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As many of you have probably noticed, we are once again out of stock of the 10L Fermenting Crocks.  If you've been following along, you know that we ran out of stock at the end of September.  However, we received a shipment in the beginning of October which included all of our new holiday items and blocks sets, as well as more 10L fermenting crocks.  We decided to open up these crocks for "presale" one week before the shipment arrived so that our customers could take advantage of our Harvest Time sale.  The response was overwhelming, and before the new shipment even arrived, we were once again sold out.

ED 11/13/13 - We are now also out of stock of the 5L crocks.  We have more 5L's coming on the same shipment and will be available at the same time as the 10L crocks.  It looks like we will have the 5 & 10 liter crocks available around November 21.  

ED 11/26/13 - The shipment has been delayed in customs.  We expect to have the crocks ready to ship the week of December 9.  Both 5 & 10 liters will be posted for presale soon.

Because we import all of our products directly from Poland, it takes us 4-6 weeks to get new products after we place an order.  We have to contact the manufacturer, they make the products and then deliver them to the the shipping company we use in Poland.  Once they arrive at the shipping company, they have to be packaged on pallets and driven to the port in Germany.  In Germany, our pallets are loaded onto a ship which will make it's way to Quebec.  Then from Quebec they are loaded on a train for Chicago.  In Detroit, the train passes through customs which can delay things depending on the review process which seems to change every time.  Once in Chicago and after we have received customs clearance, we have to go to a warehouse to pick up the shipment.  As you can see, a lot has to happen for us to get the products from the manufacturer in Poland and ready for sale. 

So far we have been able to anticipate sales and place orders so that the new shipment arrives with in days of going out of stock.  However, our harvest sale was extremely popular this year.  We placed a new order as soon as we realized we would be out of stock.  The new shipment is expected to arrive in mid-November, hopefully with enough 10 Liter crocks to fulfill all the holiday orders. 

If you're anxiously awaiting more crocks to arrive, please be prepared for them to be back in stock in November.  We may go ahead and open up a presale in the week prior to the shipment arriving, similar to our approach at the beginning of October.  If you are interested in adding your name to a waiting list to be contacted first when the crocks will be going back in stock, please email emily@stonecreektrading.com.  And of course, I am always available to answer any questions you may have!

I know being out of stock can be very frustrating for some, but it means our business is growing, which means we will be able to provide more products and services to our customers!  Be sure to sign up for our newsletter (on the bottom right of the home page) to keep up to date on all the new things we are planning. 

Thanks, Emily

The day is finally here! The first 2 DABO block sets are now available for purchase from our website!

I can't tell you how excited we have been since we first discovered this product 4 months ago.  We immediately knew we wanted to offer them for sale.  These sets are unique, beautiful and natural, our top 3 requirements when looking for a new product!  We have never seen blocks with so many pieces included and an amazing variety of shapes & sizes. It has felt like a long road from that moment of discovery until now, when we can finally offer them for sale! 

We will be offering 4 different themed DABO block sets.  Today, we have the first two available -

DABO XL Castle Wood Block Set, 220 pcs

DABO XL City Wood Block Set, 140 pcs

Be sure to check out the product pages for all the details about these amazing toys!  And stay tuned for the next two sets to be available soon!

Things have been quiet here on the blog the last few weeks, but we've been very busy behind the scenes.  We spent August researching, sourcing and deciding on new products to offer for the holiday season!  Now all those lovely new products are "swimming" their way across the ocean and should be here by the beginning of October!

We're very excited about some of our new offerings, as well as restocking some favorites that have sold out on the website.  Our popular Extra Large Cabbage Shredders will be back in stock very soon! 

We will also be restocking the Fruit Bowl, which makes an excellent hostess gift for any upcoming holiday parties.  The fruit bowl also works great for displaying Christmas tree ornaments or other decorations.

Especially for the holidays, we are adding a selection of handmade nativity sets. When I first visited Poland, I fell in love with carved wood nativity sets with natural mangers.  They are such a beautiful, unique product that I have been unable to find here in the US.  When we started talking about Christmas products, this is the first item we needed to have! 

In addition to sets which include the figures and manger, we will also be offering stand alone mangers/creche.  Many families already have a special set of nativity figurines, and these mangers will be the perfect way to complete your holiday display.

We will also be featuring another holiday favorite in my family - a nutcracker.  Growing up, I always remember my grandparents having a bowl of nuts & a nutcracker out during the holidays.  While we already offer the wood mushroom shaped nut cracker, we are expanding on this by adding a gift set which will include the nutcracker and a solid wood bowl.  This is another item that makes a great hostess gift!

Finally, we have been working behind the scenes to get everything in place to start offering the DABO block sets online.  These uniquely shaped block sets have received an enthusiastic response at our market booths.  We have been playing with these castle, farm & house block sets constantly at our house ever since we got the first sample set!  You will be amazed at the number of blocks that come in these sets for the price, from 140 up to 220 pieces. 

We will be offering both a natural wood set and dyed (colored) sets.  We have a limited number of these coming, and once they're gone, we might not be able to get anymore before Christmas.  We are the exclusive distributors of these blocks in the United States - so if you want one, order soon!  We'll be sure to announce once they are available so you can grab one while they are still in stock.

I'm sure you'll agree that at least one of these products belong on your Christmas list this year!  Look for them to start showing up on the website in October.  And as always, if you have any questions about these items please feel free to email me at emily@stonecreektrading.com!

Are you looking for more information about fermenting?  If so, the latest podcast from Cultivate Simple - Further Fermentation, provides some great information.  They also did an Intro to Lacto-Fermentation podcast that answers a lot of questions that our customers might have. 

This podcast by the bloggers behind Chiot's Run, is a wonderful resource for those who want to live a natural, simple & sustainable life.  We have been reading their blog for the past few years and have integrated many of their ideas into our lifestyle.  If you are interested in gardening, I highly suggest checking out this blog!

If you happen to listen to the Further Fermentation episode, be sure to listen carefully.  They mention Stone Creek Trading as a source for fermenting crocks and have a great offer for their listeners (and you)!  We hope you'll tune in!

We have also sent them a fermentation crock to try out.  Once they've had a chance to use it, we'll post a link of their experience with a Stone Creek Trading fermenting crock.  We're looking forward to seeing what they make!

We have another market this weekend, and we'll be back at the location of our first market!  Check us out this Saturday, August 24th from 8am - 2pm at the Chicago Nettelhorst French Market.

We had a great response in June when we last had a booth at this market, and are looking forward to another great day.  The weather looks like it should cooperate a little better for us this weekend as well,

If you're in the Chicago area and have been thinking about purchasing something from our website, the market is a great opportunity to come pick up your item and avoid paying shipping fees.  This also gives you the chance to see some of our products in person before you buy!  If you do have a specific item you have been eying, please let us know in advance so we can make sure we bring plenty of stock with us!

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