Capture the Scent of Christmas with this blend:

Combine together:
5 drops Spruce essential oil
3 drops Fir Needle essential oil
3 drops Pine essential oil
2 drops Cedar wood essential oil.
2 drops of Juniper essential oil

Store in a dark glass bottle and allow the blend to sit for a few days prior to use.  You can then add the oil to your essential oil diffuser or simmer pot, make your own potpourri etc.  Remember a little goes a long way and as always keep away from kiddos.

Aromatherapy for Stress Relief

Stress is the silent killer.  It has a powerful negative effect on your physical well-being and mental state. It can cause headaches, nervous indigestion and even panic attacks and heart palpitations. Medical research now recognizes that stress may be largely responsible for causing serious disorders such as heart disease and allergies.

Stress is dangerous because it overloads the adrenal glands and the release of too much adrenaline over time will interrupt the delicate balance of hormones in the brain.  We all know that stress is a part of our lives whether we like it or not.  We feel edgy and irritated, our bodies feel slow and toxic.  Since we cannot always get rid of the stress causing factors in our lives.. We need help!  Aromatherapy for stress relief is a natural and healthy way to combat stress and anxiety.

Certain essential oils help to calm the nerves, fight depression and anxiety and help you achieve a more relaxed state of mind including~

Basil, chamomile, clary sage, cypress, frankincense, geranium, hyssop, jasmine, juniper, lavender, lemon balm, marjoram, neroli, ylang-ylang to reduce Anger and Anxiety.

Basil, clary sage, grapefruit, jasmine, lavender, lemon balm, neroli, rose, sandalwood, ylang-ylang to help fight Depression.

Basil, chamomile, lavender, mandarin, marjoram, lemon balm, neroli, rose, sandalwood, thyme, ylang-ylang to combat Insomnia.

Basil, cinnamon, citronella, coriander, ginger, grapefruit, hyssop, jasmine, lavender, lemon grass, peppermint, nutmeg, rosemary, ylang-ylang for calming the nerves.

Basil, bergamot, cedarwood, chamomile, cinnamon, frankincense, geranium, jasmine, lavender, marjoram, lemon balm, neroli, palmarosa, rosemary, ylang-ylang to ease tension.

I suffer from lots of stress myself and have felt the negative effects physically and emotionally which is why I believe in using aromatherapy to help combat stress.  I’ve developed a special synergy blend that I use in my ‘stress relief’ products which I find helps me and also smells beautiful together as a combination.  I have a complete set of stress relief products you can try like my Stress Relief Aromatherapy Oil.



Chai Tea Concentrate Recipe

I'm freezing!!  Thankfully I love Chai Tea and it gets me through our craptacular winters in CNY!
Here is a recipe I found for making your own Chai Tea Concentrate.  It's delicious when you make it from scratch!  And it won't cost you 4 bucks a pop. 

Directions~
Lightly crush each of the following ingredients with a mortar and pestle. Combine and store in an airtight container in a dark cabinet if you use dried ginger. Or you can store all but the ginger and add fresh when you make the Chai.(Did you know that Microsoft Word doesn't recognize the word Chai?) hmmmm

• 25 cardamom pods
• 20 whole cloves
• 15 black peppercorns
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 5 allspice berries
• 2 Tbsp. dried ginger* or add fresh ginger at time of brewing tea

*To dry ginger, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Peel and coarsely chop as much ginger as you need. It keeps well so you may want to do more than you actually need for this recipe. Spread on a cookie sheet and place in oven for 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on it and turn it a time or two so it doesn't burn.

Making the Chai:
To make a batch with the entire concentrate above, the traditional method is to simmer the spices, sweetener, and tea in the milk for at least 30 minutes. Alternately, you can simmer the spices and sweetener in the milk for 30 minutes and steep the tea in the chai for about 3 minutes once it is taken off the heat. Another option is to simmer the spices and sweetener in 4 cups water for 30 minutes, steep the tea in the finished chai and add a small amount of milk or milk substitute to taste. Whether you use milk or water, the brewed chai will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. Just add the tea when you reheat it.

• 4 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon sweetener of your choice (optional)
• 4 teaspoons black tea

Ingredients for Chai spice for cooking:

• 2 Tbsp ground cardamom seed (not the whole pod)
• 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1.5 Tbsp ground cloves
• 1.5 Tbsp ground ginger 
• 1 Tbsp ground allspice

Sprinkle a little of this blend on oatmeal as you would cinnamon. Experiment with baked goods that usually have one or more of the ingredients in this blend or a recipe that you like but think is a little bland. It is especially good in pumpkin pie with an added 1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper. It just gives the pie a little spicy surprise!
Enjoy!


Make Your Own Non Toxic Play Dough Recipe

It’s a snow day here and so I need to find something to keep my little one occupied while I work.  Here is a recipe I’ve wanted to try for awhile and I tweaked it a bit as I did not have any Cream of Tartar but it worked wonderfully with White Vinegar instead.  Making this recipe was quick and easy and fun for the little girl who got to add all the ingredients in the pot and stir it up before we cooked it.

Here is all you need:

2 cups flour  
1 cup salt  
2 tablespoons vegetable oil  
2 cups water with several drops of food coloring added  
12 tablespoons white vinegar (6oz.) or 4 tablespoons Cream of Tartar

Mix ingredients together in a saucepan over medium/low heat stirring constantly until mixture thickens.

Remove from heat and turn dough onto a plate to cool so you don’t burn little hands. You can store the play dough in covered container or plastic bag.

Also another great idea to do as a project is to bake the finished creations on low and paint once they are done.  We’ll have to try that another day and report back.

Also I used a little food coloring to make it pink.  You can also use vegetable juices like spinach or beets to color with the use of food coloring.


Home made non toxic playdough

Flower Waters are Aromatic, Beautiful and Useful

Naturally made with 100% pure essential oils and distilled water, Flower Waters are beautiful and offer a pleasant aroma without too being overbearing. Besides their wonderful aroma, flower waters can be enjoyed for a variety of natural and healthy uses.

A couple of my favorites are Lavender and Orange Water.

For the skin, both Lavender and Orange Waters are hydrating and refreshing when used as a facial or body mist. You can use them to spritz on your face or body whenever you need a natural pick me up and they are great for freshening up on the go.

For the home, floral waters are a wonderful natural alternative to synthetic sprays and mists that do nothing more than add harmful fumes to your home. (pardon my rant but...) One such spray from Bath and Body that was given to me as a gift say's specifically to spray on and wait until fabric dries prior to touching it. I loved the smell as it did use essential oils but it does not say what else is in there. So I was then motivated to offer a natural and safe solution. Anyway Natural flower water can be used as a linen spray, pillow mists or room freshener and are not harmful to touch. Obviously you wouldn't spray them into your eyes and you would still keep them out of reach of children as with most products.

Floral waters add that special touch in a natural and healthy way! They are also what I use to add that special touch to my Organic Lotions and Creams!