A new fragrance...from the dark side...

Edward...can you say swoon worthy!!!

Well, the hopeless romantic in me just can't resist visiting the dark side...
this is another new fragrance in soap, candles and tarts,
that's heading up to Sisters' Garden.
I love this wonderful scent, very provocative, as you'll read from it's description...

a unisex, incredibly sexy fragrance which begins with top notes of green citrus notes, mellowed out with powdery floral notes that appear to glisten. The middle of the fragrance involves the infusion of neroli, violet, and herbs, with a bottom of powdery floral musk.

Remember Barnabas Collins...oh yeah, heartthrob vampire of the 60's,
I know I was glued to the TV when this new soap arrived!

Why are women so fascinated with vampires...men told vampire stories of blood sucking monsters, as evil, scary and repulsive, women writers reinvented the vampire. They became suave, charming and the bad to the bone alpha males. They became sexy, romantic, powerful and the ultimate bad boy toys.

Women have always been attracted to the bad boy type, leather jackets, tight jeans, scars and tattoos...the ultimate bad boy. Like James Dean he was one of the first bad boys, they are the ultimate challenge, they do what they want, when they want and no one stands in their way. They're dark and mysterious, you never quite know where you stand with them. They keep it fun, exciting, and just a little bit dangerous. Women want to tame the savage beast. For any woman to bring a man like that to his knees it must be love, a dominant alpha male, strong and demanding, it's an escape from the norm and if it's fantasy you need...

Oh yeah...this is what I'm talkin' about!!!

White/cream...YUMMM...

Nothing says YUM like fresh lavender soap...

You should smell my house...like sunny lavender fields...

My new little cards...I'm a horse lover, so this little snap fit right
into my profile...and my ever changing biz cards...
hey, I can change, right...I'm a girl!

Mirrors, mirrors, mirrors...
white, white, white...
...can't help it, there's nothing like the romance of white...

...and old...

All will be heading up to Sisters' Garden this Friday...
so plan your trip!

Purchase soap at my ETSY...

Fun at ETSY...

Talk about a new venue, I'm sooo diggin' this ETSY thingy!
WHO KNEW!!!
Soaps are selling steady, have nightlights on reserve,
many questions answered and lots of looky-loos...
guess this is how to sell stuff in this here new computer generation!
Poke my ETSY picture on the sidebar and it'll take you there!

As I approach the retirement age...just sayin'...
not that I plan on retiring, however...
a day will come when I won't be able to schlep all that furniture around,
RIGHT...well I guess so...WHATEVER,
thank the Gods for my pink wheeler!!!
But I really look forward to the day when I can stay home
and make soap all day long...and paint...
watercolors, that is!
I want to paint birds and nests and eggs and feathers
AND BUGS AND SKULLS...
That's right...I want to compile my art into interesting vignettes,
not just a bird on a piece of paper...
OOOH...just had an idea...
MAKE IT STOP!!!
Do you ever have one creative idea after another,
an idea pops into your head and it starts a flood of ideas...
well, this is why I don't need much sleep...
Check out The Candle Shed blog for Piper's new and upcoming
bird house designs...and my new design idea for them...ready, get set for...

THE AMERICAN PECKERS...
HA...LOVE IT!!!

Dreamin'...

Come on springtime...we need you big time...

I'm actually dreamin' of summer storms and that smell of rain
hitting parched earth...well maybe not BAD storms...
but you know what I mean...

...and Sisters' Garden and Bloom...ahhhhhhhh...
summertime!

...and the tink'ling of wind chimes on a breezy summer's day...

...and the scent of fresh cut grass...
REALITY CHECK...
IT AIN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER!!!

Shadow Shot Sunday...I'm over it...

The beauty of bunny tracks
proves to me that
life survives even
in the harshest of realms,
and so will I!

Hey kids, it's SSS again and have us Northuners got some scary shadows for you!
But, It's only Winter and we will endure, cause Spring is just
around the corner, as we wish for it, it will be Autumn for our buds down under, so I guess we don't want to wish too fast, huh Tracy...
WHATEVER!!!

HEY HARRIET...we still want SPRING...sorry!!!

It's a sign...right...

ROBINS...

I looked out my kitchen window yesterday and my tree was filled
with fluffy red-breasted robins...the harbingers of SPRING...
well, truly, I'm not deluding myself, I know we have plenty of winter left,
but what is this all about...that'll be a whole other post!

A wonderful new scent up at Sisters' Garden,
Anais Nin and boy is this seductive and sensual
and soft and sweet...it's just yummy!

I also have the soy candles and tarts to match...

These lil' 4oz. deli containers can be popped out and put in you scent warmers,
any kind of warmer!

TADAH...crappy landlord aside, you can't stop the Junk Asylum from opening!
Sign appropriate huh...LOL!

Mall Everest...one of the snow mountain chains at the mall...
is it Spring yet!!!

Got snow...Iowa storm 2011...

This is what welcomed Lorie at The Junk Asylum yesterday morning...

A huge THANK YOU to her kids for helping her
dig a path through to the door...

But what pisses me off, is the uncaring landlord that would allow
this to happen...everything in the parking lot was plowed with
exception of this...now, what is wrong with this picture...

Sure, in the lease it says you must be responsible for snow removal,
in front of your store...but come on, wouldn't the guy driving the truck
that plows the lot have noticed this giant
drift and removed it as well...where is she going to put all of that snow?

The store is in a mini-mall on the corner space,
so the winds from this historic storm of 2011,
whipped around the corner and naturally left a huge drift.
But what about neighbor helping neighbor and
responsible landlords helping tenants...
this same landlord told her the building had air conditioning too,
but neglected to tell her it didn't work...hmmmm...
GOOD LUCK today Lorie!!!

DUNE...or doom....

Front door...

Back door...

Where do I pee ma...

...dunes...

Before...

...after...

...is it Spring yet...

We're waiting...

Winter in the heartland...
we sit and wait for the next blast to hit us,
though north and east of us have really been socked with it,
but we've lucked out this year, only modest snowfalls...
WELL...here it comes...

You see the lil' bump on the far eastern edge of Iowa...
well, I live right under the bump in the little bend of the Mississippi River.
You can see we're in the purple right next to the pink,
which means we could get 6-12 inches or 12 and beyond...

This is a 8 inch snowfall(last year)...

This is a 6 incher...and my driveway from hell...
but I look at is as physical therapy, exercise out in the elements,
right, but along with the snow will come the brutally cold temps.
Critters starve in these conditions not being able to get to food source,
so I try to have my bird feeders full for these events.

...and pray to the Gods that they be merciful!!!