“2020 Smells Like Healing, Transformation, Blessings And Success.”

Decided to create a beauty journal for products that I use, skin conditions, inner beauty talks, etc. I hope that once it’s done, I can pass it down to my girls some day.

Scones

this is the recipe that I make most often! it’s from martha stewart’s cookbook because she is a freaking cooking genius and I aspire to be like her one day

ingredients:

- four cups (480 grams) flour

- one cup (225 grams) cold butter

- one and a fourth cup (250 ml) milk

- two tablespoons sugar + (optionally) extra for sprinkling

- packet of backing powder (or one-two tablespoons)

- one teaspoon salt

- egg (optional)

steps:

1) preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius and assemble your ingredients

2) in a mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar (you can sift the ingredients if you like but it’s optional!) and mix

3) add cubes of cold butter into the flour mixture—cold butter, not melted or it won’t work—and break up the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal (it should look a bit like sand)

4) add in the milk—this is quite a dry dough, so don’t add too much!

5) this step is optional, but you can add in dried cranberries, apricots, blueberries—or go down the sweet road and pour in chocolate chips. or just keep the scones plain, this part really depends on your taste palate

6) use some kind of circular thing to cut out the scones—I use a small drinking glass

7) brush the tops of the scones with egg wash (I consider this step optional but it does elevate the taste) and sprinkle on sugar

8) bake in the oven for ten to fifteen minutes or until they’re golden brown on the top and enjoy!

Notes:

- I put the egg as optional because while it does elevate the taste, it feels kind of useless since you can only use so much egg wash :( however you could put in some of the egg mixture (like, three-ish tablespoons??) into the dough since you can’t really taste is anyway

- continuing on the first note, it’s fine to just leave it out. I’ve replaced the egg wash with milk before and it turned out just fine :)

- for vegans: using vegan butter and plant milk should work (milks that don’t have a predominant taste work best here) I’ve never veganized the recipe though so please tell me how it goes if you do!!

- try not to overwork your dough since this causes the dough to become dense and chewy

Gentle Cottagecore Emoji Asks

🌿 Herb: What is a scent you find relaxing? 

🌱 Seedling: What is something you want to begin learning? 

🥛 Milk: What is a food you find comforting when you are sad? 

🍯 Honey: What is one thing you like about yourself?

🍄 Mushroom: What is a quote you find comfort in?

☕ Tea: How do you take your tea?

🐄 Cow: What is one other tumblr blog you really appreciate? 

🌳 Tree: What is one thing in your future you are looking foward towards? 

🍑 Peach: What is a color that makes you smile? 

🌻 Sunflower: What is one thing that brightened your day today? 

🐓 Chicken: What is a comfort movie/show for you?

🧵 Thread: What is a recent creative project that you are proud of? 

🐈 Cat: Do you have any pets? Are there some pets you really want? 

🍅 Tomato: Have you ever gardened, and if so, what is your favorite thing to grow? 

🍃 Leaf: What is a plant you find beautiful? 

🐝 Bee: What is a video game that you find comforting? 

🍞 Bread: Do you know how to bake bread? If so, what is something you’ve baked recently?

🐇 Bunny: What’s a song that you really like? 

🌲  Pine: Do you prefer the cold, or the heat?

🧶 Yarn: Knitting or Crocheting?

🐑 Sheep: What is a comfort item you own? 

🍓 Strawberry: Do you own any pink clothing?

🥞 Pancake: What is your favorite breakfast food? 

⛰️ Mountains: Would you rather live in the mountains, city, beach, or the forest? 

🧸 Teddy Bear: Do you ever want to raise kids someday? 

🕯️ Candle: What is something you can’t go to bed without? 

How I Dry Herbs and Flowers

I was asked recently how to I like to dry my flowers, and my explanation just got longer and longer, so I decided to make it a post. These are my personal methods, but they’re certainly not unique to me!

Hanging

Hanging is one of my favorite methods, especially for full-bodied flowers that won’t press well, like roses or baby’s breath. Hanging works with nearly everything I’ve done it with! Example: roses, lavender, basil.

It’s super easy! Take your flowers or stems of leafy herbs and cut them so they’re about the same length. I usually do about a foot, but if you have at least 8-ish inches, it should be good! When cutting from a larger plant, cut diagonally to protect the original plant. If drying flowers, strip off any excess leaves. 

Then get some twine or rubber bands and bundle them together, like max 7 per bundle, less if you want to play it safe, but it really depends on what you’re drying. Wrap the twine / rubber band once or twice around the end of the bundle that doesn’t have the flowers on it, then once or twice around each individual stem. 

Hang upside-down in a cool, dry place with decent air circulation. If you care about keeping the colors, hang them in a place away from sunlight, which will bleach out the colors. Check back once every week or so until dry, usually 2-3 weeks.

Pressing

Pressing is better for flat flowers or individual petals. This is a little too tedious for herbs. If using full flowers, cut as much of the stem off as possible unless it’s really thin. If drying individual petals, just pluck them off the flower. 

You’ll need a large book or two flat surfaces and something very heavy. Place a few layers of paper towel (preferably without pattern) on one flat surface (or one side of an open book), lay out your flowers / petals in a single later on the paper towel, making sure they don’t overlap, and cover with more paper towel. Then place the other flat surface on top (or close the book). Put some heavy stuff on top. This takes about 2-3 weeks as well. Be careful when opening to check on them as the petals might move around. 

Oven

This is best for herbs that you need soon. You can also do with flower petals, though I don’t like doing it with full-body flowers because they can become flat on whatever side is pressed against the oven tray. 

Preheat your oven to it’s lowest temperature, usually 250 degrees F. Get an oven tray and cover with a sheet of parchment paper. Strip your herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme, basil) from the stems and lay them out in one layer. Place in the oven for about 30-40 minutes then take them out and give them a stir / flip. Bake for another 30 minutes, or until dry. Leave the oven door cracked open while drying to release moisture. 

What to do with your new dry stuff?

I like to use hung flowers for decorations… like wall hangings. You can also make potpourri, or burn them as an offering. There’s tons of other decorative uses! With flattened ones, I love gluing them into my notebook with a very, very thin layer of Mod Podge applied on the paper and on top of the petals / flowers. I’ve always wanted to put some in snail mail, but I never send mail. You could also frame them! Oven dried herbs are great for spells, cooking, etc. 

Make sure to store your dry herbs in an airtight container. 

things to wear when i’m investigating an abandoned castle that’s heavily rumoured to be infested with vampires

🌱❤️💞💑👨‍❤️‍👨👩‍❤️‍👩💟♥️🌾

A love spell for healthy loving relationships to enter your life

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Just in case

Going to try

It’s Fire Cider making season!!

Half of today was just a huge cider crafting adventure. Half of these herbs are from my yard while the rest were from the market. I had the idea of making different ciders for various purposes and various correspondences. I even gave them names!!

Burning passion: Red cabbage, radishes, hibiscus petals, red onion, grapefruit, purple basil flowers, black peppercorn. I wanted this to taste sensual and fiery like a smokey flower. Can be used in love tonic spells or for courage.  devils kiss: Sweet red peppers, chili peppers, red bell pepper, shallots, dried chili flakes, sweet garden tomatoes. I wanted this to be traditionally spicy but with a rich sweet taste. The tomatoes were ripe and from my garden and have such a rich sweetness to them.  amber blaze: Oranges, sweet orange peppers, carrots, cinnamon, anise, habanero peppers (going to sweeten it with maple syrup after probably). I just wanted this to have the festiveness of fall and kick any cold I would potentially have in the crotch.  gold fire: Ginger, turmeric, lemon, yellow onion, sweet yellow peppers. I was just excited to use pure turmeric. There’s a beautiful glow to this one.  white inferno: Daikon radish, white onion, garlic, rosemary, cardamom, white pepper, chive flowers, basil flowers, chives. This one has a intense cleansing feel to it, nutritionally and energetically. I really felt like adding rosemary to this recipe would be right. I love the whole white flowers in there too that make it have more of this sense of purifying. The white pepper powder for some reason sparkles in it so it feels sparkly and light. The daikon radish is so light and refreshing when you first bite into it but it has an airy fieriness that permeates the whole mouth two seconds later. I’m excited to see what type of spice and flavor it will have after a few months! emerald ember: Horseradish, parsley, lime, basil, orange mint, jalapeño peppers, green bell peppers. I really wanted a cider that would be very herbal yet refreshing. I wanted it to have the type of spice that opens up your sinuses and third eye lol. 

My fingers were burning for an hour after haha. I am so glad it finally stopped. 

Reblog this and money will be entering your life this week

A Herbalist's Glossary: Herb Actions

This is a list of terms used when describing the way a particular herb affects the body. Herbals can be confusing to read sometimes so I’ve put everything in one place here 🌿

Abortifacient: induces abortion

Adaptogen: helps the body processes return to normal when stressed

Adjuvant: modifies the effect of another substance

Adrenergic: acts like adrenaline or describes how adrenalin affects the body

Alterative: restores the body’s functions to normal

Analgesic/Anodyne: a pain killer

Anthelmintic/Antihelmintic: destroys/repels/expels intestinal worms

Antibacterial: inhibits bacterial growth

Antibilious: helps the body to remove excess bile

Anticatarrhal: helps the body reduce excess mucous and phlegm

Anticholinergic: a cholinergic blocking agent

Anticoagulant: slows or prevents clotting of blood

Antidote: counteracts or neutralizes a poison

Antiemetic: reduces the feeling of nausea, can help to prevent vomiting

Anti-inflammatory: helps reduce inflammation

Antilithic: prevents formation and aids removal of stones in the urinary system

Antimicrobial: helps the body destroy or resist pathogenic micro-organisms

Antimitotic: prevents division of cells

Antineoplastic: inhibits or destroys tumours

Antioxidant: eliminates hydroxyl free radicals

Antipyretic: prevents or reduces fever

Antirheumatic: relieves or protects against rheumatism

Antiscorbutic: prevents or cures scurvy

Antisudorific: stops or reduces perspiration

Antiseptic: prevents growth of microorganisms

Antispasmodic: prevents/eases spasms or convulsions

Antitussive: reduces or relieves coughing

Aperiant: laxative

Aphrodisiac: stimulates the sex drive and sometimes sexual ability

Aromatic: an organic compound containing benzene, or, of herbs, having a fragrant/spicy smell

Astringent: contracts tissue and reduces the function of said tissue, affecting haemorrhages, secretions, diarrhoea, bleeding etc.

Bitter: herbs that promote the appetite

Cardioactive: affects the heart

Cardiotonic: increases function of heart muscle

Carminative: relieves flatulence and colic

Cathartic: purges the bowels

Cholagogue: stimulates the release of bile from the gall bladder, sometimes acts as a laxative

Choleretic: stimulates the production of bile in the liver

Counter-irritant: causes inflammation of the skin, used for temporary relief from deep irritations

Demulcent: soothes/protects inflamed or painful surfaces

Depurative: removes impurities from the blood

Diaphoretic: increases perspiration to aid the body in removing toxins

Diuretic: increases the flow of urine, aids in removing toxins via the urinary tract

Emetic: induces vomiting

Emmenagogue: stimulates and normalizes the menstrual flow

Emollient: used internally to ease inflammation or externally to soften skin

Escharotic: a substance that sloughs off dead skin, corrosive

Expectorant: helps the body to expel mucous

Febrifuge: prevents/reduces fevers

Galactogogue: increases or induces lactation

Hallucinogen: affects the senses, produces a wide range of reactions often including hallucinations

Hepatic: strengthens and tones the liver as well as stimulating the flow of bile

Hypnotic: induce sleeps

Hypotensive: lowers blood pressure

Laxative: promotes evacuation of the bowels

Lymphagogue: promotes/increases lymph flow

Miotic: contracts the pupils

Mydriatic: dilates the pupils

Narcotic: in small doses promotes sleep and reduces pain, but can cause poisoning with comas or convulsions

Nervine: strengthens the nervous system, eases anxiety and stress

Oxytocic: stimulates uterine contractions

Parasiticide: kills and removes parasites

Pectoral: used to treat respiratory complaints

Placebo: an inactive substance that is believed by the patient to be a cure

Prophylatic: prevents disease

Psychotropic: affects the mind

Purgative: produces very strong laxative effects and watery evacuations

Reagent: involved in a chemical reaction

Retardant: delays or slows down a chemical reactant

Rubefacient: stimulates circulation locally when applied to the skin

Sedative: calms the nervous system

Sialagogue: stimulates the secretion of saliva

Spasmolytic: relieves spasmodic pains

Sternutatory: causes sneezing

Stimulant: enlivens the physiological functions of the body

Stomachic: promotes digestion and strengthens the stomach

Styptic: stops bleeding by contracting the tissue

Sudorific: induces sweating

Tonic: strengthens and tones either specific organs or the whole body through nutritional stimulation

Vasoconstrictor: constricts blood vessels

Vasodilator: dilates blood vessels

Vermifuge: expels or destroys intestinal worms