A Very Busy Day....

Today is a very busy day here at North Fork. We are creating several new products and we're very excited about them. We are making foot soap, new lotions, layered soaps and guest size sample soaps. We'll be posting pictures of these as soon as we can so check back to see them!

My Out of the Box Sampler

I feel the need to tell everyone about my out of the box sampler. I continue to be amazed by the number of artists and the variety of products that they make. My very favorite from my sampler box were the handmade cards. You simply must check these out! Go to her website and you too will be amazed!

Inside of the cellophane bag that the cards come in were card confetti, tags and it was sealed with a sparkly red heart sticker. Just the right embellishment.
I especially liked the ribbon the the card and stamp added just the right touch. It says "In Love With You yesterday,today,tomorrow,forever" The card itself has texture as it has raised hearts on the card, the ribbon and it opens at an angle. All of these characteristics lend themselves to this exquisite presentation. http://www.apenny4u.shophandmade.com/ is the place where you'll find what I'm talking about.

These pictures are just a few of the wonderful cards,gift tags, gift bags and gift boxes that you can purchase here. I highly recommend checking this out. I know you'll find something you'll love and just have to have.

http://www.apenny4u.shophandmade.com/

My Out of the Box Sampler Box Arrived....

I can't even believe it's been a week since I 've written. I apologize. Another music festival, illness and the sheer fact that things have just been way too busy would be the contributing factors.

Yesterday I was excited to find that my Out of the Box Sampler had arrived. It had all kinds of wonderful things inside from many different artists. There were soy tarts, cookies, lotion, soaps and handmade cards, just to name a few. I plan to provide more details later today or tomorrow. If you have a chance, do sign up for one of these boxes as they are worth every penny and then some. This one was a Valentine box. More details forthcoming. It's off to work for me! http://www.outoftheboxsampler/

What exactly are wood wick candles? and...a Barred Owl comes to North Fork

Wood wick candles are candles that have a wick that is made from wood instead of the traditional candle wicking material. They are quite wonderful because when they are lit, they crackle like a fire. They create a wonderful atmosphere. I highly recommend them!

OK....check this out!! Yesterday, near twilight, I saw a huge bird circle in the back yard. At first I thought it was a hawk but it was a Barred Owl!! It landed on the pole that holds our bird feeders and it was awesome.

I have to say that it was quite amazing. As you can see from this picture, they are quite large. Acutally they are nearly 2 ft. in length. I was quite fascinated as I watched it turn it's head from side to side and then look right at me! I took as many pictures as I could. After a couple of minutes of perching here, it went over and sat on the top  of the pergola for a bit and then flew away.  It was a wonderful experience to see this large bird close up.

I'll be watching to see if it comes back to visit any time soon.

Wood Wick Candles in a Victorian Jar

I was so excited when I first saw these victorian jars. I couldn't wait to make wood wick candles in them. The pewter top sets it off. I haven't put my usual organza ribbon on these as I'm still thinking about what I like the best. Smelling the lilac made me think of spring and all of the wonderful things that come with that time of year. Skiing is so much fun and I look forward to going out into the woods and along the edge of the fields everyday. There are so many things to see. There are always tracks from one kind of animal or another. Today we saw fox tracks and rodent tracks. We saw many deer tracks as well. It was a very fast ski and a great deal of fun! One of the other fragrances in my candles was Lily of the Valley. What a wonderful smell. If you close your eyes you can imagine standing in a patch of them. Such a tiny flower and such an incredible aroma! I just love seeing them in early spring.

What a wonderful smell. If you close your eyes you can imagine standing in a patch of them. Such a tiny flower and such an incredible aroma! I just love seeing them in early spring.  Another flower that is amazing is lavender. I've yet to get it to come through the winter but I will keep trying none the less. Lavender has a most wonderful aroma. It is used in aromatherapy for relaxation. I've had my experiences with this for sure. This past fall I bought some lavender buds to put in my soap. I was so excited to make the first bars of soap with lavender and I was so proud of how nice they looked. It was all quite temporary however. My mom put some by her kitchen sink. She liked it as much as me. Over the course of a few days, the lavender began to turn brown. It looked like my soap had bugs! My neice reached to use it at my mom's and jumped and threw the soap bar thinking it had bugs on it. Obviously I have some work to do in this department. I am

very proud of my lavender candles. I like the colors and so do my customers. I'll have to keep working with the soap to get it right but this wood wick soy wax candle came out really well. As I think about spring and the warm weather, I do start to wish for the end of winter in a way but usually it's when the snow has melted and there's no chance of it coming back that I am ready for spring and summer to arrive. Until they do, I'll keep making as much as I can to be ready for the upcoming crafting season and the sales that'll have in the mean time.

More Pressed Flower Candles

Here are more pressed flower candles. They are so pretty. I love burning them because the flame ends up behind all of the flowers as the candle burns. They are really beautiful. This one has some grasses and a few maple leaves along the bottom.

The leaves are collected in early spring. The grasses are picked in the summer. Some grasses can be pressed, others need to be hung and dried. I usually press the smaller and thinner ones as they work better for candles.

This beauty, to your right, has large flowers pressed along the bottom with delicate flowers and a few grasses coming out toward the top. A wonderful deep pink-lavender flower. Quite delightful.

This is a favorite of mine. I love the delicate flowers and grasses.
The colors in this one are really pretty too. There is some very deep blue, almost purple, with some lighter creamy colored flowers and greenish grasses. The combination is really pretty.
All of these can be purchased at our gift shop.

Awesome Soaps and more candles on the way

Yesterday I made amazing goat's milk and oatmeal soap. There are 2 different fragrances and both are amazing. Oatmeal, milk and honey and warm vanilla sugar. Both smell wonderful! I just love the way oatmeal feels and how it softens and helps your skin. This is great for a winter shower or bath. I made several different guest size soaps for our Bed and Breakfast Guests to use. I put them in our complimentary ammenities baskets. Everyone loves our soaps and many guests purchase some from our gift shop to take with them when they depart. They make wonderful gifts and they are a nice addition to any bathroom or kitchen to add that special touch.