Mr. Funky Water Bottle Holder

I made one of these for my daughter, and it's so cute I made another one to sell at a yearly charity auction I participate in. This is ridiculously adorable, I think. It's made from a pattern in the "Mr. Funky's Super Wonderful" crochet book.

Every once in a while I get lazy and don't make soap for a week or so. Obviously right before the holidays is not a good time to **** off, but I did. I am out of so many soaps it's not even funny. I'm going to be a soaping maniac for the next couple of days.

We watched the season premiere of "Hell's Kitchen" on BBCAM last night. It always amazes me how people with no background in food service or restaurants will sink their life savings into a restaurant when they don't have a clue what they're doing. It does make for entertaining TV, though. Maybe I'm a curmudgeon, but I like Gordon Ramsay.

Crocheted Water Bottle Holder

My daughter went to a 3 day music festival this past weekend in North Florida. She had so much fun, and told me about a crocheted water bottle holder she'd seen there but didn't buy. So I decided to surprise her and make one for her. I'm going to send this up to USF tomorrow. I love this colorful variegated yarn.

Cute Crocheted Bath Mitt

I think this is too freaking cute for words -- A crocheted duckie bath mitt! I got the pattern from one of my favorite sites, Annie's Attic. It doesn't have a thingie for the thumb, but there are little pouches on both sides for your fingers to get a grip.

Last week I made some cute little soaps in a seashell candy mold. I thought I might give them away with big orders over the holidays. Then I got the idea that they would be pretty on top of regular, full sized bars of soap. So I tried it out and these turned out so pretty! They are topped with a light dusting of white gold mica for some pretty sparkle.

Two days ago I had to go to the eye doctor for my annual exam. This visit he didn't have the lower dose eye dilating medicine that they usually use so they can look way into your eyes. I had to have this full strength stuff that messed up my vision and perception for most of the day. I had a terrible reaction to it, including grossly elevated blood pressure, nausea and rapid heart rate. I was really scared about the blood pressure especially. It's finally gone back down to normal, thankfully.

You never think about something routine like that having such scary and potentially life-threatening side effects. But the eye drops contain atropine, and among the side effects which are rarely reported are perceptual disturbances, nausea, dizziness, elevated blood pressure and racing pulse. Just my luck.

New Stuff

I heard from an old friend the other day that I haven't seen in almost 30 years. It's so great when old friends get in touch! Kathy and I used to work in the same office at the UM's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. Now her kids are all grown up and mine are ready for college. It just doesn't seem possible that time goes by as fast as it does!

Last night our air conditioner stopped working. In South Florida, this means a crisis. It was over 90 degrees in here today. Lowell was able to find a repairman who came out on a Sunday morning to fix it. You don't even want to know how much it cost. We are probably going to have to get the whole a/c system replaced in the very near future. Right now, I'm just thankful to be cool again.

It's hard to believe but I grew up without air conditioning, right in hot and muggy Miami. I can remember sleeping on terrazzo floors in front of giant box fans just to try to cool off. I didn't have a place with a/c until I was in my 20's. But I can't live without it now. Nope.

The last couple of days I worked on crocheting a new bag for Vicky, who is crazy about red, green and yellow Rasta colors. I lined it with some very groovy Laurel Burch fabric, a bright tie dye with little animals sketched out in black. This is the best thing I've ever crocheted, I think. I should've taken a photo. She shrieked and gave me a big hug, so I think it was a success. I'm going to try to get a picture tomorrow.

I'm trying to think if I've added anything to my shop lately. Hmmm. My newest soaps are Fine Young Cannabis (a Cannabis Rose duplicate) and Ahoy Matey (incredibly expensive but a divine ocean scent). I've been soaping like crazy to get caught up on replenishing my inventory, plus adding new soaps. Coming soon: Arabian Spice, Irish Mocha, Polar Express, Lilac, Cedar and Saffron and Dragonsblood.

My favorite new time-waster: Fail Blog. OMG. I could laugh myself into a coma.

We learned a few weeks ago that the beds in the dorms at USF are an odd size, so regular sheets won't fit them. Fortunately there is a handy little company that makes sheets for this custom size, and they sent us a brochure. The other day a huge box arrived filled with sheet sets, comforter, pillows, foam egg crate pad, towels, portable shower kit, under the bed storage, pop up hamper, and hanging clothing and shoe organizer thingies. I think Vicky is going to be all set in the linen department. I still have to find a lock for her laptop, so it doesn't get stolen. According to the orientation we went to, laptops and bikes are the two most frequently stolen things from dorms.

I cannot believe that in less than a month she will be at college. I'm so not ready for it.

EGCG Scavenger Hunt is On!

Read all about it on Etsy, here! Some lucky person who finds all the letter clues and puts them together to form a word is going to win a fabulous treasure trove of B&B products, including a bar of my Caribbean Dreams handmade soap!

Some of you know that when I'm not making stuff to sell on Etsy, I make 3D characters, including skin textures for them from scratch, from photos. This is one I'm almost done with, for Miki 2 for Poser. Here's a peek at my Mitsouko.



My house smells like an odd but wonderful melange of soaps I made this morning -- Turkish Mocha, Coconut Lemongrass and Clementine Lavender. Mmmmm.

I've been on a kick, crocheting tons of these adorable little Soap Saver/Scrubbies in lots of new colors. I've added a bead to the ends of the drawstring ties to dress them up a little. They're really cute and lather up your soap or shower gel like crazy.

Calming Massage Oil

I added Calming Massage/Bath and Body Oil to my shop just now. I am really happy the way my product photos turned out. The sun was just right to get brightness without glare, out by my backyard lily pond.

It was a good day for photos, so I finally got some nice ones of the new crocheted, 100% cotton bath accessories I've been making. One is a big Bath Pouff, the rest are Soap Saver/Scrubbies, great for making lots of lather and gentle exfoliation.

FaeryKnots

I'm pleased to tell you that I made a separate Etsy shop, FaeryKnots, for my crocheted faeries, which will also have mermaids and other magickal changeling creatures too, as I make them. The newest one is Sugarplum Faery, in shades of purple, plum and fuschia.

I've temporarily diverted my domain site, Sea Sprite Soaps, over to my Etsy shop. It is a bit frantic, trying to keep both sites current, especially keeping stock of inventory, on two different sites. I need to tweak my domain site a bit before I put it back up.

I'm soaping more Caribbean Dreams today. I'm completely out of it. See what I mean about keeping track of inventory? And I need to take some photos of my Valentine's Day specials. I have the most beautiful red velvet boxes for gift sets. So far I have Chocolate Truffle, Attar of Roses and Pink Carnation soaps lined up, and will be doing an excellent Love Spell soon.

Valentina Faery

I added a new little crocheted creature to my shop today, Valentina Faery. The hair on this one gave me fits, it was very soft and hard to "root" into the head. But I think she turned out cute!

I'm thinking of starting another Etsy shop just for my faeries and other changeling-type crocheted items. I'm going to wait until I have a few more made, then do it. People don't normally go to a B&B shop to buy faeries! :D

Sister Goldenhair Faery

I finally finished her, and my newest crochet dolly, Sister Goldenhair Faery, is in my shop. I think she turned out really cute.

Catching My Breath

It's been a whirlwind of activity between keeping up with orders from my shop and family matters the last week or so. Not that I'm complaining about selling a lot of stuff, but it got really crazy with packaging and shipping orders, going to the post office every day and trying to keep the house and kids going in good shape. We are very excited that our daughter, a graduating senior, has been accepted to her top choice college next year, the University of South Florida. She is over the moon!

CelticGoddess was kind enough to write a favorable review of some of my B&B goodies, which I'll share with you here. Thanks Andee! And be sure to check out her shop on Etsy.

I've added a bunch of stuff to my shop, including Pink Peppermint Candy soap, a Lavender Lover's Gift Basket, a Mint Lover's Gift Basket. And one more thing that I'm truly excited about, Skin Frosting Sugar Scrub in your choice of fragrance! You know how sugar scrubs tend to be really oily and separate into an oozing mess? My Skin Frosting Sugar Scrub doesn't do that, it's emulsified into a creamy, foamy frosting texture and it won't separate. It leaves you all soft and polished and fragrant, but not greasy. I adore it!

I mentioned a while back that the Earthpath Artisans Street Team is having a Winter Wonderland Challenge and my entry is a little crocheted Snowflake Faery. The winners will be determined by how many people heart the various entries over on Etsy, all of which you can see here. I loved making that little faery so much, I've started a new one in shades of peach and gold and maize. I'm going to call her Sister Goldenhair Faery, after the old America song. :)

I've been thinking of things to add to my product line once the holidays are past. I've decided I will be making shampoo, conditioner and body washes, from scratch. This required investing a good bit in terms of time studying and learning and testing formulations, as well as buying a lot of pricey ingredients, but I think it will be worth it. I don't see much in the way of handmade, non-base shampoo or body wash on etsy. Well, I've seen some, but there's no way they could possibly foam or cleanse very much, based on the ingredients used. I'm excited about this new challenge I've set for myself.

I still haven't seen "The Golden Compass." A few people I know and whose opinions I respect, said the movie was pretty bad. The reviews in newspapers and magazines have been mixed. But I still want to see it. My DH and I are talking about going to a matinee next week. I'm really looking forward to seeing "Atonement." I love the leading actors and the book was wonderful.

Snowflake Faery

I finally finished her for the Earthpath Artisans Street Team's Winter Wonderland Challenge. She's all crocheted with acrylic and wool variety yarns including sparkling threads and shiny beads. I think she turned out pretty darned cute, especially her little fae ears! I have a bunch of photos of her on my Flickr page, here.

Crocheting a Faery

You wouldn't think crocheting a little 5 inch faery would be such a chore, but I've been whacking away at this thing for days. It's almost done now, I just have to crochet some wings for her. Or not. Maybe I'll pull apart a plastic butterfly, if I can find the right colors.

I've added a bunch of stuff to my shop, including Lilac and Lavender, Turkish Mocha and Secrets of India. I've got a couple new kinds of soap curing right now -- Coconut Lime Verbena and Lavender Peppermint Oatmeal.

Tonight is the Homecoming game at our kids' high school and tomorrow is the Homecoming dance. I want to get some photos of the kids all dressed up. :)

Fizzy Bath Salts

I've fallen behind on blogging again, things have just been so hectic. I'm making a lot of stuff lately!

Today I added Fizzy Bath Salts to my shop, in Rosemary Mint and Pink Grapefruit. They don't just smell good, they sort fizz and give you tickly little bubbles while you're soaking in the tub. And yesterday I put the cutest Sassy Little Crocheted Purse in the shop.

In the meantime, I've been soaping like a maniac. I made Turkish Mocha, Secrets of India and a really lovely floral blend, Lilac and Lavender. They are all on the curing rack in my office and it smells fantastic in here!

I can hardly believe it, but this Friday is Homecoming at my kids' high school. This is my daughter's senior year, so all the parents of the seniors in band and dance will be walking across the football field with their kids just before the game. A lot of the parents in past years have been dressed like they're going to a formal or something. I mean, I want to honor my daughter but I'm not willing to wear a cocktail dress and high heels to traipse across churned up grass on the field. So I'll probably go with the jeans, a nice shirt and my Crocs.

I bought the most gorgeous bracelet from charmedbyskye for my daughter. You have to see it, it's here. Is that amazing, or what? She is a member of the Earthpath Artisans Street Team, which I belong to also, on Etsy. EAST just had an Autumn Challenge that was judged by the Storque admins on Etsy. I didn't win, but I have to say the people who did win deserved to win, very talented folks.

Some New Products and Saving Moolah

I'm a woman who clips coupons and I'm not afraid to use 'em! Every Sunday I get out the scissors and get all the 40% off coupons for JoAnne's, Michaels and ACMoore's. It's amazing how much money you can save that way. I used to make fun of my mom when she'd clip coupons. I'm sure she's laughing, somewhere, about my coupon-cutting now. Sorry Moms. Your were onto something. :D

There's some new stuff in my shop. I'm the proudest of my Halloween Gift Baskets, I made the fabric basket covers myself, and the baskets are filled with lots of bath and body goodies. My Lavender Amber Sonnet soap finally cured and made its debut too. It's got a little dusting of copper mica on it that makes it look so pretty. And last but not least, I finished lining the Flower Child Crocheted Purse, big and slouchy, with room for everything.

Granny Squares

I never get tired of the basic, good old crocheted granny square. I'm making a purse right now with a pale, dusty pink double flower in the middle of the square. I was looking for a lining fabric that would pick up all the colors, but couldn't find anything with that same pink, ivory and green, so I got a pretty close match in a shades of green print. Here's what it looks like so far, lining fabric up top.

Our daughter is going to be appearing with her band in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers halftime show on Sunday. This is the second year that Gulf Coast High School has been asked to perform at the halftime show. Usually high school bands don't get the chance to perform at pro games, so it's a big deal for the kids. Last year we didn't get to see them, no local stations carried the game. I've heard a rumor that Fox TV might show the game on Sunday, so we might get to actually see her dance this time.