A few things from the holler...

My BFF's birthday was recently so I made the table runner above for her.  She was raised in Ohio, so I learned this patten called Buckeye Beauty.  I don't know why this picture shows the muslin with darker spots.  Really, I didn't have one hand full of chocolate and one hand on my sewing while I was doing this, although it looks like it!

Our burning bush is full of berries and really starting to sparkle.  The birds love this bush, as do I.

I know I show y'all this plant every year, but it amazes me!  Here's how it goes: after it blooms like it's doing now it will die back for the winter and I'll chunk it out of the container over the porch railing (thinking, "oh well, it was beautiful again this year).  Next spring I'll be in the area where I "chunked" it, and I'll see it coming back to life.  Knowing it's potential, I will put it in a pot for the porch and by fall here we'll be again.  I think I've done this for at least 4 years now.  I love a plant that's hardy, but this plant takes abuse like nothing I've ever seen.  I'm not sure what kind it is....maybe in the Wandering Jew family?

 Next is my little project that I did this week.  I made liquid soap!  I've seen this on Pinterest.com and wanted to do it, so I saved up my empty dispensers and went for it.  All you need is 1 1/2 bars of soap and 1 gallon of water.  I had a lovely lemon eucalyptus bar I'd bought in Amish country a while back, and some of JP's soap I found. I zipped it through the food processor.

The next step is to put it on the stove with a gallon of water and melt it.  This didn't take very long, about 20-30 min on low heat.  I'm guessing boiling would be bad because that would creat bubbles,,,oh my!  The next step is to let it cool.  Mine took about 2 hours.  It'll start to feel gelatenous when you stir it.



Then you fill your bottles and, voilá, hand soap for very little money!  Get me, being all frugal and stuff,,haha.
OH and clean-up is a breeze.  It's soap, so all you do is rinse!!!



Well, we are all blessed beyond measure.  Everyone in the pack is doing well.  Have a great week.  Blessings from the holler...