Handmade Herbal Cream

It's a long story on how this cream recipe came into my use but let's just say that I have it, in 2 different books, so that it will never be lost. The first one is, "Tasha Tudor's Heirloom Crafts". The second is Rosemary Gladstar's, "Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health".

 

The recipe is that of Rosemary's and my, oh, my folks. This recipe is a keeper. I only changed one thing in the recipe.

 

This cream is wonderful, non-greasy and so easy to make. Not to mention all of the goodness it has in it. Toss that yucky bottle of "chemical this" and "who could pronounce that?" that is in your cupboard and set aside an hour of your day to put a batch of this together.

Here's what you'll need:

First we'll start with some calendula. Fresh if you have it, but dried will work too.

Steep a small handful of calendula in 1 cup of water. (Bring the cup of water to a boil, turn off heat, add calendula, cover, and let sit for 30 minutes.)

 

The former is where I deviated from the recipe. The original calls for rose water. But it's early April here and I have no roses on any bushes as of yet to make my own.   So, a calendula infusion is what I used instead.

 

Calendula ~ Calendula officinalis: "This sunny little flower brightens most gardens. It is a powerful vulnerary, healing the body by promoting cell repair, and acts as an antiseptic, keeping infection from occurring in injuries." - Rosemary Gladstar

Next you'll need:

3/4 c Sweet Almond Oil

1/3 c Coconut Oil

1/3 c Aloe Vera gel

1/4 tsp. Lanolin

5-10 drops Vitamin E oil

 1/2 oz Beeswax

1-2 drops of an essential oil of your choosing

 

2/3 c calendula infusion (from above) or 2/3 c rose water

 

Directions:

In a double broiler, melt beeswax. Add coconut, sweet almond and lanolin. Melt together and then remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature. The mixture will become thick and cream colored. You can hasten this process by putting it in the fridge for a few minutes.

 

In a cup, mix together calendula infusion, aloe vera gel, vitamin E oil, and essential oil.

 

 

Rosemary's directions were to use a blender but I don't have one. So I used my immersion blender instead. (I actually think this would make for easier clean up too.)

If you've ever made homemade mayonnaise then this process is essentially the same.

 

Take your cooled, creamy oil mixture and pour into a quart sized mason jar. Using your immersion blender on the highest setting, start mixing while slowly drizzling the liquid mixture into the oils.

Continue to mix all liquid in until the cream looks thick and white.

 

Pour into jars and store in cool location. The cream will thicken as it sets.

 

 

The finished result? Two 8oz jars of the most wonderful cream you've ever used!

 

I hope you enjoy it!

Fighting Off A Cold Naturally ~ Homemade Vapor Rub

Recently I had 3 little ones that all had a cold. We handle colds (or any sickness) in our house a little differently than most.

First, we know that an occasional cold or flu is actually beneficial for our children. It helps their immune system to become stronger, leaning to fight off the bug.

Second, for the most part we let our bodies do the work of getting rid of the sickness, occasionally with the aid of herbs. For example, when anyone is running a fever we don't immediately reach for the Tylenol. We let our bodies ride out the fever, knowing that the fever is working in our body to rid itself of the sickness. If fevers do get to a very uncomfortable state we use yarrow tincture to bring it down temporarily.

We also try to avoid sugar and other foods that compromise our immune system as well.

So with the runny noses and coughs that our kids had, the first thing we started was a combo of homemade Elderberry tincture and Echinacea tincture. Then I made ginger tea out of grated ginger root, raw honey and lemon juice. (We actually like the tea so much we enjoy it even when we're not sick.)

 

And we rested. The kids took naps and resting breaks. While they rested they seemed so stuffy that I wanted to do something else for them. So, I made vapor rub.

This is an easy-peasy recipe and works wonderfully.

~Homemade Vapor Rub~

1/4 c coconut oil
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 oz of beeswax
35 drops of Eucalyptus EO (essential oil)
30 drops of Rosemanry EO
25 drops of Lavendar EO
20 drops of Peppermint EO

Directions:
In a double broiler, melt beeswax. Add olive and coconut oils and heat until melted.
Remove from heat and add essential oils.
Pour into containers.

Directions for use:
Rub over chest and neck area and onto the bottoms of feet as needed.

Let me say that you can tweak this recipe as you'd like. You could really use any kind of oil, sweet almond, olive, coconut, apricot kernel, etc. I just use the coconut and olive because I like their properties and non-greasy feel.

{Vapor rub}

 

Adjust the EOs as you'd like as well. If you're not partial to one of them, leave it out. This amount seemed perfect for my liking but you can adjust the drops to more or less to fit yours.

Also, after combining the wax and oil together, and before adding the EOs, I take a couple teaspoonfuls and place them on a plate and stick it in the freezer for a moment. This cools it off rapidly and I can decide if the consistency of the rub is to my liking. If it's too hard, you can always add more oil or if it's a sloppy mess, more wax. Then go ahead and add the essential oils.

I hope that this is a blessing to your family!

Disclosure:
I am not a medical professional and do not have any "professional" education in regards to medicine. Please use common sense when using any recipe found on the internet. Any advise given on this blog is simply a sharing of our family's experiences. Not everything works for everyone. If you have more questions, please contact your medical provider. (Or preferably an herbalist or alternative medicine provider.)

An Overdue Update

Things have been wonderfully busy here. I can't even begin to express how much we are loving living here. The sunrises over the hills, the peace, the sound of the creek flowing, the bees that are flooding the plum trees, all of God's handiwork around us. It's amazing. And humbling.

And I for one am just downright thankful.

 

{Driving home}

We've been doing some clearing around the homestead and besides that there isn't much news around the property. Except that we finally added another rooster to the flock. And that we added 17 (which turned out to be 15 after they arrived) new chicks to the homestead. Timber and Layton now have their birds for fair and we have some new hens for the flock.

 

As far as the off-grid brooding, I took the easy way out....and we have the chicks at a friends house until they fully feather and can head up here.

 

I finally finished the top of a block-of-the-month quilt I did with my mother-in-law....which we began back in 2008. Yeah, I know. That's sad.

But it's done and on it's way to Kathy now.

 

 

I also added this quilt to my Etsy shop.

 

 

A special little girl turned 6 recently. Her Auntie made her a special cake.

 

 

She got a new bed from Grandma and Grandpa for her birthday.

 

And everyone helped to put it together for her.

 

She also got a new sewing area, compliments of her Nana and Papa.

 

The only problem is that the generator must be running for her to use it.

Which has been our sewing problem since we moved here.

So, to resolve that somewhat this got added to the homestead....

 

 

Mercy, I am in love.

 I could go on and on about this machine. But I think that's for another post.

It is amazing though and works beautifully. I have already sewn curtains on it and have begun piecing my first quilt on it.

Now Timber says that she needs one in her room. And I think we're just going to have to share.

 

 

          

 I've also been soap making. I got a new mold that makes a 1/2 batch of my normal soap recipe and love how it allows me to try different things in smaller batches. Now I only have 8 bars (plus the ends) in a batch instead of 15!

 

I think that's about it for now. I hope that all of you are well. If you're still here and still reading, thanks!

 

Be blessed!

Some Summer Sewing

Summer is not usually the time I get too much sewing in. The sun is out, the garden needs tended as do the animals. It's the time to head to the river and the farmer's market. A time to pick berries and make jam.

But I have managed to get a little time in with my machine over the past few months. Too bad the time wasn't spent on a quilt. But that's what winter is for anyway, right?

 Here's an apron I made. (Pattern from here.) My dearest girl friend and I both decided to make this apron together. I think that we started them last winter?? I don't remember. All I know is that we finally brought our aprons back out a few weeks ago and I finished mine. Just in time too because this Gathering Apron is a winner for harvesting in the garden! 



Here is the apron down. You could absolutely wear this as a regular house apron. Apparently, Ms. Thanksgiving turkey felt as though she should be included in the shot.


Here is the apron gathered up and ready to be used in the garden!

The apron is absolutely wonderful and I know that I am going to get so many great years of use out of it. Probably until it's thread barren. Then I'll make another!

My second sewing project that I accomplished last week was a jumper for Timber. Sewn without a purchased pattern.

I just took a jumper from her closet and some Swedish tracing paper, a pencil and some scissors, and of course, some fabric and went at it. I traced the bodice and then took the measurements of her skirt. I did cut out a half bodice on the Swedish tracing paper to use as a guide for cutting. The skirt was 2 rectangles sewn together so that didn't need any special cutting.

I was really happy with the way it tuned out. I purposely made the bodice a little larger than what was on her current jumper but later regretted that decision. There is a little too much room in the front and back and it could be taken in right down the center about an inch. All in all though, for the $6 I paid for the fabric (that Timber picked out at Wal-Mart), the maybe $.50 or so for the tracing paper and my time one afternoon. It was worth it.

Maybe next time Timber will crack a smile for the camera. But I won't get my hopes up.

Poppy and Pearl Co. - A Giveaway *CLOSED*

As promised, a giveaway that has something to do with Mason jars! What woman doesn't just love Mason jars? Especially the unique ones. Just thinking about them gets me all excited. Of course, you may be a totally normal person who doesn't get giddy over them and I may just be a weirdo.
Whether you're a Mason jar junkie like me or not, you'll still love what I've got to share.

Poppy and Pearl Co. has graciously offered to give away one of their Mason Jar Tumblers to one lucky winner!
These are perfect for our family since we steer clear of putting anything into plastic!

Bobbi Bankston is the shop owner and creator of everything you'll find at Poppy and Pearl Co. on Etsy. She is a momma of three sweet little boys and a wife to one husband. She and her family live in the happiest place on earth........no, it's not Disneyland.........it's the California Mother Lode! Let me take a moment to allow Bobbi to share a little;

Tell us a little bit about yourself....
Hi, my name is Bobbi. I LOVE living in the beautiful town of Sonora, the place I was born and raised. I married a really cool guy 14 years ago and we now have three amazing, rowdy boys who are 8, 5, and 2. I love gardening, baking, fishing, hydrangeas, snowboarding, dates with the hubby and coffee. Coffee should have been first on the list... I think it's my #1 priority in life ; )

What gave you the desire to open Poppy and Pearl Co.?
I've always adored Etsy... it truly is genius! After working (outside the home) last year, I realized that I needed something that was "my own". I desired a career that would make me smile and allow me to work from home. I LOVE girly things and in a house full of boys I was happy at the thought of doing something that expressed "me" and also gave me a creative outlet. Several close friends of mine who are also Etsy shop owners, inspired and encouraged me to take the leap of faith, make the career change and give it a go. And so, Poppy and Pearl Co. was born on August 2nd.

Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration comes mostly from the vintage fabric, doilies and lace that I have collected. I've been lucky to find (and been given) so many wonderful materials. I adore vintage lace and doilies- such lovely treasures!
My new Mason Jar Tumblers featured for the giveaway are kind of like my pride and joy right now. The Mason Jar is extremely popular and so many people have created wonderful uses for them. Using them as beverage tumblers are eco-friendly and they look pretty in your hand which makes them very Poppy and Pearl. Getting the word out is a very exciting process for me!


What new items do you see Poppy and Pearl Co. creating in the future?
I would LOVE to expand my Mason Jar lids, starting with "fermenting lids" for the gallon size jars. I have been working on lace earrings and necklaces and also collecting vintage bags to add to the shop in the next few months.


Bobbi was even kind enough to send me a sample of her tumbler toppers so that I could try them out for myself.

They are absolutely wonderful!

To enter the giveaway here's what you need to do:
1. Check out the Poppy and Pearl Co. shop on Etsy and let me know, via a comment, which of Bobbi's items really catches your eye.
2. (Optional 2nd entry) Blog about this giveaway and leave a SEPARATE comment telling me you did.
3. (Optional 3rd entry) FB or Tweet this giveaway and leave a SEPARATE comment telling me that you did.

This giveaway will be open until October 20th.

The Easter Dress and Colored Eggs

Just before Easter I realized that Timber didn't have an Easter dress. I had actually thought about it a few weeks ago and decided that one of her regular dresses would do just fine and that she didn't need anything new. Then I changed my mind. I sewed this dress up last Thursday.
The dress is from this pattern.

The dress went together quickly and was easy to sew. I have found that I really enjoy sewing clothes. It's not like quilting. While cutting fabric for quilting you don't even want to be 1/8" off otherwise your points don't line up and your blocks are off. While I'm not suggesting that cutting clothes is just a bunch of hap-hazard cutting, it doesn't seem to need to be as precise. It seems more stress free!

We had a great Easter. I hope that yours was enjoyed!

a little homemade skirt

I tried this simple, modest skirt tutorial last night for Timber. It went together really, really fast and would be a perfect skirt to sew for your daughter if you're new to sewing. Plus, it's adorable! The only way I may modify it a little would be to taper the top while I'm cutting my fabric so that there isn't as much gather at the waistline when complete.
Here are the photos that I took this gloomy, rainy morning.

I only had 1 yd of fabric (or maybe a little less) to make this so my back ties didn't come out to be as long as in the tutorial- or even as long as I'd like. But they'll do.

I would certainly make this skirt again. It's a winner!

being neighborly

We have some neighbors behind us that moved in about 2 years ago. The husband and wife are both teachers and they have 3 kids. The wife just started gardening last year and I was happy to share some tips with her. That garden started our "swap." We would bring them extra food from our garden and they'd come up with something from their home to bring to us. Christmas time was full of swapping fun goodies. We share eggs with our neighbors and a few weeks ago I made more bread than we could consume in a day or two so Wyatt took a loaf, fresh out of the oven, over to them. Who doesn't love fresh baked bread? The wife then sent this over the other day with a nice thank you note. Nothing is necessarily expected for the giving, it's not mandatory to give back. We just enjoy doing it.

It feels so natural and good to be neighborly. Do you have neighbors that you share with? If not, then this month as we experiment with bread making, may be the perfect time to start. Bake a loaf and take it over to a neighbor in need or one you haven't had the pleasure of getting to know yet.

"Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up." Romans 15:2

Pink Fawn Designs

The coaster giveaway worked out better than I had expected! As you may know, since Heather never responded, I chose a new winner, The Pink Fawn (a.k.a. Nancy.) Nancy responded and the coasters will soon be on their way to Ontario! I checked out Nancy's website this morning and was pleasantly surprised with what I saw, cute handcrafted items, soaps, lovely fabric and....... AN APRON! I loved a bunch of items on her site (but I loved the apron the best.) Here are a few other of my favorites!

Yummy soap!

A super cute tote!

And fabric....oh, the fabric! Look at the hollyhocks (my personal favorite in the flower department) on this Heather Ross print! Each picture is linked so you can click on the photo and go right to the item in her shop.

Thanks for letting me share Nancy and congrats again on the coasters!

homestead apron hanger

I'm all about aprons. I love the way they make me feel while I'm in the kitchen or cleaning the house. One of my sewing goals this spring is to make a garden apron that I can wipe my dirty hands on! One of my favorite magazines, Mary Jane's Farm, had a great project in the Jan/Feb 2009 issue that looked something like this.......Almost.
I asked my father in law (who is a cabinet maker) to help me put one together. He ended up making the whole thing. Almost. It really was a 3 person effort. He put together the wooden back splash, I painted it and did the shopping on eBay for the vintage rolling pins, and my husband attached the pins for me. I'd have to say that my part in it was certainly the easiest, and the most fun!

This will be going into the kitchen to hang my aprons from...which will look much nicer than the little rack they are all rolled up and squished in now.

Heather Ross Coaster Giveaway**NOW CLOSED**

Are you a fan of Heather Ross fabrics? Do you love the out of print ones? 3 great fabrics, including the oh so popular pink camper, were used to create these coasters! I purchased them on Etsy with a purpose. Then it changed. Now I have coasters....and no coffee table or any other type of table that may require a coaster. So, I'm giving them away!

6 really cute coasters to the lucky person that gets picked from random.org on this coming Thursday (April 29th.) To enter, leave a comment on this post and tell me something fun about yourself!

skirt success

I've been working on this skirt for a couple days. Let me say that while a few people have been in awe of my quilts, no one is ever in awe of my other sewing abilities (or lack there of.) I've made quite a few aprons in my day but have never ventured into making clothes. It was always too intimidating. I just knew anything I made would probably turn out awful. So for this skirt I bought my fabric at Wal-Mart. I usually never even look at the Wal-Mart fabric because it's not the highest quality stuff. I wasn't about to spend $8/yd though on something that may turn out yucky. Now I wish I'd spent the money because it turned out great!I would have to say that the result is probably only because of how simple this pattern was! A fellow farmgirl from the MJF Chat Room shared it with me and I'm thankful she did! Here's the link if you want to try it yourself- even someone with minimal sewing abilities would be able to do this one!

Good reads

I've been published! Well, sort of. :) The latest issue of Hobby Farm Home magazine has an article on Etsy and I'm in it. Too bad we don't have that magazine locally!!(Grrrr) Does anyone have that magazine available to them at a local store? I contacted the magazine itself but they only sell back issues (once this becomes a back issue) in pdf form. I'd love to have an original. I'll be glad to paypal the cost of the magazine plus the shipping to someone who may be able to get me an issue! The above issue is the one I'm looking for- it's the Jan/Feb 2010 issue.

Also, does anyone want this?

I made it a long time ago and was going to applique some cute stars along the red strips and then quilt it. I thought it would be a fun, easy project. I haven't done anything with it though and just found it while I was cleaning my laundry room! It is made with flannel (from JoAnns I think) and has not been washed. It measures 35in x 41in. If you'd like it, just leave a comment here along with a way for me to contact you and I'll gladly send it to the first person that wants it!

***Update! Since I was mentioned in the magazine the company is sending me a free copy! Thanks to all who offered to get me one- but hey, I may take a second copy if any of you have already picked one up. :)***