Pinwheels on Packages

Paper pinwheels are really popular on cards these days and they look equally cute on your gifts. For the layered pinwheel on the left I used a 3 inch square and a 2 inch square. Use really strong double sided tape to hold the points of the pinwheel together and to attach the smaller pinwheel to the larger one. The single pinwheel on the right is done with a 3 inch sqaure as well and the boxes pictured are are 3 1/2 inches square. For larger packages you could do a slightly larger pinwheel, I think they would loose their cuteness if they were too big. Be sure to use double sided paper or, to coordinate with gift wrap, glue a square of the gift wrap to one side of the paper you are using for the pinwheel. Fun and easy !

Birds Nest Cookies

I'm having a bunch of littles at the house tonight so we're going to make/decorate some of these. I'm using store bought cookies because we won't have much time. Picture is from pinterest.com. There may have been instructions. Happy Easter!

Spring Colours

Here's the Milky Way Fleur de Lis Tray in some non traditional colours ( I always picture this in brown or black and white).

Supplies used:

2lbs Goat Milk melt & pour

1/4 tsp each of powdered purple & pink colourant and 2 small containers

spray bottle of rubbing alcohol

2 tsp fragrance - I used Lily of the Valley

2 small measuring cups

1 larger measuring cup or double boiler - I used a double boiler

Cut ten squares from the 2lb slab of goat milk soap for the coloured fleurs.

Cut up the rest of the soap and start melting in the double boiler or larger measuring cup. This will take longer to melt than to soaps you will colour.

Melt 5 sqaures in each of the 2 small measuring cups in the microwave. Use short bursts, around 15 seconds. In your 2 small containers mix the powdered colourant with some of the rubbing alcohol. Spray and swish until you have a pourable colour with no lumps. Colour the 2 measuring cups of soap and fill the fleurs in the mold. Clean up any little mistakes -we all make them, and then spray with rubbing alcohol. Scent the melted non coloured soap and pour in to the mold.

Notes:

Even though I used a double boiler my soap was a little hotter than I would have liked so I set the mold in a few inches of cold water once it was filled.

The smaller the measuring cup, the easier it will be to control the pour of the coloured soap. If it starts to harden you can remelt it in the microwave, be careful not to overheat.

Mothers Day Cards

These are some of the cards I'm making for Mothers Day. Thanks Randell for the birds and branches!

Guest Fleur de Lis

Soaps made with the Guest Fleur de Lis mold cut and ready to wrap.

Mercury Retrograde

I was never really sure if I believed all of this Mercury retrograde stuff but the past few days have me firmly convinced that the planets are conspiring against me. My work (store) computer has been in the shop for two days now and my printer is refusing to speak to my laptop. I'm trying to get the April newsletter done but a lot of the info I need is stored on my sick PC. Arg. On the plus side, hand writing receipts and calculating the tax and counting back change are things that everyone should do from time to time. I don't even know if they teach counting back change in school any more. Anybody still play store?