January 2019 - Simply Me DIY

January 29, 2019May 21, 2020

For The Love of Lavender

Everybody loves lavender, don’t they? Do you know anyone who doesn’t?

Last month I wrote an article about the gifts my granddaughter and I made for her teachers. You can find that article here.

Bundle of lavender — A bundle of lavender and wheat. Picture courtesy of
Prairie Lavender Farm.

In that article I told you I would go over the herbs we used in those gifts.

I thought I’d start by telling you some of the awesome benefits of lavender, a very old and well loved flower/herb.

Here’s just a few of the benefits everybody should know about this beautiful flower.

Everybody knows lavender for its beautiful scent and relaxing qualities. It’s said to relieve stress, lift moods and relieve the agitation that comes with dementia. I wish I had known that years ago.

Germany actually has patented a product called Silean that’s been shown to be as effective as Ativan in helping adults diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorders.

A drying rack full of lavender — Drying lavender. You can only imagine how lovely that lavender smells. Picture courtesy of
Prairie Lavender Farm.

Another study showed when the essential oils were used in nursing homes and was shown to decrease falls. Now that’s pretty cool, says the old lady writing the article.

All these things have long been Lavender’s claim to fame.

But did you know, there’s a lot more uses for lavender and some you might not have thought or heard of before.

It’s good when it’s used as an antiseptic and antimicrobial. Both of which help prevent infections and decrease pain.

I’ve used the essential oil to relieve a minor burn I got from pulling something out of the oven. I read about that somewhere and decided to give it a try and was shocked at how well it worked.

A few days later I read a little more on the subject and found out it promotes tissue healing too.

Lavender with a bee. — A bee and his lavender flowers. Picture courtesy of Prairie Lavender Farm.

Then I found this study that showed that kids who had their tonsils taken out took less Tylenol (or its equivalent) when they inhaled lavender essential oils after surgery. That’s pretty awesome, cause I know how bad that hurts.
**(“Evaluation of the Effect of Aromatherapy with Lavender Essential Oil on Post-tonsillectomy Pain in Pediatric Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology 77, no. 9 (2013): doi:10.1016/j.ijporl.2013.07.014 )

Rows of lavender — Beautiful rows of lavender. Picture courtesy of Prairie Lavender Farm.

Lavender’s considered a warming herb which means it makes a great tea when you’re a little under the weather and have a bit of a chill.

And on top of everything else it can help promote digestion. Who knew!!

And here’s a little history.

Did you know Cleopatra was said to have used lavender as one of her secret weapons for seduction? It seemed to have worked on Mark Anthony and Julius Caesar.

Lavender with a butterfly — Looks like a sweet meal. Picture courtesy of Prairie Lavender Farm.

And at one time, the sprigs were hung in doorways to protect against evil spirits. And added to baths to drive evil spirits and demons away from cranky kids, then used to rejuvenate adults (probably after giving those cranky kids a bath and putting them to bed).

There’s one more thing it’s good for.

Lavender is an edible flower and there are a ton of recipes out there, which is great since it’s so good for digestion.

Dried lavender flowers — Dried lavender. Great for teas and cooking.

What I love most and make regularly, is my most favorite way of using lavender and that’s in a loose leaf tea.

I use it together with a lot of different herbs but what I mix it with most is lemon balm tea. 3 parts lemon balm and 2 parts lavender is the best.

It doesn’t only smell divine but it tastes great.

So, the next time you need to kick back and relax, grab a cup of lavender tea. Enjoy the warm feeling it gives you and its lovely scent.

Enjoy these small things a little more.

Chairs in the shade under a tree — A lovely place to relax. Picture courtesy of Prairie Lavender Farm.

Remember to use organic UNSPRAYED herbs or flowers of any kind for whatever your using. You want to put the best quality products in and on your body that you can afford.

If you’ve tried anything lavender, let me know how it worked out for you and what you loved about it. I’d really like to know.

I want to thank Prairie Lavender Farms for letting me use the beautiful pictures taken on their farm. Please visit them online here and if you live nearby, I hope you can get by to see them in person.

Until next time…

Health, Wealth & Blessings ~ Tracey

January 22, 2019January 15, 2019

Spices In Your Coffee?

When you make your coffee in the morning, do you just put coffee grounds in the filter? Did you ever consider adding spices to your filter to jazz up your coffee in the morning?

I can’t remember where I heard it or when, but I was told once that cinnamon in your coffee was good for helping to regulate blood sugar levels. After looking into it I found that was a true statement about cinnamon.

Use a cinnamon stick to stir your coffee.

So I tried it and guess what, it was good.

I regularly drink my coffee black. So where some people get extra flavor from sweeteners and creams, I found adding spices can give a lot of extra flavor without the extra calories.

The Research

As I did a bit of research for this article I also found that cinnamon is also good for rheumatoid arthritis, great for relieving tooth pain and helps boost the immune system. You can’t beat that!!

Just start with a half to a full teaspoon for a pot of coffee. It’s always best to start small and work up to the flavor that suits you best.

The Whimsy

Then on the more whimsical side of things I also found that cinnamon was also good for success, healing and protection.

The Taoists regarded cinnamon as the food of the Gods. I’m sure there are some that would tend to agree with this assessment.

A 5000 year old mythical Chinese emperor, hero and herbalist known as Shennong spoke of cinnamon too.

And the gypsies are said to have used cinnamon for lust and love spells.

So Now You know

Now you know some really awesome reasons to give cinnamon in your coffee a try. Let me know what you think.

If you use something different in your coffee, let me know what it is. In the reading I’ve done, I found there are several spices to be tried. Maybe give nutmeg, ginger, star anise, or even clove a try. These are all warming spices. Spices that make you think of curling up on a couch with a blanket.

Cinnamon sticks, star anise, whole clove and nutmeg.

If you know someone who might like to give it a try, be sure to share this with them. And be sure to let me know in the comments section below if you’ve used cinnamon or any other spices in your coffee to add that little bit of extra flavor to your morning.

Until next time, Health, Wealth & Blessings ~ Tracey

January 15, 2019January 11, 2019

The Best Homemade Chapstick

So, have you ever thought of making your own homemade chapstick? Well, you should, cause it’s easy. And because 1 recipe makes a ton of chapstick.

The basic recipe includes 2 ingredients, almond oil and bees wax. That’s it, really.

Almond oil is used because it’s not as greasy feeling as coconut and some of the other carrier oils. You could always make it that much better and infuse your almond oil with calendula flowers and make it that much more nourishing for your lips.

Yep, it really is that simple.

Do you know What’s in Chapstick

Have you ever read the ingredients in chapstick? I just looked them up and it’s crazy!

Here is the list of inactive ingredients from the Pfizer website.

With the active ingredients listed as Avobenzone, Octinoxate and White petrolatum.

How many of those ingredients do you know?

Well, now you’ll always know what’s in your chapstick and it’s so inexpensive to make. I wanted to say it’s cheap to make but that really sounds bad, but anyway.

How To Make The Best Homemade Chapstick

Before you start, you’ll want to get your tubes and/or tins set up and ready. This is a cup of oil and 2 oz of wax and it made 25 1-oz tubes and 7 2-oz tins. Never hurts to have a couple of extra, just in case. I link below where I get mine.

Start with 1 Cup Almond oil

Mix with 2 oz Bees wax.

A side note about bees wax. You can see from the picture that I’m cutting from a block. The first bees wax I bought, I thought I was doing good by buying more for less. While this wax is just as good, it’s SO hard to cut up or shave off. This is where I buy my bees wax. It’s awesome wax and they have several different ways you can buy it. I highly recommend buying the pastilles or 1 oz bars unless you are making candles. Just my opinion, but I’ve used both and it’s SO worth it, trust me.

Melt wax and oil over a double boiler or very low heat. I’ve made my own double boiler. That’s a medium sauce pan with the glass measuring cup sitting on a canning ring. It’s easy to make something similar.

If you want to use essential oils, add them after you’ve removed the oils from the heat. It’ll take about 1 tsp, give or take. Start small and work up. You can always add more, but you can’t remove it.

Then pour into chapstick tubes or small tins. Sometimes this can be a challenge, but it’s doable. There are tube holders I’ve seen, but I haven’t found a need to buy one yet.

I’m sure there are a lot of places to buy these (or you could re-use tubes if you are keeping them for yourself), but here is where I’ve bought the tubes and here is where I bought the tins.

So there you have it. Simple homemade chapstick, that’s easy and inexpensive to make. Not often you find that combination. I hope you like this one and, if you need to, can adjust it to make it perfect it for you.

If you have a different recipe let me know. If you have an essential oil combination you love to use, let me know that too. Leave those ideas and recipes in the comments below to share with anyone else who may want to give it a try.

And if you know of someone who might want to give this a try, share it with them.

I hope you enjoy it. I make it and give it away during the holiday season to family and friends. It’s makes so much it would take me forever to use it up.

Until next week–

Health, Wealth & Blessings~Tracey

January 8, 2019January 9, 2019

Creamy DIY Laundry Soap

I haven’t bought laundry soap in a long time. That’s not to say I don’t have any, but I bought it a long time ago. I have it on hand for when I don’t get a batch of my laundry soap made, which doesn’t happen often.

I try to keep it made, but there times when I just can’t get it done. Each batch makes 2 quarts each, so it last for a while at a tablespoon at a time. This makes it easy to keep around because it lasts for a good long time.

The Ingredients

The ingredients are simple to find and they can make several batches.

Soap: I use Fels-Naptha soap made by Purex. These are 5 oz bars and 1 bar will make 2 quarts of homemade laundry soap. I’ve tried the Dr. Bonners bar soap but the laundry soap didn’t stay creamy, it hardened into a bit more of a solid so it didn’t dissolve as well as this does.

Borax: Is a naturally occurring mineral and salt compound. When powered it’s white and dissolves in water, dissolving better with higher temperatures.

Washing Soda: This is not the same as baking soda, although you can make washing soda from baking soda. Only a few molecules separates the 2, but there is a definite difference. Washing soda is not made for cooking.

The Recipe

While this recipe is a process, it can be split up into small easy portions.

First:

Cut one bar of soap in half.

Chop each half into smaller sized pieces to about the size of a pea. Add each half to it’s own quart jar.

Second:

Add 1 cup of boiling water to each quart jar.

At this point you will want to allow the water to cool off. This can be a few hours to a few days. I’ve actually let it set for more than a week at a time.

Third:

With a butter knife, cut up the bar of soap in the bottom of the quart jar.

Forth:

Add 1/2 cup each borax and washing soda to each quart.

1/2 cup each borax and washing soda in each jar.

Fifth:

Pour boiling water to the shoulder of the jar.

Add boiling water to the shoulder of the jar.

At this point, I will use that butter knife and sort of mix, in a slicing motion, the water, borax and washing soda, with just a few strokes.

Then I use a stick blender (because it fits in a wide mouthed quart jar) and mix on high until you reach a consistency that’s kind of like mayo.

Make sure you mix all the way to the bottom.

Watch the jar, if you mix shortly after pouring the hot water in the jar, the jar will get hot fast.

And there you have it…your first batch of laundry soap.

Creamy DIY laundry soap, about the same consistency of mayonnaise.

I use about a tablespoon per normal load of laundry. I’ve used it in cold water and warm water and it’s worked in both.

I’ve also used this as a stain remover and it’s worked for me there too. Just put a small amount on the stain and rub it together, then throw it in the wash as normal.

If you’ve tried a different recipe you think is great, I’d love for you to share it in the comments below. If you want to give this one a try, let me know how it turns out below too.

Be sure to share this post with anyone you may know, who can use it.

Please, if you’d like to be notified when I post a new DIY/homemade idea, be sure to subscribe in the side bar.

And finally, if you have something you would like me to try, drop me a line.

Until next time……Health, Wealth & Blessings ~ Tracey

January 1, 2019January 9, 2019

DIY Gift Bags For All Occasions

So, I started making the bags for the gifts my grand-daughter made for her teachers today. You can find the gift ideas and how to for here. This was one of those ideas that came to me last minute. I thought the homemade bags added a nice touch to a homemade gift. But because it was a last minute thought, it was also something I started without finding out if I had everything I needed.

Thankfully, I buy things on sale when I see it because it “might be useful for something” and I rarely throw away scraps of any good size. This is handy and can make for a stack of “stuff” that my other half is not always real happy about:-) But hey, he does the same, so he generally is pretty quiet about it.

Gathering your materials

A few thoughts before you get started.

Be sure to think about and then gather all your materials ahead of time, so you have everything at hand. This is something I’m real bad about. I will think of an idea and start putting it together without thinking the whole project through first. Then I find myself in the middle of a project looking for something (like my pinking sheers) and not finding it or having to improvise. Note to self……

Gather your supplies BEFORE you start. Makes life a whole lot easier.

These bags can be made from any cloth you may have laying around. It can be a good way to re-purpose old shirts or pretty sheets. Or, in my case, a while back I bought some remnant cloth for less than a dollar with a Christmas theme, so I started with that.

Fabric remnants for making DIY gift bags.

I ran out of the remnant cloth for the teacher’s gifts so I looked around a little more and found some old left-over fabric I used to trim some kitchen curtains I made a few years back and decided to use the rest of that.

Assembling your DIY bags

I’m not a seamstress, by any stretch of the word. I have a sewing machine my mom got me for my birthday, probably 20 years ago, but it rarely gets used. I do have, however, a good amount of ironing tape I got from my mom. This I can do.

I cut the fabric to size. I wasn’t terribly worried about the perfection of the shape so I just eyeballed it. Then I cut the ironing tape to fit the 3 sides and just ironed them together, right sides out.

Once I got them ironed, I realized I wasn’t real happy with the look of the edges. So when I finally found my pinking sheers I cut the edges making a zig zag. That made the sides look more finished.

Zig zag edges after using the pinking sheers.

Bias tape sewn with a straight stitch to finish the edges.

The left over kitchen curtain fabric was really thick and it didn’t like the ironing tape. It just wouldn’t stay stuck, so I actually had to do some sewing. Since I didn’t want the edges to be raw, I bought some bias tape to use along the sides. These bags were folded on the bottom, so I only had do deal with the sides. So I cut the bias tape to fit and sewed the edges with the tape finishing the sides.

Closing your bags

I came up with several ways of closing the bags, but in the end decided the simpler the better. I used some left over gold cord (from a Halloween costume) and Christmas ribbon to close them.

Creating the bags was easy. Think your idea through and pull all of your materials together and you’ll save yourself a ton of time.

If you know of someone who can use this idea, be sure to share this post with them. And, please let me know if you’ve made your own gift bags. I’d love to know what you used and how you put them together. You can leave pictures and share your gift bag projects in the comments below.

Talk to you again soon.

Health, Wealth & Blessings~ Tracey