Healing Herbal Salve: Recipe

I love how the natural color of each homemade salve varies depending on the oil infusion. Cottonwood Bud Salve has a rustic brown-orange hue. Oregano & Eucalyptus Salve is a honey yellow. Today's Healing Herbal Salve turned out to be a sunny gold due to the mixture of calendula and chamomile flowers.

Calendula extracts have anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties. In herbalism, Calendula in a tincture is used topically for acne, reducing inflammation, controlling bleeding, and soothing irritated tissue.

Follow the recipe below to make this incredible healing herbal salve.

Ingredients:

-1 1/4 C. quality olive oil
-0.3 oz. dried calendula flowers

-0.3 oz. dried chamomile flowers
-0.3 oz. dried plantain
-0.2 oz. dried St. John’s wort
-0.2 oz. dried Oregon grape root
-1-2 ounces beeswax

-1 Vitamin E capsule

Directions:

1. Weigh the dried herbs using a kitchen scale.

2. Prepare the oil infusion. You can do this one of two ways:

Cold Infusion

In a glass mason jar, cover the weighed herbs with 1 ¼ cup of oil. Stir to combine, and allow oil and herb mixture to steep for 4-6 weeks.

Hot Oil Extract

In a glass mason jar, cover the herbs with 1 ¼ cup of oil. Stir to combine. Place the glass jar in a pot on the stove, or in a crock pot, filled with a few inches of water on lowest setting (Be sure to put a towel on the bottom of the pot.). Infuse the oil and herbs for 4-8 hours, a day, or up to 3 days. Note: Watch the pot and add water as it evaporates.

3. Strain the oil and herb infusion through a cheesecloth. Squeeze to extract as much oil as possible. You need to strain at least 1 cup of herb infused oil.

4. In a saucepan over very low heat, melt beeswax together with oil.

5. When the consistency is to your liking, add Vitamin E capsule. Mix, and pour the salve into your containers.

Ten Natural Garden Ideas For Children

Derek and I encourage Cymone to spend ample time outside where she plays with sticks, stones, mud, plants, bugs, and anything else she can find. I love inhaling her fresh smell when she emerges from her outdoor play.

Although we have 5 acres of natural space, Derek and I do not have any manicured lawn surrounding our home. I sometimes wonder whether we should create a grassy area for Cymone and her friends to romp around. Instead, we have added little touches throughout our garden spaces that encourage imaginative play. We have incorporated some of these ideas on the following Top Ten list, while other ideas are now on my list of to-dos:

1. Children love to hide and huddle together in small, secret places. Teepees are a wonderful way to grow plants while giving children a quiet, secretive space of their own. Weave together bamboo, long sticks or old wooden ladders to grow pole beans, flowering vines or hops.

2. Find a small area off the path, perhaps beneath a tree or in a shady corner where plants are struggling to grow, and create your own version of outdoor Tic Tac Toe.

3. You can never go wrong with a mosaic in your garden. If you feel inspired to create one, turn it into a game of hop scotch for children to play. This can also be done with simple stepping stones.

4. A labyrinth is a fun way to visually break up large spaces and it gives children a maze to wander through. It will provide hours of tag and problems solving games. You don't have to make anything complicated. You can just collect rocks or use recycled bricks to create a playful maze.

5. Leap frog? Lily pad jumping? A simple stump path is not only pleasing to the eye, but it gives children another option for play.

6. Add colorful figurines, rocks and sticks to your garden. Children love to trapse through garden beds admiring the little details. These painted garden markers are a fun way to merge art with function.

7. No children's garden is complete without at least one fairy house. The day before each full moon, Cymone ventures outside to build another home for her little friends, hoping they will visit while she's sleeping and leave her with a treasure.

8. Another important element to have in a children's garden is water play. You don't have to purchase a box or stand. Just set up a bucket and watering can next to your spigot and let your child's imagination do the work.

9. Horseshoes are a terrific backyard game for both children and adults. Set up a course some distance from a fire pit for hours of summer evening entertainment.

10. This one is my favorite. As children, my mother would have us plant lollipop sticks in the ground. The next morning, we'd wake up to find that a lollipop tree had grown in its place. You don't have to fill your children with sugar to create this magical effect. Instead, decorate your tree with all sorts of colorful artifacts that will undoubtedly result in "ohs" and "ahs"!

If you have any great ideas to share, please leave a comment!

Natural Bug Repellent: Recipe

It is always a perk to save money, protect the earth, and guard your family against toxic chemicals. With store-purchased bug repellent these days, you're generally buying DEET. By concocting your own natural bug repellent spray, you gain all three perks simultaneously.

Natural Bug Repellent Spray contains a mixture of essential oils and plant-based extracts that combat insects, bugs, and flies. It's important to choose a combination of oils that repels insects, and then mix it with a carrier (i.e. witch hazel, alcohol, or oil). Effective insect repellent essential oils include:

Witch Hazel

• castor oil
• catnip
• cedar
• citronella
• clove
• eucalyptus
• lavender
• lemon
• lemongrass 
• peppermint
• rose geranium

The following natural, DEET-free spray contains a combination of witch hazel and grape seed oil, that works to refresh the skin.

Ingredients:
1 oz witch hazel
1 oz grape seed (or other carrier) oil
40 drops citronella essential oils
20 drops peppermint essential oils
15 drops lemon essential oils
15 drops lemongrass essential oils

Natural Bug Repellent Spray: Recipe

1. Combine all ingredients directly into a small glass or tin spray bottle.

2. Shake well before use.

3. Reapply often, up to every 1-2 hours as needed.

Note: If you cannot source your essential oils locally, check out the wonderful oils available through Mountain Rose Herbs.

Beaded Loop Clasp: DIY

I spent yesterday evening with friends, pouring over boxes of leftover beads from Bronwen's discontinued lines. What a blast! I found that, in my excitement, I wasn't able to speak in complete sentences. I kept interrupting myself and stopping mid-sentence to drool over cool little beads that kept surfacing. I returned home even more inspired to design new jewelry.

The following bracelet design is a result of our beading frenzy. I'll share with you how to make the beaded loop clasp:

Materials Needed:
3 yards of waxed linen cord
20 size 8/o seed beads

Directions:

I am basing the thickness of this loop (6 strands of cord) on the bracelet that I made. Adjust yours according to how many strands you would like to bead.

1. Cut cord into five 12" pieces. Cut a sixth strand into a 14" piece.

2. Place 20 beads onto one of your 12" strands of waxed linen cord.

3. Space the slightly beads apart.

4. Match the ends of all your strands, twist the ends together so that they hold. Hold ends together firmly in one hand. Using your free hand, pick up your 14" cord and wrap it tightly around all of the cords in front of the first bead, leaving 2" of "waste" on the end for later use. Push the first bead up tight against the loop.

5. Wrap your 14" cord around the all of the cords behind the first bead, in front of the second bead. Make sure that it's very tight. Hold firmly with your fingers. Continue this pattern until all 20 beads are wrapped.

6. Wrap your 14" cord around all of the strands one more time. Then, pick up the 2" of "waste" to create a loop & knot.

7. After making your bracelet using the remainder of the cord, tie a button onto the other end that fits into your beaded loop clasp. I made my button by drilling holes into a small river rock.

Have fun with all sorts of designs!

Yarrow Oil: Tutorial

Yarrow is in full bloom on our property. I actually have to pull the flower from our herb and vegetable gardens since it reproduces so readily. We appreciate that it grows in our native grasses since it's a deep rooted herb that is rich in minerals. It therefore helps to prevent mineral deficiencies for our grasses. Not only that, but our bees don't have to travel too far for food.

This year I have started to use our Yarrow to make salve. To do so, I began with a simple Yarrow Oil. Here is the tutorial:

1. Gather 10 Yarrow stalks (flowers, stems and leaves included).

2. Throw everything into a food processor. Process for 30 seconds, or until you have fine pieces of Yarrow.

3. Place your Yarrow into a glass jar and cover with a carrier oil. Let sit for 6 weeks.

4. Pour the Yarrow Oil through a fine sieve into a second glass jar.

At this point, you can use your Yarrow Oil by massaging it directly into your skin, or incorporate it into a salve.

Medicinal Benefits of Yarrow:

According to Organic Facts, Yarrow has been credited by scientists with at least minor activity on nearly every organ in the body. It is beneficial for the reproductive organs of women, for irregular menstruation or an for women during or after menopause

Yarrow is an herb, native to the Northern hemisphere, that grows in meadows and pastures, by roadsides and paths. The flowers are white or pink, have an aromatic smell.

Note that the following beneficial properties are for educational purposes only - I am not a doctor:

Yarrow tea helps activate sluggish kidneys, rectifies lack of appetite, dispels flatulence and stomach cramps, is beneficial for liver disorders, inflammation of the gastro-intestinal tract and regulates the movement of the bowels.

An ointment prepared from Yarrow flowers is used to fight hemorrhoids

Externally, the yarrow herb has been used for helping to heal bruises, burns, cuts, swelling, ulcers and wounds.

A few words of caution - Yarrow may show neuro-toxic effects, headache and skin irritations with continuous use or in high dosages. Oral intake should be avoided throughout pregnancy.

Blending: The Essential Oil of Yarrow blends well with those of Angelica, Cedar Wood, Oak Moss and Verbena.

Strawberry Rose Smoothie

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One of my favorite bases for smoothies is raw almond milk. Not only is it high in calcium, but in Ayurveda tradition almond milk is used to calm the mind and sharpen memory. It’s easy to make with a little foresight. Simply soak 1 cup almonds in 4 cups water overnight. Strain and pour nuts into a food processor or blender. Cover again with fresh water. Blend and strain out the pulp through a nut-milk bag or cheesecloth.

Now, combine your almond milk with refreshing, invigorating ingredients such as strawberries and rose petals!

STRAWBERRY ROSE SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups frozen strawberries

1 cup almond milk

1 tsp rosewater

1 pinch sea salt

1-teaspoon brown sugar or maple syrup

Rose petals for garnish

Directions:

1. Place everything in the blender and process until smooth.
2. Adjust sweetness level and serve with a garnish of rose petals

Rose Petal Salve: Tutorial

Making rose petal oil is a laborious task, but once it's done, it can be utilized in bath salts, salves, and other wonderful products. The following is a tutorial on how to make rose petal salve, using the  pre-made oil.

Ingredients:
3.5 C. rose hip oil
1.5 C. refined beeswax

1 Capsule Vitamin E

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in one pan.
2. Melt beeswax in a separate pan. 
3. Once the beeswax has melted, mix the ingredients together.
4. Allow it to blend for a few minutes over heat. Add Vitamin E & stir.
5. Pour the mix into tin cans or small glass jars to cool.
6. Your rose petal salve is ready to use...and should have a pink tint to it. If not, it's no big deal - it should smell heavenly!

Elderflower Syrup: Recipe

A number of herbal medicine resources refer to the elder as “the medicine chest of the country folk”. It is reportedly the oldest herb cultivated by man. Traditional uses for the elder include:

• Used as a de-tox, to build the immune system by clearing toxins thru the lymph glands.
• For respiratory problems, elderflower was used to treat asthmatics in the days before “modern” medication.
• To build up “poorly” people (especially children and the elderly) before winter.
• In spring, elderflower concentrate, also known as elderflower cordial, was used to relieve the symptoms of allergies to pollens, etc.
• Elderflower tea was used as a blood purifier; and as a tonic or ointment to fade freckles or skin blemishes. Many modern skin tonics still contain elderflowers.

A friend of mine told me how to make elderflower syrup. Not only is it simple to make (with just 4 ingredients), but working with the sweet white flowers automatically lightened my mood.

Elderflower Syrup

Ingredients:

25 elderflowers

Zest from 3-5 large (unwaxed) lemons

Juice from 3-5 large (unwaxed) lemons

1 Liter water

1 Kilo sugar

Directions:

1. Depending on where you live, elderflowers are ready to harvest anytime between late April and the end of July. Make sure you have the right flower.There are some similar looking plants that could make you very sick. Harvest 25 flowers. Try to find ones with ample pollen still intact. Be sure to collect them from a area away from roads. Don't pick too many heads from one bush as birds feed on the berries throughout September.

2. Remove the little white flowers from the stems. Be sure to remove all stems and leaves since they are poisonous when consumed. Gently rub the flowers in your palms into a sterile glass jar (bugs and all).

3. Grate the rind off the lemons. Add the zest to the flowers in the glass jar.

4. Juice the lemons. Add the juice (don't worry about the seeds) to your mixture.

5. Now, turn your attention to the stove. Combine the water and sugar in a large pot, heat until boiling and sugar dissolves. Once bubbling, let it boil for a full minute.

6. Pour the sugar water over the flowers in the jar. Cover, and let sit for 3-5 days.

7. Pour the syrup through a sieve into a second sterilized glass jar. Store in the refrigerator for up to a month. Serve over ice cream, yogurt or pancakes.

Beaded Wrap with River Rock Button: DIY

I love slipping on a simple piece or three of Bohemian style jewelry for a laid back day in the country or an adventure in town. Now that I sell river rock earrings and necklaces, I've received requests for matching bangles. I came up with this beaded wrap that closes with a simple drilled river rock. Here's the step-by-step tutorial:

Materials Needed:
6 yards of waxed linen cord
150-160 size 8/o seed beads
a 10-13mm 2-hole button (I made mine with a drilled river rock)
scissors

Directions:
1. Cut the waxed linen cord into two 24" pieces and two 36" pieces. Align four ends, create a loop around your finger, and secure with a knot. Braid ends together before beginning to add beads.

2. Place your two shorter pieces in the middle, with the two longer pieces on either side.

3. Slip one bead onto both pieces.

4. Push bead up on left so that it is snug against your braid. Fold string over the front to the right.

5. Push bead up on right so that it is snug against your braid. Fold sting down and behind the back to the left.

6. Pull tight. Repeat. Add decorative beads, if desired.

7. Once you have reached your preferred length, pull strings together and braid to end. String end through a button and secure with a knot.

This bangle wraps twice around your wrist, but of course you can make a shorter or longer one to wrap as many times as you like. Most important - have fun!