Baby Soap Dilemma

I have a dilemma on how to present the baby soap I make.  I finally made soap without fragrance, coloring, or any additives.  All that is in my soap is coconut oil, goat milk, lye, sunflower oil, water, shea butter, coco butter.   Over 5% coco butter and over 6% shea butter are in the soap.  The lye dissipates when the suponification of the oils, water, and lye takes place.  This is a very gentle soap and it is great for anyone to use, not just babies.  I made it in a round mold. 

 NOTE: It took a lot of control for me not to put glitter on it.  LOL  

Back to the dilemma, how do I wrap the soap?  I wanted something a little different.  Pink would be OK.  I know all babies are not girls, but the mama's are.  I thought about cupcake wrappers, paper doilies, fabric, fabric yo-yo, wedding netting for rice, etc.  I usually use a pink organza bag for my others soaps and it is see through.  Most of my soaps have color, design, and/or glitter in or on them.  It is more important to see through and the bags and be able to smell the soap.  These baby bars are plain, so there really is not a need to see them.  I would hate for them to be dirty when given as a gift, so I do not want to leave them bare.

What are your thoughts on my little dilemma?  I usually get so carried away with the little things that I miss a lot of the bigger things in life.  However, you know as a potential purchaser of my soap, I spend much time trying to get the ingredients, and presentation right for you.  Thank you for any and all comments.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  Blessings!  Dawnie

 

This is the plain bar of round baby soap.

Different options I tried.

These two are with pink and blue cupcake wrappers and round rice/wedding netting.

This is the way the back looks with gingham cupcake liners and netting.  I only used a round sticker, but I usually use a label with the ingredients listed.

This sample has a yo-yo formed over it, a red rose plastic button for the center, and a pink Custer Cottage ribbon hanging from the center.  My favorite, but this fabric is impossible to find.  I would probably use a variety of fabric and buttons, so it would match any gifts, decor, and work for boys or girls.

I tried fabric and a sticker, but the sticker does not stick.  Usually one glue dot would not be large enough and would the labels get stuck together in a shop?  I have seen people use glue and glue the fabric to soap.  This makes me wonder what is in the glue and would it contaminate my soap?

I tried paper and that will work, but I may need a little less stiff paper than the regular paper.  The yo-yo sample on the right is much prettier don't you think.  I just used my Custer Cottage pink bubble stickers for these samples.

I Have Pastel Eggs!!!

I have been waiting for the Easter Egg hens to lay pastel eggs.  We gave 2 of our bunch to a friend and his hen or hens have been laying blue eggs for a week or longer.  Today, not only did I get one pastel egg, but I got two!  It is a light green-blue color.  I collected 7 eggs this evening and that is a big collection for us.  We get normally about 3 or 4 eggs on a regular day.  Since the eggs have a little green tint, does t hat mean I will be eating my greens when I eat one of these eggs?   

This morning I heard 4 little crows.  One of our 5 new chickens developed into a rooster................I have not identified the one yet.  I am sure it will be the prettiest one, MoEtta, (named for her Mohawk), or the littlest one, Mini Me.

 Blessings!  Dawnie

Please excuse the night glare in the photos.  I was anxious to show you the eggs.  The bottom 2 are the pastel eggs.

This cabinet is a light blue color and I thought you could see how the color of the eggs look next to the cabinet.

 

Relocating a Rooster to Old Goat (Relocation) Ranch and other misc. ramblings

One of our chicks developed into a rooster despite the sexing tests they did prior to sending the chicks to us.  It is not 100% accurate. The tester will mostly determine the sex of the chick by careful observation of the chick.  Some breeds are easy to test and others are not.  The testers may look at wing feathers, the vent, or the color of the chick to determine the sex of the chick.  This is not the first rooster we received from a purchase of girls chicks and it probably will not be the last.  We have a friend that lives in the country and we re-locate our roosters to his ranch.  In Wichita, we are not allowed to have more than 12 hens and roosters are allowed.  (To have 12 hens, you need a special permit and yes, I have one.)  Roosters do not only crow in the mornings and they can be quite loud!  The kids were asked take pictures of the rooster in his new home environment and show his beauty.  Most of the real pretty chickens are the roosters.  A hen at the ranch just hatched two chicks a few days ago.  A pictures of the chicks are included with the photos.  The mother hen is not in any of the photos.  She must be hiding from us.  LOL  She is a Golden Laced Wyandotte.  The daddy is a Buff Orpington.  One chick is light and one is dark.  It will be interesting to see how they turn out as they develop into big hens or roosters.  Here are pictures of the country and the animals.   

Unfortunately you get to see Daddy Long Legs in the container we used to transport him in.  The next picture shows a sliver of him, but you can't see his true beauty.  The red on the comb is a very vibrant red and the black tail feathers shine with blue and green colors when the light hits them just right.

The girl to the left was raised with the rooster for a couple of months.  I think they will remember each other.

Proud papa.....missing a few tail feathers in a mishap.

Young female cow

3 goats

Dylan and Amanda

I have been trying to develop little ways to use old decorating magazines.  I strip many of the magazines and keep the good idea pages.  What do you do with the rest??? I have decoupaged with cut out photos of flowers, gardens, and other nature from my magazines.  I made little boxes to use as gift boxes with magazine pages.  With the enormous amount of magazines I have, these ideas are not too helpful at eliminating my stacks.  I tried making paper roses and placing glitter on the edges.  This works OK too, but I still need to find more uses for my magazines.  The landfill is not really where I want them to end up.  In my latest attempt, I used scrapbook cutting gadgets and I cut circles with a decorative edge.  I cut 3" circles and placed a 2" circle of another color inside.  Most of the center circles were made from scrapbook paper.  In the center of these two papers, I placed a brad.  I used fancy schmancy brads, but plain or hand painted would work just as well.  Mine were purchased from: http://www.eyeletoutlet.com/.  This is an easy way to decorate a plain sack -- just punch a hole with the brad or use a paper punch and attach the decoration through the hole.

Granny Square Chair.  Do you have a wing that needs a new look due to the uglies or worn upholstery? Try this idea: http://www.novita.fi/public/File/isoaidinnelio_tuoli2.pdf   
You could adapt the idea to fit most any chair. This is not my idea, I found it on the internet.  

I hope you are all having a wonderful week.  Blessings to you and yours!  Dawnie

Family, chicken pets, flower garden, and a quiet evening at home.

My family is a little nuts at times.  I have proof for you captured on video...............  Our chickens are our pets.

I like the Mandy flower too............

I like a garden that looks a little unkept.  I like the vines growing up the house and flowers all around.  They don't all flower at the same time.  Roses, hollyhocks, and peonies are my favorite flowers.  I  guess I am an old fashioned girl!

I have placed the re-batched goat milk soap in bags.  I placed 2 in each bag and tied the bags up with ribbon and string.  I then placed a goat button on the tie.  What do you think?

I hope you had a great day and you were able to share your blessings with friends and family!  Dawnie

Soap Stamps, Baby Hats, Goat Buttons, Pencils..................

I have several things to update you on.  I finally received my soap stamps in the mail.  The postage was free and they came from overseas.  I was able to use them with some of my resent re-batched goat milk soap.  Some of the bars were too hard to use the stamps on them.  I had some bright blue mica to dip the stamp in it so small areas of the stamp would not stick and it would leave a prettier impression.  All of us like to make pretty impressions.  LOL

I finished making two baby hats this week.  One of them is knitted and one of them is crocheted.  I have a special friend that will receive them and we do not know what sex the baby is, so I am trying to make gender neutral hats.  I find it easier to make girlie things though................

 
I ordered a small amount of goat buttons.  I would prefer a brownish color, but this is all I was able to find.  I wanted to place the goat on a string or ribbon tie around the wrapping of the goat milk soap.  They are more of a cartoon looking goat.  Do you think they are easy to identify as a goat?

I also received some promotional pencils in the mail.  They are lovely.  Of course, they are pink.  They have my business name and phone number on.

I have been viewing several blogs lately.  I noticed that they place several pictures of one object in his or her blog.  Do you want more pictures of what I make, less, or do I put the right amount in my blog posts?  I also have noticed other blogs doing Wordless Wednesdays or other days such as that where they post photos from around the farm, home, etc.  Do you like those?  I would be glad to post pictures of the chickens and dogs if you would enjoy the pictures.  I hope you have all had a joyous week.  Blessings to you and yours!  Dawnie

Have a great week!

Blessings to you and yours!  Dawnie

Completed Baby Hat and My Wild Imagination

I finished the second baby hat.  I hunted for a pattern where the hat was knitted on a pair of single pointed needles with a seam up the back.  I crocheted the seam, so it looks neatly sewn.  The seam also blends with the pattern. I hope this becomes a family heirloom.  We have become a society of disposable items.  I would like to see this hat taken care of and passed on to another child.  I made it with silky wool yarn and it is very soft!

 The following is another picture of the hat and a couple bars of re-batched goat milk soap.  Do you see a goat in the soap?  You may need to squint and hang your tongue to the right when you look. 

I circled the area in the following picture.  Yes, you need to look with imagination.  I noticed the image across the room.

I hope you are well.  Blessings to you and yours!  Dawnie

I hope you are well.  Blessings to you and yours!  Dawnie

Trip to North Central Kansas

We took a trip to North Central Kansas.  It was so green!  I am also making a baby hat for a friend.   The Kansas Green inspired me.  The hat is to be made gender neutral, but I couldn't help myself.  I am making a lace design on it and that does not make it gender neutral.  I hope you had a wonderful weekend!  Blessings to you and yours!  

 I invite you to follow me,  just click where the faces are on the right side.  Thank you for viewing!

Dawnie

 

Cowboys

When you think of a United States cowboy, where do you think they live?  I was looking at a website, the American Cowboy,  http://www.americancowboy.com/culture/where-live-now.  The website has a list of places which are considered to be home to cowboys.  I expected places like Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Arizona, New Mexico, and Idaho to be on the the list.  I didn't expect for Hawaii or Florida to be listed as a place more populated by cowboys than Kansas.  Would you?  I am quoting the American Cowboy below. 

"Butler County [Kansas]
The largest county in Kansas by square mileage, Butler County was founded in 1855 by a rump legislature composed of pro-slavery Missourians who drifted in during the contest over whether Kansas would be a slave state or a free state. The county is a vast expanse of rolling grassy hills cut through by river valleys, with elevations ranging from just over 1,600 feet on down to about 1,150 feet. Farming and ranching have always been hugely important to the area, but the oil industry emerged as the major economic driver for the county following the 1915 discovery of oil on the John Stapleton farm north of town. Today, Butler County has a diverse economy including oil workers, ranchers, farmers, machinists, metal workers, and other types of manufacturers. With convenient access to the thriving city of Wichita just minutes down the highway, Butler is a wide-open Western dream come true with a modern touch.
County population: 65,817
Cattle population: 121,000
Median household income: $57, 573
Median home price: $122,500
Average land price per acre: $3,000–$11,000
Area: 1,430 sq miles
DON’T MISS:
Dodge City, arguably the most iconic cattle town and railhead in the West, hosts Dodge City Days (July 26–August 4). This annual celebration of the city’s rich Western heritage has a rodeo, barbeque contest, craft show, and country music. 620-227-3119, dodgecitydays.com
Honorable Mentions: Finney County, Gray County"

 Where would you expect for cowboys to live?  Do you know any cowboys?  Do they just dress like cowboys or do they ride horses and tend cattle?

Have a wonderful weekend!  Blessings to you and yours!  Dawnie

I thought you needed a fun picture for the weekend.