I'm a girl who likes to do it myself when it comes to homemaking, gardening, and most anything else for that matter. I like to get hands-on and in most cases I figure I can make it better and usually cheaper than something store bought. That's not always the case but it doesn't stop me from trying.
If like me, you want to get a little more hands-on with things like your cleaning products, body care, first aid, and gardening then Make Your Place: Affordable, Sustainable Nesting Skills by Raleigh Briggs is the book for you.
This adorable book is broken into three sections 1) Health & First Aid 2) Non-Toxic Cleaning & Body Care 3) Gardening. Each is beautifully illustrated and hand-written, but more importantly chalk full of good information.
In Health & First Aid, there are recipes and tips for using essential oils and plants to keep make salves and tinctures to keep your body running in tip-top shape. There's information on which herbs to use for different cold symptoms as well as advice on handling bruises, bug bites, headaches and much more. It's all written in a concise manner that doesn't make you feel like you need to be a certified herbalist to make nature work for you.
Non-Toxic Cleaning & Body Care provides recipes for making natural cleaners out of things like
baking soda and vinegar as well as ways to kill things like ants and other bugs that invade the home. The author also gives recipes for things like facial toners and shampoos with a listing of which herbs should be used for different skin types. I found that particularly thrilling because my face is oily but my arms tend to be dry and I can formulate products based on my body type without having to break the bank buying several different kinds of lotion.The Gardening section is pretty basic but there's a ton of good information presented in a fun and easy to read manner so that even the most experienced gardeners among us will learn something. There's information on companion planting, starting your own seeds, building soil, fertilizing and much more. Again presented in a way that doesn't make you feel like you need to be a Master Gardener in order to grow some tomatoes for your summer salads.
Whether you're an experienced do-it-yourselfer or just getting started you'll find this book full of fun projects and ideas to keep you motivated and learning new ways to keep your nest comfortable for you and those you serve.
I need this book! Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteThank you for doing a review of this book. When you showed it to me, I knew I had seen it before and sure enough I do have it on my "to-read" list. I want to read it even more after your review - Thank you!
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