I am finally finished making tins for the Broome Co Fair

Honestly, I have been working 12 hour days since supplies started rolling in on Wednesday.  I ordered 32 dozens 6 oz travel tins, my best sellers, and have about 6 dozen left for sell-outs.  Not that I'll have time to make anything during the week, but I'll try.  Maybe. 

I'm not eating well, but tonight I had a healthy meal, compliments of Shelly who has been helping label everything and take up all the slack.

I'm not sure how I'm going to survive a week-long show, but coffee and fattening food, along with interaction with the public will get me through.

I made a total of 307 travel tins since Wednesday, plus countless soy breakaway melts and sachets.  I plan to display my wedding candles for future orders and have a good time connecting with new local customers.  OK, so off to make more labels and continue with my to-do list. 

I'm doing the Broome County Fair!

I just found out last Sunday that I was accepted as a vendor at the Broome County Fair!  It was a last-minute decision to apply, so I'm killing myself this week getting ready and making oodles of inventory.  The fair kicks off Tuesday 6pm-10pm and the rest of the week from 10am - 10pm and ends Sunday afternoon.   Needless to say, I'm going to be tired and cranky by the end, but as long as I wear comfy shoes, I'll be fine. 

I must say that this is the biggest show by far I've ever done.  I've got enough inventory for 1 or 2 day shows, but it's difficult to predict what will sell over 6 days.  I'm going heavy on the Fresh, Citrus and Floral fragrances, but I am putting aside enough supplies in case I get a run on certain products so I can make them when I get home in the evening.  I really don't plan to sleep much.

While I'm waiting for wax to set, I make most of my own wicks.  I make my own since I haven't always found the right commercial wick that works withevery type of candle. 

I'm sorting everything into big boxes so I can replenish during the week:  Fresh, Citrus, Floral, Exotic, Herbal/Garden and Misc categories.  I've found from experience that customers generally have a favorite type of fragrance, so by categorizing, it makes the shopping experience easier. 

My daughter Nina designed a new business card for me and they arrived yesterday, all 7 lbs of them.  It took about 2 days from design, to ordering to receiving from GotPrint.  I also ordered a banner for my table which should arrive early next week.  It looks very similar to the business card she designed:

I've been obsessed with how I can add height to my display table and a visit to the local grocery store has solved my problem - corn crates!  They are just the right size, rustic and best of all, free. 

  

So I'm making progress and am right on schedule.  I need to make all the Misc, Herbal/Garden and a few Essential Oil candles tomorrow, then Monday I'll be attending to last-minute details, like printing up coupons, making up a wedding candle display (for future orders) and making sure I check off everything on my to-do list.   

Already, town is abuzz with activity as people are already descending on the community (mind you, less than 1000 residents!), parking their travel trailors and setting up show tents at the fairgrounds.  I can feel the excitement in the air.  I work from home mostly, and look forward to shows like this so I can meet my customers and neighbors in my new town.  It's going to be a blast!

As promised, soy taper candles, all my secrets revealed

Well, not pure soy, because that's impossible.   Have you ever heard of a soy taper candle?  Do a search and I think you'll find that they don't exist.   Even the harder pillar soy wax is too soft for a taper, so I concocted a soy/paraffin blend which seems to work well.  I make them for my soy unity sets which are very popular.  I've tried all kinds of additives, but found that a simple blend of pillar soy and high-melt paraffin work just fine.  Your taper will still look like soy in texture and coloring, but the paraffin gives it enough hardness to prevent massive dripping which occurs in a pure soy taper.  And even though there's some paraffin in the mix, it's still more eco-friendly than a pure paraffin, burning with less soot and fewer irritants. 

So now, on with the secrets.  I'm telling all, in great detail. 

Ingredients:
Pillar Blend soy wax (I use EcoSoya PB which is the hardest soy wax, http://www.ngiwax.com/products/ecosoyaproducts.html
Paraffin wax.  I used IGI 4625 pillar wax in the past, but switched to a higher melt wax, 160 melt point. The higher the better.
Wicking. The tiniest you can find.  I use WR2000, 6/0, a square braided cotton wick.
http://www.candlewic.com/store/Product.aspx?q=c61,p598&title=Square-Braided-Wick-Spools  This is the smallest wick I've found anywhere. 
Molds.  You can buy molds in 1 pair on up.  I bought a 4-pair mold which makes 8 candles at once
Plumber's putty  - buy in any hardware store

Melt paraffin in a pot in simmering water bath until the pot is about 1/3 full.

After the paraffin is melted, add soy wax gradually until the liquid is doubled.

Meanwhile as the wax is melting (keep an eye out so the water doesn't boil away!), prep your molds.   Using a long thin florist wire, double the length of your mold, fold it in half to make a threader.  Insert in the tiny hole, push all the way to the other end, thread your wicking through the end, and pull back through the hole, just like you would a needle and thread.  It might be tight, so make sure your wire is small.   Leave a couple inches on each end.  continue until all molds are threaded.  Then carefully tye the open ends onto a wooden skewer and pull tight.  It takes a bit of juggling to get them lined up and centered.  At the pointed end, pull each wick tight and secure with Plumber's Putty to prevent leaks.  Place molds in a metal tray to protect your counter and catch any leaks.  Keep a glass of water nearby just in case.

Now that your molds are ready, check to make sure your wax is at least 180 degrees, but not over 200.  Transfer melted wax from large pot to smaller glass measuring cup, and proceed to pour wax into each mold.   Pour full and don't worry if they overflow.  Tap the sides of each mold gently with a butter knife to release any bubbles.

The wax will almost immediately start to set.  Poke holes in the wax to release pressure.  The wax will form a pit under the wick, which is fine.   After about 1/2 hour, do a second pour with hot wax to refill the holes, and set in the fridge until completely cool.   Cut off the skewers,  remove plumber's putty, scape off all the wax overflow and dump it back into the melting pot to use again later.  If you have a butane torch, you can smoothe off the bottoms.  The candles will probably just fall out.  If not, tap them lightly.  They will look like this:

Ah, but we're not done yet!  You do want them to fit in holders, don't you?  Well, here is the secret that will make your candles look finished and professional.  Think:  19mm 12 point socket!  It has to be this size or it won't work.  You can get one at your local hardware store.    Oh, I'm sure seasoned chandlers know this secret, but I'm sharing anyhow since it's such a clever solution.

Here's how to put a professional finish on your candles.  Line a pan with heavy foil and place the socket on the foil.  When it is hot, push the taper down into the socket for form a scalloped base.  Some of the wax will melt onto the foil, so keep the heat low.  You can also use your butane torch to heat the socket, but this takes more time. 

voila! 

And here is the finished product, burning brightly with hardly a drip, but if they do, break it off the drip and continue burning.  Be sure to place something underneath to catch any melted wax.

These tapers will give you many hours of enjoyment. 

 

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.  I can sell some of the components, such as wicking in smaller amounts.  You can buy soy wax in small amounts and paraffin in 10 lb blocks.  Contact me if you need further information, sources or have any questions.   If you have any suggestions to make these candles even better, I'd love to hear from you. 

Gardening

It's so much fun to peruse seed catalogs in February, planning and dreaming about your summer garden, but reality sets in pretty quick, especially with a new garden.  I picked an area that had previously been a playground for the previous owners which was covered in mulch.  I had my daughter and her boyfriend scoop up the mulch (saved for other uses) and netting underneath.  Fine so far.  It sat vacant until last week after some good rains.  Seems as if the rocks in the soil floated to the surface, so I had a job to do, for sure before I could plant. 

This is, unbelievabley, after it was roto-tilled by my neighbor!  And sorry to day, I almost ruined it with all the rocks - I actually saw sparks spewing from the blades. 

Ok, I know you're bored by now, but I gradually dragged rocks out of the garden space and made a border around the edges.  I have now planted tomatoes, peppers and lots of other stuff which I will post in the next couple days.  Each year will get better.  I keep telling myself. 

Survived Memorial Day weekend craziness

I've been too busy filling orders to blog this past week, but that's all behind me as I shipped off 3 boxes today and 2 yesterday.  Whew!  But I'm not done, because I have a bride who wants more stuff. 

I took some time off during the weekend of Memorial Day and had a wonderful time.  The weather cooperated beautifully.  Carla, my youngest daughter arrived Friday afternoon, and the rest of the gang got here later that evening from Philadelphia.  We cooked a half turkey on the grill that day, and it was demolished before our eyes!  so good!   The next day we made chicken Spiedies ( a local favorite).

Saturday, most of the gang headed up to Ithaca to shop and hang out.  Others stayed behind to relax in the sun. 

Sunday some of us went to Greenwood Lake and rented a boat.  It was truly great fun!  I was planning to just relax under a tree and read, but at the last minute decided to go out on the boat.  I felt like a kid again. 

 

 Monday afternoon, everyone left to go back to Philly except Carla, who stayed until Tuesday morning.  That evening, just she and I sat out on the deck chatting and enjoying the night air.  At least until we heard something rattling around in the recycle bins downstairs and we hightailed it back into the house!  We got a report that a bear is in the neighborhood, so we weren't taking any chances. 

 The weekend was stupendous with great food, and even greater relaxation.  I took the day off Tuesday after I took Carla to the bus depot, then it was back to work filling orders on Wednesday.  I just finished up the other day, and spent yesterday packing and printing shipping labels.  Now I need to start working on the garden.  A neighbor roto-tilled it the other day, but it's literally full of rocks.  Oh, what a pain, but I have to get some veggies in the ground soon or I won't have anything to put up this fall!  And I still have flowers to plant, and landscaping to prune and clean up.  So much to do! 

Memorial Day Weekend

I think I'm ready for the onslaught this weekend.  Shopping done, flower boxes planted, laundry clean, dog washed..  My daughters and their friends are descending on my country home for a long weekend of partying, camping, hot-tubbing, campfires, good food and all around relaxing.  I'm going to fill up the blow-up pool too!  I plan to put them to work hauling dirt for my herb garden and general yardwork before I let them relax.  Is that not fair?  I'll post in a few days when things get roaring fun.

I'm Such A Thrifty Country Girl!

I always thought I would have made a good farm wife, but life took me elsewhere.  But now I can fulfill my dreams of being as self-sufficient as possible.  I'm starting a garden, hang my laundry out in the sun, can and freeze local produce and generally try to live as close to the land as possible and save our precious resources.   

Recently I posted my dishwasher detergent recipe, so today I'm going to show you how I make laundry detergent.  I haven't bought laundry soap in a couple years since I started making my own, and I'm horrified at the price of detergent when I see it in the stores!  I can't imagine why people spend precious dollars on something they can make which works just as well, is more natural and with no chemicals to clog up our serwers or septic tank.  I don't even have a box to see what's in the stuff anymore, so go take a look at your box or bottle of detergent.

There are many variations for both liquid and powdered laundry soap, but they all use the same basic ingredients:  Borax, Washing Soda, bar soap, and water of course.  I found that the liquid, while a little more trouble to make, works better for me.   I've tried a couple recipes, but the
Dugger Family recipe works well for me.  http://www.duggarfamily.com/recipes.html which I am showing here. 

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value
4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar (you can also use Ivory bar soap)
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

 

After sitting a few hours or overnight, this is what it will look like.  Sort of like Jello.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with the gel and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will continue to gel).  I use a plastic quart bottle.

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.  I didn't add anything because it already smells so good!

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

You can also check out Planet Green's recipes, a little different proportions and they don't dilute the gel: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/make-your-own-laundry-soap.html I find that diluting the gel doubles 5 gallons of soap to 10 gallons, which can last up to 6 months, depending on how often you do laundry (there's only 2 of us, so it lasts for over 6 months)

Try it!  It's good stuff and really does clean your clothes!

Little Show in Lisle NY Today

As you probably know, I'm still a newcomer to this area of the state.  I moved from Manhattan last summer, so by the time I finally got settled, it was time to start thinking of the holidays and settling in for the winter.  I've done a couple shows in Utica, but nothing really local until today.  I'm starting to look ahead to the upcoming show season in my new neighborhood. 

I was perusing our local shopper newspaper (we call it the Weekly Reader), and noticed a small announcement for venders at a local flea market.  I called and reserved a table for a whopping $10.00 for today.  Well, let me tell you, it was fun and down-home and I made a lot of friends and contacts in the area.  I didn't expect to make buckets of money, but I made my table fee and more than I expected. 

The show was hosted by the Rebekah Lodge in Upper Lisle NY, a rather rundown building a couple miles from my home.  It was advertised as a flea market, bake sale and luncheon with homemade soup, sandwiches and hotdogs, and it was pretty well attended.

I had the lucky spot right inside the entrance with the show mascot sitting right across from me.  I think folks noticed her first!    She was just a bit creepy, but I got used to her.   The sale ended at 2 pm, so it was nice to have a rather short day.  But in that time, I felt welcomed as most of the other vendors came over and chatted with me, and many customers seemed to like my products.  I made up complimentary samples of tea lights which went over very well.

I'd like to thank the ladies at the Rebekah Lodge who made me feel welcomed, and I hope to meet many of you soon at future shows.  All in all, it was a very successful day, meeting many nice people. I can't wait to get out and about again soon, but I have work to do since inventory is getting low!

Oh, and watch out for stray cows! 

Eco-friendly Handmade Dishwasher Detergent

Just wanted to post a quick review of handmade dishwasher detergent.  Lots of folks like me make their own laundry soap, but few people make their own automatic dishwasher soap.  I thought this was worth trying since it uses some of the same ingredients as laundry soap (which I will post some other time).   This not my recipe, just one I found on PlanetGreen.  This is a website worth checking out.

I made up a batch today and tried it and I must say, my dishes came out sparkling clean.  Just like laundry soap, I'll never buy dishwasher detergent again.  I'm saving a huge bundle of money too.   When you see how easy it is to make, you'll wonder why people spend so much money on commercial products. 

Here's the recipe:

You can find washing soda and borax in the laundry section of your grocery store

1 cup washing soda (I used Arm & Hammer)
1 cup borax (20 Mule Team)
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup citric acid (Fruit Fresh) or unsweetened lemonade packets

Mix and store in a mason jar or other tight fitting container.  Use 1 tablespoon per load. 

If you have a rinse dispenser, fill it with white vinegar for best results.

My dishes came out sparkling clean, no spots and no filmy residue.   Everything in this soap is eco-friendly, and since I have a septic tank, this is important to me.  And who wants to drain chemicals into their public sewer system?  Washing soda (sodium carbonate) is a natural substance made from salt and limestone and acts as a grease cutter.  Borax is also an ingredient that occurs naturally in the environment and usually mined.  Salt is well, salt.  Can't argue that.  And citric acid is also a natural ingredient.

These are some of the ingredients in the bottle of soap I have left.  These are only the emergency treatment ingredients, so who knows what else is in it:  sodium carbonate (that's ok), sodium hydroxide (lye, which is caustic),  sodium silicate (used to preserve eggs and pressure treated wood, really?  WARNING! HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED OR INHALED. CAUSES SEVERE IRRITATION TO EYES, SKIN AND RESPIRATORY TRACT), clorine bleach (is highly toxic to fish and invertebrates).  Well, yeah, I'm rethinking using bleach in my laundry now.  So the bottle under my sink also cautions against getting in eyes or on skin and breathing fumes.   No, not the kind of stuff I want in my dishwasher. 

So folks, do yourself and the environment a favor and try this soap.

New England Dinner

I generally cook about once a week, if that, but when I do, I like to make it memorable.  So I thought it would be nice to make Clam Chowder since soup is so nourishing on a cold rainy day. 

I decided to make New England Clam Chowder instead of Manhattan style, knowing that my dad, a native Rhode Islander, would probably come back to haunt me!   New Englanders have a true rivalry about which chowder is best.  Here's a bit of background on the issued of Manhattan vs New England chowders.  But I decided to take that chance anyhow.  To complement my chowder, I also made clam cakes.

I remember clam cakes as a child when we visited New England every couple years.  I recall seeing roadside stands, or clam shacks,  selling clam cakes, chowder, and lemonade, usually nothing else.  I remember we would often stop at a clam shack for a salty order of clamcakes when we were out and about and got hungry.  This was before the days of fast food chains around every corner.  

Since we didn't live in Rhode Island, my mom perfected a recipe early on so we could continue to enjoy them at home.   I've included it here:

 

NEW ENGLAND CLAMCAKES

2 c flour
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 t sugar
1T baking powder

Sift all the above into a bowl.
Mix 1 can (6 oz) including broth with enough milk to make 1 1/4 cups.  Stir 1 unbeaten egg and the clam and milk mixture into the flour until it is thick.  Drop batter by tablespoon into hot fat to deep fry.  Turn to brown both sides.  When brown, lift out and drain.  Sprinkle with salt if desired while still hot.  Makes about 2-3 dozen. 

Oh, and did I mention I'm highly allergic to the iodine in shellfish, some more than others?  Delicious as it was, I'm paying the price.  I'll be fine tomorrow.