DIY tea-blending.

Though this blog is not specifically DIY or craft related, I do enjoy occasionally sharing some of the DIY's that are a regular part of my lifestyle. Blending my own tea is one of them. And while I grow the majority of my own herbs and dry them, it isn't a necessity in order to enjoy your own tea. Farmers markets and small specialty health stores now abound with dried herbs, and the end result is fresher and less expensive than what you'll find boxed at the supermarket.

I've dabbled in herbalism for a few years now, and love that I can make a custom tea to suite my current needs, whatever they are at the time. The tea pictured above is red clover, nettle, peppermint, and a bit of echinacea, which I crafted to help my family and I ward off the autumnal allergies we suffer from. But really, you can combine just about anything your heart, body, or palate desires. If you're a complete newbie to herbs in general, I would recommend reading this and slowly experimenting to find what you and your body prefer.

On another note, my brother is getting married tomorrow. I am excited beyond measure, as the woman he has chosen is incredibly dear to my heart, and truly like the sister I never had. It is, of course, going to rain, but I'm well convinced that it's going to be a magical wedding, full of warmth and whimsy. I'm just laden with butterflies--looks like I'll be making myself some calming tummy tea today. ;)

xo

homemade face wash.

From left to right: cinnamon, nutmeg, tumeric, dried lemon balm, chamomile, and sugar.

I love whipping up a quick face wash with things I have around the house. The cinnamon and nutmeg are natural anti-fungal's and anti-inflammatory's. The tumeric I added to give my face a little glow, to beat back some of this winter-white complexion. (Though, if you choose to use tumeric, go easy. Add to much and you'll look jaundiced.) Lemon balm and chamomile are calming and reduce redness. And I threw the sugar in there to give my skin a little exfoliation. You'll see above that I also chopped up some oats and added those in, which are wonderful for fighting itch and inflammation. I didn't do any actual measuring here, but I'd say I had close to a heaping tsp. of all the ingredients.

Directions: chop and/or grind the chunkier ingredients. Throw everything in a jar and shake to combine. To use, wet your face and apply using your fingers. Massage in slow circles for roughly 30 seconds. Rinse. Keep this tightly sealed for one week.

***IMPORTANT***
If you have very sensitive skin, please keep the cinnamon to a minimum, as it will inflame whatever area you apply it to. I mixed everything so that there is a ton of the other stuff in addition to the cinnamon, therefore a bit "diluted", if you will.