2026

Tammy C • January 2026

Specialty Beauty Products & Published Author

Tammy is a retired registered nurse with a background in obstetrics, oncology, transplant and NICU, as well as management of case managers.

Now in retirement, making her own soap, lip gloss and pure vanilla, became a project to assure her family and close friends that they were using healthier and organic products. The soaps and lip gloss are made on demand to preserve the fragrance. The soap bars are made with goat’s milk, organic color and pure essential oils. The pure vanilla takes six to twelve months to stew, so again, this is also made on demand and comes in a four ounce size.

Tammy is also a published author of two books, a memoir and companion journal. The book is titled “What is Love…A Memoir” and conveys her journey of the many types of love she has experienced throughout her lifetime as a woman. The companion journal allows the reader to answer questions related to each chapter of the book about their own individual love journey. She wrote the book as a labor of love to leave to her three grandsons as a way for them to know her better, and have it passed down through the generations.

These books can be a great gift for teenagers, daughters, siblings, wives, mothers, grandmothers, nurses, and might also be enjoyed by males who would like to better understand a woman’s heart. She is presently working on her third book outlining her nursing journey.

As she and her husband Rick grew up and raised their two children near Steubenville, Ohio, they moved to our active community five years ago to escape the bitter cold and snow. Their love of travel has taken them to all but one of the fifty states in North America as well as Canada, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. They have been on several cruises to the Bahamas, Bermuda, San Juan and the Caribbean. In 2026, they will visit South America and Africa, and are set to cruise to Antarctica, China, Thailand and Dubai. Please visit Tammy's listing on the GIFTS page.

Mark H • February 2026

Author With Intriguing Stories

As published authors now have a presence selling their books at our Crafts Show, this month we are featuring Mark H who began writing mostly poetry in his twenties and accumulated a stack of legal pads with his handwritten poems over the years. Gathering up his faded folder, he crafted a book of poetry. One day, while sitting at the computer with the front door open, he heard the rain falling on the tree outside through the screen door, stopped what he was doing, and wrote “Streams to Ford” the poem that led to the book with the same title. Then he feverishly added many more poems and published them through Amazon.

About thirty years ago, Mark wrote a short story about a harrowing rescue at sea from his time in the Coast Guard. It was such a moving story about the rescue of two parents and their infant son in mountainous seas off Fort Pierce on Christmas Eve, that he had to record it. And there it sat until 2015 when he made it a core part of his anthology of eight years of service called “Always Ready – Coast Guard Sea Stories From the 1970s".

Shortly after, he penned “Artifact – A B24 Crew, a Female Spy, and Churchill’s Deadly Obsession", a World War II novel inspired by bomber missions flown by Mark's father.

The next book “Herb Lundy and the Magic Milk Truck – A Trip Through Time and Faith” took two and one-half years, as he brought a faith-based story to life, something he had yearned for over the years.

Other titles include “Gideon’s Thunder – A B24 Bomber Pilot Diary” and "Motivated to Serve” a collection of anecdotes from Coast Guard members and why they enlisted. In addition, there are several short military stories, two humorous books, “Mind Apples” and “Mind Apples 2” including a book of Haiku entitled “One Hundred Haiku” from which two poems were selected for the annual Japanese-based Haiku International Association publication.

His military service was followed by thirty years of corporate life in information technology and marketing. Mark formed Idea Depot, Inc. to support his commercial writing, marketing work, plus web design. Please visit our Authors webpage and Tuesday's Authors table. Please visit Mark's listing on the AUTHORS page.

Jean M • March 2026

Ukrainian Pysanka Easter Eggs

Jean wrote her first pysanka over fifty years ago. Pysanky (or pysanka in the singular form) is rooted in the Ukrainian verb “to write” as in writing intricate patterns, symbols and geometric designs on eggs. The skills she has developed in writing these Ukrainian Easter Eggs over the decades, brings Jean to her quiet and happy place in retirement.

The writing of pysanky is an art form that predates Christianity in Ukraine; it was part of the pagan rites of spring. Believing that birds were the Sun God’s chosen creation, eggs were decorated with symbols of nature. The pagan practice was absorbed into Christianity, and the symbols took on new meanings. Writing pysanky can be a rather frugal art form. The raw materials are fairly common and inexpensive: eggs, beeswax, dyes, candles, and the writing tools.

For example, Jean might prepare a dozen eggs: carefully selecting each one, cleaning with vinegar, and plotting out (in light pencil lines) various designs to be written in melted beeswax. It is time-consuming and yet also exciting. The next day, she has several egg designs written and waxed in the natural state (white or brown), before she dyes them that afternoon. Bit by bit, visible progress is continuous throughout the day. Eventually, she has several completed eggs, ready to melt the wax off, revealing all the bright colors underneath. The final step is a dip into a finish that seals and protects the colors.

Married to a Georgian (the country of Georgia, which lies across the Black Sea from Ukraine), her husband Anton is her biggest fan. Having degrees in French and in Russian/Soviet Studies, Jean speaks three languages, and has had a varied career in data processing, marketing, market research, patent law, antitrust law, medicine, and over twenty-five years as a publisher/editor of a weekly community newspaper in Minnesota.

Jean approaches writing pysanky a lot like music, another of her passions, being a classical pianist. It takes practice, patience, and persistence to master anything. Dabbling in lacquer box painting, and making her own ceramic egg stands, she is truly enjoying her home studio and creative ventures. Jean is a certified teaching artist available for classes. Individual eggs soon will be available for purchase on her Matua.com website. Please view more of Jean’s designs on our Arts webpage.