even bought one for that purpose!

Trevor, Tristan, and Sayre came toward the end of the festival. They had a blast watching the magician pull all of his tricks, and we're still talking about how he did them!!!

We learned so much with the fair and are eagerly anticipating the next fair so we can implement some "new and improved" ideas!! Of course, you need to come and "sniff our booth" next time!!

SugarFoot Festival

This Saturday, The WashBasin has a booth at the Sugarfoot Festival in Honea Path South Carolina!

This is our first event to take soap to, although other people have taken it to their fairs or festivals! Mom has been planning our booth out for several weeks now, and it looks like she has finally got it down!! We will be using this piece of furniture as the "centerpiece" of the booth. I'm not sure what it is....... I just know we're using it! Momma is filling it with all kind of sweet smelling soaps, lotions, lip butters (I think), and who knows what else!! It will look very nice when it's all decorated at the festival!

We will also have other diplays set up. Marmee has given us several of her products to feature which will go in the "kitchen collection" display.

Momma has also been cooking up some Fragrence spray that is worth coming to smell!! The soap shoppe usually smells terrific, but with all the concocting Momma has been doing it smells like a dream!!! Rose, gardenia, Lily, Sweet Pea.......... ohhhhhhh, you must come smell our booth!!!

The cat is laying on the keyboard, her tail is moving the mouse around, and she's biting me so it's definately time to publish this and go fill her food bowl!! Have a terrific day!

Catchin' Up...Again

No, I haven't officially dropped off the face of the earth although I'm sure it appears that I have!! Things became very busy soon after my last post, and I have had little time for "leisure activities".
I have made about 15 logs of soap in the past two weeks (which means that I have made 270 bars of soap) along with wrapping it all in waxed paper. I also had an order for fifty-five bars of soap that needed wrapping, in addition to other orders, along with cutting and "shaving" all of the soap I was making. Add in daily commitments and other "odd jobs".... It's been an interesting week to say the least!!!

At the beginning of the week, Collin got the four-wheeler stuck in the pond. He sprayed mud all over and Tristan tried to push him out, but they finally had to get "The Beast" involved!! "The Beast" is Daddy's 1970-something Ford truck that has survived all of us kids driving it. It has a propensity for jumping out of park (while running)........ It rolled down the driving way at our old house and took out our fence, it got away from Collin, ran into a tree and therefore has no tailgate, and I backed the Buick into it's side. It should be renamed "Ol' Faithful"!!!

Please pardon my dogs' head.....

It's becoming a habit with some people to get stuck in the pond. The lawnmower was the most recent "vehicle" to become stuck. Our pond obviously does not look like a pond should. Right now, the pond is probably an eighth of the size it should be. All of that mud and dirt SHOULD be under water. We haven't had any rain for a while- the water level should go up this fall/winter.

Speaking of Fall, I think it's here!!! We have been having BEAUTIFUL weather!!! The days are in the eighties and the night are..... chilly!! I love it!!! One of the first ways I can tell that Fall is here or on it's way, is that the sunlight is different and that the air seems clearer!

The leaves on this Bradford Pear (at least that's what we think it is) are starting to turn color! We can drive down the road and see the leaves going from green to yellow, orange, or red! I love seeing the different varieties of trees and what they do come fall!!

We have several Magnolia Trees and one is right off the house. It's taller than the house and FULL! You can't see the bottom of the tree as all of the bottom limbs haven't been cut off! It looks like a giant bush!

Our "front yard".

This is what you will see coming down our driveway. The tree on the far right is the magnolia I was telling you about. Momma is going to put a rose garden in on the left side of the house right behind the boxwood's that line the front. She's ordered the roses and we should get them in the next week or so!!! Oh, those two things sticking up along the driveway are to mark a hole where the drainage pipe is!

My Faithful Companion

This is my dog Jasper. I have two but he is the one who "hangs out" with me. He always wants to be where I am and is a fairly obedient dog. He is the only dog allowed in the house and takes full advantage of that! I raised him so that he would be with me most of the time and he knows that. He's a friendly dog after he get's to know you. Let him meet you on his terms and you'll be fine.

Sawyer......

Pull his pants up to his armpits, add my glasses, and he's a cute little "nerd"!!!

Good night!

Gift Giving

This past June my family and I were up in the Jamestown, Williamsburg, Yorktown (Virginia) triangle to take part in a week long celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown that was coordinated by Vision Forum. It was an eye opening time as we learned about God's providence in many of the "firsts" of our country. While we were there, some friends of ours (who were also attending the celebration) took us to the HUGE Yankee Candle store somewhere in the vicinity. Actually, let me rephrase that~ the LADIES went to the Yankee Candle store!! Of Course I had to buy some samplers for my "consumption" and a few extras for friends! Pictured above and below is how I packaged them up for my friends. I was quite pleased with the results!!

I didn't just want to hand them to my friends with a "here you go"~ I wanted to get creative for a change!!! I finally decided on mailing the gifts, even though they live 20 minutes away from us. I know how much I enjoy getting gifts or even letters in the mail, so I thought this would be special for them too!!! I "wadded up" a half sheet of tissue paper and put it as the background in a cello bag. Then I arranged the candles to my satisfaction, and secured the top with raffia. I also wrapped up 2 half bars of soap that I make (our family business is handcrafted soap and sundries) in red gingham tissue paper. I included a note letting my friend know that I had been thinking of her, affixed the address, and sealed the box. It was so much fun thinking about her as I packaged her gift!

Sawyer was "spending time with sissy" as Momma was out grocery shopping today (believe me, it's an all day affair!) and he had fun puttering around as I made two batches of soap and did various and sundry other things out in "The Shoppe". Here he looks as if he is ready to make a run to the Post Office for me!

I sent out a box to one friend last week and I was so tickled at her gift in turn (which I wasn't expecting at all!). Right after she received my "box of goodies" she went and baked some special treats and made this card for me! THEN, she called my brother to stop by her house on the way home and pick up MY gift. I was so touched when I saw what she had fixed for me....... She spent TIME (which she doesn't necessarily have a lot of anymore) fixing those goodies for me! Adah, Thank You!!!

This picture and the one before it are of the card that Adah made for me! I need to get some of that paper!
I really do enjoy giving gifts! I give them because I know it's going to make somebody's day and make them feel loved. You never know how much your gift, even if it is small and simple, will mean to somebody! Mmmmmmm...... now I'm Inspired..... :o)
Supper calls. Oh boy, it's taco's tonight with (hopefully) homemade salsa!!!! Must go cook! Have a terrific evening!