Handmade Fused Glass Panel Inspired by French Lavender Fields

A little piece of Provence in glass 💜✨This handmade fused glass lavender panel was inspired by the dreamy lavender fields of France, with layers of purple, lilac and green to capture the soft summer haze.

I created it for a dear friend who loves France, now she has her own lavender view all year round. 🌿🇫🇷

 

The matching wooden stand was made by my hubby 🥰

 

 To see more of my fused glass creation click here

DIY Honey Lavender salve tutorial. How to make a healing ointment recipe

I love using natural products for all of my personal care so I thought I’ll share with you my favorite recipe of Honey salve with Lavender that I’ve been making for my family for years.

Ingredients:
Olive Oil ~ 2 oz (57 ml)
Cocoa Butter ~ 0.5 oz (15 g/ 15 ml)
Beeswax ~ 0.7 oz (19 g/20 ml)
Honey, preferably raw honey ~ 1 tsp (5 ml)
Vitamin E ~ 1/2 tsp (3 ml)
Lavender essential oil (or your own choice) ~ 10-20 drops

1.    Combine Olive oil, Cocoa butter and Beeswax into a mixing bowl and melt in a double boiler or in a microwave oven.

2.    Allow salve to cool on the counter. When the mixture has cooled down to approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit (40°C degree Celsius) you can start adding Honey and Vitamin E. The essential oils should be last. Blend the whole mixture well with rubber spatula, spoon or with the electric hand mixer.

 

3.    Transfer the finished salve into the smaller containers of your choice. Recipe yields approximately 100 ml (~ 3,5 oz) of product.

Notes:

•    Honey is a known source of the bacteria spores that cause botulism. The spores are not nearly enough to hurt an adult and have never been known to cause harm by applying to wounds. Still, to be safe, don’t use honey or honey salve on children under two years old unless the honey has been sterilized.

•    Heating raw honey past the maximum hive temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit changes honey’s essential composition and degrades its quality. It partially destroys honey’s beneficial enzymes and ‘boils off’ volatile compounds that account for the unique, delicate floral aroma of the honey. If you wish to preserve as much of the honey properties as possible, wait until the mixture has cooled off to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35°C degree Celsius). Most commercial honey is already heated to 160-180 degrees Fahrenheit (70-80 °C degree Celsius) so if you are using commercial honey, you can add honey right after melting your oils/butters/beeswax together.

More of my DIY Homemade Beauty Recipes

Tutorial - How to Make Homemade Cold Process Lavender Soap with Shea Butter

I’ve been promising to post a recipe of homemade soap, so here is my own recipe of handmade cold process soap scented with Lavender and Patchouli 100% essential oils, which is especially good for dry skin.

Equipment:· 2 mixing bowls, preferably stainless steel or tempered glass
· A cake mixer or a blender.
· A thermometer, scale and a rubber spatula
· Several measuring cups and spoons
· A microwave or a stove top (clean is good, sterile not necessary)
· Container/mold with cover
· Lots of paper towels
· Rubber gloves and safety glasses

Ingridients:
Olive Oil ~ 7.9 oz (225 g)
Coconut Oil ~ 4.4 oz (125 g)
Rice Bran Oil ~ 1.8 oz (50 g)
Cocoa Butter ~ 1.8 oz (50 g)
Shea Butter ~ 1.8 oz (50 g)
Alkanet root powder 1 ¼ tbs

Lye (3% superfatted) ~ 2.51 oz (71.2 g)
Water ~ 5.3 oz (150 g)

Additives:
Jojoba Oil ~ 0.53 oz (15 g)
Lavender and Patchouli essential oils ~ 0.4 oz (12 g)

Directions:
1. Suit up in safety goggles, gloves and long sleeves.

2. Add the lye to the water. Stir well taking precautions to not breathe in the fumes. Set the mixture to the side and allow it to cool to approximately 110F (~45°C ). You can put the lye water mixture outside if you are not in a well ventilated area.

3. Add all your fats and oils together and melt. Allow them to cool to approximately 110F, or within 5 degrees of the lye water.

 

Since I only use natural colorants, I had to prepare my Olive oil with Alkanet root powder in advance, hence the deep purple color of my oil mix.

4. Add the lye water mixture to the melted oils, carefully. Stir vigorously until trace occurs. Trace looks like a thin pudding. A stick blender will help speed trace along.

 

5. At the end of your trace, add extra oils (superfat your soap) and essential oils of your choice.

 

6. Pour your traced soap mixture into your molds.

 

7. Pop out after 3 to 5 days, cut it in bars and allow to sit for a full 4 to 6 weeks to cure and finish the saponification process. Recipe yields approximately 4 bars of soap, 4.5 oz (~ 125 g) each.

More of my DIY Homemade Beauty Recipes