vcb

I have been working on several sugar and salt scrub variations lately and these singe use sugar scrubs are coming along nicely.  Made with a mix of sugar, coconut oil, vitamin E, and grated glycerin soap they work great to smooth and soften your skin.  I pressed them into a mini muffin tin.  They are still a little crumbly when you first take them out but once they have a chance to harden they keep their shape.  I'm loving them.
At VCB we are constantly trying new recipes and trying to improve our products.  If you have an idea for either please contact us and let us know.  Some of our best ideas come from our customers.

music box

This green glass music box was another of my garage sale finds last week.  It stands about 6" tall without the handle and the metal  has a little rust on it.  The music box is in the lid and stops playing when you put in back on the glass.  It is not marked.  The lady I bought it from said it was a jewelry box, but I have not been able to find anything about it on the internet.  If you have any information please let me know.  For $5.00 I thought it was so unique it should come home with me.

Happy Birthday

A big happy birthday to my wonderful husband Andy.  I could never do all of the fun and crazy things I do without your love, support and handiness with tools.  Love you!!!

good-bye sweet girl

We had to make the gut wrenching decision to put our cat Snowy to sleep last week.  She was seventeen and had several strokes which had left her blind and walking in pain.  Up until a a couple of weeks ago she still could jump on the counter, loved her morning treat and would play with any available string or pencil you shook in front of her.  We always called her our bipolar cat because she could be purring and wanting to be petted one second, biting your hand the next.  She was a tiny thing, never weighed over six pounds, but has left a huge hole in our lives. This is one of the times when I hate being a grown up and the absolute worst part of being a pet parent.  As with all our pet, she will be missed and always have a place in our heart.

chicken potato salad

The gardens and farmers markets are bursting with all the fresh veggies of the season.  No better time to make this fresh chicken and potato salad.

3 poached chicken breast chopped or pull the meat off a roasted chicken
5-7 small boiled potatoes.  Peel if you want, it isn't necessary
2-3 chopped tomatoes
1# fresh green beans cooked or 1 can drained and rinsed
1 can black olives drained and rinsed
1/2 onion chopped
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1 lemon, juiced
1/2C olive oil salt and pepper to taste
Place all the vegetables in a pretty bowl, you can line everything up if you want to make it extra pretty
Mix the garlic, lemon juice, oil and seasonings pour over the salad it should be lightly covered, if it looks too dry add the juice of another lemon or  1-2T of vinegar.
If you have time this is even better if you chill it a couple of hours

happy birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my little sister Paula.  Have a wonderful day, good luck with the new job.  Love you bunches!!!

junking finds

I usually limit my junking funds to $20-30 for a big rummage sale weekend, I rarely spend that much but sometimes the stars and planets are aligned  just right and I hit several sales with great items and even better prices.  This was one of those weekend at our city wide  rummage sale.  Here are just a few of my great purchases, none over $5.00.

unopened frames, silver tray, stamps, table runner, purple balls

crystal lamp, green candle sticks, cool little table, maybe I'll paint it black, distress and replace knobs

close up of table

brass fly, it's really an ash tray, rose bowl and a pair of bobeches with prisms for 50 cents

a giant brass urn, it's big enough to hold everyone in the family's ashes if  we all decided on cremation.  I can hear the groans of my kids now!

three tier display stand for VCB, two silver trays and off in the corner a vintage copper match box

along with an old spindle

two wood frames, two wood boxes and tow chunky candle sticks

fun purple bottle

My prize of the week end.  Can you guess what it is?  It's a glass and lead city street light shade.  It's at least 24" tall and heavy as can be.  I have been looking for one of these for several years.  I paid $3.00 SCORE!!!

You just have to keep your eyes and mind open to find the treasures in all the junk.