DIY – Make your own terrarium (and repair the one you killed)

I don’t have a green thumb.  My thumb is as black as they come, which is highly awkward for someone dabbling in herbalism as I am.  But I love plants, and I love terrariums.  I bought one from Twig Terrariums (chronicled here) and paid a pretty penny for it since it had teeny tiny customized characters in it.  And I loved it dearly, right up until the moment I murdered it due to overwatering and general stupidity when it comes to terrarium maintenance.

Since the demise of my terrarium, I vowed to fix it and make one of my own.  The resurrection of my old terrarium and creation of a brand new one happened this weekend.  If you’re interested in making a tiny ecosystem of your own, I’ll show you how!  (And here is where I solemnly pledge to keep my moss alive this time.)

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DIY – Herbal Tinctures (part 1)

As a neophyte to herbalism, I’m only just discovering tinctures.  I’ve been taking a St. John’s Wort tincture for my anxiety and I can tell that it makes a difference.  The one drawback is that those little one-ounce bottles are exxxxxxxpensive!  Making your own herbal tinctures isn’t hard, and they are far more economical than going to Whole Foods and buying the manufactured ones yourself.  To see how to start your own tinctures, read on!

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Homemade Deodorant Powder

Today’s mass market deodorant is full of aluminum, perfume, and a dozen other unpronounceable ingredients.  If you’re like me, your body has said, “Nope, no way!” and it’s gone on strike, leaving you with red, itchy armpits that are only soothed by a rough scrubbing in the shower.  Also, if you really are like me, you’ve tried the natural stuff, too – the Tom’s, the crystal – and have ended up with the same angry pits.  So where do you go from there?

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Sometimes I’m crafty!

Today I was looking for a good hiding place to shove a stack papers I didn’t feel like going through anytime soon and I stumbled upon a small quilt I made a few years ago.  I decided it to add it to my “vintage” dining room since it fits in so well!  So here it is – I hand-pieced and hand-quilted the entire thing back in, um… 2005?  Wow.  That was a long time ago!  I kind of miss quilting.  I should do it again someday!

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