Spirited Lava Lamp

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Fabulous Photos

Recently I had the pleasure of working with a young photographer here in Seattle who does great portrait and event photography.  I've known Kristin Boyett since she was a little kid, and I'm so pleased and impressed with the talent she displays in her work.  She has a great eye and artistic sense, along with being very friendly and fun to work with.  She also has awesome red hair.

These are some of the images she captured for me...

Kristin Boyett Photography

Kristin Boyett Photography

Kristin Boyett Photography

Kristin Boyett Photography

Kristin Boyett Photography

Thanks Kristin!

4-H Ranch Camping 2011

Our 4-H club had another fabulous camping trip in Idaho this year.  The weather was perfect.  The kids all got along.  Nobody got hurt.  We tried some new things, as well as some old.  Here are a few highlights:

The swimming pond was a constant source of entertainment. 

We did a little fishing and a little catching...though all the fish we caught were released to live another day.

We cleaned some saddles and practiced sitting on them. 

We learned some basics about horses, horse safety, saddle parts, and how to ride.

We got to take a few spins around the ranch on Whisky and Brownie, our two faithful steeds.

We learned how to make, and then ate, some really good ice cream.  We made plain vanilla, but then had huckleberry and chokecherry preserves to drizzle over the top.

We tried orienteering for the first time.  The kids loved it.  They had to find nine locations on the ranch by using maps and compasses and race to see who could do it the fastest.  See the big finish?  Murdoch even got in on the action. 

More fun on the pond...

 Roasting marshmallow, of course.

This year's Pack: 10 tired and happy kids.

Dead Fiddlers Society at the Five Suns Bluegrass Festival

This is my brother John's band Dead Fiddler Society.  Awesome.  I LOVE it!

And here are links to the rest of the performance: Part 2  Part 3

Feelin' the Love

I have to brag a little about some positive press I've received recently.  Two great interviews have been done of me in the past month, and I'm very excited about it.  The Soap Queen Blog, courtesy of Anne-Marie Faiola of Bramble Berry did a fun post about me and my company a few weeks ago. And then today, a great feature on the Seattle Met Magazine blog.  Thanks so much for all the attention!  It makes me feel like I'm doing something right.  

Kristin Boyett Photography

Headband Kerchief Sewing Tutorial...Easy, Fast & Fun

My children are extremely fair skinned.  They burn like I do, which is to say, always.  They also have fine hair which does little to protect their scalps from the sun.  My son's hair sticks up enough that it isn't too much of a problem for him (though his ears are always a worry), but my daughters suffer frequent sunburns where their hair parts on the top of their heads and you can't put sunscreen on easily.  

They are also kids who don't like hats.  I have tried many hats: hats with straps, hats with big brims, hats with small brims, baseball caps, cowboy hats & beanies.  I'd buy them sombreros if I thought they'd wear them.  They ditch the hats as soon as they get outside.  I can't blame them really, but it has posed a problem for me as a skin cancer fearing mother.

So this is my solution: Headband Kerchiefs

They cover the scalp, keep the hair out of their eyes, are comfortable and easy for the kids to put on themselves, add a little pretty bling to the ensemble and they're ridiculously cheap and easy to make.  

All you need is the "Fat Quarter" squares from a fabric store.  One fat quarter makes two kerchiefs.  You also need elastic for the headband, scissors, pins, and a sewing machine...or fast sewing fingers.

Start by cutting your fat quarter in half so that you end up with a piece of fabric that is approximately 11"x18".  

Fold one piece of the fabric in half again (right side in) and pin one of the edges that is perpendicular to the folded edge.  Sew a 1/4 inch seam along that pinned edge.

Fold the fabric right side out again so that it makes a pointed shape, like this. Iron it. 

Fold the outside edges of the fabric in toward the center about 1 1/2-2 inches and pin in place.

Fold up (and iron) 1/4 inch of the bottom, unfinished edge of fabric so that you will have a nice, clean look when you move on to the next step.  Also cut a piece of elastic that measures between 19" and 21", depending on the size of the head that the kerchief will be fitting.  My five year old daughter needs a 19" piece.

Lay the elastic down along the bottom edge and fold up the fabric aproximately 1 1/2" so that it more than covers the elastic band.  You want to have about 1/4" of extra fabric space beyond the elastic so that when you stitch it you won't hit the elastic, which needs to be able to move freely inside the fabric "sleeve" that you're creating.  Pin everything in place and stitch.

The only thing left to do is connect the two ends of elastic to each other with a few zigzag stitches.  If you were successful in not catching any of the elastic with your sewing machine needle, you should be able to pull the band through a bit so that the area where the two ends join is tucked nicely away, inside the fabric. 

My young model started out being quite amenable to photos, but apparently my window for smiles was very small and I "took too long."  Oh well....at least her head won't get burned.

Dancing Bears Soap

I have a new small batch soap to introduce.  It's called Dancing Bears Soap because it's sweet and brown colored...awwwww.  It's made with fresh goat's milk, which is where much of the sweetness comes from.  It lathers wonderfully, also thanks to the goat's milk.  I added just a touch of vanilla oil to further sweeten it, though it's definitely not an over-the-top vanilla smell.  I only made one batch.  Let's see what people think!!