Florida Vacation

I'm  back from my ten day trip to Florida. We drove down, stayed at South of the Border. Continued down to Clermont for a night with family. We watched Ken's 80 year old uncle lliterally lick his plate clean. Off the next morning to New Port Richey to stay at Ken's brother's place for two nights. We went to Clearwater Beach and watched the sunset. The next day, we went to Pine Island for a few hours, then over to Green Key.

The next morning, we drove to Fort Lauderdale to visit with my mom and aunt, who were down on vacation as well. We stayed there for two days and it was windy and stormy our last day. Driving back, we stayed at South of the Border again, then drove straight through to home.

It was tiring especially with an eleven year old and a two year old.

I'm glad to be back home, in the studio. Go see what I've been making:

www.autumnequinox.etsy.com

Rainbow Sugar Scrub Recipe

Rainbow cotton candy sugar scrub recipe.

Sugar scrubs are a great, simple way to exfoliate skin.

This recipe makes approximately one half pint of sugar scrub.

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
3 tbsp coconut oil
Cotton candy lip balm flavor oil
Food coloring
1 half pint mason jar

Melt coconut oil and pour into bowl with one cup of sugar and add 24 drops of cotton candy lip balm flavor oil. You can substitute flavor oil for an essential oil of your choice. Mix thoroughly.

Divide into 6 smaller bowls (approximately 2 tbsp each) and add food coloring to each bowl as follows:

Red: 1 drop red.
Orange: 1 drop red, 1 drop yellow.
Yellow: 1 drop yellow.
Green: 1 drop yellow, 1 drop blue.
Blue: 1 drop blue.
Purple: 1 drop blue, 1 drop red.

Mix each bowl thoroughly. You can double the sugar scrub recipe and use the same amount of coloring to get a more pastel look to your scrub and put it in a pint jar, or two half pint jars.

Scoop each color into the jar and pack down the mixture after each color.

Messy Bun Hat

 This is my own version of the trendy Messy Bun Hat. Please feel free to sell finished hats, but please do not copy, alter, claim as your own, or sell my pattern. Enjoy!

Materials
Caron Simply Soft Party Platinum
Caron Simply Soft Party Snow White
Hook size H (8)
Tapestry needle

Legend
St (s): Stitch (s)
Ch: Chain
Sl St: Slip Stitch
Sc: Single Crochet
Hdc: Half Double Crochet
Ch Sp: Chain Space 

BLO: Back Loop Only

Note* The ch 1 at the beginning of each round is not counted as a stitch. To join each round slip stitch in the first chain space and not the ch 1. You will then start your next round in the same first chain space. This makes for a more seamless look.

Platinum
Ch 24. Join with a slip stitch Ch 1.
Row 1: 34 Sc. Join with a slip stitch in first chain space. Ch 1.
Row 2: *Hdc in each of next 4 Stitches. 2 hdc in next Stitch. Repeat from * 5 times. Hdc in each of next 4 Stitches. Slip stitch in first chain space to join. (40 stitches)

Snow
Row 3: Ch 1. *Hdc in each of next 9 stitches. 2 hdc in next stitch. Repeat from * 5 times. Slip stitch in first chain space to join. (44 stitches)
Row 4: Ch 1. *Hdc in each of next 14 stitches. 2 hdc in next stitch. Repeat from * 1 time. Hdc in each of next 14 stitches. Slip stitch in first chain space to join. (46 stitches)

Platinum
Row 5: Ch1. *Hdc in each of next 19 stitches. 2 hdc in next stitch. Repeat from * 1 time. Hdc in each of next 6 stitches. Slip stitch in first chain space to join. (48 stitches)
Row 6: Ch1. Hdc in each of next 4 stitches. 2 hdc in next stitch. Hdc in each of next 19 stitches. 2 hdc in next stitch. Hdc in each of next 4 stitches. 2 hdc in next stitch. Hdc in each of next 18 stitches. Slip stitch in first chain space to join. (51 stitches)

Snow
Row 7: Ch1. Hdc in each of next 9 stitches. 2hdc in next stitch. Hdc in each of next 19 stitches. 2 hdc in next stitch. Hdc in next 9 stitches. 2 hdc in next stitch. Hdc in next 11 stitches. Slip stitch in first chain space to join. (54 stitches) 

Row 8: Ch1. *Hdc in each of next 19 stitches. 2 hdc in next stitch. Repeat from * 1 time. Hdc in next 14 stitches. Slip stitch in first chain space to join. (56 stitches) 

Platinum
Row 9: Ch1. Hdc in each of next 14 stitches. 2hdc in next stitch. Hdc in each of next 19 stitches. 2 hdc in next stitch. Hdc in each of next 21 stitches. Slip stitch in first chain space to join. (58 stitches)
Row 10: Ch 1. Hdc in each of next 7 stitches. 2 hdc in next stitch. Hdc in each of next 19 stitches. 2 hdc in next stitch. *Hdc in each of next 14 stitches. 2 hdc in next stitch. Repeat from * 1 time. Slip stitch in first chain space to join. (62 sts)

Snow
Rows 11-12: Hdc in each stitch around. Slip stitch in first chain space to join. (62 stitches)

Platinum
Rows 13-14: Hdc in each stitch around. Slip stitch in first chain space to join. (62 stitches)

Snow
Row 15: Hdc in each stitch around. Slip stitch in first chain space to join. (62 stitches) 

Brim
Row 1: Ch 8. In second chain from hook, sc. Sc in each chain across. (7 stitches). Slip stitch in the next 2 stitches on the hat. Turn.
Row 2: Working in the BLO, sc in each of next 6 stitches. On last stitch, sc in both loops ch 1 turn.
Row 3: Sc across. (7 stitches). Slip stitch in the next 2 stitches on the hat. Turn.
Repeat rows 2 and 3 until the brim is completely around the hat. Slip stitch the brim ends together. Weave in ends. 

©2016 AutumnEquinox.com

We bought a farm

I bought a home in 2014. It's an 1880s home on an acre of land. I'm converting it into a micro farm. We have chickens, an herb spiral, and about fifty tomato plants!

Oh! We also have a bee hive!

It's antler week

What a busy week! I have over 120 orders going out tomorrow! I am finally caught up enough to take an afternoon off and get some me time in. The show was fantastic! I can't believe they aired it multiple times including the five o'clock news!

Here's a peek at what I have been doing...

Making lots of antler earrings!

I'm going to be on tv!

The show is set to air tomorrow night!

WCSH Channel 6's show 207

It's kind of lonely sitting here in my loft. Work is busting at the seams and no matter how much I try to get out from under it, it just keeps piling up. I've hired someone to help during this time, but I'm thinking I should have hired someone sooner, so I could train them to do more than just prep work and shipping. Soldering well takes a lot of practice. I remember when I first started, I had more than a few rings come back that had broke. Rarely does that happen today. I can't believe I have been making jewelry and making a living doing it for over five years! There have definitely been some ups and downs, more downs than ups it seems the last year. I'm hoping that will change as the new year fast approaches.

Back to it. The rings are ready to come out of the pickle.