AboutDodie Casey Expertise I am able to answer questions regarding: ceramics, beeswax candles, cleaning things from other things, working with wood/pinecones/etc. in the making of centre pieces & wall hangings. I also have a Christmas Village that is approximately 60 square feet in area & takes, at this time, 3 days to assemble for the Christmas Season, but only one day to take down. I also am a great baker & cake/cookie/cupcake decorator (I made my own wedding cake, my sister's for her 25th wedding anniversary, & for two of my friends weddings) & chocolate user for fancy stuff. I have done some small quilting projects & am starting something known as a "Farm Quilt". It requires taking pictures of people, animals & farm buildings on the farm you are using for a model. These pics are then transfered onto the quilt & "quilted" into it. Great fun! Great Family Heirlooms! I know a little about bisque, but more about ceramics. I also do sewing pictures. No, I do not do needle point. The pics are drawn & then various stitches are used to create a three-dimentional appearance.
Experience I have made many presents for others--Christmas, Birthdays, etc. Also, I sold crafts for several years. I have also worked with 4-h-ers for several years as a craft leader, goat leader, woodsman coach, & photography. Now, a friend & I have a business (more hers than mine:) making several varieties of pure beeswax candles. Not the cheepy ones you buy in the dollar store. We go through several hundred pounds of high-grade beeswax every year. It is more a natural, life-styles choice than just candles for burning. They are all natural in style although they take on various shapes as we learn more about versatility.
Organizations I am still a 4-H leader in crafts & gardening. "The Garden Bee" is the name of my friend's company. You can view it at www.thegardenbee.com on her website, should you so desire. Also, I have recently retired after 16 years of directing our Church Choir.
Education/Credentials I have a BSc in Psychology/Computer Sciences. As well, I have taken a couple of courses in ceramics & basic painting which have come in very handy over the years when doing various things with students & friends.
Awards and Honors Absolutely none, unless you count the numberous children & adults who have shown their gratitude for the teaching/coaching/helping/providing that I have done over the years.
Question Do you know of a way to make small chips of aromatic cedar release its aroma. Is there a solution I can add to make the aroma stronger.
Answer Hi, Lorin:
In answer to your question on strengthening the aroma from cedar chips:
No. There is nothing to be added to the chips for that purpose. However, you can use crushed cedar "needles" in a potpourri. There is a type of "aroma melts", for lack of a better name, that can be used to heat up whatever scent you wish to fill your room. Also, you can buy, or whittle yourself, small shapes out of the cedar wood. These shapes can, then, be placed in a drawer or hung, by means of what looks like a hanger top with a threaded neck, in your closet. You simply screw the threaded end into your piece of cedar, and, voila! You have, not only a lovely scent filling your dresser drawers & your closet, but a scent that will keep away moths & some other pests that can damage your clothing!
There is one other, & I think, better way of using cedar for your dresser drawers. It's really cheap, too! Just find a cedar tree (They didn't tell me what state you are in, so, I'm supposing that someone, somewhere, in your neighbourhood or surrounding area, has a cedar tree?) Just clip off some of the "needles" & sew them up in a bag made of cheese cloth, or other type of material that lends itself to releasing the odour of its contents. They last for quite awhile, and when it stops producing the intended scent, just take a few stitches out of the bag, go clip off more "needles" from the cedar tree, put them in the bag, & resew it! So simple!
I hope I have been of some assistance to you. Let me know if there is anything else you need advice on, & I will try my best to help.
Sincerely
Dodie Casey
Single Oak Farm
Hants County
Nova Scotia
