Vote for our beautiful handmade items!

The promotional frenzy team on etsy, of which I am a member, is participating in a contest worth $450 in advertising. The contest is a part of a website called Handmade Top 10.

Members of our team have chosen two of their beautiful items to be featured in the contest list.

We would love your support. You can vote for our team by clicking on the orange colored link below.
There is also an facebook icon located in the upper right hand corner of the Handmade Top 10 page, where you can "like" our contest as well.

Thank you for your support and have a wonderful weekend!

It's a little late this year...spring vegetable gardens

So it is June 22 and the second official day of summer, my vegetable garden should be in full swing. Until a few days ago it was not, lettuce and radish had been refusing to grow, chives were not poking themselves through the moist dark soil, peas lay dormant. April and May in the Pacific Northwest were cold, frigid and much like winter. As a result the soil is still a little colder than it should be for this time of year.

Over the weekend, I built three little hoop houses for my chilly garden soil. In just three days since the completion of my hoop houses, I have seen improvement beyond my expectations.

New zucchini plants are brilliant green.

 

 
My first bean plant has arrived.

Lettuce, radish and chives have yet to make their appearance, however, my tomatoes look gorgeous!

By August I know I will  have a wonderful harvest of salad greens, herbs, legumes and garden roots!
Hooray for hoop houses!!!

Creamy cold processed photo essay

A few photos of my fabulous cold processed soap. All of these featured soap bars are  made using the cold process method. Each  cures for more than six weeks, and the finished bar it retains all of it skin nourishing glycerin. The result is mild, smooth, creamy and full of delightful lather!

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/EldoradoSoap?section_id=10033584&view_type=gallery
These creamy olive oil soaps and a few more are featured in my summer sale. Save 54% now one these beauties and a few more.

Introducing a lavender hand cream

New for june is a wonderfully moisturing and lucious hand cream. It is made with lavender essentail oil and evening primrose. Evening Primrose  has been recognized for its anti-oxidant properties. This hand cream also contains mineral oil, which is non-irritating and has been considered a skin protectant because moisturizes and protects the skin.
My lotion is light and easliy absorbed. It does not leave a heavy or sticky residue on your skin. I found that some commerical creams would rehydrate when I washed my hands, and felt somewhat slimey.( I really don't like that feeling.) I wanted a lotion that left my hands feeling soft and silky smooth, and this is it.
The lavender essential oil that scents this little treasure is a fabulously fresh scent that I love, it is so uplifting and clean. I this is one scent I always look forward to using.

This great cream is a available in a 4 ounce jar. It is so convenient, I carry one in my purse wherever I go.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/EldoradoSoap
http://www.etsy.com/listing/74488898/lavender-scented-hand-lotion-with 

A late start to the garden season

There was a day in February when I thought that spring was going to arrive. I remember that day so clearly, it was near the end of that month. The buds were beginning to pop, the earth was stirring with life and the sun warmed my back. As days progressed through March and April and May spring was placed on hold.
If it were not for the arrival of songbirds and bumblebees evidence of this joyous new season would have escaped me.

Today is a new month, the strawberries should have blossomed. Those low growing plants with green round leaves should be with a bounty of fruit. Sweet peas should be climbing the old post and rail fence, punctuating the breeze with a heady, sweet scent. Tomatoes, waiting to be planted in soft loam soil, still seek shelter under winter cold frames.

Spring is late this year and so are the trappings of a beautiful June garden.