Look for the silver lining ...

One of my very favorite songs seems like the perfect one to share as we greet the New Year.


"Look for The Silver Lining"

[Boy]
Please don't be offended if I preach to you awhile,
Tears are out of place in eyes that were meant to smile.
There's a way to make your very biggest troubles small,
Here's the happy secret of it all.

Look for the silver lining
When e'er a cloud appears in the blue.
Remember some where the sun is shining,
And so the right thing to do,
Is make it shine for you.

A heart, full of joy and gladness,
Will always banish sadness and strife.
So always look for the silver lining,
And try to find the sunny side of life.

[Girl}
As I wash my dishes, I'll be following your plan,
Till I see the brightness in ev'ry pot and pan.
I am sure your point of view will ease the daily grind,
So I keep repeating in my mind.

Look for the silver lining
When e'er a cloud appears in the blue.
Remember some where the sun is shining,
And so the right thing to do,
Is make it shine for you.

A heart, full of joy and gladness,
Will always banish sadness and strife.
So always look for the silver lining,
And try to find the sunny side of life.

Happy New Year!
Layla

Back in the land of the living!

It is so nice to be back! We had a series of snow storms come through and really bring everything to a screeching halt! Christmas Day was spent in the dark with no power and snow coming down like crazy!


My poor little Japanese maple nearly disappeared so I had to keep brushing the snow off the top!


All in all, it was a nice quiet Christmas with much time spent getting caught up on inventory and organizing everything for my shop, reading, knitting and relaxing. Not much else to do when the power's out!

I am so grateful to all of my customers who were so patient with me - it was impossible to get out, let alone mail orders out! Because my customers are so important to me, I'd like to offer a special discount... enter code SNOW08 at checkout and you'll receive 50% off any one item when you place your order at Flowering Tree Botanicals by 1/31/2009.

Here's wishing you and yours a VERY happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Hugs,
Layla

Featured Guest - Dozen Flours

I recently stumbled across another blog and I have to share it with you all. Julia at "Dozen Flours" has got to be one of the most talented ladies I have ever "met"! Trust me - you have got to go take a look! Just look at her little snowman cupcakes!


Please swing on over and say "hi" to Julia and tell her that I sent you!

I thought I should also let you all know that my special for Christmas Eve is FREE FIRST CLASS SHIPPING for anything in my Etsy shop! One day only! http://layla.etsy.com.

I'll keep this posting short but want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Hugs,
Layla

Storm Preparations ...

We're in for a nasty storm tonight/tomorrow so today was all about storm preparations. I got up early, dug out the truck and off I went! At the grocery store, I picked up canned soups and fruit and some packets of apple cinnamon oatmeal. I think I got the very last "D" batteries in all of Woodinville too!

My Mum (aka "LizzieJane") would be proud of me ... I picked up five giant Hershey's chocolate bars too.

My street lost power a couple days ago and during that time, I had a really exciting revelation! It doesn't take electricity to make bath bombs! This is what I made:


Mmmmm... the scent of lemon is so lovely!

I also made these rose ones:


Both are available in my shop - just $10 for four!

I thought I'd also share this lovely photo of Panda - she got a nice new yellow Cuddle Sack bed - a fundraising item available from It's Meow or Never Animal Rescue & Sanctuary. She won't get out of it - I had a good giggle today -- I think she looks like she's sleeping in a giant banana peel!



Happy holidays!
Layla

Homemade Lavender Lemon Biscotti

Mmm... what do you make when you've got nearly 25 pounds of culinary lavender on hand? Lavender Lemon Biscotti!

First the dry ingredients come together .. flour, sugar, nuts, lavender, baking powder...


Then the liquid ingredients are added to the dry, forming a dough:


This is a photo of the biscotti, halfway through baking .. looks promising and the kitchen smells *delicious*!


Here's the finished product. I decided to dip them into a little dark chocolate to make them extra special. They are *delicious*!

Two New Teas!

I am so excited - I have two new teas in my shop and they are DELICIOUS!

The first is "Tropicana":


To say this tea is delicious is an absolute understatement.

A smooth black tea which is infused with thistle flower petals, marigold petals, cornflower petals, rose petals and natural tropical fruit flavorings. This one makes you go "mmmmm" even before you brew it.

Imported from Germany, this tea serves well both hot and iced.

The second is "Pomegranate Green Tea":


This tea has the most wonderful, fruity aroma! Sweet berry pomegranate flavor over smooth mellow green sencha cup.

Just $6 for a quarter pound ... treat yourself to a nice, hot cuppa!

Hugs,
Layla

Big Sale! White Elephant and Time for Baking!

Firstly, I'm doing a Buy One, Get One Half Off sale in my Etsy shop today! Woohoo!!

I've got a White Elephant at work next week so some lucky person is going to receive something lovely from my shop. I still haven't decided if it will be some of these:


Or these:


Or perhaps this:


We're also doing a cookie swap and I have decided to give this recipe from Napa Valley Lavender Company a whirl:

Lavender Biscotti

Equipment needed: Cookie sheets, 1 small and 1 large mixing bowl, whisk or hand beater

2 c All-purpose flour
2 tsp Baking powder
¼ tsp Salt
½ c Coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
2 Lg Eggs
½ C Granulated sugar
3 tsp Dried lavender flowers
¼ c Melted butter
2 Tb Honey
1 Tb Lemon rind
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tb Milk
½ tsp Vanilla or lemon extract

Optional: melted chocolate for dipping

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In large bowl combine all dry ingredients, lavender and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, butter, honey, lemon, lemon rind, milk, and vanilla (may use beater on slow instead of the whisk). Add to flour mixture. Stir well. Dough will be soft and sticky.

Spoon onto cookie sheet into 2 "log" shapes: approximately 2 " wide.

Bake 35 minutes until golden. Remove from oven. Cool 10 minutes. Place on board, cut into 1" wide slices. Place on sides on cookie sheets.

Return to oven cook 20 minutes longer, turning once. Cool on rack.

Optional to dip or decorate with melted chocolate. Yield: 2 dozen.

I hope you're all enjoying the holiday festivities!

Hugs,
Layla

Holiday Room - Fundraiser for It's Meow or Never Animal Rescue & Sanctuary!

It's here! The holiday room is back!

For those of you that don't know, I have been on the Board of Directors for It's Meow or Never Animal Rescue & Sanctuary for nearly four years. Last year, we created a "virtual holiday room" and raised money for the animals at our sanctuary.


I'm really excited to have just finished getting the room ready again and I hope you'll take a look. Please consider donating a "virtual item" .. when you donate for an item, it will magically appear shortly after. The more donations we receive, the more fantastic the room looks.

Here's the link: http://www.itsmeowornever.org/

Sunday Window Shopping at Artfire!

Have you heard of Artfire?

Similar to Etsy, Artfire is an online community of crafters and artisans who sell their wares online. I recently opened an account and LOVE IT! There are two plans for sellers - a free account which allows you to sell up to ten items for NO FEES or a pay account which is $20 per month for unlimited listings. There are no listing fees and they do not take a percent of sales.

If you're interested in signing up, they're doing a promotion and giving 5,000 accounts at $7 per month (instead of $20 per month). Here's the link:
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=sevenforlife&afuid=5280

What's for sale on Artfire, you ask? Take a look at these lovely items:

This adorable felt watch is great for little boys! Just look at the detail!


This felt fruit looks better than the real thing!


These felt tools are so adorable!


Give Artfire a try .. whether you join to shop or sign up for a seller's account, I think Artfire is the next best thing for crafters!

Happy Sunday!
Layla

Craft Fair, A Cuddle and a Good Movie

Today, I participated in a Holiday Bazaar at Skyline High School in Samammish. Sales were really slow so it was a bit disappointed. I took this picture of my booth to share with everyone:


After getting home and unloading my truck, I took a hot, relaxing bath and got into bed to cuddle with Panda. We decided that we'd watch a movie and this is what we chose:

She's particularly fond of black and white movies, for obvious reasons.

We're going Sunday window shopping to a new online shopping place for handmade items. I'm really excited to share this new web site with you - check back tomorrow!

Layla

Field Trip: Wonderful Goodies at Artisan Collection

Ohh loyal readers .. you're in for a treat. Today, I'm showcasing a very lovely shop in Duvall, Washington called "Artisan Creations". You can find it on Main Street, just across from the Woodinville / Duvall Bridge, right next to Tuxedo's Antiques.


The store owner, Kristin was good enough to share some of these gorgeous photos to entice us all to come shop with her:




If you're looking for unique gift items this holiday season, get in your car and drive to scenic and charming Duvall to visit Artisan Collection. You'll get a big hug and kiss from the recipient and good karma for shopping and supporting a local business! And hey - tell Kristin you learned about her shop from The Ladyblog for an extra helping of good karma!

Hugs,
Layla

I am addicted...

I can't stop making them. Someone send help.

Lime Bombs!

Mmm... it smells like fresh squeezed lime in my house today! Just check out how nicely these babies turned out:


Many of my customers have been really craving citrus bath products of late. They've asked for lime, lemon, orange and grapefruit. I'm not sure if they're fearful of scurvy or if this is just a bath product trend but if there's a demand, I listen!

Happy Monday and Happy December!!
Layla