human training

Well Gizzy has been here a little over a month  and he is making good progress in his training.  He dose sit very well most of the time and we are working on come, stay, down, off and quiet,  Like most dogs he is very motivated by food, especially chicken jerky.   He loves to play fetch and beware if you leave any article of clothing or any thing else low enough for him to reach.  I'm not sure how many socks AH is missing.  The biggest part of dog training is teaching the humans what not to do.   He's a little rough when he;s playing.  If he accidentally catches my hand with his teeth or nails I give a loud howling OWWWW!! and play stops immediately.  He always looks at me like I'm nuts but he does stop. Our biggest problem so far is getting the cats adjusted to him.  He likes to jump and bark at them.  They are not fans and will hiss, swat then run and hide from everyone.  I think he just wants to play but they are having none of it.  Time and boredom with each other will probably cure most of that.  I've been looking into obedience school but with shows and travel we are booked 5 out of the next 6 weeks.  Things will slow down after the holidays. He loves long walks which is good for AH and I both, it really helps him slow down a little.  He's a great cuddler when he wants to be.  About 8:00 at night he climbs into the chair or his crate ready for bed.

new old product

When we first started VCB we made a dusting powder that we could barely give away let alone sell.  We pulled it out of the line up and let ts go for a couple of years.  When I found these tubes I thought we should try again.  This time around it's called Body Silk because the addition of arrowroot makes it so silky on your skin.  It is very absorbent and kills odors. I put it in the tubes to make it easy to pop in a gym bag or locker for a quick refresh.  It would also be great in teens stinky tennis shoes, if you have kids you know how bad those can get.  While you're at it you might want to check your own tennies.

the tubes come plain white and look like a toilet paper roll.  I added the fun wall paper with a glue stick to liven it up.

instant table

I picked up this horse trough at a sale earlier this summer for $20.  I thought I'd turn it into a planter or water feature but never got around to it.  What I did need was a larger table for the patio. So I turned it upside down.  Always look at things from different directions.  Just because this was made to hold water doesn't mean it can't be used for something else.  It may become something else in the future but for now it is serving a different purpose.

blanket scarf

I've been loving the look of the blanket scarves showing up on the internet lately but not the prices.  When I saw these soft light wool's at Joann's last week I decided to make a couple for myself and family or friends.  For the scarf shown  I bought 3 yards of fabric and split it into 2 pieces width wise.  That gave me 2 45X54" pieces.  I trimmed off the selvages and fringed all the ends which took about 20 minutes per scarf,  hint use a pin or seam ripper to help get the threads loose.  For this look I folded it into a triangle and placed the point in the front.  I pulled the ends around the neck and pulled them to the front.  I hid the ends in the folds of the scarf.  AH wasn't thrilled to be  my model but there was no one else around and the cats wouldn't sit still long enough for a picture.  I think they will make great Christmas gifts.

granola

I use to make granola for my kids all the time but hadn't made any  since they moved out.    Yes you can buy granola but making it,  you can customize what you put in to your taste, control the sugar and leave out the preservatives.  This recipe is just a guideline feel free to add whatever fruit, nuts and seeds you like.
3C oats not the instant kind
1/4C oil
3T maple syrup
3T brown sugar
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp salt
1tsp vanilla
Mix this together and place on a parchment lined sheet pan in a thin layer, bake 350 15 min.  Add 2C walnuts and 1C almonds and bake 15-20min longer until the mix is crisp, let cool completely.  Add 2C dried fruit, I used diced apricots and cherries.  You can also add sunflower or pumpkin seeds with the nuts.  Store in an air tight container and freeze if you aren't going to use it up in 2 weeks.
AH pours warm milk over his and eats it for breakfast.  I like mine mixed with yogurt for a meal or snack.  You could also use it as a topping for pudding or ice cream and it's tasty by the handful.

show time

If you are regular reader you may of noticed that I had no posts last week.  They were all written and scheduled but some how I forgot to hit the publish button.  Brain fog goes with show season, way too much on my mind,


VCB had our first show this past weekend.  If you have ever visited a craft, small business or vintage show and thought I could do that, think really hard before you take the leap.  Kathy and I have been making products since early summer.  My spare room looks like a bomb went off in it and is piled high with boxes.  When the car and truck were packed I had 23 boxes of products, 5 crates of props and linens and the truck was filled with shelving and doors.  The show was close by so we did set up last Thursday night, worked the show for nine hours on Friday and five hours on Saturday plus tear  down. Add in 90 minutes per trip for travel plus the set up time and we've put in approximately 42 hours just for the one  show. Today my back is in spasms and I would really like to nap all afternoon.  I'm not winning, well maybe a little but it is hard work with no guarantee of success.  Fortunately for us this is a great show and we love the other vendors.  One of the best parts is shopping when things slow down.  I think Kathy won this round but I was close behind.

table piled high

floor piled high

New product bath fizz cones

 We always get positive feedback for our booth display.  We always dress in purple and black so repeat  customers recognize us.

Product every where.  We like to use lifts so the display doesn't look too flat.

Picket fence display shelves.  We get so many positive comments about them.  The shelves come off and the sides and back fold flat for easy transport and storage.  AH made these for us.

more soap

I think I'm done making soap for the season.  Of course I say that every year and always have to make more for special request or selling out of current favorites.  This week I made honey pumpkin spice and chocolate peppermint which started out as a failure.  
I wanted the chocolate to have curls of white sitting on top.  If the bottom soap is too hot the top layer just melts right in, if it's too cool the curls wouldn't stick.  I didn't have any of those problems.  I poured the white base, let it cool and then tried to use my peeler to make the curls.  For whatever reason the curls just crumbled into tiny pieces.  On to plan B which was pouring the white onto the much cooler chocolate then using a bamboo skewer to make tunnel for the white to go into the brown.  Not the look I'd planed but it still looks pretty cool and it smells fabulous.  Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and try not to stress out.  That's awfully hard for a control freak like me.

bandanna pumpkin

I'm always on the lookout for cute things to add color to our VCB displays.  I saw this little guy and thought it would be perfect for our next couple of shows.  Here's what you need:
1 bandanna
2 rubber bands
a handful of fiberfill you could use pantyhose or plastic bags as well
jute

lay the bandanna out flat wrong side up, grab in the center and secure with a rubber band about 1" down.  Turn over and add stuffing.  Gather the ends of the bandanna together, tucking them in until you have a nice stem, secure with second rubber band. It's helpful to have second pair of hands for this step.  Tie jute tightly at the base of the stem leaving a 6" tail.  Wrap the jute up then back down the stem and tie at the bottom, clip ends.  Remove rubber band and you're done.  You could add flowers, a bow or decorations with hot glue if you'd like.  you can buy bandannas in many colors so they could be a cute favor for a party, put candy in them as a trick or treat or use them on your holiday party.  Have fun.

white chicken chilli

We have just had our first cool snap of the season.  When the cold air hits it's soup time around here.  This chili is full of flavor and a nice alternative to regular chili without the high acid of a tomato based dish.

1# cooked chicken use a rotisserie chicken from the store or left overs
1 onion diced
1 garlic clove chopped
1 jalapeno or poblano diced
2 cans white beans
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Saute the onion, garlic and pepper in 2T oil until soft.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until heated through 20-30min.  Serve with tortilla chips, additional chopped pepper and cheese if desired.  we ate it plain and loved it.

fall center piece

It's fall, at least that's what the calendar says, so it's pumpkin time.  I drug out all my dried gourds, hung wreaths on the doors and made a new decoration for the table.  I started with

 $store orange foam pumpkins.  They look tacky and cheap as is so I gave them a couple of coats of acrylic paint in whites and soft creams.  I used an old wood letter sorter I've had for years as a base.  I put a chunk of floral foam in the center of the carrier and added $store purple mums all around.  I stuck the pumpkins on pieces of wooden skewers and poked them into the foam.  A few more flowers, a raffia bow and leaves and it was finished.  Cost $12.  Looks great right now although Gizzy has already stolen a leaf and destroyed it.