Spring Cleaning...

I've been trying all kinds of "organic" and green cleaners around the house. Seventh Generation isn't bad in some instances... but I'm not fond of their dish soap; hardly suds', I don't feel like anything is getting clean, AND you have to use too much of it! I guess as a society of using things that "suds up"... if something doesn't suds up enough, then we don't feel like it's cleaning very well. All these "suds" come from using coconut in the ingredients. Coconut oil or coconut-based "surfactants" (used by most commercial cleansers). I've been using the laundry soap and softener; the softener especially after I learned Mrs. Meyer's Dryer Sheets weren't softening the laundry. I like the laundry soap & softener, but my towels aren't as soft (as using Shaklee's Get Clean Laundry Soap). I've been using the Seventh Generation laundry products as a less expensive alternative to another series of products that I really like (Shaklee Get Clean), and for the money and it's not a bad choice.

But before I get to the Shaklee products... I'd like to comment on Clorox Green Works. I've been using this cleaner around the house, on the walls, in the tub, and toilet. I like how effective it is... green as well as cleans (well), it's affordable, and has a nice scent too! (I've used the Original scent plus Tangerine.) It appears that other users, like the Sierra Club are also "pro" for this product, which is really a plus+. Their A-P (all purpose) Cleaner is a MAJOR PLUS in my book -- it cleans everything! The stove, the countertops, the walls... just about everywhere! A pet peeve I have about some of these "green" products is they don't list the ingredients on the label. But Green Works does! I like that; I want to know what's in something I'm using whether it be a cleanser for the home or my body (especially my body!)!

A lot of people want to "go green" but a lot of people feel that it's expensive to "go green"... and I feel Clorox Green Works is a nice, affordable way to achieve those green goals for many people. I hope they decide to come out with a Laundry Soap... '-)

Above I mentioned Shaklee's Get Clean products. They are a little pricier, but buying one bottle of Basic H2 (an A-P cleaner) and using a few DROPS mixed with a spray bottle of water to clean your house (a little more for windows), just goes to show you how LONG you will have that one bottle. I bought a bottle of it last year and I STILL haven't bought another bottle since! And the Laundry soap... I purchased the largest box which if you measure it out equally for each wash, you should get about 84 washings out of it... that box lasted 7 MONTHS!! I don't have any laundry soap that has EVER lasted 7 MONTHS! Have you?? They also have this wonderful little compound, Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste (made from pitted cherries I think)... I've cleaned boats with this product! It's SUPER on fiberglass... gets all kinds of stains out, especially rust, and it's o.k. for the water ... and works wonderfully on the tub & tile as well! If you'd like to try Shaklee products, contact me. Their products work GREAT for the home as well as the body!

Of course, if you're not into any of the store-bought green cleaners, you can always mix vinegar or baking soda with warm water and still have just as good a cleanser! This way is rather economical and eliminates all those various bottles under the sink!

So... DO Tell what your favorite cleaning product is! These products I've described are available here. Maybe there are others available that I'm not aware of! Please share with us your experiences!

Feel Free to Visit: Seventh Generation, Green Works, Shaklee

Trying some *New* Things...

I've been away... went up to NJ to visit family and had a really NICE time! Also enjoyed visiting my favorite shopping area: New Hope, PA... an artsy quaint town in Bucks County, PA, right on the Delaware, across the river from another favorite town, Lambertville, NJ. I met a friend in New Hope, besides having lunch, we perused the shops. I hadn't shopped there in 20 years!! LONG TIME!! LOL But... it was fun to see which shops had stood the test of time and which ones moved on or closed entirely. This was the type of town that had the quintessential bong shop (and I think I still saw part of it in the Vintage store on the corner!) amongst other artsy shops, eateries, and of course, the best ice cream shop in the valley!

A wonderful shop we stopped into was Strawberry Jam... the owners have been running this beautiful little shop in the same location for 35 years! It seemed like a quaint shop with lots of exotic cards, glass, vintage jewelry, and bath products (my kind of store!). Most of the bath products weren't organic or handmade, but they sure did smell good! They featured a soap from Portugal -- HUGE bars with very colorful wrappings and wonderful scents... but a little on the pricey side. One product from Stonewall Kitchen in Maine was Lavender Mint soap... had to bring a bar of this home to try. I just checked out their website... and they have SO MUCH MORE than just soap! :-D Lots of yummy looking pancake & waffle mixes (m-m-m-m-m!)... seems like they have lots of cooking/specialty foods, things for the kitchen/home, and I finally found the soap... under "Fine Home Keeping"... that's a New one (shown at right)! Lots of all natural products and essential oils in this soap plus Shea butter. They also have a nice selection of gifts for Mother's Day, which is right around the corner!

Another shop we stopped into called Heart of the Home had a lot of pottery from various U.S. artists, unique handmade purses w/rather exotic pictures, soap & body products (another +++ for me!), handmade jackets, 2 garden rooms with outdoor treasures, two floors of perusing -- I LOVED IT!! LOL My original reason for going into this shop was for a handmade mug I saw in another store (being used by the owner). Although I was interested in possibly purchasing this handmade mug, it was a little out of my budget. Instead of a handmade mug... I found this collection of organic soap that I found on the internet a few weeks prior called "Fraiche" (pronounced "fresh"). A little on the pricey side, but I figured this was my (only) opportunity to try it -- bite the bullet & buy it!! As soon as I do try it, I'll fill you in. But the Set of 3 soaps I purchased (similar to that shown above right): bare naked/lavender fields/soothe me smell really awesome, and are all finished off naturally on the top portion of the soap (Bare Naked bar at left). You'll see more when you visit the website! These are definitely organic soaps, and they promise "an unforgettable bathing experience"! I'll let you know... :-D LOL Another product I found that I did purchase for my Mom was a Lotion Bar made entirely of Shea butter from Footbridge. What a WONDERFUL bar this is (shown at right)! Just rub it right on to your dry skin and the shea butter sinks right in! She loved it and I can't wait to get one for myself! '-D LOVE the Dragonfly!! LOL

I perused a few of the shops on my own after my friend left to go back to the Philadelphia area. I lingered as long as possible, enjoying the cool air and the warmth of being in an area of which many past fond memories were created... always wanted to live there, one never knows what the future holds! '-) But I hope it doesn't take me 20 years to get back there again! LOL

Conclusion(s): The Fraiche soap: Bare Naked. Very nice soap, no grittiness, nice scent... great on my dry skin. If the cost of it doesn't kill you, try it! Actually, the best way to try it is to buy the "Trilogy". Then you get (3) 1/2 bars and you pay roughly $6.25/bar. Each bar lasts approx. 5 days on the average person. :-)

Note: I also found the Fraiche soap at The Gallery at Morada Bay in Islamorada.

Visit: Strawberry Jam, Stonewall Kitchen, Fraiche, Footbridge, and Heart of the Home

Show & Tell...

When one talks about their art or expertise and uses names of techniques (like glass casting, glass powders, hot mosaics, etc.), others have no clue as to what we're talking about! So, today I'll tell you about "Frit"... and glass powders. What is Frit? Frit is/are little pieces of glass. There are (3) different types available: Powder/Fine, Medium, & Course. I've used medium & course Frit in my jewelry, some sprinkled here or there, but I've hardly used powders. Here's an example (upper right) of the kinds of "frit" available.

One of the classes I took at the Glass Expo explored the use of glass powders (or fine frit) on different bases: black glass, white glass, clear glass -- this can be an extensive process, as there are different types of glass Frit available in the (3) sizes of Frit, and there are a variety of colors available as well! Once the design is created on the base glass, then it needs to be fired in the kiln. So, just for starters... here are 6 samples I created that explore the use of powders & frit, as well as certain papers, and faux techniques. Completing these samples allows me to see how certain colors show up (or not) on various bases, how the colored powder is layered (how much should be applied), what effects I can create, what happens when I mix various colors together. Notes are also kept with each of these. On to more testing...

Visit: Starry Night Creations

New Creative Directions...

Just came back from the Glass Craft & Bead Expo out in Las Vegas!! What a wonderfully creative trip it was!! So much information to digest between the classes and the exhibits. I took a few classes in hot mosaics as well as exploring glass powders and its use in glass fusing. I also learned more about glass casting and it's application to the ideas I have floating around in my head!!

There's certainly some experimenting of all to be done '-D ... but above is something I created entirely out of glass which combines the craft of mosaic and the art of fused glass, in addition to a textural highlight or two! This is entitled "Lighthouse Shore". It's certainly more beneficial to view this in person, especially the "water" that the sailboat is sailing on. I had a lot of fun designing & creating this... but it was certainly quite a bit of work at the same time... my fingers can attest to that! LOL

The artist who taught the above project (Christine Stewart) was actually a fused glass dichroic jewelry creator also, then she moved into glass mosaics. I'd LOVE to show you her beautiful work but unfortunately she doesn't have a website. But she HAS authored 5 books relating to the subject!! I hope to create things myself in such a powerful yet subtle way that allows the Universe to introduce many more exciting possibilities!

Stay tuned for more *new* creations...

Visit: Starry Night Creations