Christmas Wreath Card Display

Written by Kari, Contributing Writer I know there are hundreds of ways to display those beautiful Christmas cards we get each year. I’ve done most of them over the course of my beautiful life. Everything form hanging them from decorative ribbon to placing them in a crystal bowl. A couple years ago I was reading Living Magazine and found a quick and inexpensive way to display cards. I needed a change and this was perfect. A simple wooden wreath. Well, more like an embroidery hoop with … [Read more...]

Make Your Own Leaf Press

Written by Karen @ To Work With My Hands, Contributing Writer Fall is here and soon the ground will be adorned with the gorgeous array of rich-colored leaves. Every year my children collect the prettiest leaves they can find, bring them inside, and it sometimes looks as if there must be a tree growing somewhere inside our house! They simply love the beautiful, showy leaves of fall, and so do I. Quite a few years ago, when our oldest boys were still pretty small, my husband helped … [Read more...]

Whipped Naked Magnesium Butter

Written by Kari @ Living Strong Wellness, Contributing Writer  It seems these days that good, restful sleep is hard to come by. Not only with adults, but children as well. As this is not an exciting fact, it is a reality and I believe we have a wonderful variety of natural options to help us. For instance, there are herbal teas, essential oils, supplements and something I want to share with you today – magnesium butter. Ahhh, this stuff is amazing. Why do I love it so much? Because … [Read more...]

Tropical Delight Smoothie

Written by Kari, Contributing Writer   There is something about summer that brings with it the need to make me feel like I live near the ocean, palm trees and an abundant supply of coconuts. The truth is, I live in the foothills of Colorado - which I absolutely love - but it doesn't bring with it the euphoria of ocean waves and coconut beverages!   This is where I use our love of smoothies to fulfill this need for all things tropical. Everyday during the hot months of Colorado, we … [Read more...]

20 Home Remedies for Outdoor Fun

If you have been taking advantage of the extra free time, beautiful weather, and nearby fun outdoor recreation spots so far this summer, chances are your family has had a need for bug repellant, sunscreen, or pain relief. Rather than spraying or lathering on chemicals that could be harmful to our bodies, especially after so much repeated use over the summer, here are twenty DIY remedies that can be easily made at home. Even if you are an essential oil newbie like myself, you can … [Read more...]

DIY Kids’ Art Display

Written by Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life, Contributing Writer A couple of years ago, my oldest child started doing art projects and I found myself needing a place to be able to display his work. I have strong aversions to clutter and I was hoping to figure out a way to display our kids' work that would keep our home looking tidy. Just as important, I wanted our kids to know that we valued their work and enjoyed being able to show it off.  Soon after, I was perusing the aisles of … [Read more...]

Natural Oven Cleaner… Easy as 1, 2 & 3!!

It's a new year, which means new goals right?  Well, a HUGE goal I've had for a while now was to clean my oven. Boy or boy was it yucky and I have been using it almost a year without cleaning it, yes- I did just confess that.  You see, we bought our first house, a Log-home and moved in (in January of last year), got mostly unpacked, had a homebirth, started a new school year and got on with life. Time passed and I kept telling myself I'll do it later. Later came and went but while my … [Read more...]

DIY Tiered Serving Platters

 Written by Kari @ Living on Purpose, Contributing Writer I absolutely enjoy entertaining at my house. Every Christmas season, Hubby and I (okay, mostly me) like to have something at our house.  Now, sometimes that means a bunch of screaming little kids are over decorating my amazing sugar cookies, getting frosting all over our walls and furniture, sprinkles and colored sugar crystals become permanent flooring and faces end up stained with the frosting since most of it … [Read more...]

Felt Fall Banner

Written by Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life, *NEW* Contributing Writer Every year we decorate the mantle for Fall. And every year the routine is basically the same. Pull off current decor. Pull out boxed Fall decor. Turn on Christmas music (I know, I know. But this year I have a good reason). Try to find an arrangement of things we already have on hand or have acquired cheaply that suits our simple, clean style. Send pictures to my best friend for a second opinion. Because she is a … [Read more...]

Make Your Own Sea Salt Hair Shaper

Written by Kari @ Living Strong Health & Wellness, Contributing Writer I live in Colorado, so having wavy hair produced by the saltiness of the ocean is, well, pretty slim. For people like me, who would prefer to live on an island surrounded by palm trees and the ocean, but actually live surrounded by mountains and pine trees, we have to create the ocean inside a spray bottle to experience the coolness of wavy hair. I’ve seen many different recipes, have tried quite a few, but found … [Read more...]