Tendrils Bath and Body, now in business!

I touted my new wares at two of three holiday bazaars that I attended this season.  Now, I am slowly getting things listed on the new Etsy site (www.etsy.com/tendrilsbodycare).  Initial sales were quite small, though I received a lot of interest and people really liked smelling and touching.  I can store the soaps, and some of the other products, over winter, and I'm hoping to find a spring garden-related market or festival to give it another shot.  Etsy will probably not help me sell a lot of product initially, as I think it will be the smell and feel that will win customers.  But, it will give those customers a way to re-order once they try it.  In the meantime, I'm packing up gift boxes for family, so at the very least, I have a stash of handmade gifts to offer this holiday season.

My studio has been in major transition for months as I reorganize to accommodate a new commission that takes up 30 square feet, to be installed in April.  Mike gave me a tabletop glass kiln for my birthday, which I am ready to test run today, so I am creating a new area for fusing, plus one wall dedicated to Tendrils supplies and tools.  I still haven't figured out how to make it all fit, and I am beginning to think I need to give up some mediums - and I don't want to.  In fact, I have MORE ideas and I want to go back to sewing and collage on top of everything.  There is just not enough room or time for the things I want to make.

Luckily, I find that Winter is my season for creating.  All becomes quiet, there is little gardening to be done, the ideas and motivation seem more tangible, and I spend these coming months in the studio during the day, then crocheting or sewing or other "crafty" things in the house amid my little family in the evenings.

That said, it's time to get off the computer and get to work.