Summertime Candles

My friend Charlotte told me the other day how much she loves summer nights...even more than summer days.

Tis the season for gatherings of friends and family at the beach, the park, the cabin, and of course your own back yard. You've got burgers on the grill and a washtub full of refreshments buried in ice. Stories are told and laughter rises into the night.

Add to the festive evening ambiance an abundance of colorful candles! Scatter pillars on the picnic table. Burn votives and t-lites inside plain mason jars. Anchor tapers in sand-filled terra cotta pots.

And don't forget the stormy summer evenings. Thunderstorms give the perfect backdrop for cozying up inside with candles and a good movie. If the weather puts the power out, who says emergency candles have to be drab and scentless?

Winter and the holidays aren't the only appropriate times to burn candles. Take advantage of summertime colors and scents to make your warm evenings more festive. With the small flickers of light about your back yard it will seem the stars have come down to earth. No wonder Charlotte loves summer nights.

See (and buy) these and other candles in my shop!

The Drink Charms Are Here!

It's finally outdoor entertainment time here in Minnesota. What goes better than a refreshing glass of pinot grigio with grilled shrimp kabobs? A robust merlot with a juicy steak? An ice cold beer with a burger? Here at Auntie B's Wax we like to keep everyone's drinks identifiable with none other than Auntie B's Drink Charms.

What's a drink charm? It's a little beaded ring you slip around the stem of your glass or handle of your mug. Traditionally, each ring is beaded of a certain color in order to identify your particular glass. "My glass is the one with the orange beads. Yours is the one with the blue beads." They may also have a little charm or fancy bead as an embellishment.

I thought it would be extra fun to create charms out of bottle caps. The rings are still color-coded, but the true identifier in these charms are the fabulous bottle cap charms themselves. An image is affixed to a pounded bottle cap and sealed in resin, making the most charming charms you could ever use at your party. Each set is of a particular theme. This set is TV Moms, which was inspired by the suggestion given by Darla at The Frosted Pane. Check it out:

Each set is boxed displaying all of the charms with a label describing the use of the charms as well as the names of whomever or whatever is pictured on each charm. Like this:

The finished product looks like this:



The TV Moms charms are available at my shop. There's just no end to the fun you can have with Auntie B's Drink Charms!

Stay tuned to this blog and Auntie B Online for a look at all the sets you can collect.

Now, I think I'll have a little glass of white zinfandel embellished with Carol Brady.

Fete des Fleurs Festival

I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to the sound of birds chirping outside my window. I wasn't expecting the alarm clock for another half hour, so I let the birds sing me into a semi-doze. At 5:00 I woke up invigorated and ready to go.

It's true. Getting up at the crack of dawn is so much easier when you're working for yourself. All week long I have to get up at 5:00 to put time in at my day job. On this particular Saturday husbie and I were on our way to sell my wares at the Chateau St. Croix Fete des Fleurs Festival.


The chateau is nestled in the rolling hills of eastern Wisconsin. In addition to grape vines the property also includes a field full of horses, a serene little pond, a formal garden, and the grand chateau itself. There was music, food, art, and of course wine tasting. The owners and staff at the chateau were like a family to each other were gracious hosts to the vendors and guests during the event.

Husbie and I had a wonderful two days meeting people and soaking in the fresh country air. It was such a relaxed setting (could it have been all that wine?) and the work I was there to do was actually a joy.

Thanks to all of you who stopped into my booth, and to the staff of the Chateau St. Croix for giving me inspiration and motivation. I need to do more shows like the Fete des Fleurs Festival as they give such wonderful opportunities to interact creative artists and enthusiastic shoppers.

There could be a fall festival in store for me at The Chateau St. Croix. I would jump at the chance. If you missed the experience this past weekend, be sure to visit during the season of autumn colors. I'll keep you posted.

Do You Twinkle-Bell?

Some people call it New Age music. In my family, it’s referred to as Twinkle Bell music. I fell in love with Mike Oldfield in the late '70s, with Jean Michel Jarre in the early ‘80s, and just recently with Tangerine Dream.

The music takes me back to parts of myself that go missing once in a while. It takes me forward and gives me visions of what can be. It reminds me of Dig, which sometimes makes me sad, but at other times happy for the mutual attachment we have for Twinkle Bell music.

You don’t have to be a hippy to dig it. You don’t have to believe in crystals or homeopathy to lose yourself in it. Be careful of imitations. Be aware of emotional upheaval – sometimes when listening to the Twinkle Bell you’ll find yourself crying for no apparent reason, and then just as suddenly, you’ll be smiling like the sun.

Here is a very limited list of excellent Twinkle Bell music recommended by Auntie B:

Mike Oldfield:
Tubular Bells
Ommadawn
Islands
Voyager

Jean Michel Jarre:
Equinox
Les Chants Magnetiques
Chronologie
Oxygene

Tangerine Dream:
Tangents 1973-1983


Fly away...

What's A Blog?

I’ve spent a lot of time reading blogs today. Some are crafty blogs. Some are mommy blogs. Some are daddy blogs. Some are dysfunctional unit blogs. Some people believe blogs are evil. Others don’t understand the purpose of them. Husbie’s parents would look at you like you had leeches wiggling out your nose if you merely said the word “blog” in their presence, as they have no idea a blog is a thing and not some noise you make when you cough, sneeze, and vomit at the same time.

There is a lot of talk in the crafty business network about blogs. Should I have one? What do I talk about? I can’t write well. I won’t belong if I don’t have one. Etc. I usually advise that reading blogs is much easier than writing them. I also usually advise that if you are in a quandary about what to put on your blog (or is that “in” your blog?) you probably ought not bother. In my opinion, a blog is a free-spirited kind of thing, if it isn’t a completely structured and uniformily-themed thing. Clears it all up, doesn’t it?

I guess I’m just trying to justify my own little nook in cyberspace. I don’t use my blog to strictly promote my business. I don’t use my blog to strictly promote others’ businesses. I don’t use my blog to strictly discuss the arts and crafts world. There is no “strictly” about my blog at all. It’s a place where I can go and talk about nearly everything. It’s a place other people might go to pass the time. It’s a place to record my journey through the business world, to explore my creative side, and learn about things like html and pixels.

So there you have it. My entry today was much less inspired than the ones I’ve been reading today, but then again, I’m not getting paid to write this like most of them are. Who knows? Maybe with a little practice…

Sweet Treats

I escaped from my day job today and took a little drive to Barnes and Noble to pick up a book I had ordered. The day is brisk and cool, but I still had the sense of adventure I feel in the middle of a hot August day. Running away from responsibilities (if only for an hour) and riding freely on the highway. Of course everyone knows when you go on a road trip (if only for an hour) you must, absolutely must, have a road snack. Today I induged and got a Hostess Ho Ho.

Artist's rendering: Hostess Ho Ho

Isn't that what makes for a good and satisfying life? Perceiving a trip to the bookstore as an adventure and a Ho Ho as a feast?

And speaking of child-like wonder and awe (which is how I totally felt on my roadtrip), I'm currently reading The Wind In The Willows. For weeks I experienced synchronicity in seeing quotes from the book on a recurring basis. Reading the quotes always left me feeling happy, so I decided to get the book. While it is classified as a children's book, I'm finding it most enjoyable myself. Perhaps this makes me child-like, or perhaps children in 1908 were extremely literate. Whatever, I'm enjoying reading about the adventures of Rat and Mole and meeting all of their friends in the woods and by the river.

I just discovered you can download the entire book here.

My life in a nutshell...Ho Hos and children's books. It's nice to give your taste buds a treat and your mind a wander.

It's Summertime

In Minnesota we have four distinct seasons. Some last longer than others, but they are indeed distinct. I favor fall and winter because I tend to be a little morose and drawn to the darkness and doramancy of it all. It's stark and cold outside, which makes it all the more cozy and warm indoors where there's a fire in the fireplace, candles in the nooks and crannies of the house, and a batch of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven. Divine.

Now that spring has officially arrived I have to admit it feels good to walk outdoors without clunking around in snow boots and maneuvering a body that looks like that of the Michelin Man for the heavy coat covering four layers of clothing. Springtime is freeing and smells pretty good too.

Here are some of my favorite things about spring and summer, not in any particular order:

1. Hanging clothes outdoors on the clothesline. I especially love the crispness of sheets hung out to dry in the sun. They seem much cooler during the summer months than tumble dried.

2. Colorful birds flitting around in my backyard. We have yellow and red finches, chickadees, cardinals, blue jays, robins, red-winged blackbirds, bluebirds, and hummingbirds.

3. My rumpus room, as the sun starts to creep lower in the west. Leaves of the backyard trees flutter in the summer breeze, making dancing shadows against the window blinds and throughout the entire room.

4. Fresh air coming into the house from open windows and doors. Much better than recycled, conditioned air.

5. Green.

6. The smell of freshly mown grass.

7. Dairy Queen Blizzards.

8. Warm feet without the aid of wool socks.

Here's to summertime fun!