For a while, I was off the road.... kids, sick husband, life happens. Now it's time to get back at it. If anyone is interested in having me speak at their store or an event, you can contact me at hourglasscreationsink@gmail.com My travelling requirements are listed on my author page here: https://www.stardustandsuds.com/author-patricia-telesco I also welcome Zoom and Google Meet events, and radio appearances. Please do not hesitate to reach out for more informaton. Trish

Custom Goat Milk Soap - Deer White and Blue I had the privilege of making custom soap for a dear friend. This is different than just making batches for Startdust and Suds. It's special. Having someone trust you with an idea, create colors, mix aromas... you focus differently. You notice every imperfection and get incredibly excited when it comes out right. These are pictures: Custom Goat Milk Soap - Deer Green and Gold Custom Goat Milk Soap - Deer Copper and Orange Her Review

For those of you who enjoy specific social media platforms, here is where you can find me: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/trish.telesco Instagram https://www.instagram.com/patricia.telesco/ X https://x.com/TelescoTrish Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/ttelesco0817/ Author Page https://www.stardustandsuds.com/author-patricia-telesco Please visit often and share with others who may enjoy.

The craft room is your happy place—but happy places can become chaotic, exhausting, and occasionally hazardous. Sometimes you get fixated. (Someday I will tell you about hunting for glasses online.) Other times, your energy sucks, and you forgot snacks—and you really don’t want to stop what you’re doing and go to the kitchen. There are some things you can do to make things flow better, take better care of yourself, and maybe even make your crafting time more productive. 1. De

What One Review About Stardust & Suds Taught Me About Trusting Myself You wake up one day with a vision, an idea, and start bringing it to life. Little by little, Stardust & Suds took shape outside my head, right in front of me. I truly enjoy every minute of making these products, and I pour that love into the soaps, scrubs, salts, and seasonings. They’re beautiful, a little luxurious, and full of intention. Even so… there’s doubt. Doubt is a nasty little critter. It likes t

At 2 PM EST The Hermes Treasure Hunt begins on stardsutandsuds.com. In Greek mythology, Hermes is the Messenger of the Gods, overseeing luck, wealth, travel, invention, and a few tricks for good measure. Hermes has a secret. He knows where the lucky image is The Rules of the Hermes Hunt: Find Hermes. Win a Gift. Hermes has been sneaking around Stardust & Suds. He's hiding somewhere on the website. Find him and be the first person to tell us exactly where he is. 🏆 One winner

Sometimes you just feel…off. Nothing is necessarily wrong, but you're tired when you shouldn't be, restless for no apparent reason, struggling to say what you mean, or feeling as though your normally reliable intuition has wandered off without leaving a forwarding address. It may be time for a Chakra Tune-up, as each of those feelings may be associated with one of seven energy centers that need a little attention. As a Kitchen Witch, I have always loved the idea that we can u

It has been some years since I stood at an event sharing ideas and information. It's time to come out of my proverbial cave. I am pleased to announce that I will be speaking and selling goods at Earth Spirit People of Texas' Samhain event, October 21-25. https://earthspiritpeople.org/samhain-festival-info/ SAMHAIN FESTIVAL OF SOULS For those who want an up-close-and-personal view of Stardust and Suds products, here's your chance if you are in the area. I am bringing Artisan H

Many of us forget how essential self-care is to our body, mind, and spirit. Daily neglect can damage the way we feel, how we see the world, and our relationships. When you constantly put others’ needs before your own, your inner reserves start to wane. As the saying goes, you can’t fill another cup from an empty vessel. What stands in our way? In part, it’s the concept. Don’t think so big! Little things matter. A short walk to clear your mind, getting ice cream, calling an ol

A BRIEF LOVE LETTER TO CANDLELIGHT Even as a writer, it sometimes seems impossible to explain and describe the glow of a candle. One little light transforms any space, making it softer and quieter somehow. Flickering near your bath, on the family dinner table, or in a meditative space, candlelight holds an honorable place in human experience. It was not so long ago that you couldn’t turn a switch and get light. Candles were necessities. We don’t need them now, but we certainl

For generations, white granulated sugar was the default sweetener in most kitchens. It went into coffee, cakes, cookies, sauces, preserves, and just about everything else that called for a little sweetness. Today, however, the sweetener aisle looks considerably different. Honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, dates, monk fruit, stevia, allulose, agave, and other alternatives have become increasingly common in home kitchens. Some people choose them for their flavor, others becaus

We spend a lot of time taking care of the things we love—our homes, our gardens, our pets, even our cars. But how often do we think about taking care of the one thing that goes everywhere with us? Skin. Our skin is around-the-clock body armor, protecting us from the elements, helping regulate body temperature, and serving as our first line of defense against germs. It deserves a little appreciation and TLC. What Your Skin Does for You Did you know your skin: - Regulates body

Happy Friday - please chime in! #newproduct #homemadecandles #homemadesoaps #artisansoap #SoapSculpture #bathsalts #facialscrub #bodyscrubs #spiceblend

I have the fantastic opportunity to contribute favors to the swag bags for Salem’s Witches’ Halloween Ball this October! https://www.festivalofthedead.com/witchesball/ After playing around with several soap ideas, these wishing/lucky coins were the winners. I made four colors, and each one has a little window of “glass” embedded inside—so they’re not only lucky coins, but tiny scrying stones, too. ✨🔮 Lucky Wish Coins, Scrying Stones Custom Favors Making favors for weddings,

Annually, on the third Saturday of August, we celebrate National Honey Bee Day (World Honey Bee Day). In 2026, that falls on August 15.- Honey bees are hard-working and incredibly important pollinators, playing a major role in food production and environmental health. Bees help pollinate roughly a third of the foods we eat, including many fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. As honey bees move from flower to flower collecting nectar and pollen, they transfer pollen between bl

As a child, I loved looking at the stars, musing about nearly anything. I still love stargazing, and if you do, too, the peak of the Perseids Meteor Shower is today and tomorrow (with a little rollover into Friday) The best time to see them is in the hours before dawn in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s a new moon, making viewing even better. Sadly, unless you live close to the equator, they’re not visible in the Southern Hemisphere. True to its name, they’re centered in the co

There is something wonderfully transformative about a bath. You can lock the door and have a few moments without interruptions (hopefully, the cats might have a different opinion) Water washes away more than the day's dust and grime. It gives us a place to pause, breathe, soften, and release stress. Add herbs, salts, flowers, or essential oils, and an ordinary bath becomes something more: a sensory ritual with the potential to soothe the body and settle the mind. For kitchen

I often talk about how ordinary things have extraordinary potential. Juice is no exception. From ancient myths to modern Kitchen Witchery, fruit and vegetable juices have been used for healing, celebration, offerings, purification, and attracting blessings. Their diversity makes them wonderfully adaptable for magical work. Let’s pour a little inspiration into the glass and explore the possibilities. Elements: Water. Magical Correspondences: Healing, Restoration, Vitality, Att

Handmade soap makes a better gift than another candle. Okay, I can hear the exasperated breath from spiritual practitioners and romantics alike, but let me explain Handcrafted soap is one of those rare gifts that is both beautiful and genuinely useful. Every bar is created to be enjoyed, not tucked away on a shelf. Rich botanical oils, nourishing butters, and thoughtful craftsmanship transform an everyday routine into a small act of self-care. Candle Clutter or Soap Sprucene

There really isn't a secret language behind barbecue rubs. Great BBQ seasoning, however, does have a bit of food science working in its favor. A well-balanced dry rub for grilling begins with one important fact: salt is the only major ingredient that penetrates into the meat. Most of the other ingredients remain on the surface, where they create flavor, color, aroma, and that irresistible crust pitmasters call bark. How Barbecue Rub Works Every barbecue rub is really a balanc

As you wander around the Stardust & Suds website, you’ll stumble over a few themes. One prominent one is sparkles… a hint of starlight shining from within most soaps and soap sculptures. People ask, Why sparkles? My response: “Why not?” Since I started crafting over 30 years ago, I’ve always loved glitter despite its penchant for never really being cleaned up. You find it in the rug after vacuuming, on your shirt… on the cat (thankfully he doesn’t notice). There is somethi

Most children cringe at the idea of their mom washing their mouth out with soap. Even those of us who aren’t mischief makers have had the unpleasant taste of soap in our mouths from showering, washing our hair, etc. And while the child in me still loves blowing bubbles, eating them is definitely not the intended use! Nonetheless, over and over again, people will smell a soap and say, “It smells so yummy I could eat it,” or they actually ask, “Is this edible?” Sadly, I have n

There's something about holding a beautifully crafted bar of soap in your hands that brings out a gleeful inner child. Perhaps it's shaped like a tiny fairy cottage tucked beneath a mushroom cap, a dragon curled around an egg, glorious crystal eruptions from a solid base, or a seashell that looks as though it was plucked from the ocean moments ago. They’re so captivating. You turn it over in your hands, pause for just a moment. Then comes the inevitable question: "Do I real

In our home, there aren’t many people anymore. I really miss cooking for minions (those giant pans of fluffy scrambled eggs with the works, in particular), but I have had to get creative with some recipes. For example, potstickers. The most effective and budget-friendly way to put these together is by making 50 at a time. Now, I love these things, but 50 is challenging unless you’re a professional eater. So, once I’ve prepared the dimsum, I lay them out individually on a free

When Nature Gives You Lines: While I have a long-term love affair with beautiful knives, I confess that my knife skills aren’t exactly pristine 🔪. When my adventure in cooking began, I had no idea what the difference was between chopping, mincing, chiffonade, and julienne. In fact, aside from mincing, I couldn't have identified a single one on a plate. But I made a glorious discovery. Mother Nature provides cutting guidelines. Kind of like coloring within the lines as a chi

One of the things I love about cooking—and part of why I entered the Favorite Chef Competition—is that food can be wonderfully unpredictable. Once, I tried making historically accurate rose water. It turned into sparkling wine. I had carefully put the bottle away and (of course) forgot about it. When I found it again later, I started to open it and heard a glorious fizz. Apparently, a natural yeast had been introduced with the flower petals. In any case, I now know how to mak

International Dad Joke Day is an unofficial spin-off of International Joke Day, typically celebrated on July 1st. It's the perfect excuse to ham it up with cheesy puns that make everyone roll their eyes. (I regret nothing.) You can't go through 60 years of life without having to endure... er... enjoy a healthy dose of Dad Jokes. When you're in the midst of this torture... I mean treat... just remember the mantra: Keep calm and lather on. Here are a few jokes to try around the

Learn the lore and history of honey, culinary uses and for making soap with a honey-vegetable recipe

June 25, 2026, would have been Anthony Bourdain's 70th birthday. Today, I'd like to honor his memory. Anthony Bourdain was a world-renowned chef, author, and television personality who opened the world's cookbook for me and millions of viewers. Perhaps the Smithsonian described him best: "the original rock star" of cuisine. Bourdain's style was curious, blunt, educational, and deeply human. Whether speaking on television or writing, he was fearless in his storytelling. He ill

To Microwave or Not to Microwave? Learn what foods do well in the microwave vs. those that don't. How to use the microwave in soap making.

Ancient bath origins. Around 3000 BCE, one of the earliest known public baths existed in what is now Pakistan, where bathing was part of religious purification rituals. Brief history of soap and bath salts, Ancient Egyptians and Romans used mineral-rich salts and muds from the Dead Sea for cleansing and skin care. Bundle sale This year, treat yourself to a complete skin-pampering experience with our special spa bundle featuring: Sun Blush Peach Soap, Twilight Sea Soft Soap,

Since starting Stardust & Suds, I’ve joined several soap-making groups. There’s almost always a debate about the quality of melt-and-pour versus cold-process soap. Melt-and-pour soap begins with a ready-made base that makers can color, scent, and mold into countless creative designs. Cold-process soap starts with oils or fats and lye, which undergo saponification to create soap. It’s a more involved process that requires careful measuring, mixing, and curing. If we jump in th

"Cooking is one of the ways I express creativity and love, whether I'm in the kitchen or crafting soaps." IMO, one of the things that defines a cook’s style is the herbs and spices they treasure. A little trivia: herbs are the leafy parts of plants, while spices come from roots, bark, seeds, and other plant parts. As for me, I’m an equal-opportunity fusion cook when it comes to flavor. Basil: I wish that basil would live longer in the house. It smells so amazing. In fact, the