Archive for February, 2009

I knew it had been a while since I posted here, but I did not realize it had been this long.

I have been really busy lately.  Let me fill you in.

For the longest time, I have wanted to start a business selling homemade bath and body products.  I need to sustain my hobby somehow!  And I would love to be able to contribute to our family income, at least enough money to make my student loan payments.

Well, I tried a while back to get it going.  I even listed a few items on Etsy, but it wasn’t the right time.

Lately, I have been thinking it is the right time, so I have been using every spare moment to research, research, research.

And I decided to give it a go!

My first big challenge was to find insurance that I could afford.  I found RLI Corp, which offers product liability insurance for home-based businesses with under $5,000 in sales.  I got a quote and found out that I could afford it.

Next, I needed to find a venue.  I discovered Art Fire, where I will be setting up shop.  They had an offer for a great monthly rate.  Plus, I fully support their mission to make getting started affordable by offering a free membership level.

I spent the past few days researching and planning my product lines.  And I just placed an order for my supplies to get my products ready for my big launch.  I have not set the date yet, but I will need at least a month to get the products ready, as cold process soap takes 4 weeks to cure.

Maybe the shop will be ready for my birthday in April.  Happy birthday, to me!

Once my online shop launches, I will also be looking for local venues.

This is so exciting.  I can’t believe that I am finally going for it.  I really think this is the right time and I am doing it right this time, with a researched plan and insurance to cover my legal liability.

I can’t wait for my supplies to arrive!

I will be sure to pass along the details about the big launch, including a fun giveaway I have planned.

Little drops of pee
splattered on the bathroom floor.
Someday I’ll miss them.

I think this will be my last Valentine’s post, but it’s a good one.  Good tasting, at least.

I made the Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Hearts from Martha Stewart and I have to say, I made them a little bit better.  Now, it was her amazingly delicious recipe that made these so wonderful tasting, but I think my special touch made a big difference in the presentation.

I hate to brag, but this is a big deal for me.  I never thought I would get my own creativity to a point where I was improving on Martha’s ideas.

Okay, enough about me and my big ego.  Here are the cookies.  Shortbread Hearts, dipped in melted chocolate and drizzled with pink Wilton candy melts.  (Sorry for the poor lighting.)

Some of the mini cookies I totally submerged in the chocolate.  Mmm.

Here is one displayed in a mini cupcake paper.

You still have time to make these.  But, hurry!  The dough needs to chill for 2 hours before rolling out.

Or you can always wait and make chocolate-dipped shamrocks, drizzled with green candy melts.

I don’t write about politics on this blog very often, if at all.  For one thing, I already have an established political blog.  But mostly, it’s because crafting, cooking, etc. is an escape from politics for me and I hate to read about politics on my favorite non-political blogs.  Like the endless Obama crafts on WhipUp.net made me want to scream!

We are all friends here, even if you are a liberal and I am a conservative.

I did want to mention a post I read this morning on The Anchoress, which, if you are conservative, is a must read blog.  The post itself leans pretty political, but the message is universal.

Let’s face it, no matter what your political leanings are, these are uncertain times.  They are a little more uncertain if massive government spending programs and expansions of government power totally freak you out, but still, we are all feeling the pressure of the tumultuous economy.

The Anchoress reminds us that peace comes through trust in God and that giving more during hard times is an exercise in trust.

I know this will strike some as an odd post – it is a little odd – a strange thing to hear someone say, “yes, times are scary, so go make a donation, somewhere.” But despair is not the way of faith. Trust is. And trust does foolish things like donating to charities while worrying about one’s own job.

When you are feeling afraid, an action denoting trust always makes you feel less fearful and more powerful, whether it is praying for another or writing a check for $20.00 that you suspect you may need, yourself, down the road. It is an action that helps one get in touch with the wider world, and with feelings of selflessness, engagement and wisdom. It’s like shoring up for hard times – filling the corn cribs, so to speak – for the famine on the horizon.

You might want to read the whole thing.  She also has the names of some lesser-known charities that could use your help.

I spent the morning making the cutest tea wallet.  Now when I go somewhere that does not have good tea, I will have my own!  I wish I had this last week when I spent the day at a symposium on the Vermont economy.  They only had herbal, green, and Salada.  (Yes, I am a tea snob.  But I do drink Lipton, so I am not as bad as I used to be.)

I found the instructions for the tea wallet via whip up.

I made mine using an old denim skirt and an old pair of cotton pajama pants.  Both were rarely worn, so the material is still stiff and the colors still vibrant.

Since I used denim, I did not need the interfacing.

Here are the fabric pieces ironed and ready to be sewn, pocket pieces folded.

I embroidered a flower on the outside piece of denim, before assembly.

The pajama pants even had a draw string that I was able to use for the closure, so everything matched.

Here is the inside.

That is a bag of Twinings Darjeeling, my favorite bagged tea.

Thanks so much to Christy’s Creations for that wonderful tutorial.

Today, I made these easy Valentine’s Day soaps using the same method as the Snowflake Soap Tutorial I posted in November.

I used pink mica and a light rose fragrance.  Since I made the first layer white, I was able to throw the cut-outs in with the other soap to melt for the pink layer.  No waste.  Not that I have a hard time finding a use for cute soap cut-outs.

What are you waiting for? Go make some!

This is the final post of my seven day Valentine’s blog-a-thon.  I will probably have a couple stray Valentine’s Day posts from stuff I make for my family this week, but this is the last post in the series.

If you are just joining me, here is a recap:

Valentine’s Day Fudge

Valentine Soap, Fizzies, and Treats

Stuffed Felt Valentines (kid friendly)

Crochet (or Knit) a Valentine

Valentine’s Projects from the Web

Today’s project: Valentine’s Day Soaps

For this project, you will need:

- Wilton six cavity silicone heart pan
- 15 oz. clear melt and pour soap base
- fragrance oil of your choice
- liquid soap colorant and mica in coordinating colors
- two heat-safe glass measuring cups
- spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol
- spoons and other utensils

Choose two valentine-y colors to make your soap.  I used red liquid color and rose pearl mica in the soaps above.  I will also show you at the end a soap I made with a blackish-bluish color and pink mica, so you can see the contrast better.

Also choose your fragrance.  It does not have to be a fragrance the goes with your theme, it can be the recipient’s favorite fragrance.  Allow yourself the freedom to think outside the box.  I made mine with lemon essential oil. My son D could not get over how weird it was for a red heart soap to smell like lemons, but I thought it was appropriate to scent the soap with a fragrance that my mom loves so I can give the soap to her.

I made six 2.5 oz soaps, for a total of 15 oz of base.  That does not fill each cup to the top.

Cut up the soap into chunks for melting.  Divide the soap into two measuring cups, 10 oz in one and 5 oz in the other.  Melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals until fully melted.

Scent each cup of soap and add the liquid color to the 10 oz and the mica to the 5 oz.  You want the mica to really show up, so be generous.  You can dissolve the mica in the fragrance oil before adding it to the soap, to avoid that pesky clumping.

Now, there are two ways to pour the soap.  You can pour the mica-colored soap first, then the liquid-colored.  This will cause a layered look, with cracks or breaks in the mica layer.  Or you can pour the liquid-colored soap first, then pour the mica soap.  This causes a cloud of the mica-colored soap in the center of the liquid color.  Or, you can do three of each kind, which is what I did.

What ever the method you use, pour your first layer.  (Remember: the liquid-colored soap layer will be twice the size of the mica layer.)  Spritz with alcohol and let set for a minute or so.  You want to it start to form a skin on top just barely, but not really.

Spritz with alcohol quickly.  Then, carefully pour the next layer in the center.  The effects are caused by the fact that the mica-colored soap is more dense.  If you are pouring the mica second, it should stay in the center and form a cloud.  If you are pouring the liquid layer second, it will form a second layer on top of the mica, but there will be areas where it disturbs the mica layer, causing crack-like effect.  Spray with alcohol to remove bubbles and let cool and harden completely.

This is an example of the liquid-colored soap poured first.  You can see the mica cloud in the center.  (Kind of.)

When hardened, pull away the edges, turn the pan over, and gently push on the bottom of each cavity to release the soap.  Voila!

The soap on the left is liquid, then mica.  The soap on the right is mica, then liquid.

Here is a color scheme that shows the effects better.

Clockwise from the top left, mica-then-liquid, mica-then-liquid, liquid-then-mica.

You can see on the top left that there is a thin pink layer, with a black layer on the bottom, but the black layer breaks through in the center.  The one next to it is similar, but the crack is only in the top corner.  The bottom soap is black, with a pink cloud in the center.

I hope these instructions are clear.  This was a super-easy project with a cool effect, but it was hard to explain.  Basically, it is not an exact science, so just have fun with it.  It will look neat however it comes out.  But, if there is anything I can clarify, please ask!

I finally finished making and taking pictures of my Valentine’s soap for a tutorial.  It will be up sometime later today.

In the meantime, here are some Valentine projects from the real experts.

Family Fun magazine has loads and loads of great Valentine’s projects to do with your kids.

Michaels the craft store has some cute ideas on their website.  We went there yesterday and bought a Foamies Valentine kit to do, which was on sale this week.

Don’t forget about Martha Stewart’s online Valentine’s Day workshop.  The ideas over there are amazing – of course; it’s Martha!

Check out Martha’s Valentine’s Day projects for kids.  My favorite is the Crayon Hearts.  Aren’t they something?

Now that you have all of your crafts, you need some food!  Check out Food Network’s Valentine’s Day recipes.

The links above for Marths Stewart and Family Fun have recipes, too.

Lion Brand Yarn has some adorable Valentine’s Day patterns.  You have to register for a free account to see the free patterns, but it is well worth it.  There are a bunch, but these are my favorite.

And for the stitching impared, there is also instructions for a String Art Valentine’s Wreath that uses yarn and glue.  This would make a great project for the kids.

This morning Big E (age 10) and Little E (age 5) made stuffed felt valentines.

First, we made the felt hearts.  You can make a template out of construction paper, which I did, or you can ask Google for one.  Make sure it is large enough to sew together and stuff.

Trace the heart onto the felt and carefully cut it out.  You will need two felt hearts.  We used red and white.  When they are both cut out, line them up and trim any excess, so they are the same exact size (or so).  Big kids can do this step, but little ones might need help.

Next, have the kids decorate the hearts.  Little E drew the word “love” on his with marker.  Big E embroidered the word in red floss on the white heart.  (By himself!)

Then, it is time to sew the hearts together, leaving a space to stuff.  For Little E, I made holes around his hearts and he used a plastic yarn needle and embroidery floss (the full 6 strands) to sew his together.  He had a blast and was so proud of his sewing.  (Or is the sew proud?)  I used a hold punch to make the holes, but it broke (not because of the felt; it was just old), so I made the rest of the holes with a seam ripper, using the yarn needle to make the hold bigger before I gave it to Little E to sew.

Here are the finished projects.  The boys did not want to show their faces in the final pictures, even though that would have been cute.

Little E’s valentine:

Big E’s Valentine: