Thank you to SoapyLove for finding this cool little applet.
Tutorials on soapmaking, bath fizzies, lotions and more
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
Thank you to my Dad for sending me this educational clip about how many days Congress works. Enjoy!
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
My husband, brother, fiance, brother-in-law and one stray friend went skiing up at Mt. Baker today. Click here to learn more about Mt. Baker (the most glaciated of the Cascade volcanoes). There was 5 inches of new snow and it was snowing lightly all day. While the snow wasn’t great for visibility, it did keep the ice down to a minimum.
I never would have believed it if it hadn’t happened to me but the new K2 “True Luv” skis that my brother Erik got me for Christmas totally improved my skiing game. I enjoyed the skiing expedition much more with these new skis, even in my old gear. My gear is so old that my goggles literally fell apart after a few runs. I had to buy a new pair up at the mountain. Either way, I felt almost graceful with the new skis and almost capable of getting down the mountain without harming myself or others.
It was a tiring day, even with the new skis. My legs feel like jello and my calves are bruised from the rear-entry boots (from 8th grade!) but I wouldn’t change anything about it. Quality time with family is so very special. And bonus, we all made it off the mountain with no injuries.
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
My mom is a bird lover. Shhh, don’t tell her but these little ornaments might find their way to her house this year (her birthday is coming up.) I love what the artist has managed to create out of felted wool.
The creator is one Ms. Lauren Alane. Her web site can be found here. There are even more adorable photos on her site.
She says:
My love of making things began at a very young age, when I sewed my first pair of geese from a pattern my mom had in her sewing room. I have been hooked on crafting (and on birds) ever since! Currently my favorite medium of crafting is needle felting, and each of these birds are needle felted out of wool.
Her blog is updated regularly with fun musings and inspirations. She even tosses in some cooking photos.
Her Etsy Shopis a bit picked-over due to the holiday season rush. Hopefully there will be new whimsical creations soon. My Mom’s birthday is coming up soon!
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
This little Mr. Brooks just makes me go “Awwwwww,” especially because it’s always so rainy here in Washington.
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
Isn’t this a whimsical masterpiece of felt by Lauren Alane? I love the color and the posing of the little bird.
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
Here are more felt birds from the talented Lauren Alane.
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
Wow, check out MollyCoddle from Colorado! Her soapy food creations are incredible. Her Etsy site can be found here.
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
Doesn’t this soap by MollyCoddle look realistic?
It’s enough to make anyone hungry!
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
Today was a relaxing Saturday. I was able to finish the new John Grisham book, “Playing for Pizza.” It’s a sweetly sentimental story about a so-so football player, struggling to find personal joy and fulfilment in life. He travels to Italy to find success. The story centers around his journey and travelling, Italy and food.
Then, while my hubby outfitted my new skis (a Christmas present from my generous brother), I went to Otion to help with the last of the inventory. Erik, Sarah and I had a jolly time counting droppers, bottles and stray candle colorants.
Finally, we ended the day in a bowling alley. Here’s Erik (generous brother and Otion store manager), getting ready to bowl with his brand new bowling ball (our Christmas gift to him). He chose a scented 14-pound ball (yes, it’s really scented – it smells like Lime) called “Tropical Storm.” He totally smoked the entire group, at one point getting 3 strikes in a row.
While lusting over new kitchen designs tonight, I came across some free label templates from Kitchen and Bath Ideas magazine. The label templates seem particularly cute for one-off toiletry products that just require a quick and easy handwritten label. Click here to go see them.
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
Positively inspired cupcakes by Zahirah Motala Sardar, a cupcake and photo artist originally inspired by Kylie Lambert’s cake creativity. Zalita runs a fun blog here called Cupcake D’Lights.
Filed Under: Personal Ramblings
Seaweed, Salt and Lime Oil (blue soap)
Lemon (yellow soap)
Orange & Cinnamon (orange soap)
Filed Under: Bramble Berry News
Otion was lucky enough to participate in the “Bah-Humbug Swap” this year. The swap is organized by Denise Washburn out of Pennsyvania and there were 21 participants.
A swap is a fun sharing activity. Each particant makes 21 bars of soap and sends them to the hostess. The hostess then sends each particpant each bar of unique soap. It’s a great way to learn about different soapmaking techniques and to see what other soapmakers are doing.
We also sent Champagne Cold Process soap. It is colored with Canary Yellow Labcolor, Blue Iron Oxide and Cornflower Blue Mica.
Don’t they look adorable, all lined up and ready to ship? Kudos to Erik at Otion for making these artistic, triple-swirled soaps.
Filed Under: Bramble Berry News
While going through inventory today, we came across some Birchwood Molds that had been returned to Bramble Berry. They have been used used once or twice but are definitely still useable.
Update: These are all spoken for now. Wow! You flooded the email box and I’m still sorting out the time/date stamps! =)