There are some people who are Craft Show people and then there are others that are not just built that way. As for me? Well I usually don’t go to craft shows. Now don’t get me wrong. There is always a lot of stuff there that is really cool! But I’ve more stuff in my house that I usually know what to do with, so buying additional things probably isn’t the best idea for me.
But I did go to the craft show today. So I’m sure your’e wondering why since I just gave my spiel about really not needing too much right? I went purely just to scope it out. I think I might want to try to be in a craft show maybe next year, so I thought I better see just how people set their displays up and also how it all works. OK, I also went to stalk out my competition! Not surprised are you?
Well let me tell you that there are some pretty cool displays on these shows! The craft show that I went to was a two day show and I went the first day and in the morning when it started. I tried to be nonchalant when my eyes caught a glimpse of the first soap vendor. She looked me straight in the eyes and I tried to give the look back like, ‘oh you sell soap’ and then I switched my eyes to someone’s else’s stuff and looked very intensely at the braided rugs at the vendor on the opposite side of the hall. Yup, I’m going to have to be cool if I want to learn the craft show skills from these guys. First impression is that it’s a tough crowd. I hope I’m wrong.
So I made it all around the huge hall and came up on another soap vendor. This one didn’t seem like she was so interested in what my motives were, so I really checked out how she did her display and also how she wrapped her soap. Now I did really like how she finished off her soap with the outside wrapping, but they were manufactured someplace because they were absolutely perfect and colored! Yea .. colored!! Again, they were pretty cool but I’m thinking at this point I might be still in the red in my ledger books so I better stick with printing and stamping mine upstairs in the craft room or at the kitchen table. I mean I haven’t even sold a bar of soap yet since I have my name established!
Finally I made it back to the first lady selling soap and I said, ‘oh I see you sell soap’ I don’t think I fooled her, but oh well. Then out of my mouth come the comment ‘you must do melt and pour soap’. Now she knew that I was also a soaper and said that she did. Well I was making small talk but when I was asking her a couple of questions about her soap and she wasn’t able to answer them, I thought that I better back off. I think she is getting suspicious. OK, I needed a new plan. So I started to ask what was in this one container. What it ended up being was a bath soak and when she wasn’t sure what was in that (weird huh?) I said that I usually just take equal parts epson salt to baking soda and then add some lavender essential oil. She gave me one of those looks that was close to a stink eye look and said that she was selling this to make money. Well I might not be the brightest light bulb in the room but I definitely got the hint! And honestly I wasn’t even looking for trouble but I was sure finding it and finding it fast! So I said something like that her bath salts probably smells better than mine (I fibbed) and said that her soap really smelled awesome (fibbed again) and then walked away. Man these craft shows are tough!
When I found myself heading back to the car and just finishing off my purchases of the hot dog and water that I bought earlier- I realized that I will probably need to go to another one of these craft shows for practice and try not to get in trouble the next time.
But for now – this is the soap that I made today. It’s called Pickin’ Apples and I tried something new and put in layers of soap and mica and then topped it off with mica. 
Kinda cool. 
And my photo of the day is Sassy. I had some apples that I bought today while I was in town and after I saw some of the cows just hanging out when I pulled into the yard, I just couldn’t resist sharing.
How can you not share when the cows have such a CRAZY taste for them? HaHaahaa