Showing posts with label natural. Show all posts
Showing posts with label natural. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Featured Etsian~AuntAnnadee

Do you have a post, craft, art, or something on your blog about Dandelions?
Make a post before Friday and I will link to it!

~See the links below~


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Now I told ya'll about the Dandelion Jelly I purchased off Etsy, remember?
And I also said I'd tell you all about it, right?
I sure did!


I have to admit, I was slightly concerned when I ordered this. I've done plenty of research on Dandelions and the delicious jelly they make.. But I was skeptical..
It doesn't seem as though a weed would make something good, agree?

But It Does!

I received my Dandelion jelly Monday (VERY fast shipping!).. I felt like a giddy child on Christmas Morning, I was literally rushing to get the packaging open so that I could see my new jellies. "JellyS?" You ask.. Yep, I ordered Dandelion, Violet, and a sample of Honey Suckle, mmmmmm....yummy!
My only regret was not getting a larger size of each of these!

The Dandelion jelly is sweet like honey, but with a slight lemon taste. It's much tastier than it sounds, trust me! It's a thin consistency, not thick and lumpy like a lot of store bought jellies. Very easy to spread, that's a plus to me :)

An unopened jar lasts a year on the shelf, once it's opened, it's good for a month! Plus, AuntAnnadee tells you how you can prolong it. (She's a sweet gal)

The other two jellies are just as good!

My entire family loves these jellies and insists that I order more! At least I know this jelly is much more healthy than store bought jellies.

I love Natural..Don't YOU?

AuntAnnadee has wonderfully affordable prices, and her plants and herbs are grown in a safe, chemical free environment. She has more in her store than just jelly and plans on adding even more as she can. I can't wait!

I hope you'll try something new today!
(jelly)


I grew up in a small Tennessee town. My family has been in the area for more than 4 generations. Which means that between my 4 grandparents, there were 44 siblings. I was related to almost everyone in town! I've joked that I had to leave town just to find someone I could legally marry!


When I was nine years old, my mother, a stay-at home mom, had a part-time summer job. That was when I first became interested in cooking. Mom and dad ate some pretty awful things while I was learning. Every once in a while, my dad, who never said much, would say, "Let's not have that again." But I made my first Baked Alaska that summer.


Even though mama's family was from there, they moved to Indiana when she was a girl. Mama's parents farmed 320 acres. Summers were spent on the farm. Grandma knew she had plenty of slave labor when all 19 grandchildren were there. She taught us how to can, put up preserves, make butter, and all sorts of things like that.



My very favorite thing grandma made was pear honey. Her pear honey was also a lesson in recycling. Every year she canned pears. As the family opened them and enjoyed the fruits of her labor, she saved the juice. She would re-can the juice, and then when she had enough saved, grandma would make pear honey. She never used pectin in it. Grandma would just reduce the syrup until it had the consistency of honey. That was heaven on a biscuit.


I have a cousin with a 5 year old granddaughter in preschool. Rick, my cousin, and Shalie, his granddaughter, spend their summers working in the garden and orchard, playing in the creek, riding bikes and other activities like that. There are about 20 children in Shalie's preschool. Two other children in her class live on farms. These three children are the tallest, healthiest, and strongest children in the class. They get plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh milk and eggs, fresh air and sunshine and few fast food meals.


This is the first year I've had time to plant a garden. When I first moved here, there was an above ground pool on the property. When he was 2, my son went in while I was cleaning it. I was able to get to him the second time he surfaced. That evening, I put the pool up for sale. Under that above ground pool was a 24' sandbox. He loved it, and over the years, it's built up a decent layer of topsoil. This year when I tilled it all up, I had beautiful, well drained soil. That's given me a great place to grow. As the summer progresses, I will have lots of fresh vegetables to put up. I'll be able to offer pickles, pickled okra, homemade sauerkraut, chow-chow and piccalilli, and some dried herbs in my etsy store.

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*Check out this blog post by TeddyStartedIt to learn how to make Dandelion infused oil!
Great for a "great home made gift for an exercise buff or an arthritic grandma"

*~Soap Deli has a wonderful post with dandelion art~
Dishing Up A Little Dandelion
*~StitchWorks has a wonderful post with dandelion art~

Sunday, May 24, 2009

How To Imprint Leaves on Paper



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How To Imprint Leaves on Paper

~Natural Art~


I assumed everyone knew about this, but recently I met some people who were surprised to see my daughter and I creating art using this method. So I really wanted to show it off to everyone, it's quite simple..

I love using this technique as a way to teach my daughter about both art and nature, its a great learning tool. Try to use lots of different colors for each leaf and choose a variety of foliage.

This can be done with leaves, flowers, petals, stems, feathers, twigs... Endless possibilities!


Just get outside, grab a basket, and start collecting.
Have fun!


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Gather your supplies: Paper, foliage, and unwrapped crayons

Place the chosen foliage under a sheet of paper. Right side of the leaf facing up.
Make sure to smooth it out so that it imprints properly.


Use an unwrapped crayon, rub the side of the crayon back and forth forcefully over the paper. Now you can see the imprint of the leaf.

Look at all the different leaves you can use, each is unique and beautiful.



~I'd love to see what you've created using this method.~

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Featured Etsian Artist~SewnNatural


SewnNatural donated this "Organic VANILLA ICE CREAM Quilt, Mat for Naps/Changing/Play " to a blog giveaway and I won! My daughter, Lilly is already enjoying her nap times with this soft blanket while Shaylynne uses it as a play mat. It's so girlly and pretty!


Thanks SewnNatural!





SewnNatural

SewnNatural has hand crafted bedding, apparel, toys, name towels, art and organizers for babies, kids and kids at heart.

As a young girl sitting next to my patient, loving grandmother learning to sew my first patchwork quilt on a summer's day, I fell in love with textiles. Their textures, feel, colours and shapes really touched me. I have been designing and creating with textiles for many years. My craft has included sewing, loom weaving, clothing design, crafting, spinning and knitting. I am very particular about workmanship, beautiful design and using the best, most sustainable fabrics that are available for items that will be very durable and functional.












My real joy is creating things for our children and grandchildren to wear, cuddle in, or play with. One of my goals is to create clothes, toys and accessories that help to promote imaginary play and interest in nature.










Conscious of the impact of harmful chemicals on us, our children and our environment, I've tried to use the most natural fabrics I can in my designs. I use exclusively natural fibers: cotton, wool, silks, bamboo and organic and upcycled fabrics wherever possible.



I have had an etsy shop since December(about 4 mos) and have been working with textiles for many, many years sewing, weaving, spinning, knitting, crafting etc. I especially love designing with organic fabrics, upcycled or vintage fabrics and wools, silks, bamboos as well. I want organic to be fun, colorful and vibrant as well as functional. My favorite item right now would probably be a wool stuffed octopus made with upcycled vintage Guatemalan fabrics, handwoven by women there for their blouses/tops.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Baking Soda




Today I am going to share the many useful things that Baking Soda can be used for...


It's a wonderful 'green' cleaner, plus it's safe for human use and the environment.


I'd love to hear more uses, if you know any!


  1. Remove Tarnish from sliver: Mix a thick paste of B.S with weather, apply to the silver with a damp sponge, rub, rinse, and buff dry.
  2. Boost the strength of liquid laundry detergent: Add one-half cup of B.S, with the usual amount of detergent, to your regular wash.
  3. Clean a fiberglass bathtub or shower, stainless steel sink, tile, a microwave oven...
  4. Maintain your septic tank: Flush one cup of B.S down the toilet once a week. B.S helps maintain the proper pH and alkalinity, controlling sulfide odors.
  5. Deodorize cloth diapers: Mix one half B.S in two quarts of water, and soak diapers in solution.
  6. Deodorize a trash can: Sprinkle liberally with B.S
  7. Deodorize garbage disposal, sink drains, dishwasher, carpet, cat box, and food containers
  8. Soothe poison ivy rash, insect bites, sunburn, windburn, prickly heat, and tired feet
  9. Take a refreshing bath
  10. Brush your teeth and wash your mouth
  11. Use as deodorant
  12. Remove crayon marks from walls or wallpaper
  13. Remove conditioner and styling gel buildup from hair
  14. Refresh stuffed animals
  15. Clean baby bottles, nipples, and bottle brushes
  16. Whiten socks and dirty clothes, boost bleach
  17. Clean chrome bumpers and hubcaps
  18. Degrease and clean barbecue grills

Facts





  • Baking Soda has an almost unlimited Shelf Life.


  • A box of B.S can be found in 9 out of 10 refrigerators.


  • B.S was used to clean the Statue of Liberty for the 1976 Bicentennial celebration.


  • B.S was promoted as a key ingredient in 25% of all toothpastes sold in 1994.


  • *The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Navy's Civil Engineering Lab have jointly developed an inexpensive method of using baking soda to decontaminate soil laved with halogenated organic chemicals.*


  • *Baking soda can restore lakes damaged by acid rain.


  • *Baking Soda has been used to increase the effectiveness of sewage treatment plants.


  • *Baking soda has been used to reduce air pollution in factory smokestacks.


  • It was invented in 1846 by John Dwight.