Beach and the Gardens - Two Great Events Coming Up

Those Dog Days may be bringing on the heat, but we're having a cool time at all the fairs and festivals. Next up - the beach:

 The following weekend - the garden:

Crafts and Arts by The Sea in Ocean Grove

Oh you wacky New Jersey weather. You try to keep us from our weekend fun - but you will not succeed. Especially this Saturday! Join us at the Ocean Grove Giant Craft Fair! Artists and crafters from across the state will be there. You can shop for gifts, treasures, or a little something for yourself. And doing so you'll be helping small businesses run by people like your friends, relatives and neighbors.

Stop by and visit Celtic Chairde Creations along the central path on the ocean side. We'll have some new products you'll just love.
 

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Revenge of the Sock Monster

We all have them. Those lonely singles that frustrate us no end. Where did the other one go? It was probably eaten by that most insidious of all beasts - the sock monster.

I have a bag of single socks, collected in hopes of a mate turning up eventually. Or they are there because I've forgotten I've recycled the mate because it had holes or was torn. But there is something that keeps me from throwing those single socks out. Which is good, because there are so many things we can do with them.

• Use that single sock for a rag is an obvious one. Make a nice little dusting or polishing mitt.
• Make a cat toy. Stuff the toe of a small sock with catnip. Tie a tight knot or two above the herbs. Cut the top part into strips and toss it to your cat. They'll love you for it.
• I remember making lots of sock puppets when I was little. Sometimes I didn't wait for a mismatched pair, much to my mothers chagrin. All you need are buttons, ribbon, felt, glue and some imagination.
• Cut socks into strips and use as garden plant ties. I like to leave long ends to be tossed about in the breeze to help deter critters and birds. That doesn't always work but it looks pretty.
• Use them to cover bottles and jars. Bottles of oil or syrup can leave sticky rings. Slip a sock over the bottom of the bottle to catch drips. Replace with another sock when it gets messy and just wash the old one!
• You can also use it as a glass or bottle cozy.
• Fill with rice or flax seed. Sew the end closed and you have a wrist wrest.
• And my absolute favorite. Make sachets. Fill old socks with your favorite scents. This time of year I have lots of pine needles so I fill one with crushed or cut pine needles. Tie off or so the end and put in drawers or linen closets. I like to tuck them in to sofa corners so it smells nice when you sit down. You can use lavender, lemon verbena or dried lemon peel, rosemary, rose petals or any combination that makes you happy. You can also toss these in to the dryer to add some extra scent.

Reef loves his Catnip Sock

So have a snack every now and then, old sock monster. I'm ready for you.

What do you use old socks for?

Rain or Shine - there will be Wine!

Let the Memorial Day festivities begin as we unofficially start summer! 

Join us this weekend at

The Garden State Wine Growers

Wine & Blues Festival

Natirar Park, Peapack-Gladstone, Somerset NJ

Saturday & Sunday, May 26  & 27, 11:30 to 5

Rain date Monday May 28

$25 admission includes wine glass and all the wine sampling you'd like.  Under 21 is free.

Free if you are not sampling wines. Cash only if purchasing tickets at the admission tent.

Come on out and enjoy fabulous music in the amazing Natirar Park. 

Kick back with some wine from one of the 25 New Jersey vineyards present, grab something to eat, do a little shopping at the fine vendors 

(like Celtic Chairde Creations!).

 It's a great way to kick off summer with out stressing.

Mention this blog post while shopping at our booth, and receive a free lip balm!

Where do you find the best treasures? In Granny's Attic!!

It's a holiday tradition that sets the mood for the season. Join us this Saturday at

The 31st Annual Granny's Attic 

Saturday, November 19, 2011 

9 am to 4 pm 

Thompson Middle School 

1001 Middletown Lincroft Road, Middletown 

100's of crafts fill the halls, rooms, gym and just about ever nook and cranny of this wonderful event. Bring your holiday shopping list with you. You'll probably be able to finish it all off in about 1 day!

This is a juried craft show, presenting the finest in hand crafted arts and crafts. We're proud and excited to be a part of this event again this year.

You can find Celtic Chairde Creations in room 135. Say the secret word, and we'll give you a holiday gift! Almost inviso text follows: The secret word is Slainte (pronounced slan -cha).

Come by and rummage through Granny's Attic. You'll be thrilled with the treasures you find there.

Getting a Little Jolly

The Halloween pumpkins are buy being roasted. There's a definite nip in the air. It's already November!? Must be time for 

27th Annual Jolly Mouse Craft Fair 

10 am to 4 pm 

Lloyd Road School, Aberdeen 

All proceeds from this Holiday kick off event benefit the H.A.M. (Hazlet, Aberdeen, Matawan, Therapeutic Recreation Program). 

There will be over 106 crafters both inside and outside the school. We'll be in the gym with our full array of skin care products: lotion bars, body butters, lip balms, Mela Taes, Dream Mists, toners and a grand assortment of other goodies to get you in the spirit of the season. 

 

Celebrating Summer at The HIstoric Village of Allaires Summer Craft Market

This has been a summer stop for many years now, because it's one of our favorite places to be on a lovely summer day. Join us at:

Annual Summer Crafter's' Market
Saturday July 9 - Rain Date July 16) 10AM - 4PM
Admission Free • State Park Parking Fee $5.00

Over 100 crafter's will be lining the paths of this restored 1830s iron-manufacturing community. You can shop for unique artisan creations, enjoy some fresh baked goods, and learn about the history of the Village and about life in the 1830's. I always love visiting the blacksmith shop.

Celtic Chairde Creations will be there - right by the bakery. We'll even have some special treats in celebration of July is Blueberry Month.


For a limited time only we have some luscious blueberry treats...

• Blueberry Blossom Ceo Brionglóid (Dream Mists) with a subtly sweet and floral fragrance.
• Sweet Blues Whipped Sugar Scrub smells so good you could eat it, but don't! It's a lightly exfoliating scrub that's great for your skin - featuring Blueberry Seed Oil.
• Sweet Blues Lip Balm flavored with blueberry and honey and is oh so yummy.

Right now, these treasures are only available at events we're attending and while supplies last.

Beat the beach rush and head to Allaire this weekend. History, shopping and the great outdoors - sounds like a great summer day!

Time for the Brick High School Marching Dragon Caravan Holiday Craft Fair

The holiday shopping kicks into high gear! We're busy getting all kinds of goodies ready for one of our last craft fairs of the season.

Marching Dragon's Caravan Winter Craft Fair
Saturday December 11, 9 am to 4 pm,
Brick Township High School
346 Chambers Bridge Road, Brick, NJ

This is always a terrific craft fair. Over 100 crafters fill the halls, gym and cafeteria. Music from the Marching Dragons fills the air with holiday spirit. Crafters are carefully selected and only hand made items are allowed.

We'll be there with our lotion bars, dreamy dream mists and all of our skin soothing products. We may even get in a little holiday shopping ourselves.

Shopping for holiday gifts at craft fairs is magical. You'll find unique and interesting items, many with stories and history behind them. You'll meet the people that created these gifts. It adds a little joy and extra twinkle to the holidays.

See you there!

Get into the holiday spirit by rummaging through Granny's Attic

It's time to get your jolly on at the

30th Anniversary Granny's Attic
Saturday, November 20 9 am to 4 pm
Always the Saturday before Thanksgiving
Thompson Middle School
1001 Middletown-Lincroft Road
Middletown, NJ

This is probably one of the best craft fairs we have ever been to - let alone worked at! We're very excited to be a part of this enormously successful and popular holiday tradition. We'll be in the same space as last year - 135D, which is in a classroom off of the court yard.

It will be like a treasure hunt - come and find us!

Vendors come from all over the tri-state area and only the best are selected for a spot at Granny's Attic. People come from hours away to get that one-of-a-kind item that can't be found at any retail shop. This year, they are bringing back the tradition that started it all by having a few antique vendors selling their original and treasured items.

It you can't come and shop at Granny's Attic, we still have two other events coming up this season. Check here or on our website. And you can always order online! Look for special gift baskets coming soon!

The Holly Jolly Holiday Season kicks off Saturday with the Jolly Mouse Craft Fair

I'm sure you're thinking the same thing - how did the holiday's get here so quickly!? Yet here it is, that time of year when the air continues to get crisper and cooler, the days get shorter, and plans begin for holiday get togethers and gift giving.

To get you in the spirit, stop by
The 26th Annual Jolly Mouse Craft Show
Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010, 10 am to 4 pm
Lloyd Road School, Aberdeen
All proceeds benefit the H.A.M. (Hazlet, Aberdeen, Matawan, Therapeutic Recreation Program)


This is a great fair with a very friendly atmosphere. The coordinating group works hard to assure that all of the products presented are handmade. So you know you'll be getting some unique gifts for your friends, family - and of course yourself.

Our booth is located in the gym. We'll have our full line of skin care products and more - and maybe even a few surprises! If you can't make this holiday craft fair for some reason, just check out our upcoming schedule to the right - or you can stop by our WEBSITE to place your order.

More on that later!

This Saturday Join Us At the Allaire Annual Fall Crafters Market

Annual Fall Crafter's' Market
Saturday Sept. 25 (Rain Date Oct.2)
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
$2/Adult Under 12/Free
Historic Village of Allaire
Farmingdale, New Jersey

There is nothing as lovely as Autumn in Allaire Village. We'll be returning there for the Annual Fall Crafters Market. This is the largest of the craft fairs in this wonderful location.

Over 100 crafters will gather to bring in the fall season with unique crafts like hand thrown pottery, beautifully designed jewelry, home decor and more. We'll be on the main path across from the General Store, with all our goodies and maybe a few surprises.

Stop by and say hello! Mention this blog post and receive a thank you gift.

Welcome Autumn with us at Allaire!

It's almost here - The 29th Annual Granny's Attic craft fair!

Celtic Chairde Creations is delighted to be a part of
the 29th Annual Granny's Attic Craft Fair
Saturday, November 21, 2009
9 AM to 4 PM
Thompson Middle School, Middletown, NJ

We have heard about this event for a number of years, but have never participated. We've very excited to be a part of this enormously successful and popular holiday tradition. We'll be in space 135D, which is in a classroom off of the court yard. It will be like a treasure hunt - come and find us!

There are over 100 vendors presenting their hand crafted items for you to peruse - including, of course, Celtic Chairde Creations. From what we understand, there are also many shoppers, so the atmosphere is festive and fun. Just the right thing to kick off the holidays.

The Passing of the Tree

This time of year always brings a touch of sadness. And it's not just about figuring out how to pay for all those holiday gifts. As I drive by the houses, it saddens me to see all those harbingers of holiday happiness along the curb waiting for the recycling truck or worse yet - the garbage truck, barely any life left in them.

But sooner or later, the Christmas tree has to go. I keep mine up as long as possible, sometimes too long for my husbands liking. But to me, the tree is such an inviting bright spot in the dreary winter that I'll fight to keep it going as long as I can.

When the time eventually comes and I just can't justify keep it any longer, I like to try to find some way to keep the spirit of the tree around. I think of it as Holiday recycling.

One thing I like to do is strip down the needles from the branches until I have a good size bowl full. Then I'll take those lone socks that the sock monster has left in my dryer and stuff them with the needles. Stitch the end closed and you have a wonderful pine sachet to put in drawers or tuck in corners to add a refreshing whiff of pine when needed.

One of our favorites is to take the tree outside and attach crossed wood pieces so it will still stand. Then we decorate it again - but this time we use strung pieces of fruit or cranberries, dried suet balls, nuts and other bird tasty treats. For at least another month it provides nourishment for a grand assortment of birds, a few squirrels, and our cats who watch from the window.

Whether we make the bird feeder tree or not, we always cut up some of the branches and the trunk and add it to our wood pile. In the summer, we have some nicely dried pine to add to our fire ring. It's a very old tradition to keep the yule log for fires throughout the year, and it's just our way celebrating the old ways.

How do you recycle your holiday tree or wreaths? I'd love to hear from you.

Join us at the Wonderful Sea Girt Holiday Craftmarket!

This weekend we run full on into the holiday season. One November 22 & 23rd, you can find Celtic Chairde Creations at the Sea Girt Holiday Craftmarket. Although relatively small, there are over 50 crafters presenting unique hand made items suitable for any holiday shopping list.

The event is held at the Sea Girt School on Route 71 and Bell Place in Sea Girt. One of my favorite parts of this show is the cafe. Eighth graders serve as waiters for some of the finest craft show food I've ever had.

We hope you'll come by and visit. There are only 4 more events that Celtic Chairde will be participating in before the Christmas. So stop by and select the perfect gifts for teachers, co-workers, family and friends.

Kicking off the Holiday Season at the St. Peter's 31st Annual Craft Fair

It's so hard to believe that we've rolled around to another Holiday Season! Yet here we are, busily preparing products for our flurry of holiday fairs.

One of our favorites is the St. Peter's School Annual Craftmarket. This year the event is November 7 & 8, this Friday and Saturday. There are always so many interesting crafts and gifts. It's one of our favorite craft fairs of the season. Friends and family start the holiday shopping and enjoy a good time.

We hope to see you there this weekend!

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Tis the Season for Holiday Craft Fairs - Support your Local Crafters & Artists

The Autumn Art and Craft Fair season is winding down. Soon the outdoor events will heed to the chill in the air and move indoors. The hectic, fun and exhilarating Holiday Craft Fair Season is about to commence.

Cindy and I love going to craft fairs and festivals. Not just to sell the terrific products we make, but also to see what other artists and crafters have been creating. It a wonderful way to get to meet the creators of your purchase and find out the history of the item. Even before we started Celtic Chairde Creations, we enjoyed spending a few hours (or a whole day!) going through a fair finding unique gifts for friends and family - or ourselves.

Jane Sandlar from Ducky Life Teas is one of the folks we've been blessed to meet at our fair outings. In fact, we now use some of her marvelous teas in some of our jams and jellies (we love to drink them, too!) Her newsletter from September says it best:

"Craft shows started out as huge outdoor events held mostly in rural towns and usually in the summertime. They provided an outlet for local craftspeople to display and sell their creations. When shows moved indoors (in the early 1970s) and tapped into the holiday gift market by continuing into the fall, their popularity grew tremendously, propelling the crafts industry to new levels of recognition and potential profitability.

For some artists and craftspeople, creating and selling their personally crafted products is a hobby. For many though, it is their main source of income. Shows, fairs and festivals, with their low overhead and growing appeal, remain the ideal marketplace for artists and crafters to sell their unique creations directly to the public.

Art & craft shows, fairs and festivals run the gamut from free, local events held in churches or schools and featuring traditional country crafts and very affordable homemade gifts to large, regional, juried events that charge admission and feature higher end jewelry, art, handcrafted furniture, and pottery.

If you prefer green, sustainable products and locally created and individually crafted goods, these shows are the places to find them. Prices, even the higher ones, are reasonable. For your dollar(s), you get art and crafts made with real materials and personal workmanship.

If you still need convincing to support the people who display their wares at shows fairs and festivals, there's the sense of community you'll feel. You get to actually meet and interact with the person who crafted your necklace, wove your basket or used their hands to form your pottery. And how much more special can a purchase be than when it helps artisans continue to pursue the work they truly love?"

What more can I add, other than I hope to see you at one of our upcoming craft fairs and we can get to know each other!