One of a Kind Show!

Honey Pie Soaps

My sister and I have attended the One of a Kind Show and Sale at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto almost every year for the past few years. We skipped one year because we thought it was too expensive but then found ourselves missing it. We've attended both Spring and Christmas shows and have found the Christmas show to be the best and so only attend at that time.

We have bought a few items over the years: hats from Volang, leather purses, glass jewellery, chocolates/toffees, pepper sauce and jam, and soaps. I even bought some art one year! Most items tend to be expensive (my sister passed on a $59 felted hat by Julie Sinden because she couldn't justify the cost. I think she's still considering though...), and the "Sale" part of the show's title is debatable, but at $7 for an early bird ticket, it's just a fun girls day out.

My favorite purchase this year has been the soap we bought from Honey Pie, a natural product line from the Prince Edward County area. We buy from them consistently at the show and found out this year that they are at the Wychwood Barns and Evergreen Brickworks Farmers Markets every Saturday year round. We picked up 4 soaps for $20 - handmade, chemical free, and filled with nourishing oils (like jojoba and olive oil), essential oils, and herbs. For the first time we purchased the shampoo soap and I just love it! It lathers like you wouldn't believe. Bay, the proprietress, told me that the castor oil makes it lather while the jojoba oil (I think) makes it rinse out. Either way, my hair feels moisturized and clean and I'm quite happy with my purchase. I'll have to check out the markets soon.

Bath salts my friend made me

I love walking around the venue and seeing what people have created. I especially like the natural beauty products and the crafty clothing and accessories.I find the show inspiring. It makes me want to make my own products. I make my own deodorant from baking soda and cornstarch and use almond oil as a natural moisturizer. A friend of mine has been telling me how easy it is to make your own bath salts and body scrubs. When we were at the show, I looked closely at some bath salts and scrubs and felt good knowing that that I knew how to make these products myself. I made note of some of the essential oil blends that I thought smelled nice so I could potentially use them myself. I plan to make some soon as Christmas gifts. Just need to get the jars...

You Grow Girl by Gayla Trail

Gayla Trail's You Grown Girl inspires me to attempt making natural beauty products from herbs in my garden. I planted calendula flowers this year for the sole purpose of attempting her healing hand salve recipe, but alas because I'm a novice gardener (either that or essentially a really bad one), the weeds overtook my garden and none of the flowers grew. Nevertheless, I'm still inspired by her crafty activities and hope to attempt some next gardening season. Her Grow Great Grub is just as inspiring. The crafty ideas I liked were edible and easy: herb or flower-infused vinegars, herbal salts or sugars, herbal iced teas... I did grow borage in my community garden this year and put the flowers in ice cube trays filled with water, froze them, and used the ice over the summer. A simple pretty way to add some style to the everyday.