Fall has swiftly blown through the door, with chilly mornings and breezy nights. For all us Summer Soldiers, this can be a gloomy transition period. Preserve Summer a little while longer, with these inspiring projects.
Harvesting Herbs
Hang the Herb Garden up to dry but don’t stop there. Break out a few small mason jars and make infused olive oils, herb salts and seasoning rubs. Give them out as gifts or save them for cooking. Each bite at the dinner table will remind you of your Summer Garden.
Roses are Sweet as Honey:
Clip your favorite rose and pluck the petals off gently. Add the rose petals to a jar of honey, seal and turn upside down. Repeat every time you walk pass the kitchen (it’s okay if you only do it once or twice). After a day, you will have an aromatic treat that makes morning tea something to celebrate.
From Your Garden Soy Candles Via Crock Pot
That’s right… you can turn your favorite scents from your Summer Garden into soy candles, using your crock pot! Cut up pieces of herbs or flower buds and place in a glass jar with soy candle chips (available at Craft Stores like Michaels) Arrange the jars in the crock pot and pour boiling water around bottom of jars about 1/2 inch from the lip of the smallest jar. Set on high for 2 hours. Fill the jar again with your favorite oil essence, more herbs and new wax chips using a disposable wooden chopstick. Leave for another 2 hours. Set wicks once wax is fully melted, placing the chopstick across the jar to hold the wick in place. Allow time for the candle to harden. Light them on those cold winter nights when you really miss the sun kissed air or give as a heartfelt gift.
Decorate the Dinner Table
Cut and Dry lavender and rosemary stems. Once dried, wrap a cloth ribbon around the bottoms and tie with a bow. Place them on top of cloth dinner napkins or at the top of each placemat as decoration. The scents will brighten up gloomy days and add a little warmth to the dinner table all season long.
Make a Therapeutic Herbal Salve
Salves can be used for a variety of medical conditions from burns, skin irritations and open wounds to arthritis, muscle strains and back pains. Make the infused oil by coarsely grinding your herbs or flowers and place them into your well cleaned crock pot.Coat the dried herbs/flowers with two inches worth of a carrier oil such as Coconut, Extra Virgin Olive or Almond Oil. Heat the crock pot at 100 degrees for at least six hours or until the oil is the color of the herbs/flowers you chose. Once the oil has cooled, strain the herbs using a cheese cloth and pour the oil into a clean dark colored glass jar. Place 16 ounces of the Infused Oil and two ounces of Beeswax over a double boiler. Warm over low heat until the Beeswax has melted. Remove from heat and pour into small mason jars or decorative tins. Allow the tins to cool before storing. Keep them in a cool area to avoid melting. This is a wonderful holistic gift as well as aromatherapy for seasonal depression.
Summer Memory Shadow Box
Arrange stems from your garden into a bouquet to dry. Use scrapbook paper as the background and pin the bouquet along with a photo of your favorite memory in to the shadow box. If you feel extra creative, add an inspiring quote or message and put it up for the whole family to enjoy. When the days are cold and grey, it will take you back to that special summer day!