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Grouping Collages

6/26/2020

Playing with how to group my collages! So many choices!
By color, season, type, holidays, zodiac signs, romancing, haunting . . .

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Calling my herb lover friends! I have presented my "Enhancing Your Life with Herbs" course 4 times at the Renaissance Institute through Notre Dame University of Maryland. I've painted over 200 herbs to illustrate the course. This fall I'll be using another format - Zoom. I'd like to form a small (6 - 10) focus group willing to attend 6 one hour zoom sessions - probably Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7:00 EST, for 3 weeks, or possibly 3 two hour sessions. To be determined based on input.
The course is light and fun - not serious and scientific. (That's another course!) Topics include
1. Overview of Course and History,
2. ABCs of Herbs
3. Holiday Herbs (Halloween, Valentine's Day, etc.)
4. Herbs for Health,
5. Zodiac Herbs and
6. Wrap Up/Party!
Send me a message at ywmikell@gmail.com if you're interested.

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Lavender Overview

6/16/2020

Lavendula officianlae, L. vera

Folk Names: Elf Leaf, Nard, Nardus, Spike
Gender: Masculine
Element: Air
Planet: Mercury
Zodiac: Virgo, Gemini
Meaning: Love, Devotion, Luck

Health Benefits:
Lavender has been used to cure acne, anxiety, burns, colds, depression, headaches, hypertension, and insomnia.

Attributes:
Attracts love and romance, protects, brings luck, happiness, peace and restful sleep. And if that isn’t enough, it ensures a long life for those who regularly seek out its aroma.

Uses:

Make a tea and sweeten with honey for a restful night’s sleep.
Place lavender under your pillow to make a wish before going to sleep.
Make a sleep pillow with lavender, catnip, chamomile, mint, rosemary and rose petals.
Rub lavender on your fore head to relive a headache.
Rub fresh flowers on your arms and legs to repel mosquitos.
Rub fresh flowers on your pet to discourage fleas and ticks.
Make lavender wands, lavender hearts, or tie flowers together to make sachets for your lingerie drawers or to scent and preserve heirloom garments or wedding gowns. The fragrance repels moths, silverfish and other insects.
Add a Tablespoon of fresh lavender flowers and a sprinkling of cinnamon to vanilla ice cream or your favorite sugar cookie recipe.
Make a lavender syrup. Simmer 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 Tablespoons lavender flowers for 15 minutes. Pour over fresh berries or use to flavor ice tea.
Add 1 Tablespoon flowers to your favorite oil and vinegar salad dressing.
Make a sugar scrub to use after gardening. Mix together 1 cup white sugar, ½ cup oil, 10-15 drops lavender essential oil, 2 Tbsp dried lavender buds.
Freshen your carpet by sprinkling lavender flowers on your rugs, wait for a couple of hours and then vacuum.

Lavender Almond Cookies

6/16/2020

1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons fresh lavender blossoms
I cup (two sticks) butter at room temperature
2 cups almond flour
1 cup flour

Combine the sugar and fresh lavender blossoms using a food processor.
Add the butter and combine. Next add the flours.
Mix until thoroughly combined.
The batter will be soft.
Chill for 30 minutes.

Flour both sides of the dough and place between two long sheets of waxed paper.
Using a rolling pin, roll to 1/4 inch thickness. Work quickly. The dough will get soft again as you work with it.
Cut cookies with a floured cookie cutter.
Remove all the excess dough and return to the 'fridge. This will make it easier to move your shaped cookies.

Gently lift cookies onto a cookie sheet lined with baking parchment paper.
Chill the cookies on the baking sheets for 30 minutes

Set oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
Once the oven is preheated, bake for about 30 minutes. Begin checking at 20 minutes and don't let the edges of the cookies brown.
Cool on a wire rack placed.

Glaze
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 Tablespoon water.
Mix thoroughly with a fork. Add a little more water if needed.

Keeping the cookies on the wire rack, move them over the sink if your rack fits, or place waxed paper under neath for easy clean up. This can get messy!

Use a spoon to lightly glaze the cookies. Top with lavender blossoms. Let the glaze set up and serve.

My last harvest of lavender and almond lavender cookies to celebrate the summer solstice.

Lavender Season is Here!

6/16/2020

One of the simplest ways to use lavender is to simply gather the stalks of lavender and tie with a ribbon. It's best to cut them as soon as the flowers are in bloom in the spring. Cut them a few inches above the woody growth so you won't harm the plant. Gather first thing in the morning after the dew has dried but before the sun becomes intense.
Hang to dry in a cool dark place.

Lavender hearts
You'll need 6 stalks of lavender
Ribbon - I've been using 3/16 inch lavender satin ribbon for all my projects. It's not too large to over power the lightness of the flowers.

Make two lavender braids using 3 stalks for each braid. When they are braided, bend into a loop. Put the two loops together to form a heart, keeping the flowers on top. Cut off the stems in the back and tie with a ribbon.

Lavender garnishes
12 to 18 stalks of lavender
One egg white, beaten until frothy
1/3 Granulated sugar
Waxed paper or parchment paper

Dip just the flowers of the lavender into the egg whites to completely cover, then dip them into the sugar. Place on waxed paper or parchment paper and let dry away from heat or sun. Use as a garnish with fruit salad, lemonade, or iced tea.

Stir some fresh lavender flowers into your favorite sugar cookie recipe, vanilla ice cream or lemon sherbet.

A few more thoughts on lavender

I've always thought of lavender as an herb of the night.
Lavender is associated with peace, nocturnal wishes, sweet dreams and restful sleep.The fragrance has been used for centuries to create a restful night's sleep.

Sip a cup of lavender tea before bed time. Use two tablespoons lavender flowers in 4 cups of boiling water and steep for 15 minutes. Strain. (Makes 4 servings). Sweeten with honey.
Lavender baths are delightful! Place the dried lavender blossoms in a bath bag and place in the tub. Soak for about 15 minutes. There are numerous recipes for herbal baths on the internet, ranging from pure lavender flowers to herbal blends and additions of epson salts, sea salts or oatmeal, so I won't add them here. There is only one way to do this incorrectly! If you read about adding lavender flowers, rose petals and other herbs directly to the water, consider the clean up and use the bath bags.
A sprig of lavender under your pillow provides a restful fragrance and an added bonus! You can make a wish right before you go to sleep and if you dream of your wish, it will come true!
You'll find a recipe for a sleep pillow using lavender if you take the time to search under herbs in the categories to the right on my blog. This is Hidden Treasures, after all, and there are many treasures worth the search!

As we continue to explore lavender's nocturnal charms, keep in mind that not everyone sleeps at night. Lavender is also very useful if you plan to stay awake!

Lavender is the only herb I know attributed to aiding those who want to attract ghosts! Simply carry a sprig with you and ghosts will become visible! It also provides protection so no worries! You'll find more about lavender and other herbs associated with witches and goblins and ghosts - oh my! - in my free Haunting Herbs e-book.
Attracting love, passion, and romance have long been associated with lavender. It is used in perfumes and oils. love spells, sachets, potpourris, to scent stationery for love letters, and to scent lingerie and sheets. It is also recommend to place lavender in lingerie drawers or when storing wedding gowns and other heirloom quality clothes, to prevent moths and insects from harming delicates and to add fragrance.
There are accounts of it being misused though. Prostitutes have used it to attract clients, and reputedly had success luring even the unwilling.

Whether you plan to stay awake or sleep, lavender will make your experiences more enjoyable!

Lavender Wands

6/14/2020

Lavender wands are easy to make and a Facebook friend just old me she has had one for
40 years and it still holds its fragrance!
Begin the wands immediately after the stems are cut so they will be flexible when you bend them.
You will need 15 stalks of lavender, ribbon (buy good quality satin - I used about 3 yards of 3/16 inches wide, but amounts will vary depending on the length of the lavender stalks.

Cut lavender stems as close to the base as possible. Remove the leaves to use for potpourris or other projects. Gather and loosely tie the flowers at the base with thread. Trim the stalks to an even length.

Begin weaving the ribbon over and under each stalk.

Tuck the end of the ribbon into the stalks to secure it. Gently turn each of the stems over the lavender flowers.

Continue weaving to the base of the flowers.Secure the ribbon in a knot but don't cut it.

Wrap the ribbon diagonally down the stem, secure at the base of the stem with a couple of knots, then cut the ribbon.

Creating more Collage Papers

6/8/2020

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Herbs of Taurus

4/19/2020

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"There is no single herb below without its corresponding star above that beats upon it and demands it to grow."

~ Maimonides (1135 - 1204) Jewish philosopher, jurist, physician

Hoping you are all safe and well. These times are unlike anything I could have imagined. I've been filling my time with morning journaling, meditating, taking walks, talking to family and friends and working on projects. This week's focus was mostly on finalizing my Taurus herbs, all under the influence of the planet Venus. All are feminine - of course - and most are the element water, with a few of the earth.

The first collage layer was made by ripping papers I painted and textured, and glueing them to the base.

Next I chose 12 of the herbs associated with Taurus. I added the common name and Latin name, the gender, deity and element associated with each herb, and a painted image of the herb. The final step was the power or powers of each herb.

This fall I'll be teaching my Enhancing Your Life with Herbs course, a six week session, for the Renaissance Institute at Notre Dame University of Maryland for the fourth time. I painted 200 herbs to illustrate the course. I'm hoping to update it with these layered herbs for the zodiac session.

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Eggs for Easter

4/11/2020

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Comfort Journals

4/8/2020

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A post from last year. Seems like an appropriate time to repost.
Sending prayers and comfort to those who have lost loved ones.

In February a dear friend's mother died. I created a comfort journal to help her process her loss and give her comfort while remembering her loved one. Since then I have made several more but this is my favorite - probably because her mother's favorite flower was the rose. The comfort journal provides quotes, writing prompts, and a list of ideas for self care. I asked her a few questions about her mother so I could customize it - her favorite color, flower, song, etc. If you have a loved one who has lost someone dear to them and likes to journal, you might want to make a comfort journal for them.