Flower pressing

Flowers flowers everywhere

Flowers flowers in their hair.

Flower fairies come out today

To dance, to sing, to laugh and play.

Dress your hair fairies in flowers so bright,

Dance with their beauty from dawn till night.

🌸

Some flower picking this morning as part of my Waldorf Magic Growth issue which ties in with #enwcblossomweek we have decided to collect flowers to press.

Pressing flowers has been a bit of a long term project this year and I am hoping to have amassed enough to make a beautiful piece of art with them for our wall. Flowers from the garden, from our walks, picked by precious little hands in love and wonder.

This flower press I got from the charity shop for £3 and it was a bargain and is so effective. Some tips for pressing flowers to get the best from your blooms.

🌸 Pick early morning after morning dew has gone, or pat them dry. Oils are highest in the morning in the petals, I don’t know if there is a science behind it but I find flowers I pick and press in the morning retain their colour better.

🌺 Shake off any insects and pick flowers which are not bruised, damaged petals mean that your flowers are more likely to mould quicker before they have dried.

🌼 Press thicker flowers between more layers of paper to allow any moisture to be absorbed quickly.

💐Keep pressed flowers in an envelope made of acid free paper until you want to use them.

Home made laundry powder and rinse

Hello everyone, I am so so happy to be part of a new group of wonderful people sharing the way to sustainable non-toxic living.

I have been trying myself now for the past couple of years to really get into a rhythm of using non toxic products in our home, as with most things though when we are passionate and want to embrace something so much we can become overwhelmed and then things can sometimes fall by the wayside or we can become disheartened especially when we see amazing accounts which seem to have it all put together - right down to the beautiful laundry sets, the super organised cupboards, sparkling homes etc.

Well it all starts with a small step so the first of my weekly posts for #sustainablynontoxic is a repost of the first thing I ever switched to, and I’ve never looked back. Washing powder and Fabric Softner.

Washing Powder (fills a 1.8l jar)

1kg Soda Crystals

2 Bars of Soap (I used a natural Castile Soap made with olive oil, you could use any other natural un-scented pure soap)

10 drops of lemon essential oil

Simply grate the soap, I used a food processor, add the soda crystals to the bowl of grated soap and oil and mix, store in a jar and add a heaped tablespoon to each wash - a little more if a large wash or heavily soiled if needed.

Fabric Softener (fills a 1.8l jar)

1.5litre of White Vinegar

20 drops of lemon essential oil or any other oil you wish.

Simply pour the vinegar in the jar, add the oil to the top, shake well before each use, I add a 1/4 cup of this to my washing machine drawer.

Clothes come out with a fresh scent (no vinegar smell!) I do like clothes to be a little scented so this weekend I will be making some wool dryer balls which will hold essential oils, great for their winter month using the dryer and they help speed up drying time so they save energy too. Ill post when done.

If you haven’t tried washing powder and softner have a go at this and make the switch, you won't regret it and it feels so good knowing you are helping the environment.

Have a look at what others are posting today. I’ll save all posts and shares in my highlights

Sacred Heart of Jesus Cookies

Today in the Catholic Calendar we celebrate the ‘Sacred Heart of Jesus’ a day devoted to the endless infinite love of God, his love we feel everyday not through higher knowledge or insight but in a very human way, in prayer, in the everyday...the feel of our children’s hands in ours, the adoring gaze of our loved ones, the small gestures of kindness which are freely given in love and friendship the world over.

So I thought it’s no better day than to make some love heart thumb print cookies. So simple and they are so tasty too - you could make them as a gesture of love and friendship! Or even save them for birthdays and St Valentine’s Day

To make you will need

320g Plain Flour

200g Caster Sugar

200g Softened Butter

1 Egg

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

Large pinch of salt.

- Cream the sugar and butter together, add the egg and vanilla extract and mix well.

- Mix the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, add the sugar butter egg mixture and mix well until a soft dough is formed.

- Lightly flour a surface, roll the dough into a log around 30cm long and slice into 1 cm thick rounds, halve these rounds - each one of these will be a cookie.

- roll each one in the palm of your hand, place on a lined baking tray press the middle with your thumb or finger and then do the same again the opposite way to make a heart shape.

- Fill the centre with Jam and Bake in a pre-heated oven (180 degrees C) for around 15 minutes until golden, allow to cool slightly on the tray before cooling completely on a wire rack.