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Utilizing Pinterest To Generate A Laugh

April 1, 2013 by Sara

The Inspiration

I use Pinterest as a filing system.  I hope that’s why it was invented because it works really well.  The internet is filled with craft ideas, recipes, household tips and all sorts of other things I’m interested in.  When I see something I like I’ll “pin” it and pretty much forget it.  Until that one day when I decide to remind myself of all the things I pinned.  Then I get all inspired and eager to try something new, or sometimes even buy something new. I found some cute little chocolate/pretzel Easter treats on the internet a long time ago and pinned them.

When the Easter season rolled around I decided to try to make them.  After all, someone else did the hardest part of thinking of the idea.  I just had to execute the already brilliant idea.  The original recipe said to use yellow candy melts for the fill, edible black pearls for the eyes, and orange chocolate-covered sunflower seeds for the beak.  I used vanilla almond bark tinted with yellow food color for the fill and for the eyes and beak I used decorating gel.  I also didn’t look at the picture before I started painting on the eyes and beaks so I didn’t have the embellishments in the right position on the pretzel.   The results made me laugh out loud.

Eyelashes?

Quite sad.

Very serious.

As singular little chicks they didn’t look quite right and I just kept laughing and laughing.  My little chicks looked much better when they were in a group.  You could kind of tell a little better what they were supposed to be.

I took my little Easter chick treats to my mom and dad’s house for Easter.  They were received with great enthusiasm, even though I didn’t do it exactly like they were shown on the site I pinned because 1) I made a treat from scratch that beared a slight resemblance to an Easter icon and 2) everyone in my family loves chocolate and pretzels no matter what they look like.

I hope your Easter was a happy one and that your sugar coma is short-lived.

Posted in Food, Holidays | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments »

Happy Anniversary To Me

March 29, 2013 by Sara

Isn’t that a fun little jingle?  I love this commercial with its peppy ba-ba-da and the very suave voice-over.

I just renewed my business standing with the State of Minnesota.  Auntie B’s Wax has been in business for eight years!  Hooray for me!  It seems like just yesterday I was pouring my first candle in the kitchen of Husby’s and my newlywed house.  Who knew that would grow into a legitimate and successful business?  I would have never guessed it then, but now it doesn’t surprise me a bit.

The other day Husby and I went to the bank to do some adjusting on the business bank account, then went out to dinner at the expense of Auntie B’s Wax, LLC.  It was the annual Employee Appreciation dinner Auntie B’s Wax’s owner and CEO (me) gives to her employee (Husby) every year in appreciation of his help and support throughout the year.

When the waiter came and asked for our drink order I was delighted to hear Husby order a Stella Artois.  He’d never tasted it before and said it was really good.  I was kind of hoping he’d start talking like the commercial voice-over guy after he took a sip, but that didn’t happen.  Oh well.

Husby celebrated the chalice which celebrates the Stella Artois. I celebrated the pinot grigio. We both celebrated Auntie B’s Wax.

I’m looking forward to another summer season visiting and working the shows and festivals and am happy to have my roadie by my side through it all. Raise your glass of Stella (or whatever else you prefer) to another successful year for Auntie B’s Wax.

Today, not only am I filled with appreciation for my employee but also to my customers and readers of this blog.  To show this appreciation I’m going to give you the chance to own a piece from the Auntie B’s Wax Etsy shop.  Go check out the shop and in the comments below tell me what item you like the best and why.  Three lucky commenters will receive their favorite item compliments of Auntie B and her appreciation for you.  If there are three or less commenters, everyone’s a winner!

Offer ends at 11:59 p.m. April 1, winners will be notified via e-mail on April 3.  Thank you, and good luck!

Posted in Craft Business | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments »

A Visit To The Shop ~ Demurely Subversive

March 28, 2013 by Sara

Every Sunday her husband took her to his parents house. So clean and tidy with
everything in place the abode was lifeless, like a scene in a furniture store
showroom. She sat in her chair with her knees together and ankles crossed,
listening to her husband’s family struggle to find inane topics to create
conversation.  His mother, a chronic passive-aggressive, would find ways to
secretly state an opinion (typically discouraged, opinions were), which was
usually uneducated and distasteful.

Every Sunday for many years her husband took her to his parents house and expected her to act like a lady out of respect of his mother’s watchful eye which was quick to find faults to criticize.

Every Sunday she held her tongue, and learned to be demurely subversive.

Demurely Subversive at Auntie B’s Wax

Posted in A Visit To The Shop, Etsy | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments »

The Best Bath Ever

March 25, 2013 by Sara

The outdoor temperature got up to a balmy forty degrees (and then some) and it’s the end of March.  Do you know what that means?  Spring Cleaning!  There used to be a time when I thought all spring cleaning tasks had to be done within a week or two.  I don’t put as much pressure on myself anymore, especially as I have a day job that takes up a lot of daylight hours.

This weekend I decided to tackle the master bathroom and devoted all of Friday (considered part of the weekend because my time at the day job ends at 10:00 a.m. on Fridays) to the task.  I started with washing the walls.  I’m going to take the liberty to share my mom’s miracle recipe for wall washing solution.  It works wonderfully!

2 gallons water

1/2 cup baking soda

2 cups ammonia

1 cup vinegar

Sorry Mom, your secret is out.  But the friends of the internet will be forever grateful.

After washing the walls I washed the woodwork.  My favorite product for cleaning woodwork is Murphy’s Oil Soap.  It takes away those grimy fingerprints from cabinets, drawers and doors, and gives the wood a nice glow with the oil in the soap.  Plus it smells kind of good too.

I also use Murphy’s on my vinyl floors.  Not all the time, but when I want to get them really clean I use a little bit of the soap.  It worked beautifully for the deep cleaning of the bathroom floor.  Believe it or not I was actually on my hands and knees getting behind the toilet and in all of those edges and corners a sponge mop fails to reach.

The window also got a good washing, and the cafe curtains on the window were vacuumed.  The toilet was sanitized with bleach as were the jets of the whirlpool.

The tile was cleaned, the tub was cleaned, the shower stall was cleaned.  Every little nook and cranny, every piece of ornamentation, every candlestick, every soap dish was cleaned.  By the time I finished the job I felt really good, the bathroom looked bright and fresh, but I worked up quite a sweat and my back was killing me.

That’s when it happened.  I drew a bath of the perfect temperature and soaked in it for a while.  I couldn’t believe how luxurious it felt.  The bath itself wasn’t any different from any other, but soaking my sore muscles in a tubful of hot water in an amazingly clean bathroom felt phenomenal.

As Mary Poppins says, “Once begun is half done.”  Now that I’ve begun my spring cleaning I hope I can keep up to momentum and continue to give my abode the deep cleanliness it deserves, which in turn will give me the satisfaction and relaxation I deserve.  Happy cleaning!

Posted in Everyday | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Kicking Off The Weekend

March 22, 2013 by Sara

Hooray for a free weekend!  I have no social engagements this weekend so I get to cozy up in my own little house, protected from the cold outdoors, and do all the things I need to get done.

Yesterday I did a little bit of shopping at my favorite bead supplier Stormcloud Trading and stocked up on a bunch of beads for making charms.  I love shopping there, mostly because of the superb and friendly customer service.  I also went to Micheal’s to pick up a few things.  I like going there because they have great coupons which I use whenever I can to keep the costs of my finished products low.  Of course I pass on those savings to my customers.

With all of my craft supplies and a house in need of some spring cleaning I’ll be keeping very occupied throughout the weekend.  I might even take to the kitchen and make some Easter treats for next week.

I hope everyone is looking forward to the next couple of days as much as I am.  Remember, the busier you are, the more leisure time you have.  Enjoy!

Posted in Everyday | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments »

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