My printables page, done. New layout, thumbnails for everything. Yay!
The shampoo bar from Gladheart Acres.. LOVE. The scent just floored me of course, but most of their soaps get me that way, and buying soap from them is something that the kids and I look forward to during the summer and for the shows they do in Anchorage in the winter. I decided to try it for the first try without a vinegar rinse, just see how did on it's own. TONS of lather. I've used shampoo bars before, but I've never used one that lathered up this much and this easily. After my hair dried, it was comb-able and clean with a faint hint of the scent of the soap. It's not at all dried out and it feels good. I've found my shampoo bar for the gym! I'm not sure how it will do on E's flaky scalp issues, but I told her to try it out. My previous experience with shampoo bars had me wondering. I've liked a lot of them, but most of them did best with a vinegar rinse, but because I've loved Gladheart's soaps so long, I was eager to try it. I figured, at the worst, I had another bar of their wonderful soap to shower with, instead, I have a nice portable shampoo bar that I really love. It's in the soap category, listed as Essential Shampoo Bar.

We use their "Moosetakes" which aren't on their website for handwashing, some clothes washing, and for felting as gifts. We use their nice 4 oz bars in the bath and shower so we can just really indulge in the scent of them. My son is wild for the Ginger Lime, and E just sniffs soaps until she finds a couple she wants.

Craft mag posted this cute project. Love! E will enjoy it a lot.

W got me a few books I wanted, all craft related, so I'll be telling you about them.
We picked up my cake, and dropped it and the veggies off at my dad's with the bread for my Uncle. Then we headed up to the Saturday Market and I found a perfect gift for a friend of mine.. you know.. those times you see something and it's so completely perfect.. there is no way to resist.. we also got soap from Gladheart Acres, the Tupperware seller there DID have the ice tups I wanted. (Tupperware is made in the U.S. and better construction. So I wanted Tupperware brand specifically for my frozen pops). We bought a couple pints of cherries and munched sweet sweet cherries, and listened to a lady playing a hammered dulcimer, and just had a lovely time.
After that, we headed to my dad's house. Mike burned zucchini and mushrooms beautifully. Lamar told me the chocolate banana bread was amazing. He had one small piece before running some errands with Dad, then complained because he left the rest behind and wanted more. He effusively complimented Mike's mushrooms. Well.. they deserved it. The main course was sausage and hot dogs we picked up at the Saturday Market. Oh it was so good. I'm so stuffed. Double cardio at the gym tomorrow, but it was worth it. Every bit of caloric orgy.

Sugar Free Chocolate Banana Bread
4 large ripe bananas, a little overripe is fine for this. Mine were just edging into "banana bread" only stage.
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup Splenda
2 Tbsp vanilla extract (your mileage may vary, but I like a lot of vanilla)
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp. baking soda

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 cup flour I used whole wheat pastry flour

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mash up bananas well with a wooden spoon. You don't have to be too picky, you can see banana chunks in mine. Mix in butter, Splenda, egg, vanilla and mix it to a really disgusting gloppy looking mess.Stir in baking soda and salt, then mix in the dry ingredients. Cocoa first to get it well mixed in, then the flour.
Pour into greased loaf pan.It will just fill a greased loaf pan to 2/3rd full or thereabouts.
Bake for 1 hour. Let rest for about 10 minutes, and turn out.

I used more Splenda than I use sugar in my regular recipe because it's a lot harder to make a sugar free icing. I got some whipped cream cheese for him to spread on it, but he thinks cream cheese will distract from the goodness of the bread. He *really* liked the bread.

Yeah.. it was a really happy birthday.

( Yeah.. trying to sell the world on real soap again )

We always have leftover bottles of beer. Not because we drink a lot, we really don't. But people give Mike bottles sometimes, and occasionally we buy a 12 pack of a beer we like, and it lasts us about forever. I do plan to make bread with some at some point. Today though, I grabbed a bottle and used it instead of ACV after washing my hair with baking soda. I'll let you know how it turns out!

( Picture of soap )
That's not the bar I took my shower with, I used the Vanilla Mint. That bar is the one E picked, and it's called Glacier, also very minty and cool smelling.
First off, how it looks, the picture doesn't do it justice. Because this is a HUGE bar of soap. She sells smaller bars less expensively, but I like the huge chunk of soap. The packaging is minimal too. A tag, a piece of embroidery floss. It smells amazing. The Vanilla Mint was more mint then vanilla, but a sweet mint. It smells like mint candy.
It's not superfatted, or at least not terribly so. Sometimes handmade soaps can be a bit TOO moisturising to use on my face. This wasn't. I feel clean, my skin doesn't feel dried out, but it also doesn't feel oily. It smelled so good using it, I almost scrubbed a second time just to enjoy it again.
If you like patchouli, she makes one called Earth Goddess (I think?) that's patchouli and ginger that smells fantastic. Unfortunately, patchouli makes me sneeze. I was tempted though, it smells that amazing.
I think this soap will be what I use all summer. My skin can get oily and dirty in the summer and prone to breakouts, but since this isn't full of extra fat it won't aggravate the problem. During the winter, I'd use a body butter after showering I think.
It's 4 BIG bars for 30.00, or 5 little ones for 20, the little ones are 3-4 oz each (about the size of a standard bath bar) and the big ones are 7-8 oz each, so it's really reasonably priced. She does make vegan soaps too, including a vegan unscented bar if you've got sensitive skin or allergies.
You can get the soap from BathBucket.com

Well... I mentioned to some of you, I got a bottle of rum, this stuff. SN 938514 if you're curious. I also have a smaller bottle up too high for me to reach it to see if I can find a review of it, also from the Dominican Republic. I don't drink. Mike doesn't drink. This stuff got a review that makes me wish I did, I used to like rum and cokes. You know, when I drank.

I'm not sure if I'm going to the zoo today. The hotel is being renovated, and Mike had to work. E and I went to the Saturday Market though yesterday. First day and it was a blast.
( cut because this could get long )
In other news, last time I bought cologne, I got a bottle of violet. The scent is totally not making it for my family. Mike says "It's nice, just not what I'm used to." and E flat out says she doesn't like it, and wants me to wear rose or that other stuff (Opium). Ah well.

Well.. singingwolf had life going on last week when we ran out of soap. Since the car has been broken down, we haven't had a chance to get soap from any of my favorite local sellers, and I need to do something. So I bought 4 bars from Special Needs Handmade Soaps, one of the bars was peppermint, which is a good thing, because since I've been using Mike's Dr. Bronner's, he was out too, and forgot to get more. I LOVE the bergamot citrus which is the first bar I opened.
I was trying to explain soap to a friend a few weeks ago.
( soap )
When Mike and I got together, he was an Irish Spring user. Since he switched to real soap, he hasn't looked back. He uses Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap. To him, clean is a tingly feeling all over.
Well.. now that I've told you more then you *ever* wanted to know about soap..
Currently working on:
Update for Beadwork at BellaOnline
More boxes. Nearly done with boxes. Thank goodness. Had to redraw a lot of art in the last couple of days.
Thinking of: Melting crayons and maybe making some caramel popcorn later. I don't actually want to EAT caramel popcorn, but it's so pretty to make.

More Stuff I Do
My Printables Blog
Printable boxes and other things, some stuff duplicated from this blog.
Amazon book reviews
My Amazon.com book reviews if you're interested in what I'm reading.
My Facebook page and Shala's Printables and Beadwork Facebook Page

For Scented Products
Laura's Body and Soul
They feed my scent addiction, AND have an eczema cream that has done absolute wonders for my husband's psoriasis. I can't say enough good about that cream.
Gladheart Acres
Gladheart Acres makes lovely cold process soaps in a ton of scents and types. They also have some lovely body butters. I'm totally hooked on them. The soap has enough superfatting to be perfect for winters. My favorite shampoo bars as well.
Bath Bucket Soap
You can read my review here
Bramble Berry
I couldn't really do a list without including Bramble Berry right?
The Chemistry Connection
On Ebay, accepts Paypal. I've ordered from her, and been very happy with the service, products and pricing. Supplies. Not finished products, this is where I got the lipbalm supplies for our family's lip balm this year.

Beads
Halstead Beads
Great service and prices, great products.

Coffee
Blue Bonsai
Locally roasted yumminess. I really recommend the Empress Blend, if you prefer medium roasts, my dad loves the Samurai.
Brainscan on Etsy
She wrote the wonderful "Stolen Sharpie Revolution", and she roasts coffee to order. Yum yum.

Crochet
Crochet Pattern Central

Cloth menstrual pads
Amy's Rag Bag
Wonderful pads made with almost all post consumer recycled fabrics, the only thing that's not post consumer recycled is the thread she sews them with. She's worked out a toggle like closure for them, and a stacking system that's intuitive and flexible. Her prices are incredibly reasonable so it's a good way to start with cloth pads. I wrote a short tutorial on how to use them you can find here. If you've never bought from her, ask about her starter set, it's a very inexpensive way to start.
HoneybeeHill
Really cute new pads, vegan buttons, cloth advocacy buttons.