Charity Sloan, Author at SubEarthan Cottage

Posted on May 15, 2023May 15, 2023 by sophiecls418 — Leave a comment

6 Simple Self Care Practices You Can Start Now

Between work, home, and family responsibilities, do you often feel that all your time is spent taking care of others? Neglecting self care is easy, especially for moms, but the consequences can be serious. Adding self-care practices to your daily routine can greatly strengthen your health and well-being. It’s like they tell you when flying. You need to secure your own oxygen mask before helping others. Otherwise, you won’t be able to help anyone else.

Here are 6 basic self care practices to get started:

Block out time for self-care in your schedule. It’s not enough to occasionally stop your busy lifestyle and take a walk or indulge in a hot bath. Self-care is an ongoing process. Just as you reserve time in your schedule for other appointments, set aside time to take care of yourself, too. It’s important to adopt self-care habits that you can enjoy on a regular basis. They’ll help you avoid burnout, increase your productivity, and allow you to enjoy life.

Enjoy your favorite hobby. Whether you love to experiment with new recipes in the kitchen sew, or paint pictures of sunsets, your favorite hobbies can be part of self-care. Hobbies and activities that you already enjoy are easy to select and put into practice. You just have to find room in your schedule to do them. This is an important step and shows your commitment to self-care.

photo of person holding cup — Photo by Alina Vilchenko on Pexels.com

Make note of the compliments you receive. You can enjoy this self-care practice even as you work or run errands! Start taking notes of the compliments you receive. You can keep them in a journal, diary, or online folder. Your compliment folder can also include emails, notes, thank you cards, and other things that make you smile. This self-care practice can help you fight negative thoughts. Compliments can serve as reminders that you matter, your existence is important, and someone appreciates you. On that same note, find reasons to give genuine compliments to others. It just might make their day, too!

Remove clutter. Whether you decide to declutter your closet or clean out the fridge, removing clutter will uplift you. Clutter can drain you physically and mentally. It can also make you unhappy as you try to move through your day. Eliminate the things that no longer serve you. For example, if you’re keeping clothes in your closet that you hate each time you open the door, replace them with clothes that you love. Since you’re here, you probably sew. 🙂 Old, ill-fitting or clothing that just isn’t your style can be altered or used for the fabric and notions. That way you can eliminate clutter frugally and engage in your hobby.

Do one selfish act. Living selfishly all day isn’t recommended, but doing one thing just for yourself that makes you happy can do wonders. You can enjoy just that one thing without feeling guilty about it! If you struggle with self-care, it’s often because you spend all of your energy and time taking care of others. There’s nothing left in your well for yourself. By taking the time to do one selfish act, such as reading your favorite book or ignoring a boring phone call, you’ll be restoring your own importance.

Check off important health related self-care tasks. This is the most important one of all. Self care on social media is all about the relaxing baths, the books, hobbies, etc. Those things are an important element, but far more important is taking time to have that checkup, go to the dentist, or find a therapist. Take a moment to schedule that appointment that you’ve been putting off. I’m in the US, so I know that access to healthcare isn’t always easy, but there are some resources and low-cost options to explore.

Self-care often takes a backseat to work, family, and other obligations. However, without stopping to take care of your mind and body, you’re at risk of burning out and suffering from serious health issues. Start making time for your self-care practices today!

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Posted on May 10, 2023May 10, 2023 by sophiecls418 — Leave a comment

Rainy day Flowers and Plant Identification

We’re supposed to have a long stretch of rain. I love the grey skies, the cooler weather, the scent of rain in the air before it hits. Unfortunately, I’ll be spending most of my day at my desk with the window open rather than out on my porch. I did take a few photos of the mostly wild flowers in my yard to bring in a little of the outside.

Pink Evening Primrose Flowers

These are pink evening primrose. I haven’t really explored any medicinal or nutritional value they might have. I know evening primrose is a big one for aiding in hormonal issues. I’m not sure if this variety carries the same benefits, however.

Sunflowers

These are sunflowers, with a few of the pink evening primrose peaking out from under them. These produce smallish flowers but get really tall, like 6+ feet. I’ve heard that you can cook the flower buds and they taste like artichoke. I may have to try that this year.

Honeysuckle Flowers

Japanese honeysuckle. I know this is an invasive plant and I should hate it. It smells so pretty, though, and the flowers are beautiful. I also learned last night that it has salicylic acid in the leaves and flowers and can be used as a mild pain reliever. (Salicylic acid is aspirin, so don’t try it if you are allergic and always consult your doctor before trying any sort of new medication, natural or not.)

Common Hedge Parsley?

I think I’ve finally identified this final flower. For years, I’ve searched online and used my Picture This app and haven’t seen anything that looked quite like what is growing in my yard. Today it identified it as common hedge parsley. From what I’m seeing online, that seems to fit. While hedge parsley is edible, the look-alike poison hemlock is clearly not. For that reason, I think I will leave it to the bugs and bees to sample.

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Posted on May 9, 2023May 8, 2023 by sophiecls418 — 1 Comment

How to Prewash Your Fabric for Beautiful Sewing

In order to have high quality finished products, it’s best to prewash your fabric. Without this step, your finished product can shrink and look uneven or lumpy when it is eventually washed. It’s not a good idea to just toss your fabric into the wash, though, as it comes out a stringy, tangled mess. Luckily, there’s a few different ways to make prewashing your fabric painless.

Overlock the cut edges

If you have a serger or overlock machine, serge the cut edges before washing. You shouldn’t have to worry about the selvedges as they won’t unravel. This is my favorite method. I usually just leave the thread tails long and they don’t unravel enough to be annoying.

close up photo of sewing machine — Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

Use your Sewing Machine

With a sewing machine, you can sew a quick zig-zag or similar stitch along the cut edges to prevent fraying. Even a straight stitch would probably work, although I haven’t tried it. You will probably need to back-tack or knot the ends to keep it secure through the wash.

Pink the edges for a painless prewash

If you have pinking shears, cut the fabric with the pinking shears along the cut edges. The edges will still get fuzzy, but shouldn’t unravel.

pile of cloth for prewash — Photo by Digital Buggu on Pexels.com

One bonus of using one of these methods is it’s easy to know at a glance which fabric from my stash was prewashed.

I know probably 90% of the people reading this are thinking “Duh!” because it’s such an obvious fix. The other 10% are wondering why they didn’t think of that, much like myself when I first learned the trick.

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Posted on May 8, 2023May 8, 2023 by sophiecls418 — Leave a comment

How to Use Aromatherapy For Travel

With summer right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to talk about how aromatherapy can help when you travel. To have the most fun, to get the most out of the experience, it’s important that you and your loved ones have the means to overcome those little ailments and discomforts that can make the experience range from mildly unpleasant to downright unbearable. How can we include a little ‘trip insurance’ to our already overstuffed luggage? Aromatherapy has an answer with some readily-available essential oils.

Motion sickness, bug bites, digestive difficulties, and general travel weariness, to name a few, are common discomforts experienced when venturing away from home. A small collection of inexpensive essential oils can provide great relief from these amusement-threatening ailments. Treatment with these oils is simple, ranging from inhaling a little oil from a tissue or diffuser, using them in a room spray, diluting them in a carrier oil and using on skin, or to adding to a bath. For stomach ailments, you can even consume the food form of oils. And, thankfully, relief often comes quickly because of the oils’ powerful properties and compatibility with our own bodies.

view of empty road — Photo by Nicolas Postiglioni on Pexels.com

It begins with the journey

We’ll begin with ‘getting there’. Any trip starts with traveling. By car, boat, plane, or otherwise, motion sickness commonly affects many people, particularly children. This can easily make the ‘traveling’ portion of your experience absolutely no fun. Enter peppermint essential oil.

Peppermint has long been used to calm uneasy stomachs, and is easily used. While it is unsafe to consume essential oils in water or, does this really need to be said, neat (undiluted), peppermint candy contains a safe to consume form of peppermint oil. Peppermint tea is another safe option.

Another well known essential oil for stomach upset is ginger essential oil. A little inhaled from a tissue or well diluted in a carrier oil and rubbed on the abdomen can bring relief. As with peppermint, ginger candy and ginger tea are safe methods to ingest ginger oil. This can help alleviate food-related stomach issues as well.

When traveling by car, peppermint can also be uplifting to the weary driver or passenger, a drop or two placed on tissues in the car or near your seat will release the aroma into your surroundings. Be careful with this oil however, as getting it on sensitive areas of the skin (directly under the nose, and certainly near the eyes) can cause irritation. Tissues with the oil on it should not touch these areas directly. It is also important that any essential oil used in an enclosed space is safe for everyone in the space. Also, please do not use peppermint in lieu of regular breaks and rest.

If you can only choose one…

Lavender for stress

Even traveling for a fun vacation can be stressful. Enter one of the most versatile and well-known essential oils: lavender. Lavender has been called ‘a medicine chest in a bottle’ due to its wide range of effects. The aroma of lavender is uplifting and relaxing, useful for stress in congested airports or crowded highways. Breathing this very safe essential oil is effective for adults and children alike, inhaling drops from a tissue directly, or from one’s placed in your surroundings can help you and your companions be at ease.

Lavender for injuries

Lavender essential oil is also an effective wound-healer because of its anti-inflammatory, mild antibacterial, and skin-regenerative actions. It is one of the few essential oils that can be used neat, however I still recommend diluting it in a carrier oil. I have used it directly in the case of minor burns and bug bites, but please read up on it further before deciding if that usage is safe for you.

Bugs don’t like Aromatherapy

Bug bites are no fun. Lavender essential oil can help repel insects. For a greater effect, try an insect repellent blend composed of equal parts of lavender, and peppermint, and a double-dose of lemongrass essential oil. A drop or more placed on tissue or cloth about your room can keep the insects out of your space; 3 drops of this blend per teaspoon of carrier oil can be regularly applied to the skin, or you may mix a similar amount into any lotion you may have. For areas heavily infested with mosquitos, I still recommend using a repellent with DEET due to the risk for disease, but for general usage I prefer the essential oil blend.

Jet lag?

Lavender can also be used alone or in combination with geranium, chamomile, peppermint and eucalyptus oils in relieving the effects of jet lag. Getting out of this weary state as quickly as possible makes any trip more enjoyable. This requires getting yourself and companions in-synch with local time, having good rest at night and perhaps a gentle lift in the mornings and throughout the day.

To get yourself into the swing of local time, relax and be ready for bed with equal parts of lavender and geranium essential oils, chamomile may also be used in place of the geranium, and works especially well for soothing children (if they are irritable for ANY reason). Add a few drops in a carrier oil to a bath or use in a massage oil. For a morning eye-opener, do the same using equal amounts of peppermint and eucalyptus. It is especially important to dilute the peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils in a carrier oil. Otherwise, you may end up irritating sensitive areas of the body. You will find these useful at other times when you need a little clarity and lightening-up.

Eucalyptus aromatherapy on the road

Eucalyptus, the narrow leaf variety is a favorite – has a great range of uses as well. It is most commonly known for relieving congestion, but it can also support circulation, and bring lightness to a travel-weary head.

Eucalyptus oil can be used like peppermint to uplift and invigorate during long intervals in a car. It can be diluted in a carrier oil and added to a cool bath or used diluted on a cold compress in cases of heat exhaustion (accompanied by, of course, copious amounts of water and electrolytes!).

Eucalyptus oil may be blended with geranium as a massage oil (3 drops eucalyptus and 2 drops geranium per tablespoon of carrier oil) to relieve heat cramps. For congestion relief, blend 1 drop eucalyptus, 3 drops lemon, 2 drops thyme, and 2 drops tea tree in a carrier oil and add to a bath. Soak and breathe deeply, or simply add a few drops to a steaming bowl of water and inhale.

These are just a few examples of ways to make your travel experiences more enjoyable with aromatherapy. With a little effort, you can expand your knowledge of these oils, discover further uses, and find other oils that work well for your particular needs.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Please consult with your physician before using anything medicinally.

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Posted on May 3, 2023May 3, 2023 by sophiecls418 — Leave a comment

Aromatherapy products at SubEarthan Cottage

I’ve been writing a lot about aromatherapy lately. It’s definitely something I find useful in my daily life, from incense to essential oil roll-ons to relaxing scented bath salts. While you can make a many aromatherapy products yourself, not everyone has the time or wants to invest in the essential oils to do that. Today, I wanted to spotlight the aromatherapy products I have to offer at SubEarthan Cottage.

First are the soy wax melts. Unless otherwise noted, these are made with soy wax and pure essential oils. For safety, I recommend using a lightbulb wax warmer rather than a tealight warmer.

Home Fragrance

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Next are the bath salts. These are made with my blend of salts and essential oils.

Bath Salts

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Next are my essential oil rollers. These are customizable, so if you don’t see what you need listed, please contact me.

Essential Oil Roll-ons

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Finally are my soaps. Unfortunately I haven’t had as much time to make soap lately with my chemo treatments. My last Kadcyla infusion is tomorrow though, so hopefully I’ll be back in the soap kitchen soon. Here are the soaps I currently have available.

Soap

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Posted on May 2, 2023April 28, 2023 by sophiecls418 — 2 Comments

Never Ending Upcycled Chaos Candle Making

I love candles and wax melts, but I hate it when there’s a little left in the bottom of a jar or the wax has lost it’s scent. I don’t want to just throw the wax away. If it’s a jar candle, I won’t throw it a way, so it ends up taking up space waiting for me to find a new use for it.

I’ve always been interested in candle making, but I honestly don’t know much about the correct way to do it. This is just my, for me, kind of chaotic, fun way of using up the leftover wax scraps and jars. If you try to join in my chaos, always take care with the melting, pouring and burning, make sure everything you use is safe for this usage and never leave anything burning or melting unattended.

My solution is to melt down the wax and make my own candles in the old jars. I bought this wick set for the wicks. I start by picking the jar I want to use and then putting in the same number of wicks that were originally in the jar.

Chaos layered perpetual never-ending upcycled candles candle making — My candles still need a haircut. 😀

For the candles in the above photo, the one on the left was originally a three wick candle, so it got three wicks. The one on the right was a yogurt jar, so I just guessed and went with one wick.

After the wicks are in place, I melt down any scrap wax I have and pour it in. Usually, I do this a little at a time as I finish other candles, rather than all at once. That gives it the cool sand art layered look.

With jar candles, to get the last bit of wax out, if I don’t pour it while it’s still melted from the last time I burned the candle, I set the jar on my coffee warmer (do not leave it unattended!). Wax melts just get melted as usual and poured into the jar.

I do try to keep the candles mostly the same type of wax. In the photo, the big candle on the left is made from candle wax ends. The yogurt jar candle is made of soy wax melts with a little of the tea light wax remnants added.

Tea light candle wax warmer — My one tea light warmer.

For scent, most of the candles I burn are in the same spicy or vanilla scent family. Since the leftover candle wax usually has a good bit of scent left, I don’t worry about adding my own. With the wax melts, I either just leave them as they are and have a mild to unscented candle, or I add a drop or two of an essential or fragrance oil to each layer as I pour it.

I don’t know if my chaos candle making method will help anyone else, but I have fun with it, and the resulting candles are pretty. It’s also a way to reduce waste and save money.

This post does contain an Amazon affiliate link. If you click on the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

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Posted on May 1, 2023April 28, 2023 by sophiecls418 — Leave a comment

How to Use Aromatherapy to Help Insomnia

Aromatherapy provides a natural way to deal with insomnia, anxiety, and stress. The primary purpose of aromatherapy is to produce a scent that induces an effect on the human body. The smells from aromatherapy work on a subconscious level. Smell can affect the way that human beings react. Different smells can stimulate the brain and evoke feelings that are then associated with that smell. For example, if the smell of baking cookies reminds you of your grandma and makes you feel relaxed and safe, that is aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy is used for mental and emotional well being. The oils of aromatherapy are often used to stimulate or relax the person as needed. Some aromatherapy oils are lavender, frankincense, patchouli, chamomile, sandalwood, orange, and peppermint.

Aromatherapy to fight insomnia

There are a few different ways that you can enjoy the smells of aromatherapy. One way is to add scent to your bath water. You could blend essential oils with a carrier oil for a massage. You can even sprinkle a few drops on your pillow at night.

Herbs to fight insomnia through aromatherapy

Using aromatic herbs for insomnia

We often think that aromatherapy equals essential oils, but that is not always the case. Herbs like chamomile, lavender and peppermint are a bit more versatile as you can drink it in the form of an herbal infusion (tea). Chamomile tea is well known to be relaxing and aid in sleep.

Essential oil blends

If you look into aromatherapy for the sole purpose of insomnia there will be actual recipes that you can make yourself that act very well for insomnia. One in particular is a mixture of two drops of jasmine essential oil and four drops of lavender essential oil. This can be used in a diffuser or you can place drops of it surrounding your bed. Frankincense and patchouli are also some of my favorites for relaxation and sleep. Just make sure that it is in a place where you will be able to smell it best. This mixture can also be added to a carrier oil and used for a massage.

a woman on a massage table Massage to fight insomnia — Photo by Cojanu Alexandru on Pexels.com

Aromatherapy candles and wax melts are also available in the various scents that are mentioned above. The scent from candles and wax melts are not quite as strong in most cases as the essential oil. They are a great way to test out a new scent to see how it affects you. They are also a nice way to layer scents for aromatherapy.

Other tools to use alongside aromatherapy

Finally, in conjunction with aromatherapy, meditation and yoga work excellently for relaxation. They work as a way to free the negative energy from your body that is causing you to lose precious sleep. Besides helping with insomnia, it will lead you into a more healthy life in general.

woman in red shirt sitting on couch meditating to fight insomnia — Photo by Mikael Blomkvist on Pexels.com

The most popular aromatherapy oil used today is lavender. Lavender is very versatile and can even be grown in your own backyard. It also works great for digestive related issues and as a mild antidepressant. Further, it calms nerves, relaxes the body, and promotes sleep.

Sometimes the everyday stresses of life can build up and a combination of aromatherapy oils can be a seemingly magical tool in creating a harmonic balance, a sense of well being and relaxation, and promoting sleep.

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