Today's Tincture

Tincturing is a wonderful way to capture the natural essence of herbs; and it is so easy to do. To make a tincture, grind up fresh or dried herbs, place in glass container and cover with alcohol (because I use the tincture only in perfumes – I use perfumer’s grade alcohol which is odorless and colorless). The tinctures need to be cured anywhere from 10 days to 2 months – depending on the herb being tinctured and the desired strength of the final scent.

Today I am tincturing juniper berries in honor of the weather turning cooler. There are two fragrances on my mind as I prepare the juniper berries today. One is a Holiday scent with frankincense, juniper, tonka and vanilla as a base – and spicy orange for the heart of the scent. I also want to create an herbal mixture that will play up the crisp, fresh scent of juniper with a blend of rosemary and lavender. Both will be great fragrances for the Fall season.

I am also going to use some of the left over dried herbs to make small sachet. I use small muslin bags with a drawstring and fill with the ground dried herbs. The sachet can be put into drawers and closets and even better, the sachet can be hung from the faucet as the water runs into the tub. This creates a wonderfully scented bath.

Leave me a comment and let me know what scents the cooler weather is bringing to your mind today…

Soap Monsters!

Here is a great Halloween activity to do with the kids.  Soap monsters. 

It is both a craft project and a science project.  All you need is a soap bar (ivory works best because it is whipped), a microwave and assorted items like pipecleaners, glitter, cotton balls and google eyes to decorate your "monster"

The science behind the monster is simple.  The microwave heats up the water molecules in the soap which turns the water into a gas - water vapor. 

At the same time the soap is softened because of the heat.  This combination allows the gas (water vapor) to push on the soft soap causing foam to form.   Right before your eyes the bar"grows" into a puffy pile of foam.

However, when cooled the soap once again becomes rigid but stays in the puffy form.

This is an example of physical change because the apperance of the soap is altered.

Simply put the bar of soap on a plate and place in the micowave for two minutes (or until you see the soap has stopped expanding).  Make sure to watch as it grows - it is so cool.  When the two minutes are up - remove from the microwave; but be CAREFUL the soap will be HOT for a little while.  When it cools down have your little one study it and decide what kind of monster to make. 

Now comes the craft part. 

Simply glue on eyes, pom poms, pipecleaner limbs or whatever your imagination dictates. 

Now you have great Halloween monsters for a scary display. Plus, you can still use the soap!