Lilacs are in full bloom! Making Lovely Essential Oil...

 

 

Finally! A good crop of Lilacs! The past few years I haven't had healthy aromatic blooms on my lilac shrubs - they either got frosted, or just didn't flower well. I used to only make lilac essential oils on the years when the flowers were especially fragrant, since oil doesn't get infused with the scent that easily when using lilac. I decided to try it again this year.

I collected a grocery bag full of fresh healthy flowers (enough to densely fill the medium sized crock pot I would be using). Being sure to pick them when they were in full bloom at mid day, when they were dry of dew and warmed by the sun. I removed the tiny blossoms from the stems by simply pulling them through my closed hand to strip the blooms away, and then discarded any greenery.

 

 

 I decided to use my food dehydrator to remove the excess water within the flowers because it's faster. But if you don't have a dehydrator you can layer the flowers between paper towels and let them sit for 12 - 24 hours. With both methods you just want them to get slightly wilted - still soft, not dried, before processing them. This will ensure that the water contained in the blossoms has evaporated away, but that the oils contained in the flowers is still present to provide scent. Any water left in flowers will promote mold in the end product.

 

 

Next I poured an ~18 0z bottle of Grape seed Oil in the crock pot, added the now dehydrated blossoms and turned the covered crock pot to the low setting to let it simmer for at least 8 hours. Or you can simmer it while covered on low heat on the stove if you prefer.

 

Every hour, the flowers were stirred around in the oil and bruised a little with a wooden spoon. I turned the crock pot off when the desired pleasant scent wafted up at the last stirring.

 

When it was finished and cooled slightly, I placed cheese cloth in a cullender and then drained the oil through it into a bowl. Gathering up the cheese cloth full of spent flowers, I hung the bundle over the side of the cullender and pressed it with the wooden spoon several times to squeeze out remaining oil. Then I left the bundle over the side of the cullender to drain further and to also let the sediments settle completely to the bottom of the bowl below.

 

Without disturbing the muck at the bottom of the bowl, I  used a baster to transfer the clear oil on top back into the original grape seed oil bottle and capped it tightly. I just discarded the murky oil at the very bottom of bowl, ending up with a little less oil than I started with.

 

I'll be sure to label it with the type of oil it is, the date it was made, and the use by date at 6 months later. It will be stored in a dark, cool, dry place. But if you don't have a dark place convenient for storage you can store it in a different dark colored bottle or place a opaque label around whole bottle to keep the light from deteriorating it if needed.   

 

 

 My efforts resulted in a somewhat darker green, lovely scented oil that I am quite pleased with!

 

~ ~ ~

 

Your Lilac Essential Oil will have a lovely floral scent that blends well with other floral and spicy aromas.

 It can be used:

 

For Aromatherapy - soothing your mind and promoting increased energy and sensuality. 

 

To Scent - homemade candles, potpourri, shampoos, lotions and hand creams.

 

As - a perfume oil rubbed directly onto your skin, or diffused oil to scent a room.

 

As Herbal Remedy - Some modern herbalists use lilac essential oil to treat skin ailments such as rashes, sunburns and minor cuts and scrapes. (The ingestion of lilac was used as treatment of parasitic worms, malaria and fever in the past.)

 

 For Ritual Use - Anoint the back of the neck to improve memory, attract health and longevity. Or use at a pulse point or in environment to promote peace, harmony, happiness, creativity, intuition, wisdom, abundance, clairvoyance, divination, protection, psychic awareness, good luck or as a general spiritual aid.

 

*** Warning: The use of, or processing of, essential plant oils can trigger allergies or asthma in those susceptible to these possible irritants.

 

Chunky Jewelry from Upcycled Materials

 

 

 

 

Matching Chunky Necklace and Bracelet made from paper beads with chrome painted accents and varnished to a light weight wood-like finish. 

Gardening Hat Wall-Hanging Made entirely from Upcycled Materials!

 

 

 

 

 

Gardening Hat Wall hanging made from the bottom part of a cool whip container, used skewers, yarn from an old wallhanging, grocery bags, bread bag twisties and silk flowers found in a cemetery refuse can.

Cost: a little time! :-)

Hand painted clay tiles - Lotus Flower Design

 

 

 

 

Lotus Flower Design on up-cycled 6" clay tiles to be Incorporated into stepping stone.

Gestalt face on photo of fairy house...and a George Carlin quote

 

 

Anyone else see a scary gestalt face within the photo of the back of this fairy house?

A protective fairy spell perhaps?

 

 

And now a reminder of what's important from George Carlin:

 

 

Society has given us wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more time, but have less.

We buy more, but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses, but smaller families.

More degrees, but less sense.

More experts, yet more problems.

More medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little,
drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired and look after
ourselves too seldom. 

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less.

We plan more, but accomplish less.

We've learned to rush, but not how to wait.

We have computers capable of holding more information than ever, but we
communicate less and less.

We've been to the moon, but struggle to cross the street and meet our neighbor.

These are crazy times we're living in.

Remember to spend time with your loved ones.

Remember to tell them you love them. It's free.

Remember to cherish the precious moments, and grow from the bad ones.

        ~ George Carlin


Bangle Bracelets made totally from upcycled materials!

 

These bangle bracelets were created from the seal rings from mayo jars, bread bag twistie wires and wooden beads salvaged from a discarded bead curtain.

 

 

Hand Painted Clay Tiles - Purple Aster Design

 

 

 

Hand Painted Purple Aster Design on Up-cycled 6" Clay Tiles to be incorporated into stepping stone.

Hand Painted Clay Tiles - Daisy Design

 

 

 

Hand Painted Daisy Design on Up-cycled 6" Clay Tiles to be incorporated into stepping stone.



Hand Painted Clay Tiles - Sunflower Design

 

 

Hand Painted Sunflower Design on Up-cycled 6" Clay Tiles to be incorporated into stepping stone.

Hand-crafted Faerie Bower ~ Fairy Country Cottage

 

 

This hand-crafted miniature indoor fairy house measures 6"x6" at base and is 7" tall at top of chimney. It is displayed here on a hand made mushroom fairy ring base.

 

  

 

Both cottage and base are created entirely from up-cycled and natural found materials. Including white birch bark, veneer peeled from junked furniture, dyed egg shells, cardboard, wisteria vines, reused tissue and brown waxed paper, small stones, a seashell and different types of moss with a bit of sparkly fairy dust sprinkled about.

 

  

 

The window-panes of cellophane allow the light from an led flickering candle to show through in the dark, and if you peer in the windows from the outside you can glimpse a tiny table with fairy spell books laid out on it, the fireplace that houses the candle flame, a small chair, oval throw rug, a small mirror, bunches of herbs hanging to dry and a ladder that goes to the loft where bottles of magick elixirs are stored. The door is left ajar as an invitation for any good fairy to enter and feel welcome.

 

  

Colorful Bangle Bracelets! (using Upcycled Materials)

 

 

 

These colorful Bangle Bracelets are light in weight, thin and flexible. They are very comfortable to wear, even when your arm is resting on a surface while writing and there is no noise from them clanging together when moving your arm.

 

 

 

 

Made from the rings that are on mayonnaise type jars to seal the tops, with yarn wrapped around them with a slip knot macrame technique. Smaller size rings can also be used as closer fitting wrist bracelet since they are flexible the smaller ring can be squeezed down to make a wider oval that will fit over your hand and then spring back to the closer fitting circlet once it's around your wrist.

Lovely Vintage Rose Bookmarks Hand Crafted with Upcycled Materials

 

 

 

These lovely Inspirational Vintage Rose Bookmarks were fashioned from all Upcycled Materials.

 

 

First I cut cereal box cardboard to bookmark size.

 

Then I covered the printed side of cardboard with white paper and glued it in place.

 

After letting it dry I adhered an inspirational word cut from a magazine to the white paper and then allowed that to dry completely.

 

Next I covered both sides of cardboard with brown parchment-like brown paper that some shopping bags are made of and glued it in place so that writing shows through.

 

Lastly I created a paper rose from the same brown paper and made a leaf from green paper scraps, gluing them in place near the top of the bookmark

 

 



Free Writers Software!

 

Check out this yWriter5 free writing software...I recently downloaded it and have just played around with it a little so far, but it seems great. It was designed by an author so has many options to help you develop your storyline, scenes and characters. Unlike other popular software it is specifically set up for novel writing. What a novel idea! 

Easy Mini Pocket Journal from Toilet Paper Rolls!

 

 

This mini pocket journal is created from toilet paper rolls, an old gift box, magazine clippings, some glue, a little cord and a few beads for decoration.

 

 

Collect a few toilet paper rolls. Flatten each roll by hand and then use the edge of your scissors handle to flatten folded edges more crisply. 

 

 

 

Punch 3 holes evenly across one end of each flattened tube about 1/2 inch from end. Use the first tube done as a pattern for the rest by placing one on top of the other while punching holes out.

 

 

 

Use a small paint brush to apply a thin line of glue on the inside of each tube, only along the inner fold of the flattened edge of tube and also just inside and across the end with the punched holes. Flatten the roll again and allow the glue to dry so that it remains flat. Be sure to leave an unglued area in the center to serve as a pocket.  

 

 

Paint each glued roll with acrylic paint and then when dry fasten them all together by threading cord through the corresponding holes and tie them moderately tightly around the ends of the pile of tubes as shown in photo below.

 

 

 

Next you can decorate the front of the journal and then create inserts for each pocket page.

 

 

With scissors cut old thin cardboard in a strip that is as wide as your pocket page and about one half again as long as your page is. Measure the length of your pocket page and then trim back the cardboard evenly on each side so that it's width will tuck deeply inside pocket, leaving a larger square of card board on the end that will extend from the pocket. You may need to trim the width or length a little more for it to fit each pocket well. Glue a picture cut from a magazine on the larger square and then trim neatly around it's outline shape. Make an insert for each pocket page.

 

 

The journal will be thicker with inserts in each pocket so you will need a way to hold it a little more tightly closed. Use your hole punch to cut a hole on each side of the back of the journal directly across from each other and knot cord through them so that you can tie them together in a bow to hold the journal shut. Decorate the cords on the journal with beads if you like.

 

 

This journal has a nature theme. The front and one side of each insert tab is decorated. The rest of the pages and inserts are blank so that further decorations can be applied and quotes or words can be displayed on the pull-out sections. The journal shown has 10 pocket pages of various lengths, but you can use any number or size that you wish.

 

 

I Hide Myself within my Flower...

 

 

Macro Photography by RLHall ArtfulExpress

Can you see the Gestalt girl dancing within the flower?

 

I hide myself within my flower,
That wearing on your breast,
You, unsuspecting, wear me too -
And angels know the rest.

 

I hide myself within my flower,
That, fading from your vase,
You, unsuspecting, feel for me
Almost a loneliness.

 

~ Emily Dickinson

Cheerful Reminder to be Grateful :-)))

 

 

I thought this might cheer you all up, just as it does me...  :-)

 

Just wanted to share my birthday fairy created especially for me by Jayde. I'm grateful for the fairy artwork that my lil' buddy made for me on my birthday last month. I've kept it on display, near my favorite chair since I got it and it brings me a moment of cheer every time I glance at it. Because I know that it was made with a heart full of love and good wishes.  :-)

 

My boyfriend thinks it's an angel, but since there is no halo and knowing Jayde like I do I'm pretty sure it must be a fairy. But, who knows? Maybe fairies are really just misunderstood angels. And besides not all angels have halos ~ Jayde's a special little angel to me even though her halo isn't always apparent.  0;-)

 

 



Use what you have!

 

 

 



This is a page in my greeting card journal that I just couldn't figure out what to do with. I had botched up the background by applying two colors of acrylic paint that I had left in my pallet from another project. Not wanting it to go to waste I had applied it all to the left greeting card page to cover the original Christmas design. It wasn't pretty.

Since there was an excess amount of paint I let it dry a little to get tacky and then brought the two pages together hoping to create a symmetrical design and some texture in the otherwise drab brown and blue colors I had swirled on the one page. But I hadn't let it dry enough and it just made a mess!

So, not happy with the results, I blotted it up by laying a paper towel over it and pressing lightly to soak up some of the pools of paint. But the pages still just looked like an ugly mess.




The paper towel print turned out great - resembling an owl, as seen above, and I used that as art to cover other larger greeting card page designs somewhere else in the journal.

I really needed to brighten up those other backgrounds though. I doodled a little, drawing some pen lines here and there. I used a permanant marker to make some concentric circles, and then out-lined a few shapes and edges - all without much improvement at all.

 

So I brought out my colors that pop! Nail polish! I always have tons of colors of nail polish and of course some get thick and gunky before I get them used up. But I've never let them go to waste. I save them in with my art supplies. I can always add a bit of nail polish remover to the bottle to thin them back up and they make a fast easy way to apply lots of color. Various colors and lots of dots and small bristle shapes applied with the tiny polish brush results in a confetti look.  Better.

 

 

 

Now I needed something light to contrast that still quite dark background so I decided to use some of the garbage stampings I had done on off-white example sheets for a prior post. Instead of throwing them away I cut out the flowery shapes, and circles to use for the center of the blooms. I used three other textures from the sheets to cut leaf shapes out of, and one of the long curved prints served as the stem. For the opposite page I snipped out more print shapes forming the "i" and a "<3 creating="" flowers="" heart="" love="" message="" p="" the="">

 

It may not be the most beautiful page in my journal, but it has a certain quilt-like charm. And I just used what I had around to doctor up my mistake! 

 

Determination

 

This actually began many years ago, this man walked the streets constantly though he could barely walk. No matter what the weather, he was out walking. And in New York State, that can be brutal in winter or the heat of summer. I wondered where he slept at night. I was afraid he was homeless. I used to walk through town a lot back then and when ever I happened to pass him on the sidewalk I would smile and try to make eye contact with him. Sometimes I said hello. He would glance my way but quickly shift his eyes away. I knew he recognized me, but that was as far as it went.
 

Ten years went by and he never gave up, wearing his old raggity clothes he walked. If I missed seeing him around for a few days I would wonder if he was okay... by then I didn't walk as much, and I most often saw him as I passed by in my car. If he looked like he was having an especially hard day I would say a little prayer for him.
 

Then one day I was sitting at the park writing. I happened to glance around and saw him rummaging in a trash bin for cans to turn in for the deposit. I just happened to have put two large garbage bags full of cans in the back of my car that day to take to the recycle center. While he was busy sifting through refuse I quickly got the bags out of my car and put them by a nearby trash can for him to find. I went back to my writing near the pond as quickly as possible so that he wouldn't feel embarrased by what I'd done. I never turned to check on his progress for fear he would catch on if he saw me. I got the feeling that he was a proud man, who didn't want sympathy.
 

A few minutes later he came walking around the picnic table I was sitting at. He never slowed to talk, but finally after all those years he looked me right in the eyes, nodded his head and said thank you! It still makes me feel good to think about it.
 

After that I began carrying a bag of cans in my car. If I saw him walking in the vicinity of the park I would stop at the park on my way and leave the bag of cans next to the same trash can. I don't know if he ever actually found them, but if he did I hoped that he would wonder if it was me still thinking of him.
 

I never knew his name, but a couple of years later there was an article in the local newspaper. He had passed away. He had been a successful business man, but had gotten hit by a car those many years ago. He wasn't expected to live. But he did. They told him he would never walk again. But he did. He walked almost constantly, because he knew if he stopped for too long he would lose the ability to keep moving. He had sold his beautiful house and moved into a small room so that he had money to live on and added to his meager income by collecting cans in his daily travels. People had at times given him new warm clothes in the winter but he wouldn't wear them, he donated them to the salvation army and wore old clothes because they would have only gotten ruined by the weather he walked in so much. Other people needed new clothes worse than he did.
 

I had a great respect for him right from the beginning. It was obvious how determined he was, it took everything he had to walk walk like that. He had a great impact on me even before I knew his story. I would have liked to know him. Perhaps walk with him and talk a little. I could have learned even more about life and what is important from him. I think now, that I could have left him some clothes, a special treat or maybe just a note telling him what an inspiration he was to me along with the cans. I still think of him sometimes and miss seeing him around town. But then I suppose now his soul is at peace, I imagine that he is now pain free and able to relax in comfort...

Garbage Stamping!

 

 

 

The above photo shows an art journal page from a handcrafted journal that I made from an old Avon book. Garbage stamping was used to apply the flowery shapes throughout the lower half of this page. I used one section of the bottom of a clear plastic cupcake container from the supermarket with Gesso to create a forefront framing the woman's face.

 

 

 

By using items that you would normally just throw in the garbage you can create interesting shapes and textures in your art work. Styrofoam or clear plastic food containers with embossed designs or unique forms. Cardboard egg cartons have great texture and shapes. Packing materials such as bubble wrap or wadded up paper, toilet paper rolls, different types of sponge, scraps of screen, and string can all be utilized... just use your imagination!

 

Soon you'll be noticing patterns or textures in things that you've never paid attention to before as you're starting to toss them in the trash. You've got lots of free art materials at your fingertips and there's nothing wrong with recycling waste for a new use! It's a great idea for kid's crafts as well and can lend a creative touch to your layered mixed-media pieces.

  

 

 

 Simply use a brayer or paint brush to apply paint or Gesso to the surface pattern that will be transferred to your canvas. Or you can apply paint to a small piece of wax paper and just dip your stamping object into it. Play with it... different amounts of paint will create different results, various amounts of pressure can change the look as well. Sometimes a found item can work as both a stamp or a stencil leaving opposite designs.

 

Save the sturdier ones that work well, cleaning them well after each use. When they wear out you can usually find a replacement in your weekly trash or recycle bin.

 

 



 

I find that acrylic paint works well for Garbage stamping - as I've used in the example sheets here. Though I often use Gesso, watercolors or ink for the more porous found materials. Again, experimenting will provide you with varying effects. With some items you can use a stomping technique with dry pastels or chalk.

 

This type of stamping isn't meant to be perfect like purchased ink stamps are. Variations in the prints only give them more character. Don't be afraid to sometimes load up the paint on a garbage stamp once and then use it over and over again in your work until the image is almost faded away. It just gives the completed image more depth.  

 

Using different colors, different staining materials, blotting with a paper towel, using a lighter or heavier touch can all make the same stamp look different even in the same art project. Either bringing the stamped design to the forefront or letting it recede to the background.

 

Applying a rainbow of colors on one stamp surface can be fun too. Or try loading up one stamp, for instance a smooth round dot, with the paint spread on a another textured stamp surface. It will give you a the dot shape with the same texture of the other stamp when applied to the paper.  

 

You can create stamped borders, incorporate them into a larger design by sketching or painting around or on the stamped pattern after it dries or blend the edges of it while it's still damp.  

 



 

The above example shows journal pages in my Greeting Card Journal, in which I used garbage stamping with Gesso over the already dry background. For these textures and dots I used two different types of styrofoam, once it dried I continued on with paper collage and a few ink stamp swirls as the last layer. These techniques lend well to card making, art journaling, scrap booking or any sort of mixed media projects. Try it out as a family project! 

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with J L TAFT - Published Romance Author!

 

 

Digitally enhanced Portrait of J L Taft by ArtfulExpress

 

 

About J L Taft

Three times Published Erotic Romance Author J L Taft believes that variety is the spice of life. The love of a good man is irreplaceable and that determination will get you anywhere you want to go.
She lives in upstate New York with her husband, daughter and two dogs. She has a large extended family that provides her with a constant source of amusement and inspiration.
She spends her days glued to her laptop with her head in the clouds. When she isn’t writing she can be found reading, gardening, listening to Trans-Siberian Orchestra and enjoying great Finger Lakes wine.

RLHall Interview with Romance Author J L Taft:
(Warning links may lead to adult material)

RLHall:

Welcome. So pleased to be able to collaborate with you on this! I've read your first published e-book "Submitting to the Officer" and since it was a quickie romance story I found myself not wanting to put it down when the last page was read! I wanted to delve further into the relationship between Kris Elliot and Officer Mark Walker. I can only imagine what escapades ensued with their next run-in! Any chance there will be a sequel?

 
 

J L Taft:
First off, thanks for reading “Submitting to the Officer”. Kris and Mark’s story came to me after a young girl backed into my car at our local mall. There weren’t any police officers involved (unfortunately :) and I started thinking about how a police officer would meet a girl while on the job. Currently I have no plans to write a sequel to Kris and Mark’s story but no telling what the future will bring! 
 

RLHall:
The e-book was released to the public on December 26, 2012 and since then I've seen mentions of your writing being steamy, hot, humorous (with a certain attitude) and true to life. As an author, where do you find inspiration for your story lines?

J L Taft:
Inspiration for my stories constantly seem to come from the little things in life. I am always asking myself, What if? I’m usually surprised after a story is done and I look back and realize where it came from. Sometimes the smallest thing can be spun into an exciting story.
 

RLHall:
It must be difficult to develop your characters fully within a short venue. In your writings do you find that your characters reflect real life observations or are their personalities completely fictional?

J L Taft:

I like to write about strong women who don’t realize they are strong until they are confronted with their worst fears and come out on top. Creating the right situation to push my heroines into looking conflict in the eye and saying "f" off...I got this, is my greatest challenge. So, my characters have real life issues to deal with but they are completely fictional. 

RLHall:
I see that you have a second book release coming up soon. Can you elaborate more on that?

J L Taft:
My second release “Unleashing the Animal” is about a young woman who is oppressed by her high class parents and wants to break out on her own. She is an artist at heart and has had a long time connection with animals. She moves to a rustic cabin in upstate New York and is determined to concentrate on her painting with a quiet life. What she doesn’t expect is making friends with a big black wolf. As the story progresses she finds out that her sexy new neighbor and the black wolf are one and the same. I don’t want to ruin it for you but Blair gets the surprise of her life and a match that only fate could be blamed for.
 

RLHall:

Have you always loved the written word? When did you first begin writing seriously?

J L Taft:

I have always been a book worm, I spent my teenage years with my nose stuck between romance paperback pages. I have always been writing stories, some finished some not. I wrote seriously for a year before I submitted my first manuscript. 

Photograph of Author by ArtfulExpress

 
 

RLHall:

Who is your all-time favorite Romance author?

 

J L Taft:

My all-time favorite is Nora Roberts I have read her books for years. But when it comes to erotic romance I love  Desiree Holt, her stories stick with you long after the last page is turned.

RLHall:
To what do you attribute your success in being published with Ellora's Cave Publishing as a new author?

J L Taft:
Determination! If at first you don’t succeed…however, I spent weeks researching publishers before I submitted to Ellora's Cave. Finding the right publisher is half the battle. I also have a strong support system that makes all the difference in the world.

RLHall:
How do you see the publishing industry changing with the advent of e-book readers becoming so popular and how does this affect authors? What future do you foresee for printed book sales as a result?

J L Taft:
I think that the rise of e-books has made it so easy to have everything you want to read right at your fingertips. It also has widened who an author can reach with their books. I don’t think that it affects authors all that much, except for the marketing aspect but the process is still the same. Print book sales are obviously going to be lower but sometimes you just want those pages in your hand. There will always be a market for print books, it’s just not going to be as large as it used to be.

RLHall:
Erotic Romance sales have sky-rocketed in the last few years, has that influenced your choice of subject matter or have you always dreamed of being published as a romance novelist?

J L Taft:
I always knew romance was for me, in one form or another. Once I got older I hated that most romance novels will skip over the sex scenes or use so much purple prose that you didn’t really know what was going on. You spend half the story waiting for them to give in and do it and then the door is closed firmly behind them when they finally do. Erotic romance has given me the perfect opportunity to leave the door open and let my readers know each and every detail. So, no sales haven’t influenced what I write, I write what I love.

RLHall:
What advice do you have for new authors based on your experience?

J L Taft:
I read a book last year called “Love Writing” by Virna DePaulwith Tawny Weber. It has the simple and best advice I have heard so far. Submit, Survive and Start again. I have taken this motto to heart and it has helped tremendously.

RLHall:
Are you working on another manuscript now? Where can our readers keep up to date with your career and up-coming book releases?

J L Taft:
I am working on another novella now, called “Hooked for Life”. This one will also be published with "Ellora’s Cave Publishing". Readers can keep up to date with my releases through:

Facebook.com/TaftRomance

Authorjltaft.blogspot.com

Twitter.com/AuthorJLTaft

I love to hear from readers, email me directly at: JLTaftRomance@mail.com

RLHall:

Thank you for the great conversation. I'll be watching for your new books!