mjkisner – Page 26 – Mary's Musings

Maple Perfume Experiment

Why would I experiment making perfume that smells like maple syrup? Back in December I did another experiment with lip balm flavors…one of which was Maple Coffee. (see https://marykisner.com/two-lip-balm-flavors-and-a-cool-new-tool/). Quite a few folks liked it, including my niece in California. In fact, she let me know that it was the first scent she could actually smell since she had had Covid months before. Interesting! Recently, she asked if I would try making a Maple perfume…she didn’t care if she smelled like a pancake breakfast! Kind of yummy if you think about it!

I’ve been brainstorming with a local friend about how to make this perfume (thanks, Becky!). I knew that I needed several scents to make a balanced perfume…but what would complement the maple scent? After much deliberation, we decided that the maple would be the heaviest scent and could be enhanced with vanilla, wild orange and black pepper essential oils. (Sounds like a breakfast buffet!)

The maple flavoring was really meant to be used in cooking and baking, so one look at the ingredients let me know that I would have to use something as an emulsifier. I’ve used Polysorbate20 in the past and glycerin and alcohol can also serve that purpose. Here are the ingredients for the maple flavoring:

This product is definitely not an essential oil!

I tried two formulas, one with sweet almond oil as the base and the other with alcohol and glycerin as the base.

Maple Perfume #1

For the first formula I mixed the ingredients up directly in the roller ball…thinking they would blend and be easily applied with the roller ball. The ingredients included:

Unfortunately, the mixture separated, leaving a huge glob of the maple flavoring floating around. Shaking hard helped but it separated again. Not sure if I used enough Polysorbate20. It was certainly fragrant and lasted on my wrist all day!

Maple Perfume #2

The second recipe started with a 1-cup glass measuring cup and ended up filling 6 10ml spray bottles and two 10ml roller balls. However, it made it much easier to mix the ingredients.

A dropper and tiny funnel were essential to fill these tiny bottles.

I hope my niece likes this perfume…she’ll have enough for quite a while!

The Maple flavoring seemed to stay mixed in this recipe but I’ll still recommend a shake before spraying!

I’ll put these in the mail to California and wait for feedback before I make any more! I must say, my kitchen smells great today! Never be afraid to experiment! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

A New Spring Door Quilt

With no computer available for three days, I reverted to my comfort zone…hand stitching while I watch Hallmark movies on TV. (See https://marykisner.com/computer-virus-tulips-and-snow/)

It took only a minute to decide what to make. My front door quilt needed to be replaced. It was nice and fresh last year and lasted two full months on the front door. When I put it up around the middle of March this year it was looking a little faded and by now it is definitely not inspiring!

After 3 1/2 months total on the front door…pretty faded! I was also ready for some bright colors!

First, I looked for a simple quilt block in my favorite book:

I found “Birds in the Air”, as shown above.

At the bottom of every page there is a list of exactly how many pieces of each template I will need to make the block. Most of the shapes I have used before, so all I had to do was sort through the bag of cut templates to find T10 and T15.

Next, I searched through my stash of cotton fabric, remembering that I needed to use a light color for the background so the block would show up on the dark front door. These colors looked bright and cheerful!

After cutting out all the pieces, I arranged them on the table to see if I liked the colors together.

In one day (and two Hallmark movies) I was able to hand stitch the block together.

Block ready to iron and add the borders.

I added a piece of lightweight batting between the block and the back fabric. I top stitched in the ditch on the major horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines. Finally I added the border and binding.

Sure looks more colorful that the old quilt, don’t you think?

Now I have my computer back, so I can post these pictures! Yea! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Computer Virus, Tulips and Snow

Shortly after my last post on Saturday, my computer shut down with a warning screen that I had some kind of virus. This is what the screen said:

After Bert’s experience last fall, I did NOT click on anything. I did NOT call any numbers. I basically forced the computer to shut down and walked away. Not too disruptive since it was Easter weekend and I was busy getting ready for my grandkids to visit on Sunday. Luckily, I could still easily check email and texts and a few news sites on my phone. Today, Bert took the whole computer to the Best Buy Geek Squad and of course, everything worked just fine! How embarrassing! They did see a few odd things so they will keep it until Thursday to check it for other viruses. Yea. So, I’m typing this on Bert’s computer. Just doesn’t feel the same!

Anyway, Easter with our daughter’s family was lovely. In the midst of all the frustrations with the computer, they brought me some tulips just ready to open! What a treat! I hope you all had a blessed Easter!

This morning as Bert was headed out to Best Buy, we were surprised with snow! Winter is not going to go away without a last gasp or two! It is pretty, but we are definitely ready to be done with snow. I hope this all melts away quickly.

Snow on April 18, 2022

Hopefully by Friday I’ll have my computer up and running. If I do any exciting projects, I’ll share them then. Let’s go spring!

Please comment or email me directly at m arykisner@comcast.net.

Garden Update April 16, 2022

Looking at our gardens yesterday morning, you might lose all hope that garden season is right around the corner! However, we still have below freezing nights and the ground is either still frozen or at least pretty COLD! Not quite time to put seeds in the ground!

All weeds in the raised garden beds have been removed. Bert will run the small rototiller in here before I plant.

Bert will rototill this garden and then put the boards back down so we can walk between the rows.

Lavender and Echinacea

When you look really close, guess what! There are tiny sprouts of Lavender at the base of last year’s plants. There are new shoots of Echinacea coming up too!

So, at least outside, things are happening!

Tomato Plants

Bert started the tomato seeds in the shop under grow lights the last week of March, so now 3 weeks later, we have plants!

Strawberry Plants

I ordered strawberry plants from Burpee in January hoping they wouldn’t arrive until I could plant them. Of course, the arrive in late March all smooshed together in a plastic bag. A week later Bert opened the bag and discovered they were trying desperately to grow so we had to get them into pots. Luckily, I wasn’t sure where I would plant them so I had ordered these stacking pots. He got the plants into the soil and can now move the whole stack outside when the days are warmer and can move the tower back into the shop at night. We will put these pots on the patio and try to keep wandering bunnies and chipmunks from munching on them as they cruise by!

I had just one of these pots. It could be up on a small table or block on the patio.

This many plants didn’t fit in the other pots, so I’ll have to transplant them when the weather warms up. I might move the whole bucket full into a large planter, or I may tuck the plants into our raised garden beds. We’ll see!

So even if the gardens look like they are still asleep, preparations are underway and Mother Nature is noticing the weather is warming! April is always filled with hope for a great garden season! Enjoy!

I’d love to hear about your garden plans! Please comment or email directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Musical Entertainment for Memorial Day 2022

The Boalsburg Village Conservancy has finalized the musical entertainment for the Memorial Day celebration on May 30, 2022. Music has always provided the backdrop to the ongoing activities of the day. We hope you come and enjoy it while checking out the many vendors and their wares. If you’d like to learn more about the history of Boalsburg, see www.historicboalsburg.com.

The Boalsburg Heritage Museum (www.boalsburgheritagemuseum.org) at the East end of Main Street will be open for visitors. Background music will be available all day, including music on the Museum porch by Dan & Galla. They offer a mixed selection of upbeat folk music and popular standards of the ’50s and ’60s, country, ragtime, polkas, pop and patriotic music. You can learn more about their music at www.gallaanddan.com.

From a previous Memorial Day celebration.

The Boal Mansion Museum (www.boalmuseum.com) will host light musical entertainment on the grounds throughout the day. Their events include:

10:30 to 11:30 a.m.-The Bellefonte Community Band

12:30 to 1:30 p.m.-JT Thompson & The Denicats

2:30 to 4:30 p.m.-OverheaD

On the Diamond at Main Street and Church Street, the line-up of musical groups is varied and entertaining.

10:30 to 11:30 a.m.-You’ll be able to enjoy the State College High School Jazz Band. These young folks always have a rousing performance to get you in the mood to explore the many vendors on Main Street.

11:30 to 12:00-The A Cappella Choir from St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy in Boalsburg will showcase their lovely voices.

12:00 to 1:00 p.m.-The Little German Band will present lively entertainment in the German “oompah” style that features bass horn, trombone, clarinet and trumpet. This group has been performing around Centre County since the 1960’s. You can read more about them on Facebook.

12:30 p.m.-Dancing around the May Pole. (More about that as we get closer to the event!)

1:30 to 2:30 p.m.-Music by The Screaming Ducks. They have been a force for Classic Rock in Center County for over 30 years. They’re a regular addition to the Boalsburg Memorial Day festivities. You can learn more about them on Facebook.

2:30 to 3:00 p.m.-When you are ready to take a restful break, please pull up a chair (or curb) and enjoy a smooth and mellow half hour with Bob Timney. His offerings of acoustic, acoustic rock and pop music will give you that rest. He can be found on Facebook and you can listen to some of his music at www.reverbnation.com/bobtimney/songs.

3:00 to 4:00 p.m.-To end the afternoon of musical entertainment, the final group at the Diamond will be Pure Cane Sugar. This is a female-fronted Americana band based out of State College, PA. With descriptors such as “sultry voices, soulful harmonies and powerful lyrics,” this last group should leave you feeling like it’s been a good Memorial Day celebration!

Ceremony at the Church Cemetery

6:00 p.m.-As part of the solemn ceremony at the Cemetery, music will be offered by the Nittany Knights. They sing a cappella in the barbershop style of harmony. This international, non-profit organization, first chartered in 1962, performs at many community activities.

Please join us for Memorial Day in Boalsburg, 2022. To read about the whole five-day celebration, check out the overview at: https://marykisner.com/memorial-day-2022-is-happening/. Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Refreshing the Scent in Melt & Pour Soap Bars

Last week I was asked by my son-in-law and grandson to make some glycerin soap bars with the scents of Lavender and Lemon. I made a double batch and added about 12 drops of Lavender essential oil to one batch and 12 drops of Citrus Bliss essential oil to the other. Citrus Bliss is a blend of oils, including: Bergamot, Lemon, Mandarin Sweet Orange, Tangerine and Vanilla. A nice blend, but definitely not very “lemony.” I also added just 1 drop of soap tint to each batch (purple for the lavender and yellow for the citrus) to better tell them apart.

When they were cool, I was concerned that they didn’t have a very strong smell, especially of lemon. After letting them sit for a week, I decided that I needed to add more essential oil before I could hand them off.

So, this week I unwrapped the bars, chopped them up and put them back on the stove to melt them down.

Chopping the soap into small pieces help them melt quickly.

Ready to go into the pan of water on the stove.

Who knew 1 drop of yellow tint would make them so YELLOW!

Bring the pan of water to a boil and turn down to simmer until the soap is melted. A little bit of white vinegar in the water will keep our hard water from leaving sediment on the pan and the outside of the glass measuring cup.

I added an additional 15 drops of essential oil to each batch. I thought Lemongrass would enhance the “lemon” scent.

Let the soap bars cool for about 2 hours before removing the from the molds.

I felt better about these bars. I’ll wrap them individually in plastic wrap so they won’t absorb moisture from the air. Hopefully they’ll be just what my boys were expecting! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Exploring the CentrePeace Showroom

In my continuing quest to find great places in the area that accept donated household goods, last week I visited the CentrePeace showroom just outside of Bellefonte (although they have a State College address). This site was suggested to me by the folks at the St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store as a place that accepted donations of larger household goods and furniture, since the thrift store can handle only clothing and small household goods. (See https://marykisner.com/exploring-the-st-vincent-de-paul-thrift-store/)

CentrePeace is a non-profit organization created in 1975 to support inmates at nearby correctional facilities with their social and communication skills. (See www.centrepeace.org). Their most visible program, Project Restore, created in 1984, is a joint venture between CentrePeace, the Centre County Correctional Facility and the community. All goods are donated by the community to CentrePeace, keeping them out of landfills. Trainees and staff repair and restore pieces that are then resold to the public. The CentrePeace showroom now occupies a 7,000 sq. ft. showroom space at 3047 Benner Pike, State College… quite close to Bellefonte.

They are also open Thursdays until 8 p.m.

Benefits to Trainee Inmates

From the CentrePeace brochure I learned: “Trainees learn skills to repair and restore furniture, small appliances and other goods, while learning valuable job skills. The staff is able to mentor trainees by modeling behavior such as communication and social skills as well as enforcing a good work ethic.”

Benefits to the Community

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers are welcomed to help work with customers and keep the show spaces looking great. Any volunteer with experience in woodworking, upholstery or appliance repair is welcome to help others learn those skills.

Downsizing Opportunities

Need to downsize YOUR stuff? Consider donating items to CentrePeace. Items can be delivered to their showroom…there is a sign as you enter the parking lot. If items are large or you can’t transport them, give them a call at (814)353-9081 and they will make an appointment for pick up, usually within a week.

Buying Opportunities

Interested in gently used or restored furniture and appliances? Check out their showroom! See photos below!

Tour of the CentrePeace Showroom

On the lawn and parking lot out front, they display easily moveable outdoor furniture.

Display cases inside show better quality donated items.

The main space looks like many furniture stores.

Here is a small refurbished desk for sale…$89. The slant front open to a desktop.

And finally, very important Mission Statement and Goals are defined in their brochure. Makes me want to step up and support this organization. How about you?

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Final Garden Signs for 2022

As a follow-up to my post about making garden signs from polymer clay, (see https://marykisner.com/polymer-clay-garden-signs/), I thought I’d take a minute to share what I ended up with.

I was not happy with the colors of clay I used and the shapes I experimented with in that previous post. So, I pulled out the Pearl clay I had and started over.

I decided to make rectangles that were 2″ x 3″. I did not have a cutter that size so I made a cardboard pattern from an old tablet back.

I rolled out a ball of clay and placed the pattern on it. Then I used a zig zag cutter and just cut around it, like this:

I made about 20 of these rectangular shapes. Some ended up closer to 1 1/2″ x 3″ and a few were round circles. They baked for 50 minutes at 265 degrees in my old toaster oven.

Next, I printed out pictures of the vegetables we are going to grow. Even though I know what the common vegetables look like, I wasn’t sure about the various beans we were going to try.

Then, I pulled out my various bottles of acrylic paint and brushes.

I started with two of the round circles to see if I could make a representative picture of a radish and a strawberry. Those two, plus the lettuce and spinach, will be in the planters on the patio so they didn’t need huge signs.

Luckily the paintings are pretty small, so they didn’t have to be perfect! I’ll glue the signs to the wide craft sticks and then spray them all with a polyurethane spray. Hopefully, that will help them weather the outside summer temperatures and moisture.

Here are all the finished signs:

NOW I’m ready for gardening season! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Memorial Day 2022 is Happening!

After two years of having to cancel our Memorial Day activities here in Boalsburg, we are pleased to be able to say…it will be happening in 2022! Boalsburg is one of just a few towns to proudly claim to be the originator of “Memorial Day” activities. If you’d like to learn more about the history of Boalsburg, see www.historicboalsburg.com.

In 2020, all summer events around here were cancelled around here…from Memorial Day through the 4th of July to the various Arts Festivals throughout the summer. In 2021, we were able to have the brief service at the cemetery to honor military veterans and loved ones, but the community-wide events were cancelled again. I’m sure they were cancelled near you too. This year, we are ready to resume the 5-day event, culminating on Monday, May 30, 2022, with our Day in Towne activities.

We are pleased that almost 100 vendors have committed to joining us for the day-long celebration. Leading up to Memorial Day, we have the Boalsburg Fire Company-sponsored carnival beginning on Thursday, May 26 through Monday, May 30.

Saturday will be the parade and Sunday will be the more serious Walk to the Cemetery, re-enacting the very first time three local women honored their loved ones who had died by decorating their graves.

The outdoor service on Sunday, May 29, will be held near the Zion Lutheran Church.

Activities on Monday, May 30 will be offered from one end of town to the other. The Boalsburg Heritage Museum on one end of Main Street will offer tours of the Museum and grounds, soup and pie for sale and musical entertainment for visitors. You can see their website at www.boalsburgheritagemuseum.org. If you’d like to see pictures from my tour of the Museum, see my story at https://marykisner.com/exploring-the-boalsburg-heritage-museum/.

Our vendors will have unique items for sale along Main Street and Church Street, with musical entertainment on the Diamond in the middle of town. At the other end of town, the Boal Mansion and Christopher Columbus Chapel will also offer tours, food and musical entertainment on their grounds. If you’d like to check out more about the Boal Mansion, see www.boalmansion.com/.

Memorial Day in Boalsburg is truly a community-wide event. We’d be pleased to have you join us for the festivities!

Please leave comments or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Polymer Clay Garden Signs

Before I invest in more polymer clay to make my garden signs, I thought I should figure out if it will even work. I collected up my pile of partially used bits of clay leftover from other projects and spent the day making some samples.

I haven’t worked with clay for many months but the clay seemed to survive just fine in plastic bags. My first goal was to see if one color worked better than others and how I should write on them. My second goal was to figure out what shape worked best and how to attach the stick that will go in the ground.

The first color I chose was a pale pink. I thought I could write on it with a black marker. I also didn’t need anything too large because five of the signs could be small…they will be in the smallest planters on the patio. These small signs would be for the Radishes, Lettuce, Spinach, Radicchio and Swiss Chard. I put a piece of clay on the back that would make a pocket to hold the stick.

I used the flat end of a marker to tap down the edge of the pocket…hoping it would stay put after baking. I left the stick in the pocket while it baked to keep the pocket from collapsing.

After baking in my toaster oven (275 degrees for 30 minutes), I wrote Radish on the sign with a permanent marker. The sign looked like this:

I added glue to the end of the stick and stuck it in the pocket to harden.

Just for fun, I chose a cookie cutter of a gingerbread man to make a larger sign. I added the pocket piece to the back and tapped the edge down.

After baking, I glued the stick into the pocket using fast-drying E6000 glue. These are the ones I made today:

When the signs were cool, I turned them over and wrote on the black ones with yellow paint. I may have to make the rest larger than the round one above…too much to write so they need to be bigger.

After writing all the words with yellow paint on black I think I like the light color clay with writing in black marker. It’s much easier, especially as the number of letters increase.

When they are all done, I’ll seal them with an acrylic spray to make them waterproof. I’m sure they could also be more decorative too! I’ll have to look up some ideas on Pinterest! Enjoy!

Please comment with suggestions or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.