Meet Sue Zupnyk, the owner and creator behind The Antique Basket Lady. Sue and I met several years ago at the Holy Hill Art Farm where we are neighboring vendors; we struck up a conversation based on the fact that we’re both nurses and crafting is our creative outlet. Sue has a delightful sense of humor and makes the long days working our booths at the craft show fly by. I own a few of Sue’s bags and am impressed by the quality of her work and her whimsical fabrics.  So I approached her about handcrafting cosmetic bags for Cloud Nine Soap Co.’s Mini Collection. Stay tuned! We had great fun, from design to finish. We chose a fabric with a vintage vibe that speaks to adventure and the wanderer at heart. I hope you love the cosmetic bag as much as I do.

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FYI: In the coming weeks and months you will notice that the size and shape of my soap bar has changed as I transition over to new soap molds. The bar on the left is my current bar, the one on the right is the new bar.

Rather than a 5 oz. rectangular bar, the new molds yield a square bar that's 1/4 to 1/2 ounces larger in size. Rest assured this change is not founded in the pulling of that old retail trick: making the product smaller but charging the same price with hopes that the consumer won't notice. At 5 oz., my bars were already 25% larger than the industry standard 4 oz. bars so yes, bigger is better because most bars will not see a price increase.

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I have tried to drink/eat turmeric and this is the first recipe that I've made I can say I actually like turmeric. I find it to be way too bitter and overwhelming, but I am intrigued by the anti-inflammatory health benefit kudos that turmeric offers.

I also like that this drink can be served with or without alcohol. It tastes like a fancy cocktail I'd order on a girls night out, even without the alcohol.

(I found this recipe surfing the web, it's from the Egg Shop in SoHo, NYC)

Egg Shop's Turmeric Tonic
Makes 8 cups

2 large knobs of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbsp. black peppercorns
6 cups hot water
1 Tbsp. turmeric (or 7 pieces fresh turmeric, peeled and chopped)
2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
Selzer water for serving
Optional: Gin

1. Combine ginger, honey, black pepper, and hot water in...

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I moved Johnny into his dorm at the University of Wisconin-Madison 242 days ago. Some days it feels like he's been gone many more days than this, but most days it feels like so much less. He remains everywhere in my house and my head. I still catch myself peeking into his bedroom, or calling out his name.

When he came home for Thanksgiving break, it felt like he'd been away on an extended vacation but was now finally home again! And when he came home for the long Winter break, it felt like he'd never left ... until he did. Both times, his leaving hurled me into a several day funk. Saying good-bye all over again both times was as hard as it had been the day I left him in Madison.  

He came home for Spring break, and...

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I've had a lot of time to reflect on life over the past couple of months since falling ill first with a broken arm and then a very serious life threatening complication that landed me in the hospital in March.

I've taken inventory of my life, including my business, and change is coming.

Back in 2010 when I started making soap, it was for the love of the craft; the simplicity of an all-natural gorgeous handmade bar of soap turning the necessary act of bathing into a ritual of self-care and beauty.

I grew Cloud Nine Soap Co. organically. I think it's why I am still in business today. I started out selling at Farmers Markets three times a week for three years, young son in tow in the back of my van. I moved on to applying for and selling...

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That is what cocoa butter is suppose to look like, unrefined. And it's what gives C9SC's Wonder Balm it's super emollient properties, velvety texture, and dark chocoate aroma. Wonder Balm is designed to soothe, heal, and protect dry chapped or cracked skin.

And it's a superior lip balm.

Tips for lips:

• Stop licking them. It's the #1 reason lips become chapped.
• Stop picking at peeling skin.
• Stop using lip balms with artificial flavor added to it.
• Try Wonder Balm if your lips are constantly chapped - you may actually be sensitive or allergic to an ingredient in your lipstick, chapstick, or toothpaste.

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Served up at basement card parties and corner bars for the last 100+ years, the Brandy Old-Fashioned Sweet is a Wisconsin classic with an intersting history. It's still the drink of choice of deer hunters and ice fishermen, before and after Packer games, and at supper clubs serving up another Wisconsin classic - the Friday night fish fry.

Growing up, my Polish/German parents and grandparents always had a 1.75L  bottle of Korbel brandy on hand. Family gatherings, holidays and celebrations like weddings, anniversary parties and multi-generational reunions always included the matriarchs mixing up big batches of the Brandy Old-Fashioned Sweet which they'd fondly refer to as "making soup" when us kids would ask what they were doing? No fancy muddling tool required, a tube of lipstick or a Bic lighter sufficed back in the day.

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This right here is the perfect Fall dessert! It's a delicious and simple cake that comes from my favorite cookbook author, The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. Her recipes never flop or dissappoint. This cake erved warm with vanilla ice cream, it's to die for. But is's also pretty spectacular served at room temperature a dollup of real whip cream.

Cranberry & Apple Cake

12 oz. fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over for stems
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced
½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest (2 oranges)
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
¼ cup sour cream
1 cup...

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In nursing school, I was taught that the number one way to prevent the spread of disease is frequent hand-washing. Although you may think you are washing your hands correctly, be sure you are following the guidelines, below. Soap is important, but what's actually most important is the action, the vigorous rubbing of all surfaces of your hands for at least 20 seconds to mechanically remove germs.

This infographic shows how the World Health Organization recommends handwashing be carried out:

If you're a liquid hand soap user, and want an all-natural soap, below is a DIY recipe that's inexpensive, easy, and a great alternative to the commercial gunk that you buy at the store. 

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