Ready for our New Tenants

Bees!  Yeah, you read that right, real, honest-to-goodness bees.  Specifically, honeybees.  If you knew me in person, you'd know how huge this is.  I'm not generally a fan of anything with more than 5 legs.  Six legs... not a fan.  Six legs and wings... really not a fan.  Six legs, wings, and a stinger... well, I'm sure you get the point.

So this started with Eric, of course.  He's the daredevil in the family.  I've lived nearly 43 years happily mostly avoiding bees together with pretty much every other insect.  I'm not nervous about bees specifically; I've only ever been stung once and I don't remember it hurting all that much.  Plus, I know it was my own fault to an extent.  I scratched an itch without looking and it happened to be caused by a bee walking up my arm, which of course thought I was attacking.  Reasonable.

Eric, while he hasn't got my aversion to insects in general, has been scared of bees since he was a kid and stung repeatedly when a bumblebee hive funneled its way into his bedroom.  And he hates being scared of anything.  So it occurred to him that a good way to get over the fear would be to own bees.  That's my Eric.

He did a little reading, and what he read convinced me too.  Did you know that there's a honeybee shortage in the world these days?  Apparently, in China the bee population has been so decimated that humans are being employed - at a pittance, of course - to hand-pollinate the farms with little paintbrushes.  And the honeybee populations here in the states are dangerously low too.  Whole Foods released a picture of what its produce section would look like sans bees.  It wasn't pretty.  It was pretty empty, in fact.

The upshot is that we as a species, as a world, need bees.

Add to that the more selfish idea that we could have our own fresh, natural honey to eat, with which to bake, to sell, and to make our soaps and other honey-laden products.  And on top of that, there's the beeswax, perfect for our lip balms and candles.  And mead, since we both know Eric would be making mead from some of it.

The next thing I knew, he'd signed up for the Northeast NJ Beekeeper's Association, went to visit hives with a local beekeeper, and bought a book on beekeeping.  And nearly immediately after that, we both owned beekeeping gear.

How cute am I?

I've already used the gear too.  Check me out holding a frame full of bees!

I rock, I tell ya.

In addition to gear, Eric bought all the bits an pieces to put together a hive.  He put it all together, I primed and painted, and then we brainstormed so I could have some fun with it.  It wasn't hard to settle on a Winnie the Pooh theme.  So I painted some more.

As of yesterday morning, the whole hive was finished, sealed, and set up, ready for bees!  And since I've been asked by others, yes, although I obviously copied the characters, I did draw them freehand.  It's good to know I've still got my abilities.

We're hoping to still get some this season, though it's late in the year.  If we do, the bees will have to be left to produce whatever honey they can for their own survival, and we'll have to feed them over the winter.  We've already got the food for 'em.  Now we're just waiting for a viable "nuc" (nucleus hive of bees) to be ready for the move to our hive!

Fingers crossed that we get 'em soon.  And then?  We get a kid-sized suit for the nephews & kids' friends to come learn about bees!

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There's Lilac and There's Lilac

And no matter what sort of lilac it is, I adore it.  Seriously, it's my favorite flower and was the one bloom I really wanted to carry in my wedding... and was so happy when the florist told me I could!

(Flowers designed by Angie at the Metropolitan Plant Exchange,

Photography by Sharon Ann Curia of Sharon's Wedding Art)

And so when Eric and I were making our latest batch of candles, I lobbied for Lilac.  In keeping with our new look, we did them two-tone pink and purple, but the scent is gorgeous, springy, unadulterated Lilac, and they're already a hit with customers.

The 15" round pillar has already sold, but you can find the square pillars here, the small round pillars here, and the votives here.  If you're not sure how much you'll love it - or the other spring candles we've made - you can also try one of each votive in our sampler pack!

But back to the lilacs.  I can't forget about them for too long, that's for sure.  The lilacs.  I love lilacs so much that one year my sister and I got a small lilac shrub for our mom for Mother's Day from the NJ Botanical Gardens.  OK, that gift wasn't quite as self-serving as it sounds.  My sister and mom like lilacs too, and mom likes to have nice, flowering plants around the yard.

Well, back in September, Eric and I moved here to Franklin Lakes, where we have a nice little house... with a whole lotta land.  There's a forest in our backyard, for real!  Well, OK, it's a small foresty area but still.  It's foresty enough that we've had not only squirrels and chipmunks but also possum, a bunny, deer on more than one occasion, and at one point... bear tracks in the snow!  And the rest of the back yard and all of the front is a lot of lawn.  Lots and lots of lawn and trees and bushes.  So I was lobbying for a lilac shrub for our own yard.  I was hoping that during their annual plant sale earlier in the month, Eric and I could go to the NJ Botanical Gardens in the hope that they had lilacs again.

Didn't need to.

Just a week or so before, I was getting into my car for work in the morning and I glanced at this big tree that was on the other side of the driveway.  It was budding.  It was budding purple.  I went for a closer look... and quite literally danced around the driveway.  Lilacs!  A whole huge lilac shrub the size of a tree!  All mine!

It's been blooming ever since, and the smell makes me smile every time I pass by.  It makes me so, so happy.  And while we've added Lilac Candles to Reef Botanicals, I've added a new photo to Fabric of my Mind.

That beauty can be found right here, if you want your own print of it.  Can't you just smell them?

Ah, I'm smiling again.  Just can't help it!

How We Do Halloween

We generally throw a big Halloween party, since it's my favorite holiday, and this year we were able to do it right.  First, we decorated outside.  At the new house, though, we really need more outdoor decorations.  While what we've got worked very well in the tiny, ivy-covered front yard at the old place, our new expanse of lawn requires something more impressive.

This one's my favorite.  I got it at a craft show a couple years ago, and it's handmade.  My only lament is that I no longer have the artist's card so I can't find him to get more of his stuff.

We also had strobe lights, fog machines, and thunder sound effects hiding behind the bushes and scarecrow there.

My biggest lament was that all of this was out for the party on the 27th but had to come in before actual Halloween on the 31st because of the impending storm.  The storm is a post for another day.

For now, the inside of the house.

We took the regular lights from the bathroom and replaced them with blacklight bulbs and candles, a dim, spooky setting for the raven & mirror ghost.

With the overhead light replaced with a blacklight bulb, this reaper at the end of the hall was pretty creepy.

We didn't do much in the guest room, but I love how Nemo is side-eyeing the witch.

The kitchen kept its lights for drink mixing and pumpkin soup making.

I made these creepy apothecary bottles several years ago.  They're filled with things like Jellyfish Stingers (hot glue strings), Hair of Werewolf (dog hair), Swamp Fog (pulled cotton ball), and Toe of Demon (cut pieces of red taper candle).

The whole dining room and living room were lit by string lights, candles, and lighted decorations.  That lit Jack o' Lantern on a cat's back on the floor was my very first Halloween decoration, the one my mom put in our front window when I was a kid.

I love that death candelabra in the middle of the table.

These masks are actually my year-round dining room decor.

That blue skeleton is painted with blacklight paint.  The lamp has blacklight bulbs in it.  I did the shade years ago, with black paper bats and lightning streaks drawn on in highlighter so they glow when it's lit too.

The African mask is also year-round decor.  I "won" it at a charity auction.

One of my favorite things is that witch all the way on the left.  She's beautifully made, with poison apples in her sling, even.

I suddenly realized I have quite a few gargoyles.

This skeleton was actually the prop of the winner of best costume.  The prize is that gold glitter pumpkin.  He showed up in a suit with a briefcase and the skeleton, claiming to be a medical malpractice attorney with his unfortunate client.

Another favorite, my Nightmare Before Christmas tree.

And the cooler, which was out back.  Can't go wrong with a blow up coffin!

How do you do Halloween?