Super Easy Embroidery Thread Twist Bracelets

These bracelets are a great kids' craft. Just a little twisting of embroidery thread and a bracelet is made. It can be as plain or as colorful as desired simply by changing the colors of the thread being twisted.

Eucalyptus Essential Oil

Eucalyptus is familiar to many people as the green leaves that often end up as part of Christmas holiday décor. Eucalyptus itself tree, and the oil is derived from the leaves. The oil both cleansing and disinfectant.

Eucalyptus is an energizing oil and is a good one to use if you’ve been feeling a bit lethargic lately. A word of caution, eucalyptus oil is flammable. Also some people have been known to have an allergy to eucalyptus oil, so test it in small doses at first to be sure it does not give you a rash (this safety precaution should go for any essential oil).

Uses for Eucalyptus Oil:

Quick and Easy Gift Tags

Just a little bit of stamping and some glue and you're good to go. These little gift tags are cute name holders when you're in a pinch for time.

Don't Worry, the World Doesn't End Tomorrow. It's Just the Beginning of a New Age

People always seem to love a good doomsday prediction and the Mayan calender ending tomorrow is no exception. There's a lot of talk about it being the end of the world, but the honest truth is that the Mayans NEVER said the world was ending in 2012. It's merely their calender that stops tomorrow.

In forth grade I was totally immersed in Mayan history and mythology (ok, not exactly the most charming reading material for a 10 year old, but I admit to having always been a little weird). The Mayans believed that a cycle of time lasted for 26,000 years, and that 26,000 year cycle was broken down into smaller ages of roughly 5,000 years each. Tomorrow is merely the end of one of those ages that began just over 5,000 years ago. And since the ancient Mayans weren't around to record the next 5,000 year cycle, their calender "ends" tomorrow in a sense. What the solstice truly brings tomorrow is not an end, but a beginning, a beginning of the next age.

Decorating with Christmas Cards

There are so many gorgeous Christmas cards that go through the mail these days, each one is in itself a work of art. They're far too beautiful to just set in a pile somewhere. Instead use them as part of your actual holiday decor to display your beautiful cards and make the house just a bit more Christmas-y.

One of the easiest ways to decorate with Christmas cards to run them around a doorway or windowsill. Just affix a little bit of masking tape the back of each one and tape it to the frame of the window or the door. Cards also look good lining a fireplace mantle. Basically you create a "garland" of Christmas cards.

If you're one of those people who gets a lot of Christmas cards every year, then you'll be able to hang them as they come in and watch your "garland" get bigger as the season goes on. If you only tend to get a few every year, build a collection by saving your favorites each season. (I'm particularly partial to sparkly cards, so they always end up my favorites pile after Christmas). Soon you'll have more than enough to create a lovely Christmas card "garland" that you can enjoy year after year.

And when the holidays are over, just store the cards in a shoebox until it's time to pull them out for the next season!

Open Door Santa Sleigh Card from Used Christmas Cards

This card is a good way to recycle used Christmas cards from a previous year. You'll be needing one with a Santa and sleigh, and one with a door. The slight pop up part of this card is on the front, which leaves the interior blank for writing.

It Still Takes People to Pull the Trigger

After the senseless shootings at Newtown, it's easy to shout "gun control, gun control" and hope that will be the cure-all to the problem, but the bottom line is still that guns don't kill people by themselves - it takes people to pull the trigger. When someone has a mind for destruction, they will find a way to bring it about, whether it is through guns as this man used, or through homemade explosives, or some other method. Taking away the guns isn't going to change anything; the only thing it will change is the method in which people are killed. The problem isn't the guns, the problem is people.

Newtown, CT

Thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by today's senseless shooting.

The History of the Christmas Tree

Every Christmas millions of people go out to the tree lot, spend hours searching for that perfect tree, cut it down and bring it home to light the house during the dark season of winter (or in the case of the ever present artificial tree today: pull out the box, put the tree together, and plug in the lights.). It's a tradition that's long been associated with the Christmas holiday, but the origins of the Christmas tree actually go back even further than the holiday itself.

In ancient times, long before Christianity, people believed that trees which stayed green all year had special meaning, therefore evergreens held a particular place of honor (this belief was also associated with holly and mistletoe, hence their later association with the Christmas holiday as well.) Evergreen, mistletoe and holly were revered as symbols of eternal life, due to the fact that they did not go dormant in the winter like so many others. The people often brought boughs of evergreen into their homes for luck and to ensure that the sun would return after the winter to make everything green again. In particular, the evergreen boughs were used during the winter solstice celebrations (in a way, the forebearer of Christmas).

How to Make a Christmas Tree Garland out of Scrapbooking Paper

I have a tendency to use scrapbooking paper for pretty much anything but scrapbooking. In particular, I love making Christmas decorations out of it. The Christmas Tree I have in my bedroom is an old artificial one that someone was getting rid of, so I took it. It's kind of scrappy (It makes Charlie's Brown's tree look good!) so it needs plenty of color to jazz it up. This scrapbooking paper garland fits the bill. It's made using the same technique as a gum wrapper chain, so if you've ever made one of those, this garland should be a cinch. But if not it's pretty easy to get the hang of.

Hand Sanitizer Will Make You Sicker in the Long Run

Hand sanitizer is one of the best ways to get sick. If you seek to be unhealthy, then by all means, purchase a bottle of hand sanitizer. I know that's contrary to what the sanitizer companies will tell you, but considering they're in business to sell their product, they're not really going to tell you anything bad about it. The truth is, hand sanitizer is actually MORE likely to make you sick. Sure it may prevent against the seasonal cold for the moment, but it makes you more likely to get sick later on down the road, with something far more serious than a simple cold.

The same is true of antibacterial soaps. Hand sanitizers and antibacterial soaps are exactly that: Antibacterial. Using them kills not only harmful bacteria, but beneficial bacterias as well. This can weaken your immune system and leave your body open to more sickness and infection later on. It is also responsible for creating stronger strains of medicine-resistant bacteria.

How to Make a Christmas Riddle Card

For years I've been making up clue games for my siblings and relatives (that usually result in headaches for them as they try for hours to solve the riddles and get to the next clue), so I thought it'd be fun to extend a bit of that cipher-making into some Christmas cards. It's just kind of a fun way to make your family and friends think for a moment when they open their Christmas cards. However, the riddle on this card is pretty straight forward and easy enough that there shouldn't be any headaches involved for the recipients. Though if you do want to make it a bit more difficult for them, you can leave out the underscore completely so it takes just a bit longer to figure out what letter is missing.

The Health Benefits of Eating Pumpkin Seeds

With the taste of the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie still fresh in my mind and a few pieces of last week's batch of pumpkin-seed brittle still floating around on the counter top, I suppose it's no wonder that I'm still thinking pumpkins. Specifically I'm thinking about pumpkin seeds and the many tasty, yet very healthy benefits they provide. They're really a little miracle snack.

Pumpkin seeds often mimic nuts in their nutrition content. Whereas nut allergies are common, however, allergies to pumpkin seeds are very rare. This makes them a great substitute for people who are sensitive to nuts but still want the health benefits.

Transforming a Room with Color

A little color can go a long way. It can turn a hum-ho room into a bright and happy place. Here I redo the window, bed, and dresser in this room, giving them a splash of color to make them pop. The Buddhist style motif was inspired Inara's lavish shuttle decorations in Firefly. A little bold color goes a long way to making the room seem energized with life.

Pumpkin Seed Brittle

Thoroughly enjoying my time off from getting ready for craft shows and changing instead to holiday mode. And what's the first thing we all think of when it comes time to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday? Food of course!

I generally suck as a cook (really I do, ask anyone who's ever eaten some of my mysterious culinary NON-delights), but once in a while I find that rare recipe that I'm actually good at (usually something in the area of baking that contains some sort of dough). So I recently stumbled upon a recipe for pumpkin-seed brittle. I must say, the stuff is delish! (and easy enough that even I can cook it).

How to Tie a Perfect 6-loop Bow

A bow is a pretty basic need in crafting, but sometimes a perfect bow can be an elusive item, especially when it involves multiple loops. The trick is to use wire-edged ribbon, as it allows you to bend the loops into any shape. That and a little twisting, and you've got an easy, perfect bow. I use these on wreaths and centerpeices and sometimes even on wrapped gifts if I want to make them look extra fancy.

Website Redesign

Well the markets ended in October and tomorrow is my last craft show of the year (The PTSA Holiday Show 9:00AM - 3:30PM). It's actually a bit of a welcome reprieve. Now I can go and start catching up on that ever-extending to-list that just seems to spiral out of control during the busy summer months. At the top of my list is reconstructing my website. (Yes, I'll admit to being slightly OCD when it comes to my website's design, but hey, I think it's been over a year since I redesigned it, so I did pretty well in containing my desire to trash it and restart.)

Craft Show this Saturday

I'll be at the PTSA Holiday Show Saturday with my crafts and photography. 9AM-3:30PM



Wheat Weaving: Easy Harvest Braid

Autumn time is usually when I start getting heavily back into the wheat weaving, but thought I'd start with something simple. A harvest braid is very traditional wheat weaving. It's also very easy, as the "hair braid" is the only plait you'll be needing. The trick to making this braid look good is to ensure the straws all stay in the same order and remain flat as you're weaving, otherwise it tends to look messy.

Christmas Comes AFTER Thanksgiving

I'm a person who loves all the seasons, and especially loves them in order, but lately it seems as though Christmas is getting earlier and earlier every year. This very year, two weeks before Halloween even, Target was already running a Christmas shopping commercial. (For some strange reason, listening to Christmas carols while I'm carving pumpkins just doesn't do it for me.) Seriously, Christmas commercials before Halloween? That's just too early.

As far as I know, Christmas still comes AFTER Thanksgiving, which in itself comes after Halloween. It's gotten to the point where our society's economy is so reliant on people shopping for the holidays that a store's entire year now seems to revolve around that mad rush of shopping and gift giving. The ironic part is that a large portion of the shopping being done involves purchasing items that were probably cheaply made in another country.

How to Make Flowered Gourds

These are something I make every year. They're just cute little table decorations and look great in a bunch. They can work for any of the autumn holidays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc. Usually they'll last all the way through Thanksgiving before they start to rot (so long as they're not kept in a very warm spot). Although one year I gave one to my grandmother and it dried, so she kept it right through Christmas!

The nice thing about these is that everything on them is real, except the silk leaves. (I tried real leaves one year and they ended up a crumpled, powdery mess by the end). You can usually find them by the bag at Michael's or Joann Fabrics. If not, you can cut the leaves off one of those holiday leaf garlands.

Craft Show November 3rd

I'll be at the American Legion Holiday craft show tomorrow from 8:30am-3pm. Canandaigua American Legion.

Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pumpkin

May the odds be ever in your favor.

I'm probably not actually quite as obsessed with the Hunger Games as I appear to be (I save that for Legend of the Seeker), but I have to admit that I am having a lot of fun with the mockingjay symbol. I realize it's not exactly a Halloween image, but I couldn't resist. It was so perfect, it was just screaming to be carved.

To make the pattern, just print out a black and white image of the mockingjay symbol, then add an extra circle around the entire pattern, leaving in the black and cutting out the white.

The Origins of Halloween

Anybody who ever watched Hocus Pocus probably recalls Alison telling how Halloween is based on "All Hallow's Eve" to refute Max's conspiracy theory of Halloween having been invented by the candy companies. But where did All Hallows Eve and the belief that it was the night when spirits roamed the earth come from? The origins of that date back even further to an old European Celtic celebration called Samhain.

Samhain (pronounced sow-in in Gaelic) literally meant "Summer's End," as the Celts recognized only two seasons, summer and winter. (Samhain's counterpart Gamhain or "Winter's End" took place in early May, a tradition which evolved into the current May Day celebrations). Samhain occurred when the sun reached 15 degrees Scorpio, known as a "cross-quarter day." It was the last harvest festival and was considered the Celtic New Year.

The Celts believed that darkness was a beginning. Just as they held that a day began at sunset rather than sunrise, so too did they believe a new year should begin as the seasons were going into a time of rest and darker days (longer nights). Being the new year, the Celts also believed that on Samhain night, beings from the spirit world could come out and mingle with the living. Hence the legends of zombies and witches and such that are associated with our present-day Halloween.

A Few Thoughts on Fracking

We recently had a discussion about fracking at work, and my coworker Calvin had this to say about his experiences with fracking in Pennsylvania:

"I went to college in Mansfield PA, and have many friends still down in the area. The past few times I have gone back to what used to be a great, quiet, Pennsylvania town is now built up with hotels and has constant loud truck traffic. When sitting at the bar I used to frequent in college it was several trucks a minute going through town (oil trucks). Not to mention the devastation to the land.

I have a student who used to work for me here is Cortland who has been employed on and off again for the gas companies in PA. The treatment of employees, wildlife, and the land is unimaginable. Granted he was/is paid well when on a job, but when not (like now), he is collecting unemployment. He worked security for the pipeline. He said that they would not follow policies in place, and one example being killing animals that got in their way instead of being held up by following protocol. Another situation was that a lease with an owner stipulated that work needed to be done withing certain times. The gas company negotiated the times to build the pipeline by paying the land owner $1,000,000.

I understand some are in favor of fracking, but my position is firmly against it. Our biggest asset is the beauty of the land and tourism. Just my a highlight of some of the stories of what I am seeing and hearing. We need to think twice about the immediate gains."

This is our home, let's not frack it up.

220 Carved Pumpkins and Other Decor

This is a slideshow of the 220 pumpkins my brother, sister, and I used to carve for our annual end of the harvest Pumpkin Fest; everything from witches and skeletons to Lord of the Rings and Jimi Hendrix. We'd also go crazy decorating our house with anything we'd seen in a magazine. (Yes, we were kind of insane back then). Unfortunately everybody in the family got busy and we had to stop having the Pumpkin Fests due to lack of time. It sure was fun though.

Building with Straw

Image from solarhaven.org

Whoever said that building homes is so expensive these days, never tried building with straw! Straw bale construction is a building method that is gaining popularity due to the fact that it is less expensive than traditional building and is also many times more eco-friendly. I'm hoping to start building myself an "off-the-grid" straw bale house next spring (fingers crossed), and figure I can probably get it done for less than what a lot of people's patios. Granted it'll be small, just a little 700 or 800 sq. ft. fairytale house if I can swing it with zoning, but still, how else could someone build a new house for so little?

Straw bale home construction is exactly what it sounds like, you actually build a house out of straw bales (visions of the big bad wolf and the three little pigs are probably starting to come to mind here).

How to Make a Chicken Wire Ghost

Somebody sent me this video and I thought it was pretty cool. This guy used chicken wire (we call it that up here too) to make a glow-in-the-dark ghost. Because the chicken wire is see-through, it gives the ghost an erie transparent look. If I have time (and between farming home, 3 markets, and a part-time desk job that's a pretty big IF) I gotta try it.

Why buy new when you can buy second hand?

I am a huge fan of shopping at the Salvation Army, Volunteers of America, the Goodwill and just about any other second-hand shop you can name. For one thing I like to experiment with clothes and costumes that I'm making. I don't feel as bad if something gets wrecked when it was a used item I picked up for a few bucks at the local second-hand shop. Another reason I love such thrift shops is that the selection is so much better than in regular stores. Second-hand shops have all types of clothing, not just the latest trends or what's currently in season (I usually don't like the latest trends anyway, so it works for me). The clothing are from all trends, all brands, and all seasons, and of course, you can't beat the price. I also have a particular penchant for vinyl records (Yes, I'm one of those crazy young people who thinks records sound warmer, but play an Animals CD and then play an Animals vinyl and tell me the vinyl doesn't totally rock!) and I love finding them for a $1 in the second-hand shop (itunes eat your heart out).

There does, however, seem to be a certain stigma attached to buying second-hand, as I know several people who hesitate to shop second-hand for fear that someone might see them there. My question is: so what? Let's not forget, if someone sees you buying items in a second-hand store, it means they're doing the same thing. How they really judge you?

More to the point, second-hand clothing is not necessarily second rate. Most of the clothing you find in a second-hand store is very good quality, and many times you can even find items that still have tags on (for a fraction of the price of buying new in a store). Buying second-hand not only makes sense economically, but also environmentally (environmental being a big reason why I prefer to shop at second-hand stores). Second-hand shops are the greatest source of recycling (or upcycling if you're on the creative side) there is. If there weren't second-hand stores, all those clothing items would end up in some local landfill. Buying second-hand also helps reduce the amount of processing material that ends up in a landfill. 15-20% of material from clothing being made just ends up in a landfill. By buying used, you reduce the amount of new clothing being made (it's probably being made out of the country anyway), and therefore reduce the amount of processing waste material that ends up in the garbage.

Instead of being looked down upon, buying second-hand should be something that is encouraged. Why buy new when you can buy second hand?

3 Flower Preservation Methods: Air drying, Silica Crystal, and Pressing

I use a lot of dried flowers in my crafts and basically the 3 easiest ways to preserve them are by air drying, silica crystals, or pressing. Air drying is by far the easiest. Just tie a string 'round the flowers and hang 'em to dry. Silica crystals are cool because they preserve the original shape and color for the most part. Plus the silica crystals can be reused again and again. (An alternative, but similar method to silica is to put the flowers in a pan of sand and bake them on low for about 20 minutes. It sucks the moisture right out of them). And of course pressing is an irreplaceable method to obtain preserved flowers suitable for note cards or other projects requiring flat blossoms.

Treat Allergies and Asthma by Burning Beeswax Candes

I've been making beeswax candles for quite a few years now using wax from my own hive (read how I caught my wild swarm here) and those of other local area beekeepers. I've always loved the fact that beeswax is such an eco-friendly and renewable resource. (The wax comes from the leftover cappings after honey is removed from the combs.) Once in a while I'll add eco-friendly candle dyes to it, but I never scent it as beeswax has its pleasant honey scent. It now seems that scent can do more than just give the house a pleasant aroma.

Someone at the market recently told me about an article she'd read explaining how burning 100% pure local beeswax can ease seasonal allergies and asthma. It works in much the same way as eating local honey. The small bit of pollen in the beeswax help introduce it to the body in tiny amounts allowing the body to build up a tolerance for it. She was nice enough to send me the article which you can read here: Beeswax Candles and Allergies: An Effective Solution

One more reason to love beeswax candles!

Is is Too Early for Halloween?

I know it's still September, but does that mean it's too early for Halloween soaps? I sure hope not, because I'm having way too much fun making these to stop now.

I found some new molds made of that flexible silicon stuff I am SO in love with (it's so much easier than trying to work with plastic molds) and they are just right for the upcoming season. Plus I also had a request again for the "spider soaps" I made last year in October, so I figured as long as I was doing spider soaps, I might as well do Jack-o-lantern soaps as well. The two kinds together having a rather charming, albeit slightly creepy (we have the spiders to thank for that) effect.

We also started harvesting our Jack-be-little gourds and all the various hybrids with different names, (but which look quite similar to Jack-be-littles making it easier to simply refer to them all as "Jacks"). So I will be bringing my flowered gourds to Canandaigua this weekend if I have enough time to finish them between now and then. I know several people have been looking for them. So wish me time (I need it more than luck at the moment!)

Cookie Cutter Reversed Image Card

Was just kind of in a cardmaking mood, so here's another card. This one uses a cookie cutter cut out, and a little piece of cardstock on the inside to make what's cut out on the top, pop up on the inside.

Write in Ron Paul!

I've had a bumper sticker for Ron Paul on my car since well before the primaries, and almost everyone who's seen it has told me they're Ron Paul fans as well. But a few weeks ago at the market, one person (who also was a Ron Paul fan himself) tried to convince me that by voting for Ron Paul, I was actually voting for Obama. I greatly disagree. By voting for Ron Paul, I am voting for neither Obama nor Romney.
Romney and Obama are just classic cookie cutter politicians doing what classic cookie cutter politicians do best: giving us more of the same. People can't keep voting for the same old democratic and republican candidates and expect new results. As Einstein said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting new results." Is Ron Paul going to win? No, probably not because too many people are afraid to vote for him, but if everyone who actually believes in real change plucked up the courage to write in his name, the message would be loud and clear: We're sick of politics as usual and we want a change!

People say it will never happen, and as long as no one takes the initiative, they're right. Nothing will change unless people make it change. We'd still be drinking overtaxed tea if the Boston Tea Party hadn't jumped on the ship and dumped the goods overboard. And we'll still be stuck with the same old candidates if no one ever has the guts to vote for someone new; to vote for a real change. It'd be a message that we're tired of the same old thing, and it'd be a message to all those people who are too scared to "rebel." To the people who vote blindly following any candidate who has the democrat/republican label. Some people are just afraid to make a stand unless they see others doing it first. If we get enough people to write in Ron Paul, they will see it. They'll see that there is a chance for a new party, a chance for real change. And if we get enough people to write in Ron Paul, maybe we'll actually get to have a third party on that ticket next election!
For the most part, people vote AGAINST someone instead of FOR someone. I'm hearing a lot more people talking about getting Obama out than getting Romney in. People seem to be more concerned with voting against Obama than for Romney. Wouldn't it be nice to actually vote FOR someone for once, rather than just trying to vote against someone? I'm writing in Ron Paul because I believe in real change. I want another choice, not just the same old republican/democrat politics as usual. Writing in Ron Paul is the biggest message a person can send.

Sure we might end up with Obama for another 4 years, but I really don't think Romney is some magic man that can totally turn this mess around either. And at least I will have voted for what I really believe in. Change, Revolution, Ron Paul.

Feeling Groovy Card

I was just having some fun with this card. I had some really small pieces of incense leftover that were way too small to be of any use to burn, so I figured, why not use 'em on a hippie-themed card. It also let me use up some leftover flowered cardstock that was small to use for much of anything, but still too cool to throw out.

Record Breaker

Well I broke my record this weekend at the Canandaigua Farmers' Market. I was out of flowers by 8:32 in the morning, making it the fastest I've ever sold out. Granted I only had 12 bouquets, but as the market opens at 8:30, seemed like they were gone in the blink of an eye. Any day you can sell out two minutes after the market opens is a good day!

This coming weekend I may be a bit short on flowers as I'm right in between patches, but in two or three weeks I think I should be back on schedule with sunflowers at least. The oncoming patch was supposed to have started blooming last week, but considering how strange the weather had been this year, I've pretty much given up trying to accurately deduce the time that the flowers will bloom. I just know I won't have too many this week and probably not too many next week either, but hopefully a large burst coming on the week after. I guess only the weather will tell...

How to Dye Queen Anne's Lace with Food Coloring

Well it's Queen's Anne's Lace season (a.k.a wild carrot), so I've been dying some as usual. There really is something that's almost magical about watching those pristine white flowers slowly take on the vibrant colors of the food coloring they're immersed in. It's a great country pastime, and it's so easy anyone can do it. The shorter the stem, the quicker it takes up the dye. And once the flowers are dyed, they can be dried for brightly colored craft projects!

Black Goo from the Black Lagoon

With all the news surrounding the mysterious "black goo" that was found on swimmers at the local Kershaw Park, (which turned out to be from 80 year old buried oil drums that had missed detection), I can't help but think about fracking. Fracking companies don't even have to disclose the chemicals that they pump into the ground, (we have the Environmental LACK of Protection Agency to thank for that). My question is, if the chemicals are so harmless, why wouldn't the fracking companies want to disclose them and set everyone's mind to rest? If a few old oils drums can close a beach for the summer, what could a a few barrels worth of fracking chemicals do? I'd rather not find out.

The Finger Lakes area is renowned for its lakes and clean water. If fracking companies are allowed to come through and pollute the waters with their undisclosed chemicals, it will certainly take a toll on the tourism. Canandaigua Lake would be a much less desirable area with polluted water and it would be a huge blow to the local economy. Perhaps the lesson to be learned from the oil barrels is that even more harm could be done with fracking chemicals. Perhaps the message is loud and clear: Don't frack with good water!

Wheat Weaving: Hunger Games Mockingjay Pin

Well, I'm betting I'm the first one to try this! A mockingjay pin made out of wheat. I just finished reading the first and second Hunger Games books, so I decided to weave the famous mockingjay pin out of wheat. (Hey, we all need to geek out once in a while, right). So I used a simple plait for the circle and used a straw marquetry technique for the bird, and then just joined the two with glue to make the pin. Straw marquetry refers to the practice of ironing wet straw flat and then gluing them onto a surface (in this case cardstock shaped like a mockingjay). It actually came out great on the first attempt, so I thought I'd post it for any fellow Hunger Games fans who wanted to try it. Hope you all have as much fun with it as I did!

New Uses For Lavender

I've always kinda thought of lavender as a miracle herb. The smell helps get rid of headaches (something I'm usually in dire need of), it's great as a de-stresser, and the oil can be used to treat almost anything an essential oil can treat.

So last week at the Cheshire Farm Market, I found out one more use for those lovely purple flowers. Purple Dog Lavender Farm sells lavender (obviously, as the name would suggest) and wool. And I learned that apparently those two items go quite well together, because the smell of lavender will deter moths from destroying the wool. So not only will it save your sweaters, it also smells a lot better than moths balls or even cedar. If you wash your wool items with lavender water, it saturates them with lavender scent and keeps the moths out. In my case, I think I've finally found something to do with the lavender bottles I make every year!

Dragonfly Ridge

During all the spare time that I seem to rarely have, I sometimes I like to just screw around with my guitar. I especially love playing blues music, but there aren't a whole lot of environmental songs in the genre, so I decided to write one.

I'll be the first to admit I can't sing, and blues is probably the worst thing I could even try to sing, but I couldn't con anybody else into singing it for me and the lyrics were an important part I didn't want to leave out. So I end up sounding kinda like Lou Reed in a less than flattering way, but hey, it is blues after all, and you don't really have to be able to sing to sing blues (thank goodness for that!).

A lot of the "dragonflies" in this video are actually damselflies filmed at Gramma's pond.

I've got Hemp!

Hemp fabric that is. I got a request to make another hemp fabric shopping bag, so as long as I was already ordering the hemp canvass for the bag, I figured I might as well order some clothing-grade hemp fabric as well (smaller weave). Hemp is one of the strongest, most environmentally friendly fabrics on the planet, and the company I get it from is all Fair Trade. I've been planning for some time to start making a line of hemp clothing, and earlier this year I actually got around to drawing up the designs. So today my 100% hemp fabric arrived. It has a look and texture very similar to that of linen, and I can't wait to start sewing with it. I'm busy making costumes for the upcoming season now, so I probably won't get a chance to work with the hemp material until after Halloween, but it's nice to know that it's here. Hoping to start listing hemp fabric clothes for sale sometime in the late November/early December time frame. It's my downtime, after the markets and Halloween end, so I'll need a new venture!

How to Make a Corn Husk Doll

One of my favorite parts about summer is of course sweet corn (who doesn't love that?) and the leftover husks (ok, a little less commonly sought after than the sweet corn, but still loads of fun). Most of our leftover husks go to the cows, as husks are like a cow's version of desert, but I always save a out a few to make cornhusk dolls. They're cute little folkart things that are fun to make, and the best part is, if anything gets messed up during the creation, there are plenty more husks where those came from.

Cornhusk dolls have their origins in Native American culture. The dolls were made as toys for children as well for more serious ceremonies. In later years, the pioneers also borrowed the tradition from the Native Americans and made dolls for their children out of cornhusks.

Traditionally cornhusk dolls have no faces. This is due to an old legend about a cornhusk doll who had such a beautiful face that she grew vain. She ignored her duties and responsibilities, choosing only to stare at her own reflection. The Great Spirit saw this and punished her by removing her face. This is why cornhusk dolls are made without faces, but you can always paint one on if you desire.

Once you get good at the basic cornhusk doll, you can go all out using scraps of cloth for clothing, or giving them brooms to turn them into Halloween witches.

Market Kitty Update

Well Meatball the rescue kitty from the market has a clean bill of health. We took him (it is officially a he) to the vet and had him tested for leukemia and distemper and he came back clean. A few more weeks and we'll get him his shots. He's currently very happy in his new surroundings, bouncing off the walls, tormenting the other cats and the dog, and demanding that everyone pet him 27/7. Little guy with a lot of energy. My brother also began referring to him as Spock , and the name seems to be sticking. So while his "legal" name is Meatball, I think the nickname Spock is taking over (considering how big the kitty's eats are, who can argue that it's a "highly logical" name).



Meatball/Spock playing with a ball.



How to Make No-sew Curtains

Normally I'm a patient person, but when it comes to redecorating my room, I turn into a rather lazy seamstress. When it's my own room, I pretty much want it "done yesterday" so I end up taking a lot of shortcuts. Some of those shortcuts crash and burn, but others end up fine. This set of curtains is one of the latter. I needed some curtains for my window, and lately I've really felt the need to add some orange to my room. So I got myself a piece of material that wouldn't fray, a little glue and a pair of scissors and set about making a set of curtains that only took a few minutes. Since there's no sewing, these curtains are easy enough that anyone can make them. (Sorry, the sound isn't great in this. I was shooting this video at midnight so I couldn't talk very loudly, as everyone was sleeping.)

Animal Rescue at the Farm Market

Well, I have a new addition to my family. I went to the market today to sell, but ended up bringing home a kitten.

About half way through the market, we noticed a little kitten wandering around under the cars. It was obviously frightened and lost. We were afraid it would get hit by a passing vehicle, but we couldn't get a hold of it. Eventually we lost sight of it, but could still hear it crying. We ended up finding that it had crawled into the metal work under one of the trucks. We offered it some meat and cheese samples and it finally decided to come out for those and we were able to grab it.

As I already have four cats (all strays), another vendor offered to take it at first (she named it Meatball, since it was chowing down on the raw meat samples). But then she realized her parents might not be happy if she brought it home, so yup, I ended up with it. It was either that or leave it to wander feral and probably get hit by a car in the parking lot, and I couldn't let that happen, so I brought it home. Yes, my family and I are total suckers when it comes to taking in animals. If there's an animal that needs a home, we usually end up with it. Pretty much all our animals have been strays or from a situation where someone had to give up the animal.

So here is the new (and absolutely adorable) addition to the family: 

Meatball the Market Kitty

How to Make a Lavender Bottle

The lavender is in full bloom, so it's time to make some lavender bottles! I always make a few to hang off my bed's headboard because the relaxing aroma of lavender is good for insomnia. It also helps with headaches. Lavender bottles are a pretty way to keep that lovely fragrence in the house all year long. And if they're kept in a clothing drawer, they give all the clothes a nice, lavendery scent.

The Good, The Bad, and The Crazy

The Good: The good is that Sunday it rained two and a half inches here. Yippie!

The Bad: The bad is that the two and a half inches might have come too late. I went out to the most recent flower patch I planted (recent being a relative term as the planting occurred three or four weeks ago now) and while there were some of the flowers coming up at last, they were few and far between. I'm thinking either crows or chipmunks devoured them since they sat in the ground for several weeks with no germination. Still, it's only been two days, so I'm hopeful more will pop later this week.

The Crazy: The crazy is of course the quilt. The benefit of always taking something with me to sew as I sit at the market is that I'm now half way through my crazy quilt. And somebody at the market had a great idea. Instead of giving the crazy quilt to the Ugly Quilt foundation, I should sell the crazy quilt and use the proceeds to buy multiple blankets for the Ugly Quilt foundation. That way several people get to benefit. Sounds like a plan.

No Elf-esteem

I won't be posting any elf-esteem videos for the next two weeks. Taking a much needed to two-week break to tackle my mile-long summer to do list, but will be back to my weekly video postings on July 26 with a lavender bottle weaving tutorial. (They're great for treating insomnia and headaches)

Hallelujah! It Rained!

It started to rain pretty good at the Canandaigua Market today, and I think every one of us farmers under that roof was whooping it up in celebration. The clouds looked like they were heading south toward my house and when I got home, sure enough, there had been rain. YES! It was definitely less than I was hoping for (only got a quarter inch), but at this point I'll take anything in the line of rain. It might be enough to make my 4th batch of flowers pop at least (I'm currently cutting batch one, and batch 2 and 3 are stunted from the draught). The poor flowers have had a heck of a time of it this year, between frost and hail, and now draught. It's amazing there are any out there at all. Hopefully this rain will help some grow, a few of the field are starting to look like pretty crispy critters.

How to Make a Catnip Toy

There aren't too many cats that don't love the smell of catnip. It's basically like a feline drug that makes even older cats seem like they're crazy high. I usually have a lot of excess material lying around from old sewing projects, and usually extra peices of small quilt batting which are much too tiny to be used for anything else. Catnip sachets get two birds with one stone; they're a quick and easy way to recycle my extra material and batting, and they make my cat love me even more (or maybe that's just the catnip talking). I've also heard that catnip is good for insomnia. So if you don't have a cat, make one for yourself to put under your pillow. (If you start meowing, you'll know you've gone too far!)

Slutty Brownies

Ok, I didn't name this recipe. I know it sounds more like something out of a movie kids shouldn't watch than a delicious dessert, but trust me, this is one of the richest, most decadent chocolate treats you'll ever make. I found this recipe online and knew I had to try it. It's pretty simple. Use your favorite recipe to whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough (I find the good old Nestle Tollhouse recipe works pretty well) and fill a 9x13 pan about a 3rd of the way up. Next cover the cookie dough with a layer of Oreo cookies. And finally, stir up a batch of brownie batter (go ahead make it easy with a boxed mix). Cover the Oreo cookie layer with the brownie batter. Cook as you normally would a pan of brownies, testing with a toothpick when done. These are great any way you eat 'em, but when you get 'em still warm, it's especially excellent. Enjoy!

Dream Catcher Card

This is kind of a fun way to make a dream catcher card, and it's a lot less time-consuming than making a real dreamcatcher.

Dream catchers are a craft originating with the Ojibway Native American tribe. They were often woven for newborns by grandparents, to protect the children from nightmares. When hung above one’s place of sleep, they are said to protect a person from bad dreams. While the traditional dream catcher is Native American, the concept of objects to protect a sleeper from nightmares is universal. Many cultures throughout the world have their own ways prevent bad dreams.

The Native American dream catcher consists of a hoop, within which is woven a “web,” and feathers dangling off the ends. This dream catcher is hung over one’s bed. Good dreams pass through the center hole in the web, trickling down the feathers into the sleeper’s head. Bad dreams get stuck in the web and disintegrate when they are touched by the first rays of the morning light.

Real dream catchers have a bead to represent the spider. This card utilizes a button. I'm not sure if a card protects from bad dreams, but as dream catchers are beautiful anyway, it works well for a card.

Don't Frack with my Water!

The debate about fracking in New York State is still ongoing, but hopefully they will rule against it. Back in December I wrote a piece here on why I believe the dangers greatly outweigh the benefits. If you want to get involved, here's a form below you can send in. Since money seems to be what makes the world go 'round, it is very important for lawmakers to hear from businesses who believe they will be adversely affected by fracking.

New Yorkers Against Fracking Form

How to Make a Super Easy Basket Liner

Basically this a tutiorial for how to use the hemmer foot attachment on a sewing machine, but since it's no fun if you're not actually making something, we'll be making a basket liner. Since it's just hemming straight lines with no corners, it's definitely one of the easiest things to make when you're first learning the hemmer foot. Once you got that down, you can use the hemmer foot for more difficult things. The hemmer foot is so much easier than turning the hem by hand and the hemmer foot gives it a much thinner, more precise hem. The machine and the hemmer foot do all the work. You just have the feed the material through the scroll on the hemmer foot.

A basket liner is nice because it always comes in handy. Anytime you want to spruce up what you're setting in a basket, a nicely hemmed peice of calico will do the trick. We use these in all our baskets on our produce stand and on our tables at the market. They really add a cute touch to everything.

Too Many Markets, Not Enough Flowers

So this is my first year doing more than one market, and I guess I picked a heck of a year to do it. It's still winter when you apply to the markets, so you have no idea what the weather will be later in the year. After applying to 3 markets, I'm now having what is probably my worst flower year ever. It started with the strange weather this spring when so much bloomed so early, meaning a lot of it was already past bloom when the farm market opened. The other side effect of the early bloom was that some things froze early on when the nice balmy weather turned icy-cold overnight. Compound that with 2 bouts of golf-ball sized hail, and you have flower beds with realtively few flowers. So right now, I'm just kind of scraping along with whatever I can get, and waiting for the flowers I planted later to catch up.

On the bright side, though, I picked my first sunflower Friday night and sunflowers are hardy little fellers, so hopefully with the upcoming hot spell, a patch of those will start popping and my tables at the markets with have many flowers once again. And I should definitely have some flowers blooming by the time the Cheshire market opens in July. So as my grandfather always said "next year..." I'll be planting on my new lot next year too, so I'll have more flowers to begin with. Then if some unforseeen atmospheric catastrophe such as hail, high wind, or an astroid falling from the the sky should occur, I'll have more flowers spread out a farther distance, raising the odds for more survival. Yup, next year will be better.

A Year of Simple Pleasures

Well, The Simple Pleasures Project has drawn to a close. Today I posted Simple Pleasure #365, making it an entire of year of simple pleasures. Even though the project is finished, however, I don't intend to overlook the daily simple pleasures of life. I still intend to notice the soft feeling of Ziah's wool beneath my fingers as I pet him, the snorting sound Sassie makes after she rolls in the garden's dirt, the vivid hues of an autumn sunset, the smell of the blooming wild roses, the taste of the season's first blackberries, and all the other simple pleasures that surround me. Being aware of those little riches of life are truly what brings happiness to a person. And for me The Simple Pleasures Project has just further reaffirmed the fact that I'm definitely not interested in a "normal" life. I'm not meant to miss out on all the simple pleasures of life in order to work a 40 hour a week job, "cooped up in some shabby little office," as George Baily would say. My heart lies with the farm, and with the arts, and with creative expression, and that is where I intend to stay. My grandfather (who taught us all about the love of the farm) always told us that if we made our living doing something we loved, we'd never have to work a day in our life, because it would never feel like work. That's the truth. Or to use my favorite quote from George Washington, "I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world." Ditto!

Simple Father's Day Card

Here's another father's day card.

Number 1 Dad Card

With Father's Day not far off, I figured I'd better do a few cards for Dad. So here's one for this week to remind dad that we think he's #1.

How to Turn a T-shirt into a Dress, Part 2

Here is part 2 of the tutorial. This is the fun part where it really starts looking like a dress. Adding a bit of bias tape to the bottom gives it a nice finishing touch.

How to Turn a T-shirt into a Dress, Part 1

I had a bunch of extra material lying around from some curtains I'd made, so I sewed them to the bottom of a T-shirt to make a child's sundress. It's a fairly quick and easy sewing project if you like to sew without doing much cutting. (And the small scraps are excellent for crazy quilts.

Farm Market Opens This Weekend!

The first week of the Canandaigua Farmers' Market opens tomorrow. It runs every Saturday from 8:30-12:30pm. June-October. I'll be there hiding behind my flowers (Yes, I'm kind of shy in large crowds). I'll also be attending the Victor Farmers' Market this year (Hiding behind my flowers there as well). It's my first year doing more than one market. The Victor Market runs every Wednesday, from 3:00-700pm. Hope to see you all there.

American Memorial Day Holiday Card

Here's a card for the Memorial Day holiday utilizing the common symbols of the American Flag and the yellow ribbon.

Lotion Jar Candles

My favorite candles to make are the kind that involve using a recycled container. I'd been collecting these tiny lotion jars all winter and last night got around to make some small soy candles. The cute little lotion jars make ideal containers. Why just recycle when upcycling is so much more fun!

My First Crazy Quilt

I'm in the midst of my spring cleaning and one thing I have a lot of is scraps of material. (It happens when you sew a lot and can't bring yourself to throw out excess pieces of awesome material no matter how small.) So I've decided to take my basket of scraps and sew them all together into a crazy quilt. A crazy quilt is aptly named because the pieces don't form a specific pattern, you just sew them all together no matter what type of material or what size or shape. The resulting effect is quite literally "crazy." It's a great quilt to start with if you've never quilted because you don'thave to worry how it looks.

The other cool thing about a crazy quilt is that it prevents waste. It's a great way to upcycle the extra material pieces instead of just throwing them out where they'd end up in a landfill. I read once that 15-20% of the fabric used to create clothing ends up in landfills because it's cheaper for clothing companies to just dump the extra scrap fabric than to recycle it. I don't want my projects to be part of that statistic, so I intend to make quilts out of the fabric scraps and keep them out of the already overcrowded landfills. No waste here!

This is my started quilt. It's going to be a combination of everything from hemp and alova to satin and pleather. Most every sewing project I do has scraps and it's time to put them to use. And when I'm finished, I'd like to see if I could give it to the Ugly Quilts organization where it could really do someone some good.

Melt and Pour Sunflower Soap Bar

I used a sunflower, but this technique can be done with any soap mold. It's just a matter of layering it in multiple colors and putting a little rubbing alcohol in between.

A "Mom" Mother's Day Card

Here's a Mother's Day card for if you want to go a little less formal, replacing the traditional "Mother" with "Mom."

Quick and Easy Mother's Day Card

Here's a simple Mother's Day card that can be made in a matter of minutes.

Dried Flower Wreath Tutorial

A beautiful dried flower wreath is much easier to make than it looks, but it's very time consuming so be sure you have a couple hours to spend before you try to tackle this project in one sitting.

An Introduction to Essential Oils

The use of essential oils, a practice known as aromatherapy, is a centuries old method believed to have originated in Arabic countries. Essential oils are obtained by collecting the oil that seeps from flower blossoms. These oils are very concentrated and often take thousands of blossoms to create just a few teaspoons of essential oils. While essential oils could be used like an early form of perfume simply because they smell good, their more common use was in methods of healing, and are still vey popular today for that reason.

Our sense of smell, while often viewed as one of the lesser of the five senses, is in fact far more potent than many people realize. Our sense of smell is often responsible for imprinting memories on our brains, and many of deepest memories are triggered when we experience the scent of whatever we smelled when that memory occurred. Our sense of smell has a unique effect on our emotions and moods, and as much of the body's physical well-being derives from the mind, essential oils help to balance out ones mind and thus heal ones body.

Different essential oils affect a person in different ways. You can achieve your desired outcome, whether it be more energy, treating depression, or easing the pain of a headache, simply by using an appropriate oil. The most common way of using essential oils is probably the bath method, in which a person runs a bath and put 4-5 drops of essential oil on the surface. The drops of oil spread across the top of the water and are absorbed by the person's skin; the hot water aids in the absorption. Few things de-stress the body better after hard day than a hot bath bath with a few drops of lavender essential oil.

Candles made with essential oils are equally effective, as the scent of the oil is released while the candle burns. Be sure the candle is actually made with pure essential oil, however, and not a synthetic fragrance oil or it will not have the same effect. Soaps made with essential oils are also a safe way to experience their benefits.

Because essential oils are so concentrated, they should almost always be diluted in a bowl of water or "carrier oil" such as sweet almond or canola oil (in the case of a bar of soap, the soap itself is the diluting agent). Lavender oil is the exception, as it is gentle enough to use straight on the skin without diluting, but some other oils can burn the skin if used in large doses or directly on the skin. When in doubt, dilute. 2-3 drops of essential oil in a bowl of water or carrier oil with generally do the trick for most ailments. Use your fingers or a cloth to apply the diluted oil to the skin. Essential oils should never be taken internally.

Because the brain can only process so many smells at one time, do not use more than 3 or 4 different types of essential oil at once, or the brain may have trouble discerning which is which. Also, using the same oil for too many days in a row will desensitize the olfactory and make the oil less effective. It's best not to use an oil for more than 10 days without taking a break in between.

A Simple Love Mother's Day Card

Here's a very quick Mother's Day card to remind Mom how much you love her.

How to Make a Hemp Fabric Shopping Bag Part 2

Here is part 2 of the tutorial.

How to Make a Hemp Fabric Shopping Bag Part 1

Hemp is one of the strongest most eco-friendly fabrics on the planet. The hemp used in this project came from www.hemptraders.com (Sorry, the sound in this one is rather poor after the intro)

Quick and Easy Paper Easter Egg Card

Paper easter eggs are less mess than traditionally dyed or painted eggs, plus the finished egg can be glued onto a card.

Woven Easter Egg Basket Card

Here's an easy way to make an Easter basket card.

Flowers in the Snow



This snow would've been great about 2 months ago. Now it just makes the poor flowers look chilly. This was the scene I found when I woke up this morning. And some of the spring snow had already melted off from what we got last night.