Soapy Soaps!

I was getting ridiculously low on soap...I had probably less than 2 dozen bars that would be reasonable to swap or sell, and I have had several e-mail or Craftster pm inquiries lately! So I got myself into the soapin' kitchen (it's my regular kitchen actually) and got to work. 4 hours and 1 frantic call to my friend Jen later, I had 4 batches of soap! 82 bars altogether.


The following day, Aidan "helped" me cut them and put them on the curing racks. I have an awesome professional cutter that cuts a whole log at once, and after I positioned the soap log he pushed down on the bar to slice them. He's a good helper. :) He also said that I'm a "good soap cooker." I don't cook my soap, it's cold process, but compliments are always appreciated! I love 4 year olds!


Calendula Green Tea, with dried Calendula petals and green tea powder for a light green color (that will fade to a brownish green) with a light, fresh green tea fragrance.




Unscented Oats 'n Honey, yum! I actually put in a little less oats than usual, but I think that's ok. I've been out of this for soooo long, but luckily I had a nice bar from Jen that was similar, but also contained egg yolk!


Lavender! This is wonderful for sensitive skin, and I love the light purple swirl in it.

And my absolute favorite bar of all time~Shea Luxury! This is 60% unrefined shea butter, without any colorants or fragrances. Yeah.

Crafting and Dieting!

My mom and I are eating healthy via the Flat Belly Diet! After an initial 4 day "Jump Start" of 1200 calorie days to de-bloat and get the salt out of our system, we're both down 4 pounds. Even though that's probably mostly water weight, that's ok!

Besides being low-salt, this way of eating is kind of Mediteranean based. The focus is having a MUFA (mono-unsaturated fatty acid) with every meal or snack to get a healthy fat in that provides a feeling of fullness. Yummy things like avocadoes, nuts, seeds, olive and canola oil, and olives are all required!

I realized that I need to get my crafting into high gear. I have a swap to go out Oct 30th that I have, oops, two different partners for! Today I think I just finalized what I am sending. Luckily each one is only 2 mediums and a small, so I should be able to take care of that, as long as I get started soon. Some of the projects are crochet, so if I meet up with the Portland Crafty Vixens tomorrow I will have a portable project to take along! No details yet since I don't want to spoil the surprise if my swap partners are stalking me!

My friend Kim shared some awesome patterns with me for toddler pants, so Sandora and I whipped up 3 pairs the other day for the boys. We have a bunch more fabric to make into pajama pants but wanted to get it right before we cut out too many of them. They turned out really well except Dane and Aidan's are a wee bit low rise! Oops. Oh well, I already adjust my home made pattern pieces for next time! Although when I saw Dane last night he looked inches taller than the last time I had seen him (a week ago!) He can now reach on top of the tv, as demonstrated by his ability to bring the remote to grandma! I'm going to measure him carefully before I finish any more pants for him, don't want to dress the poor kid in high waters!

Serger Breakthrough

Today I had a breakthrough~I finally got my serger threaded! I have only had it for like 6years, but every time I tried to thread it I wanted to cry, it was so frustrating!

I have been doing a little sewing lately, a few pouches for swaps, and I need to sew a big U shaped pillow for the boys' bunk bed.

After a 4 month swapping hiatus I am back on with several, two of which I am ready to send out and another that I am organizing. Sometimes it seems like a lot of pressure, but other times it is good to have something to work on and keep me going.

I'd like to take a beginning quilting class, but the dates aren't jibing up for me this month. Also this is a bad time, money-wise.

Projects:

Ninja Turtle Outfits (started)

U Pillow (materials bought)

____ for Friends Swap )1/3 done

Soap for upcoming IYP swap--2 partners (need coconut oil)

Curtains for birthday swap (need material)

Projects!

Projects to start:

scarf for me out of that sport weight yarn I like

wall organizer for me (have fabric)

purse for me (have fabric)

purse for Amanda (have fabric)

play mat for the boys

Current projects:

semi-complicated scarf for my mom, I lost interest a little when I had to frog it and re-start with a bigger hook. It works up fairly quickly, but it's not really a pattern I can do in front of the tv. It's gonna be awesome if I ever finish.

inchies! nuff said, for some reason have to be really in the mood to work on these

scarf for a swap, she wants blues and blacks. I think Iwill do some kind of a wave/ripple pattern with color changes every 4 or 6 rows or so.

random crocheted and other projects for wishlist swap

sewn project for swap, don't have partner yet

getting recipes together for a swap "healthy kit" have everything purchased

Finished projects:

Just finished booties and calorimetry for a personal swap with my friend Kim


These are her pics, I spaced on taking any!



wall organizer for swap

Craft Books in List Form

Finally, a list of Craft Books that I own. Of course I had to slap it into Excel and alphabetize it, but now at least I know what I have. I have probably way too many crochet books (although I still need more!) but would really like some different things, especially cross stitch, embroidery, felting, sewing, polymer clay, and anything else lol. I especially want to get the Crochet Stitch Bible and some embroidery motif patterns.


Crochet Books
24 Hour Crochet Projects
Crochet Babies
Crochet in No Time
Crocheted Accessories
Encyclopedia of Crochet (Donna Kooler)
Fabulous and Flirty Crochet
Getting Started Crochet
Instant Expert Crochet
Pattern a Day Crochet 2008 Calendar
Quick Crochet Huge Hooks
Stitch and Bitch Crochet
The Cool Girl's Guide to Crochet
The Crochet Answer Book
Tis the Season to Crochet
Vogue Knitting On the Go Crocheted Scarves


Crochet Pamphlets (Leisure Arts and Annie's Attic)
101 Easy Tunisian Stitches
63 Easy to Crochet Pattern Stitches
7 Best Afghans
Afghans are a Natural
Broomstick Lace Made Easy
Casserole Coasters and Cozies
Color Bright Creations
Crochet 3 Dozen and 1 Bookmarks
Crochet Purse Appeal
Crochet Scrap Sensation
Crochet Through the Year
Cuddle Toys to Crochet
Dishcloths (leisure arts 2077)
Dishcloths by the Dozen
Dishcloths in the Round
East to Crochet Ripple Throws
Easy Afghans
Easy Bead as You Go Crochet
Easy Side to Side Jackets and Shrugs
Finger Puppets 12 Designs to Crochet
From Rags to Raves
Fun Projects for the Family
Fun to Crochet Scrapbook Accents
Garden Fresh Bagholders
I Can't Belive I'm Crocheting
In-Style Scarves
Learn a Stitch Crocheted Dishcloths
Log Cabin Throws
Old Timey Scrap Afghans
Our Best Afghans A to Z
Pamper Yourself
Quick Step Q Hook Rugs
Ruthie's Easy Crocheted Scarves
Simply Soft Accessories
Snappy Wraps to Crochet
Speedy Tweeds
Sunbonnet Sachets and Fridgies
Table Runners in Half the Time
The Big Book of Dishcloths
Thorougly Modern Grannies
To Baby, With Love
Wash and Wipe-14 Dishcloths to Crochet
Winter Wonderland

Other Craft Books
101 Ways to Use Your 1st Sewing Machine
101 Crafts Under $10
1000 Great Motifs for Crafters
50 Toys to Make
Ageless Natural Beauty
Beaded Ornaments
Best Book of Beading
Debbie Bliss Baby Style
Decorating Hints and Tips
Encyclopedia of Needlework
Felt Accessories
Kids Knitted Hats
Knit Dischloth Sensation
Make It In Minutes Greeting Cards
Milk Based Soaps
Perfect Bags
Serger Secrets
The Illustrated Hassle Free Make Your Own Clothes Book
The Portable Crafter Cross Stitch
Weekend Sewer's Guide to Skirts and Pants