Category: DIY

Categories
DIY Preemie

How to Create a Wild One Cake Smash

wild one cake smash with birch tree cake

Your little ones first birthday is here! The time just seemed to fly by, didn’t it? It seems like only yesterday they came into this world, and now it’s time to celebrate! Cakes smashes have become increasingly popular over the years. Nowadays there are hundreds, if not thousands of different themes for a cake smash -but here’s how to create a Wild One.

Creating a Wild One cake smash comes down to five different aspects. The cake, the outfit, the decorations, the background, and photography. 

The Smash Cake

The cake is the star of the show, besides your little one of course! Keep in mind that the cake itself doesn’t need to be super extravagant. A smash cake is created for the little one to play in, get messy with, and snap some cute, memorable pictures. You can create one yourself, like this birch tree cake or you can order one from your local bakery.

Typically smash cakes are vanilla, confetti, or any other white cake topped with buttercream frosting. This allows them to get messy, without being overly distracting from the final images.

Some ideas for decorating a wild ones smash cake could be: a tree, buffalo plaid, or woodland creatures.

Here are some things to consider when choosing a cake for a cake smash. 

  • Cakes created heavily with black or red food coloring can stain the skin. Although harmless, your little one could spend the next couple days looking like he or she was caught red handed!
  • Keep in mind that chocolate cakes, although delicious, can end up looking like something else altogether when smashed up and spread around. 
  • A child can get a handful of buttercream frosting in their mouth without issue, but a handful of fondant is chewy and poses as a potential choking hazard. The artistic, fondant cakes should be reserved for the big cake.
  • If ordering a cake, don’t call the day of, or even the day before. Your local bakery will need a minimum of 2-3 days to create a custom smash cake. 
Tools and accessories florists need for making up a bouquet

The Wild One Decorations

Time to set the scene for your little party animal to let loose. How you choose to decorate is really up to you, but here are some ideas to help pull the theme together.

  • Bring nature in: Add logs, twigs, or live plants to your set up. 
  • Crates: Add a rustic touch.
  • Wild One Balloon: Nothing says ‘Wild’ like this giant balloon (literally). You can couple this with a balloon arch as well! 
  • Where The Wild Things Are Book: A timeless classic, and a picture perfect prop for a studious wild thing.
  • Woodland Creatures: Whether you’re going for safari animal wild or Canadian wilderness wild, a couple stuffed animals help set the scene.
  • Signs: Such as ‘Stay Wild’, ‘Wild Child’ or ‘Wild and Free’.

The ‘Wild Thing, I Think I Love You’ was a custom sign built by www.ourcountrycreations.com. I wanted a large one with rustic feel, that captured my love for this little wild thing -while also playing off my love for older music. 

Unrecognizable mother and baby walking outside.

The Background

When choosing the background it’s important to keep it simple. After all, the main focus is your little one. The best background for a wild one cake smash would be the great outdoors, with all the trees and flowers acting as the perfect backdrop for your little one to rumpus in. If you are taking pictures outside, try to avoid taking pictures at noon when the sun is at its peak to avoid harsh shadows.

However, if you were blessed with a winter baby like myself, and outside photos are not an option -go for a plain, black or white paper backdrop. This gives your little one the center stage, as well as making for easy cleanup after its all said and done. 

Stay away from backdrops that have a picture printed on them to set the scene for some far off land. These are often busy and distracting. If you must go with a pictured backdrop, go easy on the decorations, and be aware that they are more difficult to clean. 

The Cake Smash Outfit:

There are a variety of outfits out there for your little one to sport during the photos. From suspenders and bow ties, to party hats, or flowy dresses. You can dress your baby however you see fit. Just try and avoid paying too much or getting too attached to an outfit that’s gonna be worn during the photoshoot – it might not make it another day. Especially if the cake uses deeply pigmented food coloring!

If all else fails, a diaper works just fine too.

The Photography:

For high quality pictures, you need a high quality camera and proper lighting. Be sure that this is already set up, before bringing your baby in for the photos -since their patience (and consequently time to take pictures) is low. If this isn’t your forte, a professional photographer can take care of it all. Just bring your little one, the cake, and some decorations and let the photographer capture their special day! 

baby birthday

Limit The Number of People:

Keep the amount of people at the photoshoot low. I know everyone and their dog wants to watch as the little one discovers the wonder of cake for the first time, but too many people create a distraction, bring conflicting opinions, and can get in the way of the photographer.

Plus, there is very little opportunity to visit the little one while the photoshoot is happening, and even afterwards. There’s only (roughly) a 30-45 minute window of opportunity for pictures, and then after that its straight into the bath. After all that excitement, the little one is likely pretty tuckered and ready for a snooze.

For your money’s worth, just record a video of them at the shoot to show friends and family later. We held our sons cake smash on his actual birthday, that fell on a Thursday, and then threw him a birthday party on one of the following weekends. This way, we got pictures to capture his first birthday and everyone was still able to visit and celebrate with him in the days that followed. 

Enthusiasm:

Bring a smile and excitement. If you feel stressed or anxious, your baby will feel the same way. Take a deep breath, smile, and enjoy the moment no matter which way it goes. 

Lastly, when all else fails… add a wooden spoon! 

wild one cake smash with birch tree cake and wooden spoon

Health & Happiness,

Savannah

Categories
DIY

Hummingbird Food Recipe

two hummingbirds sitting at red feeder. hummingbird nectar recipe

Fuel up your feathered friends with this simple 2 ingredient hummingbird nectar recipe! Admittedly, this article is a bit offside of my typical eczema or (mostly) healthy recipes… but my inner animal lover just couldn’t help herself!

(..kinda like my inner cookie monster… )

But hey!

Little birdies (like inner cookie monsters) gotta eat too!

Plus, what’s better than eating a nice, beautiful meal outside in the sunshine while listening and watching the birds?

Not much, that’s what.

So what are we waiting for? Let’s get started!

P.S. Any major animal lovers out there? I adore feeding the birds and sitting outside just so I’m surrounded by more animals!  Those little old ladies feeding pigeons in the park? That’s me in the future (just kidding, that’s me now).

Let me know in the comments how many animals you’ve got, or if you simply adore feeding the birds too!

 

  • 4 cups of water
  • 1 cup of white sugar

  1. Start by combining both ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
  2. Allow the sugar to fully dissolve then remove from heat.
  3. Let the nectar cool before transferring to your hummingbird feeder.
  4. Store any remaining nectar in the refrigerator for later use
  5. Sit back and enjoy the lovely little birds visiting you!

To dye or not to dye, that is the question.

(and a heated debate, a little birdie told me)

The greatest concern about red dye for birds comes from not only the chemical itself, but how much the birds will consume. Although nectar is not a hummingbirds only food source (insects being another part of their diet, and just another reason to keep these birds around), it does make up the majority of their diet.

While no research points to dye being dangerous to birds, there is also no long term research revealing it’s safe. However, it is safe to assume that a birds metabolism and nutritional needs vary greatly from humans. Although red dye has been approved by the FDA for human consumption, it’s best to avoid adding it to your backyard bird’s dinner.

On top of it all, it’s important to note that natural nectar is clear, thus adding red dye is simply a unneccesary additive.

There are often complaints that hummingbirds won’t show up without red dye in the feeder. However this claim is unlikely. While hummingbirds do have a heightened sensitivity to red and yellow, unofficial studies have shown no preference to red over clear nectar.

Rather it is the sugar strength in the nectar, the cleanliness of the feeder, and distance away from percieved danger that play a much larger role in determining whether or not a hummingbird will feed at your feeder.

As for seeing red?

Some researches believe that the hummingbirds preference to red has become a conditioned response. After all, these little birds have an astonishing memory for the size of their brain -especially when it comes to food. They specifically seek out sources with the most energy (and with almost all commercial feeders being red), hummingbirds have began to anticipate high energy food when they see that color.

Rest assured that the red bases and floral decorations on your feeder will be more than enough to attract the birds. If desired, you can add additional red items nearby such as flowers, ribbons and ornaments to give your feeding area an added burst of color without any additional dyes!

Anna’s Hummingbird patiently waiting on a thorny branch. Photo: Dave Viklund

 

To keep our birdies happy and coming back, we’ve got just a couple things to do regularily.

  • Change the nectar mixture every 3 – 5 days to keep the feed fresh.
  • Be sure to check over your feeder over for any mold, ants, or other creepy crawlies everytime you change the nectar.

To clean your feeder:

  1. Rinse well with warm water
  2. Put a few drops of bleach into the water in your feeder
  3. Scrub with a bottle brush or a clean wash cloth
  4. Rinse thoroughly with clean water and let air dry
  5. Fill your feeder with fresh nectar
  6. Set outside for your feathered friends

That’s all there is to this simple hummingbird nectar (and some easy feeder upkeep)! Enjoy seeing these birdies daily, especially when you sit out on your deck eating summer dishes like the Smashed Blackberry Salad or the Spinach Raspberry Salad!

Health & Happiness,

Savannah

Categories
DIY Health

DIY Lavender Eczema Sugar Scrub

diy lavender sugar scrub surrounded by lavender flowers

While anyone can use this lovely DIY sugar scrub to exfoliate, moisturize, and get silky soft skin; a sugar scrub can be the perfect asset to help itchy eczema (especially the flaky, crusty, ‘my skin is constantly peeling off’, body dandruff -dry type of eczema we all know and despise…).

When it comes to my fellow eczema sufferers, a sugar scrub can do more than just exfoliate and moisturize. The sweet relief of a gentle scratch the sugar scrub brings along is not often talked about in the eczema community.

We aren’t supposed to scratch after all.

However, sometimes on particularly bad days it feels like the only thing you can do to achieve a fleeting sense of relief (even though you know deep down you’ll be worse off because of it). 

When I was suffering with dyshidrotic eczema my hands would itch, crack, and bleed constantly. They begged for moisture, and it felt like nothing did kept them hydrated. After one particularly sleepless night, (irritated and sleep deprived) I grabbed a sugar scrub that was shoved to the farthest corner of my bathroom cupboard. I had made it long ago as a gift for a friend and (as this itchy sleepless night drug on) it was lucky that I had some left over. The sugar scrub provided a sweet relief that I desperately needed and from then on was used whenever I got a particularly nasty flare.  

Again, everyone and their dog knows to not scratch eczema… but it can be tough to resist. If you do use a sugar scrub to help with the itching please, please remember to rub the sugar scrub in circular motions and push very gently. You can easily damage your already irritated and sore hands by scratching too hard!

I learned that lesson the hard way…

In this sugar scrub, lavender and raw honey team up to provide even more relief with their soothing and anti-inflammatory properties. Thanks to those superhero ingredients you can trust that your sensitive skin is in good hands and will be left delightfully smooth, refreshed, and itch free (even if it’s just for a little while)!

Enough with the chit chat, let’s get started!

  • 1 water-tight jar or container
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1/2 cup of coconut oil or olive oil
  • 10 – 12 drops of lavender essential oil
  • 2 tsp of raw or manuka honey* (See below)
  • 2 drops of red food coloring (optional)
  • 2 drops of blue food coloring (optional)

 

* Using either raw or manuka honey will yield the best results for your skin (and health!) It’s been found that the honey industry is very poorly regulated, and as a result some generic or ‘table’ honey actually contain very little honey and are instead filled with corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. Even if a generic brand of honey contains only honey (really, is that so much to ask?) the processes table honey undergoes destroys most of the honey’s bio-active components (the very stuff we want!) and leaves us with essentially a liquid sugar.

Start by melting your raw honey to make it easier to stir. Then, in your water tight container combine together all ingredients, stirring until everything is evenly mixed.

Screw the lid on tight and place either in the fridge or in a bathroom cabinet until you’re ready to use it. This mixture can last up to two months.

Note: It’s not essential to refrigerate your sugar scrub, but some people may feel more comfortable doing so. It’s entirely up to you!

Dampen your hands or a bath sponge and place your desired amount of sugar scrub onto it.

Exfoliate (and get a nice scratch!) by rubbing gently in circular motions to remove dead skin cells. Use all over or just on particularly persistent eczema ridden itchy spots. Again, remember to rub gently!

When you’re done, rinse off with lukewarm or cool water and pat yourself dry with a towel. If desired, put on your favorite moisturizer to top it all off!

There we have it! A gentle, exfoliating, and moisturizing sugar scrub perfect for sensitive (and itchy) skin!

Health & Happiness,

Savannah

P.S  You guy’s I ‘ve been eczema free for 2 weeks now! Healthy fingers crossed it stays that way! Check out A Simple Elimination Diet and What To Expect On An Elimination Diet for a no b.s. guide on how you can take the steps to curing this itchy rash once and for all!

  • Tags , lavender, sugar scrub
Categories
DIY

DIY Mason Jar Herb Garden

Say goodbye to overpriced, ‘how fresh can these really be?’ supermarket herbs and hello to fresh, beautiful herbs right on your windowsill! This fragrant little herb garden can be completed in under fifteen minutes, and the best part?

It’s mega cheap!

Chances are you’ve got everything (besides the herbs, of course) already in or around your house! But even if you’re like me and buy every supply (including the rocks…cause… there’s no excuse, I’m just plain lazy) you’ll still have a beautiful, cheap herb garden right in your kitchen! For me, one jar worked out to be only a couple dollars more than it’s packaged superstore counterpart!

Endless fresh herbs year round for a couple dollars more? Now that sounds like a good deal!

(Plus, let’s be real here… those supermarket herbs only have seven sprigs in them anyway).

Featured in my herb garden are peppermint, thyme, and parsley. I was dying for more, especially rosemary but when you live in a small town, you take what you can get. Moving past my bitterness, this DIY is created in typical Humble Kitchen style. That is, this DIY is meant to be customized to you!

So go ahead and plant whichever and as many herbs as your tummy desires!

  • Mason Jars (spaghetti jars, pickle jars, whatever you’ve got lying around!)
  • Your Choice of Herbs
  • Potting Soil
  • Rocks

Set yourself up outside. This is gonna get messy!

Start by filling each jar with at least 2″ of rocks. This step is incredibly important. Since the jars don’t have any drainage themselves, the rocks will create a barrier between the roots and any excess water. This prevents the roots from rotting from being submerged.

Next, fill half of your jars with a new layer of potting soil.

Pull your desired herbs out of their old, plastic homes. Gently loosen the soil around the roots, then firmly (but still gently!) ‘shove’ the herbs into the mouth of the jar.

Add even more potting soil to your jars. Don’t be afraid to pack it in there, because the soil will settle when watered.

Last but not least, water your herbs and set your new mason jar garden in a sunny windowsill.

Then enjoy the aroma and ease of fresh herbs within arms reach!

Once plagued with a black thumb, I killed all plants in sight. Whether it was from love or neglect, I may never know… (neglect. It was neglect). However, through sheer pigheadedness, a few helpful hints, and several poor plants left in my wake, I’ve begun to retrain my black thumb into a green one!

Personally, I’d say its in the in-between stages. It’s more like the yellow-y purple of a healing bruise. It’s not pretty, but at least almost all of my plants survive now!

Here’s a few helpful tips and resources I’ve stumbled into along the way to keep your new herb garden thriving all year round!

  • On average, most herbs need to be watered when the soil is dry to the touch. Although keep in mind that there are exceptions to this guideline. Some herbs like basil need to be kept in moist soil while other herbs such as lavender need their soil to be bone dry before watering. Check out The Tasteful Garden’s article on How to Grow Herbs and Electro Saw HQ’s professional tips on How to Grow Basil Easily.
  • Most herbs need approximately four hours of sunlight per day. Again, there are exceptions to this guideline, depending on the herb.
  • Properly trim and prune your herbs. Miss Purple-ly Yellow Thumb over here is gonna let The Urban Cultivator tell you how… cause let’s face it this is an aspect of gardening makes up the ‘blacker’ part of my thumb.
  • Remember that you need more fresh herbs in a recipe than dried ones. The ratio is typically 3 to 1, that is three times the amount of fresh herbs to dried herbs.
  • Learn how to properly preserve your herb harvest, this particularly comes in handy when you dramatically lessen the trimming over the winter. See 11 Secrets For Harvesting and Preserving Your Herbs (then if you’re anything like me, spend the next hour reading related articles from Natural Living Ideas until you can’t remember how you got there in the first place!).
  • And lastly, for all my black-thumbed friends out there looking for a chuckle and a cut to the chase article with no confusing gardener lingo check out the 10 Mistakes New Herb Gardeners Make from The Skinny Gourmet.

There we have it! A simple, (nearly) black thumb proof mason jar herb garden for fresh herbs and fresh cooking all year round!

Health & Happiness,

Savannah

  • Tags garden, gardening, herb, mason jar
Categories
DIY

How To Start A Food Blog Step By Step

Starting your own blog can be a fun and rewarding way to share your knowledge or passion with the world. While we will be talking about food blogs specifically in this post, all the information down below can be transferred to whichever niche and passion your heart calls for! The best part? It doesn’t have to be difficult, in just half an hour you could have your very own food blog up before you know it.

Trust me, if a doorknob like me can do it -so can you!

So what are we waiting for? Let’s get right into it!

This article contains affiliate links. While at no extra cost to you, The Humble Kitchen automatically receives a small commission if you so choose to purchase a product through this blog. Thank you for your continued love and support <3

  • Passion -No matter what you choose to write about, make sure you are passionate about it! I can’t stress it enough. If you are moderately interested in cooking but are head over heels about goldfish, then write about goldfish! (And then share it with me). The last thing you want to do is create a website that winds up feeling like a chore to manage and write about.
  • Patience – Blogging takes time. Designing your website, writing the posts, taking the photos, and not to mention the social media aspect of it take a lot of time. On top of it all it takes a long time to rank on Google, so don’t despair that the only person reading your blog for the first few months is your mom (p.s. Hi, Mom!). Create quality content and quality images and you’ll go far.

So you’ve got passion and patience, that’s fantastic! Both are often the most overlooked aspects of creating a blog. Look at you -you’ve got the hang of this already! So let’s take a closer look at the steps we need to take to create our blog.

Don’t worry, it may look intimidating but I’m right here to walk you through it.

  1. Domain & Hosting
  2. Installing WordPress
  3. Make it Pretty! (The very best part!)

Your domain is the name of your blog. I said ‘Making it Pretty’ was the best part, but honestly, this is pretty fun too!

What do you want your blog to be called?

The most effective way to come up with a name is to brainstorm as many ideas as possible. Is there a certain ingredient you like to cook with? Any descriptive words someone would use to describe you? Your favorite food? Are you dairy free, gluten free, vegan or vegetarian? All of those can play a part in creating a name that sets you apart from the rest of the blogging crowd.

Take your time. Mix and match phrases, play with words until you’ve hit the sweet spot.

NOTE: It is EXTREMELY important to pay attention to how your domain looks and sounds. Names that are very long, difficult to spell, contain made up words (such as combining two words together), or contain words that are purposely misspelled (such as Fone for Phone or Phat for Fat) can make it very difficult for readers to remember and find you!

Once you’ve found the perfect name, it’s time to decide on a host.

Hosting is a lot like renting an office space for your blog, and you need a large enough ‘office space’ to accommodate all your lovely readers. Too small of a host, and your website crashes whenever you get a large influx of readers (which is never good).

The two hosts I recommend are Bluehost and Netfirms. Both are equal in quality, so you can’t go wrong. The largest difference between the two is that (unfortunately for us Canadians) you are not able to register a .ca domain on Bluehost. On the flip side, Bluehost will give you your domain name for free if you host with them while Netfirms will not. Alternatively, if you wanted both worlds, you can always register a .ca on Netfirms and get Bluehost to host it.

For this post, we will be strictly focusing on how to get a host with Bluehost. Don’t fear Netfirm and Canadian lovers, a post on how to get started with Netfirms is on the way!

To begin, click “Get Started Now” and you’ll be redirected to a webpage that looks like this.

You are required to pick a package first. Which package you choose is up to you, but I would recommend the basic package when you are first starting out.

Now we get to enter the perfect name we chose at the beginning! Remember that Bluehost gives you your domain for free if you sign up with them. If the domain is already taken, you may need to go back to name planning. Again, be wary of names that are too long, difficult to spell, purposely misspelled and so on. Once you find the perfect, untaken name enter it and click to the next screen. Alternatively, if you already have a domain, you can enter it in the right hand box. Next, you’ll be brought to a screen to create your account. You’ll be asked to fill out your standard personal information (name, country, and so on).

Underneath, you’ll see a screen to modify your package. You can choose to purchase your domain for 1, 2, 3, or 5 years. The longer you host with them, the lower the monthly cost and higher the savings.

As for the add-ons, they’re completely up to you! However, out of all of them, I’d recommend the Domain Privacy Protection. The information for who owns a domain is accessible to anyone on the internet. With Domain Privacy Protection, you will remain the owner of the domain, but only Bluehost’s information will be listed for the whole world to see.

Next, you enter your payment information, create your password, and you’re well on your way to your very own blog!

Once you’ve completed registration with Bluehost you’ll need to go through the process of installing WordPress. WordPress is a blogging software, the most popular type of blogging software to be precise. As of 2014, there was 74,652,825 sites that rely on good ol’ wordpress, so it should come to no surprise that it’s also the software that I use for The Humble Kitchen. As the polar opposite of a techy person, I promise you it’s super easy to use and super easy to install to your website. Here’s how: Log into your Bluehost account and access your cPanel. Under the ‘Website’ section, click ‘Install WordPress’. Okay, now for the next step. Once upon a time, this was even simpler to do, but thanks to Mojo they made it a whole lot more difficult than it needs to be. One click my rear end. Thanks a lot Mojo. Don’t worry, it still is simple…we’ve just got some extra clicking to do! After clicking “Install WordPress” from the screen above you will be taken to the Bluehost Marketplace.

Click ‘Get Started’.

Below this install domain section is a bunch of WordPress ‘Done for You’ kits. Ignore it and save yourself the money, we got this by ourselves. Select your domain for installation, leave the directory section blank then click ‘Next’. Now it’s time to enter some basic information about your website. The website name, your username (mine is just ‘Savannah’), email, and your password.

Make sure all three boxes are checked, then click ‘Install’.

WordPress is now installing. Let’s be real that was like at least five clicks Mojo. Once you see the words “Your Installation Was Successful” copy down all the installation details. These details are your wordpress admin dashboard link, your login, and your password. This is super important. Maybe write it down on a piece of paper and save a copy of it to your computer, just in case.

Seriously, Write. It. Down.

To access your new blog, click on the link ending in ‘/wp-admin’. You’ll then be face to face with your new blog’s log in page. Take the time to bookmark this page, you’ll be coming here often!

Enter your username and password then say hello to your very own blog!

Congratulations!

Many people never take the leap into the blogging world, so give yourself a huuuge  pat on the back! Turn up “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira and let’s have a little happy dance session to celebrate!

The very best part!

Time to let your creativity shine and make your blog an (internet) home!

Your new blog already comes equipped with a basic WordPress theme. A theme determines the look and feel of your website. Its up to you whether you choose to purchase a custom theme or download a free WordPress theme. Lucky for us who want to save a bit of cash, there are thousands of free WordPress themes available! Just be sure to watch the theme’s rating and try to pick one rated 4 or 5 stars, with (ideally) hundreds to thousands of downloads.

Other than that, run wild and play with as many different themes as you want!

This is your site, so pick a theme that suits and reflects you!

The Humble Kitchen has been with a premium theme provider called Elegant Themes.  I’ve specifically been using the theme aptly named ‘Extra’ since the beginning and I’ve never looked back. What sets Elegant Themes apart from other themes is something called Divi which is a visual theme builder.

No coding, no computer gibberish. Just simply write to your heart’s content, then if you need to arrange anything it’s a drag and a drop away! You’ll have complete control over how your blog looks and feels while editing your blog with this visual feature. Divi allows you to see how your blog and blog posts will look to your lovely readers in real time! No back and forth previewing, no nonsense. Perfect for people like me, who are nearly completely useless when it comes to technology but want a professional and unique blog to call their (internet) home!

Now that’s  just me, this is your internet home remember? So you do you!

Look to the sidebar of your blog’s dashboard. Hover over ‘Appearance’ and then click on ‘Themes’. Here you will see a few theme options that are already installed on your blog. They are free to use to your heart’s content.

However, if you aren’t happy with the themes WordPress has already downloaded for you, simply click ‘Add new’ and you’ll have access to the thousands of themes that WordPress has available. Alternatively, if you already have a theme installed you can upload it by clicking ‘Upload Theme’ on that same page. If a theme that has caught your eyes, simply hover over your desired theme to view the details and preview it. Do this with as many themes that spark creativity and delight! Once you love what you see, simply click ‘Install’ and then ‘Activate’. You’re nearly done! Now all that’s left is to fill it with your words, stories, and pictures. This is your story and your chance to share it with the world! 

Before I cut you loose, let’s go over how to write your very first post.

In your dashboard, hover over ‘Posts’ and then click ‘Add New’.

You’ll be brought to a rather blank screen with formatting options that look kind of similar to Word. So hopefully they’ll look familiar to you too!

Here is your blank canvas where you can write to your heart’s content!

Don’t be afraid to write whatever comes to mind, and remember to have fun with it! To add images simply click ‘Add media’, and you’ll be able to upload any images you have on your computer. Be very careful about using images that aren’t your own though, especially ones off Google. You could get into some major trouble. It’s far better to take your own pictures or purchase stock photos through Shutterstock or something similar.

Other than that, run wild with it!

Once you’re done simply click ‘Publish’ and you’ve just become an official blogger!

P.s. You’ll notice a couple things on my screen that you won’t have, such as The Divi Builder which is the visual builder I mentioned before (unless you also decided on Elegant Themes too of course!) and the Amazon Associates link which allows me to link to Amazon. Trust me, that’s a whole other blog post… but if you want to use it too I’ve got the plugin called Amazon Associates Link Builder.

How does that feel? You’ve created your very own blog!

Welcome to the blogging world my friend!

This is merely the beginning, there is still so much to learn and so much to discover when creating your own blog. Even now, I’m still learning and figuring out new tricks of the trade so be sure to refer back to my resource page often for up to date plugins, helpful tools for ranking on google, and of course some websites to help promote your brand new blog!

My final piece of advice?

Let your personality shine through your words and pictures. Expose your quirks, guilty pleasures (like listening to Despacito on repeat for days on end…), and your blunders along the way. We’re all human after all. Overtime you’ll grow, learn, and meet some amazing like-minded friends!

So what are you waiting for? Let’s get right into it!

This article contains affiliate links. While at no extra cost to you, The Humble Kitchen automatically receives a small commission if you so choose to purchase a product through this blog. Thank you for your continued love and support <3

Categories
DIY Health

DIY Eczema Safe Bubble Bath Recipe

When it comes to bath time it doesn’t get any better than lighting some candles, turning up some of your favorite tunes, pouring a tall glass, and washing away the day’s stress. Throw some bubbles in the mix and you’ve just created paradise! Of course, as luck and life would have it, long baths are a no go for eczema sufferers.

Great.

I’m much too stubborn to abide by such a (in my humble opinion, ridiculous) rule, despite the truths that may lie behind it. So if you’re anything like me and are starting to miss those long, relaxing bubble baths then you’ll adore this bath recipe free of all those sketchy ingredients that irritate the skin. Plus it’s got some added oil to lock the moisture in for some extra bath (and skin) love!

Of course, this DIY bubble bath for eczema sufferers is not without its drawbacks. These bubbles are nowhere near as big as the store bought (dermatitis causing) bubble baths, but hey – a bubble’s a bubble. If you can enjoy bubbles all while protecting your skin then I figure this makes for a pretty good bubble bath!

Olive Oil: Contains three major antioxidants which are vitamin E, polyphenols, and phytosterols. These antioxidants play a role in preventing premature skin aging and free radical damage.

Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is roughly 50%  lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid that has shown antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial benefits. A study done on young rats also revealed that coconut oil may help heal wounds faster heal by increasing collagen cross-linking. (Click here to see the full study)

Honey: Is naturally antibacterial and full of varying concentrations of polyphenols, (powerful antioxidants) which preventing premature skin aging and free radical damage.

Castille Soap: True castille soap is made strictly with olive oil, however nowadays castille soap is often made with a combination of olive oil and coconut or palm oil. This creates a very mild, gentle soap with a creamy lather, perfect for people with sensitive skin. 

Egg White: Is a mild astringent, in that egg white constricts the skin and shrinks pores. Plus, it also helps create stronger, longer lasting bubbles and that’s all we really want don’t we?

Makes: 2 Baths     Time: 5 minutes

  • 1/4 cup of olive oil or coconut oil
  • 1/8 cup of raw honey
  • 1/2 cup of liquid castille soap
  • 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract
  • 5 drops of your favorite essential oil. Vanilla, rose, geranium -or whatever you like!
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable glycerin

*Vegetable glycerin can be difficult to find and tends to be found in the beauty/pharmacy aisle of most department stores (or there’s always good ol‘ Amazon). While you don’t need vegetable glycerin for this recipe, the bubbles are bigger and stick around longer with it!  

 

Combine everything in a small bowl and whisk until the honey is thoroughly mixed in. Add to your bath water as it’s running.

This makes enough for 2 baths and is perishable, so pour in half and store the rest in a sealed (preferably labeled) container in the fridge and use within a week. Personally, I think there’s no such thing as too many bubbles, so if you’re anything like me dump the entire mixture into the running bath and enjoy in all your bubbly glory!

Then go on -sink bubbles deep and pamper yourself! You’ve earned it!

Don’t forget to finish up with a thick cream or your DIY Eczema Body Butter to lock moisture in and ensure your skin remains soft for hours.

There we have it, a bubble bath that’s safe for us with sensitive, itchy skin! Need some extra bath lovin’? Check out these 3 Itch Busting Bath Recipes.

Health & Happiness,

Savannah

Categories
DIY Health

How To Keep A Food Diary for Food Sensitivities

Over two thousand years ago Hippocrates, the father of medicine said “All disease begins in the gut”. While claiming that all disease begins in the gut is a bit of a stretch, we can certainly appreciate the gut-heath connection. After all, 70% of our immune system is located in our gastrointestinal tract.

Though often used for weight loss, food diaries can be an extremely beneficial and often overlooked tool for eczema (as well as IBS, and leaky gut syndrome -just to name a few). A food diary is often accompianed by an elimination diet, however it’s up to you whether you decide to cut out the main culprits for a basic elimination diet or whether you push through and start avoiding food based on your reactions.

That being said, most food sensitivities are a result of an unhealthy gut. Giving your tummy a break (for 23-30 days) from refined sugary foods and major triggers can go a long way to helping repair your gut!

  • Keep you accountable – Especially when on an elimination diet. Bye bye sneaking delicous off limit foods and devouring chocolate. See: I’ve Made A Terrible Mistake.
  • Give you a hard copy of your symptoms – So you can do some detective work and figure out your food culprit(s).
  • Moniter heath – Stress, mood, and good ol’ #2.

Pick up any old notebook and a pen. Ideally, the notebook will be on the small side and will fit comfortably in a coat pocket or purse – You want to bring this thing everywhere. As with anything in life, the more thorough you are -the better.

Start by taking note of everything going on with your body: Rashes, nausea, bloating, itchy-ness, energy level, fogginess -you name it. Write it down. This will give you something to refer back to.

Write down everything you eat and drink: Every bite, every sip, ingredients, even condiments. Don’t disregard a food or drink just because you thought it was a small amount, even a little bit could cause a reaction.

Write down what time you ate and what time symptoms appear: Food intolerances and sensitivities can be tricky;  in most cases symptoms don’t appear until several hours later. When they do show up, rate the severity of your symptoms from 1-10. One being slight irritation and ten being unbearable.

Your food diary will remember everything, so you don’t have to. This will make it far easier to make connections between symptoms and culprit foods versus depending on memory alone.

Write down #2: Yup, good ol number two. Although an awkward subject to talk about, there’s no better way to track how your body is handling food on the inside than by noticing what comes out on …the outside. Rate the bowel movement from 1 to 10. One being normal and ten being severe constipation or diarrhea. Check out Wellness Mama’s Guide to Poop and Digestive Health.

To keep snoops from reading about my bodily functions (since I carry it everywhere), I simply write 2 __ and whatever the rating was. Sneaky, sneaky.

For an extra measure: Make a note whenever you are particularly stressed and how you felt throughout the day.

Overtime, you’ll start to notice patterns emerging. You’ll learn what foods make you feel good, and what food makes you feel bad.

While you can continue on your merry way with the food diary, I strongly believe that this entire process is incomplete without an elimination diet.

Here is a very basic elimination diet process: 

Ideally, you would begin by eliminating the top triggers, as well as refined sugar and alcohol. These are:

  • Dairy
  • Eggs
  • Tree nuts & Peanuts
  • Soy
  • Shellfish
  • Wheat & Gluten
  • Fast Food & Refined Sugars
  • Alcohol

Scary, I know.

It’s important to note that while these are the top triggers, everyone is different. There are reports of people reacting to anything from nightshades to herbal tea, thus it is important to keep up a food diary even when doing an elimination diet.

If that list terrifies you: Keep a detailed food diary for a couple weeks, then use your mad detective skills to figure out what foods make you feel good and which ones worsen your symptoms. Avoid all the feel bad foods. Note: Efforts should still be made to avoid alcohol and refined sugars even if you don’t react to them as sugar helps yeast and bad bacteria in your gut thrive.

Why 23 days? Hold on, it’s about to get sciency in here:

Antibodies are protein molecules made by the immune system. They are produced to counteract antigens which are toxins, foreign or harmless substances that induce an immune response. The lifespan for these antibodies is roughly 23 days, hence the 23 day guideline.

Once at least 23 days are over (I go for 30), you can gradually re-introduce the troublesome foods one at a time and see if you react.

For example: If you were avoiding dairy, gluten, and nuts then on the 24th day you would introduce one food group.

We’ll start with dairy.

Maybe on the 24th day we’ll drink a glass of milk and eat some slices of cheese throughout the day. This is not the time to dig into pizza or anything else that has multiple triggers, or that could get confusing! Eat a serving or two of dairy throughout the day (along with your healthy, safe foods -of course) but keep avoiding the other triggers.

Moniter your reactions -if any, for 2 days.

During those two days, you’ll go back to avoiding all trigger foods. If you had no adverse reaction over those two days,  you could safely add dairy back into your diet. Then you would move onto the next food group, repeating the same process, testing one trigger group for one day and gauging the reaction over the next two.

If you do react, then you’ve likely located a food intolerance or allergy and measures should be taken to seek out alterantive options or sources for that food group to ensure you continue getting all your essential vitamins and nutrients. A nutritionist will be able to help.

Keeping a food diary may seem like a lot of work, but it quickly becomes a powerful tool for proactively managing your eczema (IBS, leaky gut, or whatever else it may be), and preventing nasty flare-ups or symptoms. When combined with an elimination diet, many people go back to eating the foods they once loved without any adverse reactions after healing their gut (ice cream, I’m coming for you!).

Whether you choose to create a food diary or not, I hope you find health at the end of the road.

Health & Happiness,

Savannah 

P.S I just want to let you know that I am not a medical doctor, nurse, and so on. I have based my writings upon my own experiences, opinions, and extensive research regarding the topics in my blog. Therefore, read my disclaimer and use the information within my blog appropriately and at your own risk 

 

Categories
DIY Health

DIY Eczema Body Butter

Besides cooking and baths (especially bubble baths!), I love making DIY beauty treatments for myself to enjoy after a long hard day. Not only do they save a pretty penny (which is always a plus) but it gives you an excuse to take time out of your day to take care of yourself. Health is about feeling good inside and out! (Hello bath recipes, I’m looking at you).

I’ve been on the search for a homemade eczema cream with essential oils for a long time now. Those store bought body and hand lotions do nothing for me but sting, burn, and irritate my eczema. After the stinging subsides, my eczema turns redder than ever and the lotion’s soft skin benefits stick around for maybe half an hour? YES, even ones geared towards eczema sufferers.

Ridiculous, I know.

After expressing my frustration, my lovely grandmother gave me this body butter recipe to try (I’m pretty sure she actually got it from Dr.Axe so click here to see the original!). This recipe is easy to make, sting free, ultra LONG LASTING (I’m talking 12 hours+), and you go throughout your day smelling like flowers.

Dreams do come true!

(For those who don’t want to smell like flowers, scroll down to the tips and tricks segment of this article. You can thank me later!)

So if you’re ready for some wholesome goodness pampering let’s get right into it!

 INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup pure shea butter
  • 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
  • 30 drops of lavendar essential oil*
  • 8 drops of tea tree essential oil
  • 5 drops of rose or geranium essential oil (I used geranium)*
  • Airtight container

DIRECTIONS

Grab a pot and a glass bowl. Fill the pot with roughly an inch or two of water and place the glass bowl in the mouth of the pot. Make sure the glass bowl in wide enough that it doesn’t touch the water but rather sits a few inches above the water, being supported by the rim of the pot.

Heat the water over medium heat, and place the shea butter and the coconut oil in the glass bowl. Stir frequently until completely melted.

Once everything is well blended, add the essential oils and mix well.

Remove from heat, and let cool so that the mixture begins to thicken. Speed this process up by placing the mixture in the refrigerator for roughly half an hour. NOTE: You don’t want mixture to be completely solid, or it will be difficult to mix.

Once the edges of the mixture start to thicken, remove from fridge. Using a handheld or stand up mixer, beat the body butter for several minutes until it begins to get the consistency of lotion -five to ten minutes. (My kitchen was mega hot from all the other goodies I had cooking, so if your kitchen was like mine and your body butter refused to thicken, beat the mixture thoroughly for several minutes and place back in the fridge until solid)

Transfer to an air tight container and store at room temperature.

 

  1. As I said above, this lotion is ultra long-lasting. In order for it to be so long-lasting, it is on the oily side. Don’t despair as it dries completely in roughly half an hour, leaving you with amazingly soft skin for hours to come and creates a definite lasting barrier between your skin and the outside world
  2. If you don’t want to feel greasy before school or work, apply before bed and climb into your favorite jammies. YES, you will wake up with super soft skin (minus the grease), YES you’ll still feel the body butter’s barrier protecting your skin from the outside world (and locking moisture in), and YES you’ll wake up smelling like flowers. Jackpot!
  3. *Lavender, Rose or Geranium Essential Oil:  If you don’t want to smell like flowers, try replacing lavender essential oil with cedarwood essential oil and replacing the rose or geranium essential oil with juniper, frankincense, or birch essential oil. You’ll smell like the great outdoors -Win! 

Eager for more?

 Check out MomPrepares’s in-depth article on treating eczema with essential oils. You’ll find recipes for treating eczema in adults and children as well as valuable information on oils for allergies, dust mites, bacterial infections and so much more!

4. Last but certainly not least: Remember to use the body butter sparingly -a little goes a long way! 

There we have it!

A homemade eczema cream with essential oils. Soak it up and enjoy!

Health & Happiness,

Savannah

Categories
DIY Health

3 Itch Busting Eczema Bath Recipes

There is nothing I love more than sinking into a nice warm bath after a long, hard day. Something about the heat and the water seems to just melt all your stresses away (and the wine, the wine helps too).

Since developing eczema I’ve been told that if I want to enjoy my precious baths, that the recommended bath time is 5-10 minutes. However, through sheer determination and perhaps a shred of pigheadedness I’ve seen to it that a warm bath is never wasted.

So if you’re a bath lover like me, here are three bath recipes for you to enjoy that will soothe the itch – guilt and timer free!

 

Oatmeal for skin care use has been documented as far back to 2000BC and still continues to this day. With anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, an oatmeal bath is perfect for people with sensitive skin or skin disorders.

  • 3/4 cup of raw, unflavored oats
  • grinder (optional)
  • muslin bag or a pair of pantyhose (optional)

Follow along, it’s simple!

You’ve got two options for making this milky, soothing bath.

1. Grind the oats up into a fine powder, this will ensure the oats will dissolve completely rather than sinking to the bottom. Test that the oats are fine enough by taking a tablespoon and stirring it into a bowl of warm water. If the oatmeal dissolves without much effort and the water turns a milky color – you’re good to go!

2. Put whole oats into a muslin bag or a pair of unwanted pantyhose. Essentially, this will act much like a tea bag – infusing the water with its wholesome goodness. Squeeze the bag often for faster infusion. Muslin bags are much cleaner method than the ground oats, as all the oats stay contained.

Pour the ground oats or place the bag in the bath while it’s filling at a comfortable temperature. Then sit back, relax, and let those worries and itches melt away!

 

Salt baths are known for their wide variety of benefits.

From pain relief to antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, its no wonder that salt baths have been praised for ages. Try 1/2 a cup for a simple relaxing bath or up the salt concentration to promote healing of eczema and other ailments.

or

  • 1 – 2 cups of Epsom salts

Pour in the salt while the bath is running, light that candle, grab a glass of wine and let the minerals do their thing!

Sea Salt vs. Epsom Salt vs Table Salt

The options are relatively endless when it comes to what kind of salt to bathe in. Natural, unprocessed sea salts are the most renowned, as they contain trace minerals such as magnesium, calcium chloride, potassium, and bromides; all of which are absorbed through the skin during your bath. Magnesium binds water to the skin, promoting skin cell growth and permeability. Calcium increases circulation and strengthens bones and nails. Potassium balances skin moisture and is a vital mineral to replace after intense exercise, and bromides ease and relax stiff muscles.

Not sure which to try?

  • Dead Sea Salt – perhaps the most famous bathing salt. A white salt only found in a saline lake located 400 meters below sea level; claims to be richer in minerals than other sea salts.
  • Sel Gris Sea Salt – an unprocessed grey sea salt hand harvested off the coast of France.
  • Alaea Sea Salt – an unprocessed Hawaiian reddish-brown salt enriched with volcanic clay.
  • Himalayan Pink Sea Salt – ancient sea salt found in the mountains of northern Pakistan, this pink salt made its mark on the world while boasting 84 trace minerals.

Epsom salts claim the same health benefits of natural sea salt and can be a handy alternative if you do not have easy access to large amounts of sea salt. Epsom salt is high in magnesium and sulfates, with magnesium aiding in skin cell growth and sulfates being essential for the production of collagen (which maintains healthy skin, hair, and nails) and plays an important role for forming proteins in the joints.

  • Try plain epsom salts, rather than the ones laced with fragrances which could further irritate your skin.

Table salt should be avoided as it is heavily processed. Minerals are removed until it is pure sodium chloride and then an additive is added to prevent clumping. The benefits to bathing in table salt are slim, as opposed to sea salt and epsom salt -so do your skin a favor and go for the good stuff.

A word of warning: Avoid when pregnant. Avoid sea salt baths and if you have hypertension or respiratory conditions. Open wounds may cause stinging and minor discomfort.  Salt baths can be demanding on your circulatory system, consult your doctor if you suffer from weak or poor heart circulation.

With honey’s antibacterial properties as well as coconut’s punch with vitamins C and E; honey and coconut form the power duo your skin will be thankful for!

Vitamin C plays a vital role in collagen synthesis (the protein needed for healthy skin, nails, and hair) as well as potentially helping treat and prevent ultraviolet (UV) damage. Vitamin E is an excellent antioxidant that cannot be produced by the body. These powerful antioxidants help neutralize free radicals and prevent cellular damage.

  • 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk*
  • 2 tablespoons of honey
  • 2 tablespoons of coconut oil

Mix the honey, coconut oil and coconut milk together in a bowl. Placing the mixture in the microwave for 10 seconds will help soften the honey and allow it to mix and dissolve easier.

Pour the mixture into a running bath, then grab your pina colada smoothie (or perhaps something a bit…harder), sink on down and enjoy!

*Milk may be used as a substitute for coconut milk

 

  • 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
  • 5-10 drops of essential oils such as lavender, chamomile, rose, or sandalwood*
  • 4-5 tablespoons of baking soda*

*Essential oils may cause skin irritation, especially if you are sensitive to salicylates.  Pregnant women as well as those with diabetes or high blood pressure should consult a doctor before adding essential oils or baking soda to bath water.

So there we have it: three itch busting baths guaranteed to satisfy any bath lover! Be sure to end every bath with a good moisturizer like this DIY Eczema Body Butter and then climb into your favorite fuzzy pajamas – you’ve earned it.

Health & Happiness

Savannah