Ruth: Soap, lotion, bath and skin-care products John: Wooden wine racks and accessories
My contribution to the eclipse, these cutting/charcuterie boards are made from local wood, finished with mineral oil and beeswax (from our own hives!) with an epoxy resin sun. These will be available from us at our show this Saturday at Alto Vineyards, and at Town Square Market in Carbondale.
It's getting close. Just a few more days until the event we've been waiting for for nearly seven years: the second total eclipse to cover Southern Illinois. It's rare for an eclipse to pass over any site, it's rarer still for an eclipse to pass over the same place twice - but to go over the same location twice within seven years? It's practically unheard of. So those of us in Southern Illinois are very happy and proud to be at the crossroads of the 21017 and the 2024 total solar eclipses.
As part of the celebration of this historic event, we will be at Alto Vineyards on Sunday, April 6 for Total Eclipse of the Art, for local artists with an eclipse theme. We will have several different eclipse soaps, and a new line of eclipse cutting/charcuterie boards, as well as all of your favorite products from Ruth & John's.
Our second eclipse is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so make the most of it this Saturday at Alto Vineyards.
If you're reading this, it means you've probably been a fan of ours for some time. I'm sure you've seen our old logo, as we've been using it for over twenty years.
It's not a bad logo, and it represents us fairly well, I think. We never really chose it as a logo, however. The first year me made soap, we decided to give it to the family as Christmas presents. I designed the above in MS Word (what else?), and we made paper bands to go around each bar. When we started selling soap and doing shows, we just adopted the image from the soap label for the business. We just kept on using it, and suddenly, over twenty years had gone by.
Ruth's daughter, Elizabeth, has a good head for business, and she gently encouraged us to look at getting a new logo. She came up with the one we use now, along with several variations. We picked the one we liked best, and, well, you can see the result below.
We like it. It's clean, eye-catching, and if you'll notice, at the top it incorporates a honey bee. We are beekeepers and use beeswax from our hives in many of our products, so it seemed apt.
We've been using the new logo since last summer, and it has been well received. But what about you? What do you think of it? Drop a line or a comment and let us know.
We're starting off the new season of shows with the Maple Syrup Festival at SIU's Touch of Nature. This popular event features lots of demonstrations, vendors, and a pancake breakfast. Admission and parking are free, there is a charge for the breakfast.
We've got a number of new items to show you, including eclipse soaps, cheese slicing boards, and herb strippers. So come on out and join us for a good time in the woods.
We’ve got several shows coming up between now and the end of the year.
Nov. 11-12 – AutumnFest, John A. Logan College, Carterville, IL
Nov. 18-19 - Arts and Crafts Extravaganza, Show-Me Center, Cape Girardeau, MO
Nov. 25 - Holiday Vendors in the Vines, Alto Vineyards, Alto Pass, IL
Nov. 30 - Dec. 2 - Holiday Craft Sale, SIU Student Center, Carbondale, IL
Dec. 9 - Christkindl Market, Big Muddy Brewing, Murphysboro, IL
It’s a pretty busy schedule, but we truly enjoy getting out and meeting people, so come see us at one or all of these shows. We’ll be looking for you!
We've added a couple of additional events to our calendar.
Holiday Vendors in the Vines will be at Alto Vineyards on Saturday, November 25 from 12:00-5:00. It's always great to join the good people at Alto Vineyards, the oldest winery on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. We're looking forward to another wonderful event with them. This will be a chance for you to avoid the big box stores, have a glass of wine, and peruse the artisans who will be there that day.
Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available. We look forward to seeing you.
We received our application for AutumnFest at John A. Logan College today, and I'm happy to say that it will be back on the Logan campus this year. After two years at the old Marion Mall it will be returning to its original location. We are delighted to hear this, and we hope that you are, too. This will be Saturday and Sunday, November 11-12. We hope to see you there!
.jpg)