Winter Solstice Soap

In all the mad hurrying and scurrying to get ready for the holiday sales season, I made a blunder on one batch of soap.  I accidentally added the essential oils from two different varieties to the same batch.  Happily, it turned out to be a lovely mistake.  It's a little like those old Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercials from the 1980s where two people run into each other on the sidewalk and chocolate and peanut butter collide...a wonderful accident.

Winter Solstice Soap is made with honey, beeswax and the oils of frankincense, myrrh, clove and orange.  It's warm and spicy and sweet, all at the same time.  It's a perfect winter scent.

I wanted to choose label art for it that made folks think of the cozy glow of candles in the long, dark winter.  I chose today (Daylight Savings Day) to make it available because I think there's lots to love in this stretch of time until the Winter Solstice on December 21st.  The darkness of the longest night is always lifted by candlelight.  

Thanks to the Graphics Fairy for this great image.

Each bar is individually wrapped and labeled for gift-giving.  There is only one batch, so don't miss out!

How To: Fabric Tape

My crafty friend Britt (who also happens to be a fledgling beekeeper), came up with this great DIY project when she needed some decoration for her lovely honey jars.  Then she was kind enough to let me post the tutorial here on Skruben!  Here's how she did it...

I needed to secure the lids on my 2oz honey jars (they only screw on about 1/16 of a turn) and thought about Japanese Washi paper tape, but thought fabric tape might be more fun. I'm not the first to make it (or to do a how-to) but this is the first I saw with just the regular clear tape.

Pick a fabric. Small prints and solids make the prettiest tapes. Fat quarters and even scraps work fine.

If you're going to use the tape immediately, standard double-sided tape is great. If you want to make it ahead, use something like this  double sided tape with the protective backing on so you can store it.

Apply your tape. If you have a pattern to work with, clear tape is great here because you see through to check your alignment.

You could use scissors to cut out your tape, but a rotary cutter, straight edge and mat allow for the cleanest cuts.

Voila! Cut your tape to the required size.

An angled edge adds interest.

Beautiful!

How To: Glitter Votives

By this time of year I'm always itching for spring to arrive.  The days are starting to get longer, but it's still pretty wintery, gray and dark in our little corner of the world.  Such a situation calls for glitter, clearly.  I wanted to make a pretty votive candle holder for my daughter, since she adds sparkle and light to my life every single day.    Here's what I came up with...

What you need:  

• glass votives in any size or shape--jelly jars or wine glasses would probably work well too
• double-sided tape--this should have paper on one side
• fine glitter--the courser stuff might work too, but would probably not stick to the tape as well
• scissors
• dry paint brushes
• drop cloth or sheet to cover your work surface
• plain pieces of paper to collect excess glitter
• clear varnish--optional

Start with clean, dry glass.  Plan out the design that you want beforehand. It's helpful to apply only one glitter color at a time, both for efficiency and so that the colors don't become blended.  Cut a strip of double sided tape and apply it to the glass (leaving the paper side attached).  Burnish with your fingernail to make sure that the tape is adhered properly.

Remove the paper backing from the tape and pour ample quantities of glitter onto the newly exposed sticky side of the tape.  You can pat it on with your finger or a dry paintbrush to make sure that it's well distributed and stuck on.

Shake off the excess glitter and brush lightly with a dry paintbrush to remove any extra that may be attached to the glass.  

Repeat as needed with all the colors, shapes and patterns that your heart desires.  You could do more interesting variations than we attempted here by using shape blade scissors or shaped hole punches like the kind often used in scrap booking. One optional step (that I did not photograph for this tutorial) is to dab clear varnish over the glitter (but not on the glass) to protect it from being brushed off during normal handling.

I think I'll call these my "Welcome Back Spring" candles.  I love coming out of the dark of winter and back into the light.  Don't you?

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New Retro Suitcase Gift Sets

I love suitcases.  It's probably because I love to travel and they always make me think of great trips I've taken, or enticing places I have yet to visit.  I don't get to travel as much as I'd like, so you might say I'm a bit preoccupied with images and symbols of travel and far away destinations.  

Although modern rolling suitcases are more sturdy and practical, I still really like the old style cases that I've acquired over the years.  I have one wood framed case that I bought at a flea market in Glasgow, Scotland and hauled all the way back to the states with me because I loved it so much.  I have other cases that are precious to me because they belonged to family members who have been gone for many years and saw many great adventures of their own.

So, I was thrilled to find boxes in the shape of suitcases to introduce my new gift sets in time for the holiday season.  They'll also be great for wedding party gifts at any time of year. One set would be perfect for groomsmen gifts, with its collection of shaving items. Others would be perfect for bridesmaids or mothers, or even the bride and groom themselves.  Everybody loves nice soap and who can resist a cute suitcase?

Definitely NOT me!

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