༺ Rose, Bouquet & Violin ༻

January was full of adventures here at the farm. I continued to work on my perfect goat's milk soap recipe, finally got some patterns written, and have started learning to play the violin !

The sound of the violin has always a favorite of mine. It seems sweet yet powerful somehow. I had played the clarinet in my youth, so taking on a different instrument sounded like something I could do. This violin was a find from Craig's List. It is a student model, but I think it sounds lovely. Some beginner books, DVDs, and many YouTube videos later, I'm actually playing scales and songs after only a few weeks. It is fun !!

My other recent accomplishment has been getting crochet patterns written for my popular roses and bouquet wraps. I had been asked many times if I offered these patterns for sale, so once I had a few weeks to give the task some attention, I finally got them written and posted in my etsy shop's pattern section.

I made this arrangement a few years ago after finding this pretty vase at the dollar store. I thought it was such a pretty ivory color with gold accents. Roses can be put in vases like this, or in bouquet wraps, or even just given as single stem gifts.

Next I'm back to working on soap. I have a good recipe with hibiscus and lavender flowers that I just need to get poured into a log mold and cut. That's my next goal for the winter !