Saturday, November 24, 2007

How to Make Victorian Terrariums

Terrariums are small, self-maintaining, self-enclosed ecosystems. They can maintain themselves as long as you select the right plants and give them the right amount of water. For the instructions here, I use jade plant and a pear plant...Orchids would be lovely too!

If your a beginner, try a terrarium kit like Carnivorous Creations. It contains a seed packet of a variety of beautiful, exotic, carnivorous plants like: Venus Fly Trap, Cobra Plant, Yellow Trumpet, Hooded Pitcher Plant, Sweet Trumpet, Purple Pitcher Plant, Maroon Sundew Plant, Pink
Sundew Plant, White Sundew Plant.


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Materials:
Rocks or marbles for drainage (for a fun alternative, try glass beads, dainty wood or bark chips)
Large Apothecary Jar or Terrarium
Dirt with peat moss
Plant specimen (something that loves a moist environment, such as jade, a pear plant or a fern)
Sheet moss (available in craft, hobby and gardening stores)

Tools:
Small spade or trowel
Scissors
Spray bottle
Watering can

Instructions:
Put your rocks in the bottom of the jar for drainage. Next, top that off with a wee layer of lovely dirt, rich with nutrients, mixed with peat moss. Pull your plant specimen out of its container and place it in the jar. Add a little more dirt around the edges to secure it if necessary.

Cover the dirt with some moss that has been sprayed with water to bring it back to life. This is best done by tearing the sheet into small pieces and placing it around the base of your plant. Water your little miniature garden lightly, and put the lid back in place.

Keep an eye on it for the first few days. If the jar fogs up, that means there is too much moisture in there. If this happens, take off the lid and leave it off for a little while to let the moisture evaporate. But be careful, you don't want it to dry out completely. The key to a self-maintaining terrarium is the right amount of water. Once you've figured that out, you'll be able to leave it for extended periods of time without having to add water.

It's fun to experiment with plants and containers. Larger apothecary jars and smaller specimens will make it possible to use more then one plant, which can add variety to your display. Have fun!

Monday, November 19, 2007

Supernatural Soap™

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On the curing racks right now! These will be added to my current stock at Willow in Chicago... and my Etsy shop!

Green Fairy- Anise, Mint, Lemon
Venus Love Drawing Soap- Lotus, Rose, Moroccan Red Clay and Rose Petals
Shaman- Sage, Sweetgrass, French Green Clay
Satyr Sexual Attraction Soap- Vanilla, Clove, Cinamon, Patchouli
Divinity- Frankincense and Myrrh
Santeria Purification Soap- Coconut, Lime, Verbena
Hoodoo Mud Scrub- Clove, Coco powder, Oatmeal, Cinamon, Chocolate
Lady Rococo- Inspired by Marie Antoinette...smells like cake!

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Sunday, November 18, 2007

Poppytalk Handmade

I'm super excited right now. I just found another Handmade Online Marketplace, called Poppytalk Handmade! It's a virtual street fair/flea market where selected crafters and artists showcase there wares. Here's the scoop:

Poppytalk's website www.poppytalkhandmade.com
will host an image from each table/designer on the front page. A link from the image will go to the designer’s table (page) holding 9 items. Each page will introduce the designer and why they were picked. Each item will have a description along with a link to their online store (Etsy, Mintd, Dawanda or personal online store/site). Just like a regular street market, there will be a charge to rent a table (or in this case a page) which will cover administration and web hosting fees. Once an item sells, you will be able to upload a new item.

I was browsing their website and guess what? No handmade bath and body products! As soon as I get my Etsy shop stocked up I'm going to contact Jan, the curator... I hope they'll showcase my Supernatural Soap!

Click on the image below if you want to check it out! xo Lavona

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Saturday, November 17, 2007

Visit my Etsy Shop!

I've been trying to make at least one batch of soap a day! My house smells sooo good! I finally set up my Etsy Shop... I'll be listing soap and other goodies SOON! So if you're on Etsy, add me to your favorites! If your not, set up an account NOW! lol! You won't be sorry...Etsy rocks! You can buy unique, handmade gifts for everyone this Holiday Season. xo Lavona

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Greetings!

This is my first post here on blogspot!

First of all I'd like to thank Leila Rose, of "Red Heart Cult" fame, for helping me out with my banner! Check out her Etsy shop for beautiful Art Assemblages:

www.redheart13.etsy.com

She creates exquisite relics...this one inspired by Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis.

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http://www.myspace.com/redheartcult