Making Seed Packets

January 31, 2019 Sarah

Have you ever wanted to stash away seeds, but didn’t want to use plastic bags? Making your own seed packets is quick to do, and kids will love doing the cutting and glueing. Let them decorate them and you might have a full day of fun ahead!

Click here for the PDF to print and cut out. Each printing will make 2 packets. Use standard paper, and be sure to look at the print preview in case you need to scale to fit.

To assemble, cut out packet:

Fold over, then fold the edges. Glue the bottom and one side, let dry. Glue sticks, preferably the purple ones, work best.

Once glued, fold the top over. Decorate as desired, then fill with seeds.

Glue or tape down the top flap and stash away. These are great for making giveaway packets at seed swaps as well!

~Sarah

Crafting · DIY · Essential Oils · Herbalism · Recipes · Soap Making

Holiday Gift Making: Cedar and Rosemary Soap

November 5, 2018 Sarah

Handcrafted gifts can be a fun way to show your love to family and friends – and you can use a few cheats to make it simple and easy. Cedar and Rosemary Soap has a deep woodsy scent, that works for both men and women. If you dislike floral, this is the one for you. Its pale green color comes naturally from the rosemary and the color of the essential oils. No need to add in coloring, let nature do it for you. I have included a link to a favorite glycerine soap base, but as always…read the labels before buying to check on ingredients.

Rosemary, air-dried, is mixed into the soap for scrubbing. We harvest all year, and tuck branches into paper bags, and set aside till dry. Once dried, strip the branches and store the needles in glass jars.

I used in the soap blend some of best essential oils I have had the pleasure of using: Whidbey Herbal, which are made just a few miles from our farm. Being able to support other local farms is important for us! But more than that, Whidbey Herbal’s oils just smell fantastic.

Cedar and Rosemary Soap

Ingredients:

1 pound glycerin soap base
2 Tbsp air-dried rosemary
10 drops cedar essential oil
10 drops rosemary essential oil
Silicone molds*

Directions:

Grind rosemary in a high-speed blender or herb grinder, and set aside.

Unwrap and cube the soap, place into a microwave safe glass mixing bowl or measuring cup.

Microwave for a minute, check to see if melted. If not, heat for 30 second intervals.

Take out carefully, and stir in rosemary. Stir gently until the rosemary is fully mixed in, this will take about a minute.

Add in essential oils, stir gently to mix.

Place molds on a cookie sheet. Divide soap between molds evenly, a metal ¼ cup measuring cup works well.

Let sit on counter till cooled and firm. Give it a few hours.

Gently pop out, seal in soap bags (or plastic bags/film) and store in a cool/dry area. Glycerin soap needs to be kept covered as it can weep when it pulls moisture out of the air.

*My mold holds about 3 ounces or so per cavity (see link above), the recipe makes about 5 soaps per pound of base. Most molds will tell you how much they hold.

Crafting · crafts · Homeschooling

Woolpets Needle Felting Kit Review

September 3, 2018 Sarah

A few years back I picked up needle felting as a hobby, and the boys had been bugging me for a year to teach them. I decided they were old enough to not put the needles into their hands/fingers on accident, so we had fun learning how to do a Woolpets kit together.

I had found the kit at a yarn shop, near our old home, and it got packed up for the move. The boys were helping me get the sewing machine set up and Alistaire found the box.

The pumpkin was a breeze to make, the squirrel…well, I am sure with a few more I could be a pro. Still fun though! It was my first 3D one, where I had to attach arms, feet, tail and head, so there was a huge learning curve. We had lots of roving over so Alistaire made a “wrapped gift” with some of it.

Cute kits, and yes, they come with everything you need to do it: a pad, needles, roving and anything else needed (except for a a sewing needle, if needed).

~Sarah

Crafting · crafts · Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

Celebrating The Winter Solstice

December 18, 2017December 21, 2017 Sarah

This year, in 2017, the Winter Solstice will happen December 21st, a Thursday, at 8:28 am in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Solstice has always been a comfort to me, even as a child. I was raised in a cult, and we were forbidden from celebrating Christmas, so as a child, without knowing what the Solstice was, I gravitated to it. No one took that from me. Sometimes it even snowed, making it so much more special.

The days return to getting longer, and suddenly all I can think about is planning for the next year. It’s grounded me to our homesteading, it forces you to pay attention to the Earth, even when lights provide warmth that is artificial. When you consider it, most of us don’t notice the changes on a daily basis. Especially if you get up in the dark and travel to work before the sun rises, and come home in the dark. It begs one to go outside during the day, even for a few minutes, if one can. Over the past few weeks I have tried to mindful, watching as the days shorten.

There is so much to celebrate:

The longest night of the year
The sun coming back
A feast to be had before the cold winter sets in
To be with loved ones
A fire to keep the long night away
Curled up in warmth of light, reading, talking, eating
Dreaming of the coming seasons, planning gardens

Unlike the commercialism of Christmas, when we recognize the Solstice, gifts of light are the choice for presents. Light your path for the coming year. Most years I make fancy candles to give out, but this year I picked up a winter theme beeswax candle kit for the boys to play with. It wasn’t Prime, but Hearthsong promptly shipped it out.