Deborah Dolen's Blog "How to" Films on Amazon 2012

Deborah Dolen Ringo’s Memory

Deborah Dolen Author — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 03:47:16 +0000

Friday June 7th, 2013 at 10:00 AM I handed my dog back to our Father in Heaven. Ringo Dawg was twelve years old and that is a long life for a 110 pound huge golden retriever. He had an inoperable brain tumor, the signs of it only showed up in his last few days. Even the vet cried as he put Ringo, such a magnificent animal, down. Ringo had huge webbed feet that were larger than my own hands, and he always out swam me-often freaking me out and swimming way out in the inter-coastal channel where I could not even fetch him from danger-and had to hope he would paddle back. He would, every time.

But at age 12, Ringo was very ready to return to Heaven. Ringo had a great life with me, author Deborah Dolen, and more so, his last 24 hours. Because I am a writer he was able to swim all the time in the Gulf of Mexico and sniff for possums at Desoto Park quite frequently – sometimes daily.

Ringo was God’s dog and Ringo was only here on loan. Ringo saw me through a lot of things and I am honored such an angel came down to make me laugh and keep me active for eight years. Ringo also taught me a lot of things. Ringo was a Katrina dog and had swam for hours near the levees to stay alive.

These are photos of Ringo running on Naples Beach in Naples Florida. Ringo was able to swim quite often in the Gulf of Mexico. Chasing seagulls was a huge past time for Ringo and sniffing for possums at Desoto State Park.

Ringo Author Deborah Dolens Dog

My last week with Ringo, I saw a bald headed eagle at Desoto State Park, sitting on a huge cross and looking down at me. This was telling me something very serious, and stoic, but I thought more for a friend of mine-and not about my loyal dog who was sitting next to me as I took the photo. I had never seen a bald headed eagle–and only twenty feet from me! The eagle was telling me I would be fine, although I was about to loose the two closest and only friends I had in that same week. Ringo on Friday and the other on Saturday.

Deborah Dolen photo of Bald Headed Eagle in Desoto State Park June 3rd, 2013 10:00 AM

The cross at Desoto Park in Bradenton. FL is a place Ringo and I often would swim in a lagoon area where dogs were allowed. Many times we would swim near dolphins and many kinds of neat fish and birds. I am glad dogs do not live as long as we do because many do not have a good life. Even if one of out ten dogs has an awful life – that is one too many. So, its OK to only have a dog for a decade because for abused dogs-a decade is an eternity of hell.

Desoto Park Cross image by Deborah Dolen author

So, love you Ringo – your biggest fan on earth – Deborah

Ringo author Deborah Dolen's Dog

Deborah Dolen Films on Amazon

Deborah Dolen Author — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:51:51 +0000

2012 Collection of “how to” Films by Deborah Dolen on Amazon

Deborah Dolen’s DIY and “self help” books began to appear on the Amazon DPT Whispernet Platform in 2011. In the summer of 2011 her DIY and vocational type films premiered on the Amazon Instant Download Platform in conjunction with “CreateSpace,” an Amazon subcontractor. In August of 2011 Deborah Dolen’s books became available in French, Spanish, and German-as well as being offered on Amazons international platforms such as AmazonUK, Amazon FR (France,) Amazon IT (Italy,) and Amazon GE (Germany.) On December 18th, 2011 Deborah Dolen reached a deal with Amazon to offer any of her Kindle books at no charge to Amazon Prime members globally.

Deborah Dolen filming Floral Design 101

Deborah’s favorite films are Floral Design 101 and 102. This is because of the thousands of flowers used in the filming, and the fact the film crew had to film 24/7 due to the life of the flowers. You would not know it, but the intro was filmed at 3:00 AM. So, for seven days Deborah was surrounded by thousands of her favorite flowers while filming. The flowers ended up being sixteen floral arrangements that were donated immediately to long term recovery units at near by hospitals. Deborah and the film crew, including Mel Tills’s nephew Patrick Simmons-were able to personally deliver the arrangements and chat with residents. What Deborah did not expect was residents sharing rooms wanting their “own” arrangement. There were enough arrangements for one per room. Deborah went home and simply made more and brought them back for the few not wanting to share. By the time she returned they had reached an agreement to share!

Deborah Dolen’s films are vocational in nature, meaning designed to inspire a person to manage a skilled trade that does not require a few years to obtain a degree. Jobs such as floral design can be a profession that just requires a knack for creativity, dependability and short term studies. We live in a time that a person can graduate from a long term program only to find their target market had changed or became saturated in the mean. So, short term vocational pursuits can offer more reasonable goals and diversification of skill sets.

Presently Deborah Dolen gifts her work to state and Federal vocational rehab programs such as Georgia, North Carolina and most recently Ohio as well as the Job Corps. Her work is taught in the Canadian, U.K. school systems as well as a few Montessori based schools. Below is a short clip on how to make an Impromptu Bouquet with flowers such as ones from your garden.

Follow Deborah Dolen on Twitter for current updates and check out Deborah Dolen on Facebook for news and announcements. Search “Deborah Dolen Author” or “Deborah Dolen Books” for tons of free recipes, formulas and ideas. Deborah Dolen’s work is available on Amazon Kindle and DPT Instant Download. In Europe, Deborah Dolen’s work is now available on Amazon UK and Amazon France

Floral Design 101 Vase Designs

Deborah Dolen Author — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:51:28 +0000

Floral Design 101 [Vase Designs] with Deborah Dolen

Deborah Dolen on Long Lasting Floral Designs

I am super excited to be attending “Ringling In Bloom” February 23rd-26th 2012 with Master Floral Designer Remco van Vliet! Remco van Vliet is a 38 year old very gifted master designer from Holland. Remco will be giving demonstrations on Friday and actual classes on Sunday. Two classes are offered on Sunday- morning and afternoon. Click here to sign up with Ringling for the event.

Long Lasting Floral Designs

In my book, there is nothing worse than creating or receiving a gorgeous floral arrangement and then having it flop within the first week. A good floral arrangement can last 16 days. Most commercial floral arrangements last 4-10 days but this time frame can be increased by paying attention to a few variables-the most important variable being how old the flower was when you purchased it or it was arranged? What goes into a long lasting floral design? Choice, condition, care on transport, cut, water condition, and as always, keeping the arrangement in a cool area.

Choice and condition of the flowers is paramount to a long lasting design and I discuss that below. For those receiving pre-arranged flowers-the life of them can also be extend to some degree. Please click here for short floral design clips on YouTube.

SELECTION AND TRASPORT

I always ask the floral vendor about the newest stock. This means the grocer in charge of the fresh produce section, the farmers market vendor or where ever I am buying flowers. This can give you an entire week extra of floral life if you get stock that just arrived. When purchasing flowers I also inspect the bin that the flowers have been in. Brand new flowers cannot do well if no one watered them the night before and I see this trauma often enough to mention it. How to make a vase design with Deborah Dolen – short YouTube Clip.

I always carry a basic floral bucket secured within a simple box (to keep it stable) in my Jeep. This is to keep moist any flowers I buy while I may be doing a few hours worth of errands after purchase. The goal is to never have your precious flower selections out of water at any time. The box also work great when actually delivering flowers to a friend.

CUT

Always use a sharp knife to cut your flowers. Scissors, although tempting and far easier to use tend to pinch the delicate veins that absorb the water.

Always cut an inch above when receiving the flowers, at an angle and keep immersed in water as much as possible. I score the side of some stems, when possible–to aid in water absorption. Especially roses. Also cut any leaves that would fall below the water line. Failing to remove those leaves will result in faster bacteria growth. Floral Design with Containers with Deborah Dolen Short Video YouTube.

Flowers You Received?

You can recut them if they appear to need it, clean up any leaves that fall below the water line and keep in a cool place 65 to 72 Fahrenheit. I actually add fresh flowers to some designs that were pre-arranged and sent to me. You do not need to be afraid if you are not a designer. You can pull each one out and cut them and place them right back where you pulled the flower from.

Flower Choices When Designing

Carnations last forever, Asiatic Lilly’s do also, Purple Stock, Alstroemerias (just keep the high acid pollen off you when working), Daises, and my all time favorite Snapdragons (Antirrhinum Majus).

I always incorporate roses, but just a few-knowing they may need to be replaced before the whole arrangement is exhausted. Again, I select the freshest possible roses, cut them properly and keep an eye on them. Below is a short clip I did on how to make a bouquet of roses using premium tissue paper.

Deborah Dolen Mabel White Productions, Film, Media and Kindle Books

Statice Flowers by Deborah Dolen

Statice [right] is just so beautiful and long lasting – it also comes in a variety of colors these days. Deep purple, violet, vibrant pink and even white and yellow. I love statice so much I am about to grow it. A deep royal purple statice pairs well with white or cream colored roses, and pink statice pairs well with orange or sun set type rose colours. Purple statice also stands out with the new “green” mums and orange carnations inspired by UK gardens.

Statice looks a lot like lavender, and even then, it looks a lot better than lavender (which pales much faster.) Statice can be cut long – when working with long roses, or short to just act as a back ground filler.

This arrangement I called “Circus” because it looks like a circus and I am about to attend the Ringling Museum “Ringling in Bloom” Blossoms festival, which is based on the Ringling Circus family heritage.

I used purple statice as the filler color and then miniature chrysanthemums [mums] in fluorescent green as my base. The use of roses was simple and prudent, complimentary in nature – two fuchia, 2 oceania (peachy) one orange and one sunrise. This arrangement has been gracing my dining table all week and still looks as fresh as last week. Very striking and very lovely.

My original work, several years ago, called “Circus” [below] became so popular floral wires picked up the design and called it “Bouquet de Mabel.” In that construction I also used orange, but I did it with Asiatic Lilly’s (My favorite floral for movement in any arrangement) and I used purple and violet stock for the contrast in that design.

I did not use fluorescent green miniature chrysanthemums in that design because they were largely unheard of back then. In fact it was the Royal Wedding Of William and Kate that made almost any green flower famous.

In my original design, you do see liberal use of yellow chrysanthemums and the main reason was to promote longevity of the work. Here is one Ohio floral designer still replicating it.

So your longest lasting flowers will be statice, chrysanthemums, carnations and mini carnations, stock, Alstroemerias, daises, snap dragons and to much extent anything in the Asiatic Lilly family.

Floral Design 102 Container Designs

Deborah Dolen Author — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:51:02 +0000

Deborah Dolen Floral Design

Floral Design 102 [Container Designs] by Deborah Dolen

An easy way to learn floral design using containers is to purchase a commercial design that has already been arranged in wet floral foam and slowly take it apart. In the film we take one apart and arrange it back together again. For this purpose I selected a $20 commercial arrangement from my local grocery store to take apart in the film -and did so because that shows – best use of economy, color, actual flower selection, architecture and methods to conceal and secure mechanics of the arrangement. You do not need to buy a commercial arrangement only to disassemble and reassemble-but I found it helps to see exactly how an expert does it while you are in the learning phase.

The main difference in floral design in vases or in containers is the use of wet floral foam. I soak my foam first and then slice it to fit my container. Other designers prepare their containers using dry foam, secure the foam down with green tape, and then wet it post population of flowers. I disagree because every minute a flower is deprived of water is an hour less they live for enjoyment. One of main goals when designing flowers is to keep the actual flowers selected for the design-in their necessary element of water.

Designing flowers in containers also makes much more use of greens than designing flowers in a vase would. This is because there are more mechanics to hide-mainly the actual floral foam. Many busy floral shops elect a person just to put the floral foam it, secure it down and cover it all with greens. This allows the actual designer to enter in during the last phase: floral selection, arrangement, color and movement. The designer selected accent pieces and concern themselves with the actual design and not the sub design. A few popular greens used in container design are tree fern, leather leaf, babies breath, monte casino, and ruskus.

Whimsical by Deborah Dolen

Typically when designing a container floral arrangement, the designer selects the focal flower and then selects good contrasting flowers turning the arrangement as they consider the over all design. As with floral design, you do to one side what you did to the other for uniformity. So if I place a lily to the left of the arrangement, I will be sure to add a lily to the extract opposite side—and keep spinning the arrangement working that way. So, in basic floral design you do to one side what you did to the other side. The only exception is when you are done populating and simply want to throw in a few unique flowers that compliment your focal flower. This is the time when I consider movement and “statement” that I want my design to make. [I discuss "Whimsical" the arrangment on the left below. It is a sturdy inter-changeable design.]

When designing, flowers are typically so fresh they have not opened yet. A good designer can envision what their arrangement will look like in 48 hours when most buds have opened. Weddings typically command flowers that are already opened so florist use soft heat [blow dryer] to create such a warm environment they open prematurely-or a better way, they order a good four days ahead for the wedding.

Going back to purchasing a small but very full arrangement (done in floral foam) from the grocery store-is still a great idea to learn finite economy of floral design – because you will see how they make use of every scrap of flower and every part of a green possible. Nothing goes to waste in a commercial operation, even broken stems will find a home in a floral foam arrangement. If you ever visit a full floral design operation you will not see a bunch of waste on the floor. Below is a short video on basic floral container construction design.

Whimsical - this arragement can be made small, medium, big, 360 degree or one sided, and it is fun and has movement. You can add ting ting or swizzel sticks if you want even more movement reaching toward the sky.

The basic background or “premise” is purple statice, orange mini carnations and daiseys. The use of expensive florals is prudent yet strategic for maximum enjoyment. If you look close enough there is really only one Asiatic Lily [that had three buds - separated] and two Purple Iris flowers. That’s it! If you are doing a full arrangment you made need 2 or 3 times the amount of these premium flowers though.

With Whimsical you can exchange to pink statice, for example, or even white statice, and use green mini mums instead of carnations. You could also use white Asiatics or Orange instead of pink. So, the basic assembly is known, movement is known, and colors can be changed to make dramatic differences in over all appearance.

This arrangement is fun for Christmas, for example, you can make everything in just shades of Red. Red carnations, Gerbera daiseys, Asiatic Lillys, snap dragons (since statice does not come in red) and compliment with metallic gold or red ting ting, or you can do everything in all white!

How to Make Candles

Deborah Dolen Author — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:50:16 +0000

Deborah Dolen Filming Candles Main

How to Make All Kinds of Candles with Deborah Dolen

“How to Make candles with Deborah Dolen is very fun and covers a broad range of candle making. Soy candles, Ice candles, Sand candles – (made right on a beach,) chunk candles, pillar candles, recycled wax candles, “candle in a minute,” beeswax candles and just about and “fat” that can be burned can make for a candle. Candles are basically all energy derived from a fat-in most cases we know this as wax or oil by products.

Deborah Dolen will tell you filming “How to Make Candles” was almost as fun as filming floral design 101 and 102. Part of the reason why is Deborah was able to make on candle on her beach, in the film, called “making a sand candle.” basically creating a “mote” in sand, supporting a wick and then pouring hot wax into the void. Also covered is how to make heavily scented candles, basically two ounces of fragrance oil per pound of wax.

Deborah’s all time favorite candle is the pillar chunk. This is because you can save scraps of all your “retired” or “spent” candles and sort them in chunks by color-making sure the old wick, and debris are removed. But the chunks set up nicely in a mold, more so if colors are selected in contrast-such as purple and orange, and set around a new wick. At that point simple clear and new hot paraffin wax is poured over and cooled. This usually results in a gorgeous bleed of colors and an almost tie dye look. You can secure paraffin wax in the canning section of most grocery stores. It is typically sold by the pound and used in jam and jelly making. The heat forces the colored chunks to “bleed” and often gives it a beautiful finished look.

For this reason Deborah just buys brightly colored votifs that are on sale. She will pull out the wicks and store the votif wicks for other projects. The wax from the votifs she will gently smash and store in a container of wax peices for that specific color. Often orange, purple and red are in her designs.

She likes chunk pillars so much she encourages her friends and family to save their spent candles and give them to her. So, when she makes candles twice a year or so, she will make a new chunk pillar as a gift to hand back to the person giving her spent materials.

“A Candle in a Minute” is simply arranging your wick up tight and taught (deborah secures the bottom of her wicks with a large glue dot) and then pouring beaded wax around it the wick – while in a container such as a jelly jar. Its best to pack the wax a little. Many waxes these days come in “Pastilles” or little beads and even kids can do this project since it requires zero heat. The finished product will burn nicely.

When making any candle your choice of wick will be your most important decision. A wick too small will have problems as well as a wick to large will burn your creation down too fast. Always pay attention to your choice of wick. Deborah tends to like zinc wicks for natural or refined waxes, although the rule of thumb is usually hemp wick for natural waxes such as soy.

The Bathroom Chemist

Deborah Dolen Author — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:34:32 +0000

The Bathroom Chemist: Making Your Own Natural Body Care Products with Author Deborah Dolen

Making your own natural and effective skin care products is very easy to do and produces a far better quality product than any commercial brand typically ever will. Raising three girls-well, equated to four ladies wanting lots of lotion, balm and body wash to name a few. We would go intoBathand Body WorksTM, spend a few hundred dollars and still not have everything we wanted. Had I known back then the same money could have gone to making gallons of lotion, balm and even candles, I would have learned it very fast. Making your own product is a very empowering child-parent activity, is extremely self rewarding and educational.

In The Bathroom Chemist I start out teaching about fats. Fats, such as coconut oil, for example, are materials that are not water soluble and the easiest place to begin to learn how to make your own body care products. Lip balm, or balm “sticks” [note Chapstick aggressively defends using the word Chapstick-so the market now calls them “balm sticks,”] are not made how I initially envisioned they were made. I thought a big machine stuffs fat into jars and twist tube sticks. I did not know it was a simple process of warming fats and adding fat soluble ingredients, as well as in some cases, adding an oil based flavor. Color can even be swirled in with a toothpick using inexpensive lipstick for the tint.

Oil based items do not need a preservative. When you are dealing with just oil or fat bases, you do not have the myriad of concerns you would have when dealing with water based formulas. Only age of oil (rancidity) can be a concern so always try to ensure your oils and fats are as fresh as possible. Most oils have a year or two shelf life, but important to know how long they sat in a warehouse before you secured them. Oils can be extended by adding a form of vitamin E known as Tocopherol. Fats can be extended by very gentle warming and the same system. Rosemary Oleoresin Extract is great, but I find a good oil based E Tocopherol just as good and easier to secure.

In my video I move a lot of warm oils into other oils using the same pipette. A few viewers saw that as “transference” or “cross contamination” but I am saying that is not transference or of concern because I am not dealing with water or any water based items.

After mastering balms, body butters and oil based salves, and bath bombs, I get into teaching lotion and crème making. So much can be done with learning lotion-it equates to making body washes (by adding a natural liquid soap) and/or cleansing milks, body scrubs, in some cases sunscreen type preparations. The possibilities are just about limitless.

Making lotion or crème is learning how to make an “emulsion.” It is just oil and water as a basis. Learning how to make them not separate can be a challenge, but once you learn it, very rewarding. I dragged my feet for years on making emulsions, my first attempts separated. But when I really focused on it-I learned it one hour.

Making Melt and Pour Soap

Deborah Dolen Author — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:23:16 +0000

How to make Melt and Pour Soap with Deborah Dolen Film

There are two kinds of real soap and “melt and pour” would be strictly the second kind-our newer age soap we did not have back in the early 1900’s. Vegetable glycerin is made with a vegetable base such as coconut. Vegetable glycerin “melt and pour” soap is by far the easiest and most versatile to use when creating projects with kids. In making melt and pour soap, kids or adults can learn measurement, weights, color, percentages, artistry and even learn about scent while having fun. The bonus is an actual real handmade finished product.

Vegetable Glycerin soap is great for moisturizing the skin and I find nothing else comes close. So, I will use vegetable glycerin soap when my skin is dry (after a sugar scrub to remove dry flaky skin cells.) Vegetable glycerin soap can be considered a good “winter” month soap. Melt and pour vegetable glycerin soap is also a great base for medicinal ingredients such as calamine – for run ins with poison ivy or utilitarian, such as added pumice to make a gardener’s hand soap. Melt and Pour can also produce other specialty soaps such as kitchen deodorizer bar-which interestingly enough has fresh coffee grounds in half of the recipe.

If you like a more “rustic soap” you can add ingredients to make your melt and pour more durable. Beeswax is one example, and oxides such as titanium or zinc another example. Just make sure the oxides are water soluble and not oil soluble.

If you really want a hard bar that is for cleansing than go over to the lye based family. Even so, you can make beautiful lye based soaps without lye. Rebatching is the way to go. For more on making lye based soaps and rebatching click here.

Storing Your Melt and Pour Soap

If you live in a very humid area, melt and pour soap can be hard to maintain in finished form. It is such a humectants, it draws water in the air from everywhere. The only solution I have ever heard of is to dip the finished product (why dry) in a natural “puzzle” glue to maintain outward appearance. That is for people selling them. For use in the bathroom, I found I just have to keep them dry and in a case or at minimum on a little wrack so they do not stand in water.

More About Soap

I love all kinds of soap-except “fake soap.” Fake soap is what we call “bars” and see in the grocery stores. You will not see “soap” on the label because most of our “bars” are compacted blocks of chemicals and, in my opinion and experience. This goes back to my belief everything we put on our skin enters our blood stream.