inspiration :: love is the honey

Inspirational Quote by Victor Hugo

Another experiment with fonts and images. I'm really having fun, now. :) What do you think?

inspiration :: a new dawn

I've been putting  my Adobe Illustrator subscription to use on something other than product labels. What do you think? Is this a keeper?

echinacea lip balm - new on Etsy (even if you can't find it)

Bee Well Echinacea and Green Tea Lip Balm. All natural. Handmade.

The past week has been spent holed up in my workspace creating new products for my Etsy shop, Winsome & Green. I have to tell you, there are few things that give me more satisfaction than producing something with my hands so it has been one of my most satisfying weeks in a long time. New on the shelves is an activated bamboo charcoal face mask, an apricot kernel meal and poppy seed face scrub and even an exfoliating peel. But the thing I'm most in love with at the moment, is this lovely echinacea and green tea lip balm. 

 I'm calling this all natural lip balm, Bee Well. I thought, with the beeswax and the nature of the ingredients, the name was fitting and word play always makes me smile. :) I thought I'd share a little about my process. First of all, I got most of the ingredients to make the lip balm from Mountain Rose Herbs. If you're picky like I am, you'll love them as a supplier. They offer Certified Organic, Ethically Wildharvested, Kosher, Fair Trade - start with the best and end up with the best, I always say.

echinacea

I started this herbal lip balm out by making an infusion. An herbal infusion happens by a process in which you steep plants in an oil or butter either by the folk method of sun brewing, or by the more modern method of gently heating the ingredients over several hours to coax the essence out of your botanicals. Though I find the folk method to be an altogether romantic and rewarding experience, I've found that the low heat method produces better coloring and I've read that it can result in a much more concentrated brew than solar infusion alone. In any case, I'm sure the infusion for the lip balm became the most concentrated one I've made to date. I can't give all of my secrets away, but I will say that I made it over the course of several days and used more plant matter than I've ever used before. The result was a thick, green concoction I'd go so far as to describe as lovely, dark and deep. ;) 

Pods by Janita Court

After obtaining the infusion, it was simply a matter of finding a balance of the right oils, butters and of course, beeswax. In the final recipe, I ended up using grapeseed oil, shea butter, beeswax, coconut oil, peppermint, lavender, echinacea and green tea for a stiff lip balm that softens on contact and smooths on easily. And no worries, it won't turn your kisser green! I'm recommending Bee Well lip balm for the blustery winter months ahead and throughout the year to see you through seasonal changes and whatever curve balls your life throws at you where you'll benefit from a little herbal loving.

You probably can't find my echinacea lip balm on Etsy by doing a search so I've left a few links throughout this post. When I listed Bee Well a couple of days ago, it showed up on the first page of results but, by the next day, a search by relevancy could not turn it up. For the life of me, I cannot wrap my head around how my lip balm is not relevantly "lip balm" in a search netting 250 pages of results! I've been frustrated and disheartened to say the least. I contacted Etsy support for an official explanation so there's hope someone can spot the problem and fix it. Views have been in the dirt for a while, but to have an item disappear is quite another thing altogether. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed learning about Bee Well and I'll keep you in the loop about the disappearing act.

Always,

Christa

gift guide :: certified organic by marmen bechade

I was so happy to be featured in this lovely treasury, this morning. It's aptly named "Certified Organic". It's just so nice and soothing. See my beet seeds in the lower left hand?

date :: bird watching

My relationship with my husband has always been a familiar one. Even before I knew him, I knew him. If the intention of dating is to get to know a person for the purpose of coupling up, then dating seemed unnecessary for us. We moved in together after two months of being romantically involved and I have no regrets. And yet.. I would have liked to date him for the fun of it. Tonight I want to begin a series on unconventional dates and make a vow to myself: I will date my husband.

date :: bird watching

Heart Cut Out Dress in Woodland Blue Bird by Kasey of kayemkay

 The perfect date begins with the perfect dress. No lover could resist the heart cut out back on this handmade beauty.

Vintage Book Page Bird Brooch by Sarah of houseofismay

Vintage book page + bird + wooden brooch = catch me, I'm swooning. 

Faux Boix Ceramic Bird Feeder

This ceramic bird feeder will make it easier to lure the fine feathered ones in. Loving the faux bois and angles of the piece.

Vintage Binoculars by Sheryl of Reclaimer

You can never go wrong with a pair of good binoculars.The better to see you with, my dears.

Tiny Bird Watercolor Painting by Amber of AmberAlexander

Tweet, tweet. Hoping we see some sweet little guys like this one.

Postal Pigeon by Olga of Wassupbrothers

I'd love this softie bird personalized with our wedding date or some special moment from our life together.

In my sometimes crazy life I've formed my own traditions from scratch and I'm sure this "dating" thing will be no different. I'm so looking forward to hearing the bird sounds with him, drinking in the wild air and recording it all in my journal.

Always,

Christa

this week :: baby eats, sparklers, lip scrub & rain, finally

Days of the Week Clothespins by Sarah Collins of ClipAndPin

So, how was your week? July is really beating me up right now with the kids being home all the time - school time for kiddos is work time for mommy. But, I'm hanging in there and just working as hard as I can, when I can. :) We had a milestone in my house this week. My littlest girl, who I'm calling Flossie at the moment (nicknames change a lot, here) - she's eating baby snacks! She's almost 8 months old, which makes me a little sad and wistful (why can't they stay little?), and she has two little teeth on the bottom. They are the most precious little things I've ever seen, I kid you not. :) So, we got her some Gerber Graduates Puffs - the strawberry apple ones. 

Flossie, eating baby snacks

Sorry for the blurry picture but you can see how adorbs she is with her wild hair. :) See that little fist? She's clutching a baby snack. Lol! I tried to get a shot of the actual eating but it didn't turn out.

Little guy with sparkler

On Wednesday we had sparklers and watched a movie together - Thor. Have you seen it? Not what I'd watch alone, but the kids liked it. The pic above is of my only boy. He's 7 now and can not see the practicality in wearing clothing so we just let him run around half naked. :)

Organic Natural Lip Scrub by Winsome & Green

I got some new stuff in the shop - natural lip scrub. I made Peppermint, Orange and Lemon. They all have sugar and peppermint in them for exfoliation + the lemon has lemon peel and the orange has orange peel. I added Shea butter, sweet almond oil and beeswax for moisture and protection. And each has essential oils to treat the senses - Peppermint, Lemon and Sweet Orange & Bergamot. They're all so yummy. :)

Rain Clouds

And it FINALLY rained. We've been enduring 100+ degree temps for about 2 weeks with only a couple of days that were below 100, despite the weather forecast predicting rain and a lower temperature. For about three days the clouds would swell up, turn dark and drift on past. It was a little excruciating. But then it rained, finally, and we were so relieved we just kind of stood out there watching it for the longest time.

And today, well today, I've caught up a little on my Etsy work and gotten a few things done around the house. I'll be making some sides to take to my sister's place, where our small extended family is going to gather for eating, talking and playing. Wish me luck with that as the adults in the house will be sadly outnumbered by kiddos!

Always, 

Christa

winsome & green :: herbal healing balm

Winsome & Green: Healing Balm

100% Natural Ingredients: Calendula, Lavender, Comfrey, Plantain, Helichrysum (Immortelle), Chamomile and Oat Tops, Olive Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Sunflower Oil, Beeswax, Shea Butter and essential oils of Lavender, Clary Sage, Rose Geranium, Helichrysum  and Rosemary.

There is ritual in skin care.With balms and salves, it's in rubbing them on. My kids come to me most every night with this tin in hand. It begins with complaints of a scratch and becomes a conversation of the day's adventures. I'm rubbing balm into nicks and scrapes and some invisible hurts. We're communicating through thought and speech, but mostly, it's in the touching that we bond. Herb scents fill the air. We're relaxing into night. The day's clock is winding, winding down. Sleep comes easy.

Lavender, Chamomile and Hops in Oil

I started making this balm about 6 weeks before it was actually put into tins. And there is another batch in the beginning stages now. You see, my herbal Healing Balm is made with infused oils. What are infused oils? Basically, they're herbs and oil brewed in the sun for a long period of time so that the essences of the plants are drawn out of the botanicals and into the oils. This is done for practical reasons as it's easier to make a spreadable balm with oils than with chunks of plants and we're able to make a highly concentrated blend.

 

Isn't it funny how one thing can make you remember another? I can't help remembering... when I was a kid, my Mom carried a little tube of medicated salve in her purse. It came from the country store, over the hill from our home. They'd let us get things on credit all month and Mom would pay the bill at the beginning of the new month for the cycle to start all over again. My brother, sister and I got hard candy or gum and a pop, almost every day. Pop (or soda, as you might know it) came in glass bottles then. The store would buy back the bottles for 10 cents each. In this way, we'd get something special about once a month. A book of paper dolls or a plastic kite. Sometimes a coloring book and box of crayons. A pack of long, skinny menthol cigarettes for Mom.
 

You can learn more about my herbal Healing Balm by clicking the link or visiting my Etsy shop at winsomegreen.etsy.com

Always,

Christa