Relaxing Lavender Heat Pads

Materials:

-1/4 yard of flannel or cotton for outer case (I like cozy flannel prints!)

-At least 7 inches in width of thin cotton like muslin for inner heat pad

-Thread

-Sewing machine or hand sewing abilities

-Cutting tools

-Pinto beans

-Bulk lavender

Step One: Mix beans and lavender

-I mix about one cup beans and one tablespoon of lavender per "pouch."

-I sew about four pouches for each heating pad.

Step Two: Inner heating pad

-Sew muslin together to make a tube, keeping

one end open to fill with beans.

-After edges are sewn together, turn inside out

so seams are on the inside. After sewing, mine

was about 5" x 17" and one 5" end was left open.

-Pour one cup of bean/lavender mixture

into muslin tube, so it collects at the bottom.

-Now you're going to sew these beans in,

making a pouch about 5" in length.

The hardest part is keeping the beans

from wandering into your seam line (see pic).

-Continue with this pattern, pouring in beans and sewing up until you have four pouches.

-To sew up the end, fold in the raw edges and sew it closed.

-That is your inner heating pouch!

Step Three: Outer casing

-Take your 1/4 yard of outer material, hopefully the length will be similar to the muslin if you

buy it by the yard. It should be a couple inches longer since the muslin has been sewed up.

-First you want to sew the upper edges of the side that will remain open, so the inner pouch can slide in and out (just like a pillow case!).

-Make sure you sew up these edges first. I just roll the edge over a couple times, so no raw is showing. Ironing it flat makes sewing easier if you choose.

-Next sew your pieces together, wrong side out, leaving the top edge open.

Once edges are sew together, turn right side out and insert inner pouch. Your heating pad is completed!

Mmmm toasty

Cozy plaid!

Depending on microwave strength, I put it in for about 45 - 60 seconds. It stirs up the lavender smell and is wonderfully comfortable on a cold night or getting over a headache.

Or try freezing it on a hot day!

xox

Green Juice

A recipe for all the juicers out there:

One cucumber

+

Two green apples

+

Two kiwis

=

It paired very nicely with my first attempt at salmon!

Secret Weapon: Chia Seeds

I first learned about chia seeds from a friend while I was working in South Korea and have been hooked on them ever since! Although many of you are probably thinking about this, you would be happy to know that these little omega-3 energy pods can prevent high blood pressure as well as blood sugar spikes. In fact, according to The Chia Seed, these little guys have more antioxidants than fresh blueberries. Pretty rad, right?

As a vegetarian, I'm always looking for creative ways to get all of my nutrients. This find really hit the target on a lot of the important marks, and can be a really simple addition to any meal (even sprinkled on salads) that gives your body some extra energy and love.

Although I have several recipes with chia seeds that I absolutely adore, this breakfast dip is one that I make almost daily. It's filling, easy to make, and-- most importantly-- it tastes great. Plus, it gives you tons of energy from raw, whole foods. Yum!

Morning Oatmeal Chia Dip (with apple)

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked oats
• 4 oz Greek yogurt (I use Greek Gods Honey Yogurt)
• 1 heaping tablespoon Chia seeds
• 1 apple (Honeycrisp are my favorite; what's yours?)

1. Pour your oats, yogurt, and chia seeds into a cereal bowl.

 
2. Mix it up!

3. Slice up an apple and start dipping. Easy as that!

Happy mornings to you!

PS: If you like chia seeds and kombucha, make sure to try Synergy's Chia Kombucha drinks! Talk about an energy boost!

Chalkboard Paint

I finally bought some chalkboard paint and have had many fun ideas! Two easy ones were my bulk food jar labels and my charging station labels.

Materials:

Chalkboard paint

Chalk

Painters tape

Paintbrush

Almost any surface you can paint on!

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Step One:

-Tape off label area-

This is my charging station box, which is actually a ribbon box from the Container Store.

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Step Two:

-Paint two coats of chalkboard paint in taped off area (wait one hour between coats)-

-Let paint dry for 24 hours and slowly peel off tape-

My bulk food jars

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Step Three:

-To "condition" the chalkboard area, rub entire piece with chalk and wipe away-

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Step Three:

Label away!

Charging station

&

Bulk food jars

I love chalkboard paint.

Seeing Spots

I found these Elmer's Painters and had some dot fun! They are filled with real acrylic paint so it's easy to control every mark but it gives the impression of awesome random splatter in the exact shape and patterns you want.

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Not a good quality picture but you get the idea!

--(Painting on regular canvas with a layer of Mod Podge)--

Cascadia Wallhanging

I was commissioned to created a wallhanging for a friend in the form of a Cascadia flag, and we decided on using wood panels for each stripe to keep that woodsy Cascadia theme. It turned out pretty cool and could definitely be used to create many different styles of wall art.

Materials:

• Thin wood panels

[I chose three 36" x 6" for the main part and three smaller 12" x 3" for later attaching the large three panels together. All about 1/4" thick]

• Acrylic paint
• Large brushes
• Mod Podge
• Wallhanging hardware + 1/4" nails
• Hammer & screw driver

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Step One: painting each board

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Step two: Adding the center image (in this case, a Douglas Fir)

I printed out the image in sections, carefully cut out the tree, and used a tiny bit of tacky glue to glue it down. Then I used my darker green acrylic paint and layered it onto the tree, over the glued down paper image. This helps because I'm not very good at free handing images, especially ones that I want to be really precise. And after you are done painting and it is completely dry, layer Mod Podge over the entire piece to give it a more even texture and to make sure the tree is secure.

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Step Three: Attaching the boards and adding hardware

I used three smaller boards and, using three nails per board, nailed them to the larger piece to attach. Then I attached the hanging hardware and wire. There are many different ways to hang a piece like this, I just prefer the wire so it is more easily adjusted on the wall.

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Completion!

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken

I have a 2-qt slow cooker and have had to adopt many of my favorite recipes to its size. This dish consists of a few simple ingredients to create an amazingly flavorful and filling meal for two!

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Ingredients

Two organic chicken breasts

Teriyaki sauce

One can pineapple chunks

Red pepper flakes

Powdered ginger

Garlic powder

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Always remember to spray your slow cooker with oil first (I prefer canola)

Place chicken breasts into cooker, pour teriyaki sauce over chicken until almost covered

Pour entire can of pineapple chunks (including juice) over chicken

If cooker is not at least half full, add more teriyaki sauce or water (remember to fill it between 1/2" and 3/4" from the top)

Sprinkle spices on top of pineapples to taste (I add equal amounts of each, about a teaspoon)

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Set on LOW for 6 - 8 hours

When it's done I shred the chicken in the pot with a fork and serve it over Quinoa!

xox Enjoy xox