On the Box
Welcome to 'ON THE BOX'.
This is a corner for all those bits and bobs that don't have there own special place but are essential in making our lives better. Its like your kitchen drawer thats stuffed with string, drawing pins, cellotape, rubber bands, blue tack, stamps, screwdrivers, twistie ties, scissors, buttons .. you get the picture?
So here 'On the Box' you'll find stuff like Wendyl's magnificent potions, information on ways to help the environment and competitions that feature on April in the Afternoon each day ..
WINNER OF JULIE LE CLERC'S COOK BOOK - "MADE IN MOROCCO".
Vicki of Massey, Waitakere was our winner of the book.
Her response was “Wow! Thank you.”
Congratulations Vicki.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR BISSEL COMPETITION WINNERS
Laura Li Pourirua
Viv Hardie Christchurch
Diane McGuire Auckland
Ann Armstrong Nelson
Julie Bain Kawerau
Desrai Karl from Tauranga
Gail Guckert from Lyttelton
Jo Huston from Howick, Auckland
WENDYL’S BREWS
LAVENDER WATER
Make this lavender water to spray on your sheets when they are dried and airing or before ironing.
Lavender Water
1tspn lavender essential oil
60ml vodka
750ml water
Mix together in a spray bottle and spray on sheets after drying. Air before storing the sheets. Shake well before use.
Moth Repellent
When storing sheets, clothes or blankets try this:
50 grams dried rosemary and mint – preferably freshly dried from your garden!
25 grams dried thyme and ginseng
200 grams whole cloves
Mix together and put into sachets.
Light candlesBlue for harmony, healing and successPink for love and relationships and the healing of emotional pain and traumaWhite for light, goodness, purity, peace and truth. Then get a branch of tree, preferably from the garden like a manuka and move from room to room sprinkling salt and using the branch to splash a little water in each room. Say a chant such as "we cleanse and renew the energies of this room. Return to the candles and light a purple one for power, luxury, wealth, ambition, wisdom and independence.
Preferably leave the candles to burn down, but don't leave them unattended. It's fine to extinguish them when you go out and light them again when you come back in.
Oatmeal bath bags:
Organic porridge oats make a wonderful skin softener in the bath. When taken in hot weather good for prickles and itches also soothing for inflamed skin.
- Take a square of muslin ( I used an old nightie)
- Place a handful of organic oats with some herb flowers, I used flowering rosemary which is in season at the moment and the rosemary is good for soothing muscles and is also anti-fungal and anti-bacterial.
- Gather up corners and tie. Hang from bath or drop in the bath. You can open and use the oatmeal as a scrub as well if you don’t mind clearing out the clogged drain at the end!
DIY SPA RITUALS
Thalassotherapy bath to help increase cell metabolism and eliminate toxins from the body.
YOU NEED:
a few sheets of nori seaweed
1 cup crushed coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon kelp powder
pinch spirulina
1 teaspoon macadamia oil
HOW TO:
Crumble nori sheets and mix with remaining ingredients. Run a tepid bath and add this nutritious blend.
From 'Spa: Bathing Blends For Your Home' by Judy Chapman (HarperCollins, $24.95)
My favourite bath addition especially good for period pains1 cup baking soda1 cup sea salt10 drops rose geranium essential oil which is particularlygood for stress and PMS stuff.
COLD CURE POTION.
½ cup water
½ tsp powdered ginger
pinch cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbspn honey
juice of half a lemon
Boil water, ginger, cayenne, and garlic for one minutes. Remove from heat and add honey and lemon juice. Cool then hold your nose, close your eyes and drink. Gives relief for three hours.
Vitamin C acts as a scavenger when you have a cold picking up virus trash – take 500mg four times a day.
Zap it with zinc – get some tablets and cut colds short.
Also herbs Echinacea and olive leaf.
Cleaning Silver
- Container preferably aluminium or use a bowl and add foil.
- Make a solution by mixing one rounded dessertspoon of washing soda per litre of hot water, enough to cover the item to be cleaned. Immerse item to be cleaned making sure that it is in contact with the aluminium when in the solution.
- Lightly tarnished items should come clean in seconds, while heavily tarnished items may need repeat treatment and even the help of a soft bristled paintbrush to help rub off the tarnish.
- Rinse in clear water and dry with a soft cloth.
- The only warning is do not immerse any non metal items, or items with painted surfaces as damage could be caused. These could be items of jewellery. Be cautious if silver items have other non silver components.
Add the grated soap to the boiling water, stir and then let sit for about ten minutes until it melts. Then stir in
Wendyl's spray and wipe
Nearly fill a one litre spray bottle. Add 1 tsp baking soda, a few drips Sunlight liquid, and 10 drops of lavender or tea tree oil essential oil (not fragrant oil which can by synthetic). Shake together. If you have wooden benchtops also add about 1tsp of olive oil and shake the bottle everytime you use it to disperse the oil.
Wendyl's toilet bowl cleaner.
Throw one cup of baking soda and one cup white vinegar into the bowl and watch it explode. Leave for 10 minutes then clean with brush and flush.
Wendyl's shower cleaner
Mix together in a one litre spray bottle half water and half white vinegar. Spray on shower doors or anywhere there is soap scum and leave for five minutes then wipe off.
Air Freshener
8 drops lavender oil
4 drops each bergamot and clove oil
2 drops oil of peppermint
1/2 cup vodka
1/2 cup distilled water
Combine ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well, Spritz into the air four or five times in areas you feel need freshening, being careflul to avoid your eyes.
The air freshener’s we buy at the supermarket contain dichlorobenzene an extremely
toxic ehemical to the nervous system, kidy and liver. This deodorizing spray is a healthy altnerative.
Lots of a commercial air freshners have damaging chemicals in them such as
dicholorobenzene, — most smells need dealing with - baking soda great sprinkled on carpets to freshen.
Natural Antibacterial Spray
Many disinfectants on the market are highly toxic and too strong for a home environment. In days gone by we used herbs to disinfect our environment such as lavender, mint lemon balm and thyme which were laid on floors, hung from rafters and potted up in window boxes. This spray is great for using on your chopping board and any other areas you may want to stay bacteria free.
l cupwater -
20 drops sweet orange essential oil 10 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Pour the water into a spray bottle. Blend the essential oils in a glass jar. With an eyedropper add 8 drops of this base to the bottle. Spray on and let set for at least 15 minutes. No need to rinse.
Sink drain cleaner
Similar to toilet cleaner, basically throw down
Pour one cup washing soda into water as close to drain as possible. If that doesn’t work pur one cup baking soda and three cups boiling water. Or throw down one cup vinegar.
Laundry detergent
1.5 litres of water
1/2 bar sunlight soap grated
1/2 cup washing soda
50gms Borax from the chemist
1 litre hot water
Mix grated soap in a saucepan with 1.5 litres of water and heat on low untildissolved. Stir in swashing soda and borax. Stir until thickened and remove from heat. Add 1 litre of hot water to a bucket. Add soap mixtureand mix well. Fill bucket with another 5 litres of hot water and mix well. Set aside for 24 hours or until mixture thickens. Use 1/2cup of mixture per load.
p.s. add lavender oil for a nice fragrance.
Oven Cleaner
Cleaning ovens is one of the most toxic things we do in our homes. Yet just using a mix of baking soda and washing soda can do the job for you. Mix together half washing soda and half baking soda. Sprinkle the bottom of the oven to cover. Spray with water until very damp and keep moist by spraying every few hours. Let set overnight. In the morning scoop it all up with the grime and rinse.
TIPS
1 Clean your windows on a cloudy day. Working in direct sunlight causes streaks because the cleaning solution dries beore you can wipe it off.
2 Place a bowl of vinegar out to absorb smoke odour.
3 If you want something to dry quickly in the dryer place a dry tea towel in with the wet items.
4 To whiten woollens use half a tablespoon of methylated spirits and half a tablespoon of white vinegar into your rinse water.
5 To polish Stainless Steel simply use baby oil. It’s amazing
6 To make cut flowers last longer - put a silver coin at the bottom of the vase
