Updated January 5, 2022 I’ve been making salves for my friends and family for a few years now. And I am still just winging it as far as measurements of beeswax and oil! I’ve had some people ask me about the ratios. In general, I think I do use a 1 – 4 beeswax to oil ratio, but then again, I don’t use exact measurements, so it may vary. So, I decided to do an experiment to finally get a solid (no pun intended!) guide for beeswax to oil measurements for different types of conco

Hobbies are more than pastimes — they are powerful supports for mental health. Immersive, creative activities promote focus, mastery, and the restorative state of mind known as flow.

Originally posted November 13, 2018. Hobby Corner: Fall Warming Salve for Pain Relief This spring and summer, I wildcrafted some herbs to infuse in base oils for use in making some fall and winter salves. I made comfrey , dandelion and calendula oils. This November, I made my first fall/winter warming salve. Because, like any others, I do intense work as a psychotherapist, I tend towards hobbies that being me in contact with nature, such as hiking, gardening and her

Originally posted March 13, 2018. Years ago, my son had a wonderful first grade teacher. She was creative and kind. The kids all loved her! During St. Patrick’s week, she told her classroom that they might see tiny, happy leprechauns about! She left out some nickels for the leprechauns. The children were all very excited about this and kept watching to see if a leprechaun might come to collect the nickels! One morning, when the children came in, the nickels were gone

Originally posted February 6, 2018. Clinical Aromatherapy One of my life long hobbies is studying healing plants in the form of herbals, essential oils and flower essences. I studied for my aromatherapy certification in 2014 with Liz Fulcher at her Aromatic Wisdom Institute in Pennsylvania. It was a wonderful course and she mentored me further into the secret life of plants. I discovered a whole network of wise women working with plant secrets. It was a great experienc

Originally posted May 22, 2017. Here’s another easy remedy for simple comfort in everyday life. Make this salve for use in your home and to give to friends, too! Making salves with plant essences is a lot like cooking. So, if you like to cook as a hobby this is also a fun way to pass a rainy day at home! First, get your stuff together to get ready to cook! Ingredients: 4 oz yellow beeswax 2 oz virgin organic shea butter 1 oz organic coconut oil 1/2 tsp of vitamin E oil 10

Below is a recipe for healing skin wounds I made for a friend who had been hurt in an accident. Of course, common sense disclaimer: he used this salve on his hands after a stay in the hospital, and the salve is not a substitute for medical care. But there was alot of trauma, both physical and emotional, and his closed wounds were in for a long healing period.

Updated January 27, 2022r Ahh my summer “stay-cation”!! A combination of rest and work. Working on a challenge that is short term and chosen. We’ve had the contractors in and out to get the kitchen done. Dust everywhere! And the waiting for permits/inspections phase is now officially on ! Working on a significant and necessary part of life that I wish didn’t have to happen, but of course is part of the normal course of life suffering. Working with the assisted living wh

Originally posted August 11, 2014. I purchased an organic vegetable share this past week from Ebb and Flow Farm hosted at Taste of Dawn natural food store in Butler NJ. I received an assortment of fresh vegetables, including tomatoes, mixed baby salad greens, arugula, cucumbers, beets, garlic and kale among other yummy fresh items! I realized I had the ingredients for both gazpacho soup and beet salad, two of my favorite summer dishes! I remembered to record the beet s

Originally posted February 24, 2014. With the crazy weather we’ve all been having, the temperatures up and down and all, there’s been a lot of sneezing around the office this week, so I decided to take whip up a batch of immune support salve for my family. I’m sending one over to my son at his college dorm! First, get your stuff together: Ingredients: 1 ½ oz white beeswax 1 oz virgin organic unrefined shea butter 1 oz organic coconut oil 1 oz jojoba oil 10 drops Ravensa

Originally posted January 27, 2014. Any woman who has been pregnant wonders about stretch marks! When I was pregnant myself, I remember the abdominal itchiness associated with my expanding belly! For some relief from itchiness and to prevent stretch marks, I purchased some creams back then. I wondered about the safety ingredients in the creams I was buying and applying to my skin, right above where my son we growing in my womb. I wondered, how much does my skin absorb?