Australia can have some pretty harsh weather conditions. Hot, dry summers in some parts of the country are juxtaposed against cold, windy winters. I live on the Granite Belt, which is cold and windy in winter and hot and dry in summer. I also do lots of travelling in Southeast Queensland, and as soon as I get out of the car in Brisbane, the humidity hits me. The moisturising face cream I applied at home to protect myself from the hot winds feels like it will melt right off my face and slide down my neck. Yuck. For those living and working in areas where this humidity and the heat are a realit ..read more

As you may have noticed, I am making lots of soap right now. I am getting ready for Christmas, and if you want to give your hand-made, cold process soaps away for Christmas, you need to get them all made at the beginning of November so that they can cure and be ready to use by December 25th. I used my favourite soap base, my shea butter soap, but I used different pouring techniques and colours. I also used a new soap mould, which I love and can highly recommend. Let’s jump right in and get the party started. Equipment Safety glasses or goggles to protect your eyes whenever you are handling s ..read more

Christmas is a wonderful time of year when we get a chance to get together with family and friends, eat, drink and be merry. Gift-giving has been a part of Christmas for many throughout their lives, and there is nothing wrong with that. But, like many people, I have become tired of how commercial it has all become. Receiving meaningless gifts, you do not need, and that take up space, as you feel obligated to keep them regardless, it’s beneficial to anyone, the giver, or the recipient. Instead, I recommend giving people meaningful, well-thought-out, consumable gifts. My friends and family know ..read more

I love cheese and yoghurt and eat them regularly. The high protein of these foods is an important part of my vegetarian diet, and I am thankful that I am not lactose intolerant and can eat dairy without any negative consequences. Unfortunately, that is not the case with many people and telling someone who loves cheese and yoghurt to give them up can be difficult. Additionally, dairy-based cheese and yoghurt are not suitable for people on a vegan diet, such as my son, Troy. The good news is that there are wonderful non-dairy alternatives that taste amazing, and they are easy to make at home. T ..read more

I love Halloween. Any excuse to decorate my home is high on my list, and with Halloween, it can be so easy. All you need to do is focus on a black and orange colour pallet. I have provided you with the colour pallet I decided to use and have followed up with some ideas to get you started. Once you have your colour pallet, have a look around your house and find items you already have that fit in. I located some bright orange candles that I set up on the sideboard and a few wooden cutouts of a ghost, a pumpkin, and a black cat from last year. Then, I pulled a few pumpkins out of storage from l ..read more

If you have been following my Blog for a while now, you would know I like to DIY almost everything. I do this for several reasons. It saves me money; it’s better for the environment; I avoid nasty chemicals; and it’s fun. My Frankincense face Cream is no exception. The recipe below will get you about 150 mls of face cream. A quick Google search will show you some similar creams. I looked for ones with Frankincense; for 150 ml, it was about $90.00, with some being way more expensive. I popped all of these ingredients into the Green Living Australia shopping cart and came up with a total of $11 ..read more

At different times of the year, apples can be a great price or a bit on the expensive side. It all depends on the natural apple season picking times. When they are at their best, in season, and at the best price, is when to get a larger quantity of Granny Smith apples and turn them into jars of apple pie filling. Autumn is apple picking season, and I usually make jars and jars of apple pie filling to get me through the cold Winter months. I picked these up from my next-door neighbour, who gives me all the apples I could ever want. The recipe I am going to share with you made me eight 750 ml ..read more

Matched face powder and blush Making your own all-natural mineral makeup is easier than you think. With just a few ingredients, you can match any skin colour, and you can do it without harsh chemicals. Not only is it easy, but it’s also fun and very cost-effective. The ingredients you use are inexpensive and go a long way. You can purchase the ingredients individually or get a Natural Mineral Makeup Kit with everything you need to start and a great instruction booklet. There are a few reasons I make my own cosmetics. I don’t want to harm my skin with harsh chemicals. I have sensitive skin and ..read more

I have always been a big fan of DIY. It makes my life fuller, saves me money, and it’s more sustainable than mass consumer culture. One of the things to like to do is make cheese. It might have something to do with how much I like to eat cheese. You never know. The Edem recipe below comes from my book, Home Cheese Making in Australia, which should definitely be part of your library. This Dutch cheese travels well and was often used on long sea voyages. Traditionally it is round, and the joke was that if you did not want to eat the cheese, you could use it instead of a cannonball. All jokes as ..read more

I had an excellent plum harvest from my little tree this year. I had so many plums that I could make plum jam and two types of plum sauce: sweet and savoury. I have always loved plums, and I await that time of year with anticipation, knowing there will be plenty to eat fresh and make sensational preserves for the year to come. It all starts with cooking down the plums to get a plum puree that can then be turned into several different things. My plum tree is a sugar plum tree, so the fruit is small and sweet. While they are delicious, they are a bit fiddly to get the stones out of, so I throw ..read more