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Honeybee Wildflower Seed Balls

9/18/2014

All summer, I've been so busy with making different soapy goodies that tonight I decided to get dirty and make some seed balls. Playing in the dirt can be so relaxing! Mixed with some clay and Honeybee Wildflower seeds, the organic soil has become an easy way to plant "bee" friendly flowers just about anywhere you can toss out a seed ball! Easy for you and loved by our precious honeybees.

So what is a Seed Ball?
It's a combination of rich soil, some regular air dry clay and seeds of your choice. A seed ball is so easy to plant. You toss them wherever you'd like to add some flowers...a flower bed, along a highway or median, along pathways...get creative! It's a perfect activity to do with kids of all ages. The combination of soil and clay holds the seeds safely until Mother Nature provides the right amount of moisture and warm temperatures for proper germination. Seed balls can be planted any time of year.

How to make Seed Balls...
Start out with some rich organic soil, some plain ol' air-dry clay, and Honeybee Wildflower Seeds.

Mix the soil with the clay...

Sprinkle the seeds and mix in...

Pinch off a small piece to roll into a ball.

Form all the seed balls and lay out on wax paper to dry. Allow to dry at room temperature for at least 24-48 hours. Store the seed balls in a paper or cloth bag in a cool, dry location until ready to toss. Do NOT place in plastic bags...the seeds will suffocate and not germinate.

To use: Toss the seed balls about 1 foot apart. Let Mother Nature take over by providing water and sunshine. Sit back and enjoy the beautiful flowers!

Each package has 20 hand-rolled seed balls ready for tossing. Each ball covers about 1 square foot. You can find them here...Honeybee Wildflower Seed Balls. Seed Balls can be planted anytime of year, so toss some now to enjoy a bright wildflower spring!

Until next time...Happy Planting!

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Ugly Duckling Clay Bum Balm...not pretty but it works!

6/11/2014

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Do you ever wonder what is in some of the products you put onto your skin? Well, lately I have gotten a bit paranoid about many of the products that are available. So when my dearest friend's son had his first child with his wife, I wanted to make sure that what they put on that new baby bum was all natural and not that nasty petroleum based gel (you know what one I mean) that really is not a good choice at all!

I was on a mission to come up with a recipe that was all natural, gentle enough for a new baby's bum, had good-for-the-skin ingredients and did the job on rashes and minor skin irritations. It was a tall order but follow along and you'll see what I found!

In my research, I found that clays are a wonderful source of nutrients for the skin with the natural drying and de-toxifying properties I was looking for. In this recipe, I decided to use bentonite clay for its healing properties, its ability to draw out toxins from the skin and its release of needed minerals. Plus it has been found to be effective against Candida albicans which is a fungus that grows as a yeast infection targeting baby bums and the genitalia and oral areas of humans in general.

Along with some bentonite clay, I used Mango butter and coconut oil for their skin-softening properties, the anti-bacterial properties of coconut oil and Lavender essential oil, and healing and soothing Calendula extract.

Let's get started!

1 - Mango butter is harder than coconut oil, so it needs to be melted first.

2 - Once the Mango butter is melted, it's time to add the Coconut oil which just melts from the heat of the Mango butter.

3 - Calendula extract is added to help sooth irritated skin.

4 - Lavender essential oil is added for its anti-bacterial and soothing properties...plus its scent is relaxing and calming!

Time to chill out!
Once all these ingredients are mixed in well, it's time to chill the mixture until it starts to set up. By chilling it, I can speed up the process a bit but it will solidify on its own at room temperatue...just a lot slower. As it is, chilling can take 30-60 minutes!

As you can see in this photo, the oils and butter have turned from a golden yellow to a butter yellow. It's about the consistency of semi-stiff butter. The bentonite clay on the left is an all natural clay that is grayish in color due to its aged volcanic ash makeup. I use this unrefined clay to keep all the natural nutrients intact. Some bentonite clay on the market is whiter and more refined losing many of its nutrients.

The butter and oils are whipped some to fluff it up. The clay is then added in by hand to keep the dust down!

Once the clay is mixed in and the mixture is whipped lighter a bit more, the bum balm is scooped into clean jars.

The cream sets up a bit as it cools but will melt on skin contact to provide moisturizing relief.

It's all in a name....
Naming this new creation was a challenge since the balm is chock full of good ingredients all chosen for their special properties, but it really is U...G...L...Y.

My son who has been best friends with the new dad since kindergarten days was the one who suggested the name of "Ugly Duckling"...so you can see that this new bum balm was truly a family project!

Labels were then designed and applied making it all ready for the next tiny bum that needs a little TLC!

~ Thanks to little Leah Ryan Y. who was the inspiration behind "Ugly Duckling Clay Bum Balm"! ~

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Welcome to Melissa's tailored tidbits!

If I'm not in the kitchen cooking up new items for my shop, I'm sewing fabric baskets or cozy rag quilts, taking care of our honeybees and Ms. Kitty, pitching in on the latest project at my son's, or planning a trip somewhere with my daughter. Here, I'll share some adventures from around the world, fun recipes, and just overall a "day in the life" at Tailored Touches... Life is good!

TAILORED TIDBITS

Honeybee Wildflower Seed Balls

Ugly Duckling Clay Bum Balm...not pretty but it works!

Welcome to Melissa's tailored tidbits!

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