All about the Children ..

Isn't it odd how sometimes every which way you turn the same things jumps out at you? This week is all about Children ..

It started with me watching (now don't laugh) the first 5 episodes of Jamie Olivers Food Revolution .. I know he's a weird one but so am I, and I think we're equally as passionate about good food!

Well for anyone who hasn't watched it he delves into American school lunches, and there is an amazing amount of behind the scenes insight that quite literally had me in tears .. My kid takes a (not so flash) Bento lunch to school each day, and asks for a similar plater of chopped up fruit/veg/meat & cheese every night for dinner - which he gets more often than not because why not?! It's quick, simple, healthy & delicious ..

Our school has a very productive organic garden that all the kids work in, and they're taught to prepare the harvest by inviting friends and family to 'shared lunches' each term .. So to see a classroom of 6yr olds who don't know a tomato from a potato, or a beetroot from celery is, well it's shocking to me! I told myself this could obviously be a one off, But to Then see the school system providing pizza for breakfast followed by nuggets and instant mashed potato for lunch, and the choice of only chocolate & strawberry milk - AND the Head Honchos claiming it's meeting healthy eating guidelines, Seriously? I honestly don't mean to offend anyone by writing this but SERIOUSLY?? I just don't see how they can get away with it as surely the parents know what they're being fed at school .. I remember when it was suggested our kids go to Macdonalds for lunch on an excursion over the hill once - the outrage was spectacular lol ..

Anyhoo that's one thing ..

The second was finding out someone I know just lost her baby .. Again I feel wow, stunned .. My heart is breaking right now as C was so far into the pregnancy that a delivery was necessary, and I can't even contemplate how devastating and traumatic that must be to go through .. She was supposed to call me during the holidays but didn't so I figured she was tired (it's not been an easy pregnancy by any means), and was just told about the turn of events by a third party, and that she is hiding in her bedroom .. I really don't know if I should phone and offer to have the other kids (who love me) stay for a while to give her a break, or maybe she'd want them close .. All I know for sure is that this family has had a rough couple of years, and now this to top it off is just so so sad :(

*For the record there are a few pregnant soapers at the moment but this is no-one anyone reading this will know ..

It kind of puts everything in perspective though, what with my being extra busy dealing with family court lawyers, child youth & family social workers, school teachers, and riding for the disabled these last few weeks .. My life literally revolves around kids and their individual special needs - and I wouldn't want it any other way!

I actually spent the day making Monster/Witch B Gone Bedroom Sprays in Monkey Farts, Blackberry Jam Cookie, and 'Crack the Whip' (Lush dupe that smells like a Liquorice All-Sorts Coconutty/Vanilla blend to me) .. The Jam Cookie by the way is sooo good that I've sprayed it on the curtain dividing my bedroom and the lounge so it sends out wafts of scent whenever I walk through!!

But what I really wanted to sign off with is a little game I created for my son's school .. I'm taking this year off to focus on my B&B but I used to go in two afternoons a week to help with maths and this was a hit with the kids and teacher alike :)

I had access to a printer one day so I used a grid to divide my page and added some simple maths questions

Printed out the page on heavy paper, wrote a number between 1 and 6 on the back, cut into cards and covered with sticky tape (protects from dirty/wet fingers) ..

The knife was just used to eliminate air bubbles around the card, and I gave them a tidy up trim after taking these pics

Now the idea is for the younger ones you lay the green side down, roll the die and pick up one of the matching numbered cards and do the maths to earn 1 token .. For the older kids you lay the cards problem side up and they have to find a card that equals the number that they rolled to earn the token ..

Oh, and I found these nifty trains in the classroom, so I used them for the boards each kid put their tokens on .. First one filled wins the game ..

We used little plastic bears I also found in the classroom for our tokens, and it was so cute how each one came up with a story about where their bears were headed - to the zoo, the beach, circus, grandmas etc :)

As I say they had fun playing, and didn't even know I was teaching them math!!

Back to School ..

Well the holidays finished today so it was back to making lunches and attending to all the things I've been putting off the last couple of weeks (live vacuuming the lounge!).. My main priority though, after dropping the boy at school, was shipping off a bunch of lip balms to friends in the UK!

I was only going to send one kind but decided at the last moment to make another batch to cater to those who like more of a gloss .. I also decided it was time I formulated for the vegan crowd so experimented with Candelilla and Carnauba Wax and now have my fingers crossed they work out ok .. I must say though, so far my impression is Wow - if you haven't played with these two ingredients you should! They make a super hard balm but the glide is phenomenal, no drag what-so-ever and it sets up as smooth as glass ..

Oh and good news - I didn't spill any more than a drop when pouring the second batch into tubes :P

The tops however, well I'm still working on perfecting that *rolls eyes*

I also had to hand-crafted a label as I don't own a printer, so this is what I ended up doing on the week-end:

Wraps for the tubes themselves ..

Booklet tags to list ingredients ..

The finished Balms with wraps ..

Together with their booklets ..


And finally, THANK-YOU to everyone who's left comments, I really appreciate it and will write replies when I get a chance ;)

Lip Balm in Tubes ..

As a few of you know I'm planning on switching from pots to tubes for my lip balms due an overwhelming amount of requests .. I'm in a bit of a bind really, living where I do, a true melting pot of cultures and lifestyle .. Environmentally Friendly Granolas (like myself) make up a large percentage and prefer recyclable pots or slide tins, yet the students and backpackers make up an equal amount of my targeted customers and they want disposable plastic tubes that easily fits in their pockets .. *shrugs* I'll probably end up offering both options ..

Anyhoo I've been asking around about the tubes as I've never used them before, and low and behold a totally unexpected (non B&B) person tells me they have some I can have - for free! This girl got them a few years back thinking she would make balms to sell at week-end markets but never got around to it .. So they've been stored away until this morning .. And I now have a zip lock bag of 50 red & purple tubes to play with until my order arrives from the US *yippee*

But Oh My, switching to tubes is not as easy as I imagined it would be!
I think I wasted nearly half my lovely balm in spillage :(

And when I did the top up pour to hide the dimple, it didn't stick to the first pour so all the domes you see below fell off! (one inside circle) ..


Luckily I had the smarts to order a 'pour tray' along with the new tubes (and heat bands), so that should fix my spillage problem .. And I'm going to have another go tomorrow using a stainless steel milk jug with a much sharper spout than my pyrex one ..

But how do I top them up so they have nice rounded tops that stick?

Please share your hints and tips with me if you know how to do this correctly! I'm kind of desperate for answers, and clearly NOT a natural!

Vanilla Files (part 8 = lather tests!)

I think I need to start off by saying these Vanilla Files are nothing more than an experiment I did for my own personal reasons, then later decided to share publicly in the hope that others could benefit from the results .. Maybe I'm a fool, but I prefer to think of other B&B makers as my colleagues, rather than competition .. And what soaper doesn't love to talk shop?!

Also, please remember any comments below are only in reference to CP soap .. The very last thing I want to do is put people off trying these FO's in the many and varied B&B products we enjoy, and enjoy making! Obviously they are only my opinion, and I'm admittedly fussy - but very honest!

Not all have been tested enough in the shower to comment if they rinse clean, fill the bathroom with scent, or stick to skin, so *watch this space for updates*


PINK SUGAR (TCS):

Absolutely Gorgeous Scent! So good that the discolouration in CP soap doesn't bother me in the least .. The lather & rinse however is a shocker - dirty yellow/brown like Kindy Infectious Urine! Sorry but it's seriously BAD!! Which creates a major dilemma in that I absolutely LOVE this scent, and so do my testers .. So I guess I'll now have to try it with Vanilla Stabiliser ..

The scent does stick to skin for a little while after showering, but only very mildly - not to worry though as I've already used it in my Body Butter :D

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Sandalwood Vanilla (DSS):

Lather looks white when washing hands etc, however it's obviously slightly 'dirty' on the rinse (as it drops down onto my white tub) .. It doesn't come alive and fill the room with scent like some FO's do in use, but it definitely sticks to the skin so you'll be walking in a cloud of aroma for a few hours after showering which I personally want - it gets extra points for this ;)

And I also think it morphs just a tad in use, but I still LOVE this FO!

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Drizzled Honey Vanilla Cream (DSS):

This one tricked me - the first time I used it in the shower I wrote: Unfortunately this really doesn't do much in the shower, as in the scent doesn't fill the room like some do .. Nor does it stick to the skin after showering in more than a very mild way .. But I've just stepped out of the shower after using it the second time and the scent DID come alive in a very pleasant way! And it also seems to be stronger on my skin - which I know makes no sense, but what can I say? This is an awesome FO - oh and the lather/rinse is pretty darn clean, just ever so lightly tinted .. A winner in my opinion ;)

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Marshmallow Fluff (DSS):

Compared to the others this scent is still a bit 'whatever' for me .. And the lather/rinse is extremely dirty - it looked like I'd been rolling in the mud!

This picture doesn't even show just how un-pretty it is in use .. And combined with a just so-so scent, it failed miserably as a CP FO :(

(Of course that doesn't mean it wouldn't ROCK in another B&B product!)

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Black Raspberry Vanilla (NG):

*Will update when thoroughly tested*

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Vanilla de Madagascar (DSS):

I have tried another version of this that I liked a lot more, however I don't know where it came from, or how to contact the soaper that made it to ask :/

The scent did nothing in the shower and I could only smell it when sniffing the bar or lather direct, and it did not stick to my skin .. The lather and rinse were dirty, yet not quite as bad as this pic makes out - this was lathered by hand so maybe more intense then when showering with it?

Anyway, I won't be soaping it again ..

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Very Vanilla (BCN):

I think it's been made clear I do not like this scent .. To my nose it's a cross between sniffing playdough and plastic .. BUT every now and again it lets off a very obviously 'nut' like note - kinda weird! Anyhoo I was not expecting much from this when I took it into the shower for proper testing, and while I can't say anything about how it performed in use changed my mind, BUT that nutty thing was super obvious .. I'm calling it Hazelnut actually, that's what it smelt like to me when sniffing the bar - there was no scent in the room itself .. And *unfortunately for me* it did stick to my skin ..

I must give it points for one of the cleaner rinses - barely noticeably discoloured as it washed down the drain ;) So if you're a fan of hazelnuts this may work for you?!

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Vanilla Bean Noel (DSS):

This did not perform as I expected it to as I've used other soapers VBN's in the past and been a huge fan! The rinse was quite dirty, the scent was very faint - had to sniff the bar or lather direct to even smell it, and it did not stick to the skin :(

Sooo if you're really wanting a great VBN then I'd do as my friends do and go with Wholesale Supplies Plus version ;)

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Buttercream Frosting (DSS):

*Will update when thoroughly tested*

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Warm Vanilla Sugar (TCS):

Even in use this one doesn't give off much fragrance unless you sniff the bar directly, and likewise it didn't stick to my skin at all .. I know many people aren't interested in soap scent sticking to skin but I like it .. And at very I least want my bathroom to smell nice when showering - not much purpose adding FO if it doesn't do that! .. Rinse was only slightly discoloured ..

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Vanilla Bean (DSS):

*Will update when thoroughly tested*

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Musk Vanilla (NG):

*Will update when thoroughly tested*

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Vanilla Abricot (DSS):

This smells great when you sniff the bar while in use, but that's the only time I really get much scent from it .. It's not in the air, it's not on my skin, or even in the lather itself in more than a very-very mild way .. Pretty disappointing really but maybe used a t a higher % that could be fixed? The rinse is what you'd expect from a brown bar - not overly, not even enough to put many people off I don't think .. But I won't be using it again ..

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Unscented:


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Face Cloth Test - wet soap left to dry on a clean white towel:
(click on image for full size)

Sorry this is so dark in comparison to the lather tests above - the weather has turned and it's very overcast but I got it done before the rain started!

Comments, Questions, Feedback - Most Welcomed!

Personal Progress ^^

I don't normally let people take my photograph but today I decided I would take a couple of quick snaps myself for future reference .. Why this sudden change of heart and show of bravery? Simply because I've been getting a LOT of comments this last week .. Suddenly everyone is noticing my stretched ears, which is odd as they have obviously been getting bigger all last year and I don't think I'm wearing my hair up more than usual ..

Oh well, whatever it is the kids at school all think it's a combination of freaky and awesome - which pretty much sums me up in general, lol :P


I've been swimming &/or hot tubbing daily so haven't coloured my hair in a good four or five months .. And yes I've cut my dreads in half as I do every so often when the ends start to bother me - I just prefer them whispy and loose ..

And as you can see my ears aren't even all that big .. One is 8mm the other 10mm, and I think I'm going to stay at this size for a long time, maybe forever actually as not fussed to go any bigger .. I'm not terribly happy with the placement either but I had them pierced with a gun as a young child and I had no say in the matter *grr why do parents DO that?!

Oh well, this is me today ~ ♥

Tomorrow I'm heading down south (18hr drive) to get my daughter for the school holidays = YAY!

Vanilla Files (part 7)

Ok finally got the pics ready to share - I had open a new flickr account because the last one is full!

To recap, the Fragrance Oils I've used below were all purchased from the wonderful Karen @ Big Tree Supplies in Australia, who stocks from many of the well known places in the states such as:

• Bitter Creek North (BCN)
  
• The Candle Source (TCS)
  
• Day Star Supplies (DSS
  
• Natures Garden (NG)
  
• Elements Bath & Body (EBB)

And I'm very excited to say that I've got some more Vanilla's on the way to be soaped/photographed & added very soon! Including some from Bramble Berry (BB) ..

So these bars are all coming up to their 6wk cure date VERY soon (next week) and I'll then begin doing lather tests to determine:

• if the discolouration also discolours the lather
  
• if the scent morphs &/or comes alive in the water
  
• if the scent sticks to the skin

I apologise that the lighting in these is not always the same due to being photographed outdoors and at differing times of day etc, but I hope it gives you an idea of how they each progressed over the last couple of weeks .. Some you can see discolour very rapidly, while others take weeks - months even!


DAY #1 (freshly cut)

DAY #2

DAY #3

DAY #4

DAY #14 = Today!


Comments, Questions, & Feedback is Welcomed! ♥
And ALL the Vanilla File posts can easily been found via this page: THIS PAGE

Mica Mess (2)

These are some more of the coloured batches I showed yesterday



** Holly the pink stars were actually Neon Purple Pigment - yeah go figure? I had no idea it would turn pink! But then as I say the white was originally super 'Dark Blue' .. And I also used Copper, Bordeaux, Patagonia Purple, Grape, Amethyst, & Majestic Green Mica .. The purpose of these batches:
Confetti/Embeds

(greens a lot nicer than this image makes out, it's just a grotty gray cloudy day)

PS: Vanilla Updates tomorrow!

Making a Mess with Mica ..

Sooo .. I've been playing with Mica this week, and making a hell of a mess:

For very little result :(

Yeah I guess they look 'OK'.. Only not so much considering they were deep intense colours - like Plum Wine Red, and Dark Blue (those white ones at the back) to start with .. I literally watched all the colour fade out of these as they set up in the moulds, and could have cried ..

Thankfully I did have one soaping success which made up for this loss .. And it's one I hope to repeat many times over in the future .. If you haven't already tried Bramble Berrry's Toasted Rice FO - DO! It's soooo yum that if it stays true and strong in my bars I will be using it to replace my favourite OMH .. Yep it truly is that good ♥

Vanilla Files (part 6)

I'm eager to do the lather tests on these so I cut a bar off each in preparation .. I love cutting soap - it was exciting to see what each slice would expose!


From The Top (in same order)




Scent Reviews
* = my 5 top picks (so far)
Vanilla Abricot (DSS)
- Getting stronger, what people 'expect' when you say Vanilla scented

Musk Vanilla (NG)
- Not overpowering but definite Musk. I don't smell any 'Vanilla'

Vanilla Bean (DSS)
- Almost a generic Vanilla scent, with a slight 'plastic' to it

*Drizzled Honey Vanilla* (DSS)
- Still really interesting and very hard to describe. I describe BRV as Summer in the garden, which makes DHV Summer sitting down at the river watching bees hover in the wild flowers!

Marshmallow Fluff (DSS)
- Sugary sweet, a cooking scent. It really smells like Marshmallow but unfortunately isn't very strong

*Black Raspberry Vanilla* (NG)
- I'm loving this, smells just like Summer in my garden :)

*Unscented*
- This still smells 'sweet' to me, not soapy at all! Interesting note is that it also seemed to cut cleaner than any other bar, as though it is somehow 'harder' yet the recipe was exactly the same, including Lye strength.

Vanilla de Madagascar (DSS)
- Another sweet cooking scent, deep/rich buttery even - but not very 'strong'

*Pink Sugar* (TCS)
- Still YUM! I have people gravitate to this bar and keep sniffing, unwilling to try others and going back to it when forced to, lol ..

Very Vanilla (BCN)
- I need to look back and see if this was the one giving off Almond notes when first poured as I can now pick it up again (ever so faint). But honestly, the first thing that I'd describe this as is 'it's like sniffing your TV remote!'. Sorry but this is an Epic FAIL in my opinion .. Edited to add: yes it was the almond one!

Vanilla Bean Noel (DSS)
- Much lighter than I'd like, but sweet/sugary, a little buttery, almost like caramel actually

Buttercream Frosting (DSS)
- Weird, when I just picked this up now I thought 'wow is that coconut I smell?'. If told the name I do get a 'feel' of cake frosting, but I think it's got a touch of plastic too

*Vanilla Sandalwood* (EBB)
Mmm Yeah Baby - I'm so down with this scent, but I guess you'll know that by now 8P

Warm Vanilla Sugar (TCS)
- I find this very faint, alight sweet perfume scent, a Pink Sugar wannabe?

I'm going to order some Vanilla samples from BB to add in the future, but again if anyone has 15ml of a Vanilla FO not listed here and is willing to send my way, I'd love to soap them and add the results to this list ..

And if you have a question regarding any of the above bars, please do leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer or show you ;)

DIY Coconut Cave (for fish tank)

I'm thrilled so many people liked the marble soak idea, and yes it really does feel great so I hope you try it!

I must say though, it was my sister who taught me the trick .. Many years ago when I was still living in Australia, we used to team it up with a face mask, a bottle of wine, some munchies, a pack of tarot cards, and maybe a video or two .. That's the ingredients for what I'd call the perfect girls night in :)

And since I'm on a roll with flashbacks from the past, Krissy's comment about pinching marbles out of the fish-tank reminded me of a little clip I made for YouTube a couple of years back .. Though it might be fun to share it here too:


(btw) The cave is still in use, still looking fab, and still popular with the fish ..

*Update on Vanilla's tomorrow, I promise!

"Bring Me Your Marbles!"

(aka) My Sweet Feet Treat ..

It's the end of Summer here in New Zealand which means my poor feet have been seriously neglected for months on end .. And anyone who knows me knows I run around bare footed 90% of the time, no matter if that's indoors, out in the garden, down at the beach, or on hot city streets!

Yep they were looking pretty nasty, all rough and cracked .. So I thought I'd take the opportunity to do some pampering ..

Step #1 - ask son to gather up all his marbles and put them into a clean bucket, wash thoroughly and remove any that are broken or chipped
- this is VERY important!


Step #2 - fill bucket with warm water and set down on a mat
somewhere you can comfortable rest for the next 30-60 minutes ..
Don't forget a towel for when you're done soaking ..

(you can add salt, essential oils, or other bath goodies if you wish)

Step #3 - soak feet in water, rubbing them over the marbles to massage .. I like heaps of marbles so they rub up the sides and on top too ..

You're right, they are very hairy legs .. Whadda ya expect from a hippie?

Step #4 - use a pumice stone to rub off any rough patches and smooth the outsides of cuts etc .. I do this twice to each foot twice, soaking again in between to keep the skin soft .. Trust me it's too gross to show you pics of!

Step #5 - apply your favourite scrub or maybe some dead sea mud/clay mask or what have you .. Then rinse off and pat dry before doing Step Six ..

Step #6 - today I applied a new lotion bar rich in Shea Butter, Olive Oil, and Rose Geranium Essential Oil to aid the healing of the cracks

Shea Rose (solid lotion bars)

Step #7 (optional) - Clip/File &/or Paint toenails

Only to be honest I'm really not a fan of solid lotion bars *shrugs* they're just not my thing .. The texture of thick balm on my skin really wiggs me out to the point I need to wash it off with soap .. Even with cornflour I find them greasy (as in straight Shea), and they never seem to fully absorb in ..

So anyway, I coated each foot with these and their not too bad, but after ten minutes I rubbed off the excess with a towel and applied my favourite Body Butter which incidentally my feet love *winks*

Manuka Honey Hand Crème

Following on from yesterdays post about Nerys Purchon and the lessons she taught me, I started thinking about some of those other Wonderful Wild Women who have influenced my life and lead me on parts of my journey .. Susan Weed, Jacki French, Valerie Ann Worwood, to name just a few ..

So I decided to make something inspired by their generous natures; their love of the land, plants, natures healing gifts; their examples of looking close to home to find what you need .. And most importantly, the beauty in keeping things simple ..

I'm super happy with the result which is this gorgeous, unscented, uncoloured Emulsified Body Butter .. Rich with local Manuka Honey & Olive Oil, a new Emulisfying wax I'm testing (Emulsifier E: cetearyl glucoside & cetearyl alcohol), UNrefined Cocoa Butter (smells sooo good), & NZ Spring water ..

I kid you not it looks, smells, feels, and absorbs into the skin LOVELY!
Oh alright, I admit it, I even know for a fact that it tastes good *blushes*

- of course I don't recommend anyone try that as I seriously doubt ewax and Liquid Germal Plus are safe to consume, but it was just a dab on my finger because I was curious and seriously couldn't resit .. Did I mention it smells fantastic?!



But as you know, no matter how good a formula is, or that the goal was to stay simple, I tweak .. So the first round of tests went something like this:

• Base + Natrasorb Bath
  
• Base + Cyclomethicone
  
• Base + Lactic Acid
  
• Base + Liquid Silk
  
• Base + Hydrolysed Wheat Protein

With somewhat surprising results .. I also have Cornflour, Dimethicone, Combo's of the above, and a bunch of extracts to try ..

And carrying on the theme of supporting locally made, I packaged it in another recycled container .. I've been buying this NZ Lavender hand cream for myself and as gifts for gardening friends for years - at $17 a pop ..



Is mine Crème better? Honestly, yes I think it is!

Nerys Purchon ..

Who's that? Well she's the lady that helped me make my very first home-made skin care product!

Waaaay back when I was a new mum, living in Perth, Western Australia, and dreaming of living off the land with a permaculture garden providing food and a herb garden bringing in income to buy what we couldn't make, I bought her book 'Bodycraft' .. I actually bought it after spending the day at her Rivendell Farm where I'd spent hours walking through and photographing the spectacular herb gardens, eating sumptuous food at the restaurant (freshly made berry ice-cream = Mmmm), tasting the local wines (yep bought a couple bottles of red); and that was also my very first introduction to Aromatherapy as I could smell lemon and lavender coming from the consultation rooms .. In fact, believe it or not I still have all the little brochures I picked up from the shop that day as they are so packed full of fascinating information - way more than your average sales flyer, and this is going back 19-20yrs now!

Yes, to say I was inspired and impressed is a huge understatement ..

So 'Bodycare' is the book that first educated me on the basics of simple home-made skin care .. As well as Tooth Powders, Soap, Hand Cream, Herbal Infusions, Perfumes, Balms, Aromatherapy, Masks - you get the idea .. And I must have read it a million times, it's amazing it's still held together actually!

Anywho, today I just happened to be flicking though it yet again and I thought that I really MUST track down a copy of her other book called 'Foodcraft' as I've always wanted it but never found a copy available - of course last time I looked was a few years prior to the internet, lol ..

Well it wasn't easy but I found a 2nd hand copy in Australia, and I also found out Nerys passed away on January 15th this year .. Wow :(

If only this had occurred to me sooner I could have let her know how helpful her sharing has been to me .. I would have loved to have connected with her via her blog, or bought a little something from her Etsy store ..

Now all I can say is Rest In Peace Nerys
- you will be missed by family, friends, and people you never even met ..