"Welcome Winter" Room Spray or DIY Essential Oil Diffuser Blend

"No one can look at a pine tree in winter without knowing
that spring will come again in due time."

~ Frank Bolles

A wonderful way to greet your family and friends this snow-filled season is with this "welcome winter" blend of essential oils. To make this into a room spray, place the following ingredients in a small spritzer bottle (in order). Alternatively, you could also mix these oils in a recycled essential oil bottle (without the alcohols or extract) and use them in your diffuser.

There are a variety of oils that will make a lovely blend so we are sharing some different options:

~ 1/2 tsp. vodka, rubbing alcohol or vanilla extract for a "creamy" scent (this will help to preserve the spray and disperse the oils throughout the mixture)

~ 2 drops of either; cedar wood essential oil (if you want a woodsy aroma), wintergreen (if you want a warm minty aroma), or pine (for that "tree lot" scent)

~ 1 - 2 drops of fennel essential oil (for a sweet scent) or 1 - 2 drops of cinnamon (for a spicy scent)

~ 2  drops of citrus oil such as lemon, orange or bergamot

~  1/4 cup water (or until your 2 oz. spray bottle is full) (we purchase our glass spray bottles inexpensively here)

Being a firm believer of using what you have, I encourage you to mix and match some combinations using this recipe as a "shell". Simply insert your wintery scents when you don't have a particular oil on hand (for instance, frankincense and myrrh would work well too!).

We like to let our blend "infuse" for 24 hours before using and then we spritz away (it also feels good to know that we are cleansing the stale air at the same time because of all the beneficial properties of the essential oils!). After you have tested your blend, feel free to add more of certain oils to create the aroma of your choice.  For our mulling spice room spray recipe, visit here. Happy homemaking! 

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, Roses of Inspiration, 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, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post contains affiliate links.

How to Dry Citrus Slices & What to Do With Them ~ Citrus Series

"The modern day pantry projects are, in many ways, highly romanticized versions of their medieval equivalents. We make these things for pleasure rather than for practical purposes, nevertheless they are fragrant, decorative and sometimes functional. By passing on these methods, we help to continue a tradition that has been an essential part of country life for centuries."

~ Stephanie Donaldson, The Country Store

When they say the "little joys" in life, I think of these quaint homemaking projects. It is very enjoyable and relaxing to turn on some inspirational music and begin creating in the kitchen on a cozy winter day. Dehydrating citrus slices is simple and satisfying and you can make many lovely things for the home with them. And the nice part is that you can prepare them in the oven if you don't have a dehydrator.

Simply wash and thinly slice your citrus fruit (some people remove the seeds but we don't bother as I really don't have the time like the rustic look).

Spread them out in a single layer on your dehydrator trays. Depending on your climate the time will vary. I let ours go for 8 hours at 135 degrees (fahrenheit) since we live in a humid environment but yours may take less time. In the end, you want dry, brittle fruit that will crack easily.

If you don't have a dehydrator, you can dry them in your oven by laying them in a single layer on a nonstick baking mat on the lowest degree (not hotter than 200 degrees fahrenheit) until brittle (approx. 2 - 4 hours depending on the heat level). I don't recommend placing them directly on a cookie sheet as they will probably stick.

When dried, store your citrus slices in an airtight container in a cool, dark area of your pantry or cupboard.

Make Your Own Tisanes {Herbal Tea Blends}

~ Add citrus slices to a pot of tea for an extra punch of vitamin C ~

Although there are lots of ways you can use them, tea blends are our favorite! Not only do they taste wonderful, but they add medicinal value, especially helpful for the cold and flu season! Just toss one or two into your normal tea blend or make up a different assortment until you find a favorite. Brew a large batch in a tea pot or half gallon jar and enjoy all day. My husband likes to dip around my pantry and drop herbs by the handful into a pot and let it simmer at night. This tea relaxes him and also replaces many nutrients that are lost during a stressful day.

Herbal tea blends gifted in a tin, jar or cellophane would be very appreciated!

 Potpourri & Other Pretty Inspiration by Pottery Barn

The slices would look lovely in your favorite vases and even mason jars.

Decorative potpourri can also be made frugally with you have (see ideas below).

For a frugal autumn/winter potpourri blend, follow these three easy steps:

• Place your dried orange peels in a large bowl and add what you can find in your pantry and your backyard such as broken cinnamon sticks, dried pods or cones from trees, whole (or coarsely crushed) nutmeg, cloves (whole), allspice (whole), star anise, dried leaves, bark, wood chips, sticks and/or an assortment of dried, pretty petals.
• Add in a few drops of your favorite seasonal essential oils such as clove, orange and/or cinnamon.
• Toss well and store this mixture in an airtight container for 3 days to allow the aroma to infuse (shake a few times a day). When the time is up, place your potpourri in pretty bowls or vases. 

These potpourri blends can also be packaged up in cellophane with a bow for a nice gift!

Make Your Own Simmering Potpourri

A simmering potpourri can be made on your wood stove or stove top using your dried citrus slices, cinnamon sticks, allspice, cloves and/or any other fragrant spices on hand. Your house will smell amazing!

This simmering  potpourri can also be packaged up in cellophane and ribbon for a nice hostess gift!

Citrus slices make a pretty replacement for a bow on a winter package.

(We like to use recycled paper and/or brown bags for frugal gift giving.)

Orange Peel Jar Decoration by Beautiful Girlhood

Orange Garland Using Ribbon by Flower Patch Farmgirl

Herb Embellished Citrus Slice Garland by Golden Isles Magazine

DIY Citrus Peel Garland {Crafts for Kids} by PBS Parents

   

Citrus Strings by Fordham.u-la-la.com and Citrus Mobile by Melashacat

Orange Garland Sprinkled with Pinecones by Beatrice Euphemie

The nice part is that you are not limited to winter and autumn for using these citrus slices. They will keep until summer and can be used in many ways come that sultry season when the prices are not as agreeable as they are now.

~ Some Spring and Summer Uses ~

Lemon Garnish in a Glass by Pottery Barn

~ Make Some Festive Drinks ~

Drop a few citrus slices in a pitcher of water for flavor and pretty embellishment.

Add some lemon slices to each cup to "dress up" your lemonade.

Infuse your iced tea with slices of citrus peel.

Although there are many things you can do with them, I also love looking at them in our pantry. They are just so pretty to the eye... like little bits of sunshine captured in a jar. It seems the perfect picture for a cold, winter day. Happy homemaking!

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, Roses of Inspiration, 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, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these.

How to Make a Medicinal Tea {Plus Printable} ~ Home Pharmacy Series

"Drinking a daily cup of tea, will surely starve the apothec'ry."

~ Chinese Proverb

There is an art to making herbal tea more effective. Like all good things, knowing the proper way creates better results! Today we are sharing the basics of medicinal-tea-making. And if you have any additional tips, I would love to hear them!

“I am so fond of tea that I could write a whole dissertation on its virtues. It comforts and enlivens without the risks attendant on spirituous liquors. Gentle herb! Let the florid grape yield to thee. Thy soft influence is a more safe inspirer of social joy.”

~ James Boswell

Medicinal Tea Basics

Approximate ratio: 1 - 3 tbsp. dried herb per cup of boiling water.

The longer it steeps or simmers, the stronger the tea. 

Once brewed, store the excess tea in the refrigerator for no longer than 3 to 4 days.

For convenience, infuse loose herbal tea directly inside a mug, mason jar or tea pot using a tea strainer. Or, simply strain through a fine strainer when finished brewing to remove the herbs.

"For a medicinal tea to be effective, it must be administered in small amounts several times daily. For chronic problems, serve the tea three or four times daily. For acute ailments such as colds, fevers, and headaches, take several small sips every thirty minutes until the symptoms subside."

~ Rosemary Gladstar, Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health

Infusions

Prepare an infusion when working with delicate parts of the plant such as leaves and flowers.

Pour the boiled water over the herbs and let them steep for 30 to 60 minutes.

Tip: Infuse straight into a large mason jar or tea pot and sip throughout the day. 

Decoctions

Prepare a decoction when working with more durable parts of the plant such as roots, bark and seeds.

Place herbs in a sauce pan and cover with cold water. Gently bring to a boil and simmer slowly (and covered) for 20 to 45 minutes. Strain and enjoy.

Sun and Moon Teas

Solar Tea: Place your herbs in a mason jar with cold water and let it sit in the sun for several hours during the hottest part of the day. Strain when completed.

Lunar Tea: Place your herbs in a mason jar with cold water and let it sit out overnight under the light of the moon. For a stronger tea, start off with boiling water. Strain when completed.

Make sure to cover your jar with a lid as you don't want your infusion being invaded by pests. 

DIY Tea {Tisane} Blends

Here are some thrifty ideas for making your own tisane (herbal tea blend) using dried orange and lemon peels. They make a wonderful addition to your cup this winter as they are full of cold and flu fighting preventatives! And if you are looking for a daily tea blend that will strengthen the homemaker, visit this recipe here. We will also be sharing some rose-hip tea ideas within the next month or so.

Lastly, we are sharing these printable "how to make a medicinal tea" instructions HERE should you like to add them to your homemaker's herbal. We are also including a set of "tea blend" labels. It is nice to have your favorite blends prepared in advance, stored in airtight jars and labeled on your shelf for convenience. Think "sleepy-time" blend, "cold/flu" blend, and so forth! This post was a part of our "Home Apothecary Series".

"So of all the particulars of health and exercise, and fit nutriment, and tonics.

Some people will tell you there is a great deal of poetry

and fine sentiment in a chest of tea."

 ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Disclaimer: I am not a certified herbalist but a homemaker interested in the arts of natural healing. The information I have learned has been gleaned through study of some of the following favorite books; Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide, Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, Grow Your Own Drugs by James Wong, and The Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs by Reader's Digest and websites of herbalists.

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.

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, Roses of Inspiration, 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, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these.

Be Still This Season... {Repost}

“To every thing there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under the heaven…”

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

After all the hard work in the previous months of sowing and reaping, it is no wonder God created winter. Like the seventh day is given as a day of rest, one may consider this snow-filled season as a sign to move indoors and give your family its much needed repose.

Sadly, it is so easy to get caught up in all the “so called deals” and marketing strategies that the media has designed to keep us out of our peaceful parlors and into the mall parking lots. There is a mad rush in the streets when there should be a cozy calm.

Your presence at home is the best blessing you can offer your family. Keep these months sacred and special by spending time inside your God given sphere. Light your scented candles, prepare your baked goods, fire up the tea kettle and grab a stack of inspiring books and board games. Meet your loved ones in the family room. Choose to really live this season out by spending your precious time at home.

Life is short. Every day a beloved soul is nearing their last breath. Slow down and show them their importance through simple family fellowship.

Our heavenly Creator does not want us running around town, fighting for parking spaces, going to debt over gifts and exhausting ourselves until we drop. The best thing you can give your Lord and your family is you and your undivided attention. Don’t allow yourself to be caught up in this overwhelming, commercially-created, chaotic, and frenzied rush for our instructions are clear.

“Be still, and know that I am God:

I will be exalted among the heathen,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

~ Psalm 46:10

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, Roses of Inspiration, 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, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these.