DIY

DIY gift ideas: Spirit of Christmas in a jar

August 13, 2018 By Heidi Rabbach 1 Comment

Last updated on November 15th, 2018

Watch this short video for a quick overview of how to make the 15 minutes Christmas in a jar gift.

Looking for small, yet thoughtful DIY gift ideas for Christmas? Then you’ll love my Spirit of Christmas in a jar! It’s inexpensive and easy to make with tons of ways to personalize your gift in a jar. And best of all: You’re giving someone 15 minutes of Christmas peace.

Never did I try to cram so much into the weeks leading up to Christmas as I do now as a mom. There is a never-ending list of things I have to do, want to do, should be doing. Writing Christmas cards. Getting thoughtful gifts lined up and perfectly packed. Tastefully decorating our home. Baking Christmas cookies. Attending Christmas gatherings. Making little DIY gifts for teachers, neighbors, acquaintances. Singing with the kids. Taking a walk through the brightly lit neighborhood. Enjoying Christmas time.

Now that’s already quite a list for just a few weeks. But, it’s not like we’re on a full-board, Buttler-assisted, luxury holiday during those weeks. Laundry still needs to be done. Dinners need to be cooked. Groceries must be gotten. School lunches should be packed. Ideally, even the house would get cleaned… some – not a lot.

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Cooling Body Spray – 3 homemade solutions that soothe your skin

August 7, 2018 By Heidi Rabbach Leave a Comment

Last updated on August 13th, 2018

Does this sound familiar? You’re stuck in your office at the height of summer and all the fan is capable of is pushing hot air from one side of the room to the other. Or you are covered in sweat, attempting to sleep in your bedroom under the attic, while the cool night breeze doesn’t even make it to your bed. In this post, I’ll show you how to easily make a cooling body spray with just three ingredients, in three skin-soothing varieties!

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DIY Anti-Itch Balm

July 19, 2018 By Heidi Rabbach Leave a Comment

Last updated on August 13th, 2018

You can make your own natural home remedy against itchiness caused by insect bites, sunburn, dry skin or allergies with just a few ingredients. This soothing DIY anti-itch lotion nourishes the skin and promotes healing.

The list of torture methods probably doesn’t include itching. But when you’re struggling with the overwhelming urge to itch you’d be forgiven for thinking that it is. Itching can drive you crazy to the point that you don’t even care about possible scars. All it takes are a few mosquito bites and once the trigger has been set off, every thought revolves around the itch. In anticipation of the next time you struggle with itching of any kind, I’ll show you how you can easily make a soothing balm at home. (No time to read? Click here to save to Pinterest.)

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How to make vegetable stock paste

January 24, 2018 By Heidi Rabbach Leave a Comment

Last updated on October 11th, 2018

If you’re looking for something to replace storebought vegetable stock powder then look no further! No worries, though, there’s no dehydration involved and no need to fill your freezer with gallons of veggie-flavored water. Try this easy vegetable stock past instead – it lasts for months, is just as convenient and it tastes so great you’ll never want to cook without it!

I am no longer stressing about ingredients lists they way I did during my slightly orthorexic phase. However, the strong taste of yeast extract or MSG still bothers me to the point that I prefer my food mostly without these ingredients. So, for the sake of our family’s taste buds, we tend to avoid buying products that have flavoring and yeast extract or MSG hiding in the small print of the label.

When looking for an alternative to vegetable stock powder, the search gave me a bit of a headache. It’s required in virtually every recipe that needs a tasty liquid and it’s nearly impossible to find a brand that doesn’t use yeast extract. So for a while, we cooked vegetable stock in large quantities and then froze it in portions. The trouble is – those portions were almost always too much or too little, even when I had some stock frozen in ice cube trays. And who wants to block their entire freezer with what is essentially a lot of veggie-flavored water?…