bath salts

Most people these days take showers instead of baths.  When I started making the slats I was marketing them as a scrub but more and more we are selling them as a soak for relaxation and sore muscles.
You can make a recipe that suits your special needs by varying the kinds of salts you use and the essential oils you choose.
There are recipes all over the web but the basic formula is Epsom salts for soreness, sea salts for their drawing properties, kosher salt for exfoliation and baking soda for it's skin softening.  When making the salts for sale I did aromatherapy research on the oils that best suited the properties I wanted each salt to have.  We mix ours with coconut oil for it's moisturizing and antibacterial abilities.
Mix up a batch of your own for yourself or gifts or call VCB and we can hook you up with our great Satin Skin Scrub and Soak.

paint technique

Several people have asked me how I did the painting on the fan blade dragon fly I made recently, so I thought I'd show how I did it.
I cleaned off the fan blades to remove dust and dirt.
I took dental floss and wound it around the blades several times.
The base coat was an aqua latex out door paint I've used on several of my garden and patio projects.
After the paint dried over night I used a dark green, copper and gold metallic acrylic paint.  I dipped my fingers into the paint one color at a time and tapped my finger tips onto the blades.  I started with the dark green then the gold and copper.  I worked quickly wet paint on wet paint so the colors would blend into each other.  After the paint was dry, I went back and touched up a few uneven or sparse places.
I let the paint dry several hours then sprayed with a clear sealer.
I wouldn't put this directly outside but will put mine on a window under a soffit, so it is protected a little.

VCB

Be sure to come and visit Kathy and I at the Sara Bush Lincoln Health Center fall market this Friday, 10/25 9-6 and Saturday, 10/26, 9-2.  The event is locate in the education center and all proceeds go to the volunteer guild which provides, toys, DVD's, books and scholarships for the hospital.  There will be over 25 vendors selling wonderful products to help you jump start your Christmas shopping.  Can't wait to see you there.

OVER DONE

After a few frantic weeks preparing for our up-coming craft shows, camping with the grand kids and a couple of smaller shows I am exhausted.  We topped this weekend off with a fast trip to north of Kansas City so AH could buy a motorcycle.  With close to 16 hours in a truck, 600+ miles of travel and a bad nights sleep this girl is pooped!  It's time to dial it back just a little and take care of myself at least for the evening.  I'm thinking leftovers for dinner and a night on the couch with mindless TV might work.  Maybe I'll revive enough to put in a couple of hard days finishing up product for our next show.
What do you do to revitalize your self when you just don't think you can go another step?  Baring illegal drugs or massive doses of caffeine I'll try just about anything.
I may not be around here much the next couple of weeks until our last big show is over but I'll keep you updated on what I'm doing.

crochet poncho

I have never crochets any thing beyond little flowers and granny squares.  When I saw this poncho I loved it but couldn't talk my talented friend Kathy into making it for me in the time I wanted it to be done, so I did it myself.  It was quick, easy and turned out great.  There a plenty of great sites on the web with free crochet and knitting patterns.
This one started out with a chain, one row of half-double crochet and the rest of the rows were double crochet.  It called for 600 yards of bulky yarn that works up fast.  Even as an amateur I did this in three evenings while watching TV and only tore out two rows where I made mistakes.  The color in the picture looks pink but is really a dark burgundy.
Don't be afraid to try something new, yes you might fail, but you can always start over, ask a friend for help, or give the unfinished project to someone else.

pasta primavera

When you need to feed a crowd one of the most economical things to make is pasta.  This is what we served for a recent camp out family dinner.

3# chicken cooked I used boneless skinless chicken breast
1# pasta  whole grain cooked and  rinsed
1 onion and bell pepper diced
1 16oz bag frozen peas
8oz mushrooms cleaned and sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
4 chicken bullion cubes
8oz shredded Parmesan cheese
4C water
3T butter
Place all your prepared vegetables in a skillet with butter and saute until soft
Add in the chicken, bullion and 2C water and simmer until chicken is hot.  Add in half of the Parmesan
Dump in a large serving bowl with the warm pasta, mix well.  Serve with additional cheese.
All you need to make this a complete meal is a loaf of warm garlic bread, and if you're camping, s'mores of course.
This recipe fed 11 of us for dinner with plenty of leftovers for dinner tomorrow night.  YUM!!
You can change up the vegetables, meat and pasta to what your family likes best.

sign redo

I use to sell custom window coverings and had made this sign for my office years ago.  It was time for a redo.  I cleaned it up, glued old dictionary pages directly onto the board and added dicut letters I already had. I added a spray sealer and it was done.  You can always redo things when they are looking a little outdated or worn, it will save you plenty of cash and you get something new for just pennies.

out doorcraft shows

When we first started VCB I told my partner that I hated doing outdoor shows. It's always too cold, too hot windy or raining.  So far we only one each year.  It's close to where I live, the people running it are great and the setting is beautiful.  Unfortunately  they can't control the weather which was windy with sprinkles through the day and finally a thunder storm rolled in.  Even with a tent the products were getting wet so it was time to pack up and go home.  My partner, Kathy couldn't be there but my friend Kathy came to help.  She makes fabulous woven shawls, ear warmers, wash clothes etc. I appreciated the help and the company and we had a great time together laughing, eating, joking around, eating and solving all the problems of the world.  And did I mention eating?  That's one the best parts of out door festivals, the food. 

scoop your own scrubs

constant wind

headbands

recycled sweater and tee shirt pumpkins

our great products I love this table size bakers rack it adds height and interest to our display
We put our product name and prices  in picture frames instead of pricing individual containers.

wine time

AH and I don't drink much alcohol.  It's not great for diabetics and he drank his share very early on.  We do however like to experiment with wine making.  This year we had plenty of apples and peaches to work with.  The internet has hundreds of recipes for making wine, we followed the Mother Earth News guides to  make dry wine.  Our kitchen has smelled like a winery for weeks now as the car boys ferment on the kitchen counter.  It's funny that everyone who has been to our house recently wants to know how we did it and when is the party to celebrate the wine being done.  Most of them are pretty disappointed when we tell them not until fall of next year.  Hopefully these batches won't explode like the plum wine we made a few years ago.  I occasionally find more spots of wine we missed cleaning up, mostly on the kitchen ceiling.

soap leaves

I made these soap leaves for a recent show.  They are easy and if you don't go crazy, pretty quick.  I did 250 leaves in about 90 minutes.
You will need:
individual fabric leaves.  I bought mine from Dollar Tree 50 for $1
Clear glycerin soap base  Hobby Lobby with 40% coupon
Scented  oil of your choice  You can buy scented oils at craft and health food stores
The soap comes in cubes I used 8 to dip all 250 leaves melting half at a time.

Melt the soap over a double boiler or in the micro wave in a heat proof cup. Add scent. Dip the leaves pick up with tweezers, allow to drip off the excess, place on wax paper lined cookie sheets to dry.  Note that the red leaves tended to fade, coloring the soap, so if that bothers you do them last.  You might have to melt the soap again for a few seconds if it gets too thick to dip. If there is soap around the edges after they are dry just pull or cut it off.   l let them sit over night them packaged them 20 to a bag for $4.00  You can put them in a pretty bowl in your bathroom for guest to use.  You might want to add a little card that says: wash, rinse, toss so they know they are disposable. I think they would be beautiful as part of a tablescape or in chunky potpourri.  The leaves would also make a quick hostess gift or party favor.  For Christmas I think I'll do rose petals and holly leaves.

rummage finds

While on a recent visit to see my parents, Mom and I found time to hit several garage sales.  Here are just a few of my finds.

free box

50 cent tin box

charming stool

two white baskets, I'll get rid of the giraffe

oak frames perfect for signs

I found two of these motel chairs for $15, I'll paint them in the spring

shiny containers for scrub or salt displays

I also bought a jenny Lind crib to turn into a bench but it's still in pieces.  I spent less than $50 and have plenty of other goodies to go along with these..

Zentangle

I had decided this summer to take on line drawing classes, not a success, I will always be a mediocre artist.  I did find something that I can enjoy called Zentangle.  All you need is paper and Sharpie markers.  Basically it is repetitive freehand doodling.  It does not have to represent anything and you make your mistakes look like they are suppose to be that way.  You work on a small scale and each drawing takes very little time.  If you do it right you should reach a Zen state of relaxation that helps clear your mind and increase your creativity.  I can't say I'm there yet, but I do enjoy the practice.  You can go to zentanglepatterns.com if you want more information.  Here are just a few of my beginning projects.

very first project

this is four different tangles

Don't be afraid to try something new.  Even if you aren't very good you might find something to enjoy.