Olyvia, my 15 year old daughter, and I crumpled up our weekend chore list and opted to head to the Made In NH Expo at the Radison Hotel in Manchester. I’ve never attended this Expo and was really curious to check it out. We arrived about 10:00 Saturday morning and didn’t leave until 3:45. At one point Olyvia thought it was about 11:30 and it was almost 2. Time flew by. We had a ball being introduced to many new companies, products and meeting the creators behind them all! Today we were still talking about some of the products and we thought it would be fun to share with you what our favorites were! Many of these companies we’ll be contacting again regularly and some for gifts on special occasions. So, be sure to take notes, I think you’ll love our picks too!
Talk It Up Tees: I love this company and their products. Two neighbors whose children head off to school full time, put their heads together and come up with these super fun, creative and laughable graphic tees, hats and more! I have the Choose Happy Baseball Shirt. I love the colors, the shirt is soft and a great quality! It’s definitely one of my favorite shirts. My favorite line on the shirt is the one that says, “Be happy, it drives people crazy!” Right then and there I knew I needed this shirt! I wore it today around the house but want to make sure I wash it tomorrow to wear to my kiddos ball games! We were looking on their site last night and already know that I’ll be buying a couple of the 603 Camo American Flag hats for my son for his birthday and one for husband for Father’s Day!!!! They have shirts for all passions, whether it’s gardening or loving wine, or exploring the great 603-area. If you’re looking for something custom made, they can do that too. I asked them if they could make something for a family reunion and absolutely they can.
M/S Mount Washington: From Mother’s Day Brunches, to Scenic Foliage cruises, to Sunset Dinner Cruises, the beautiful Mount Washington Vessel has its footprint in NH. Its beginning is rich in history and has offered many happy gatherings, parties, proposals and weddings throughout the years. Growing up in NH and vacationing often in the Winnipesaukee area, we often saw the cruise ship along the lake but I didn’t have the opportunity to experience until I was a young adult. It’s a wonderful fun experience to share with friends and/or family. There are many specials they offer which every family appreciates, I know. Children 5 and under are free and they offer a family rate as well! After you’ve cruised for the first time and you’ve loved it, you may want to get the season pass to be able to enjoy the cruise several other times during the season. There are many Themed Parties through October with even more special pricing. For example the Family Night offers kids 12 and under free to cruise tickets (2 per family)! That is not seen very often at places, is it! The company must certainly have families in mind. Take a look at the other cruise themes HERE! Any of these would make great gifts too. We plan taking the family this summer before my oldest son, Brock heads to college. It will be a fun family memory with a great place to take lots of family photos!
Far Out Bubbles: It’s fun, it’s simple, it’s all about big bubbles! The demonstrations brought many adults WOW-ing at the gigantic and continual bubbles going all across the front of the building. Kids will love this and adults will too. We got one and we plan on using it for graduation day and for 4th of July….and we’re adults LOL. Can you imagine how much fun your kids will have using this. I’ve gone through a lot of bubble products over the years having as many children as we do and I can tell you this one surpasses any I ever had. Get one, heck, get two, you’re going to have fun!!!
YaYa Organics: When I even look at a photo of a tick, I squirm. I hate ticks and I’m afraid of ticks!!!!! This year is going to be awful because we never had a long enough freeze for all those nasty creatures to hibernate, so we are going to have an abundance more. We live in the country, we love to be outdoors, my kids are most often in a ball field and we have a dog too! I was quiet relieved to bump into the YaYa Organics booth to chat with them extensively about their products and their ingredients in the products. I did come home and read many reviews online and do think that this product will be able to bring my worry down to a minimum. The Tick product is also suppose to help with keeping black flies away. Tomorrow will be a good test as the black flies have been a nuisance at the ball fields.
Northwood Naturals: My arms and hands had been tested with lotions and scrubs all day and I loved so many of the scents, but a couple companies really stood out to us more than the others, Northwood Naturals was one of them. Their ingredients comes right from the most natural and pure ingredients. Their scents were my favorites, true to life scents. I couldn’t walk away without having some of their products to go home with. You can order from their site, but they are also in countless stores across New England. A few of our favorite scents: We chose the Wathermelon soap, the Blueberry and the Lilac Soap. We had a lot of favorites for the lotions; the Lilac, Almond, New England Shores and Patchouli.
Barkin’Biscuit Dog Biscuits: Of course we must have a special place to get something for our 4-legged best friend! What drew me to the Barkin’ Biscuit Booth more than other booths was their presentation of their dog treats. Truly, I could have thought I was walking into a bakery with giant size cookies and gourmet biscotti cookies. Turns out they were giant size dog bone cookies, paw print cookies and yes, doggie biscotti cookies. Their ingredients are free of by-products, preservatives, fillers and artificial flavors. We brought home a biscotti gift bag for our Samantha and she has been loving her treats!
Some other of our favorites:
Handpainted By Heather: What beautiful scarves and tops; hand painted by Heather. Every article began in white and ended in beauty! I was really in awe of the process Heather took in all her creations. She had a beautiful anchor top that would be fun to wear for the summer. Both my Gram and my mom would have loved every single scarf she had there. Truly, a masterpiece and what talent she bestows! In my opinion her website doesn’t show nearly the detail of her work that it deserves. I’d recommend getting in touch with her personally to find out what event she’ll be at next to see them up close. 603-548-1175 or [email protected]
The American Bead Collections: There were a lot, a lot, a lot of jewelry booths, this one was our absolute favorite. I think what really drew us in was her pendants, though all her beads were beautiful and I’d certainly be able to go on quite a shopping spree choosing from all her creations. The colors of the beads were rich! The pendants had possibilities of adding some birthstone colors to it’s design and you could really customize it by adding a bead to the chain. Speaking of the chains, she had several sizes to choose from and they were classy but sturdy. When my mind is still thinking about something for more than 2 days, it’s something that I really have to have!
Wick-It Cool Candles: I felt like I ran in to an old friend when I came across this booth! A couple years ago, I saw these candles at the fair and thought they were the neatest thing. I wasn’t able to find them online later on during the year, but was hoping I’d one day come across these candles again. Yay!!! I did. These candles are so cool, here’s why…As the candle burns, a massage oil will melt and form a pool of warm massage oil. (in other candles, you’d think it was melted wax) Dip your fingertips in and massage the warm oil from your fingertips to your skin. There are more scents than I can count that you can choose from and they all smell wonderful and feel wonderful on your skin!
Better Than Average: These yummy products are for everyone, but if you are or know anyone who loves MOXIE, then this site will be your best friend. Not only do they have Moxie Jelly, but they also have Moxie BBQ Sauce. They had samples of meatballs with their sauce and jelly and oh, my goodness! Let’s say we visited this booth a few times during the day! The company boasts of using products from local products from local farms. They have many flavors to spice up or add delicious flavors to your recipes. Not sure what to buy first, head to their sampler packages first and have fun finding your favorite. I can already tell you, you’ll have many favorites!
Wozz Kitchen Creations: Wozz, the creator of his line, is certainly unforgettable with that Auzzie accent. The same is true for his dessert and savory spreads-unforgetable. They were all lined up and so were the patrons waiting to try and buy! There was not one that we did not like. From Triple Ale Onion that tasted just like French Onion Soup, to the Indian Spiced Beetroot that I know a dozen of my friends would have wanted me to buy for them. The prices are marked right, the website is full of information from pairing to recipes. Seriously, doesn’t Crepes with White Chocolate Banana Bread Dessert Spread sound scrumptious! This is a site you’ll be visiting often, so you might as well bookmark it now!
And even more of our favorites that you’ll be hearing us talk more about soon are:
Spicy Mikes: Use as a topping for burgers, hotdogs, steak or even in your mac and cheese. Or use it as a dip. This sauce was yummy and comes in the mildness or hotness of your desires.
Yogibo: As my kids said “Wicked Cool! Beanbag chairs!!! Different shapes, sizes, colors and widths. These are in no way your ordinary beanbag chair. Do check them out!
Clyde’s Cupcakes: Beautiful cupcakes and more! Visit them this summer at the Hampton Beach Board Walk this year! Their chocolate is made with Lindt Chocolate, by the way!
Hampshire Toffee: Great for gifts or for me and you! Really delicious! Almond Toffee, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Toffee and Toffee Popcorn!
Camp Mix: I’m a fan of his mixes and they’re priced perfect so that you can easily buy one of each! They offer gift packs too.
Laurel Hill Farms: Fruit jams, wine jellies, tea jellies, gift sets and more. Many amazing flavors and pretty packaging!
Man in Training: These are adorable and comical t-shirts, you’ve got to check them out. The quality of the shirts are wonderul, they are sooooo soft!
Magpots Studio: Porcelain pottery pieces with painted pattern of the dragonfly, pine, evergreen or floral. Though all the pieces are beautiful, I really loved the Solar Garden Luminary pieces!
Port City Pretzels: Yum! Tasty Ranch Dill and Cinnamon and Sugar. I can easily eat one bag one day and one bag the next!
Daydream Dollhouses: Does not seem to have a website, but you must email them at [email protected] for them to send you photos of the most beautiful dollhouses. Every dollhouse is unique and can come unfurnished or fully furnished.
Grater Girl: A decorative grater that can sit anywhere in your kitchen because she made it to look like it belongs as decor. Grate anything from cheese to ginger root.
Maple Nut Kitchen LLC: All of us granola lovers, will love this granola. Gluten free and Vegan, made with real maple syrup and many flavors to choose from.
Granite State Candy Shoppe: Save the sweetest for last! Any candy you can think of, they had and some unique combined flavors that made me want more and had to buy some! From gourmet chocolates to ice cream. Head to their site or visit them in Concord!