Category Archives: Herbs and Flowers

Honeysuckle Orangeade {a refreshing herbal summer drink recipe}

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goat curious about glass of honeysuckle orangeade

Honeysuckle Orangeade is a refreshing summer drink recipe with the added benefits of honeysuckle herbal tea. It’s easy to make, kid-friendly and was so well received by my family, I barely got photos of it before they drank every last drop. My goats also seemed fascinated! :)   I was inspired to make this recipe (and more fun summer drink recipes like it!) after going through the Herbal Tea Kick Start Guide, a course created … Continue reading →

How to Make Dandelion Lotion Bars

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How to Make Dandelion Lotion Bars

I originally made these lotion bars for my husband. His primary job is as a rock mason and the mortar and rough stone often leaves his hands dry, cracked, and bleeding. At night, I put salve on them, and while that helped a lot, it just wasn’t enough. Lotion bars have a long history of helping the toughest cases of cracked, dry skin, while dandelion oil is particularly useful for alleviating the chapped skin and soreness … Continue reading →

9 Things to Make with Forsythia Flowers

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fresh forsythia and other spring flowers in a basket

Spring has finally started to arrive around these parts! Yesterday, I took a walk with my daughter and we collected all of the pretty flowers and herbs shown in the basket above. After she asked me about how I planned to use some of the flowers, I realized that I’ve never written up a “things to make” post about one of my spring favorites – forsythia flowers! Forsythia bushes (Forsythia suspensa) not only offer a … Continue reading →

Spring Flower Foot Scrub Bars

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Floral Foot Scrub Bars

These pretty spring flower foot scrub bars are simple to make and require just three ingredients. 1/4 cup sea salt 1/4 cup fresh flower petals or herbs (loosely packed) 2 Tbsp coconut oil Use them to polish and prepare your feet for sandal weather! (You can also find this recipe on page 119 inside my print book, 101 Easy Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health & Home. Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your … Continue reading →

Lotion Bar Sticks for Pain Relief {Arthritis and Achy Muscles}

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Lotion Bar Sticks for Arthritis and Achy Muscles - This easy DIY recipe features a trio of herbs (cayenne, ginger and arnica flowers) that have been shown to help relieve pain, inflammation and arthritis.

This recipe was inspired by newsletter subscriber Bonnie, who was seeking a lotion bar in a deodorant stick container for achy muscles and arthritic pain. It features a trio of herbs: cayenne – contains capsaicin which has been shown to offer relief from arthritic and other types of pain ginger – traditionally used to warm, increases circulation and relieve pain when applied topically arnica flowers – traditionally used to treat swelling, bruising and arthritic joints … Continue reading →

Flower Garden Bath Soak Blend

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Flower Garden Bath Soak

This beautiful soak, filled with colorful flowers and a pretty floral scent, is reminiscent of a walk through a flower garden on a lovely spring day. You can use any combination of dried flowers that you like. For this batch shown, I used cornflower, rose and calendula. (You can also find this recipe in my Natural Bath Care Package – which contains inspiring recipes along with tips for creating all-natural bath bombs and soaks.)   … Continue reading →

10 Things to Make With Calendula Flowers

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calendula salve

Have an abundance of dried calendula flowers or a bountiful crop of the blossoms from your garden and aren’t quite sure what to do with them all? Calendula flowers are traditionally used for their following properties: skin soothing antiseptic healing anti-inflammatory These 10 projects using calendula flowers are both useful and pretty! A few notes before we begin: 1. If your calendula flowers are fresh, you’ll need to dry them before making most of these recipes. … Continue reading →

St John’s Wort Oil & Salve for Tired Muscles

 
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Infusing-St-Johns-Wort-Oil

St. John’s wort is a pretty yellow flowering plant that’s considered a noxious weed in several states, but is well-loved by herbalists! Besides using it for tinctures and liniments (like THIS RECIPE), it’s also wonderful to infuse into oil for salves and lotions. Today, I’m going to share an herbal salve recipe that’s great for tired legs and back muscles – if you’re on your feet a lot, or if you have to spend a … Continue reading →