We Like Making Our Own Stuff

This homemade body spray recipe is both simple to make and inexpensive. All you need are four ingredients and a little time. You will want to begin by eating some oranges.  In fact, make your whole family eat an orange, because you need some peels!  The peels will go into a pot with just enough water to barely cover them.  Be careful not to use too much water, or your orange fragrance will be too dilute. Bring the water to a boil, and then immediately cover the pot with its lid and remove from heat.  Allow the pot to sit for 12 to 24 hours. When you take the lid off the next day, you will see that a lot of the liquid is gone. If you dip your finger into the liquid, you may notice that it feels somewhat oily.  That's good!  It's orange oil, extracted from your peels. To get the most oil out of your peels, you'll want to squeeze the crap out of them.  Pour the liquid and peels into a cotton tea towel or jelly bag that you ...

Did you know that many commercial furniture polishes contain ingredients that are known neurotoxins?  Common products, such as Pledge, contain ingredients that can cause depression, damage to the central nervous system, and memory loss. Do away with that junk, and make your own lemony furniture polish at home.  Not only is it a healthier alternative, but it is very inexpensive and easy to do.  In the past, I used a recipe containing oil and lemon juice .  This recipe is good, but I found one that I like even better!  It smells so nice, and it has a secret ingredient in it:  alcohol.  The idea with the alcohol is that it will evaporate, pulling up some of the oil with it, which will in turn leave less of a residue on your furniture.  ...That's my theory anyway. You will need to infuse some oil with lemon peels before you mix this up.  This is quite simple to do, so have no fear! Lemon Infused Oil Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups o...

If you look into my craft room, you will see shelves lined with small, cobalt-blue bottles that have mysterious liquids floating in them.  My husband likes to tease that it looks like a witch's apothecary.  Really, those bottles are filled with my own herbal preparations, and there is nothing witchy about having bottles of tinctures and extracts.  In fact, these products are very useful for everyday things, and easy to make yourself.  I like tinctures and extracts for many reasons, but the thing I enjoy most about them is their long shelf life.  A tincture will last you virtually forever as long as it is stored properly. Before I get down to describing the actual process of making a tincture or extract, an explanation is in order.  What exactly is a tincture?  What is it used for? What Are Tinctures and Extracts? Usually, tinctures and extracts are made by the same process.  The medicinal qualities of a...