Category: C R E A T I V I T Y

Sun Kissed Hair – DIY Essential Oil Hair Lightening Spray

May 31, 2019 3:00 AM May 31, 2019

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What You’ll Need 4 oz glass bottle 2 tbsp hydrogen peroxide Juice of one large lemon 10 drops of Lemon Essential Oil ORDER HERE 10 drops of an additive Essential…

What You’ll Need

4 oz glass bottle
2 tbsp hydrogen peroxide
Juice of one large lemon
10 drops of Lemon Essential Oil ORDER HERE
10 drops of an additive Essential Oil (see graphic below for some great options

How To

Begin by juicing one large lemon, strain the liquid so there are no particles to clog the mister. Add lemon juice to the bottle. Next, add the hydrogen peroxide and essential oils. I have normal to dry hair so I opted to add Lavender to my spray. This addition not only smells amazing it deep conditions and amps up my shine! Finally, top the bottle off with distilled/filtered water and shake.

Read through the graphic below to decipher which addition would work best for you this summer!

Use

Use on clean hair and avoid getting the spray directly on the skin or scalp. ** If spay gets on skin be sure to wipe off as these ingredients can increase your sensitivity to sun **.

Spray over hair in the spots you would like to lighten and then sit in the sun allowing for even sun exposure. When applying to my hair I found that spraying and then combing through allowed for the liquid to spread evenly throughout.

Warning

Do not use this formula if you have color treated hair! The hydrogen peroxide and essential oils can react to your hair and cause discoloration! This formula is best used on virgin hair from med brown to blonde shades.

Happy Summer Break!

xo,

-C

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission.

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C R E A T I V I T Y

Dill Potato Salad

admin

May 24, 2019 3:00 AM May 24, 2019

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12,830 Comments

For me, nothing screams Memorial Day weekend and the start of summer break like an ice cold, creamy potato salad. The perfect potato salad in my eyes has crunch, tang,…

For me, nothing screams Memorial Day weekend and the start of summer break like an ice cold, creamy potato salad.

The perfect potato salad in my eyes has crunch, tang, mustard (of course) and DILL! Quite honestly the more dill the better! That’s why when I came across Young Living’s Dill Essential Oil I was so excited! Often times fresh dill just doesn’t satisfy the flavor expectations I have in potato salad. Adding Dill Essential Oil makes all the difference – hands down Best Dill Potato Salad ever!

Ingredients

Russet Potatoes
Celery
Dill Pickles
Hellman’s Mayo
Sour Cream
Mustard
Fresh Dill
Dill Essential Oil
Sugar
Salt & Pepper
Onion Powder
Apple Cider Vinegar
Hard Boiled Eggs (optional)

Instructions

Begin by peeling all six potatoes. Once peeled and washed cut each potato into similarly sized cubes. Add potatoes to a large stockpot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil the potatoes for 7-10 minutes or until cooked, not mushy!

While potatoes are boiling prepare an ice water bath. When the potatoes are done remove them from the heat and drain them from the water. Add hot potatoes to the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Allow potatoes to cool completely.

Dressing

In a small bowl mix together mayo, mustard, sour cream, sugar, salt, pepper, onion powder and dill essential oil. Mix until creamy and set to the side.

Dill Vitality™ essential oil provides a fresh, pungent flavor to replace fresh or dried dill in dressings and dips. Its flavor also pairs beautifully with Carrot Seed Vitality and Lemon Vitality as a flavorful ingredient for soups and stews. With fresh dill being a key flavor in many traditional Russian, European, Mediterranean, Asian, and Scandinavian dishes, Dill Vitality can be a great way to lend a rich flavor to a wide variety of cuisines!

–YoungLiving.com

Prepare celery and pickles by chopping into small cubes. Pieces should be big enough to add crunch but smaller than the potato cubes.

In a large bowl add all cubed ingredients. Mix together with dressing until each cube is coated evenly.

Finally, splash with Apple Cider Vinegar, this add of acidic flavor creates the perfect tang to the creamy potato salad. Mix salad up one more time and place in the fridge to chill. I prefer to chill my potato salad overnight for optimal results. Could be served after a one hour chill period if required.

Optional – If you wanted you could add hard-boil four eggs, chop them up and add them to the salad.

Potato Salad or Macaroni Salad?? What’s your vote?

Comment below 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

xo,

5 from 2 votes

Dill Potato Salad

The perfect addition to any BBQ pot-luck. This creamy potato salad is full of flavor with just the right amount of tang, featuring Young Living Essential Oil!

Course Side Dish

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Author Carolyn of Handrafted

Ingredients

6 large Russet Potatoes
6 stalks Celery
7 baby Dill Pickles
4 sprigs Fresh Dill
1 cup Hellman's Mayo
1/2 cup Sour Cream (could be substituted with Greek Yogurt)
1/4 cup Yellow Mustard
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
8 drops Dill Essential Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
splash Apple Cider Vinegar
4 Eggs hard boiled, optional

Instructions

Begin by peeling all six potatoes.
Once peeled and washed cut potatoes into similar sized cubes. Place cubes in a large stockpot and cover with water.
Boil potatoes for 7-10, minutes.
While potatoes are boiling prep an ice water bath in a separate bowl.
When potatoes are cooked, but not mushy, remove from heat and strain from water. Add hot potatoes to ice water to stop cooking. Leave them to cool.
Next, prepare your dressing. In a small bowl mix together the Hellmans Mayo, Sour Cream, Mustard, Sugar, Salt, Pepper and Dill Essential Oil.
Prep the pickles and celery by chopping into small cubes. Then mince fresh dill and put off to the side.
Strain the potatoes from the ice cubes and remove from water.
Next mix dressing into the bowl of cooked potatoes.
Finally, add the fresh dill and sprinkle with apple cider vinegar. Stir the mix one more time and place in the fridge to chill.

Recipe Notes

Chilling is crucial to any potato salad. Chill for at least an hour, overnight is even better.

12,830 Comments

C R E A T I V I T Y

Last Minute Lemon Berry Trifle

admin

May 10, 2019 3:00 AM May 10, 2019

12483 views

3,951 Comments

One of my favorite parts of summer is getting together with friends and family on the weekends. Whether it is a Memorial Day BBQ or a church picnic, bringing a dessert…

One of my favorite parts of summer is getting together with friends and family on the weekends. Whether it is a Memorial Day BBQ or a church picnic, bringing a dessert can be daunting. This gorgeous dessert takes less than 20 minutes to put together and makes such a great impression.

Ingredients

Premade Angel Food Cake
16 oz container of Whipped Cream
2 lb box of Strawberries
24 oz box of Blueberries
6 drops of Lemon Vitality Essential Oil

Prep

Begin by cutting up the angel food cake into 1-2″ cubes. Next cut the whole box of strawberries into bite-size pieces. Finally, prepare the whipped cream, add the drops of lemon essential oil directly to the container and mix thoroughly.

Layer

At the bottom of your trifle dish add a single layer of cake cubes. (Don’t have a trifle dish? I’m using my cake stand upside-down!)

Next, add the strawberries and blueberries to the dish. 👉🏻 Secret Tip: Lightly dust the berries with sugar. This creates a delightful berry syrup that adds moisture to the cake!

Spread half of the whipped cream over the berries covering them completely.

✨Asethic – be sure to carefully place cake, berries and whip at the outer edge of the bowl so that the layers show evenly through the side.

Repeat

Fill the rest of the bowl with another layer of cake, berries, (sugar) and whipped cream. Keep a couple of berries off to the side to use as the garnish on the top (optional).

(If you have time) Allow the lemon berry trifle to rest in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours before serving. This will allow the berry syrup to moisten the cake and the flavors to meld. 🚨Warning, waiting for more than 8 hours will cause the cake to be closer to soggy than moist. — If you do not have time this dessert will still be scrumptious!🙌🏼

Serve with a large spoon.

This quick and easy trifle makes such a great impression for any summer pot-luck or holiday get-together.

Where will you take it next?

xo,

5 from 2 votes

Lemon Berry Trifle

This crisp and refreshing dessert is perfect for summer pot-lucks and holiday get-togethers. Less than 20 minutes to prepare, it can't be beaten!

Course Dessert

Keyword Pot Luck

Prep Time 20 minutes

Resting Time 4 hours

Ingredients

1 whole Angel Food Cake (store bought)
16 oz Whip Cream
2 lbs Strawberries
24 oz Blueberries
6 drops Lemon Essential Oil Young Living

Instructions

Begin by cutting the angel food cake into cubes.
Next cut up the strawberries in bite-size pieces.
Then add the 6 drops of Young Living Essential Oil directly to the whip cream container. Mix whip cream well until the flavor is consistent throughout.
Using a trifle dish (or an upside-down cake stand) fill the bottom of the bowl with cake cubes.
Next layer in the strawberries and blueberries, being sure they reach the outer edge of the bowl. (Berries at the edge will show better and make for a more aesthetically pleasing dish. :))
After the berries are in place, lightly sprinkle them with sugar. This will help the berries to create juice.
Next layer about half of the whip cream, again being sure to take the whip all the way to the edge.
Repeat with cake, berries, sugar and end with the rest of the whip cream.
Optional: Save a few berries to use as a garnish on the top.

Recipe Notes

For best results allow dessert to rest in the fridge for about four hours. Do not make more than 8 hours prior to serving.

Resting time gives the berries time to make juice which in turns moistens the cake.

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C R E A T I V I T Y

Citronella Essential Oil Candle DIY

admin

May 3, 2019 3:00 AM May 3, 2019

17043 views

4,843 Comments

Throughout the month of May we are going to work together to get you prepped for summer! 🙌🏼 To start off this #SummerPrep series we are making fun DIY Citronella…

Throughout the month of May we are going to work together to get you prepped for summer! 🙌🏼 To start off this #SummerPrep series we are making fun DIY Citronella essential oil candles! The perfect way to keep your time outside more enjoyable this summer!

Supplies

Natural Soy Wax (I bought this one) – side note; soy wax has one of the highest melting points, this was important to me because my candles will remain outside during the Texas summer
Wick (I bought this one)
Nickles (you could also buy these)
Heat Safe Container of your choice (here are some cute ones)

To begin, prepare your wick(s). Using the beeswax hemp wick I tied a knot around a nickel. Then I wrapped two additional pieces of wick around the centerpiece (that’s tied to the nickel). Another way you can do this is to braid in two additional pieces to the center wick. Be sure to make the wick much longer than you think you need.

Next measure the wax chips. For this, I placed the wax chips in my container until it was heaping. I found that the wax melted in such a manner that I needed a full container + 1 cup of wax to fill my candle up evenly.

On the stove, I made a double boiler using a saucepan (with about an inch of water) and a glass measuring bowl.

Add the wax to the glass bowl and turn the heat on med-high. Allow the boiling water to heat the sides of the glass and subsequently melt the wax. Do not melt the wax with direct heat. Stir the wax constantly until completely liquid.

Once liquified remove from the heat and allow cooling for about 5 minutes.

Once cooled add the essential oils. Before completing this project, I scoured the internet looking for ideas on the correct oils to use in an effective bug repellent candle. These three were consistent across the board.

For approximately three cups of wax chips I used:

40 drops of Citronella Essential Oil
20 drops of Geranium Essential Oil
20 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil

Mix the oils and the melted wax thoroughly – I recommend using a popsicle stick to stir. This makes clean up much easier.

To secure the wick, use hot glue and glue the nickel in place. Then using a stick, straw or something similar wrap the excess wick around the stick holding the wick up and centered.

Finally, pour the mixed liquid in the container being careful to not splash the sides or overflow.

Spread these around your outdoor space and enjoy a summer free of pests!

Happy Patio Weather!

xo,

4,843 Comments

C R E A T I V I T Y

Dollar Store Hack – Spring/Easter Wreath

admin

April 18, 2019 3:00 AM April 18, 2019

14137 views

4,589 Comments

These days it feels like all my creative juices are flowing in two directions: first, anything and everything Dollar Tree and second, toward all the wreaths. I’m not sure why,…

These days it feels like all my creative juices are flowing in two directions: first, anything and everything Dollar Tree and second, toward all the wreaths. I’m not sure why, but I am loving it. This week we are putting together a fun Spring/Easter wreath that would add the perfect floral touch to any front door or interior decoration.

Supplies

Wreath Form or this one
Artificial Flowers/Greenery or these
Stove-top Cover or this
Festive Paper (I used a holiday gift bag)
Masking Tape/Floral Tape
Hot Glue
Thread/Fishing Line (I got mine here)
Drill (this is a great cost effective option)
(PS I picked up this adorable ceramic bunny but ended up not using him for the wreath, I did, however, remove the string and wire and place him on the shelf! So cute and expensive looking 😜)

Step 1

If using a gift bag, carefully unfold the paper until it is flat.

Measure the diameter of your selected stove top cover.

Trim your paper to just larger than your needed diameter and affix to your Cricut cutting board.

Then put together your design. Start by adding your circle cut line per your stove cover dimensions. Then add your saying to the center using the font of your choice to create a draw line. Want to click the “easy button” 🚨 Use My Cricut Design by CLICKING HERE.

Once your Cricut design is finished confirm that it fits nicely inside the stove cover.

I wanted the script to stand out more, so I chose to color in the letters using a fine tip Sharpie Pen (this is my favorite). I then glued the finished paper to the inside of the stove cover using a glue stick.

Step 2

Next, we are going to play with the artificial flowers and greenery. The center of my arrangement were these beautiful big peony blossoms. So I first measured how much space the three of them would take on my wreath. From there I started with the greenery. The wire nature of this wreath mold made adding the eucalyptus very easy – I just wove the leaves around it until it was secure.

Next, I worked with the smaller outside flower arrangements. I made each side its own individual arrangement and then secured it to the form using masking tape. (I normally would have used floral tape – but I was out).

Finally, I attached the peony heads to the empty space on the wreath using hot glue (*use extreme caution*).

Step 3

Next, it gets a little more tricky. To attach the stove cover to the wreath form I had my husband drill me three tiny holes. The placement of these holes was in direct relation to the cross-section on the wreath form.

Lastly, I used double ply thread (again would have used the fishing line if I had it on hand) to tie the two pieces together.

This craft could easily be transformed into any holiday or day of the week! Such a fun project!

Blessings for a wonderful Easter weekend!

xo,

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010KSB18G/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=handrafted-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B010KSB18G&linkId=8d516ea6983a7738591cb85293213969

4,589 Comments

C R E A T I V I T Y

KETO Cream Cheese Waffles

admin

April 11, 2019 3:00 AM April 11, 2019

125360 views

4,932 Comments

Let’s be serious, brunch is alllllways a good idea! And to be honest, making the switch to a keto/low carb diet has put a damper on this fun weekend ritual!…

Let’s be serious, brunch is alllllways a good idea! And to be honest, making the switch to a keto/low carb diet has put a damper on this fun weekend ritual! But never fear, these cream cheese waffles keep the carbs low (so you have extra macros for the mimosas 🥂😜).

Such a great recipe for the whole family or for meal prepping! These cream cheese waffles make breakfast on the go a breeze!

Ingredients

Eggs
Sweetener (of your choice – this is a great KETO friendly option)
Cream Cheese
Almond Flour (I use this one)
Vanilla

Beat together eggs and sweetener in a large bowl.

Next, mix in the softened cream cheese. Mix together until cream cheese is incorporated thoroughly.

To the mixture add the almond flour and vanilla flavoring.

Once mixed allow the batter to rest for 5 minutes before using. During this time make sure your waffle iron is preheated and ready.

After the 5 minutes, add butter to the waffle iron to help with sticking. Then scoop batter into the iron and close for cooking. Once cooking is complete remove from the iron and serve. If meal prepping, allow the cream cheese waffles to cool completely before packaging in an airtight container. When reheating, toast for best results.

Happy Brunching!

xo,

Interested in more KETO Recipes? Click here!

4.75 from 4 votes

Keto Cream Cheese Waffles

KETO, Low Carb Waffles that are extremely satisfying and delicious!

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Keyword KETO, Low Carb

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Author Carolyn of Handrafted

Ingredients

4 Large Eggs I use 3Tb. if desired.
3 tbsp sweetener if desired
1/2 brick Cream Cheese room temperature
1 cup Almond Flour blanched
1 tsp Vanilla if desired

Instructions

Begin by beating the eggs and sweetener together.
Next mix the softened cream cheese and almond flour.
Add vanilla if desired and mix together until mixture is consistent.
Let batter sit for about 5 min. (Preheat your waffle maker)
Pour on waffle maker and close until done.
Remove from the waffle iron and allow to cool before storing.

Recipe Notes

Mini Waffles: 2 g net carbs, 9 g fat, 5 g protein

Belgian Waffles: 8 g net carbs 36 g fat, 25 g protein

If reheating - toast waffles for best results.

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission.

4,932 Comments