Place ½ cup (105 g) of raw shea butter in glass bowl or jar. Fill a medium saucepan with 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) of water, and set the glass container with the shea butter in the pan. Bring the water to a gentle boil over medium-high heat until the shea butter melts completely, which should take approximately 10 to 15 minutes.  Stir the shea butter as it’s melting to help it heat evenly. You can usually purchase raw shea butter at health food and organic grocery stores, as well as beauty supply stores. A variety of online sites also sell it. Once the shea butter has melted, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of olive oil to the glass container. Stir the mixture well to ensure that the ingredients are thoroughly combined. If you prefer, you can substitute almond or avocado oil for the olive oil. When the shea butter and olive oil are fully mixed, pour the mixture into a bowl. Set the bowl in the refrigerator, and allow it cool completely so the mixture starts to harden, which should take approximately 30 to 40 minutes. After the mixture has hardened, remove the bowl from the refrigerator. Use a hand or immersion blender to blend the mixture again until it has a soft, creamy texture, which should take approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute. If you don’t have a hand or immersion blender, you can blend the lotion by hand. Use a whisk to whip the mixture until it has a creamy consistency. When the lotion has reached the right texture and consistency, use a spatula to transfer it to a storage container that has a lid. The lotion will usually stay fresh for 3 to 6 months at room temperature. Mason jars make an ideal storage container for the lotion.

Summary: Melt the shea butter in a double boiler. Mix in the olive oil. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cool it. Blend the lotion. Place the lotion in a storage container.


(115g) of crumbled blue cheese in a medium bowl.  (2g) of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to your liking, and mix the ingredients together with the fork. (14g) of chopped chives, 5 tablespoons (60g) of sour cream, 1/3 cup (60ml) of buttermilk and 1 tbsp. (14ml) of lemon juice into the bowl with the blue cheese.

Summary: Place 4 oz. Smash the blue cheese lightly with a fork so that there are still chunks, but it is in much smaller pieces. Add 1/2 tsp. Put 1 tbsp. Stir all of the ingredients together until they are evenly combined. Finish the dressing with a few drops of red wine vinegar, stir the mixture together and taste. Adjust the seasonings to your liking.


Heat the kiln at a rate of +500ºF (+275ºC) per hour, until it reaches 1100ºF (590ºC). This will just start to heat the bottles. If you are using ceramic molds, you may want to use a slower heating rate to reduce the risk of cracking the molds. "Soaking" the glass at this temperature ensures that every part of the glass reaches the correct temperature. Pay close attention to the steps below to find out how long to keep the kiln at each temperature. This time, heat the kiln at a rate of no more than +250ºF (+140ºC) per hour, for a little more than an hour. At this point, the glass will just begin to lose its shape, especially in the middle. You can hold the temperature here for 20 minutes if you're aiming for a flatter, wider middle, or move on after a few minutes if you want the middle to keep more of its shape. Heat at a rate of +300ºF (+165ºC) per hour if using ceramic molds, or faster if not. Stay at this temperature until the bottles have slumped to the desired appearance.  This is the step that changes most, based on your bottles, kiln, and desired appearance. Consider these numbers a starting point for your first project. Always wear eye protection while looking through a peephole. If your kiln doesn't have a window or peephole, you won't be able to check on the bottles. Lift the lid of the kiln — taking care to protect yourself from the heat — to cool the kiln rapidly until it reaches a temperature between 900 and 1100ºF (480 to 590ºC). The less time the bottle spends at high temperatures, the lower the chance of devitrification, or the forming of cloudy surface textures. Glass takes on significant stress when heated, and can crack or become brittle if it is not "annealed", a process in which the glass molecules are rearranged in a more stable pattern before they cool. There are two common ways to do this:  The simplest method, which is usually sufficient for bottles, is to let the kiln cool gradually, never by more than -150ºF (-80ºC) per hour. If you kiln cools faster than this, you'll need to briefly fire it occasionally to counteract the cooling. For more effective annealing, leave the kiln at 900ºF (480ºC) for a full hour. Different types of glass have different optimal annealing temperatures, so to be extra-safe you could also leave it at 1000ºF (540ºC) and/or 800ºF (425ºC) for an hour each, starting with the highest temperature first. The bottles should have slumped flat. If you used kiln paper and the fibers stuck to the bottle, wear a respirator mask while cleaning them off the glass.
Summary: Fire the kiln to 1100ºF (590ºC). Hold this temperature for ten minutes. Heat more slowly to 1300ºF (700ºC). Heat rapidly to about 1450ºF (790ºC). Flash vent the kiln to about 1000ºF (540ºC). Anneal the glass. Let the kiln cool to room temperature.