Gifts from a friend

I have a great online pal named Moe http://moeart.etsy.com her and I became friends through our polymer clay guild. She a wise person and a talented artist. We have spent may hours IM'ing each other talking about the things we like to make and our shared passion for polymer clay and family.

Another thing we like to do is trade craft supplies and send each other little projects we have made. The other day Moe sent me a bunch of very pretty vintage crystals and stones to play with. They were so pretty and sparkly I couldn't wait to sort them and use some of them. She sent me some beautiful shapes and colors that I am saving for some special projects and to make a gift for her. I couldn't resist I had to use a couple of them. I used them to make the business card holder in the photo. I thought it would make a nice gift for a quilter or quilt collector. I listed it in my shop yesterday and I hope it goes to a good home.

Fresh off my clay table

Here is a photo of the tart warmer I wrote about yesterday.... I am frustrated; the photo looks good on my photo program but looks fuzzy when posted in my shop and on blog. I will retake the photos tomorrow and re post clearer photos. Drats!

Back at my clay table

Well I think I have my soap stock built back up. I made 4 batches of Goats milk soap yesterday and cut them today. So after they dry I will get them posted in my shop.

So today I was back at my clay table and it felt good to start blending some new colors. I finished one project today that I am pretty happy with. It is a tart warmer ; I embellished it with sculpted tropical flowers and leaves on the base that mirrored the milifori cane work I did on the votive part of the burner. I have a little sanding to be done and then I will post a photo. I think I will offer it with a package or two of the soy wax breakaway tarts that I sell. I think it will make a great gift. The tarts in the photo above are what I make . They smell awesome I use them every day.

On a personal note I got some surprising good news from my Son.....He and his wife are expecting their second baby sometime in early September. Wow 2 in diapers yucky,lol.

My God my house smells good today..

Why? I have been making soaps all day.

Some people only make cold process soaps; some only hot process and yet others love to make melt and pour soaps. Each maker believing that their method of soap making is the best. For me I think there is room for each kind of soap; they all have good points.

Melt and pour glycerin soaps are cool because they are easy to work with and take colors and fancy mold shapes really well. I have seen people do some cute creative things using M&P like "fish in a bag" kids soaps. The soapier fills a small bag with clear soap and suspends a small plastic fish in it then ties the top of the bag with a twist tie. When it sets up it looks like you have just brought home a new pet from the pet store. Very cute.

Cold process and hot process soaps are made using butters, oils and lye. It's made the old fashion way and makes beautiful nourishing soap for your skin. You won't find a lot of the chemicals in these soaps like in M&P soaps.

I make M&P soaps and Cold Process soaps using a method called "re-batching". Re-batching makes a more rustic looking soap then the traditional cold process method.

Today I made several batches of pretty M&P oatmeal soaps. I made lavender with chamomile and some beautiful freesia scented oatmeal soap.

I also made some cold process lavender and chamomile olive oil soap; it's kinda ugly but it smells awesome and lathers beautifully. I also made some Mandarin and Bergamont with orange zest Goats milk cold process soap. That is my favorite scent.

My drying racks are full of these beautiful scented soaps. Once they are good and dry I need to get them wrapped and labeled.

I am designing new labels for the soaps, I am not happy with my old labels and it's time for a change. I am not a big fan of graphic design but I will get it done before they dry.

I love soap

Yes I know it's wierd but I do..

Most of the women I know love to spend money on shoes and handbags. Not me I don't even like to wear shoes..

I spend my mad money on soaps and bath and body products. It makes my husband crazy that I spend money buying soap when I make and sell soap myself. I make great cookies too but I like to try other peoples cookies too and it's the same with the bath and body items I like to try what others make.

Etsy is a awesome place to find some absolutely wonderful soap makers and I have managed to spend a good amount of time trying their wonderful products. I thought I would like to tell others about some of my favorite Etsy soapers

I love shopping at http://morganstreet.etsy.com/ she makes beautiful rich body butters that make my hands and any other rough spots feel soft and pampered and the pumpkin spiced body butter is totally decadent. Her soaps are beautiful and smell great. My favorite item she makes is the pumpkin spice brown sugar scrub. I can honestly say my legs have never been smoother. I highly recommend her products and her customer service is top notch.

Another wonderful soap shop on Etsy is http://cozymoments.etsy.com/ . I love her soaps they have a lovely creamy texture and the solid lotion bars are yummy. My favorite thing that I have bought from her are her soy melts. I make those too but hers are different then mine, they are a softer wax. I don't know where she gets her scents but they are nice a have a long lasting scent throw. She has great products and customer service.

I don't sell my soaps on Etsy yet I sell them locally at festivals and in a local shop. I am going to be adding some to my shop as soon as I have enough stock for the other places I sell them.

No matter how much soap and cookies I make I will still want to try others and I will for sure buy from Morganstreet and Cozymoments again. If you would like to check out their shops follow the link in my article also if you look in my blogs that I enjoy section you will see links to their blogs where you can see some of their awesome Sweet smelling stuff.

What I do 3 days a week

I take care of the little guy in the photo....

Who is that little cutie? He is my sweet little Grandson Brenden he turned 18 months today. Thank God I am a young Granny [48] because this little stinker never stops, he wears me out.

His father is my Son my only child I had him when I was 17. My Son is now 31 [yikes] he and his wife Ashley were married last Sept.

My Son goes to culinary school full time and works nights as a chef. Ashley is an elementary school teacher. They both work very hard to make a good future for little Brenden and his future sisters or brothers. I am very proud of them.

Polymer Clay Artists

I am a lucky person to be part of a wonderful group of polymer clay a-holics at web site called Polymer Clay Central. I have met so many wonderful talented people who love working with clay as much as I do. Everyone there is so ready to share what they know I have learned so much and been able to help others as well. I thought a good way to give a little back would be to feature some of my clay buddies at Polymer Clay Central.



So keeping the above in mind I want to tell people about someone I met at PCC. I knew I would be talking about her but I had no idea that she would be my first feature and I had no idea that my post would be a memorial post to her.



A few years ago I met a lovely woman named Cher Harper. She was a new member of our group and new to using polymer clay and she like all newbees was enthusiastic and full of questions. Her posts in our message board were so funny and full of the joy of learning something new it was hard to resist sharing the fun with her. I answered a few of her questions and then we started IM'ing each other to talk about clay . That was how we became Clay buddies.

We then started talking on the phone when she was stuck on a project and we would talk about our families, and that is how we became long distance friends. Cher had great love for her family and was very involved with her family and was very proud of them and thrilled to be a Grandmother. She had a great life she told me several times.

Like a lot friendships life sometimes gets busy and you don't keep in touch as much as you should, Cher got busy with family things and I was beginning my business and caring for my Grandson we kind of lost touch. Then my computer crashed last summer taking all my info, numbers and e-mail address with it. I wasn't to worried about Cher because I knew she checked out PCC often and I would hear from her there, She would say" Well Ginger you are really ROCKING the polymer clay world today,lol..."

Well I have learned to not take it for granted that people will be there because I learned the other day that dear, funny,kind Cher was mauled to death in her own yard by dogs... They also mauled her elderly neighbor to deathhttp://www.dailypressandargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071228/NEWS01/712280305/1002

It makes me so sad that such a kind persons life ended so violently and that she had to have been so scared. It makes me heart sick I feel sorrow for her family and thier loss.



So for me I won't take it for granted that friends will always be there in real life and in cyber life as well.