Confessions of a Conversation Heart Hoarder

13 years ago on Feb 9th 2002 my daughter got married and a new granddaughter was born to my son's family.  It was a double dipper day!

So in remembrance of this happy and memorable day I am going to share with you my hoarded stash of candy conversation hearts.

These hearts are the same ones we used to make a decorative center piece on the wedding reception tables.  I have a hard time tossing things out and this jar of candy hearts is one of them.  Always figured there would be a time when I could use them again.  Not to eat mind you but some sort of craft project. They've been stored on the garage shelf just mocking anyone who passes by.  My grandkids would always ask, "How long are you going to keep those things!"  It's been a long standing joke.  Hey I may keep them for when my granddaughter  gets married, you know something OLD something new?  That or a severe candy heart crisis where I will be forced to eat them 😝😁 ha ha!

 

Well now that I am soaping I was looking for inspiration for a Valentine's Day soap and there on the shelf was my answer.  So I made a mold out of honey, glycerin and Knox gelatin to press in the candy hearts.  Once my mold was set, out came the hearts and in went the soap batter.  An experiment that worked out OK and I still have plenty left for my granddaughters big day hopefully about 10 years or so from now 💏 I don't want to rush anything!  

So if you could hazard a guess, how many hearts do you think I have left in my jar?  Whoever guesses the closest wins one of these soap bars.  Winner to be announced on Feb 9th.

Sharing a Father's Day Heritage Story

Todays is Father's Day and I would like to share something about my dad and his dad, Grandpa Brooks.  Dad has been busy writing, researching and gathering his Bryce family heritage and ancestry for his posterity and in doing so he came across a letter written by his dad back in 1954 (before I was born). Dad then shared this with us and I've added a few pictures from the web as follows:

Dear Family,

 

I forward this to you as sort of a token on this Father’s Day, 2014. It is just a sample of my Dad’s occasional writing style.

 

A letter written by Brooks Bryce to a Mr. Eugene Burns, Box 575, Sausalito, California. (Eugene Burns was the author of a series of newspaper articles about nature).

 

June 18, 1954

 

How did the ant know?

 

In my back yard, a few years ago, I noticed a new family of ants building a home. They were of the medium sized red variety. After pouring a good dose of DDT into their main entrance, I stepped back a few feet to watch the results.

 

I finally noticed an ant about three feet from the hole carrying a bread crumb about three or four times his size. He was having quite a struggle getting it thru the closely cut grass. 

Suddenly he stopped, and laid down his bread. He made a right hand turn, and there within about six inches from where he dropped his bread was another ant, very badly crippled. His hind legs probably ruined by one of my two big feet. Well, the first thing he did was to rub noses with the injured ant. Then he walked completely around the cripple, looking him over, slowly and thoroughly. Then a bit more nose rubbing, as if to say, "Cheer up old pal, I'll take care of you".

 

Then he picked him up and started off. Not toward home, but back to where he had left his bread. After pausing long enough to make sure the bread was still there, he started straight for home.

 

Now this is what startled me. After traveling a few inches from the bread, he stopped. He laid his patient down, rubbed his nose, and went back after the bread; returning to his injured pal, partly carrying and partly dragging the bread. He didn't stop to rest. He just stopped for a split second. The injured ant reached out with his powerful jaws, grasped a hind leg of the benefactor, and on they went.

This heroic struggle never stopped for an instant until ants, bread and all tumbled down into that damned DDT I had poured in their home.

I sat there dumfounded at what I had saw. I don't believe it. Yet, it is the truth, so help me. I felt like hell. I should have warned them about the DDT.

What I want to know is this--How did the bread carrier find his injured friend? He couldn't see him for the grass. But he laid down his bread and went right straight to him. He knew he was there, but how?

 

p.s.  

I enjoy your articles very much, and if you answer this one, I have several more questions I want to ask about ants. I have spent many hours watching them. Not on TV, but when I was a kid on day herd or while waiting for the "drive" to come down the canyon.

 

I just love this glimpse into my grandpa Brooks' thoughts and feelings about nature.  This was more than just an observation of the ants but also of his interaction with them and how he felt after watching their struggle and how he truly empathized them.  Feeling the brotherhood of the ants behavior of "leaving no man behind" and even feeling remorse for his part in their pains, struggles and ultimate demise.  

I am especially grateful today for my dad, my grandparents, my earthly heritage and my divine heritage as a child of God.  My love to you all this day. 

 

HSCG Conference

Last week I attended my first Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetics Guild conference held at the fabulous Loews Ventana Canyon resort in Tucson. What a treat!!  

First up was a Soaping 101 class with our fabulous teacher Cathy McGinnis. If you follow soapmaking at all you I'll find Carhy's fabulous Soaping101 how to videos on YouTube.  Even though it was a beginners course I was more interested in her teaching methods and I wanted a refresher course for the test I would be taking later that day to become a "Certified" soap maker.  Which I did. Ta Da!!  

I also met a few new friends.

Sam and I got to hang out often and the great thing is that she lives close by in nearby Chandler. We both passed! 

There was a lot of great food, classes, fellow soapers, awesome teachers, and cool vendors who gave us lots of freebies, Thank you!  I can't wait to get started with some new products and techniques. 

The view at this resort is amazing with a little trail that leads to a waterfall.  I spied this awesome cardinal and his mate, plus the usual rabbits, quail and cactus wrens, and night swallows that look like bats.  We also were able to see the night sky through a telescope and saw Jupiter with its numerous moons. So cool.

There were some cool soaps on display. This one made me laugh. It was bacon soap that totally smelled like bacon. Eeewww.  I can't imagine actually washing with it. I think all the dogs in the neighborhood would be running to great (or eat) me! 

Did I mention all the vendors selling products?  I did order some pizza flavoring for lip balms. They totally nailed it!  Figure the younger peeps (boys and girls) would go for it. 

Some things I learned in a nut shell. From Dr Shukla; We need lots of Omega 3 (best) or Omega 9 in our diet or as body products. Our skin and brain will love you for it.  

Nerds (lye) and Cheerleaders (oil) need each other in order to make soap. This from Kevin Dunn the scientist who knows his soap inside and out and does numerous testing on it.  Quit stressing over ph levels. It's the alkali levels that matter and you need alkali in proper amounts for soap to be soap. Too low and you lose all cleansing properties. Too high and you will itch like crazy.  

Also from the Brits; Facebook is the number 1 social networking tool...use it!😊 

That's it for now. Later today I will be making a special Eucalyptus soap for my SIL Cathy Salazar aka #Feetsondaseats from Bakersfield. 👣👣👣 

Lulu, Our Little Chicken Tenderer

One of my favorite things to do is to go over to the Hunt's to play outside with the grandkids.  Dacey Lu and Cuyler race to the chicken coop and we make sure they are fed, watered, and eggs gathered.  Sometimes we let the ladies out to roam around for good greens and bugs to eat. 

 Dacey loves picking them up and holding them.  One day I was able to capture some photos from my iPhone and knew right away that I wanted to try painting a watercolor.  It's not exactly right but I think it captures the moment.  I also need more practice.

Creosoap: Arizona's Fragrant Rain Soap

Almost any native Arizonan will recognize this fragrant bush, Creosote. It's what makes the desert valley smell so good after a rainfall.  I just taught my brother Kevin how to soap and he experimented by infusing the creosote in oils and making soap out of it. He dubbed his invention: Creosoap.  

I just had to try this myself and so Kevin brought me some creosote and we infused it in oils.  

I ended up with this:

The brown soap color is a natural reaction from the creosote and has a cool leather look.  I then found an old rubber stamp with my grandpa Brooks Bryce's name and thought it would be fitting to stamp the soap in honor and remembrance of him.  

Grandpa Brooks loved the desert and was in his element roaming it's valleys, plateaus and mountains.  He would find artifacts from prior desert dwellers (artifacts that now reside in the Pima museum), rocks in all their varieties were on display on the walls and shelves of their home, and some of the most pretty ones were displayed on a shelf with a black light to illuminate the crystals.  As kids we used to love looking at these treasures he unearthed. 

My dad says he used to bring in creosote branches and put them in the evap cooler to get that special desert rain smell and so apparently we all inherited that trait from him, this love for the desert.  Don't care for the rattlers at all but the smell, now that's a whole different thing. Ahhhh! 

Creosoap captures some of that fragrance and although it's not quite as good as the real thing, it does have that hint of desert rain.

New Soaps for Your Viewing Pleasure

Cedar wood Blast $5

Sugary Sweet $4

Love me Some Cranberry Fig $4

Avocado Lemon $5

Blue Boy limewood scented $4

And introducing Sweet Dreams a sweet garden blend. $5

If interested in purchasing send me a message or call me. 

Balm of Gilead Completed

Merry Christmas to All. May we always remember Our Savior,Jesus Christ the True Master Healer and Balm of Gilead to our souls.

Balm of Gilead

This Christmas Season I thought I would write about "Balm of Gilead".  It is something that was stuck in my mind since last Sunday.  If you've never heard of it, it is mentioned several times in the scriptures.  The bible dictionary defines it as follows;

BALM OF GILEAD

An aromatic gum or spice used for healing wounds (Gen. 43:11; Jer. 8:22; 46:11; 51:8). A bush producing the resin from which the balm was made grew so plentifully in Gilead in Old Testament times that the balm came to be known as the “balm of Gilead” (Gen. 37:25; Ezek. 27:17).

There is also a hymn we sing that mentions this balm. It can be a physical ointment or in this case the healing ointment is compared to the healing that comes when we unburden ourselves to our Heavenly Father in prayer. 

Ere you left your room this morning,

Did you think to pray? …

When your soul was full of sorrow,

Balm of Gilead did you borrow

At the gates of day?

Oh, how praying rests the weary!

Prayer will change the night to day.

So, when life gets dark and dreary,

Don’t forget to pray

So now, isn't it something that in one of soap researching sessions on the internet, I stumbled upon an article of how to make your own balm of Gilead from the buds of a cottonwood tree. It's not the original balm but is as close to it as it comes. The buds are picked in the winter and are resinous. When infused in olive oil, the resin is extracted and you end up with a healing oil that has many beneficial properties.

Well guess what Clayton has in his yard...yep Cottonwood trees!  I checked them out on Thanksgiving and they still have their leaves as winter has not yet hit us here.  However there were some dead branches on the ground and when I looked at them guess what I found, resinous dried buds!!!  Score!  

My little buddy Cuyler helped gather the buds. He is all for oils that heal. I carry my essential oils with me and for awhile every time I came over he and Dacey would show me their ant bites or boo boo's that needed a little lavender love.  

Into the mini crockpot they went and I covered them with olive oil where they were warmed to extract the resin.  These buds have a pleasant scent to them as well. The instructions say to keep them in a jar for as long as you want and for better infusion. 

I think I'll try my hand at making a balm out of the oils after they have sufficiently infused and I will let you know how it goes.  Wish me luck!

Current Stock of Soaps

I'm trying out some new scents and boy are they good!  Introducing Pear Butter

Hot Chocolate

Cherry Almondine (think Jergen's lotion)

and some other favorites like Peppermint, Lavender and Lemon Citrus Blast.  Mmmm mmmm good and good for your skin.  

Also introducing Pine Tar soap that is traditionally used for problem skin, eczema, etc.  Give it a whirl and tell me what you think.  The packaged Grandpas  Soap is an authentic bar from days gone by.  

And I also have a shampoo bar for your pet. Loaded with skin and hair loving oils and essential oils to leave your pet smelling fresh and clean. 

If interested in these they are $5 per bar plus any shipping and tax. 

Soap, Soap and More Soap!

I've been a little busy lately in making lots of soap for Grandma's Attic Boutique that is just right around the corner.  Come see me if you can.  😀

Pine Tar Soap

The other day I went to a vintage sale and found this old bar of Grandpa's Wonder Pine Tar soap that I just had to get for comparison to my freshly made bars.  

This is my first batch of pine tar soap and   the soaps are supposed to be really great for problem skin areas. I can't make any medical claims but from what I've read and heard from experienced soapers, this soap does work wonders. 

My granddaughter tried it out where her glasses rub on her nose and creates reddened areas. She said it cleared up her nose right away but that it was a bit smelly.  She is right about that however It's worth a try if you do have skin issues.  Update:  My teenaged grandson has also started using it and his acne is clearing up. This stuff really works!

Naked Mummy Soap

Introducing the Naked Mummy. I received my inspiration for this soap from this website.... http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/ghosts-of-mummies-past-tutorial

Underneath all that mummy wrapping is a plain, naked bar of soap made with aloe vera vitamin juice, tallow, olive oil, coconut oil, rice bran oil and cream. No colorants or fragrances added, just au naturale!  Selling for $5 a bar. 

R.I.P. Halloween Soap Tubs - Freshly Poured

Pumpkin Lager Bars

These bars smell like they are freshly baked from the oven and are extra creamy.

Lemon Dream Bars with Poppy Seed Sprinkles