Clearing Spaces - Herbal Bath Teas

Our Herbal Bath Tea Sachets contained different blends of the following ingredients, dried lavender, hops, oats, rose petal, camomile, lemongrass, calendula petals, dried ginger.

we added different combinations of 

the following essential oils peppermint, 

rosemary, eucalyptus, lemon, lime 

and lavender

Kate was with us again to mix up Bath salts

Once the Bath Tea blends were mixed

we filled out hand stamped bags

to use the bath soaks, add them, closed tightly, to a hot bath or allow to steep and add the liquid to the bath

Everyone had lovely herbal goody bags

to take home

Clearing Spaces - Herbal Bath Salts and Lip Balm

Kate Dyer lead us through the process of making a variety of bath salts, as we have quite  a lot of gardeners we looked for recipes that would soothe aching muscles! We decided that we should do one session during the Tuesday Volunteer Day and one on the normal Thursday session so that everyone could either make or receive a bath treat!

Here is kate's step by step guide

Step 1 :- Place half a cup of salt or salts to a glass bowl.

Step 2 :- Mix in 2 tablespoons of carrier oil like jojoba or sweet almond oil.

Step 3:- Add 7 to 8 drops of desired essential oils to the bowl.

Step 4:- Mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon.

Step 5:- Add dried herbs, flower petals as you desire. Transfer to an airtight jar. Add to bath as required.

Sore Muscle Bath Soak - Soothes aches and pains

• 1/2 cup of Epsom Salt
• 2 tablespoons jojoba oil
• 4 drops frankinsence
• 3 drops roman camomile

Simple Lavender Bath Salt - Healing and moisturising

1/2 cup of Epsom Salt

2 tablespoons jojoba oil

8 drops lavender essential oil

Energising Bath Salt - refreshing morning blend

• 1/4 cup Dead Sea Salt
• 1/4 cup of Pink Himalayan Salt
• 2 tablespoonssweet almond oil
• 3 drops grapefruit essential oil
• 2 drops  peppermint essential oil
• 2 dropslavender  essential oil

Eucalyptus Lavender Bath Salt - Soothes sinus and respiratory issues

• 1/4 cup of Pink Himalayan Salt
• 1/4 cup of Epsom Salt 
• 2 tablespoons sweet almond oil
• 4 drops lavender essential oil
• 3 drops eucalyptus essential oil

Sleepy Time Bath Salt - relaxing

1/4 cup of Pink Himalayan Salt

1/4 cup of Epsom Salt

2 tablespoons sweet almond oil

4 drops cedarwood essential oil

3 drops orange essential oil

Blissful Bath Salt - Transform your Mind and Body with this relaxing blend

1/4 cup Dead Sea Salt

2 tablespoons jojoba oil

3 drops frankinsence essential oil

2 drops sandalwood essential oil

2 drops bergamot essential oil

Those who wished to added dried 

lavender, camomile, calendula, rose petals

We added a Green Patch Label and a fabric topper

Kate also showed us how to make a lip balm

We had teatree, grapefruit or peppermint

Kate is a wonderful cook, keen gardener and was inspired to try out some of these remedies when she developed a skin condition and found bath salts really helped. She then started making them as presents, which is how Carole knew she was the right person to help with this project.

Threads and Chatter - Squares With Flair Part 2 and 3

Artist Phiona Richards is a firm believer in taking time to pass on skills and cleverly broke down making our Squares With Flair into three compact sessions.

We had drawn our designs and they 

had been ironed onto the calico.

Our next task was to design and 

cut out hands and feet from felt.

Our characters would also need 

eyes, nose and mouths

Choices, choices - so many decisions, 

many threads and much chatter!

In week three Phiona brought her beloved

hand-crank sewing machine Jones

and we had great fun learning how to sew 

our seams together before adding the filling.

As you can see our Squares With Flair

have bundles of personality, just like our group!

 See all of the images from this project here

If you live in the Avondale / Grange ward do join us again

for our next Threads and Chatter session 

1st of March 3.30 - 5.15

The Resource Centre, 

9 Grange Place, Kettering. 

NN16 0NT

The sessions are free.

The View From Here Mosaics Update

The first four mosaic panels for The Green Patch have been completed

  and with the first fine day Carole Miles and Phiona Richards

donned gloves and applied the grout, a messy job but 

enjoyable when the final results were revealed.

Halloween Pumpkin Lanterns

Homemade Tomato Soup

Broadbeans, Cabbage, Carrots, Turnip (possibly upside down)

Duck Eggs

You can see how the designs were made here and here

and how the panels developed here

The View From Here - Gathering Papers - Hand Made Books

Artist Phiona Richards has been visiting the Green Patch 

helping us to create hand made books from re-cycled materials

A number of reclaimed papers were collected 

(Primark carrier bags, old brown wrapping, 

wallpaper etc) and cut to size. 

 The group were shown how to measure,

 mark and punch their pages.

 The books were stiched together

using pamphlet stitch

Each prticipant made 2 booklets

and carole will keep them safe until

it is time to start filling them with drawings, 

thoughts and observations about our view from here!

You can see all the photos from these fab making sessions here