Gratitude, Courage and Love
May 31, 2016
Pisto: Spanish Ratatouille
We had a wonderful Spanish college student stay with us for three months this spring. The whole family loves her; she...
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Apr 11, 2016
Fast Company Article: Four Daily Habits That Will Make You Happier
I love Fast Company magazine. It is so much more than a business magazine. If you don't have a subscription, you can ...
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Mar 28, 2016
5 DIY Gift Basket Tips and Tricks
Recently I stopped carrying gift baskets on my store because they were cost prohibitive to ship. It was a difficult d...
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Feb 8, 2016
Behind the scenes at Amani Soaps + a lesson in physics
My soap is made with a combination of liquid oils (olive oil, avocado oil, and castor oil) as well as solid oils/butt...
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Feb 3, 2016
Love is in the air...and the sink! Creating a custom wedding favor soap
A few months ago I was contacted through my Facebook page by a woman who had the coolest idea for her wedding: a trea...
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Dec 11, 2015
Kifli (traditional Slovak Christmas cookie)
Traditional Slovakian Christmas cookies. Very easy and pretty much addictive.
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Nov 25, 2015
Roasted Root Vegetables
Here is our often requested recipe for roasted root vegetables. It's a great Thanksgiving side dish. Truthfully, ther...
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Nov 18, 2015
Upcycling ideas
I am a big fan of repurposing old items into something new (my office desk), pretty and useful, especially if it keep...
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Nov 10, 2015
Too much Stuff? Eleven Great Ideas for Experiential Holiday Gifts
Recently, I was feeling frustrated by the clutter in my home and how it made me feel overwhelmed, suffocated, frustra...
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Oct 22, 2015
My office transformation
Have I mentioned I am disorganized? Illustrative example: I just filed my taxes. In September. One reason, ok excuse,...
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Sep 10, 2015
It's back to school season!
It feels like the beginning of the school year is a logical time to introduce some much-needed order into my otherwis...
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Aug 11, 2015
Understanding Soap Making
Soap is a bit like curry. Sure you can buy straight yellow curry powder but most chefs will tell you that the very best curry is made by carefully combining lots of different spices. The end result is a dish where all the spices work to create something greater than the sum of its parts. But…it pays to know your ingredients. Too much of something (usually chili) and you’ve got a flop.
Soap making (saponification) is a chemical reaction between a base and an acid. Generally the base is sodium hydroxide while the acid is one or more oils or fats.
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