Every year, I barter a gift basket for our Christmas tree. It’s one of my very favorite traditions — not just because of the tree, but because I get to gather goodies, thrift for a creative container, and doll it up to look festive. Some baskets I make are for individuals — a teacher, a friend, or e...

It seems I am always missing one person right near Christmas. Maybe the gift did not arrive on time. Maybe there is a last-minute invitation, and I suddenly need a hostess gift. Or maybe I simply forgot someone in the busyness of December.

What is a homesteader to do?

Dive into the pantry, of cour...

When my dear friend Michele over at Chocolate Box Cottage gifted me Sweet Remedies: Healing Herbal Honeys by Dawn Combs, I wasn’t expecting it to change how I saw honey. Around here, honey is as common as a jar of jam on the counter, but until then, I’d mostly used it to sweeten tea or drizzle over ...

The first time I made my own lip balm, I felt like I’d uncovered one of homemaking’s best-kept secrets: it’s easy, it’s fun, and it actually works.

Lip balm was one of my very first herbal DIY projects—partly because I was already using so much of it! Once I learned what was actually in those littl...

Homemade marshmallows are a delicious and affordable candy that can be made at home with just a few simple ingredients. But did you know that marshmallow is actually a plant too? DIY marshmallows are also a fun way to use marshmallow root, one of my favorite medicinal herbs, with a variety of tradit...

Many of us are not new to getting started with essential oils but when it comes to the art of infusing our own oils with botanicals it may seem a little daunting.

The art of infusing oil for health and well-being is steeped in history, but how do we know where to start with so many options avail...