Fairie Frenzy!

After Wendy came to pick up her fairy necklace, I was inspired to make some more since there are Herb Faires and Fairy Festivals coming up, along with the fact that I've been meaning to add a Fantasy page to my site and never seem to have enough pieces to actually put anything up there!

I put them all together - a gaggle of fairies(!) - and took a shot. I just love all their colors together. Had a bit of fun with Photoshop so the clay that holds them upright isn't so noticeable, but now they look like they are floating in the mist.

I could almost name these by seasons, but first, we have the Amber Fairy (could be autumn). She appears to be wearing and holding a garland of purple puff asters and the green on her is a darker, more mature vine.

The Forget-me-Not Fairy has a head wreath of spring green intertwined with blue Forget-me-nots. I think they may have been our mother's favorite flower, but their habit of "walking away was always frustrating to her.

I remember being very small and watching her writing letters to our father. She would make her own stationery and draw little Forget-me-not vines along the margin and color them in with green and blue...

The Orchid Fairy is named for the color of her dress, various hues of purples. The skirt is an opalescent, pale purple and the darker sashes suggest a gentle breeze wafting past. I must be dreaming of balmier days!

The Pink Fairy was the last one I made the other night and I am so pleased with her. The colors are so vibrant and I'm glad I gave her a little darker hair color to balance the deep pink. Her garlands came out especially delicate and the pale flowers add just the right touch, don't you think?

I can't decide whether to work these up into necklaces yet, or to make them into pendants or just let them alone for now (which will probably be what I decide to do since I seem to be in "torching mode"!

Probably I'll just make some more...

A Special Vessel

Way back when I took the class with Kate Fowle, one of the main reasons I took it was to learn about electroforming. I wanted to put metal handles on some of the vessels I make.

Unfortunately, the subject was skimmed and I didn't feel I had really learned much about it.

When Tink Martin decided to put kits together and sell them, I jumped at the opportunity to buy everything in one place.

The electroforming kit sat and gathered dust while I got up the nerve to try working with it.

I made this vessel some time ago. It didn't have handles and I thought about wiring it sometime in the future.

A couple of days ago, you saw the results of my first couple of tries. They were okay but this was really what I was thinking about all along.

I read some more on an online forum and looked at all the examples and decided to try something different with this vessel.

The handle is formed from stiff twine. I wrapped it around the vessel and superglued it all together. I knotted the ends and then coated it all with the special paint. It was in the bath for a few hours, but apparently not long enough. The copper coating wasn't think enough. The knot cracked. So, I painted over some of the thin spots and put it in again.

The first picture shows how it all turned out. The picture is a bit out of focus, but the feel of the piece actually comes out in that one. You can see the loop a little better in the second picture.

This is the "Galaxy" glass that I love. The first batch I got was a lot "truer" - this is it. Later, I tried ordering more, from a different source, but it, unfortunately, has a yellowish cast to it. I save the original stuff for really special things!

The copper came out of the bath bright and shiny, but I put a green patina on it so that it blends in a bit more with the vessel - picks up the blue green color. This is more evident in person.

Anyhow, I'm just glad that this piece is finally finished. Well, unless I decide to "antique" the cork somehow!

I'm not sure how much of this I will be doing since, for some reason, I get a funny taste in my mouth and and my lips feel funny whenever the rectifier is running, but if I get to the bottom of THAT, I'll definitely be doing more.

Love Stinks!

This "Farm Show Hangover" is something else. Tina is finally functioning and I got the full force for the past two days. Had I not been snuffling, snorting and sleeping most of the time, I might have made it to the Sizzlers meeting on Saturday. We didn't manage to get Molly on her birthday shopping expedition either (which was the original plan for the weekend).

Now that I am finally feeling somewhat human again, as promised, I will post what would have been my entry in the "Love Stinks" challenge.

"Love Stinks" immediately brings to mind Pepe Le Peu from my childhood cartoon backround, so... I decided to try my hand at a little heart hugging skunk.

After I checked out a number of skunk pictures I could find online, I drew him out on paper and reduced him to cylinders and circles.

I knew I'd love the contrast of the red heart against the black and white - and I do.

Actually figuring out the markings was a good idea because I always thought they had just one stripe running up their backs so at least he is "correct".

I'd like to try another one, possibly bigger. His left eye, which you really can't see is smeared into a frightening wink. Why I can't get two eyes to match is beyond me. I think maybe I get excited because it is going so well and just have to screw it up when I get to the second eye.

Looking at this picture, I see his shadow - and so close to Groundhog day too! Wonder what that means....

I'd love to see what everyone else did for this challenge and hear about the meeting.

Maybe someone will fill me in later... hint, hint!

Electroform, Baby!

I've had this equipment since late last spring and just never got it out of the box to get started playing with it. I guess I wasn't in my "mad scientist" mode, plus something else just seemed to keep getting in the way.

Finally tried it out yesterday and was amazed at how easy it was to operate. I know I haven't gotten the ins and outs and finer points under control yet, but, wow! What fun. A whole new dimension added to lampworking/jewelry making.

The item to the left is the "rectifier". It's probably the most important (and expensive) part of the set up. This where the current comes from and is adjusted to start the flow of electrons through the solution.

On the right is the electroforming bath. This is where the "anodes" and "cathodes" are set up and, more simply, the item to be electroformed is hung in between two copper pieces.

The rectifier and the electroforming bath are connected, the rectifier turned on and VOILA! The copper atoms flow from the copper sheets and are deposited on the item which has been coated in places with a special paint that attracts them.

I am posting pictures of the first two things I attempted. They are both pretty bad, probably because I was impatient applying the paint and also because I may not have left them in long enough to get a heavy enough coating.

The first things I tried were large holed beads. I knew this shape would be somewhat easy since the copper will actually peel off the surface, so it must be applied to certain shapes.

The turquoise bead to the left is pretty bad! I like the bead well enough, but... First I etched the inside so the paint would stick better. Then I started painting. Did the inside and got carried away because I felt it should come up the sides of the bead. When I wound up with little triangles coming up the sides, I decided they should be connected. The little points where I connected them were too thin and some of them didn't hold through the process. I did nothing to this one to finish it off - it looks more like a shiny bottle cap than anything else at this point!

The second try was a bit more successful. A stuck tiny microbeads to the paint and then painted over them. I didn't feel the need to connect the bands and I like the result a lot better.

This one has been patinated with Liver of Sulfur and then I hit it with the buffer/grinder. It will hang on a chain, but it is pretty rough inside and tends to catch on things. Something to think about there....

The process certainly shows promise and I have seen lots of examples of wonderful things done this way.

I have a vessel in there right now that I'll show tomorrow. I made it some time ago, but never added handles. I thought I would wire it, but now I'm trying something else. I added a twine loop and painted it with the special paint.

Can't wait to see how it turns out!

More beads...

So, I didn't get anything new done yesterday but, I did get some of the old ones cleaned up.

This Ocean swirl set has been around here since I did a bunch of them last summer. I just love them and this morning, I dunked them in an etching solution.

It clouded the clear parts of the beads and brightened up the copper green.

I liked them before, but even more now.

I took them along on a bead shop visit today and sold them on the spot. Glad I got a picture before they were gone.

This little vessel (I even put a dime in the picture for comparison) was an experiment with using a solid base and building on it with a couple of different transparents. It's Ink Blue with light blue used to close the center. You can see the gray-blue base bead at the neck of the "pitcher".

Couldn't resist running a ring of raku frit around it too. Maybe I just can't leave well enough alone these days!

Getting back to the torch after a spell away is in some ways like starting all over again except that I have had a lot of input from viewing others' beads online and I guess I'm feeling pressure to do some of the things I've seen.

Maybe I need to stay away from the show and tells and just work on my own for a while.

This one was just an end of day experiment.

I made a very thin base of ivory and started adding rings of various transparents. Then, after melting it all in, I raked the rings up and down around the bead.

See the reaction of the purple - like a veil coming down in a V? You just never know what will happen with some of these mixtures. I'm not sure if it's a good reaction or if I just burnt the heck out of it!

With a little more playing with other colors and raking more precisely, this could be a pretty cool technique.

This one is pretty small too. For a real focal, I think it should be bigger. It could, however be a nice focal on a bracelet - and it seems like it would go with just about anything!

More stuff!

It's nice to be productive once again.

First one I want to show you is this Fairy necklace that I made for a friend who is one of our former customers from The Herb Basket days.. She stopped in before Christmas, while we had the Christmas shop set up, for a couple of Tina's hydrosols and saw my jewelry. I have a blue fairy here at the shop, but she was hoping for something more green.... This is Wendy's Green Fairy.

You can't see all the detail in the picture, but her hair is full of flowers and she is holding a garland of flowers dripping from her hands.

It's always fun to put all the danglies on these gals and this one was no exception. She has a glass heart in with the beads on the bottom tassle, and a silver heart on one side and a silver star on the other.


This set of beads is certainly not my usual, but I like it a lot. I call it "Industrial Complex".

The dark silver plum glass has eluded me until recently when I read it really shows its silver color when exposed to an oxygenating flame rather than being reduced.

The colors are a khaki on one side and a light steel blue on the other. The band of silver plum turned into a band of hematite, so I strung it with some hematite beads I had on hand.

Pretty cool once you get the hang of it!

Finally, a Lilac vessel. More veiled cane just because I just love the look of this glass and it also works beautifully for hollow shapes. It is a little "stiffer" than regular soft glass and is much more forgiving as far as temperature goes.

Sometimes, if the vessel is out of the flame for a little too long while it is being shaped, parts of it just clink off into space. This glass will handle more temparature changes than most.

Looks like the neck needs a bit more cleaning, but a few spots of purple Rose frit gave it a little something extra. I think of them as pearly bulls eyes!

I have something else that came out of the kiln today, but can't show it, just in case I get to the Sizzlers meeting this weekend.

I love it when there are contests or themes posted somewhere because it always sets my mind in motion. Inspiration is the hardest for me and I've been having a hard time coming up with original stuff since I got back on the torch.

The Sizzlers are having a contest this time and the theme is "Love Stinks". Whether I get there or not, an image immediately came to mind and I made my bead .... it came out almost exactly as I envisioned it! Show ya after the weekend.

It all started...

It all started with Tina posting to her Yahoo List encouraging the members to feel at home and comfortable about posting.... Now I can't seem to stop and I might as well take advantage of my chattiness to blog!

I said I'd post some of the work I've been doing, and there's a lot!

This focal was the reason I decided to tackle the double spiral pattern in the magazine I referrred to earlier today. I just like to make bracelets and this seemed like a new way to display a focal.

It's kind of tigerish in its coloring and I love how it picks up all the sparkle of the beads.

I have a couple of other experiments that I'm not posting today, but this peachy turquoise one is a combination of colors that I seem to use a lot.

The copper pearls just pop and the coloring is a little more vibrant than it shows in the picture. Those purplish seed beads are actually peach too.

By the way, I think if you click on the picture (if the resizer is working properly) you will see these all bigger on a single screen.

I may have posted this necklace before, but I just wore it the other day to a dinner theatre matinee and it seemed to fit in here. It was another fun piece to try to match up with a special combo of beads.

It's been around for some time. One time, at a bead show, there was a guy set up on a card table sort of display with a box full of these Raku pieces. I've never seen his before or since and wish I had bought more.

It was a little expensive, but the pieces are so distinctive


It inspired me to try again with the "raku" frit on a focal the other day and the center bead in this bracelet is the result.

I added a band of Goldstone so there are copper beads in the base of this one along with gold ab crystals and a little turquoise thrown in - all to pick up the colors of the focal.

I love to work like this. Over the years I have collected so many "companion" beads and it's nice to finally use some of them.

Finally, my "Steel Blues". This may not look terribly exciting, but I love it. The base color is a dark blue metallic and all the sparlies just bring it alive.

It's perfect for those times when you want to "spark up" a blue jeans outfit.

Not as interesting to work as the really colorful ones, but each piece has a pattern and personality of its own so it is so much fun to watch what happens by substituting a crystal for a bugle bead or a breaking up line of seed beads with a fresh water pearl.

Sure is a good way to get out of the doldrums. I'd much rather be beading than playing a computer game (what I was doing for a week or so before this particular binge began!)

Until recently, you'd never know it was winter around here. This is the fountain in our back yard. If you can see it, the butterfly bush in the backround still has its leaves. Usually, these die back almost to the ground but this bizarre year, they are still green!

For the last week or so, we have been kissed by flurries overnight, but often by the end of the next day, all the white is gone. I'm surprised at my reaction because usually by this time, I'm so sick of cold and snow and now I'm remembering it wistfully!

Well, anyway, it all seems to lead to the winter malaise but I'm slowly pulling out of it and managing to torch again during the mornings and I just discovered a new seed bead pattern that I've been playing with at night in the most recent Bead and Button magazine. Sometimes I add one of my beads as a focal, but mainly I have fun just experimenting with various color combos. I'll be posting some pictures later today.

This is usually such a quiet time for my soap business. It's a time for trying out new scents and ideas but we are hearing from some of our customers already so things aren't completely static. It's nice getting an idea of what to expect for the new year and it's looking good.

I've been wanting to visit a new bead shop in our area, Lancaster Bead Company out across from the Rockvale outlets. They have some of my lampwork there and I really like the women who are running it. Maybe this week I'll finally get there to say hi and report back.

I must remember next year to set aside - or at least to expect - decompression time after the Farm Show. After talking with other participants, it's par for the course!

... not a dress rehersal

After 8 days of sleep deprivation and exhaustion, we weren't sure why we had even participated in the Farm Show. We were both sick and needed to just take a break for a day or two, but we're gradually getting back to normal. Phew! Sometimes you just have to admit that you're getting too old for this stuff!

So, this afternoon I was listening to Dr. Phil. He's often my "backround noise" while I'm doing something else. I heard the expression, "Life is not a dress rehersal", and suddenly, I knew why we did the Farm Show. Of course, we would! What if we had passed up the opportunity? We would have always wondered what would have happened if we had. I know we met a lot of people and certainly have a lot of new contacts and opportunities as a result. But, "Life is not a dress rehersal" was my motto for years. Life is for living. So what if we're tired? We know what it is about now. We know what we will do differently if we decide to do it again next year. And who knows what will result from this experience? How could we NOT have done it?

Now for some highlights...

Well, Tina stole my title, but I can still start with this little piggie... well, a whole bunch of little piggies! We passed this gang each morning as we traveled the length (1 mile, I'm told) of the Farm Show Complex. One morning in particular the whole gang was nursing, but there was a terrible squealing going on. At first we thought it was some kind of squabbling over position, but then we saw that one little guy had been trapped on the other side of the pen and couldn't get to his momma. He ran back and forth, frantically squealing, desperately attempting to get through. It was such a pathetic sight and sound. Later, we checked back and he was happily sleeping with his littermates. He must have eventually gotten to the "trough" and all the horror of his situation was forgotten.

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I never pass up an opportunity to take a picture of an alpaca. There were a number of them there and, as always, they were adorable. They just seem so fluffy and gentle. I've never been on the other side of the fence with them, but I suspect I'm right.

This one's topknot seems to have flopped. The ones I am familiar with have very fluffy poofs on top of their heads. He must just be having a bad hair day!

One of the highlights for us every day was the balloon artist, Dennie Huber, who was across the aisle from us. Dennie created the most absurd animals and hats and hat-animals throughout the day. He would hold off some of his specialties and pull something new out of his hat each day.

He had told(warned) us about his "Chocolate Moose" and decided to pull that one out one day for the entertainment of the crowd. We saw the first one emerge. We knew it immediately from his description. Then he proceeded to make another and then two more only the last two were strawberry and blueberry.

The kids loved them. I'm not sure how the crowds they bumped through felt about them but it was amusing and most people were pretty good-natured about it. At one point, we looked through the double doors just in front of us and saw all four of the kids running across it. They looked like a coral forest floating down the fire hall!

It was like sensory overload. We weren't aware of the cacaphony that surrounded us each day until we tried to talk to someone or when I attempted to get cell phone verification for a charge sale. In the mornings there was a strange noise in the hallways which we eventually realized was the result of thousands of chickens, goats and sheep saying good morning to the world. Carousel music played constantly in the backround and from time to time a Civil War band would play patriotic marches. Oh, I almost forgot the screaming children!

I didn't realize how many very large families there are in our area, nor had I seen the double and triple strollers that are available now. What a diverse sampling of humanity passed our booth.

I guess we jumped in with both feet and experienced the whole shebang. All in all it was great!

I may even manage to light my torch tomorrow. It's been over a month. I hope I remember how to melt glass.

Farm Show Pix

As promised, I come bearing photos.

We finished setting up our booth. For today, that's the only thing I have pictures of.

We think it looks pretty spiffy and the computer screen will be where we will show a continuous loop of a short soap making demo. We're on a corner and most of the soap is behind us on the shelves.

The painted blue "thing" on the right is a giant bluebird box that appeared overnight. Somehow we offended our neighbors because we got the corner. I think by rights they think it should be theirs, so we now have this "thing" completely blocking our view to the left. The event coordinator didn't think much of the set up, so we'll see if anything happens to it. We'll probably get blamed for that too... oh well.

Another shot from the "front".

Tina's books and magazine are to the right and the main soap display is on the left.

We only have a few bars on the display and will have to get what our customers want from the shelves in back. This may change as the week goes on!

Oh, the judging of the soaps is over and we placed second in the "decorative" class. First was some beautiful molded soaps and we had entered some of our Lavender swirled bars. I'm not sure what they were looking for in the "Lye" division, but our Patchouli/Rose didn't place there. The winner made some plain white soap. We should have entered a chunk of our lard soap... Live and learn.

So tonight, DH made us a prime rib dinner so we'll have some protein to start us off. Farm Show food is supposed to be delicious, but it looks to be extremely expensive - I mean, a $2.75 Pepsi! We'll be taking a cooler each day, at least that's the plan.

So, all our plans are made and we'll see how we fare...

Here we gooooo...

Well, today we went up to the Farm Show to set up. We met the people in charge and were enlightened as to what to expect. It seems we have a pretty good location. We can expect to be exhausted by the third day which will be even longer than we expected since if we hope to have a parking spot anywhere close to the building we must be there about two hours before opening (and it's almost an hour's drive.) We were prepared to be exhausted though. Oh, and apparently we have a very good chance of selling out!

Bob and Rob came up in the (packed) pickup truck and helped us cart everything in and set up the "furniture". Rob was thrilled to find a machine full of free milk in every imaginable flavor. Pepsi, however, was $2.75 each in the machine, so we'll be taking a cooler up each day. Probably a sandwich or two might be a good idea too.

When we got there and hunted up the woman who was our original contact, she immediately started encouraging us to enter our soap in the judging, so we picked out some nice bars and entered in the "lye" category and the "decorative" category. A ribbon from the State Farm Show would be nice. The judging for that is tomorrow at 8 AM.

So we're almost ready to go. Already we feel more prepared and I probably won't wake up with an anxiety attack during the night tonight.

I'll be taking and posting some pictures tomorrow evening. The show officially opens on Saturday.

Here we goooooo!

Happy Old Year's Day

Just to get the last (embarrassing!) entry off the top of the page, I need to post something here. And, I guess to cap off the end of the year.

That reminds me of "Old Year's Day". One year long ago, we spent New Year's Eve in St. Thomas. On New Year's Eve day, we had gone on a bus tour to Mountaintop, where you could view the entire island and enjoy their special banana rum drink. It was explained to us that on the island, they celebrated "Old Year's Day" which I thought was pretty cool. That was during our balloon flying days and I bought a suncatcher with the year on it. I'm sure it's still around here somewhere, but it hung in our window for a long time after we got home.

The shop is jammed with boxes of soap and other products ready to go to the Farm Show. So many loose ends to tie up before we get set up on Thursday. I feel like when we get there, it will be like stepping off a cliff. We have no idea how it will go. Hints, but no firm expectations, so we're trying to stay on an even keel (while panicking).

And a Very, Merry Christmas to All...

I wanted to wish everyone within internet range (!) a Merry, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with Happiness, Health and all good things, and above all - PEACE.

And something for my soaping friends... I had a little too much time on my hands the other morning (hard to believe, I know.) I wrote this and didn't know what to do with it. Then I thought, "Hey, I can Blog it!"

With apologies...

'Twas the night before Christmas, and I was a flutter
I wanted to soap, I'd received my shea butter;

The molds were all lined, they were waiting and ready,
the eo's were mixed and boy, were they heady;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

Poppa was asleep, but I'd go the distance,
I had my plans made for my piece de resistance,

When out in the kitchen I made a discovery,
Stick blender was broke and there'd be no recovery;

Away to the Kwalmart I flew like a flash,
I banged on the doors, and I even talked trash;

The dang place was closed after Holiday hours,
everyone had gone home to have fun and take showers,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a security guard, with a wild look of fear,

With a little old keychain, so shiny and bright,
I hoped against hope that he'd help me that night.

More rapid than eagles I shouted my needs
And I pleaded, and shouted, and redoubled my pleads;

"Now, Oster! now, blender! I'm down on my knees!
I'm desperate, man, oh let me in please!

Oh if you have a heart! oh, please help me tonight!
Now open up! open up! please turn on the light!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So he to the door lock, his keys how they flew
It was so much like magic, he even smiled too.

And then, in a twinkling, the door opened wide
And my heart, it was beating at what was inside.

The store had been stocked, I was turning around,
A shiny new stick blender easily found;

I was thrilled half to death, so I paid my bill quick,
and the guard soon took on the cute look of St. Nick;

I hurried back home with my eyes full of glee,
'cause I just couldn't wait to begin this melee.

The oils -- how they twinkled! the colors how merry!
The plans were all perfect, excited? Oh, very!

The lye hit the oils and it all came together,
And the trace was just perfect along with the weather;

Micas, how they sparkled. The swirls were aglow,
As soon as I poured it, it's perfect, I know.

The scents it released as I covered it tight,
would bring me sweet dreams, all through the night.

I know Santa visited sometime that night,
the hoofbeats and jingle bells gave me a fright.

And I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."


And so, off to Christmas Eve with the family.

Emergency Gravy

On this day before Christmas, I was reading a series of posts about making ham gravy. I have nothing to add to the discussion, but was reminded of a Christmas a few years ago when I discovered the wisdom of "Emergency Gravy".

Our holiday dinners are pretty much set. Christmas and Thanksgiving is turkey and stuffing with mashed potatoes, corn, peas and mushrooms, relish tray and of course, gravy. Easter is ham, etc. After years of preparing these feasts, it has become pretty standard and not a panic type meal as it was in the early days.

The Christmas I am remembering was going along smoothly. We had taken the perfectly roasted turkey from the oven and my husband was transferring it to a platter when I heard the fateful words, "Uh oh".

I turned to see the precious juices running from the disposable aluminum foil roaster that we have taken to using for this job (we have a perfectly good roasting pan, but this is much easier to clean up.) He had used two very sharp meat forks to lift the bird and one of them had somehow punctured the side of the pan.

I grabbed the pan and tilted it to save what was left, but there wasn't much and I despaired as to how I would ever get enough gravy to satisfy the gang. We need it for the stuffing and the mashed potatoes that pile high in the bowls and platters.

As I poured what was left into a separate pan to make the gravy, I suddenly remembered a packet of instant turkey gravy that I had stashed in the pantry - probably when I was planning (on some former holiday) to make extra gravy after the big meal for the hot turkey sandwiches my hubby loves.

I added the instant to the paltry drippings and made some really great gravy - enough for everyone. It really saved the day, so now I always make sure to have a few packets of the instant gravy around just in case.

Sometime later my son, the vegetarian, decided to help me clean the pantry and if you knew him, you would understand this. He demanded explanations for many of the odds and ends he found. The most vehement question was about the gravy packets. We never have turkey at any other time of the year and he wanted to know what in the world they were doing in the pantry.

I absentmindedly said, "Oh, that's the emergency gravy."

For some reason, this reply elicited a howl of laughter and (since I am, to him at this time, old and apparently brain addled) a round of mockery. I laughed along and whenever the pantry is stuffed these days and he is home, he will make remarks about the "Emergency Gravy" which sets us both into gales of laughter.

Funny the little things that make memories and inside jokes.

Playing catch up

You know, I'm sure that soon I'll be able to actually catch my breath again - sometime after Jan 14 (last day of the PA Farm Show).

Meanwhile, first an update on Rudy. This is a picture of him "resting" between customers a couple of weeks ago. I think he was brooding about not being able to do his "job" properly! He still has a slight limp, but he's healing well.

We got the results back from the blood tests and, no, he doesn't have thyroid problems so he is staying on the weight loss diet the vet suggested. That should help everything.

I wish I had someone who would regulate my intake like we do his! I'd hate them, but it would be for the best. He seems to be adjusting and being the sweetie he is, apparently bears us no ill will.

Yesterday, while doing some Chritmas shopping, Tina insisted we pick up one of those Year-at-a-glance calenders. I don't mean to complain. After all, it was her present to the soap/tree/jewelry/publication studio! We always had one of these going at our herb shop and it was a godsend.

It is extremely helpful to have this on the wall to refer to when we start to make any plans. It shows any events, shows, deadlines, birthdays and holidays as we plan them so we always know when to panic!

It's nice for all of us since I often forget to mention some of this stuff to Bob or Rob so they can always check on what is coming up too.

Now, on to the preparations for the Farm Show. I think we're about "soaped out"! We have 5 shelving units full of soap. Some of our discontinued varieties are on the bottom shelves so they are a bit sparse, but we are loaded with everything else.

If we sell out, fine. If we don't, we'll have plenty of stock to take care of the new wholesale accounts we hope to pick up there along with our regular spring orders.

It's been interesting refining our new routine to produce more soap faster. We seem to have it down now and are looking forward to making soaps for the year. They are so much more uniform and will be easier to wrap (especially with the labels we are actually having preprinted for the first time!)

One more thing. I updated the soap page with new pictures of Blackberry & Sage and Apple Snap. The picture on the website are small, but I'm pretty pleased with them and thought I'd post them a bit bigger here.

The blackberries in the grocery store were gigantic and amazingly, Tina's sage was still it's summertime gray green so I'm really happy with the way we were able to display this soap.

The Apple Snap had to settle for an artificial apple - not that we don't have some real ones around here, but with the leaves and the basket, I love the homey look of the picture.

Even Bob said " wow" when he saw me open the pictures on Photoshop this morning.

Oh, and the poor glass torch just sits there forlornly waiting for me to find a minute for it again.

Well, I think I've caught up on most things and hope I can post a bit more regularly again after the show. Thanks for your patience!

Rudy's silver lining

Rudy, our sweet pup had an unfortunate experience today.

We were busy. Bob was digging trees up on the hill and Tina & I were working on cutting soap and while she was reorganizing, I was tightening up (standardizing) the files of our soap labels because we're planning to have them printed for a change. Nobody noticed that Rudy hadn't been around for a while.

Bob had just come in and sat down to talk when a customer came in and asked, "That Shelty is yours isn't it?" When we said yes, he said, "He was caught in a trap up in the corn field next to your trees and I released him, but he didn't seem to want me to pick him up."

We went outside and Rudy was limping down the road from the hill. We rushed over and he was holding his paw up gingerly. It had blood on it and he was a total mess, covered in leaves and some blood. The guy who had told us knelt down with us and asked me to hold Rudy's muzzle while he checked his paw. Turns out he's a veterinarian - large animal, but a vet nonetheless. I almost cried when he told Rudy what a "brave boy" he was.

He suggested we might want to get it x-rayed so we went inside and called to make an appointment. They said to bring him in and Tina went with me while Bob stayed home to take care of business.

The vet x-rayed Rudy's legs and we were pleased to find that there were no broken bones. A pain killer, antibiotics and time should do the trick.

While he was checking Rudy, the vet mentioned that his heartbeat was slower than would be expected after experiencing trauma and then a vet visit. I told him that Rudy hasn't been himself recently. He seems more like an old dog than a 3-year-old. He seems to be avoiding the customers who he loved before. He is tired after a day outside and sore after chasing the "frogmobile" around the fields. The vet told us that a slow heartbeat could indicate thyroid problems and suggested a blood test.

So, after all the drama of this episode, it may have a silver lining. If everything turns out as I expect, Rudy will be his perky, happy self soon and probably lose a little weight too.

And, our neighbor found out that someone has been setting traps on his property and will be taking care of that problem.

Things are hopping...

at Frog Hollow. Sorry, I just couldn't resist!

Starting the day after Thanksgiving, our Christmas tree farm starts to get busy and this year was no exception.

Contrary to the forecast a few days before, the weather was spectacular and folks took advantage of it to take a number of trees out of here.

Others were content to tag theirs in order to return later and cut them in possibly more inclement weather.

It is so nice to see old customers returning year after year. (Those who stuck by us in the lean years which had resulted from some nasty droughts.) Seeing the kids returning each year and how they've grown is always amazing, but the one's who are now grown with their own families is even more astounding! Our own son was less than a year old when we started and now he's in college, so I guess it's pretty amazing to them too!

It's also nice to meet all the new folks who are just discovering us. We have a lot of development going on relatively nearby and those new "neighbors" are finding us.

We were so far out in the "boonies" 20 years ago when we moved here and although we're still well off the beaten trail, civilization is coming to us!

What happened to the gourds?

If you've been following the saga of the gourd trellis, you may have asked yourself, "What are they going to do with all those gourds?"

Well, this is my first attempt at making a container/bowl from one of them.

I scalloped the top and painted fish all around the surface.

Originally, I was going to make a kind of aquarium out of it, and that may come later on another on, but after the fish were done, it just looked nice that way and I softened the design with some metallics.

Then, I went on to one we were watching all summer. It was caught between two of the cross beams and wound up flattened on both sides, sort of like a canteen. The design is a rub on that we got at A. C. Moore. As soon as I saw it, I knew where it was going to go.

I think it turned out great with a lodge look to it. There is a bear on one side and a moose on the other.

I had drilled holes around the top and had a couple ideas how to finish it. Then I remembered the pine trees outside. Duh, we live on a Christmas tree farm!

The needles will discolor with time, and that won't be a bad thing, but meanwhile they are bright green and throw off a lovely fragrance.

The natural coloring of the gourd just seems to be the right backround and a little stain brought it all out.

Yep, we took a break from the soap yesterday and worked all day and into the dark out in the shop on these babies. I took a break from time to time to work a bit on the magazine. Back to work (soap) today although we may have time to play with another gourd in between! I know Bob is impatient to see one or two made into bird houses so we really need to reward all his hard work with a few of them.

If you want to see the ones Tina made, check her blog. She may not have them up just yet, but they'll be there soon, I can guarantee it.

Change is good, change is good...

So, you may ask, "Where has she been?" Well, we've been doing a couple of things at once.

The big thing is that we have been trying out the big soapmaking equipment. From time to time, I decide that it doesn't really make that big of a difference because, after all, we can make 8 or more regular batches in a day. With Tina helping, we are like a "well oiled machine" and just pump them out very easily. We've been making soap together since day one and there is this strange little ballet that we do - each anticipating the next move of the other.

This new equipment is throwing us for a loop because it calls for a completely different dance. Weighing such large quantities of soap - mixing large quantities of lye, daunting. Risking much larger quantities on each pour. You get the idea. It also seems to be pretty picky about at what stage of trace we pour the soap. The much larger mass in the molds causes worries over heat building up and causing other problems.

To the left, I'm mixing a batch in a 5 gallon bucket with a mixer on the end of a drill. (See my Crocs?) The trace takes much longer and that comes as a surprise.

The finished product, though, is very nice - uniform and a LOT of one soap. It will be so nice to have large quantities of some of the varieties - and all in one shot.

The cutter (to the right), although sometimes hard to push through all that soap, just does such a nice job. It's pretty impressive looking, don;t you think?

I've used the same setup for 6 years or so. A great mold and cutter arrangement that my husband, Bob, made for me. We'll still use that for some of the soaps that aren't the best sellers and it's very comfortable.

Yesterday, we made 4 regular batches of various types of soap along with one giant batch of lavender.

The big batches are still pretty touch and go. The lavender is a marbled soap and I can't wait til it comes out of the mold to see how that turned out.

Along with all the soap action, Tina changed the deadline for The Essential Herbal and we're also working on the preliminaries of putting the next edition together. It will be nice to have enough time to proofread it properly etc.

It will be easier as time goes on. I just keep telling myself, "Change is good, change is good!"

Lookie Lookie!

This is pretty exciting.

After we found out about the Farm Show, we decided we are going to have to make a LOT of soap.

With all the other things going on this time of year, we needed to find either a fabulous amount organization or a better system for making a lot of soap.

It just so happened that our brother decided a few years ago that soap making might be a good back up for him since layoffs seemed to be in his horizon. He decided to get into it in a big way and went ahead and bought this bulk soap making equipment.

He made one batch and decided maybe it wasn't for him... so this has been languishing in his basement for some time. He and his wife brought it up last evening and now we have to find a place to lay it all out.

I'm sure it will work out perfectly, but if all else fails, we'll be setting it up in Tina's basement.

Getting the hang of this will be something like learning to make soap all over again, although screwing up a batch of this will be a lot more expensive.

I just love it when a plan comes together!

Exciting News

OMG, OMG, OMG!!!! This is pretty exciting news. Lancaster County Soapworks, Etc., my soap company, just received an acceptance from the Family Living Dept. of the Pennsylvania Farm show to display and demonstrate soap making. 8 days in January - 400,000 people. Better get crackin'. So scary, so cool!

As we so often say, you just never know what will result from the events you participate in. When we did the farm days at Amish Farm & House, we met a quilter who suggested we contact the woman who takes care of that Dept and gave us her name and address because they were looking for a soaper.

We'll be making soap everyday and doing two stage presentations. Oh, and selling! We'll probably be able to take all Tina's publications along as well. This should be great!

Well, there's lots of planning to do and lots of soap to be made - YAY!!!!

FALLing...

Wow, I am just falling behind terribly. Did you ever feel that you had so much going on that you just didn't accomplish anything? I am, of course, but it just seems that I'm not.

While I'm "falling" behind, I did manage to get out and take some pictures of our fall skies and leaves. These are some Sassafras leaves still hanging onto their branch.

I swear the sky isn't this color of blue at any other time of the year. I just love it and always remember one particular bright yellow Gingko tree at the top of a hill at the Renn Faire. Something about that glorious yellow against the bright blue sky always made me so happy!

I have a lot of things I've been saving to finally post and I'll try to fit as many in here today as possible!

At the moment, I'm trying to list a necklace for a charity auction and I'm new at this. I know there's a way to show more than one picture at a time, but I just can't seem to figure it out.

I managed to get some soap listed, but I only needed one picture to pretty much cover the description. The necklace is another matter.

My little fantasy figures seem to be pretty popular. You may notice I've never shown them on my website except in the gallery. That's because they seem to sell as soon as someone sees them and they really do take some time to make.

And then there's the gourd harvest.

I took pictures of each wheelbarrow load as Bob took them in. This is one of three, so you can see we got a pretty nice number off that crazy arbor.

Now we'll see how they dry. Some of the tiny ones and even a few of the medium sized ones are ready to start playing with already. I can't wait!

This is the Bayberry that Bob got for us this spring. The babies seem to have survived pretty well. They were tiny twigs that seemed to have dried up when he put them in their "nursery" this spring. He added some sand to the bedding mix so they would feel more at home.

Spring a year ago, Tina and I planted one lonely little plant down in the woods, thinking that would be the perfect evironment. We forgot how fragrant and, apparently tasty they were to the deer. It was chewed to the nubs almost immediately and we were afraid we wouldn't be able to grow them at all.

Bob proved us wrong - YAY!

And, not to be forgotten, the chicken update.

I brought this egg in the other day and thought it seemed a lot larger than usual. Then I put it in with the others and saw I was definitely right! I suspect we'll have a double or possibly triple yolk.

Can you see the one I mean? What's that Sesame Street song? "One of these things is not like the others....."