What makes you come alive?

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This weekend has been fairly quiet, the only time we left the house was for Zack’s swim meet yesterday. Being enclosed in a pool greenhouse for four hours with 100 other swimmers, two coaches who have to scream in order to be heard, children and parents cheering, a starter who has a whistle of which the echo I can still hear in my head; except for that everything has been quiet as usual for which I’m thankful. And really the swim meet went very well, especially after Zack stopped feeling so sick to his stomach and his nerves had calmed down. I suppose swimming in a race, in front of your parents for the first time can make anyone a tad nervous. Some moments just stand out in time, like those hours at the swim meet yesterday because reality has set in, something I have avoided thinking about is just around the corner. My youngest, our baby will be graduating from high school this year and more than that he is filling out the paperwork to join the Airforce. The Airforce! It’s hard enough when being faced with the truth you have to let go, but compound that with the fact this is your youngest and now he’s going to join the military. Wow. We are so proud of him, but I can clearly see transitions of a great magnitude are just around the corner. Of course we have no one to blame but ourselves because we have taught our boys to follow in our footsteps and live their life to its fullest, to follow their heart and God. We have taught them not to fear, but ask what makes you feel alive and go do it and I guess that’s exactly what he’s doing just like the rest of our children. His dreams are big ones and my prayers is that he gets to realize every one of them. I believe that no matter what your age, you can follow your passions. I believe in you!!

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Howard Thurman

Infusing Your Creative Soul with Your Business

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When it comes to finding ways to make a living with your own hands I could talk for hours on the subject, as well as my husband. We have been working at home for the last 15 years in one form or another, with a few exceptions like last year when I took a nanny job, which was exactly what I needed in order to take a step back and evaluate everything, breaks are good for creative minds.

Because my husband and I have such a huge heart for the handmade community sometimes we have been known to strike up conversations with artisans at craft fairs, spewing our business ideas at their forehead, as if it were a game show {we love to talk shop}. We get a bit overzealous to share sometimes, but just can’t help it. I enjoy helping other like-minded individuals who have made it a living to combine their creative soul with making a living.

However, like most I can find it difficult to implement good ideas from time management to internet marketing. How does one successfully infuse your creative soul with our business? I have made a list of creatives that have gone above and beyond when helping those of us who just need someone to steer us in the right direction. Here’s my list of those who have found that sweet spot in business and life and are willing to share through their workshops and e-books.

A Real Change, Sandi Krakowski {you will love her pink hair and her attitude when it comes to helping others succeed online} I have been taking her free 30 day course on making money with your blog and I can tell you this is the type of course you would pay big money for. She also has daily tips on Facebook and Twitter. She’s real and she’s willing to put herself out there and help others achieve exactly what she has in her own family and business. You will love her story.

Leonie from Goddess Guidebook. A precious creative soul that it’s hard not to love. She has built an entire community around her creative help and encouragement for mothers and business owners. When I’m feeling a bit discouraged her videos always put a smile on my face. She offers support in all avenues of creative business with kind words, positive affirmations and tangible help for your business.

Kelly Rae Roberts. I have followed Kelly’s blog for years now and have enjoyed watching her achieve success at realizing her dreams. She is inspiring and more than helpful when it comes to offering good business advice to artist. Although she has and e-book for creative business owners ahe has now launched Hello Business, Hello Soul an e-course for those looking for a new way to approach their artful business.

Holiday Soap Sale on My Limited Edition Soap Scents

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For the month of December I have decided to offer my Fall and Winter Soap Samplers at a Buy 2 Get 1 Free Sale Price, available at my Etsy shop.  This is a great time for you to stock up on my limited edition soap scents for that special someone or maybe just treat yourself to some good old fashioned handmade soap that smells out of this world delicious!

The Soap Sampler includes 3 large bars of soap {5 ounces each}, made with a special vegetable base of Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Shea Butter and Goat Milk or Butter Milk and limited edition fragrance oil blends.

Limited Edition Holiday Scents Include:

  • Peppermint Stick ~ buttermilk soap

  • Kudzu and Oatmeal

  • Sweet Orange with Oatmeal and Honey

  • Country Apple

  • Pumpkin Spice

Each Soap Sampler will be tied up pretty and would be great to give as a

Stocking Stuffers
{but you might just want to keep it for yourself}.

So Hop on Over to my Etsy Shop to purchase your favorite sampler, all soap will be mailed the day after you make your purchase!

100 little bits of a Monday morning

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Monday morning and there has been so much on my mind lately and as my thoughts are racing around in my head about what project to tackle next, all is quiet around me and the rain is gently beating on the tin roof. There are days when everything feels blurry, like today. As an only child I found out how to fill the hours in a day with pure imagination, there was no one to fight or argue with, just daydreaming to be had. I still daydream…..

{I left 2 empty spaces above for you to fill}
Life is filled with so many roads to explore, often times the hardest part is just picking which one to go down first. I sometimes forget to breathe and I hold the air so tight inside my lungs, the meaning of relax escapes me. I know the remedy for this is to daydream and give myself permission to play among the paints and glue even though other work calls my name.

Once the nighttime comes and I can find that moment between twilight and REM sleep is when my thoughts and ideas all start to make complete sense and I can see more clearly and when I wake I quickly scribble down my dreams onto paper.

credits for photos above:
1. find me, 2. On a lone winter evening, when the frost Has wrought a silence., 3. Twilight before Christmas, 4. Things never happen the same way twice, 5. Long song, 6. :) , 7. Breakfast, 8. sweet williams, 9. IL LABORATORIO, 10. Untitled, 11. yesterday’s anthro loot, 12. kitteh and the ranunculi, 13. ., 14. happy as a mouse, 15. red stripes, 16. .

Tips for Creating Tiny Terrariums and a Great Stress Buster

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I love bringing the outdoors in during the colder months, because nature and all it’s lovely earthy elements and greenery really can brighten your day when it’s cold and gloomy outside; don’t you think? How can you not feel a smile coming on when looking at these?
Gardening of any kind can be such a great stress reducer.

I came across these tiny terrariums last year sometime and because this is such an easy way to take care of plants indoors, practically dummy proof which is what I need and they are adorable miniatures {i love miniature gardening}, I wanted to give it a try myself…so here’s what I did and it didn’t take much time….

Gather your supplies:

  • Glass jar or container with a wide opening {I used an antique Ball mason jar with lid}.
  • Plants- Start simple, you can choose from a variety of plants to use in your terrarium and half the fun for me is searching for different varieties to combine together. Ferns, Succulents {not cactus}, English Ivy, African Violets, Orchids, Sphagnum Moss.
  • Potting Soil. All you need is a small bag.
  • Small Stones for lining the bottom of your jar.
  • Lighting- I placed my jars in indirect sunlight on our enclosed porch that stays about 65-70 degrees. I have also read you should poke the lid with a few holes to let heat escape, but I haven’t done that yet.
  • Water- You don’t want to over water, in fact they require very little water and very little care, that’s the best part for me! I’ve read, It is not uncommon for a terrarium not to need watering for 4 to 6 months and don’t let there be standing water collect in the bottom of your jar.
  • Extras- Here’s where you can have fun adding miniature watering cans, rakes, terrarium critters and just about anything creative you can up with.

Place a layer of small stones in first, around the bottom of the jar. Fill the container a few inches deep with potting soil. Take the plants out of their container and place them on top of the potting soil, add another few inches of potting soil around your plant. I added moss on top of that layer, around the plant to keep it moist. Water your plants {very minimal}, I spritzed mine generously with water so not to over do it. Add any creative extras at this point, like your terrarium critters or miniature watering cans. Be creative! Cover with lid and place indirect sunlit window.

From researching the subject I can tell it would be really easy to get addicted to this artful form of gardening because there are so many different plants and containers to use, but for now I’m just enjoying my stress free moment, not looking for perfection here. For my first few miniature terrariums I wanted to keep it simple and just enjoy the process.

Be sure to post links to photos of the miniature terrariums you have created, I would love to see them!

Credits for photos above:
1. Lightbulb Terrarium, 2. Terrarium Ornaments, 3. Terrarium, 4. Terrarium Critters, 5. Let’s Take That From The Top…, 6. Untitled, 7. terr3, 8. Pickled gnomes, 9. Terrarium, 10. making terrariums with Diane, 11. Moss Terrariums, 12. behind glass

Fall and Winter Soap Collection

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This new soap looks so yummy, can’t you just smell the Peppermint?

A handful of new Holiday favorites coming your way. Here’s a list of handmade soap currently available:
Peppermint Stick
Pumpkin
Sweet Orange with Oatmeal
Country Apple
Kudzu and Oatmeal
Chai Spice

All my handmade soap is made with a vegetable oil base, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Goat Milk are added depending on the bar. Be sure to sign up for updates at the top right corner to keep up with the latest sales and news.
Shop Blossom Soap and Sundries

 

Sooth Dry Skin Naturally

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The temperature is dropping here in the Appalachian Mountains and once again we’ve been preparing for the colder days to come and here on the farm. There’s always a long list of things that need to be finished before the first snow and I’ll let you in on a secret, most of the time it doesn’t all get done in time, like chopping all the wood or making sure I’ve finished making all the candles {I like to have them ready in case of power outages}. The days are going by so fast, hard to believe it’s almost November.

This year I plan to make plenty of my Shea Butter and Cocoa Butter Lotion, it’s pure skin therapy for those colder winter months. I like to keep a bottle in every room and some in my purse, because there’s nothing like the balm of Shea Butter and Cocoa Butter…love it!! Our oatmeal soap is always a good thing to keep in your cupboard any time of the year, but for itchy dry skin it’s an extra blessing and my family have used it for years. Although you can find “oatmeal enriched” soap in the store, there are still chemicals added for long term shelf life and these preservatives can cause skin to become irritated, no matter how much good stuff they put in the bottle or soap bar. The soap I make is all natural, made with soothing ingredients like Olive Oil, Palm Oil, Coconut Oil, Herbs, Essential Oils, Butters. No chemicals, I promise.

Soap Giveaway and Interview with To Sew With Love

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A few weeks ago I was approached by Lelanie at To Sew With Love {a fabulous site by the way}, to do an interview and become one of the sponsors in her giveaway, I immediately said yes! Her blog and all the effort that has gone into promotion is amazing to say the least and I was very flattered that she would even think of me. She is one I would love to interview; how does she work such an incredible blog??

So without further a~due, hop on over and read the interview!  In a few days she will be posting the details for the giveaway, I’m giving away three bars of soap, 1 Black Apple, 1 Snickerdoodle Coffee, 1 Almond & Honey…who will be the luck winner??

Fairyfolk

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Summer Sun – Felted Wool Acorns – 6 – Nature Inspired and Eco Friendly-from Fairyfolk

Here’s a little shop I just can’t get enough of and I’m sorry I haven’t shared it sooner! It’s Fairyfolk. “Needle felted home decorating items. Colorful felted wool acorns, beach pebbles, felt flowers & toadstools. Educational toys; Waldorf and Montessori. Handmade wedding favors. Wedding decorations. Handmade felt jewelry.” Absolutely amazing stuff, hop on over and take a look!