Happy Friday

What a ham!!!! Have a great weekend!

Easy to make rag ribbon wreaths

So, my mom surprised me with this beautiful rag ribbon wreath!



She had seen some online for sale, but just knew she could make it herself. So, she did! And, it turned out lovely.

It gave me an idea to make a couple as thank you gifts for my volunteers that recently helped me with the Fair. So, here are some of my creations...



I had some ribbon stockpiled along with some tule, so I went to town!



All you have to do is get a grapevine wreath or a foam wreath form and some coordinating ribbon.



Simply cut strips of ribbon and start tying knots side by side around the form. Keep the knots tight together. This will help the wreath to be full and poofy!



Stagger the knots so that the ribbon sticks out at different angles to give it fullness and personality! I think it's easier to see on this fall wreath I made...



It's so simple!!



Ribbon is not cheap, but if you catch the seasonal ribbon on sale or get lucky and find some at a thrift store, you're good to go! I also attached some spiders and other embellishments to make it spookier! Just use some fishing line hold them in place!



My mom is so crafty and clever! What an inspiration to me for this project! And, I just love Halloween, so it was extra fun! Email me if you have questions!

Stocking up for the holidays!

I'm getting all stocked up for the holidays!



Some of the favorite soap scents I'm making lots and lots of! Like clean laundry!



This is quickly becoming a favorite of my customers! Once you smell it, you'll know why!



It's beautiful and smells just as lovely as it looks!



Oh, and there's more of the staples!



Lavender Oatmeal...yum!



Lavender is just fantastic!



And, then there's lavender chamomile...





I'll be making more soaps each week! I'm also getting ready for a holiday bazaar (more on that soon). If you're interested in giving soaps as gifts for the holidays please place your order with me soon! They make great stocking stuffers! I will also have gift baskets, dead sea salt soaks, and bath bombs!!



Happy Tuesday to you all!

Mountain Bike Monday - More gravel grinding

Last Monday I had some time off so I set out to ride 20 miles at the Park. I had never ridden by myself before at the park, so this was a first. I always ride with Dynamo, MBM, or Missy. But, I needed to get in a ride since I had worked all weekend. Going by myself was the only option since most everyone is working on Monday afternoon!





The only thing I was really worried about was seeing a snake! And, thank goodness that didn't happen! I only saw a few people here and there! For the most part, it was just quiet and calm!



One of my favorite spots is at the split rock on Forest Exploration! It was so green and quiet!



I ventured around the park getting in some good miles mostly on the Fendley Station Trail.



I finished up with 20 miles! Yippee!!



Then, on Saturday, I met up with MBM and Missy for a 25 mile ride at the park.



We're only 2 weeks away from our 58 mile ride...so we have to step it up!



We ventured out again heading over to Forest Exploration first!



It was on this route that I lost part of my cyclometer! Bummer! I looked down and it was gone! We backtracked about 2 miles to try and find it, but no luck! Maybe someone will turn it in to lost and found!



Overall it was a great ride! We missed Dynamo, but hopefully he can join us in a couple of weeks! We completed 25 miles and enjoyed our time together on a beautiful day!

Hope your weekend was lovely!

over the past week...

...we've been working to get ready for the Isle of Wight County Fair! I've been so busy working with my volunteers to get the Isle Be Green Tent ready, and it all paid off!

We took the children's recycled art from the summer program...



And made a recycled art gallery...



This was inside the Isle Be Green tent at the County fair...



The whole purpose of this tent was to repurpose items (trash to treasure)! Everything inside was made using items we found while dumpster diving in the County dumps!









There is beauty hidden, but you have to look for it!

Do you know what these flowers are made of?



Records...yes, records! Melted in the oven!



We had to educate people about plastic bag recycling...





And the latest initiative is cigarette litter prevention... (yes, my co-worker dug all those butts from the receptacle).



So, here are some more pics for your enjoyment!







Completely repurposed!





But, the best part was when the kids came in to see their artwork! They were so happy!!













Now...doesn't that make you smile? It did for me! Even though it was a lot of work and took dedicated volunteers, it was well worth the effort just to see those kids' faces!