Hello Hive,

Anyone who frequents the crafty corners of the internet will have noticed a trend: everyone is getting new journals and planners to celebrate our entrance into 2026. And, I totally get it. There is a special boost of energy to starting anew with the new year. And, somehow, a brand new journal symbolizes a fresh start. I am not opposed to buying new things, but, why should I abandon my old notebooks when I have a couple of perfectly good ones with plenty of pages left to fill?

Today I want to de-influence my fellow crafters. We don't need to buy anything new, at least not until the pages of the last journal are filled up. To illuatrate my point I made a short video clip showing off my current art journals:

https://youtube.com/shorts/Cz-mTJ3wnzg?si=ArbDZ96yJG6My0q7

We may be a few weeks into a new year but, I am still working on projects from last year. So, why should those projects be segregated into a separate book?

Happy Crafting Everyone!!

Each and every spring I collect baskets of roses buds and petals to dry. Some of them I put into packets to sell and others I keep in jars for herbal purposes. One of my favorite uses for rose petals is to make an herb infused oil. Herbal oils are great ways to apply the medicine of the herbs directly to the skin. People make such oils with Calendula flowers as well as St.Johnswort.

In this short video I will share with you how I make rose oil with only a few ingredients:

All you need is: dried roses (or rose petals), the oil of your choice, and a clean glass jar with an equally clean lid. Whenever we are adding anything to oil it is really important that there is no extra humidity. That is why making sure the roses are totally dry is so important and also why I emphasize using a clean, dry jar and lid.

I filled the jar to just about halfway with my fragrant rose petals. Not packed in, just loosely set into the jar. I collect the rose petals myself, from the forest around where I live. That way I can be sure they at they have never been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides. I am sure that wherever you live you can find an organic source for rose petals or buds. You do not want to use roses that have come from a bouquet because they are almost assuredly NOT organically grown and the chemicals they use to grow ornamental roses will not be good to put on your skin.

As for the oil there are many options. I tend to use coconut or almond oil, but I also like jojoba oil. This time I used almond and simply poured it over the dried herbs until it was nearly full, leaving just a bit of room at the top because the dried herbs will soak up the oil and expand.

This jar will steep for a month to 6 weeks in a dark corner of my herbal apothecary before I strain it out and separate the herbal mater from the infused oil. I am hoping that the oil will take on the rose-y tint of the darkest roses and will certainly take up some of the medicinal qualities of roses. Roses are very calming for the skin, helping soothe irritation from rashes and heal pimples and scar marks.

I usually keep this oil in a small dropper bottle in the bathroom to use directly on my face, neck, hands, and arms after a shower. Kind of like a massage oil. It only takes a few minutes to apply and leaves me feeling calm and cared for. I really recommend it!

Hello Homesteading community!

Here I am, once again, sharing updates of our DIY build. Yestersay my man informed me that we will be working on this house for two more years. That is his opinion, we will see! Be it next year or in two years that we finally get to live here, I am enjoying the process of building AND of documenting our work.

And so, I want to start today's blog post with a video clip I made the other day:

The idea was to share that yes, we are building with mostly natural materials but we are by no means purists. We have used bits of plastic, plenty of metal, industrialized windows and even spray foam to make this a modern mud home.

And at this phase we are elbows deep in the mud. The first layer of plastering is about 70% done. Still, there are lots of awkward places to fill in and tons of smoothing out to do. This little loft was a semi-last minute addition. We have three cats and want to build a house where they have plenty of space to walk around & play. The idea is that if we give them their own, custom space, they won't be so inclined to lay on my desk and sleep in my baskets of fabric and herbs. This loft is just above the fire place and connects via a catdoor to an outdoor space specially designed for them.

While Jona (my partner 💚) takes care of climbing the ladder to get to those hard to reach places, I am in charge of making the mix and smoothing out all the bumbs in the walls. Mostly, I enjoy it but it does take a lot of strength, mud gets heavy and pushing a piece of wood over & over a wall for hours a day gets tiring. I really admire people who have the strength to do this for a living. Never before have I appreciated my desk/candle making jobs as I do after an afternoon spent at the build.

Hello Homesteading community!

Things are really moving along with our DIY earthen home. The outside of the house is completely covered with the first layer of plastering, and now we are moving on to the inside of the house. After weeks of working mornings & afternoons, rarely taking even one day off, we are now moving at a slower pace. I am enjoying the process and my partner is recovering from a cold. We are both super happy with everything we have done so far, even despite the knowledge that there is still so much more to do.

I have also been sharing images & videos on my personal instagram page. While I generally try to stay away from mainstream social media, it feels important to me to share with people I grew up with, family, and friends who all live in my home country. I live far, far away from all of them but it feels good to keep them in the loop.

I also have another motive, I want to show them (and you, and the world) that building a modern mud house is possible. That sculpting our house out of mud is not only an act of survival but also a creative project. From that idea came this little video clip:

At this phase of the build we feel like we are "on time" and also have the time to slow down. I am enjoying the process, taking time to film & create media about the joys of working with earthen plasters.

Homesteading isn't all fun, and building with your partner/spouse isn't always easy. I want to celebrate the wins with some mineral water and a handful of berries. Then ... back to work!

Once I heard someone describe fall as a "second spring" ... a time when we get another chance to sow seeds once the harsh summer sun has faded. As I slowly transition my garden into cold season crops I am really feeling the second spring vibes.

Some years the zinnia flowers last well into winter and bring needed color to the garden. Just in case a frost comes early I hae been collecting flowers to press into my journal and petals to dry. I like to keep a few jars of flowers from summer & spring on my desk to keep my spirits high in the depths of winter.

I have planted fava beens here, there isn't much else going on in the garden beds. This garden has been in use year after year for too long. I am transitioning to s bed much closer to home, just outside my front door in fact!

If you have gotten this far in my blog post, thank you for taking the time to read whatnI write. And, if you haven't already, please follow me to see more upcoming post and videos 🌼🌳