I would like to share another of my hobbies!!!

I do love to craft but haven't shared another of my hobbies with all of you.

Do you want to guess what it is?

You guessed it...soapmaking! These beauties are a few of my own from scratch soaps.

I have been soapmaking for...hmmm...lets see....at least five years now! And I haven't bought one of those icky store bought soaps since then! Let me tell you, our skin is very thankful for that! There is nothing compared to handmade soap! If you haven't tried it...maybe you should!

Well that first picture was just a teaser so here are a few soapy goodies! The blue is a Bay Rum scent and the other is what I call Orange Glow, a very nice bright orange scent. I do make others too but these are just a few to show for now.

I do not sell these (yet! maybe I will list on etsy if I get enough interest) but just wanted to share some of my other hobbies with all of you readers out there!

Have a great day!

37 days until Christmas!

I was looking at my calendar today and realized that is is just over a month until Christmas! 37 Days to be exact!

Yikes, if you are like me, you haven't even really started shopping yet. But seeing the 37 makes me a little nervous! I think I will start shopping very soon...maybe I will start today even!

I want to try to shop online as much as possible and buy handmade too for my gift recipients. So I will be surfing Etsy, that is for sure!

If you haven't already visited, I have my own Etsy shop and I think it is filled with lots of great gift ideas!

Here are a couple examples I think would make any gift giver and recipient happy.

First is this desk calendar for 2009. It features my own photographs and is the perfect size to display on your desk. When it is all cold and snowy here, I will look at my calendar and dream of summer!

I also have these fantastic Christmas ornaments too! They are wire wrapped and each is unique! I think they look great hanging on a tree or even in a window as a suncatcher!

Etsy has lots to offer. I am sure you can find something for everyone on your list there! What have you found on etsy?

Happy shopping!

Happy Halloween!

Boo! Its Halloween today!

My little ones are so excited today as I am sure all the kiddos out there are! I remember the excitement as a child too. I still look forward to seeing all the costumes of the kids too.

My daughter and I carved this pumpkin last night. I think he turned out kinda cool. She drew his face and I carved it out. I think she is pretty good for a 4 year old! Here he is:

Happy halloween everyone! Hope everyone has a SAFE and fun evening!

Wonderful fall comfort foods!

It has been a little chilly lately. It always seems that when fall comes I want to make comfort foods. Tonight is spagetti with meatballs featuring homemade tomato sauce from my own garden tomatoes. And the onions used are from my garden too. I can't wait!

I thought I would share the tomato sauce recipe as it is a real winner and it is even very tasty used as a pizza sauce! I have even added it to a beshamel sauce and used it in baked macaroni and cheese. This recipe is a real winner!

Here it is:

2 c. finely chopped onions

1/3 cup olive oil

8 c. tomatoes (peeled and seeded...put through blender if you want...I used my food processor)

2 cans tomato paste

2 tbsp. oregano

2 tsp basil

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 tbsp. finely chopped garlic

Start by cooking the onions in the olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about one minute. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for one hour. I cooked mine a little longer because I like a thicker sauce. Season more if preferred. You may can this sauce or it can be frozen.

Here is a photo of my sauce.....

Crafting madness!

I have been busy crafting lately. Its great, I seem to have been hit with an ispiration bug lately! I have 3 shows to attend in November so I will need a lot of stock for then.

Here are a couple things I have been working on. First up is earrings....I have been making earrings galore to match pendants that I have on hand too...I think they are turning out quite nicely...aren't they? They are made of polymer clay beads I have created and are on sterling silver earwires.

Next up are these cute little guardian angels. They are made with a swarovski pearl and feature a polymer clay bead created by me as well. I am not sure what I will do with these little angels yet....maybe a bookmark or a pendant or a cell charm or keychain? Not too sure though...any suggestions? Please feel free to comment!

Take care and until next time!

Early Christmas Sale in My Etsy Shop!

I am having an early Christmas sale in my etsy shop! Purchase anything in my shop and get 10 % off! This does not include shipping. The difference will be refunded to you via PayPal. To take advantage of this great sale please write this code in the NOTES TO SELLER section of your etsy purchase earlychristmas10.

Hurry though, sale is today October 6th through October 10th midnight etsy time!!!

Perfect purses for fall!

Fall is definately here! The leaves are turning bright orange and falling from the trees! I hate to say it but winter will be here before you know it!

Purses are a great accessory at any time of the year and I have the perfect purses for fall. They are knit out of wool and felted. I have lined them with fabric and they close with a magnetic clasp. They are wonderful for fall and winter! Check them out here in my etsy shop!

Here are a couple of them I currently have available: