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Silicone Bake Ware
Great for Making Soap, Decor, and More!
We do not sell
these, but they will be paramount to making our life easier when doing
crafts. No more rusty pans is one great thing! I located a
few places on the web to give you an idea of pricing and what is our
there. Click photo to see who makes it and such.
Beeswax
Rustic Wall
Decorations
In
the UK I learned they use beeswax for more than cosmetics.
They also use it to make rustic looking wall mounts. Three
pounds most wax will give you a really nice large wall decor that I would pay up to
$34 for. I used the new silicone (floppy looking pans) that can hold
up to 500 degrees. They are really meant for cakes, cup cakes, tarts and
such. As you will see below, I also use the same as a soap mold.
Almost indestructible and darn
 easy to peel your product out, this is
the best new cooking technology I have come across in a few years.
The heart you see is a BIG heart designed to bake cakes. If you
can see the heart to the left, I ripped that out of a UK magazine.
It was not a lead article piece. Click thumbnail on right for a
close view of what I made.
For ANYONE who has left
over waxes of any kind, really, you can do this. This is a
fast and beautiful project for even Mother's Day. I like the one
I made so much, all my staff is curious as to who is getting it.
I guess we all are. I just do not want to give mine away!
This silicone "pan" is a Hoffritz
Large Heart cake pan. Most outlet malls carry these.
Click here for petals and buds.
To Create:
1 pound of beeswax (or
just wax)
4 cups of p-1 SoyWax (or
just wax)
Twine (2 feet)
A good time
to wear your mitts and use a large heat proof Anchor Hocking glass
with a pour spout. You need not spray the pan, it will peel off
very easy when they are cool. First melt your waxes in the
nuker, keeping a VERY close eye on it. You may want to melt 1/2
and then 1/2 because any wax has a flash point. All you need do
is pour it into the mold! As it starts to cool, anchor your
twine rope (hanger) deep into the unit because you do not want it
falling off the wall. I anchored my twine 1/2 into the heart
although you cannot see that.
The heart
cooled pretty fast and I bothered to decorate it the next day. I
used a glue gun and dried petals. In this case I used 1 ounce of
Jasmine buds and 2 ounces of rose buds. If the mold is fancy
enough you may not need to add any decor. I could not find a
very fancy heart mold in the hurry I was in.
Baby Bootee Powder
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Here is a product that
would cost a small fortune to buy, yet may cost $3 to make.
The formula? (Makes 2 Four Ounce Jars) 1/2
Cup of Cornstarch and 1/2 Cup of
Zinc Oxide, and 1
Cup of food grade
rose petals.
Mix until a fine powder
in a food processor. A few drops of Bulgarian Lavender Essential
oil can be added while blending, but that is optional. Pour
into containers and finish off with a sheer ribbon. Yellow
sheer is fine if no one knows if it is a boy or girl. We
have
goat hair brushes in
the supply room for this as well as other uses. |
Dior Pearl Mica Lip Gloss
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Another item that I love for
simplicity-but runs up to $15 for .06 of an ounce (18 ml.) I
can make my own for well under that, with ten more to spare for
my friends. I bought this from "Duty Free" on my way back
from the UK. This was non-flavored, but I put honey flavor
oil in mine.
To Make:
¼ Ounce of
Natural Wax Jelly
2 Teaspoons of
Semi White Mica (or Opal)
1 teaspoon of flavor (optional)
Cut top off natural wax jelly bag. Put the
bag in the microwave for under two minutes—keeping an eye on it
until almost melted. Remove from microwave and pour into a
glass measuring cup, mixing in the 2 teaspoons of mica and
stirring well. You do not have to stir very long—just make sure
the mica is well incorporated. Pour into each container and
allow to cool. |
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If you want to make
your own natural wax jelly—simply melt 1 part beeswax to 9
parts edible oil such as cherry kernel, safflower or sweet
almond oil and then begin with these directions.
Castor Oil has no "taste" and will give you the thickest
gloss.
- Mica comes from rocks if you did not know.
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Rosehip
Soap and Facial Scrub
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Queen
Latifah mentioned
on a recent interview she uses simply baking soda and makes a
paste with water to exfoliate her skin and give her a wonderful
glow. She mentioned her Grandmother taught her that. I do about
the same thing, but with rose hip powder and a little baking
soda. I use concentrated rose hip tea to
make my paste. Rinse well and enjoy the glow!
Rosehip powder is in
the additive section of our supply room.
To make Rose Hip
Soap I simply used a a silicone 6 cavity muffin "pan."
They held a good four ounces. So, 2 pounds of white Melt and
Pour Soap Base, with 4 ounces of Rose Hip Powder.
Fragrance oil should be vanilla, Almond and/or Honey. Mix
well and pour! I added a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and
cardamom. The cardamom is so sensual. A dropper full
of sweet orange essential oil really brings this all out to be
decadent. |
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James
Blunt
James Blunt is the most successful debut
artist of the year in the UK. One time British Army
Captain (and latest in a long line of Blunts in the armed forces)
served stints as a peacekeeper in Kosovo and guard at Buckingham
Palace before hanging up his uniform. It is said when he was bored
during his spare time on active service he would write songs and video
tape himself. Now that is being optimist in the hardest and saddest
places such as Kosovo. His work is astounding, on the soft
side, and a mildly explicit in just a few spots. Nothing I am
worried about. I love self expression in moderation. My
three daughters think he is the hottest thing since sliced bread and
Blunt is all over the college campuses. (What a relief compared
to their former music preferences.) James appeals to all age
groups without even trying.
What I appreciate the most about James Blunt in his
artistry, is the
symbolism and metaphors in the songs he writes. "Your Beautiful," is a song
about a woman he fell in love with on a bus, but knew he would never
see her again. So, he calls that a "moment" "they shared," he will
never forget. Something we have all experienced, but never put
into words as he did. To capture a "moment" or "embrace love,"
hold it pure as a memory, and not expecting anything more, is the
point. True love has not one condition, and no one has ever
delivered this musically better than James Blunt. Three Wise Men is another fascinating song
on the track, but I am still not sure what the symbolism was there.
Click here to listen to "Beautiful."
Click here for his lyrics.
But nothing compares to his music and is a must buy. The whole
CD flows, not just a few songs. Yes, James looks like a young
Jim Morrison, but hopefully we can keep him around.
Bauble
Bar Formula
I am very
excited about the "bauble powder" we just got in and I cannot wait to
make special bath seltzers and bath melts with it.
A little powder
makes tons of bubbles and can be used for a myriad of other things
such as an oatmeal bubble bath. (Basically 1/2 powered oatmeal
and/or
dry milk and 1/2 the bubble powder.) Keeping this is an airtight
container. We did just get
lovely
8 ounce blue
jars in. A
plastic scoop would also help.
The molds I
discussed above, such a the rose is perfect for this. Just pack
very tight using your palms and body weight. Or your heal! A touch of water helps make
bath bombs hard which is a trick I did not know until a few months
ago.
Basically
1/3
Citric,
1/3
Baking Soda,
1/3
Bubble Powder, and after all ingredients are mixed
well, mix a teaspoon of water in quickly and thoroughly. You can
also add a teaspoon of melted shea butter, or carrier oil of choice.
A few tablespoons of fragrance or essential oil helps bind it all
together.
Royal
Rice Pudding: Almond, Vanilla & Coconut Rice
Pudding by Deborah R. Dolen
 I
mentioned before making coconut rice is a staple around here. Easy
to make, cannot burn in a steamer, and the essential fatty acids are
great for you. Basically 2 parts coconut milk (which is not
sweet) and 1 part Jasmine rice which is the best rice I feel
out there when dealing with white rice, and a pinch of salt. You
can also substitute liquids with milk and/or water. I also
mentioned when we are done, I thrown in about 1/2 cup of cream of
coconut and 1 cup of milk or cream to make rice pudding.
I garnish with
my Chai spices I keep in a pepper grinder. I would venture to say
it is good to also help sleep because of the warm milk, and cardamom.
Again,
the British have one over on me. To make a great rice pudding you
cannot stop eating, they add 2 Tablespoons of Vanilla extract (or a bean
if possible), 1 teaspoon of almond extract and 1/2 teaspoon of coconut
extract. Again, garnish with a mixture of the "C"s.
Cinnamon, Clove, Cardamom, and Coriander. The emphasis on
Cinnamon. Almost forgot Nutmeg. I would stick these in a mortar and grind the flavors
together with a pestle. For my vanilla, I used 1/4 cup
of our vanilla powder and that also made it sweet without adding sweet
coconut milk.
Aspirin Crème
I always thought Aspracreme had "Aspirin" in it, and I wanted to make my
own here. I figured I would whip out a mortar and pestle and throw
a little rage on 6 bayer aspirins. Then I learned Aspracreme
really did not contain Aspirin (Bummer) and saw big brother went after
them. I am not sure why they had to make the name appear to have
aspirin. Never mind. I still feel it has merit. In the
UK they did have aspirin in crème and I used it on my legs when they
started to "tingle." I cannot recommend anyone else do this at
home, but I sure as heck WILL. I did find one of many UK links to
support the subject.
Click here
for the support literature.
 I can say with that, I will also use marigold oil as the base for my
crème because that is also great for circulation. I will also use
a few drops of essential oils such as spearmint and peppermint. I
love Sweet Birch Oil (smells like Ben Gay) and Wintergreen but they can
be HIGHLY toxic and why we do not sell them. I love Bitter Almond
also, but same issue. Since we are on that subject we also do not
sell Penny Royal for those same reasons. BTW, We now offering cute
8 ounce cobalt blue jars because I just had to have them for my use!
Click the jar for those. Rose
Knight had also been asking me about them, so hey Rose, they are here!
The Wafelini
I am not into sandwiches but if you have ever had a
Panini, they are great. Think of a pressed Cuban, so to speak.
When making these, the key is to ask for all ingredients to be sliced
thin and your deli section can do that. This also saves money on
high end meats such as Prosciutto. Not only do they taste do great,
you are enjoying "healthy" stuff such as cucumbers, spinach, tomatoes
and the like. I listed my favorite combinations across a chart,
but you sure can substitute whatever works for you. I feel this is
idea also for the RV crowd, Picnics, Camping and Boating.
Even for lunch to bring to work and watch your coworkers drool!
Click thumbnail to the left of my "Wafelini" before I eat it!
 If found the bread to be not that important.
The night I tried this I was stuck with your standard commercial white
bread. Although I do like the Artesian breads at Albertsons that
include three cheese and onion, olive, and such. Also asking them
to be sliced normal bread slice is important. If the bread is too
thin, well, you may have a mess. Too thick and things may not
melt together. Keeping your bread
in an airtight bag is a worthy investment. One evening, I was just
really hungry and curious to make one. All I had was my waffle
maker. A $20 thingy. It worked so great I call them
"Wafelinis" although I will g buy the $32 George Foreman
Grill since
I will make these a lot. BTW, you can make your own olive paste
with a touch of olive oil if you do not want to buy the high end jars,
as well as pesto, that will last a few months. I use walnuts to
make my pesto in my food processor. Pine nuts can be expensive. When making a Wafelini or
Panini, drizzle the pan with olive oil before lightly grilling.
| Meats |
Cheese |
Vegetable |
Vegetable |
Fresh Herb |
Misc |
| Prosciutto |
Mozzarella |
Tomato |
Olive Paste |
Fresh Basil |
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| Turkey |
Feta |
Spinach |
|
Thyme |
|
| Roast Beef |
Cream Cheese |
Onion |
|
|
Olive Paste |
| Turkey |
Provolone |
Cucumbers |
|
Sage |
Roasted Peppers |
| Salami |
Ricotta |
Tomato |
Spinach |
Rosemary |
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Other Panini Idea's from Chef Gregg:
Panini Ideas To Get You Started:
• Ricotta, Roasted Peppers
• Basil, Mozzarella, Tomato, Balsamic Vinegar
• Eggplant Caponata, Roasted Red Peppers, Goat Cheese
• Prosciutto, Goat Cheese, Arugula
• Pesto Mayonnaise, Chicken, Red Pepper
• Ham, Mushrooms, Gruyere
• Tomato, Mozzarella, Coppa Salami
• Ham, Gruyere, Tomato
• Mozzarella, Tomato, Pancetta
• Ham, Emmental Cheese, Basil
• Tuna, Olives, Anchovies
• Roasted Eggplant, Goat Cheese, Basil
• Tuna, Tomato, Olives, Mozzarella
• Gorgonzola, Red Wine Vinegar, Olive Oil, Mixed Greens
Note I also like to put my sweet onions on top of the bread when I
press, so it grills them and offers a great crust. Clean up is a
breeze as long as your not overdoing the contents of what is in between
the bread. In fact, I really do not need to wipe it down but once
a week. Ham and cheese are another easy one, I just do not like
that combo because that is ALL I ate through college. I see Greg
had to put one in there for ham and cheese. Don't forget the wine!
Ask
Ringo, by Ringo Star
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 Holistic Pet Care Ideas
Keeping Them Safe
(Remote Collar)
Most dogs need to
"run" and not just be walked. It is tough to produce a fenced
in yard, and I often wondered about electric fences.
(too much of a pain.) I found the best way to allow Ringo to
"rule" and run was to buy him a remote collar. It was
the best $250 I ever spent and this gadget has a lifetime guarantee.
It is also water proof. You hold the remote, and if the
dog starts going out of bounds, you can give the dog a "tone"
they do not like. More so, if they are not listening to
"get back here" and a little shockeroo if they are really about to
chase a jogger, poodle, what have you. DO watch the training
tape that comes with it--as you must be consistent with your
commands and prudent with the use of the unit. The shock is no
big deal-I tired it on myself first. I laughed. It does
get your attention. He rarely needs it now after some 10 uses
because he thinks he is going to "get it" when I say NO. He
comes right back no matter what his mission was going to be.
And it allows him to be "him."
My range is 1,000
yards and if you are going to drop the money--just drop the money.
Slightly cheaper is 100 yards. You can always lend this
to friends and new dogs you bring in. As I said, you do not
need it much after a month of use--but I take it along if we are
going to new places, such as a dog park. He may loose his manners.
I feel it saved me a ton of training fees alone. They should
call it "Insta-Behave."
Click here to see the Innottek ADV-1000 system I bought Ringo and
other "Sports" collars. (Not recommended for use on
husbands.)
Eating Possible Toxic
Things
Our philosophy is you should not have to "pay" to learn good pet
care. In The London Apothecary I talk at length about
"Activated Charcoal." It can come in a gel cap and should
be a staple in your pharmacy. It also helps greatly if
your pet (or child) may have been poisoned. Case in point,
Ringo ate something in the bay when I was swimming with him.
He reacted badly and Lord knows what he ate. Good thing he
threw up several times in 30 minutes before I got the drift.
That is a good start. He hit the grass and I hit the
activated charcoal putting 4 gel caps in little cheese hot dogs.
If nothing else this would tide him over to get to the vet and
absorb what toxic stuff he may have consumed. Often, getting
to the vet and hoping they are even there, is the worst part. I
also steamed up some rice with chicken broth to hope that also
absorbed "whatever." Typically inducing vomiting is best
before going for absorption measures. But it has to go in a hot dog or good luck to you.
The Teeth
My former
pets were adopted and spared from being out to sleep for no good
reason. I had no clue of dog care. Having their teeth
cleaned by the vet once a year, is a first good move. Oral
hygiene or lack of a leading cause of disease. Pets too!
Ask any dentist. Ringo came back white as snow and it was $70
well spent. I guess they sedate them to do the job.
The Ears
When your whole dog seems to "reek" it could be just the ears.
Lift them up and have a sniff. It may knock you down. I
put one drop of tea tree oil in both of Ringo's ears about once a
week and massage down into the ear. He hates it--but
has learned to trust me. We swim a lot.
But simple sweat can make for a great environment of bacteria in
their ears.
Healthy Coat
Judea Bentley, one of our editors from Nebraska
suggests to put a teaspoon of coconut oil in a canine's food for over all good
health and a nice coat. I put a tablespoon of flax seed oil
in Ringo's food each day for a great coat.
Shampoo Naturally
We make our own shampoo bars for our pets. Whether you are
using Melt and Pour Soap or Cold Process Soap, great additives
include: Aloe Vera, Avocado Oil, Chamomile (tea),
Castor Oil (for great lather,) Coconut Oil, Nettle Extract, Shea Butter,
Macadamia Oil, Powdered Oatmeal, and/or natural Vitamin E.
A few drops of Lavender or Lemongrass Essential Oil is nice because
insects do not like those scents at all.
Bowel Movements
Keep an eye on
regularity. If Ringo does not "put out" a good part of what he
consumes per day, I get concerned. One week he missed three days
and I whipped out Glycerin suppositories. Inserted a few
gently with some natural wax jelly. This helped greatly and he let
loose. Infants can be the same way. When I used to fly a
lot, I took my infants with me. I noticed they got "uptight" due to
change of environment and would hold for days. That is when I
learned the glycerin trick. Very cheap to buy also.
It is prudent to feed
them high quality dry dog food. I do spoil him and throw a gravy
on. If you did not know it--turkey is NOT good for dogs as well as
chocolate. Most people do not know this. For dogs having a
hard time--until you can see a vet for on going issues--it is canned
pumpkin!
Add canned pumpkin to every meal. The
dosage can range from 1/8 tsp for a small dog to 1/2 tsp for a large
dog, depending upon results. Start with 1/4 tsp for a medium and large
dog, increasing the amount depending on stool results.
Tick Removal
I knew this much because
I had a lovely girlfriend pass away from Lyme disease. We were
horseback riding years ago--and she got bit by a tick. She soon
became ill, and lived for about six years. I just never got over
what a simple tick can do. If you feel a "foreign" bump on any
animal, take a close look at it. Could be a wart--but chances are
better it is a tick. Some do not look "black" they are so far into
the skin. Understandably now, I am the tick terminator. They
are sure gross. But you do not pull them out!!! You
heat a metal object with a lighter so it is really hot (I use my
BBQ skewers) and gently touch the back of the tick. He WILL
let loose and then you can smash him up good. This will not harm
the animal if you aim just at the tick. If you just pull him
out--his legs will remain and cause infection or worse. I check
Ringo once a week, running my hands through his whole body while I watch
TV. Every other week I find one. I also put a drop of tea
tree oil on the afflicted area where the tick was after removal.
Healing Balms
Sandy
Maine, author of many
herbal related books including
Clean
Naturally: Recipes for Body, Home and Spirit
suggests using a glycerin soap base with Calendula, Comfrey and Golden Seal root
to help heal canine wounds. Essential Oils are very powerful, as we
are now just learning, and we suggest you purchase the book above that has the
exact formulas for "Cloud's Healing Soap." (Cloud is the
name of Sandy's Dog.) Sandy also has a cute and practical natural flea
collar recipe, among many other great recipes, that is made up of Essential
Oils
such as Peppermint, Geranium and Rosemary, but as we said the exact amounts are
very important when dealing with Essential
Oils. I prefer a few drops of Tea Tree and Bulgarian
Lavender Essential Oils in my healing salves for Ringo, in a
coconut oil base because coconut oil is natural antimicrobial
and antibacterial.
Healing Bone
Trauma, Hip Dysplasia and Authur-itis
Most of us have heard
Glucosamine and Chondroitin are excellent
anti-inflammatories (for
people too) and we
often dodge for the high end pet food that contains trace amounts.
My vet told me the cheapest and best way to secure this is
to buy the people tabs and stick them in a hot dog. (I call this
the torpedo method--since the cheese hot dogs look like a torpedo.)
Ringo gets one every AM.
Thyroid and Estrogen Issues
Comment by Sylvia, a Mabel Member
There are pills or can come in liquid form
to take that can contain Omega-3, Omega-6, Biotin for example. A
television show suggested sesame oil from the grocery store. My
vet suggested peanut oil that can even be bought in a gallon sized
container at the grocery store when I bulked at the expensive pills I
could have gotten instead. I opted for the peanut oil since it
was the cheapest since we have to buy Thyroid and Estrogen pills for
our dog. I don't measure but it is a teaspoon or slightly less
I mix right in with the dog food each time. I feed my dog three
times a day. My dog had constant rashes. After giving her
the peanut oil, her skin problems have been cut 95%! Her fur is so
soft now. I was told if my dog got stomach upset to start with a
small amount but my dog, Sara, had no problem. Sylvia
Your Pet Medicine Cabinet
Beyond Activated Charcoal Caps, a four ounce
jar of Coconut Oil (to wipe down ears,) and a dropper bottle of
Tea Tree Oil, Glucosamine
and Chondroitin Capsules, you should have
Acepromizine (a prescribed item.)
This is a good sedative in case of emergencies such as needing to calm
the pet to remove something they are not allowing you to remove. In
this rare instance, you can also brush their teeth and get more
cooperation. I am required to use it to sedate my pet if we stay
at a hotel due to hurricane evacuation. And any vet will
understand you want it on hand, because he/she is also not around at
such times.
Click here for our full pet section.
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To Fiadora,
Elizabeth and Stephanie
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These little darlings, 7, 11, and Circle K |
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Turned into these young ladies! |
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Elizabeth, Age 2 |
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Elizabeth, age 22, Massage Therapy and Law
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| (Fiadora
and Stephanie)
And no Mother could
be more proud! Happy Valentines Girls!
Fiadora the Pharmacist, UF
as well as Elizabeth now at FSU. Steph, the youngest,
claims she attends FU, (a joke to her UF alumni sisters)
but actually attends a private college for Forensics.
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~end~
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My
Valentine this year will be to a special person in Cornell
Universities Microbiology Department, and my daughters in college.
