Hot Tea for Everything! + HM #217

It’s National Hot Tea Month. Find some great ways to use and enjoy tea. Plus, link up at Home Matters with recipes, DIY, more. #HotTea #Tea #HomeMattersParty

Hot Tea for Everything! + HM #217

There is nothing better than hot tea to make you feel cozy and wonderful. Whether the weather is cold and wet or not, tea is definitely a comfort. I love the memories a nice cuppa tea renders of lovely moments shared with my mother and grandmother, of the tea parties with my daughter and nieces, or even just some quiet “me” time cuddled up by the fire with a good book. Hot tea or tea in general also has many health and beauty benefits. The gals of Home Matters are sharing all sorts of fun things — all related to tea in celebration of National Hot Tea Month. Enjoy!

 

Sweet Cinnamon Milk Tea from Ginni @ Hello Little Home

 

DIY Paper Tea Cup Printable Template from Susan @ Oh My, Creative!

 

The Helpful Powers of Drinking Tea from Healthy.Happy.Smart

 

Tea in the Garden + 3 Tea Sandwich Recipes from Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai

Hot Tea for Everything! Blog Hop

Click through all the Hosts and Co-hosts blogs to see the complete Themed Roundup!

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A Home Matters Themed Roundup

Last Week’s Theme: Soups, Slow Cooking Satisfying Meals

Next Week’s Theme: Valentine’s Day



Welcome to the weekly Home Matters Linky Party. A great place to come, share your blog posts, and make new friends.

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Hosts

Lorelai @ Life With LorelaiFacebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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Co-hosts

Sahana @ VikalpahFacebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Emily @ Domestic DeadlineFacebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Nina @ Vintage Mama’s CottageFacebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

 

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Each week, we like to feature some of the awesome posts shared at last week’s party. We hope you will be inspired by these creative and talented bloggers who share their best recipes, DIY projects, crafts, home decor, organization ideas, and more. Enjoy!

Check out this week’s features below.

 

Gluten Free Instant Pot Taco Pasta from Kristy @ Mommy Hates Cooking

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Pecan Honey Butter from Melissa @ Sparkles To Sprinkles

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Strawberry Red Velvet Valentine Heart Cake from Veena @ Veena Azmanov

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How To Make Banana Split Cake from Claire @ Claire Justine OXOX

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Crochet Face Scrubbies Pattern from Jessica @ Jessica James

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Thank you to all who linked up at last week’s party. We look forward to seeing what you will be sharing with us this week!

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It's National Hot Tea Month. Find some great ways to use and enjoy tea. Plus, link up at Home Matters with recipe, DIY, more. #HotTea #Tea #HomeMattersParty Click To Tweet

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Thank you for joining in the fun and excitement at the Home Matters Linky Party. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do. We look forward to chatting with you in the comments.

 

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Create A Gumdrop Topiary – A Sweet DIY

This adorable gumdrop topiary DIY is great for home decor and parties, as well as being a fun craft for kids highlighting math skills and textures.

Create A Gumdrop Topiary

A Sweet DIY

Who knew math could be so fun? Your preschooler or kindergartener will delight in this counting activity that results in a beautiful holiday decoration for the whole family to enjoy. Your child can count out loud as he adds each gumdrop to the topiary, and as he sees how high he can go, he will be practicing important math skills! This activity will also help your child practice color recognition and learn about different materials and textures.

Beauty and the Beast – Lumiere_and_Cogsworth_Topiary – Disney Wiki – Wikia

Topiary is the art of trimming and shaping trees into sculptural, ornamental shapes. Disneyland boasts some of the most famous American Portable style topiaries. In the early 1960’s Walt Disney used the theme park’s landscape shrubbery to recreate his beloved cartoon characters. They continue to be a highlight today!

What You Need:

  • Large Styrofoam ball (this will be the “canopy” of your topiary)
  • Wooden dowel, up to 1” thick and approximately 15” long
  • Green spray paint
  • Flower pot or vase
  • Moss, faux grass, or shredded paper
  • Floral foam (available at your local arts and crafts store)
  • Toothpicks, broken in half
  • Gumdrops in many different colors
  • Ribbon (optional)

What You Do:

  1. Spray the dowel green with the spray paint and let it dry completely overnight.
  2. Cut a block of floral foam to fit inside the flower pot or vase and place it inside.
  3. Help your child insert the dowel into the center of the Styrofoam ball about 3” deep.
  4. Help your child insert the other end of the dowel into the floral foam all the way down so that it touches the bottom of the vase. Make sure the dowel is stable.
  5. Have your child sort the gumdrops by color.
  6. Have your child stick a gumdrop onto one end of the toothpick and push the other end of the toothpick into the Styrofoam ball. Working in rows, continue placing gumdrops all the way around the ball.
  7. As your child works, ask him to count each gumdrop out loud. Occasionally ask how many of each color he has used or has left.
  8. Once the Styrofoam ball is completely covered, assist your child in placing moss, faux grass, or shredded paper into the vase to cover the floral foam.
  9. Tie a bow around the dowel with the ribbon (optional).
  10. Now stand back and enjoy your new Candyland-inspired table topper!

Isn’t this a fabulously fun and festive DIY project? What a bonus that it provides practice with math skills, dexterity, and textures for your little ones too. This would even make a cute Mother’s Day present!

 

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Gift Ideas Using 5 DIY Natural Products

Check out these handmade gift ideas using natural products to make bath and beauty gifts everyone will love. These quick and easy gifts are great last-minute ideas.

5 Natural Products That Make Great Gifts

Perfect Last-Minute Gift Ideas

 

Are you in the Christmas spirit yet? The holidays are here and so is the season of giving. It’s time to trim the tree, and ponder your gifts for friends and family. If you haven’t finished your list yet, have no fear. There’s still plenty of time to fill the stockings.

Instead of hitting the stores for a shopping spree, consider making gifts. Natural beauty products are great for your friends and family. Who doesn’t love handmade gifts? Here are five of the best.

 

  1. Shampoo

 

Shampoo is beauty product that is often full of chemicals and harmful ingredients. You can actually make natural shampoos for healthy hair growth. There are great shampoo recipes that contain only natural ingredients and keep hair soft and silky, especially during the holiday season.

 

Consider adding vitamin E oil to the recipe for extra shine. Coconut oil and green tea are also great ingredients to make any type of hair more smooth. Give your friends and family natural shampoo and healthy hair goodness this year. A good hair day is a wonderful gift!

 

  1. Foot Scrub

 

Along with the holidays come long days of being on your feet. Whether it’s long walks in the snow or cocktail parties spent in high heels, feet get extra sore this time of year. Homemade foot scrub is a fun gift for friends and family.

 

A peppermint foot scrub is perfect for the holiday season. The herbs and other ingredients provide great moisture and therapy for achy feet. Peppermint essential oil is also an item you’ll love to have in your home during the winter for use for other natural remedies. Your friends and family will thank you for this scrub. Plus, the peppermint scent is a holiday must.

 

  1. Exfoliating Scrubs

 

Consider making exfoliating scrubs for the people on your list. Many commercial brands contain harsh chemicals and are bad for the skin. In all exfoliating scrubs, plastic microbeads have been banned due to their harm to the environment. Ecomyx Beads are an all-natural alternative to plastic microbeads and make a great exfoliator.

 

Give your friends and family homemade exfoliating scrubs with all natural ingredients. The scrubs are easy to personalize based. This gift helps skin look radiant all winter long!

 

  1. Bath Bombs

 

There’s nothing quite like a hot soak in a bathtub when the weather turns cold and bitter. You can find great recipes for natural bath bombs that everyone will love this Christmas. They’re basically homemade happiness in a bubble bath.

 

You can add natural herbs like mint leaves or lavender seeds, and once the bath bomb dissolves, the herbs release and coat the water. The gift of bath bombs gives a reason to take time and relax. Everyone deserves some rest and relaxation during the holidays!

  1. Lotion Bars

 

All natural lotion bars are a great handmade gift. Silky, smooth skin remedies are a luxury during winter when the cold and wind can easily dry and crack skin. With just a few ingredients, you can make natural lotion bars for anyone. They’re an ideal, last-minute gift if you’re in a hurry and need something quick — but still want it to be homemade and amazing.

Everyone loves a handmade gift for the holidays. Natural beauty gifts are a great way to give healthy, happy gifts to your friends and family. Show you care this Christmas and give the gift of handmade love. Christmas is just around the corner, so get your craft on and start making these recipes!

 

~Megan

Visit Megan at her blog, Your Wild Home!

 

 

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Pumpkin Kisses And Harvest Wishes

It’s Pumpkin Season, and I love it! Autumn memories are filled with all things pumpkin ideatumn memories are filled with all things pumpkin from trips to the pumpkin patch to tasty recipes, carving and crafting, and more. Get 44 ideas here!

 

You will even find my Pumpkin Pie Cocktail below! Plus, if you are still looking for more inspiration, check out my Pasta With Pumpkin And Sausage Recipe, Pumpkin Butter Crescent Rolls, or my Pumpkin Spice Syrup Recipe.

 

Pumpkin Kiss & Harvest Wishes

A Round-Up of Recipes, Crafts, Party, Pets & Beauty

RECIPES

Wondermom Wannabe Cinnamon Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Stacey Homemaker Ginger Pumpkin Carrot Soup
For What It’s Worth Pumpkin Flavored Stuffed Jalapeño
Caroline’s Cooking Healthy Pumpkin Scones
Life With Lorelai Pumpkin Pie Cocktail
Sweet Sensations Cranberry Apple Pumpkin Bundt
Intelligent Domestications Classic Pumpkin Pie
www.OatandSesame.com Pumpkin Black Bean Chili
Julie is Coco and Cocoa Pumpkin Spice Scones
An Alli Event Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Home Maid Simple Chocolate Pumpkin Fudge Bundt Cake
Noreen’s Kitchen Pumpkin Crunch Pie
Creative Southern Home Pumpkin Chip Cookies
Totally Tailgates Pumpkin Spice Muffins
For The Mommas Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake Dip
My Big Fat Happy Life Frozen Pumpkin Pie Hot Chocolate
Little Blog in the Country 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies
Morgan Manages Mommyhood Pumpkin Spice Candied Pepitas
Being Tazim Chai Spice Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns
Creative Cynchronicity Pumpkin Hummus
Kitchen Concoctions Pumpkin Pie Popsicles
MamaPlusOne Pumpkin Pie Egg Rolls
The TipToe Fairy Pumpkin Cheesecake Braid
Beyond Mommying Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
Bullock’s Buzz Pumpkin Gingerbread with Spiced Glaze
Broken Teepee Pumpkin Cheesecake w/ Bourboned Pears & Salted Caramel
Kori at Home Baked Maple Glazed Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Joy’s Life Homemade Pumpkin Dog Biscuits
Diana Rambles Dutch Oven Pumpkin Pie Cake
To & Fro Apple Pumpkin Baby Cookie Recipe
Basic N Delicious Pumpkin Rolls
Rebecca Lately Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

CRAFTS

Ava’s Alphabet Tissue Paper Pom Pumpkins
Third Stop on the Right Garden Scene Pumpkin
Happy Go Lucky Pumpkin Flower Arrangements
Scrappy Geek Halloween Jack O Lanterns
Real Girl’s Realm DIY Pumpkin Clock
a paper arrow How to Use Pumpkins to Decorate at Home
C’mon Get Crafty Fall Decor with Pumpkins
Love Jaime Crafting with Pumpkins

Party

Polka Dotted Blue Jay Red and Orange Fall Dessert Tablescape

Pets

Girl in Betsey Take Your Dog to the Pumpkin Patch
Joy’s Life Homemade Pumpkin Dog Biscuits

Beauty

The Bandit Lifestyle DIY Pumpkin Body Scrub

Can you believe all these incredible Pumpkin posts? Bookmark this page so you can come back and try out all the recipes, crafts, and activities with you and your family!

Check back next month when Social Fabric features posts with a cranberry theme. You can always search the hashtag #SoFabSeasons to find more of what you’re looking for!

 

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Apples For Everything – It’s Apple Season!

The fall season is a great time for remembering those cherished moments with family and friends. I am sure some of those memories include apples in some way — apple picking, baking with apples, crafting, or even an aromatic body scrub or bubble bath.

I am lucky enough to be a part of the Apple Event for #SoFabSeasons along with many other fabulous bloggers. I’m so happy to be sharing all of the Apple themed posts today from many wonderful members of the Social Fabric community. There is something for everyone. I know you will enjoy!

 

DESSERT RECIPES

Home and Garden Cafe – Apple Pie Coconut Ice Cream

Joy’s Life – Apple Pie Dessert Pizza

Kitchen Concoctions – Toffee Apple Pie Cookies

The Bandit Lifestyle – Delicious Apple Fritters Perfect for Fall

Roasted Beanz – Easy Crustless Almond Raisin Apple Pie

Wondermom Wannabe – Clean Eating Apple Crisp with Caramel Sauce

Anti June Cleaver – Mini Dutch Apple Pear Pie to Get You Ready for Fall

Basic N Delicious – Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake

Mostly Homemade Mom – Caramel Apple Pie Fudge

Little Blog in the Country – Pressure Cooker Canned Apple Pie Filling

Diana Rambles – Apple Spice Dump Cake

The Tip Toe Fairy – Apple Plum Skillet Cobbler

Five Marigolds – Sweet and Savory Salted Caramel Apple Dip

Intelligent Domestications – Apple Cinnamon Roll Cake & Apple Cream Cheese Icing

Home Maid Simple – Easy Apple Crisp

More or Less Cooking – Best Apple Fritter Coffee Cake

My Big Fat Happy Life – Skinny Caramel Ice Cream

An Alli Event – Apple Bundt Cake with Praline Frosting

Tobin’s Tastes – Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip

Ginger Casa – Delicious Apple Cranberry Pecan Crumble

Sweet Sensations – Apple Cobbler with Oatmeal Muffin Crust

A Labor of Life – How to Make Delicious Apple Roses

Julie Is Coco and Cocoa – Fried Cinnamon and Sugar Apple Rings

Polka Dotted Blue Jay – Mini Carmel Apple Bites

Finding Sanity in Our Crazy Life – No Bake Oatmeal Apple Pecan Cookies

Being Tazim – Strawberry Apple Crumble Vegan and Dairy Free

Upstate Ramblings – Caramel Apple Cake

Lily the Wandering Gypsy – Fresh Apple Donuts with Bacon, Caramel Pecan Glaze

Rebecca Lately – Baked Apple Recipe

Simple Food 365 – Light and Fluffy Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Mama Plus One – Homemade Apple Cider Donuts

Bento Lunch (dot) net – Caramel Apple Pudding Parfaits

 

MORE APPLE RECIPES

Broken TeePee – Salmon and Rice Noodles on Apples, Carrots & Zucchini

Revel & Glitter – Autumn Cranberry Apple Pear Salad

Happy Go Lucky – Bacon Cheddar Apple Dip

Honest and Truly – Delicious and Easy Mini Apple Pancakes

Smiling Notes – Healthy Apple Pie Oat Pancakes

Creative Southern Home – Apple Bread

Beyond Mommying – Apple Bacon Grilled Cheese

Momcrieff – Apple Pancake Rings for Breakfast or Snack

Tiaras and Tantrums – Favorite Autumn Apple Snacks

Injenious Life – Gluten Free Applesauce Muffins

Everyday Party – Simple Caramel Apple Cider

A Paper Arrow – Apple Bread for the Fall

Happy and Blessed Home – Delicious Apple Recipes

Mom Saves Money – DIY Dehydrated Apple Rings

Gluesticks Blog – Baked Apple Chips

Life With Lorelai – Caramel Apple Crumbly Bread Recipe

Ava’s Alphabet – Baked Apple Pancake

Life with Lovebugs – Spiced Applesauce and Oatmeal Muffins

For the Love of Crust – Homemade Crockpot Apple Cider

Oat & Sesame – Maple Your Applesauce

Southern Mom Loves – Cheddar and Apple Goldfish Snack Mix Recipe

My Life Cookbook – Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Bread (Gluten Free)

 

ACTIVITIES

Tales of Mommyhood – Apple Picking Favorite Family Activity

Mama Luvs Books – Apple Picking in Rhode Island

Kori at Home – Apple Tot School Unit with FREE Printables

Jenny at Dapperhouse – DIY Apple Basket Sorting Game

To & Fro – Tips for Apple Picking with Your Family

 

CRAFTS

Little Mama Jama – Apple Stamping Sensory Activity for Preschoolers

Creative Ramblings – Fabulous Fall Wood Apple Sign

Woods of Bell Trees – Quilted Apple Pillow

For What It’s Worth – Apple Themed Party with DIY Apple Craft

The Kennedy Adventures – Paper Plate Apple Craft

Babs Projects – Apple Scented Potpourri Pouches

Great Contradictions – Apple Themed Candy Bar Wrapper Printables

 

BEAUTY

Momerish – Apple Pie Sugar Scrub Perfect for Fall Pampering

 

Can you believe all these incredible Apple themed posts? Bookmark this page so you can come back and try out all the recipes, crafts and activities with you and your family!

Check back next month when Social Fabric features posts with a pumpkin theme. You can always search the hashtag #SoFabSeasons to find more of what you’re looking for!

How do you plan to use apples this season?

 

 

 

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Pamper Yourself & Save With Great Deals

This post, Pamper Yourself & Save, is sponsored by Groupon. All opinions are mine.

Pamper Yourself & Save

With Great Deals from Groupon

 

A few months ago, I told you of how I finally discovered the amazing savings with Groupon, and how It Feels Good To Save. I have put my Sam’s Club membership to good use, and I’ve also started exploring other facets of the Groupon site.


 

I know you’ve heard about the savings on club store memberships, travel, and such. But, did you know you can also find great deals on Health, Beauty & Wellness Groupons? I had no idea you could save on things like haircuts, manicures and pedicures, and hair removal.
 


 

Plus, you can take care of your body with massages, eye care, and dental whitening. Not to mention, the hot yoga, spin classes, and indoor rock climbing. The list just goes on and on.
 


 

I just celebrated my birthday, and I received a day of pampering as a gift. It’s going to be fun to go have a special day with Rory, and make the most of it with Groupon. We finding out how much we can save on everything!
 


 

Explore Groupon for all your savings. The possibilities are endless. You can also follow Groupon on Facebook and Twitter.
 

How would you pamper yourself or a loved one with Groupon?

 

 

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