Mini Aged Terra Cotta Pot DIY for Succulents and Air Plants

Hey guys! I painted a few terra cotta pots to look aged and to fit my home decor because it sounded like fun. Thats really the only reason why, haha! It would have been way easier to just white wash them but I really liked how they turned out with the texture on them and they really were fun to make!
To achieve this look I used white chalk paint, a warm gray or taupe chalk paint, small stiff paint brush, cloth and spray bottle, and a sealer. I used a glaze to seal mine.

To watch the video directly on youtube click THIS LINK.

You can visit my youtube channel HERE.

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DIY Glass Cleaner

This DIY glass cleaner is crazy easy to make. All you need is some distilled or reverse osmosis water and some isopropyl alcohol. You could also use a high proof clear grain alcohol without any added flavorings as well. I also added in some essential oils so that I can shake it up and have a linen or room spray too.

Some people use distilled vinegar instead of the alcohol but the vinegar isn't good for some seals and finishes that the spray might come in contact with so I like to stick with the alcohol instead.

Basically mix together half rubbing alcohol (I use 91%) and half water and put it in a spray bottle. My bottle hold two cups, so I use a cup of alcohol and a cup of reverse osmosis water.

In the video I also describe how to make nail polish remover. If you prefer to watch the video on youtube then click HERE.

You can visit my youtube channel HERE.

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Preserved Moss Terrarium diy

Hey guys, I have an extra long video for you so that I can show you why I like preserved moss, some things that I don't like about it, and how to make a preserved moss terrarium.

This is a full tutorial on how I make terrariums with preserved moss. I also give a few tips on making them with live moss. I basically make two because I decided that I wanted to use Himalayan salt as the centerpiece which I could do because their will be no moisture in this terrarium!

You can watch this video directly on youtube by clicking THIS LINK.

You can visit my youtube channel HERE.

Thank you for stopping by! If you like diy's, urban farm things, and healthy living then be sure to subscribe over on the side! --->

How to use an oval makeup brush to apply powder foundation

I have been having the weirdest finish to my powder foundation lately. My skin has changed and so has the seasons so I needed a solution. This oval makeup brush is my solution! It buffs on the powder so well that I no longer have the weird finish that I was getting. It was cake-y and also showing all my dry skin and it was just no good no mater what brand of powder I tried. In this video I show you how I use a large oval makeup brush to apply my foundation and I have a little review on my new favorite mascara.

To watch the video directly on youtube click HERE.

This video and post is not sponsored or anything, I just wanted to share how this was working for me.

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How to make kombucha without a scoby.

I like to make my Kombucha from a fresh start every year. I don't drink that much kombucha during the winter, so when it starts getting warm I just buy a bottle of plain kombucha to start a new batch. From their I just save a cup of kombucha and a scoby to make kombucha for the rest of the season. This way I'm not storing a scoby all winter, trying to keep it alive. 

If you'd rather watch the video on youtube click HERE.

* I give a few extra tips at the end so make sure your volume is up towards the end of the video if your turn it of from the music. I also explain how to make kombucha vinegar. 

This method works every time! I do like to check to see how big the culture is on the bottom of the bottle, and I will choose one with a bit more culture in it. Just heat up a gallon of water to a boil and add in a cup of sugar. Brew your tea (black, green, white, or red. Certain herbal teas may kill your starter.) in the water then let it cool. Add it to a jar with your bottle of kombucha and cover with a tea towel. Let sit for 5 to 10 days or until a new scoby is formed.


Previous Kombucha posts:
How to make Kombucha and why its good for you.
Kid friendly Kombucha (sweeter without extra sugar)

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Bubbling Bath Salts

This DIY like most of my DIY's is extremely easy, however this one only requires TWO ingredients! How cool is that?! Like my last few posts this one has a video too! Click HERE to go directly to that video on youtube, or watch it below.

Materials:

• Mixing bowl 
• 1 cup measuring cup
• 1/3 cup measuring cup
• mixing spoon
• sheet pan

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Epsom salts
• 1/3 cup body wash

Mix everything together then spread evenly on a sheet pan and let air dry for 24 hours. I like to let it dry for up to 48 hours, and I like to stir and re-spread it every 12 hours but that isn't necessary.

Store in an airtight container, mix 1/4 to 1/2 cup of salts with running water for your bath.


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DIY Natural Beauty Gift Basket

This is a simple little gift basket that I put together using dome diy beauty products and some chocolate, plus a homemade gift tag that I made at a party. Don't Forget to watch the video to see how I put it together!
if you would rather watch the video on youtube follow the link HERE.

Basic lip balm recipe;
In a double boiler, Melt 1 Tbsp beeswax, 2 Tbsp cocoa butter, 1 Tbsp almond oil, a few drops of tangerine and vanilla oil. pour into containers.

DIY ginger snap body scrub

Pink Peppermint Lip balm I used a different one but I haven't posted that recipe yet.

The goats milk soap is a basic melt and poor soap from etsy.

Berry basket from target

Alter eco chocolate bars

Honey patties

Other things you could add are things like a mini loofah, tea, bath salts, clay mask, bubble bath, nail polish, lotion, anything that you like that is shelf stable.


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I'm not sponsored by anyone, I just really like these chocolates and they were on sale, so extra bonus!

Gingersnap Body Scrub DIY

HEY! I did another video! This week I made a gingersnap body scrub. Gingersnaps are my favorite cookies to make and to eat this time of year and I love to make sugar cookie body scrubs so I thought why not use molasses and make gingersnap body scrubs! I also figured the spices would be a bit warming this time of year too. You can use essential oils instead of the spices, but I felt like keeping it simple and making a recipe that pretty much anyone can make without buying anything special. I used sugar for this scrub (duh, cookies! am I right?) and I used coconut oil and almond oil for the moisturizer. I wanted to use coconut oil because I wanted that rich fattiness to kind of mimic butter without, you know, using butter. Anyway this is such a fun recipe because I felt like I was making cookies but unlike cookies this will last longer. Wouldn't this make such a cute gift pared with some homemade gingersnap cookies? If you would rather watch the video on youtube you can easily click the link HERE.

Ingreadiants: 
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar (or 1 cup white with 2 Tbsp molasses)
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup liquid oil (such as almond)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp ginger, ground
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice)
  *optional body wash/liquid body soap, 1 tsp to 1 tbsp

Directions: 
Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.
This also works well as a lip scrub just make sure you don't put any soap in it if you use it for that. You can  use just coconut oil and use a little extra to make tubes of lip scrub also. Maybe I should make a video on that.

I've been posting lots of videos and I have a whole bunch more in the works so if you want to keep updated subscribe via email on the side -> or you can also subscribe to my youtube channel, that button is on the side to or just use THIS LINK.

Wonderful Wintergreen Bath Bombs

Bath bombs are really fun use but they can be a bit of a pain to make. My preferred way of making them is without the water and just putting it in a container to sprinkle it in. For gifts you can put it in a sachet with enough for a single use. Like bath packets that you would buy at the store. I like to mix up bath bombs with ingredients that  I want mixed into my bath that can clump up, such as goats milk powder, oat flour, etc. The reaction helps mix in ingredients when you have a cooler bath also. When you use a powdered color it is helpful to be able to mix it in with the reaction as well. If you don't want to bother with the citric acid, you can use cream of tartar, or even baking powder in place of the baking soda/citric acid combo will work. But if you want to go really crazy you could skip the acid in the bomb and just use the baking soda then when you go to put it in the bath add in apple cider vinegar to create the reaction. That would make it really easy to make the bath bomb but you would need to add them both at the beginning of the bath for it to incorporate all the way.  Don't forget to watch the video below or you can go to it on youtube HERE.
I have tried to make Bath bombs with melted coconut oil before, and it does help them to stay together but it also doesn't mix into the bath quite as well but if your water is really warm/hot then you could probably get away with it just make sure your area that your mixing everything together is nice and warm otherwise the coconut oil will harden before you get everything mixed in.

Ingredients 
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup citric acid
3 1/2 Tbsp Epsom salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp mineral pigment
2 Tbsp Almond oil
5 Drops wintergreen oil
5 drops of vanilla
Spray bottle of water (optional)

Mix together the dry ingredients with a whisk you could sift the baking soda beforehand to get out all the clumps. Add in the oils. Spread out the mixture and mist with water, mix, repeat until it comes together when squeezed. Press firmly into a mold and turn it out.

Or skip the water and place mixture in a clean container and sprinkle a couple of tablespoons into a bath.

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Glossy Pink Peppermint Lip Balm DIY

This diy was inspired by my favorite holiday ice-cream, Pink Peppermint. Mountain Rose Herbs has a great diy for tinted lip gloss that I had been wanting to try out. Since I was going for more of a balm instead of a gloss I added a little extra beeswax and I'm not really into geranium so I changed the essential oils that I used to suit my needs. I also have been really loving almond oil lately so I used that instead of macadamia nut oil.

This recipe is easier than it seams and is so great for the winter. It has a glossy finish with a rosy hue. You need to make the alkanet root infusion first but that is so simple. 

Its just 5 Tbsp of liquid oil (I use almond) and 1 Tbsp of alkanet root gently heated together in a double boiler until the oil takes on the color of the root. The longer you let it sit the more color will be extracted. strain out the root and you've got your infused oil to use in the lip balm recipe. Watch the video to see how it's done and you can use the directions below to make it easier. 

Pink Peppermint Lip Balm

1 Tbsp plus  1or 2 teaspoons of beeswax 

1 Tbsp of coco butter 

3 Tbsp of your almond oil alkanet infusion

5 drops of peppermint oil

10 drops of vanilla oleoresin 

In a double boiler, melt the beeswax, then the coco butter, then add in your oil and stir till its all combined. Once its all melted add in the essential oils. Poor into lib balm tubes or tins. let sit until hardened. 

This recipe can be changed up depending on what you prefer in a lip balm. If you don't want it to be as glossy and you want it to shield your lips from the winter, add an extra couple teaspoons of beeswax. if you want it to be more buttery add a half Tbsp more of coco butter. if you want it to be more of a straight up gloss play around with using a higher oil to wax/butter ratio. You could even exchange the coco butter for coconut oil and that will make it more of a gloss just definitely put that in a tin instead of a tube. And if you don't quite like how it turns out, melt it down and add a little more of something. I like to test mine out by putting a little bit in a tin and cooling it down in the fridge until it sets. This can be a bit deceiving so let it warm up slightly if you've let it sit in the fridge to long. 

I hope this inspires you to try something new this week. DIY's are so fun for holiday gifts and the extra thought goes a long way to make people feel special. 

Have A great week everyone!

Crab apple facial toner diy

Its crab apple season where I live, so to take advantage of these marvelous little fruits I decided to try out a new toner that worked surprisingly well. 

This toner uses crab apples to deliver nourishing vitamins like vitamin A and C to your skin. 

Ingredients

4 crab apples, or one small apple cut up
1/2 cup of water
Optional 2 Tbsp of witch hazel or floral water/hydrosol 

Directions

Simmer the apple in the water for 10 minutes. Let cool, add in witch hazel or floral water if desired. Place in either a sparay bottle or apply to the skin using a cotton pad. 

Diy Gelatin hair gel

I like to use this hair gel to keep my hair in place when I put it up or in a braid. It is so easy to make, and costs only pennies. 

1/4 - 1/2 tsp of gelatin mixed with 1/2 cup of water.

Let it heat up for a couple minutes in a sauce pan until the gelatin has dissolved. Pour into a container, and chill in the refrigerator until set. 

Mix it up with a fork to make it easier to use. Keep in the refrigerator. Will last a week or two.

Additional options; use rose, or orange blossom water in place of some or all of the water. Add in some vanilla extract, or essential oils for sent.

Watch how to

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PH Balanced Shampoo

I've been using this shampoo recipe for a couple weeks now, it has transformed my hair for the better. It is so soft and manageable and I love it!

This diy is so easy to do, I use yogurt, which makes this a little more acidic, more like a 4 on the ph scale, where as using coconut milk will make it perfectly balanced with your hair at a 4.5. Coconut milk has a ph of 7, aloe vera a ph of 3, and honey can be anywhere from a 4 to a 6. Raw milk can be substituted, as well as any other non dairy milk. The raw milk and yogurt have probiotics that I find help keep my scalp happy.

Click Here for the original diy from thankyourbody.com

If it's not accid it will make your hair softer. If it is to soft, perhaps try more coconut milk and less aloe vera and don't use yogurt or maybe just a little bit. You could also use c just coconut milk and no yogut and add in a probiotic supliment if you still want some extra bacteria. Apple cider vinegar rinses will also add probiotics, keeping away dandruff, eczema, etc.

I use 1 par honey, 2 parts yogurt (or 2 parts milk), and 3 parts aloe vera. I mix it in an applicator bottle, and simply shampoo my hair with it. It will not suds. I also like to clean my face with it. Currently I need to wash my hair about 2 to 3 times a week with this shampoo, but that might change with the seasons.

I usually post recipes, beauty DIY's and health tips once or twice a week so if you want more then subscribe over on the side bar. :)

Oil cleansing your face

Do you find that cleansers, masks, scrubs and other products promoted to cleans your skin, and rid it of oils and bacteria causing blemishes make your skin irritated, dry, or even more oily and have more breakouts than before? You are most certainly not alone. I have always, like most women, struggled to find the right cleanser. for me the things that would work the best but never fully were food based products and soaps that contained oils.
Most skin care products designed to wash your face and rid it of acne cause dry uncomfortable tight skin which makes your skin produce even more oils to compensate what you took away. Our skin needs these oils to stay healthy, and when we constantly try to change our skin like this we cause breakouts, redness, and various forms of skin irritation. If you use antibacterial soap it takes away all of the good bacteria that keeps your skin healthy and fungus, blemishes, and other skin problems away. We allow that .1% that is inevitably still their in our "supper bug" age to bread and grow without the good bacteria to keep them in check. The way that acne medications work, is to kill the acne causing bacteria. They are antibiotics, which like the antibacterial soap that many use, kill the good guys too. This is why yogurt that contains probiotics (the good bacteria)  is recommended for people taking acne medications.
Bacteria is not the only cause of skin problems, but also the buildup of oil, dirt, dead skin cells and hormones (or rather an imbalance of hormones) can cause blemishes. This is of coarse is why it is important for us to cleanse our face every day for our skin to stay healthy.
The best method that I have tried is the oil cleansing method. I know it seams a bit backwards to clean the oil, dirt, bacteria etc off of your face with more oil, but it really works well. Since your face needs the oil to stay healthy and balanced the oil in combination with a hot washcloth pressed against your face for a few seconds pulls out blackheads, bacteria, etc, while following up with gentle circular motions of a washcloth that gently scrubs away the dead cells. And believe it or not, depending on what oil you use and how well you wash it off you may need a moisturizer afterwards! The reason why oil cleansing works is because the oil you use dissolves the oil that has hardened with impurities and gotten stuck inside your pores, and takes it away. The hot washcloth will open up your pores making it easier to cleans them. If your face feels a bit dry afterwards just use a bit of the oil that you used to cleans your face with as a moisturizer.
I suggest you try out what type of oil works best for you.

Start with your base oil, I prefer , Macadamia nut or Jojoba, oil for their similarities to sebum, or the skins natural oils. Macadamia nut is much cheaper that jojoba though. Chia seed oil however is probably going to work best for most everyone especially people with acne,dry, or aging skin. If you do have normal to dry skin you could try some other oils such as Camelina, Coconut or Olive.

You can leave it at that or you can make a blend of oils. you could add some castor oil for its healing benefits, but don't use too much because it can be drying, other than that many people find it works very well. I like to add Tamanu oil for its amazing healing properties. it has bean know to heal your skin of things from leprosy to eczema. though it is more expensive than castor oil, it works better for me and its production is more ethical and definitely safer to the people who make the oil. I love using Sea buckthorn oil oil in my blend. This goes a long way so you really don't need to use much.
You can chose to add any essential oils now. I like adding healing oils and since I don't put the oils around my eyes, eye irritation isn't a problem. I prefer Elemi oil, it is in the same family as Frankincense and mirth but it is much cheaper. I have had high success with using frankincense to rid my sin of any scars, and where elemi doesn't work nearly as fast it definitely help to rid my skin of blemishes and keep my skin from getting scars. Rose is also very nice, especially for aging skin.
For my moisturizer I use my oil blend, but I add a couple drops of lavender oil. When I have finished washing my face I rinse it with cold water to close my pores to keep debris and bacteria out, and then moisturize. the lavender helps to close the pores further and to kill any harmful bacteria left on the skin. Also it is very soothing and nice for before bed. don't put lavender oil on your face if you are going to be going out into the sun. Lavender oil is photosensitising. this means it makes your skin more sensitive to the sun and can cause red blotches and similar breakouts.

My blend:
Fill a small pump bottle with 2/3 of macadamia nut oil or chia seed oil. To that add just under 1/3 of tamanu oil and fill that the rest of the way with a few drops of sea buckthorn oil and elemi oil.

How to cleanse your face with oil:
Wet your face, and remove your makeup (if you have a lot on) with the cleansing oil. Once your face is moist massage the oil into your face. Taking a hot wrung out washcloth (I use the hottest water from my faucet) place it on your face and let it sit until it becomes cool. You can repeat as many times as you want. Taking a side of the cloth, wipe off the oil (you want to take as much as you can so that all of the dirt will come off and your pores wont be re-clogged). Then splash your face with cold water to seal up your pores and apply some more oil as a moisturizer if desired.

Have fun pampering yourself!

A previous post on beauty alternatives, The toxin free home: Beauty care

Go to http://www.youtube.com/user/blossomsandbundles to visit my YouTube channel. 

Oil Pulling

Another video for my health and beauty series. This video is on a really nifty thing called oil pulling. Oil pulling pulls bacteria puss, and toxins from your body, helping your body to repair itself and heal from infections, disease, and any other illness including tumors and diabetes. It also improves your oral health and whitens your teeth, plus it's cheep!  It is really easy to do. First thing in the morning before you drink or eat anything put a tablespoon of olive, coconut, sunflower or sesame oil, in your mouth. (I prefer coconut oil for its added benefits. No mater what oil you choose make sure it is ether cold pressed, extra virgin or organic or a combination.)

Swish for 20 minutes, if you find that your jaw starts to hurt then don't swish so much, the goal is to simply get the oil to move around in your mouth. I recommend starting off at about 5 minutes and then working up to 20. It may seem like a long time at first but you will get used to it quickly.
Rinse with something such as salt water which is very helpful as an antimicrobial and to soothe any inflammation and proven to be effective in rinsing out any toxins which may be left in the mouth, then brush your teeth. That is it! So simple, and so effective.
Easy toothpaste recipe


Link to My Youtube channel 

2 easy "Knotted" braids

Takes literally 10 seconds to do. 2 kinds of braids that are basically three strand braids but with one thick strand and two thin strands. One is done with the strands on the same side, and the other with the strands on opposite sides. Watch the video bellow and it will make sense.

Easy toothpaste DIY

If you remember a while back I did a post on an oil blend that I use to brush my teeth. Click HERE to check that out. I made a video that is part of my DIY Health and Beauty series on toothpaste made from baking soda, coconut oil, and the oils that I recommend using in my healthy teeth oil. This toothpaste is great for cleaning  your teeth, making them white without using any whiteners, as well as keeping them strong, healthy, and clean. Most toothpastes in the store (including health food stores) contain toxic ingredients such as titanium dioxide, FD&C Blue Dye # 1 & 2, sodium lauryl sulfate, synthetic types of glycerin and sodium fluoride. Click HERE for an interesting video from Mamma Natural.
Coconut oil is antibacterial, antimicrobial, and anti-fungal  Studies have shown that coconut oil destroys the bacteria that can cause tooth decay. Baking soda is a very mild abrasive which aids in cleaning and whitening teeth, and restoring pH balance. to read about the benefits of the essential oils click HERE.

Mix equal parts baking soda and coconut oil, I use about 2 Tbsp of each, with 2 drops of clove oil, 10 drops of birch oil, and 5 drops of orange oil. Adjust to your liking. You can always try other citrus oils, and other oils like cinnamon, wintergreen etc but make sure to not make it to hot! Also xylitol can be added to sweeten it, and a clay (such as bentonite) can be added along with the baking soda, and/or a powdered magnesium but I just like to keep it simple.

The "No Poo" Method

I decided to do a series of videos on Health and DIY beauty. The first one is on Washing your hair without shampoo, thus the "No Poo" method. Instead by using Baking Soda your hair isn't stripped of it's natural oils.   Conventional shampoos strip the hair of it's natural oils causing your scalp to overproduce oils to compensate  leaving you with oily hair the next day. With the "No Poo" method the baking soda gets rid of all of the build up, but leaves the natural oils to keep your hair healthy, but not oily. Apple Cider Vinegar is sprayed on the ends of the hair as a conditioner, and it works very, very well! I know is seams odd and foreign  but It works really well for all hair types, and it is so much cheaper than shampoo.

Sharing time

I love watching educational videos on YouTube. I learn so much, and I think that it is important to continue to learn new things, so along with reading I watch a few neatoe channels on You Tube. We don't have a TV, so now Downton Abbey, BUT, it also saves a lot of wall space so that I can put up more picture. Also, we really don't have much of any need for one. If I watch say, 10 videos on YouTube  then that will suck up maybe an hour of my day, but if I watch an hour of TV, I will see maybe 2 shows tops, and they will make me (well, I guess the wont make me, but still!) sit through commercials and the show replaying bits that happened before. So it kinda wastes my time when I can get more information from ten minutes instead of 30.

Here are my favorites! I like lots of geeky things, but they all are very interesting, and definetly keep your attention. Those are first, then I have some of my more girly and diy stuff.