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AN ADVENT CALENDAR OF YULETIDE DOINGS

12/2/2022

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Vintage German Advent Calendar, c1950s

The fairy folk residing in Meadow Sweet Grove have come up with some yuletide doings that you may enjoy each day, leading up to Christmas Day; as a means ​​to celebrate this magical time of the year!

Dec 1 - Take a child out for a cup of fancy hot chocolate
Dec 2 - Donate clothes, refundable bottles & household items to charity
Dec 3 - Send pretty Christmas cards to friends & family
Dec 4 - Buy Christmas Crackers for the dinner table
Dec 5 - Build a snowman ... if you have snow! Or make a bowl of
              oranges decorated with cloves

Dec 6 - Watch old movies: "A Christmas Carol" or "It's a Wonderful Life"​
Dec 7 - Attend a local Christmas display / event
Dec 8 - Trim your cedar or holly tree and leave out free trimmings
              for neighbours
Dec 9 - Decorate your front doorway with cedar boughs, holly and
              pine cones
Dec 10 - Put up and decorate your Christmas Tree
Dec 11 - Make a wreath for the front door
Dec 12 - Listen to all your favourite Christmas songs
Dec 13 - Wrap gifts (cut up old Christmas cards for tags)
Dec 14 - Buy and gather together lots of yummy food and treats
                for the big day
Dec 15 - Bake cookies and share with neighbours and friends 
Dec 16 - Clean your little abode; ready to receive guests 
Dec 17 - Watch: "A Christmas Story"
Dec 18 - Enjoy a Christmas Concert at a lovely venue such as an
                old church or hall
Dec 19 - Put together a Christmas puzzle with a child or friend
Dec 20 - Walk around the neighbourhood and look at all the bright lights

Dec 21 - Create a Winter Solstice Tree for the birds and little creatures
Dec 22 - Watch: "A Charlie Brown Christmas" or "White Christmas"
Dec 23 - Spend a quiet evening, gazing at the twinkling lights and
                enchanting ornaments on your Yule tree
Dec 24 - Hang up your stocking, sit quietly by a window at midnight,
                and feel the approach of Santa's sleigh 

Dec 25 - Yule / Christmas - Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas!
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Make an "old shop window" with frosted snow
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Click picture for instructions to make a Winter Solstice Tree!
  







Meadow Sweet Grove © 2016- 2022

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Quick and Easy Rose Petal and Witch Hazel Toner

9/29/2020

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PictureRosebush in Meadow Sweet Grove


Though we are into Fall now; the roses are still blooming here in the Grove, so I thought I would try my hand at some cheap and cheerful, homemade skin care. Here is my recipe for "Quick and Easy Rose Petal & Witch Hazel Toner":

You will need:
2 handfuls of fresh rose petals
boiling water
1 covered dish
metal tea strainer and funnel
witch hazel
2 same size containers
1 dark glass bottle

Step 1.  Collect two handfuls of perfect petals from your most beautifully scented rose bush.  Rinse lightly with cool water, place in a covered dish and pour boiling water over; just covering petals. Cover and steep for 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 2.  Strain water and petals through a metal tea strainer; to catch petal debris. Press down slightly with a clean spoon to extract rose water.  Pour collected rosewater into a container, using a clean funnel.
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Step 3.  Measure out an equal amount of pure witch hazel to your rosewater.  Pour both the witch hazel and rosewater together into a dark glass bottle, cap tightly and shake gently or rotate bottle to mix. Store in a dark, cool cupboard. Apply to skin with a cotton ball.
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Rosewater is anti-inflammatory and has anti-bacterial qualities and so soothes irritated or acne-prone skin. As a natural astringent; it tones skins and tightens pores as well as reducing the appearance of wrinkles. It is also used to hydrate, revitalize and moisture all skin types as it balances the serum of the skin. Witch hazel has similar benefits as it pertains to toning, tightening and cleansing the skin.

And since the beautiful Queen Cleopatra is said to have washed her face in rosewater and indulged in milk baths heavily laced with rose petals; as part of her beauty regime ... I think that is good enough for me to incorporate some rosewater into my daily skin care routine!
Bibliography: Magical Powers of Rosewater for Glowing Skin, Read & Digest, 2020
    Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2020
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January: TIME TO GO THRIFTING & SOME THRIFTY TIPS!

1/25/2018

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Time to Go Thrifting

Many people may have made a New Year's Resolution this January 1st to "clear the clutter" and get organized.  When taking those unwanted items in for donation to your local thrift store or charity stop - do make sure you check inside the store to see what's on offer.

Many people donate unwanted Christmas presents in January or donate the items that those gifts replaced.  Sometimes they donate better quality items than the new replacements they received!

For example, someone might donate their "out-dated" English bone china dishes or funky 70s Japanese stoneware. For the lover of antique, retro, quality or just plain eclectic dishware -- your local thrift store becomes a treasure trove!

Charity shops often have promotions too, like any other retailer, at this time of the year, to make up for low sales - so make a note of those dates and bring your donations in on those discount days.
PictureA Yorkshireman's Advice to His Son - "See All, Hear All, Say Nowt, Eat All, Drink All, Pay Nowt .. And If Ever Tha Does Owt for Nowt, Allus Do It For Thisen"
Some Thrifty Tips

January is also a time of year when many people are cutting back on their expenses.  For some, there is more tax deducted off the pay cheque starting in January.  Others overspent at Christmas, or feel the need to take a holiday somewhere warm.  Whatever the reason for a light wallet in January - there are many thrifty ways to stretch your dollars.

~ Reuse food containers in your kitchen ~
Isn't it silly that we buy containers to freeze or store our food in - when we throw perfectly good containers into the recycling bin every day?  Containers that are already bought and paid for.  Recent news has led me to believe that many of the items we faithfully recycle are not being recycled at all - but shipped to other countries for disposal in their landfills and even oceans.  This, of course, defeats the purpose of recycling which is to keep the items out of Mother Nature's belly!

Here's a number of re-uses for those many containers that make their way into your home:

Glass Jars
The best!  Use for dry beans and lentils, pasta, popcorn and rice.  Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water and freeze homemade applesauce and crushed tomatoes (make sure you leave a good inch or so at the top for expansion).  Use for non-food items like:  nails, screws, tacks, beads, paper clips, seed pods and any other small items that need organization.

Plastic Tubs
Yogurt, margarine, sour cream, cream cheese, and those funky plastic take-away/delivery containers - anything that is packaged in an opaque plastic tub can be re-used.  Use them to freeze left-overs, extra tomato sauce and chicken broth.  Keep them handy to send guests home with left-overs, children to school with cut veggies, cookies and cupcakes for school parties and for numerous other non-food uses like:  crayons, craft/painting supplies, pet food - just don't get the two mixed up!    


Bread Bags & Cereal Boxes

Those many bread bags basically replace plastic wraps!  Okay, they don't "cling", but many food items we wrap up don't need that feature.  Use them to wrap cheese and to freeze extra portions of raw meat like ground beef and chicken.  Cut them in half and use them to wrap sandwiches and snacks for lunches.  Collect dry seed pods in the summer or fall and shake the bag.  All the seeds will collect beautifully in the bottom of the bag (I learned this trick from a wonderful old Yorkshireman).  Talk about thrifty!  He even cut up his empty cereal boxes for a re-use as shopping lists.





~ Join a Local "Buy Nothing" or "Gifting" Group ~

If you are on Facebook, do a search for a "buy nothing" or "gifting" group in your local area. The premise is usually that everyone posts pictures of items that they are willing to give away for free. Read the rules carefully as each group is different, but usually, you are required to post a picture and short description of an item you no longer need. People express interest by commenting on the post and you pick a recipient and leave the item on your doorstep for them to collect at a pre-arranged time. You likewise comment on posts of items that others are gifting in the hopes that you will be the lucky winner. I have met some wonderful people this way and have received many amazing household items ... and helped to de-clutter my own home in the bargain!
One man's trash is another man's treasure.
         
Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 
2018 / edited 2019 & 2023

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Make Your Own Valentine's Day Cards - Not Just for Kids!

2/14/2017

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PictureYou're a deer
             February 14th - St. Valentine's Day = Love

Starting with the Roman Festival of Lupercalia, moving on to the Greek mythology of Venus, Cupid & Psyche and culminating with the Christian story of St. Valentine ... it's always been about Love!  Winter is ending, Spring is beginning ... love is in the air. The Meadow Sweet Grove fairies love cheeky vintage Valentines ... like the one to the left! With their playful play on words - they really reflect the essence of Valentine's Day with flirtatiousness, fun and comradery.  Of course, the industrious fairies also love to turn the scraps, trimmings and clippings that they saved during the year into one-of-a-kind home-made card creations as well!

A fairy's primer for home-made Valentine's Day cards:

The Victorians were famous for their industriousness and their fancy work. Many of their craft projects would today be labeled as "re-purposing", "upcycling" or "environmentally-conscious"; but this is no new trend.  Rather making do with what you have, and being a bit creative and resourceful; is actually a return to the tried and tested ways of yesteryear.  So many people throw things out -- only to buy them back again in a different form!

Here's a simple how-to option for that special home-made Valentine's Day card:

PictureYou're magic Valentine

~ Save your scraps ~

Set aside a shoe box or large envelope and collect scraps throughout the year.  Cut out beautiful pictures from magazines, cards, advertisements, tags, packaging, wrapping paper, stickers from address labels, stamps - you get the idea!  Save little bits of cloth ribbon from chocolate and nut packages, cut buttons off clothes too worn to donate and anything else you find pretty.  Once you get going, and truly look at everything in your hand before you drop it in the trash or recycling bin - you will be amazed at what you have available to you - for free!!  ​
~ Making the cards ~  ​

There are countless ways to make your card - and absolutely the sky is the limit!  Here's one option for a flat card, with message on the reverse, that can be displayed by "propping":

  • Find a piece of thin cardboard or an old used card.  Cover it up entirely with a piece of tissue or wrapping paper, folding, gluing or scotch taping on one side only;
  • Fold a piece of paper in half and trace a heart.  (Use a piece of junk mail if you like, we're going to cover it up.) Unfold and, on the opposite side to the heart, paste a large collage of pretty pictures from magazines onto the entire sheet (rubber cement works best). Allow to dry. Flip over and gently cut out the heart shape. This creates a seamless collage to the very edge of the heart;
  • Glue your heart collage in the centre of card; covering any tape ends;
  • Now you may embellish it as you wish with stickers, glitter, ribbon, buttons - anything you like;
  • Write or type your own special message on a small piece of paper ("I love you" - is always good!), cut out with pinking scissors to create a special edging (or crop the edges with regular scissors), and glue your message to the front or back of the card.  ​
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Et voil
à!  Instant, pretty, unique and free Valentine's Day card. Children and the youngest fairies, of course, love making their own cards ... and some of the not-so-young ones do too ...


​​Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017 / edited 2021
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Disclaimer: Many of the items sold are vintage or pre-loved. Quality of vintage items vary with the manufacturing methods available at the time of production. They are not made to current standards of manufacturing ... and in my opinion, that is usually a good thing! They tend to be higher quality, last longer and include more attention to detail than today's products. However, safety standards do change over time, items do deteriorate with age, and it is up to the customer to decide how they will use each product.
All rights reserved. No part of this website, including but not limited to written articles, photographs, graphics, videos or animations, may be reproduced, in any form, written or digital, without the express and prior written permission of the author: V. Buchanan of Meadow Sweet Grove. Requests for said permission may be directed to: [email protected]. (GIFs graciously provided by: animatedimages.org & R. Buchanan)
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