Face Lift

Don't I wish! A little tuck here, a little tug there and I might just look like I did 5 years ago. But, I digress. Actually, it's this blog that gets a wee bit of a change. My old blog was green. In case you think you're in the wrong place, I placed a screen shot of the old blog. Recognize me now? Great!

Ah, white. More spacious. Breathing room and all. So what'dya think? Of course, there's a little matter of the blog below that looks like a silly salsa ad. Oh brother.

Spicy Pork Verde

Yesterday was my husband's birthday and I prepared one of his favorite dishes which is my own creation. I love crockpot dishes as they're a wonderful way to have a great meal at the end of a busy day. You only need two things to make this tasty dish and this roast comes out full of flavor, tender and very moist!

Spicy Pork Verde

**Pork Sirloin Tip Roast (go ahead and use it frozen!)
**16oz jar La Victoria Thick 'n Chunkie Salsa Verde

Place pork roast in crockpot. Pour salsa over the top. Cook on high for approximately 6 hours (if meat is frozen). If roast is thawed, reduce cooking time to approximately 4 hours. I always make mine with a frozen pork roast. How easy can it get?!

So easy!

A side of spanish rice and your choice of veggie goes well with this tender, juicy roast.

And An Afghan For Toni

My other daughter saw this afghan in my crochet book and thought it was pretty. So, as soon as I finished crocheting the sunflower afghan (in the post below) I started on this one. Crocheted using an overlay technique, this was fun to do! The master color is done in multiple shades of denim blue and the overlay is winter white. It's quite a large afghan...bigger than what I had expected it to be...but she loves it. She says that she, her hubby and kids like to all bundle up under one blanket on the sofa in the winter while watching movies. Well, this will do the trick...and then some.

Now...I owe my son an afghan.

Crocheted Sunflower Afghan

It's been awhile since I've posted so let me show you one of the projects I've been working on that's kept me away. Isn't this pretty? Other than make fragrant things like the candles and soaps I sell in my Etsy shop, I love to crochet and sew. I crocheted this afghan for my older daughter and gave it to her on her birthday last week. It matches the pretty pots of silk sunflowers that she has in her family room. The center of the sunflower is tan, the flower petals are cornsilk yellow and the master color is hunter green. Fun to make!

Is 'Thin' A Good Thang?

Welcome!...squeeze on in here and pull up a chair (er...small, slender stool). I have a question for you:

Do you feel closed-in while viewing this page? Is the information area of this page too narrow and do you see a lot of wasted space along the right and left margins? Perhaps for those who have smaller computer monitors this format works nifty. But I'm curious as to the size of most people's computer monitors. Please take the poll to the upper right of this page and thanks so much for participating!

Disclaimer: This post is not intended to critize the wonderful designer of this blog site. I am merely in the process of designing my own site and would love to spread out a bit IF it works for my valued viewers. Thanks much!

We Have Lift Off!

I'm am so tickled with the way these palm pillars look and perform! The ambient glow as it burns is so beautiful. The wax feels silky smooth, not greasy or waxy and the pillar consumes itself nice and neat. Look at this lovely glow!!

And so, testing is complete and I'm very proud to be offering this beautiful candle at both my sites:

Aroma Fields Candles & Bath:

http://www.aromafieldscandles.com/AF_Pillars.html

AND

Aroma Fields Candles & Bath at Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9804933

I've been working with palm wax lately and loving it! Palm wax is similar to soy in that it is all natural. It makes the most beautiful candles! Here's a pillar I made using palm wax and scented it with peach fragrance oil. It's fragrance is amazing even as it sits without being lit.

Here's a close-up of this candles beautiful pattern:

I'll be offering these palm pillars in many fragrances soon to my Etsy shop at http://www.aromafields.etsy.com and my website at http://www.aromafieldscandles.com

With Valentine's Day just a heartbeat away, I thought I'd better give this cutie more exposure. Giving 3 to 7 days shipping time, depending on where you live, orders should be placed within this coming week. I'm ready for you!! I've got my melting pot fired up and my fragrance oils on hand. Ready to order?

This adorable gift set comes with twelve highly scented soy wax heart Melties in colors of white or red (your choice), pink ceramic tart burner and tealight candle. Your Melties will come packaged in a clear cello bag tied with pretty ribbon. These Melties are very fragrant so if you don't want to melt them, use them as potpourri. Choose from over 20 fragrances. And this cutie is only $7.10!

Available at:

http://aromafieldscandles.com/AF_HVDay_BurnerHeart.html

**AND**

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9266170

Oh!...and did I mention that this makes an adorable Valentine's Day gift that will last a long time?

Go Into The Light

Since starting this new blog a few days ago and being very new at it, I became curious about the entertwining of all the different blog rings. It's fabulous! One click and I'm onto another avenue of talented people. Another click, and I'm joining another ring. And then I stumbled onto EtsyLove. Oh my...what a wonderful place! I love how the template is so user-friendly and with great ease of finding and making new friendships quickly. Blogspot is good, too, but I feel a bit isolated here, unable to find members very easily. It doesn't appear that anyone is finding me too readily here, either. There's probably a trick to it that I haven't yet discovered. Alrighty...late night thoughts. But all in all, I'm delighted to have found all these avenues of communicating with other talented Etsy members and another way to share.

Education in Wickless

I fell in love with wickless candles before I even began making candles with wicks. Though, I enjoy making and using both, wickless will always have a special place in my heart (and my home). Oddly, they don't sell well in my Etsy shop and I believe it's simply because people aren't aware of their fabulous advantage over a 'wicked' candle. Simply put, they are more aromatic without the worry of a flame!

Wickless candles are....

• ...more aromatic because the complete jar of wax melts, not just the top inch or so. With an entire container of melted fragrance, the scent throws stronger and further. I make my wickless candles out of short, wide jars so that the wax melts quicker allowing for the aroma to fill the room faster.



• ...safer because there's no flame. No flame...no fire hazzard! For that reason, they are perfect for use in classrooms, nursing homes, offices, dorm rooms and anywhere else a flame may not be suitable. My grand daughters teachers LOVE them!



• ...easy to use! Simply remove the lid, place the jar onto the candle warming plate, turn the warming plate 'on'...and let the aroma fill the air!

And because my wickless candles are made from soy wax, clean up is a snap! If you should happen to spill soy wax, it cleans up easily with a little soap and warm water. I love the ease and aroma of wickless candles and thought this blog might help serve as a bit of an education for those who haven't yet tried one. I notice that warming plates in my neighborhood stores are now selling where, in the past, they just sat on the shelves. This means that the idea of wickless candles IS catching on and I'm happy to see that. However, some people are using traditional, wicked candles to melt on these plates. While that may work, the style of the jar will hinder a quick melt (unlike my short, wide jars). Okay...nuff o' that. I'm going to go turn on my warmer and sniffie Strudle & Spice!