Products: Whole Pie Charms

New Pies have been added to the shop. If you have a love of pies, then you can have one of these yummy desserts to wear. All the pie for you or you can share and give it to someone else. They come with a lobster clasp and are ready for your enjoyment. These miniature pies were created with polymer clay inside of a small bottle cap.

If you have any suggestions or requests for pies, please let me know in the comments or through my Etsy shop. 

 To the Pie Section!!!

Homemade Cleaners 2

The Easy Floor Cleaner Mix

• 1 gallon of water
• 1 cup of vinegar

 Mix in a mop bucket and mop the floor. I do not like the vinegar smell so I suggest you add essential oils or do what I did and spray the room with my spider deterrent mixture.





Floor Cleaner Mix

• 1 gallon of water
• 1/2 cup of vinegar
• 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol
• 2 to 3 drops of dishwashing soap
• essential oils (such as peppermint, lavender or a citrus)

Mix in a mop bucket and mop the floor. This mix smells better and dries faster, but uses more ingredients

Note: The floor cleaners on this page are not meant for hardwood floor or natural stone.

I will update in the future if I ever try them out next to each other. Let me know if you have any recipes and how they preform for you.

Spider Deterrent

My Mini Me is afraid of spiders. She is so afraid of them that she can't even bring herself to get close enough to kill one. We have found a solution to our spider problem.

Photo by K. Langberg

Peppermint oil. 

Yes, peppermint oil. Spiders do not like peppermint oil. It won't kill them. It just deters them.

Steps:

1. Put 10 to 15 drops of peppermint oil in a spray bottle
2. Fill the spray bottle with water
3. Spray doorways and window sills 

I have seen a significantly lower amount of spiders in my house. Another suggestion for using the peppermint is to soak a cotton ball in the oil, put it in a small dish in the area the spiders are coming in and reapply the oil ever two weeks. I have heard putting chestnuts in your house keeps them away, but I have never tried it.

Do you have any natural or frugal ways of getting rid of spiders? Other than squishing them. :)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I LOVE Chocolate Chip Cookies!! I adore them. I didn't create this recipe and I do not remember where I did get it from.

Makes 2 dozen cookies:

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg plus one egg yolk
1 cup chocolate chips (or a mixture)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, lightly toasted (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325 F (163 C)

2. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.

3. Cream butter and sugars. Add egg and the yolk and vanilla and stir to blend.

4. Add wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until combined. Then add chocolate chips. (I used chocolate chunks this time)

5. Spoon by heaping tablespoonful onto a lightly greased baking sheet (or silicone pad) leaving room for the cookies to spread.

6. Bake at 325 F (163 C) for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are beginning to brown and the centers are set.

7. Allow to cool briefly and move cookies to a wire rack.

8. Eat!! Yum yum...

Kindness Day

Once a year, the city of Battle Creek, MI has a Kindness Day. It is a day to remind the citizens to be kind to each other. This year, 25 envelopes filled with $50, a 50 cent piece and 3 kindness cards where hidden around the city. Kindness cards are cards that remind people to pass on the kindness. Clues to the locations were posted and the hunt was on. It is currently unknown if all the envelopes were found.

We found one envelope and used the money to buy flowers for the secretaries of two public schools. Having found one envelope already, my family made the decision to not look for any others and allow someone else to get the prize. 

DIY: Homemade Cleaners

When making homemade cleaners make sure you label each bottle so you don't get them mixed up. I am using different colored bottles and adding labels.

Degreaser/Soap Scum Remover

• 50% Dishwashing Liquid
• 50% White Vinegar

The mixture works well, but it does smell like vinegar. Strongly like vinegar! I put a few drops of essential oil in the mixture...it seemed to cut the smell a little.

Disinfectant

• 50% rubbing alcohol (65% or better)
• 50% water 

Stain Remover

• 2 parts Hydrogen Peroxide 
• 1 part Dishwashing Liquid

Use a small brush (like a toothbrush) to rub the mix into the stain and let it set before laundering. It is best to make small amounts, because hydrogen peroxide decomposes quickly.

I will be adding more homemade cleaners to the blog in the future.  I am always looking for cheap and easy ways to clean.

Product: Halloween Charms

Halloween is coming soon and a good charm is hard to find. Spooky chocolate cake charms with orange and purple frosting with tiny mirco beads on top are garnish with a glow in the dark ghost or skull. They both would be a great addition to a charm bracelet or a necklace for that Halloween party you are going to attend.

 

Ghost Cake Charm at The Odd Raven etsy store

 

Skull Cake Charm at The Odd Raven etsy store

Happy Halloween!

DIY: Menu Board

 You can make a  Menu Board to keep up with the weekly meals for a few reasons:

1. Things don't get lost in the refrigerator
2. Easy meal planning
3. Easy shopping list creation

 I tried different ways of keeping track. White board, piece of paper, print outs, calendars, winging it.... but I decided on this board that I made myself.  

I did not come up with this idea, but I thought is was a great one for my family. You can find the beautiful and original idea at CG Dickson [the blog]. She gives instructions on creating your own Menu Board.

I did a few things differently. Instead of using lamination on my meal cards, I used packing tape. I didn't bother with putting the days of the week on the clothespins, because I like having choices and not a completely set menu.

Also I used drink mix boxes instead of crayon boxes. On the back of my meal cards, I also included the location of recipes if needed.

. The only thing I bought for this project was the picture frame. Use what you have and alter it to your needs

Happy Menu Board making.

Sweetest Day

Today is Sweetest Day. I have never heard of Sweetest Day till I saw it on the calendar. So I gathered some information about it.

• Sweetest Day is thought to have been created in the 1920s by a candy store employee who wanted to bring happiness to people who were over looked such as orphans and shut ins.
• Observance of this day is prevalent in the Great Lakes area though people take the traditions with them when they move.
• Hallmark sells cards for it.
• Over the years the holiday has been changed to include romantic love expressions like Valentine's Day.

Hope everyone is having a sweet Sweetest Day. Go out and be sweet to someone in need.

New: Whole Pie Charms

Banana Pie

Chocolate Cream Pie

Cherry Pie

If you have a love of pies, then you can have one of these yummy desserts to wear. They come with a lobster clasp and are ready for your enjoyment. These miniature pies were created with polymer clay inside of a small bottle cap.

If you have any suggestions or requests for pies, please let me know in the comments or through my Etsy shop.

How to Create a Smokey Cauldron

 

This year, my family and I decided to try to put together a display for Halloween. We have chosen to create a witch's potions area at our front door.

I needed a cauldron, of course. I found this one at our local home improvement store.The opening is about 12 inches in diameter. 

 

Next put orange lights at the bottom of the pot to simulate fire. You could the cauldron on some logs or build a fake fire pit for it. I may end up doing something like that in the future.

I put a bowl at the bottom of the cauldron to hold up the smaller cauldron that is about 10 inches in diameter.

 

I picked up this mini mist maker at one of those Halloween stores that pop up around this time of year. It has led lights in it that change color. I may cut a hole in the side of the small cauldron to hide the power cord better. I then poured water in until the mist maker started working.

 

 Turn on the mini lights, turn off the over head lights and enjoy.

The Beginning

Starting a business can be a little daunting at first, but I felt passionate enough about my craft to forge ahead. I am currently at the beginning of my business adventure at the time of the post.

 I have been crafting for as long as I can remember. It started with an aunt who loves creating and it rubbed off on me. I started my adventure in crafting tiny foods out of polymer clay about 5 years ago. I decided to start The Odd Raven, it started as a hobby and turned into a passion. There is just something extra sweet about objects being in miniature.

I love how the versatility of  polymer clay allows for different applications. I am still exploring and experimenting with the medium. It takes time to create each piece with love and little bit of magic. I am so glad to be able to share them with you.


Mission Statement: The Odd Raven is dedicated to providing unique, quality pieces of polymer clay jewelry. I pride myself in creating fabulous, sweet designs that reflect the personality of my customers as well as the versatility of the materials. Customer services is the utmost importance and the key to this businesses success.