DIY ~ My All-Natural Nettle Allergy Tonic Recipe

The amazing provision of God is showed in many caring ways to His creation. The fact that He provides the stinging nettle in later winter/early spring is one such act of love. When allergy season is about to flourish in the spring, so does this helpful (though sometimes stinging) plant! When allergy season is about to flourish in the fall, the elderberries are reading for the picking! This easy recipe can be assembled in minutes but must sit and steep for a month. Because of this, I encourage you to get a batch going now if you suffer from seasonal allergies. For best results, you should start taking it a month before spring and autumn allergies start. I have wanted to share this recipe with you earlier (ever since I created it a few years ago) and once again, I missed the boat on timing. This time however, I am going to post it in hopes that it can at least be beneficial in the following season (if you can't get one going now).

To begin, add 1/2 c. rose hips to a clean quart jar. The purpose of the rose hips is to aid in lowering the histamine levels (which is what triggers allergy symptoms) because it is high in vitamin C.

Next, add 1/2 c. of elderberries. Their purpose is to boost the immune system through its vitamin C as well. This includes the flavonoids such as quercetin which is a known allergy remedy and aids in lowering histamine levels also.

The third herb to add would be 1/2 c. nettle. This is "the" allergy herb and another anti-histamine.

Next, add enough raw apple cider vinegar (or you may use vodka which will pull more properties from the herb yet the apple cider vinegar itself is an allergy relief ingredient so the choice is yours) to fill ¾ of the way up the jar.



Finally, fill the remaining 1/4 of the jar with "local, raw honey". The theory behind using "local honey" for allergy symptoms is shared here.

Place a lid firmly on your jar and shake for a few seconds. Let the mixture sit for a month (in a cool, dark area such as your pantry) to infuse. For best results, shake the jar every few days to break up the honey and dissolve it into the tonic. For a more potent infusion, you can blend the ingredients together after 1 week has passed since everything will have softened (and continue to let the liquid infuse until the time is complete). This will break up the herbs further and allow a stronger brew.

When the month is up, strain your tonic/tincture/oxymel through a fine cotton cloth and store in a clean glass jar. This will last in your pantry for 1 year if using the apple cider vinegar and 5 years if using the alcohol.

* Take 1 tsp. ~ 3 times a day. For best results, start taking a month ahead of time (before allergy season) to get your immune system up. This has worked very effectively for me when I am diligent in taking it!

Note: Last year I did the vodka infusion and after needing to do 1 tsp. ~ 3 times a day, I was beginning to feel like an alcoholic! I was thrilled with the ability to use the apple cider vinegar infusion knowing that the apple cider vinegar itself helps to fight allergies. I also feel that the drinking of kombucha has been a blessing in reducing allergies so I encourage you to do some research to see if it would help you.

Also, if you would like to purchase the herbs and are not sure if it is worth buying them in bulk, here are some of the ways we use rose hips (think of this as your go-to vitamin C herb) and elderberries (think of this as your cold and flu fighter) in our home pharmacy. Because of their medicinal benefits, we haven't the need to purchase over the chemically-counter medicine any more.

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them). Web source #1, web source #2, web source #3.

*Note: I am not a doctor. While I do seek scientific confirmation of the safety and effectiveness of the herbs and remedies I use, remember that using remedies is a personal decision. Nothing I say on this blog is approved by the FDA or intended to diagnose, treat or prevent disease. All things on this blog are my opinion or the opinion of others. Also, if you have a medical condition, are taking pharmaceutical drugs, or are pregnant, please consult your physician prior to taking herbs.

Four Safe Essential Oil Blends for Baby ~ Printable Gift Kit

"You shouldn’t think about using an essential oil on a baby until it is at least twenty-four hours old, and then there has to be a good reason."

~ Valerie Ann Worwood, The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy

Beautiful babies! It seems these last few months have been filled with these precious little bundles! A few women in our community have recently given birth and here is the wee-gift-set I prepared them. I am hoping these will be nice and convenient for the new mothers. I am also sharing the recipes and printable I made for this little project in case it is of any interest to you (though I printed the exact ingredients on our bottles, I removed it to make it customizable and more generic to your blends).



How to prepare the blends:

(1) First and foremost, a carrier oil should always be used and the essential oils should be diluted heavily for the tender skin. Sweet almond oil and fractionated coconut oil would be the gentlest of choices. The conservative ratio I used was 1 drop of essential oil to every tablespoon of carrier oil. Using the safe list of essential oils which I found for baby here and in this book here, I prepared these four blends which I thought would be the most useful. While I haven't seen an exact age in which you can safely administer essential oils to baby, I would personally (and I am not a professional) suggest waiting until at least 3 - 4 weeks old (and that is at an as needed basis only*).



(2) I reused our empty essential oil bottles (15 ml size) from ones that were safe for baby (such as my discarded lavender and chamomile bottles; never re-use strong oil bottles like peppermint or eucalyptus on baby as any residue oil will absorb into the blends and will be too harsh for them). I didn't wash them out first since I didn't want to introduce moisture, I simply emptied every last drop from the bottles knowing that if a bit remained, the oil inside wasn't harmful. Once the bottles were filled, I pasted on my instruction labels. I also placed a piece of tape over the labels to protect them from oil drippings and/or wet hands, etc. The inexpensive roll-on bottles would be perfect for this project too!

Note: Each 15 ml bottle holds a scant 2 tbsp. of oil blend.

(3) Prepare the recipes.

Cold and Cough ~

• 2 tbsp. carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil and/or sweet almond oil)
• 2 drops of lavender essential oil (tree tea or lemon may also be used)

Colic ~

• 2 tbsp. carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil and/or sweet almond oil)
• 2 drops of dill essential oil (lavender oil may also be used)

Constipation and Diarrhea ~

• 2 tbsp. carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil and/or sweet almond oil)
• 1 drop of dill essential oil (Roman chamomile may also be used)
• 1 drop of lavender essential oil

Fussy Baby ~

• 2 tbsp. carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil and/or sweet almond oil)
• 1 drop of geranium essential oil (Roman chamomile may also be used)
• 1 drop of lavender essential oil

Directions ~

Add essential oil drops directly into a 15ml essential oil bottle, fill the remaining with carrier oil, cap firmly and label. Alternatively, you can cut the recipe in half and store in a 10ml glass roll-on bottle.

The reason I like pre-made blends is that in the heat of the moment, rare-a-mother has an extra hand (or second) to walk to the cabinet, find the right oil for the right problem, dig up the proper carrier oil and steadily measure out the exact one drop increments. Usually it is a frazzled moment that needs quick action! If you are interested in preparing these, you will find our printable {here}. Happy blending!

* Disclaimer: I am not a certified herbalist, aromatherapist or doctor but a homemaker interested in the arts of natural healing. While I do seek scientific confirmation of the safety and effectiveness of the herbs and remedies I use, remember that using remedies is a personal decision. Nothing I say on this blog is approved by the FDA or intended to diagnose, treat or prevent disease. All things on this blog are my opinion or the opinion of others. Also, if you have a medical condition, are taking pharmaceutical drugs, or are pregnant, please consult your physician prior to taking herbs or using essential oils.

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee..."

~ Jeremiah 1:5a

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

Thomasina's Tip Sheet: Ways to Use Honey ~ Free Printable

"Honey is the only natural food that,
as long as it is kept airtight, does not spoil."

~ The Beekeeper's Bible by Richard Jones

Although it is indeed Saturday, welcome to another edition of "Fun Friday" this spring with Beatrix Potter! Mrs. Tittlemouse (wise, prudent and health-minded as she was), was exceptionally fond of keeping a stockpile of raw honey in her prized pantry. While most foods have a humble shelf-life, honey (if stored properly) can last forever! Unfortunately, it was quite difficult for her to maintain a constant supply (as I am sure you have read in her homemaking adventures?!) for honey can be used in so many different ways to bless the home (which also makes it an excellent preparedness item)! Would you like a peak into the ways she uses honey? 

"Mrs. tittlemouse went on her way to a distant storeroom, to fetch cherry-stones and thistle-down seed for dinner. All along the passage she sniffed, and looked at the floor. "I smell a smell of honey..."

~ Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse

Homemaking Hints about Honey:

• 1 pound of honey equals about 1 and 3/8 cups of honey. 

• When substituting sugar with honey, reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe by ¼ cup for each cup of honey used. 

• "In baked goods, add ½ teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey used. Reduce oven temperature by 25° F to prevent over-browning." (source)

• Honey is 1 to 1.5 times sweeter than sugar. If replacing honey with sugar in a recipe, we usually replace ¾ cup of honey for every cup of sugar called for. Sometimes we even reduce by half (meaning 1/2 cup of honey for every cup of sugar).

• According to the National Honey Board, honey is best stored in a sealed container at room temperature, between 64-75°F (18-24°C). Cooler temperatures, between 35-60°F, hasten honey's natural crystallization process. If honey does crystallize, remove the lid and place in a jar of warm water until crystals dissolve. Honey stored at temperatures above 85°F for extended periods of time will darken in color and be subject to subtle flavor changes. For long-term storage, the use of air-tight, moisture-resistant stainless steel drums is recommended.

• For easy removal, measure honey in a cup you previously used for measuring oil or butter. 

• Honey acts as a binder and thickener for sauces, dressings, marinades and dips (it is an emulsifier).

• Honey provides and retains moisture to a variety of dishes and can even extend the shelf life of baked goods (it is a humectant) (source).

• According to the Simply Canning blog, when canning with honey, keep in mind that honey is sweeter. For every cup of sugar called for, replace with ¾ cup of honey. You will also need to remember that when you add honey you are adding liquid content. Therefore, reduce the other liquid content by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey added. For more thorough information on canning with honey, visit here.

• What to do with the remnant honey that is inside the jar that is hard to scrape out? 
• Add some vinegar, oil and herbs to make a healthy salad dressing (such as 3 tbsp. vinegar, 1 garlic clove chopped/minced, your favorite herbs and 1/2 c. olive oil). 
• Add a tea bag and hot water and brew a sweetened tea. 
• Add some herbs and either vodka or apple cider vinegar to make a sweetened medicinal tincture. 

• Warning: The National Honey Board, along with other health organizations, recommends that honey not be fed to infants under one year of age (due to the rare but possible, infest botulism).

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mrs. Tittlemouse! Now what I really—really should like—would be a little dish of honey!"
~ Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse

Healthy Food Recipes Using Honey:

• Healthy Snacks (PDF printable recipe HERE from the National Honey Board)

• Honey Caramels

• Honey Cinnamon Spread (recipe shared on accompanying printable)

• Honey Dijon Dressing (recipe shared on accompanying printable)

• Honey Sweetened Pumpkin Cake

• Lemon Honey Marmalade (Canning)

• Oatmeal Honey Muffins (Mix in a Jar)

• Peaches Canned in Honey

• Pumpkin Honey Bread Loaf

• Spiced Honey Echinacea Cooler (Beverage)

• Spinach Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

• 10K Cereal Bars

Honey as a Preserver:

"Honey has the capacity to serve as a natural food preservative. Research has demonstrated the potential for honey to reduce enzymatic browning in fruits and vegetables and prevent lipid oxidation in meats. Most of the antibacterial activity of the honeys occurs due to hydrogen peroxide generation.

Other researchers have identified the flavonoids in honey, particularly caffeic acid and ferulic acid, as the most likely contributors.

Honey has antimicrobial properties that discourage the growth or persistence of many microorganisms. The microbes that may be found in honey are primarily yeasts and spore-forming bacteria. No vegetative forms of disease-causing bacterial spores have been found in honey."

~ National Honey Board

"Honey is well known as a cough and cold remedy, usually drunk in combination with the likes of lemon, apple cider vinegar, or whiskey. A study in 2007 at Penn State Medical College showed that honey was a more effective treatment than remedies containing dextromethorphan, the drug used in many cough medicines. A spoonful of honey also soothes a sore throat."

~ The Beekeeper's Bible by Richard Jones

Medicinal Honey (Herbal Projects):

• All-Natural allergy tonic

• Herb infused honey (recipe shared on accompanying printable)

• Herbal oxymel (recipe shared on accompanying printable)

• Honey cough medicine

• Honey cough syrup (recipe #2) ~ (PDF printable recipe HERE from National Honey Board)

• Pooh's medicinal honey

• Simple honey lemon cough syrup

Honey for Your Health:

"Honey contains a variety of oligosaccharides that may function as prebiotics. Research conducted at Michigan State University has shown that adding honey to fermented dairy products such as yogurt can enhance the growth, activity, and viability of Bifidobacteria as well as other commercial oligosaccharides.

Honey is a natural source of readily available carbohydrates, providing 17 grams of carbohydrates per tablespoon and may serve as an inexpensive alternative to commercial sports gels."

~ National Honey Board

"Tiddly, widdly, widdly? no honey? no honey, Mrs. Tittlemouse?"
~ Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse

Honey and Hygiene (Bath & Body Care):

• Honey is a humectant (which means it attracts and retains moisture). This makes honey a lovely addition to a variety of moisturizing products including cleansers, creams, shampoos and conditioners. Look for honey in store-bought beauty products or simply add a squeeze of honey to your moisturizer, shampoo or soap at home (source).

• Use as a daily face cleanser. "...a daily face wash of pure raw honey, used in place of soap, is a wonderful way to balance, cleanser and repair all skin types." ~ Jan Berry, 101 Easy Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health & Home

• Honey, Rose and Oat Face Cleanser Recipe

• Lavender-Honey Milk Bath  (recipe shared on accompanying printable)

• Foaming Vanilla Honey Bath (recipe shared on accompanying printable)

• Honey Hair Conditioner (recipe shared on accompanying printable)

• Here are additional recipes for how to make a honey oatmeal face mask, coconut honeybee lip balm and a harvest pumpkin exfoliating mask.

You will find Thomasina's "Ways to Use Honey" Printable HERE. Perhaps you would like to place them in Mrs. Tittlemouse's "Manual of Household Hints and Delights" until you are ready to use them? This is simply a safe place you can store all of her homemaking printables to have them handy. You will find the free download here if you are interested. The cover page is designed to slide into the front of the binder as a title page insert. The tabs are best printed on card stock, affixed with glue to card stock and staggered as you attach them. It is just a bit of extra fluff!

For Further Reading and Fun:

• Honey Coloring Page with Scripture
• Honey Labels for Honey Projects (shared on accompanying printable)
• Sweet Seven Bee-Utiful Uses for Honey
• The Beekeeper's Bible by Richard Jones
• Unit Study on Bees {Free Homeschooling Thematic Study}

“My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb,

which is sweet to thy taste...” 

~ Proverbs 24:13

We hope you have enjoyed this information and printable by Mrs. Thomasina Tittlemouse. If so, you may also be interested in her matching recipe cards, free printable pantry labels, weekly to-do lists, DIY bug spray, her "un-paper" towel tutorial and the make-your-own "old fashioned" furniture polish. Happy Friday to you dear friends!

This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2sdays, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, From the Farm Blog Hop, Front Porch Friday Blog Hop, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Shabbilicious Friday,  Five Star Frou Frou Friday, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them). Credit for some of the Homemaking Hints: tip #1, tip #2, tip #3, tip #4, tip #5. Coloring page graphic is courtesy of the National Honey Board.

DIY Peppermint Infused Muscle Strain Medicinal Massage Oil

Ladies, I must apologize in advance. I am up to my ears in dried mint and will be taking out my surplus on this very blog. There will be much minty posts in our near future! Shall we begin with this massage oil? Perhaps it is just us, but on this farm, there always seems to be a neck that goes out, a sore shoulder blade and a side-order of bad backs. After exhausting too many bottles of expensive essential oils, I remembered our supply of dried peppermint and got to work on a frugal solution!

To begin, fill up a clean jar 1/3 of the way with dried peppermint. If this is the only herb you have, you can make an effective muscle massage oil with just that (and if this is the only herb you use, you can go as much as 1/2 of the way up the jar with it). 

However, if you have other dried herbs in your home apothecary, you can take advantage of them and consider adding in some rosemary and eucalyptus like we did (just make sure to leave the top quarter of your jar empty). 

Once your dried herbs are added, pour in your body oil.  Some nice choices are olive oil (though the aroma may not please everyone), almond oil, grape seed oil, sunflower oil and/or jojoba oil. Make sure that your oil covers your herbs by at least a few inches (meaning there was a few inches headspace empty from the top of your jar before you added your oil).

Shake the jar and place in a sunny spot for 2 - 3 weeks (I personally like to shake the jar every few days to further infuse the herbs). If you are concerned about the sun being directly on your oil, you can place the jar in a paper bag to protect it from the rays. When the time is complete, strain your oil through a lightweight cotton cloth and decant into a clean jar (or back into the glass bottle that your oil originally came in if it is empty). Make sure to label your oil with contents and date. You will find our free printable labels for medicinal oil here.

Notes: To make a stronger infusion, place another batch of herbs into the strained oil and repeat the process one more time. You can also add in 10 drops of essential oil to every cup of your medicinal oil for additional potency. Some ideas are wintergreen, camphor bark, peppermint, eucalyptus and rosemary. 

When those muscles start to ache and tense up, massage in this medicinal oil for some therapeutic relaxation and herbal relief. 

"...and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

~ Revelations 22:2b

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, From the Farm Blog Hop, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, Shabbilicious Friday, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

Make Your Own Honey, Rose & Oat Face Cleanser {DIY}

"This soap-free cleanser features wrinkle fighting rosehip seed oil, soothing rose petals and skin-regenerating honey, making it ideal for dry, damaged or aged skin. The ground oats acts as a gentle exfoliator to slough away patches of dull flaky skin, leaving a soft, clean feeling behind as it washes away. Daily use will leave your skin feeling smooth and nourished."

~ Jan Berry, 101 Easy Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health and Home

I don't know how it happened. As a young lady, I would spend mounds of money on skin care products. A really embarrassing amount. 20-some years later and I find myself using basic soap. Yes, that bar of soap that dries and strips the skin! After reading Jan Berry's book, I realized there were many frugal, easy and all natural, nourishing options that I could be using instead! The lovely part is that Jan has allowed me to share one such recipe from her book with you. I hope it inspires you to put a little more love into your skin care routine.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. rolled oats
• 1/4 c. dried rose petals (note from JES: this recipe will still be effective if you don't have the rose petals or you could also try replacing them with calendula or chamomile flowers if they are available)
• 1/4 c. raw honey
• 1 tsp. rosehip seed oil (or a more budget friendly oil such as sweet almond, hemp or sunflower)

Using an electric coffee grinder (or mortar and pestle), coarsely grind together the oats and rose petals. Place mixture in a small clean jar (4 oz. jelly jars are perfect for this) and combine with the honey. Add your chosen oil and stir until thoroughly mixed. Note: If honey settles to the bottom, simply stir before each use.

Shelf Life: One to two months as long as water isn't introduced into the mixture. 

How to Use:

Using a clean spoon, scoop out a small amount into the palm of your hand. Gently rub into face and neck. Rinse mixture off with warm water and washcloth. Gently pat skin dry.

You will find more simple, all natural product recipes in her book, 101 Easy Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health and Home! As you can see from the photos below, there is a nice variety!

Photos from 101 Easy Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health and Home courtesy of Jan Berry.

For more information and inspiration from the book, you will find our review here.

Visit here for more "all natural" bath and body recipes!

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, From the Farm Blog Hop, Front Porch Friday Blog Hop, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, Shabbilicious Friday, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

101 Easy Homemade Products For Your Skin, Health & Home

"I want to show you how to grab a rose from your garden, a handful of dandelions from your backyard or a bunch of basil from your local farmer's market, and make something beautiful, useful and good for you, your family and your home."

 ~ Jan Berry, 101 Easy Homemade Products For Your Skin, Health & Home

Nerdy Farm Wife's All-Natural DIY Projects Using Commonly Found Herbs, Flowers & Other Plants

When I first flipped through these pages, I felt like I was in homemaking, homeschooling and homesteading heaven! With such a variety of herbal recipes for your skin, health and home, there is something for everyone here! No only that, this book is filled with gorgeous photographs which makes for a very enjoyable read. Homemakers will be enchanted with the beautiful all-natural recipes to prepare a healthy home environment. Homesteaders will feel more self-sufficient with the plethora of inspiration for making more products from nature and buying less! And homeschooling mothers can enjoy dabbling into these easy recipes with their children and creating an herbal course of sorts! Not only are recipes shared, but the properties of the herbs and teachings on how to create your own herbal concoctions. I am delighted to share a peak into this beautiful book with you!

Jan Berry (author of The Nerdy Farm Wife Blog), begins her new book with an introduction to making natural, homemade products. She shares some common herbs and flowers along with their benefits, how to preserve them, infuse oils, and everything else you need to create useful goods for your home. The best part is that many of the plants used in her recipes can be found in your own back yard (dandelions, pine needles, roses, anyone?) or spice cabinet (basil, thyme and rosemary?)! And, the recipes are all fairly simple to make!

The chapter on non-toxic herbal skin care shares recipes for

face cleansers, face washes, body washes, skin toners, tonics, face masks and more!

The next chapter is on soothing salves and balms and they all look lovely to make!

The section on exotic body butters and lotion bars would make amazing gifts!

Her all natural cream and lotion recipes are all very easy to understand and

many of her recipes include substitution ideas in case you can't find (or afford) a particular ingredient.

Another chapter features bath soaks and salts and every one of the recipes sound wonderful!

The section on "bath melts and scrubs" looked really luxurious!

I had never heard of a bath melt but after reading these recipes, I can't imagine a bath without one now :)

Of course, there are many gorgeous recipes for making your own lip balms and tints. 

Another chapter shares hair care recipes that look very interesting.

There is also a nice-sized chapter on making your own soaps.

This is something I have yet to try but hope to this year. Her recipes look so nourishing!

I am especially interested in making the "Old-Fashioned Rose Soap".

Of course, an herbal book needs to share some old fashioned remedies and this book does just that! 

Some recipes include a pain relief oil, sore throat spray, calming syrup and so forth.

Shockingly (yes, I am joking), I love the section on non-toxic solutions for the home.

She shares some very creative recipes that will be fun and frugal to make and use.

I can't resist showing a picture of the romantic recipe for window cleaning! Yes (sigh), I know.

Pink! :)

And finally, she did not forget our little pug. The last chapter offers some all-natural pet care recipes.

Well, I could go on and on. I think you can see why I love this book!

If you are interested, you will find it HERE on Amazon.

Dear Jan is generously gifting one copy to one of our sweet readers! This giveaway is open to any one of you from around the globe (isn't she the sweetest?)! Simply enter via the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the easy instructions. You have an opportunity for seven entries per person and one week to enter. Happy kitchen-crafting/wild-crafting!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, From the Farm Blog Hop, Front Porch Friday Blog Hop, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, Shabbilicious Friday, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these.