Soap Give-a-way @ RBK Designs

Hi friends and family.
I wanted to let you all know that my friends over at
RBK Designs
are doing a give away for 2 bars of my hand crafted cold process soap this week.
The give away goes on until Wednesday 8-12 so hurry on over and
make a posting on her blog to enter.
Be sure to read about additional ways to gain entries!

PS: She has a great Etsy shop as well
so stop by there and see her amazing BUTTON bouquets!

New Etsy Shop *OPEN* - Where Water Comes Down

Etsy Buy Handmade WhereWaterComesDown

Hack Attack...

WE INTERRUPT YOUR IRREGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOGGING TO TELL YOU ::

Laundry Soap - I made my own

Yes, this is the mess I made making my own Laundry Soap... It didn't take long at all.

This is my recipe:

1 Bar Zote Soap
1 Bar Fells Naptha Soap
* shred in the food processor, this is about 6 cups
2 Cups Borax
2 Cups Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
* Shred it all up together into a finer powder and you are done!

Use 2 Table Spoons per load.
My whites came out WHITER!

New Soap Blog (additional)

Where Water Comes Down

Check it out and be sure to mark it in your google reader to keep up!

Loves!

CP Soap Batch #2 - Vanilla Cinnamon Poppyseed Swirl

This is soap batch #2:

Vanilla - for the sent
Cinnamon - for the color
Poppyseed - for texture/exfoliation
Swirl - for making it really pretty!

This the first time I have tried coloring, and additive and swirling.
"They" say only try one new thing at a time.
I figured I could handle adding a little cinnamon AND making swirls.
I think I read that the color of the soap may change as it cures.
I hope it gets darker.

Ahhhh... and the lovely mess left behind. Just like baking!

My "M's" boss back from Paris

My boss "M" at "M's" came back from Paris today... well came back to work from being in Paris for the past week. She brought back the **sweetest** treat!

Macaroons from Laduree!
Evidently they are famous for their macaroons.
They decorate cakes with them and have a "champagne and macaroon bar" to boot!

The flavors were/are as follows:
Red: Raspberry *so amazing*
Brown1: Chocolate
Brown2: Chocolate
(I'm sure they were different chocolates but both equally amazing)
Yellow: Lemon
Cream: Vanilla
Turquoise: Lavender... yes I said Lavender. I did not finish this one. I can't eat lavender. lol

Who knew that Macaroons were so amazing?
Now I know!

Cold Process Soap Making

So I decided I wanted to learn to make soap.

I started with a few things from Michaels only to be bored with the "melt and pour" method they sell supplies for.

I graduated quickly to Cold Process Soap Making.
This is the process that uses Lye.
I spent about a week hunting down all the oils and the Lye.
Evidently it is quite commonly used to make meth.

Darn those illegal drugs for making it difficult for me to craft!

I ended up buying the lye from a chemical distributor locally.

(if you happen to live in the DFW area and need lye give me a holler and we can work something out... maybe a trade? I have 50lbs... that will last me a lifetime of soap making)

Last night I made my first batch.

Tonight I cut it.

Now it gets to sit and "cure" for 4 weeks! ha
Guess I better get busy making soap for selling since it takes weeks to cure!

I did not add any color to the first batch but it is a yummy Coconut Lime scent.

Etsy Progress Report

It has been about 1.5 months since I opened my Etsy Shop, Nikobee. Today I had my 5th sale... literally one month to the day that I had my first sale. I have some work to do on my shop (better photos) this weekend. I also have some yummy pink and green Merino to spin up, a custom order for my sister K.

I am also contributing to the Phat Fiber Sample Box for the first time in June. Be sure and check it out.
Our theme this month is "Oceanic".
I am contributing Superwash Merino that has been custom dyed in the "Whirling Tides" colorway. Some of my "Whirling Tides" samples might include some "Drift Wood" OR "Seaweed" :) I also have plans for one of my samples to have a hidden treasure inside it.

Have you ever gone to the beach and lost a "treasure"? Maybe it was a cherrished piece of jewelry...... a valuable trinket... or ???

maybe you found your LOST object among the "Whirling Tides", "Drift Wood", "Seaweed" OR while gazing at the "Coral Sunset" ...

One can only hope all is not LOST.

* A teaser of my Phat Fiber Contribution will be posted at www.nikobee.blogspot.com
Be on the look out!

www.nikobee.etsy.com GRAND OPENING!

Attention!
Attention!
Can I have the attention of my 5 friends and family members who read this blog!

I am proud to present:


www.nikobee.etsy.com


My shop is officially open for business!

I will be selling fiber goods: fiber for spinning your own yarn, hand spun yarn by yours truly and tools for fiber working.


Soon I will have listings on my sister etsy site for
vintage goods/supplies/hand made goodies and what nots.

www.nikobee2.etsy.com


I'm certain most of you that know me right now will not be shopping on the first site but please take a look at what I an offering and soon you will be able to shop the

Nikobee2

Etsy shop.

* Sorry links are not working right now and I can't fix them. Just type in the address and it will take you to my shop!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade nikobee.etsy.com

Unfortunatley

I saw this on "The Lark" Blog and had to do it myself.

Google "Unfortunately, Nicki" only insert your own name and see what comes up.
You have to use the quote marks.
Here is my list:

Unfortunately, Nicki blew her engine and did not get to compete; however, she did get to give the command to “start your engines”.

Unfortunately, Nicki was the first to discover that Robert Henderson was not quite the charmer he appeared to be.

Unfortunately, Nicki has suffered a recent near-death experience and, upon her return to the mortal plane, discovers that she's acquired a somewhat ...

Unfortunately, Nicki could not attend. Instead, she sent me as the proxy slam master to represent her (which I will go on record as saying is a very tough ...

Unfortunately, Nicki did not like how close we were to them. They were a bit too loud for her and she wanted me to "turn off the fireworks". ...

Unfortunately, Nicki really got under Andy's skin and he still thinks about her, even three years later

Unfortunately Nicki is a sicky lady so she couldn't go surfing abooo. ...

Unfortunately Nicki can’t talk and let us know if she would welcome giving up her role as the sole queen of the house in order to gain the companionship of ...

Unfortunately, nicki has decided to un-toilet train himself.

Unfortunately, Nicki is real.


Ha! The last 3 are my favorites!

Twisted Tuesday

What was on the wheel today?
50%Colonial Wool/50% Bamboo
From my previous post.. this was my first hand carded bats.


Purple (Colonial) & White (Bamboo)

Pluckyfluff - Handspun Revolution

Pluckyfluff
Handspun Revolution

I ordered this book last weekend and got it on Saturday.
It's a simple read.
Soon I will be making
*fancier*
Yarn ART!

Our Primary Colors are One, Two, Three....

RED, YELLOW & BLUE

Rosemary, Cilantro & Lavender

Darn stinking cute pots from WM!

Super Sample Sale SATURDAY!!

Ok so the picture in the middle below is ALL the stuff I got.
ALL the outer pictures are JUST the
Tim Holtz
things!
Check him out... he is a doll.
Anyway we carry his Scrapbooking stuff at M's and Saturdays Sample Sale was a
HUGE Score!

Grunge Board/Plain, Alphabets, Flourishes
Fragments
Sprocket Gears
Muse Tokens
Philosophy Tags
Hitch Fasteners
Texture Hammers
Sanding Grip
Word Keys
Trinket Pins
Swivel Clasps
Adage Tickets
Masks

I also got TONS of paper, a few rugged frames and some small things like scissors, glue, iron on adhesive and stick on ruler tape!
Fun Day and for only 30 bucks.
PS. 3 of the Tim Holtz items would easily add up to 30 bucks!

Fiber Friday

What's on the wheel?

The purple, Ashland Bay, Merino Wool.

What is recently off the wheel?
The gray, Ashland Bay Merino Wool

Setting the twist (above). Yes the jar of sauce fell.. a few times and didn't break! Then it fell again, didn't break, or so I thought. I carried it to the kitchen and realized the seal was broken... I played with the button that was now undone and that forced a piece of glass loose and now I have RED Spaghetti Sauce Stained carpet in my dining room! Time to call Mike...
(Next time I won't use a weight that is breakable!)

Close up of the yarn.
Two hanks.
1 @ 78 Yards
1 @ 80 Yards



Currently on the bobbins...

I have to take it off soon so I can spin the Batts I just carded (below).

50% Colonial Wool & 50% Bamboo

It is a dark Purple Colonial Wool and the White is Bamboo.... a little more Bamboo than I think I really want in a blend but this was the first time so I will see how it goes... I just might like it!!

Custom Kitchen Aid

We have a brand new Market Street grocery store in Coppell and I was browsing their "gift" section and found these.
Don't you just LOVE them?

Fiber Frenzie

Some of the fiber I purchased this weekend and last.
I think I am going to spin up the black & white next.

Saturday is a special day....

It's the day we buy fiber and spin it!Merino (above)

Merino & Tencel (the solid orange on the left). The Merino from above photo spun up on the spool. I plyed them together and it is the second from the bottom in the last photo.

The above ball of yarn is the outside of the picture below.
Yes, they look totally different :)

I took this photo when I was in the middle of winding the ball so this is the beauty inside!

It's 12:30pm and tonight that means it is really 1:30am Sunday MORNING!!!
UGH I have got to get to bed...
but not before I show you what I spun up tonight.This is the "yarn ball tower" of everything I spun up tonight.

Who goes there?

This is my desk.

well, part of it....

Yesterday I was working and looked up to find this little guy staring at me.

We are always finding quirky little things in the office and often present
(surprise/scare/taunt)
them at/to one another.
I left Sylvia a handful of really ugly feathers on sticks in an
ALREADY UGLY
flower arrangement at her desk.

She decided to leave me a little gift.

HE NEEDS A NAME... ANY IDEAS?

A place we should not have been...

Have you ever gone somewhere and
KNOWN
you did not belong and were not really all that welcome?

This past Saturday Brian and I went to a little town (which shall remain nameless) not far from where he lives. We completed our task/shopping/adventure and needed nourishment.
We inquired as to a "good B-B-Q joint" and were promptly directed to .....It was prefaced by
"It looks like a shack but is suppose to be the best B-B-Q in the state of TEXAS!"

followed by....
"I have never been there...."

We decided to "go there"

We were totally game ... and hungry.

We knew from the moment we walked in the door that we had no business being there!

We enjoyed our meal... nothing to rave about ...and left quickly.

I personally like Dad's B-B-Q
MUCH
better.

You spin me right round baby, right round... like a record baby....

Shattered

There will be no photo with this post as I couldn't bring myself to take a picture. A few moments ago I was rummaging through my tiny kitchen cabinet and a HUGE can of soup fell out and landed on my collection of Pie Birds. :(

I wanted to cry.

I still might.

Two of my black birds were shattered into unrecognizable pieces. Two of my tiny whistle birds were also broken. I'm not as sad about the whistle birds because they are just a little china trinket from an old vendor/friend.

I'm most sad about my Pie Birds because they are rare and hard to find.

I am however relieved that my Mammy & Pappy pie birds survived as well as one Black Bird and one Brown Bird.

*Sigh*

I think I am going to take a nap.

I hate tiny apartment kitchens and Progresso soup.

Spinning 101

Ok so it wasn't my first time Spinning.

I have owned my Wheel (Ashford Kiwi) for about 4 years now and only spun about three different times/pieces of roving.

I arranged to take a spinning class from Cindy at Jacob's Reward Farm.

Here are my singles on the wheel.

We spent two hours together and she taught me to ply!

My plied fiber on the wheel.

On the niddy noddy.

My beautiful Skein!

My yarn (and fingers) are spotlighted on Cindy's Bog.
Check them out!