Holiday or Any Day Stove Top Potpourri Mix

Here are a few recipes/ideas for “make your own potpourri” to simmer on the stove top.

Combine one whole orange or just the orange peel ( the peel is where all of the essential oils are! )
1/2 cup cranberries
1 Tbsp. whole cloves
3 sticks of cinnamon or a small handful of small pieces of cinnamon
a bit of grated nutmeg if desired

Quarter the orange.  Put all the ingredients into a saucepan.  Fill pan with water.  Place on the stove on the smallest burner, on the lowest setting. Do not boil. Refill water as needed.

Your house will soon smell of the holiday season, warm and cozy scents will abound.

Here are a few more great scent combinations :

-Lemon and rosemary

-Grapefruit, rosemary, and vanilla

-Apple, cloves, and cinnamon

-Lavender ( oil or flowers )

-Mint and dried cilantro

Place all or one in a small saucepan filled with water and simmer on lowest setting. Refill water as needed. Never leave unattended!

If you are using fragrance oils or essential oils make sure this pot is NEVER used for cooking again. Keep it separate for simmering scents only.

Happy Holidays and enjoy!

Erin

12 Problems That Can Be Solved With Baby Powder *

12 Problems That Can Be Solved With Baby Powder *

If you believe baby powder is only for keeping skin smooth and fresh, you’re really underestimating its power. Try sprinkling it some on these household woes to unleash its full potential.

1. A knotted necklace
Never waste time desperately tugging at tangled jewelry again. Loosen the knot with a little baby powder and use a pin to pull it apart.

2. Musty furniture
“I like to keep drawers fresh with a sprinkle of baby powder under drawer liners,” says Becky at Clean Mama. “This is especially great with antique furniture that has that old smell.”

3. Greasy hair
Most dry shampoos are starch-based, so baby powder has a similar effect in a pinch. Sprinkle some on your hands and massage it through your scalp to soak up excess oil.

4. A sweltering summer night
Crawling into a hot, sticky bed is no one's definition of nighttime relaxation. Dust powder between your sheets to help absorb sweat and keep things cool.

5. A stuck-together deck of cards
When poker night gets messy, toss the playing cards into a paper bag with a few tablespoons of powder and give them a good shake. Then wipe them with a paper towel.

6. A family of ants
Keep these intruders out of your kitchen by blocking their path with powder (they're not fans of the scent).

7. Oily stains
Don’t stress over spilt salad dressing. Dab any oil-based stain with baby powder to absorb the grease before laundering like usual.

8. Dish glove friction
“After washing dishes, I sprinkle a little powder into my rubber gloves,” says Victoria at  Creative Home Keeper. “It helps keep them fresh while they dry and my hands easily slide through the next time.”

9. Squeaky hardwood floors
Pour baby powder onto your wooden floor and sweep it into the cracks to quiet creaking floorboards. Wipe away the excess, and enjoy the sounds of silence.

10. Sandy feet
"Pack a travel size bottle of baby powder in your beach bag,”      “At the end of the day, rub it on your skin and sand will come right off."

11. Wimpy eyelashes
Beauty bloggers swear by this one. In between coats of mascara, use a cotton swab to dust baby powder on your lashes. “I was surprised how much volume it added,” says Huda at Huda Beauty.

12. Sweaty feet
Sprinkle the stuff in your shoes to keep odors at bay. And forget socks — the powder keeps your feet dry so you can go barefoot in flats without worry.

And one place you shouldn't use baby powder: Around babies. The American Academy of Pediactrics warns against it, since the powder can be dangerous if babies inhale it.

 

Warm regards and love,

Erin

 

*By Nicole Sampedro

·         For Good Housekeeping

Inspiration

Inspiration for me, is something that makes me think, makes me feel, or makes me want to create.

Whatever inspiration may be for you here is where I draw some of my inspiration from.

Nature: I love to take a walk in the evenings to get some fresh air and clear my head at the same time.  A 15 or 20 minute walk will do the trick for me on most nights. Going for a hike in nature is another way for me to always come back invigorated. Whether it is a strenuous mountain hike or a casual stroll through a forest path. This type of exercise is not only for the body; It is for family, it is for love, it is for energy, it is for the mind and the creative thoughts it invokes.  Taking a walk out in your back yard can sometime do the same thing.  Look at your surroundings and be amazed by what you see. Really see it and be in the moment.

Family: Just hanging out and talking to my family at the dinner table can be inspirational. My kids are very creative and imaginative and funny and that helps bring out some fantastic ideas in my own head. Sometimes they give me a totally different perspective on things.  My husband and I tend to be opposites but that lends itself to a very creative atmosphere. His ideas bounce off of mine and the thoughts flow and creative and inspirational energy flows from there.

Quotes and proverbs: I will admit that I get a “quote of the day” sent to my in box. These little bits of magical syntax seem to have a way of making me happy every single day I read them. It could be a simple Chinese proverb or a quote from a famous writer.  Whatever it is it gets my thoughts running and most of the time put a smile on my face and gives me hope.

Seeing others creative work: The work could be a poem, a painting, a picture, or just a new scent of homemade soap I saw at a craft fair.  These kinds of things give me a spark. They make me want to go out and create beautiful things. Sometimes I act on that impulse right away and sometimes I keep the idea floating around for a rainy day.  I look at Etsy, pinterest, magazines, and read books; these all give me some sort of inspiration. 

No matter where you get your inspiration from just keep it coming. Do not stop being creative or being inspired. It is what keeps us going and keeps us fresh and vital and feeling alive. 


Warm regards and love,
Erin

Smart Ways to Kill Fruit Flies

I know. I know, it has been a while since my last post. ( OK it's been a LONG while since my last post ) I guess I have been a bit preoccupied. Trying to get back in the swing of things so they say.

I thought this advice was great and since I seem to have fruit flies this time of year this post is timely. Hope you can get some useful info from it. 

 

1. Unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Remove the cap from the bottle (it doesn’t have to be full — nearly empty will also work). Cover the opening in plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band. Then, poke a hole for the fruit flies to enter. They can’t resist the scent of vinegar, and they won’t be able to exit once they’re inside.

"No matter how hard I try to prevent fruit flies every summer, they seem to always find me. Every year, I Google "how to get rid of fruit flies" and every year, I end up using this tried-and-true method. It’s not pretty, but it is pretty effective.” –Kim at Today’s Creative Blog

2. Vinegar and dish soap
If you find your fruit flies are impervious to the plastic wrap, try adding three drops of dish soap to a bowl of vinegar, and leave it uncovered. The soap cuts the surface tension of the vinegar so the flies will sink and drown.

 

3. A paper cone and a piece of fruit
Place a little vinegar and a chunk of very ripe fruit in a jar. Then, roll a piece of paper into a cone  and stick it into the jar, placing the narrow opening down. The fruit flies will be drawn in, but won’t be able to get out.

4. Red wine
Like vinegar, fruit flies love the smell of wine. Try leaving out an open bottle with a little liquid — the skinny neck will keep the flies trapped.
  


Warm regards and love,
Erin


*http://www.countryliving.com