Craft Fairs, Stalls and Displays.

In the run up to Christmas we had been spending a little bit of time and money to enhance our presence at craft fairs and stalls.  I wish I could say that the investment paid off.  I confess, my belief in doing charity craft fairs has now ended.  The next person that can convince me to do a charity/community craft fair deserves high praise indeed.

That said 2014 will see us committing to St Georges Market in Belfast for a short period to see if we can increase our presence in Belfast as well as make more money from sales rather than solely from the internet.

So here is a little of what we have been up to...

It started with the crates.  We needed something that provided multiple layers to ensure we could get a wide variety of our lines out on display without it looking cluttered and difficult to differentiate.  We needed something that would be easy to pack and display, was visually eye-catching and offered us a way to keep changing the format so people wouldn't keep seeing the same old week in week out.  Something that didn't offer a blank canvas that the products would fade into but would instead enhance the appearance of the products.  We think we found the answer.  The white crates work perfectly to bring out the colour of the products whilst the blue ties in remarkably well with our brand colour.  The odd bit of blue in the display really draws the eye and the best bit is that we can carry much of our stock in the crates to and from the market.

Much better than a flat table and tablecloth!

Carla had a few ideas of how to develop the stands for craft fairs.  Some of which haven't materialised yet but one which has are the letters for ScENT.  Carla has been working with Little Roots to come up with some letters for the stall.  Here is a quick look at what they have been working on together...

Personally, I can't wait to see the rest of the letters.

One-to-One Workshops

This has been quite a month for workshops and last week was our penultimate one for the month of February.  A one-to-one session with Stephanie.

So just what does a one-to-one workshop entail for someone here in Cloughey?

Well, it just depends on what you are after - a half day course or a full day course.  It also depends on what your specific requirements are.  Perhaps you just want to make soap, or you have a skin condition and want to make something natural with organic oils.  Perhaps you want to make moulds or learn a specific soap-making technique.  What ever the requests we try and tailor to your needs.

And did we mention the food?


                                     












We had a great day with Stephanie and there was quite a bit of raving about a certain Carrot cake that you simply must try!

Soap Partys for Children

ScENT have been organising Soap Parties for a while now but we were more than a little apprehensive when asked to facilitate a workshop for a group of 15 children aged 5.

Realising at an early stage that having a group of 15 girls around hot soap was not the best possible Health & Safety scenario we opted for something a little easier.

First up: Birthday Girl gets to help make a mini-loaf.  Every girl present gets to pick a penguin soap by way of putting a birthday hug into the bar and some lips with their very own birthday wishes for Anna.  Next up we colour the base, added the glitter and pour in the soap.  Hey presto!  One birthday soap.

Second task:  Bath Butter was an easy choice as no heat source is required.  That said, the climate meant mixing the bath butter was a little bit of a challenge for tiny hands on this occasion.  The children get to choose their own fragrances, glitter, colours etc and we have their butters put into an already labelled container for each child to take home with them.

Task No. 3:  Soap on a Rope.  Carla had made lots of novelty soaps before the event and provided a ribbon, and some beads to each child.  The girls then chose 5 soaps from the selection available and were invited to make their own soap on a rope/ribbon.  

All the items made were then placed in a gorgeous little Chinese takeaway box for some well earned cosmetic beautifying after a hard day's work.

Thank you so much to Anna for the invitation to go to her party to make soap and to Louise, her mum, for organising it and making it such a fabulous event.

Here is some of the feedback we received from Louise:

"My daughter has just had the most marvellous Princess Pamper Birthday Party with Carla. She had thirteen friends at her party. A mixture of four and five year old girls. The girls were each seated at their own Cosmetic Creation Station. From the outset Carla made every girl, especially the birthday girl feel special. Carla ensured that the Party Princess was centre stage and involved all of her friends in making her feel like a proper Princess!! The Birthday Girl had chosen to make Body Butter and Soap on a Rope from the Cosmetic Creation Menu.

Initially Carla demonstrated soap making. Carla's beautiful, soft, Brazilian accent captivated the girls and she involved each and every girl at every stage. She chatted with the girls about penguins and how they cuddle to keep warm and give each other  love. She then themed that with the friendship between all of the girls at the birthday party. Each girl then got to place a small penguin soap within the demonstration soap mixture being created. Then each girl added a set of soap lips to the mixture, signifying kisses for their friends. The Birthday Princess completed the soap mixture by adding glitter and her wishes. The soap was then set aside to set. It was later parcelled up and each girl was able to take a soap home for a memory of their special day!! Carla also provided such treasures not only for the Birthday Princess but her extended family too!!!

It was then on to the next stage of the feminine fun!! Body Butter!! Each girl mixed her own body butter base with her choice of brightly coloured lotion as well as beautifully scented oil. There was a huge range of eye-catching coloured lotions and beautiful fragrances to choose from. Glitter was the next addition to the mix. The entire process appealed so much to the girls. Making their own choices was taken so seriously and added to the fun.  However, it does have to be said the mixing and transferring of the body butter to its presentation jar was messy, so it definitely held the most appeal!!!

The girls then got involved with their Soap on a Rope projects! I had decided that these would form their party bags which would be a treat for them to complete at home. The girls firstly chose ribbon and beads for their Soap on a Rope. Then they agonised over choosing their soaps from Carla's huge selection of brightly coloured, creatively shaped and beautifully scented soaps to complete their home projects.

Carla's professionalism, talent, organisation, kindness, care, thoughtfulness, generosity and maternal streak made the event the success it was. The experience was perfect for all the girls, as well as for the adults. It was a total delight. Based on my first hand experience, as well as girls and parents feedback, I can not recommend highly enough Carla's parties for adults and/or children!"

Valentines Workshop

Well as it rapidly approaches valentines day we were working on some themes for last nights workshop.

BIG THANK YOU to those who attended.  You were a fantastic group and the soaps looked beautiful!

Here are a few shots of what we got up to....

And if you are looking for a few more ideas of what you could give someone this valentines... Look no further!.....  Our "Femme Fatal" and "License to Thrill" Gifts could be just what you need.

And while we are at it... Were you aware that there is a national Gum Drop Day in the US on the 15th February!?  How fantastic! and we have just what you need....