First Frost Diffuser Blend

Here in Southern Ontario we woke up to our first frost of the season.

The grass was painted with white crystals, the windshield needed to be scraped this morning, and out in the back deck my collection of rainwater was frozen over with the thinnest sheet of ice.   It's official, Mother Nature is moving from fall to winter.

Isn't this a pretty picture?  I had to use it to post the 'recipe' for the blend.  Love those autumn golds, with the texture of the frozen crystal water.  ;)

After getting the kiddies off to school, I decided to start the diffuser to welcome the frostiness of winter that follows our short fall around here. 

I love this blend Earth and Wood from Edens Garden.  It is a synergy, meaning no carrier oil.  It contains the following essential oils:

Cardamom

Cedar leaf

Cedar wood

Fir needle

Patchouli

Sandalwood 

To brighten it up some and cool it down I opted to add some Spearmint. I'm definitely going to give it another go with Wintergreen or Birch tomorrow and see which I prefer.  The Spearmint is soft and compliments the Earth and Wood blend beautifully though. I'll use this again for sure!

I often reach for cinnamon, clove and ginger this time of year, so this was a really nice change up to the routine diffusing around here. 

**I am not an affiliate of Edens Garden, as they currently don't have an affiliate program.  I have nothing to gain from your purchase there at this point.  (If they do open an affiliate program, I will be one of the first to join though!)

 I am a Young Living Independent Distributor, which means I buy my essential oils at the wholesale price rather than the retail price. I save 24% off retail, receive discounted shipping, and can earn free products through the Essential Rewards program as well as the ability to earn commissions. 

If you would like to become an Independent Distributor, I would love to sponsor you!  You can click HERE and enter 2066298 in the “Sponsor  and Enroller ID” boxes. 

I am always happy to answer any questions!  

Email me at thepureoil@gmail.com

Fall Diffuser recipe

The chilly weather has arrived here in Southern Ontario, and to wind down the weekend I just tried blending some oils together in the diffuser, making a new blend I've not tried before.

It's really lovely, and I decided to do an impromptu post tonight with it. ;)

This past week we had an absolutely brilliant day weather wise, and I was able to get my sweet furs out for a walk at a local nature reserve.  We took a few pics while we were there. 

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Brewster says hello!

Bella does too.  (She's just a lot louder about it!)

Diffusing this blend reminds me of the walk through crunching leaves with my fur babies. ;)

Here is the recipe on another photo I took that day. 

The cinnamon and clove and orange have all been studied for anti-microbial effects. Frankincense is well known for immune boosting properties. The patchouli gives it just a touch of that musty fallen leaves scent. All together I find it lovely. 

Please share your favourite fall blends for diffusing as well. I love to have the diffuser going daily, and I'd love to add to my list of diffuser recipes. 

 I am a Young Living Independent Distributor, which means I buy my essential oils at the wholesale price rather than the retail price. I save 24% off retail, receive discounted shipping, and can earn free products through the Essential Rewards program as well as the ability to earn commissions. 

If you would like to become an Independent Distributor, I would love to sponsor you!  You can click HERE and enter 2066298 in the “Sponsor  and Enroller ID” boxes. 

I am always happy to answer any questions!  

Email me at thepureoil@gmail.com

DIY black walnut stain

I love walnut stain, and I'm lucky to have a big, beautiful black walnut tree in my backyard. As I was using my can of Minwax stain last time, I had to wonder if I could use the fruit from my tree and make my own. Well, guess what?  I not only could, but I Did!!  

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Let's start with a look at my beautiful tree "Wally".  Isn't she stunning?  

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Her leaves turn a brilliant gold in the fall.

She provides a place for the kids to climb, strong branches that the kids swing on, and an abundance of shade.  She also feeds all the squirrels and chipmunks in the neighbourhood.  She also drives our neighbor crazy, because she has a pool on the other side of that fence, and is very bothered by the dropping leaves and in the fall, dropping nuts.  I'm sorry good neighbour, we love Wally.  She stays. 

This is what walnuts look like on the tree. 

And this is what the stain looks like!  

And the finished piece...

So, here's what the mixture looks like, with the recipe. 

And this is what it will do to your hands.  Looks like FUN, no?

It does wash off...but it takes some scrubbing. Lol

 I left tthe stain for about a week to develop before using it.   I also sealed the wood with my home made wood butter.


So, what do you think?  Would you give a shot to making your own, rather than stick with the toxic Minwax?

I am a Young Living Independent Distributor, which means I buy my essential oils at the wholesale price rather than the retail price. I save 24% off retail, receive discounted shipping, and can earn free products through the Essential Rewards program as well as the ability to earn commissions. 

If you would like to become an Independent Distributor, I would love to sponsor you!  You can click HERE and enter 2066298 in the “Sponsor  and Enroller ID” boxes. 

I am always happy to answer any questions!  

Email me at thepureoil@gmail.com

Motherwort Vinegar

The Motherwort harvest continues at our house. I have some out in the garden that is actually still flowering even!  Because of that I decided to do a second batch of infused vinegar this week. I have  the spring batch as well, so you can see in the photos how it develops over time.

The spring batch is on the left. I haven't strained it yet, and I have been using some for switchel and salad dressings. 

It could not be easier to make either. If you can cut herbs and pour vinegar, you've got this!

 This here is pretty well the whole of it. Fill your glass jar with the fresh Motherwort (leaves, flowers and stems) chopped up a bit. If you have a mortar and pestle you can mash up some of the leaves to bruise them. 

Then just pour over your Apple cider vinegar. 

I don't find much of a flavour difference in the infused stuff which makes it easy to use in place of regular ACV. I suspect it's just because the ACV on its own is such a strong flavour that the Motherwort doesn't change it much. 

This needs to be left to infuse for at least 6 weeks. At that point it can be strained if you prefer. I would bottle it in a dark bottle or keep it in a dark cupboard after straining.

Use it just as you would Apple Cider Vinegar alone, knowing you have the added benefits of Motherwort. 😍

This method could certainly be applied to many kitchen herbs as well if you have a big harvest that you aren't sure what to do with. 

To learn more about making herb infused vinegars and their benefits, visit Susun Weed's site HERE.

 I am a Young Living Independent Distributor, which means I buy my essential oils at the wholesale price rather than the retail price. I save 24% off retail, receive discounted shipping, and can earn free products through the Essential Rewards program as well as the ability to earn commissions. 

If you would like to become an Independent Distributor, I would love to sponsor you!  You can click HERE and enter 2066298 in the “Sponsor  and Enroller ID” boxes. 

I am always happy to answer any questions!  

Email me at thepureoil@gmail.com