Another Great Do It Yourself Idea.

When Suzanne Forsling moved to Juneau Alaska from Iowa, she found that it was a little bit harder to get her garden to grow. Frustrated by cold soil, scarce sunlight, hungry slugs, root maggots, porcupines, cats, bears and ravens she got resourceful. She got her crops off the cold ground and into the light by afixing gutters to the wood siding of her house on the sunny side and using them as planters.

This is really a great space saving idea for those with green thumbs and not enough yard to exercise them. Personally I think these would go great along a deck railing or cut down to be mini-window boxes. So next time someone you know replaces their gutters snatch them up and give them a new lives as planters.

Source: Juneau Empire

DIY Soil Sifter - Vegetable Gardener

When it comes to soil preparation for seed starting, I have come up with a "recipe" that includes the regular seed starting mix, potting soil, and perlite/vermiculite. I may "season" it with coffee grounds, epsom salt, and worm castings :). I add the potting soil to the seed starting mix because it's too light IMO for transplants; that is, they are already tough enough for rougher soil. Here's the problem - the potting soils I've tried all seem to contain pieces of wood and the occasional rock... not what you want.

So, I've come up with a way to separate the larger unwanted objects from the soil. A historical homage to the gold mining days has inspired my latest DIY project - the soil sifter. Of course, this can also be used for compost, gravel, large seeds, etc. The one I've built is small for sifting soil into a plastic tub, but you can build yours to whatever size you need.

But what about using a simple cooking colander? Believe me, I've looked everywhere for one that has the right size holes for the job, and have been unsuccessful. I feel it's worth the time and trouble of removing unwanted objects in the soil (my tomatoes thank me for it later!).

The list of things you'll need:

• Piece of 1" x 4" x 6' plywood. The size you'll need will depend on how large a sifter you're building. You may only need one piece.
• Saw - manual or power electric
• 12-20 Nails (1 - 1 1/2" will do nicely)
• Hardware cloth (I chose the size with 1/4" spaces/squares)
• Hammer
• Wire cutters
• Pencil and tape measure for, um, measuring

Construction

1. Determine how large you want your sifter to be to determine the dimensions
2. Mark out the width twice and the length twice on the piece of plywood to create the four sides
3. Cut the four pieces out, making sure the cuts are as straight and clean as possible
4. Start the nails in two of the boards to make it easier when you are hammering the four pieces together
5. Hammer the four pieces together
6. Cut a square piece of hardware cloth large enough to not only cover the width and length of the wooden frame, but also to fold over into the sides of the frame
7. Fold over the edges of the hardware cloth to snugly fit inside the wood frame
8. Staple the folded edges to the sides of the wood frame, securing it
9. Sand the edges and sides of the wood frame to eliminate any possibilities of slivers
10. Test it. If it's OK, you're done

Enjoy... and start sifting!
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Lemons are naturally acidic, use them on your face for a refreshing Facial Splash.


1 200ml bottle of witch-hazel
5 drops of Almond oil
3 drops of Lemon essential oil


Why Witch Hazel?

Using witch hazel for skin problems is a tradition that goes back centuries. This herb is a naturally soothing ingredient in many skin care products. When you use witch hazel, natural healing of many of the harshest skin problems is easy. It can soothe many of the issues that plague our skin and can even treat the most stubborn skin conditions.

Witch hazel is well-known for its soothing powers on the skin. Anytime your skin feels rough or blistered, witch hazel natural care is the perfect way to make it feel better. It can be used to both clean the skin and to soothe it. This makes products with witch hazel perfect for many different types of irritation and skin conditions.

Making your own Salt Scrub, here is a video from Expert village.

This is totally "moisturizing and soothing." 2 Ingredients needed that is it!
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Ingredients:

* 2 egg whites, separated from the yolk and placed in a bowl
* 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt (I like Greek yogurt)

Preparation:
Separate the egg whites from a couple eggs and place them in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of yogurt (do not use flavored yogurt!). Mix them up and apply to face. Leave on face for a few minutes then rinse face in warm water, followed by a warm washcloth.

Naturally Skinsational ~ Rejuvenating Skin Care Recipes

The Naturally Skinsational recipe ebook provides a wonderful selection of homemade
natural skin care recipes for facial treatments that have been formulated especially for the
rejuvenating needs of aging skin with simple, common ingredients right from the kitchen.

Take a quick peek:
http://e-diet-plans.com/recipes.htm

Naturally Skinsational revolutionizes facial rejuvenation representing the next generation
of natural skin care treatments which are found right in any kitchen cupboard.
This Recipe eBook is literally overflowing with quick and easy natural skin care recipes
formulated specifically to address aging skin concerns.

Watch the video below explaining the recipes and how easy it is!

Making candles is easy and economical, here is a really easy recipe for Home Made Wax Candles

1. Turn on your double boiler and melt the wax into it until it turns into a hot liquid mixture. While your wax is melting prepare your molds by rubbing oil around them so it is easier to pull the candles out. If you want to add color to your candle add in a peeled color crayon of your choice. Also add in a splash or two of the scent you'd like to use.
   
2. 
   
   
   
   
   Now cut off a piece of wick that is about an inch or two longer than your candle itself. Dip it into your hot wax and wipe it off immediately with a paper towel. This will make your wick straight.
   
   
3. 
   
   
   
   
   Pour the hot wax into your prepared mold and stick the wick inside. Set it in the fridge to cool until it appears firm inside and out. Once it is ready to light, remove it from the mold. Enjoy your homemade candle.
   
   

Basic Dry Scrub

1/2 cup of Fine oatmeal
1/4 cup of Rice flour
1 tbs of Clay powder
This scrub is a great basic mix and is your base mix and can be used with wet ingredients for certain skin types.

Take your dry ingredients and mix them together. The dry ingredients can be stored for up to 6 months in a dry container.

Add to this dry mix 2 teaspoons of one of the following wet ingredients until you form a gritty wet paste. Each ingredient below will form a great nourishing mask for your face.

Yogurt
Milk
Egg yolk
Herbal infusions
Honey

1 1/2 tbs of Basic scrub mix (Above)
1 tsp Mashed banana
1 tsp of Fresh cream
Pinch of ground cinnamon

This recipe is perfect for mature skin, the banana nourishes and leaves the skin feeling soft and glowing.

Mix the ingredients together to form a paste, apply to a damp face in a soft circular motion. Leave on one minute, Rinse off.

This recipe will last 2-3 days in the fridge.

This recipe is enough for one facial.

How to Make Lemon Verbena Soap

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Lemon verbena soap is refreshing and exudes a pleasant citrus flavour. This is an easy soap-making method that makes use of soap that has already been made to form the base of your soap, thereby eliminating the need to handle lye. This soap makes a lovely gift when wrapped in cellophane and makes a good market seller.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp fresh lemon verbena leaves, finely chopped
  
• 2 tbsp glycerine, warmed
  
• 12 tbsp unscented soap, finely grated
  
• 1 tbsp clear honey
  
• Few drops food colouring (optional)
  

Steps

1. Place the chopped lemon verbena leaves into 2 tablespoons of warmed glycerine.
   
2. Allow to infuse. Put in a warm place for 1-2 hours. This allows the lemon verbena to infuse.
   
3. Put the finely grated soap into the top of a double boiler. Melt the soap over simmering water (low heat).
   
4. Remove from the heat.
   
5. Mix the melted soap mixture with the infused lemon verbena solution. Add the honey and food colouring (if using) and stir the ingredients together, using the wooden spoon.
   
6. Pour the stirred mixture into pre-greased soap moulds.
   
7. Allow to set. Remove and use.
   

Tips

• The lemon verbena leaves are best when they are young.
  
• This soap makes a beautiful hand-made gift. Wrap in clear cellophane and seal with a decorative sticker.
  

Things You'll Need

• Grater
  
• Double boiler
  
• Wooden spoon
  
• Soap moulds
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Make Your Own Soap
  
• How to Make Soap Without Using Lye
  
• How to Expand Ivory Soap
  
• How to Make 'Melt and Pour' Soap
  
• How to Make Beach Ball Soap
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Lemon Verbena Soap. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.