What's New In My Shop?

Happy Saturday!  I know for other's it does not look so good at present.  But, you have to look past the present situation to what things will be like down the road after you rebuild and put your life back together.  Time will heal the wound and you can be happy you are still alive to share the everyday happenings with your loved ones.  Keeping a daily routine is a great part of the recovery process.

                                                     "Shilly- Shally Bags"

So, here's what I've been working on in my home studio this week for my co-op and etsy shop.  I call them my "Shilly-Shally" bags, which means your everyday bag for whatever you want to use it for that day.  Maybe Monday you use it to pack your lingerie in for a trip. Then, when you're back home you may use it on Tuesday to put a sewing project in and keep by your chair while watching a favorite movie.  Then on Friday you can pack you lunch in it for the beach or park.  You get the picture!

You'll find them Jeanpatchbymk shop and in my Sunshine Farmgirl Co-op store.


                                                      Today is the last day to enter my contest for April.  You had to refer at least 5 people to my blog and co-op in order to win a prize.  I hope you did and you win!

Have a great day, whatever you do.

Blessings,
Marsha

Kayla's Gluten Free Coconut Cookies-Best Ever!

Happy Monday Friends!

 This is the best ever gluten free coconut cookie recipe you'll ever make.  My sweet Dumplin, Kayla made these and took them to work.  She had enough for each of her co-worker's and the owner of the health food store she works at.  They all fell head-over -heels in love with them and the boss asked her to make up recipe cards and place them by each of the ingredients she used from the store for customer's to try.

  It's so nice to see her love to cook and bake now, but it wasn't too many years back that she just hated to.  But, being the dear loving Mom that I am, I encouraged her to keep trying and follow her instincts I taught her and the recipe. 

  I've always been one to change the recipe around a bit and use ingredients from my diet in place of the ones I can't have.  I'm gonna share this wonderful recipe with you all too.  But, promise me you'll go to your health food store and buy the exact same ingredients.  I trust ya!

Kayla's Famous Coconut Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups organic coconut flour (Let's do organic)
1 teaspoon gluten free baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 stick organic butter
1 cup agave
1/4 cup Xylo Sweet (xylitol)
2 large organic eggs
1 teaspoon Watkins Organic Vanilla extract
3 cups organic unsweetened coconut flakes
2 cups unsweetened carob chips (sunspire)
Unsweetened Organic Rice Milk

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 F
In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.  In another bowl with an electric mixer cream butter and sweetners until fluffy.  Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and beat in flour mixture. Add enough rice milk to make a cookie dough batter.  Beat in vanilla and stir in coconut and carob chips.

Drop dough by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto buttered baking sheet and bake cookies in middle of oven for 10 minutes, or until golden.  Cool on baking sheet 1 minute and then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Cookies keep in airtight containers 5 days.

I wish I had a picture to share with you, but we ate them all!  Here is one of here jewelry and note cards available for purchase in her etsy shop.
Next, batch I promise to take the picture first!  When you make your batch take a picture and share it here on this post.  I might even have a contest for sending in your best cookie recipe with the cookie you baked and the winner wins a Sunshine Farmgirl Co-op goodie grab bag!  That will be next month, so check back to enter.

http://www.reflectionsofkayla.etsy.com/



From our kitchen to your kitchen!

Blessings,
Marsha

Don't Judge A Book by it's Cover

There are so many fun uses for old books.  I've started making hollowed out books to hide your treasures in, but now I've found another wonderful way to use those hollow-out books.  Plant your favorite plants in them.  Put them on a coffee table or window table and you have a great conversation piece. 

Here's one I did with a book that had wavy pages on the sides once I glued them closed.  Now, instead of thinking what could I use this for, I came up with the perfect solution. Plant a plant in it's place.

These are for sale in my etsy shop.  Comes with bag of soil and packet of seeds.  I drilled holes in the bottom for drainage.  I just lined mine with wax paper or you could use freezer paper.  I'll include a sheet so you'll be all set to plant your seeds.  Just water lightly every couple of days until they sprout.  Be sure to soak the seeds first for 8 to 10 hours in warm water before planting in the book.

Visit my shop to order your planter book today.  http://www.jeanpatchbymk.etsy.com

Happy planting from my house to your house.

Blessings,
Marsha

Handmade Spark

Hello Dear Friends,
 
   First, off welcome to all the new followers for April!  You are so dear to me and I hope you will enjoy following along with me as I share all my interests and happenings in my life.

  Today, I was featured on Handmade Spark, it is a website that helps sellers from Etsy get noticed on the world wide web.  Here is the link:
http://www.handmadespark.com/blog/tutorial-easy-quilted-paper-greeting-card-by-handmade-spark-member-jeanpatch-by-mk/

  The article is entitled: Tutorial: Easy Quilted Paper Greeting Card by Handmade Spark member Jeanpatch by MK.

  I started making paper quilted greeting cards some time back and just loved the way they turned out so vintage looking.  I've expounded on that area and added a membership club to my shop for all my cards, stationery, note cards, writing sets and much more all in one package.  You can join the club by going to my Jeanpatch by MK shop on etsy. Here is the link: http://www.jeanpatchbymk.etsy.com/

  Here is a sampling of what you will receive in this 3 month membership club.  Each month you will receive a gift bag made by me from fabric filled with 3 items from this list that I choose.
     * Greeting cards with different sentiments
     * Writing sets
     * journal cards
     * gift tags
     * small thank you card sets
     * note card sets
     * and much more all for one low price, plus the shipping for the three months.  You pay just one time and receive your fun packages for 3 months.  Take a look through my shop for all these items to get a better idea of what you'll be receiving.  While you're there check out my other membership clubs I offer.

  From my home to yours.

Blessings,
Marsha

What's In Your Food?

Hello Dear Friends,
 
  Wow! The numbers keep growing of new followers.  Welcome!  Be sure to check out my co-op by clicking on the yellow button to the right side bar.  It's free to become a member.  If you'd like the membership kit that intitles you to discounts and special products with the Sunshine Farmgirl Co-op logo it's just $20.00 for a annual membership.  Email me for your kit today!  Use the subscribe button and I'll get back to you with more details of what comes in the kit.  You'll receive this membership certificate along with your bag full of goodies from me as a "thank you" for joining.

  So, today's topic "What's In Your Food?"  Last week I did a post on what comes in your skin care products and a link to see for yourself what's in your's.  Well, I've been digging around to find great sites for you to use to find out what's in your food.  When you pick up a package at the store and read the label.  Go to the ingredients list.  If you can't pronounce the words or they don't read like real food should.  Put it back and go to the organic section.

  These links I found will open your eyes to all those so called natural ingredients and flavors.  What that doesn't tell you is what is it dirived from.  If you're like me and have a list of foods to avoid that is a page long, then you'll want to find out if your food is making you sick.

  Here are the links I found most helpful for you and your family.  Some are more for parents with kids and others are more detailed for those of us who like to be in the "know".

http://www.kashi.com/real_food/ingredients

http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/labels2.html




http://www.foodchem.cn/Pectin.htm  

http://www.ehow.com/how_5894552_sodium-nitrate-out-body.html

http://www.lifescript.com/Body/Diet/Eat-well/Whats_Hiding_in_Your_Food_Top_10_Troublesome_Ingredients.aspx?gclid=CIGuvJb0qKgCFcgZ2godkQ4bIQ&trans=1&du=1&ef_id=f85NravOeyYAAILI:20110419153542:s

  These all have wonderful bits of information for you to use to guide you in your food purchases.  If you care about your health and hate getting sick and paying those doctor bills and prescription costs then take action, start reading the labels and eating healthier today!

The last one gives you the top 10 ingredients you should avoid at all costs.  Especially, people with chronic health problems and children.  Just scroll down under the first one on the list and you'll see the page numbers up to page 5.  Don't keep scrolling down the page it is advertising for other websites.

 Since all my food is organic and my family trys to eat as healthy as possible here are two labels of bean cans. One is organic the other not.  See for yourself just how different they are.  And, the organic  only cost a few cents more if you buy the store brand.

It is clear to see that the first can is organic it says Organic black beans, water and sea salt.
The second can non-organic has the first three ingredients : pink beans, water, salt then here come the chemical additives (calcium chloride,  calcium disodium EDTA, which is a known cancer causer.

But, don't take my word for it, go to the sites I gave you and put in those words and see what they tell you about what they are and what they do to the body.

Tips for Increasing Your Sales!

I want to welcome my new followers! Yay! Four new ones just since yesterday! I'm so happy to have you join me and the rest of my happy friends.

Well, I had such a nice evening with my family at the celebration of the Lord's Evening Meal we celebrate every Nisan 14, (on the Jewish calendar which is April) with our congregation.  I am exhausted today but it was my gift from God for the year!  It was so nice to talk to friends I haven't seen in months.  We had 224 in attendance.

Lauren, Kayla my sweetheart daughter and Me

My husband Rafael and Me with Lauren my wild niece

*****************************************************************
I just had to share that with you.  Now, on to the topic at hand.  If you sell online then you'll want to pay close attention to this post.  I'm going to share with you a secret that the top sellers on Etsy shared with Handmade Spark.
  If you don't know what Handmade Spark is you're missing out.  You have to belong to Etsy in order to join it.  It only costs $6.00 a month and they promote your shop to the search engines.  It has helped increase my sales just joining that and doing what they suggest in their emails.
  Now, in order to get these tips you have to do something for me.  It's not going to cost you very much money and only a little of your time. 

* First, you have to follow my blog. 

* Second, you have to join my co-op as a buying member and a selling member in the Sunshine Market section. This gets you a web page linked back to Etsy.  It's only $5 a month and your first month is always free.

As soon as you have done those two things send me an email and I'll send you the tips!
Garden Update!!!

What's In Your Skin Care Products?

Hello Dear Friends,
  It's Friday already, where does the time go?  The new year just rolled in four months ago and we are heading for May. Wow!  I think the older you get the faster time goes by.  Do you feel that way?  Today, I'm going to talk about how to find out what is in your skin care products from what you put on your face to what you bathe with. 
  I'm a strong believer in finding out what you put in your body and on your skin.  Some years back there was a young high school student that was heavy into sports, that lived in our state.  For her sore muscles she would use an over the counter creme that relieved the pain and aches.
Well, sad to say she didn't know the dangers of using those products and she kept putting it on to get rid of the pain and she died!
   Why, because her liver could not get rid of the synthetic chemical found in that product.  So, if you think oh it doesn't matter, I've made it this far and am still alive.  But, how do you feel really?  Are you 30 and feel like 60 or 60 and feel like 90?  Or what about the young folks that are always saying how tired they are. 
  It's because of what they eat and put on their body that is making them feel this way.  I have been preaching this to my daughter for years since I came down with this Lyme disease and nearly died from all the CAT scans and MRI chemicals they put in me.  It shut down my liver after 3 tests in a one week period and it all came to haunt me a  month later.  So, this is not just an opinion I have it is living proof from my own personal experience.
  I know people who have had these kinds of test annually and think they are fine.  Well, one day the shoe will drop and they will find out they have cancer.  My advise is stop buying the junk and buy organic only in everything.  It is not more expensive, it will save your life and you will live longer.
  Start growing your own organic vegetable garden.  Get a friend and family involved to help and make it fun.  Round up the neighbors that are home glued to the TV or Internet all day.  They need fresh air and sunshine just like you do.
*******************************************************************
  Okay, now here is a site you can go to and find out what's in your house today!
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ingredient.php?ingred06=706639

  Get out all the products you eat or put on your body and put in the ingredients one by one.  The first thing that will come up on the list is Cancer- the C word. Yikes!  That's enough to make me throw it away and buy organic. 
  So who do you buy from?  Glad you asked, cause I've found just the place for you to shop and at excellent prices.  Just tell them I sent you. 
 I use Melissa's  products and love them. 
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HoneyBeeHolistics?ref=pr_shop   She is a member of the Sunshine Farmgirl co-op. http://www.sunshinefarmgirlcoop.com/
Click on the Sunshine Market link for all the great products for you and your home.

 You may also find great all natural products for the body on my co-op by two other shop owners.  Hippie Nation and Planet Earth Remedies both are excellent sources for you to convert over to.  My daughter and niece just love the honey face scrub from Sharon.  And, Susan is making me a custom order, so just ask and they will accomodate your needs.

http://stores.countrycents.com/-strse-60/Handmilled-Oatmeal%2C-Milk%2C-and/Detail.bok
http://stores.countrycents.com/-strse-74/Honey-Scrub-Face-Wash/Detail.bok

  I feel so much better sharing this with you all.  I just find it frightening to see that people just pick up any old thing at the store regardless of what it may do to them in the long run.  God gave us a responsibility to take care of our body and if we want to please him then we have to take that job seriously. 
  Don't be an ostrich and just hide your head in the sand and hope bad things won't happen to you or your loved ones.  Take steps now to clean out your body and mind and stay healthy so you can do the fun things with your loved ones for a very long time to come.
 

I'll share more garden pictures tomorrow.  Have a great weekend!

Blessings,
Marsha

Historic Florida Vacation Spots and Garden Bullbs!

I'm back and loving being with you dear friends once again.  I hope you've been busy referring your friends and family to follow my blog and enter the contest this month.  It is so easy to get 5 people to follow and win a prize!

I want to share with you some garden tips today on planting bulbs in your garden.  Here in Florida we have the pleasure of just leaving our bulbs in the ground and they do great all year long.  Just about any bulb will work here in Florida, but here are a few that are recommended by the experts.
* Aztec Lily  * Blood Lily   * Caladium    * Crinum    * Gloriosa Lily    * Clivia  * Walking Iris
* African Lily   * Spider Lily   *Day Lily
Preparing the beds for planting: Soil for a bulb bed should be tiled and amended by incorporating a 3 to 4 inch layer of organic matter such as peat, compost or well rotted manure, and one to 1.5 pounds of 12-4-8 or an equal amount of other complete fertilizers per 100 square feet. 
Even though you can leave them in the ground it is recommended to move them around so they do not become crowded and bloom poorly.  My bulb gardens do great and I never move them.  I just space them out about 12 inches apart and they grow like crazy and produce lovely flowers year after year. 
I have a pot of Amaryllis that are blooming and two stalks have come up ready to bloom some more beautiful red flowers.
 Here is what they look like today!

Being a native Floridian I've traveled all over the state in my short 48 years of living here.  I grew up in Orlando, Fl until I was 12 and then moved to the country life of Oviedo at the young age of 13.  Both are in Central Florida about 30 minutes from each other. 

My summer vacations were spent visiting relatives on my Mother's side of the family.  My Aunt Hazel lived in Stark, FL up near Jacksonville.  We mainly stayed at home just playing with our cousins.  I come from a very diverse family background. 

My Mother's step Mom raised her and she was always Grandma to me.  She lived in Tampa, FL which is on the west coast near the amusement park Busch Gardens. Actually, she lives right across the street.  So can you guess where I spent most of my days many a summer?
I know that park like the back of my hand so to speak.

Next, we would visit Mom's step Uncle and Aunt in Sarasota, FL on a farm.  It was grand. I loved playing outdoors.  I remember my Uncle made us breakfast which consisted of eggs and steak right off the farm.  It was the best tasting steak I've ever eaten. 

We also, went to Sanibelle Island one year and that was a real treat.  The water was shallow and calm and you could walk out about 100 yards to a sandbar.  We had a blast that summer.

In my senior year of high school our football team made it all the way to the state playoffs. My younger sister and I were in the class of Journalism and the teacher was in charge of selecting students who could go and cover the game.  We were also on the school newspaper and she ran that as well.  So, you guessed it we were excited to be able to go with the team up to North Florida to a little town not heard of called Milton.  Let me tell you, I know why it is not known very well.  It is right on the panhandle of the state and the gulf of Mexico. 

There were beautiful beaches at that time, some 30 years ago. Since then a number of hurricanes have destroyed the hotels, and amusement park and beach's to the point that only the locals go there much anymore.  I know they are making great efforts to clean it up and make it beautiful once again.

In my adult years I've been to Marco Island which is southern most part of the west coast.  You can visit the Everglade National Park and take a boat ride and see dolphins and other wonderful water life. Birds of all species and of course the famous Florida Alligator's.

On up the west coast there is a little town called Cedar Key.  The best time to visit there is when they have one of their food festivals.  The rest of the time it is deadsville.  We found that out the hard way.  But, just a short ride from there is a town called Chieftain.  They have a state park and a winery.  So, that made up for our disappointment with the other place.

And, of course I've been to St. Augustine the famous oldest city in the U.S. more times than I can remember.  It is a must see when you come to visit the Sunshine State.  Then, there's Miami, bring along your translator so you can speak Spanish.  I'm just kidding, all the sales clerks speak both English and Spanish at the major department stores. 

Since, my husband is Spanish it was no problem conversing with the folks that live there when we visit his family down south.  And, no trip to Florida is complete without seeing the Keys.

I remember visiting my first time in March when I was in my early 20's with my Mom, niece and dear friends from Maryland.  I couldn't understand why all the women had short haircuts or had it back in a ponytail until about our second day there.  Out of no where came these winds that wouldn't stop blowing day or night. 

I had long hair at the time and what a mess it was.  After brushing out all the tangles I quickly put it up and forgot about a hairdo for the rest of the trip. hehe!

I've been to all the beaches up and down the east coast and from Cedar Key down the west coast.  The inland parts of the state are my next adventures to see.  So, we are planning a trip in the fall to a little historic town called Micanopy.  It is the oldest inland city in the State.  I am so excited to go and am planning everything I'll need to bring to survive the 2 hour road trip.

I already have the B&B we'll stay at called Herlong Mansion prepared for my arrival.  They know all about my special needs and are more than willing to accommodate me.  Yippie!!!!  Talk about Southern hospitality!!!!  So, the next time you plan a trip to Florida don't just go to the beach or Disney World you have to make a trip to Micanopy as well and see the real Florida and enjoy some of our history!