Give Away!

I thought a give away was in order to celebrate my new blogging spot!

A Huge Thanks to everyone who moved over with me. I'm still bringing over older posts as I post new, so be sure you have subscribed at Crafty Earth Mama

I'll be giving away 2 body butters to 2 subscribers. Winners will be chosen randomly on Oct 1st!
You can enter 2 ways
#1-subscribe to Crafty Earth Mama.
#2-If you've already subscribed or want a second entry, leave a comment at this post on CEM and let me know how you like the new blog.

Fall is here and it's getting a bit chilly. Keep your skin and hair moisturized and smelling good naturally with Head to Toe White Chocolate Body Butter! It's 100% Organic with no parabens or phthalates.

Let the entries begin!

Countdown to My Daughters 1st Birthday

Has it really been almost a year? Yes it has.
It's been an amazing year and Mommy hood has been better than I could have ever imagined! Miakoda's birthday is March 17th and we will be spending the whole day together.
The following weekend, my husband and I are putting together a small dinner with close family and friends to celebrate. She will be one and although she's smart as a tack, themes, bounce houses and the like would be lost on her. We tend to gravitate to more natural celebrations anyways, so a small gathering it is. We will spend the time eating good food, having fun and most important, loving up on my sweet little one!
So on to the countdown.
Here is what I have done and what still needs to get done for the gathering.

Make Birthday dress and Party dress- Finished over the weekend, just need to hand wash and dry. http://andeverything-in-between.blogspot.com/2011/03/adventures-in-sewing.html
Make fabric Birthday Banner- collected fabric scraps, etc. will be done Wednesday
Make "Guess my Age" board- haven't started yet
Finish 20 questions game and make printouts- will finish tonight
Put together 2 prizes- keeping it simple, have a few ideas in mind
Finish 1 year video- currently working on
Finish 1 year scrapbook- not going to happen, i haven't even started it :)
Shop for menu items- got some will shop for the rest at Friday's farmers market
Make edible fruit display- will get fruit Friday and make Friday evening

Menu so far;
Grilled Vegetable sandwichs on whole wheat
Mock Tuna salad sandwiches on rolls
Kale salad
Quinoa salad
Edible fruit display
Variety of tortilla and pita chips with avocado chutney, hummus and salsa
Variety of Nori rolls http://andeverything-in-between.blogspot.com/2010/03/nori-rolls.html
Variety of cupcakes
Hibiscus tea with guava and a Floral mixed tea

Happy New Year!

Another year is upon us! 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days and billions and billions of moments are left behind.
Each moment passes so quickly.

As I reflect upon 2009 and look forward 2010, I'm overwhelmed with how grateful I am to be here at this very moment.
Even in the bleakest of times, we all have something to be thankful for.
I am thankful and most grateful for love. I have it in abundance.
We all do, but in harder times, it's more difficult to see it.

The love I've given and received is what carries me on to 2010.

Please share with me your thoughts on the New Year. What are you most grateful for and what are you looking forward to?

Soy Aromatherapy Candles

The holidays are well upon us and I wanted to put together something useful with a homemade touch for family and friends. With baby on the way, frugality is of the utmost importance, so I decided to use what I already have. I allowed myself a couple of outside supplies. I had been holding on to some fruit jars for awhile and decided to put them to use. Looking at them gave me the idea to do a citrus aromatherapy candle.
I made these in the microwave, but you can use a stove top as well.

soy wax
essential oils- I used sweet orange, lemongrass and grapefruit.
http://andeverything-in-between.blogspot.com/2009/04/essential-oils-vs-synthetic-fragrance.html
wax dye
wicks and wick tabs
jars

*Before I start melting my wax, I position my wicks into my jars and hold them into place with chop sticks. They sell wick holders, but you can also use whatever you have on hand.
*I also make sure that my jars are clean, dry and warm. This makes for a more uniform look to the outside of the candle.

Melt wax according to specifications. Some need to be heated in a double boiler an some are o.k for the microwave.
Remove from heat and add essential oils.
Next add dye if you are using it.
Mix with a whisk very well to incorporate oils and dye.
Pour into jars.
Let the candles cool and cure for at least 24 hours.
Trim your wicks to about 1/4 of an inch.
Approximately 5c of wax chips melts ino 20oz of liquid wax
For every 40oz of wax I melt, I use 50 drops of essential oils and 3 drops of dye.
For a stronger scent and color, use more EO's and dye.



After letting the candle cure for a couple of days, I tied a recipe card around the neck using ribbon and lace. I combined these candles with my homemade granola to make holiday gifts.