Projects...

As the sun rises on a new year, I have been keeping busy.  I have had lots of little projects going here and there.   There hasn't been much around to take photos of lately.  A person can only look at white landscapes for so long.  I was almost late for work when I started taking photos of this sunrise.  It was a beauty.  The old saying 'red sky in the morn sailor's be warned' holds true.  We had a bit of a snowstorm that evening. 

I saw this project on Pinterest and didn't think much of it, until I was taking down my Christmas Card display and realized red and green clothespins would look pretty cool.  I used two jelly jars and put 3 Tablespoons of vinegar, 20 drops of red food coloring in one, and green in the other.  I then stuffed the jars with clothes pins, filled them with water, put a lid on, and shook them vigorously until the food coloring was dissolved.   I let them sit overnight and this was the result.  The green wasn't as vibrant as I hoped, but you can still tell they are green.   I got the idea from:  http://www.surfinthroughsecond.com/2013/07/monday-made-it_15.html

This is a project in the works.  It is a perfect piece of slate with two holes punched in it.  My husband thought I would be able to do something with it.  Any ideas?  I am excited with the possibilities. 

Winter is meant for baking and I made my favorite blueberry muffins.  I got the recipe from my plethora of Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks.  I couldn't resist taking a photo of them in my perfect pie plate.  My sister is a pretty good gift giver.  The recipe for the muffins is in one of my earlier posts.  http://birdsbeesberriesblooms.blogspot.com/2011/05/blueberry-sunrise.html

I am still making wine.  I make a new batch every month.  I bottled some Hard Apple Cider and some Sassy Saskatoon.  I've been making wine for four years now.  That little $35 kit was worth the money.  

I was very happy to get cucumbers in my Bountiful Basket. This summer I became addicted to adding lemon cucumbers to my water.  I'm back in business.  I can't say enough what a fresh flavor the cucumbers add to ordinary water.  

The beeswax our beekeeper gave me has been fun to work with.  I made these easy lotion bars. I can't say where I got the recipe for sure.  I looked at several different sites.  Basically it is 1 cup of coconut oil, 4 T. beeswax, 2 T. sweet almond oil, and 15 drops of lavender essential oil.  I mixed it in a double broiler and poured into tinfoil cupcake liners. I recommended using them before bed.  They are a little oily when applied, but it soaks in quickly. 



My next project was making a lavender salt scrub.  I mixed 3/4 c. Epsom salt, 1/4 c. sea salt, and lavender that had soaked in 1/4 c. olive oil. Again it was a combination of several recipes.  I think the salt scrub is ok, but I like the lemon sugar scrub better.  I think I will use the rest as a bath soak.





That is about it.  A little dabbling here and a little dabbling there.  Since I am allergic to of the lotions sold in stores, I am very happy to make my own stuff.  I have resolved to try Epsom salts and coconut oil in more of my projects.   Well, that is all I have been up to lately.  If anyone has any ideas for the slate or other small projects I'm all ears.  Kind of like this fella below.