Creating Beauty and Good Vibes

I’ve been at it again this weekend, stringing up more beads and creating so much beauty!  No, I am not obsessed (ahem!) but I do enjoy fully exploring a craft until I run out of ideas.  When I find that I am just recreating versus inventing, I usually put it aside for a while until I get more inspiration.  But that hasn’t happened yet!

I am amassing quite a collection of jewelry, but I have a feeling when I make my trip up to see my family in August that some of these will find new owners.

I am itching to get some soap and lotion made but it is still too hot to order any supplies.  I wouldn’t want them to go rancid during shipping in this heat. It’s just going to have to wait another month or two until it starts cooling off.  Meanwhile, I am still having a lot of fun coming up with bead combinations for necklaces and bracelets.

 

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Can a Girl Have Too Many Malas? Apparently Not!

I had such a relaxing time this weekend stringing up some more malas and beads for my husband and I.

He just loves the “puka” style surfer necklaces and I am smitten with malas.  I just keep on coming up with new ideas and I can’t stop myself. LOL!  I want one of every color! And they are a joy to photograph too!

Free Lotion Formula: Lavender & Benzoin Relaxing Lotion with Squalane and HLA

When I first made this lotion, I didn’t care too much for the smell.  I didn’t hate it, but I thought it was a little bit odd.  It smelled vaguely familiar, like an old memory. Perhaps a bit like a baby lotion or other gentle scent from my past.   The longer I used it though, the more I came to really enjoy this scent.

I use this lotion every night before bed.  The scent is relaxing and helps me fall asleep.  Now I can’t live without this lotion –and I ran out of it around Tuesday last week, so it went on my “weekend to-do list”.

I have blogged about this lotion in the past, but I don’t think I ever posted the formula for it.  If I did, then it still wouldn’t have the most recent changes to the formula which I adjusted to make the lotion a little thinner.    In any case, below is a free formula for this wonderful lotion so you can have some too!

Joyful Jewels

There is something about jewelry that just makes me joyful.   Perhaps it is the color combinations, or the textures, or the allure of the endless possibilities!  I don’t know for sure what it is.  I don’t even wear jewelry most of the time, but just making and having these makes me feel joyful!

Fiddling Away

Whenever I start feeling uncreative, or run into “creator’s block”, I try to do something different for a while.   I find that as I focus on developing new skills, or re-developing old ones, it helps me to get back into a creative mode.

Sometimes it can just mean doing something different for a few days, and sometimes it can be longer.  It just depends on the entire scope of things going on at the time.

Work is getting very busy again, so it has my mind fully occupied.  This leaves little room for creativity (not to mention leaving little time for it either).    So I decided to continue with beading for the time being since it requires so little brain power or energy.

I am finding it relaxing. The cadence of stringing beads and the tactile nature of the craft is soothing.   I put on my “Moving Art” videos (by Louie Schwartzberg) and just drift off into a Zen like state.   I don’t necessarily start with a firm plan.   I just buy some beads that inspire me, get to work — and let it be!

The Magick in Intent

When I was younger, I was completely enamored with all things “magical”.  I loved to explore different religions and esoteric practices and learn as much as I could about them.   All things “witchy”, alchemical, and strange were very dear to me.  Anything having to do with herbs, crystals, symbolism, or aromatherapy were of particular interest.

Then, life went on and I found less and less time to focus my attention to these things with work, home, kids, and responsibilities taking precedence.  Gradually, they lost their luster, and my interests turned to more practical pursuits, like sewing, quilting, knitting, soap, lotion, and etc. ad infinitum.

Beauty in Simplicity

Last week, while on vacation, I posted a free formula for making a possible dupe of an Aveeno product (Sheer Hydration Lotion).   It was a fairly simple formula really — nothing very fancy in it.   Well, it turns out it’s a big hit around here!