-:- an orange garland

This weekend, I was inspired to dehydrate some orange slices and make something festive with them. I debated making ornaments, but our little tree is already full, so I ended up with a pretty garland to hang over our fireplace instead.

I dehydrated a sliced orange for about a day - we have a thrifted dehydrator (which makes it really easy) but you could also bake the orange slices on low heat (around 170 degrees F) for anywhere from 6-12 hours. The thicker the orange slices, the longer you'll have to bake them. It's also helpful to put them on an oven-safe rack when they are in the oven to help air flow completely around them - they'll get done much faster that way.

Check on your oranges every few hours (don't forget about them!) and when the juicy part is hardened, not sticky at all, and you can pretty much see through it, they're done baking/dehydrating. 

To make a garland, first roughly measure the space where it will hang to determine the length of your string (baker's twine, cotton kitchen string, or yarn would all work well). I just eyeballed it and then added a few feet to account for tying and drape. It's definitely better to have too much string than not enough.

Then attach the dried oranges. I strung my oranges through their middles like they were two-holed buttons. This helps them stay put and lie flat.

Once I had attached all of my oranges, I tied a large pinecone to each end of the string and then situated my garland before attaching the remaining, smaller pinecones. You do this by wrapping the string around them once, close to their centers - no need to tie these ones - they'll just hang where you wrapped the string around them.

And that's really it - look at your garland from a few feet away and make any little spacing adjustments as needed. Then go make some hot cocoa to drink while you admire your holiday handiwork.

xox

-:- pumpkin spice latte mask

Oh, skin woes. They are the worst, aren't they?

Luckily, I'm learning that relaxation, plenty of water, skipping dairy, and exfoliating masks all seem to help relieve some of those woes, so I try to do those things as often as possible. This week, I was inspired by some leftover pumpkin to develop a mask based on my favorite seasonal drink - the pumpkin spice latte.

I love making masks with things in the kitchen that most of us already have on hand - I am a big believer in extracting health benefits from natural ingredients, ones that we can (and do!) consume - because really, when we put things on our skin, we're basically consuming them anyway.

This is an insanely moisturizing mask, which is wonderful for dry winter skin. Plus, it makes you feel like you are sitting in a coffeehouse in fall - the scent is so good. The pumpkin contains many wonderful enzymes and antioxidants that work to smooth, hydrate, and encourage new cell growth - all wonderful things for your skin. The coffee is good for exfoliation and reducing inflammation and redness.

Quick note #1: the caffeine from the coffee definitely enters your system through your skin, so just be aware of that (and don't do this mask right before bed). If you don't want to use caffeinated coffee, you could still use decaf for that latte scent or just replace it altogether with ground apricot kernels or ground almonds for exfoliation.

Mix the pumpkin and coconut cream together and warm it slightly - I put mine in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Take a minute to smell your concoction - awesome, right?

Quick note #2: when I say coconut cream, I am talking about the solid white part that you'll find in a can of coconut milk - mine is whipped, so it looks like a bit more than 3 tbsp - you can adjust the amount you use depending on how moisturizing you want your mask to be.

While it's still warm, apply it to your clean, dry face and let it sit for about 20 minutes. It's a little goopy, but as long as you don't apply it too thickly, it shouldn't drip off or anything. When you wash it off, rub that coffee and cinnamon into your skin for extra exfoliation. This recipe makes a big batch - you can either store it in the fridge to use again (which is what I'll do) or you can cut everything in half to make a smaller batch.

This is super hydrating, wonderfully brightening, exfoliating mask. Enjoy!

xox