guide to peace of mind, you'll find inspiring ideas for how to do exactly that through a wide range of creative exercises. In this book, author Maggie Oman Shannon explores crafts and creativity as a practice with enormous physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. By immersing ourselves in a craft with intention and mindfulness, we can quiet those voices around us and in us--we can enter sacred stillness. Through revealing interviews, personal stories, and forty suggested activities, the author shows how creative processes can become spiritual practices. Whether you're an aspiring artist, longtime craftsperson, or someone who has never set foot in a craft-store (yet!), you'll find something in Crafting Calm to inspire you.Crafts and how-to ideas include contemplation candles, visual journals, prayer shawls, collage mandalas, intention beads, finger labyrinths, personal prayer flags, spiritual toolkits, and tabletop altars.Features inspired craft ideas from luminaries such as Angeles Arrien, Mary Ann Radmcher, Shiloh Sophia McCloud, Sister Marianne Heib, May Ann Brussat, and many more.

    Meyer's Clean Day products (named after her mom), the products were designed to work hard for you. Now for the first time, Thelma's sage advice is being made available in this revolutionary cleaning guide chock full of practical tips and secrets based on the premise that life is hectic and messy -- and so keeping your house clean and nice is the only sensible thing to do. With shortcuts and tips for cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home contains unexpected advice such as: Never use vinegar and water on wood floors. One part dish soap and four parts water is the only way to truly get them clean. And remember to buff with a terrycloth towel. Always clean out the fridge before grocery shopping. Serve the kids "Musko" ("must go") for dinner, using the items that were fast approaching expiration. Wash windows on a cloudy day to avoid the nasty streaking that happens when the sun's out and glass dry too fast. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home is two parts common sense and one part inspiration. Read it and learn how to clean like the dickens.

    Stretch the resources of your small backyard garden further than ever before, without devoting hundreds of hours to canning! This informative and inspiring guide shows you not only how to construct your own root cellar, but how to best use the earth’s naturally cool, stable temperature as an energy-saving way to store nearly 100 varieties of perishable fruits and vegetables.

    The Japanese Skincare Revolution is the first guide for women of all ages and races who want to have beautiful skin like the Japanese, and don't want to spend lots of money on cosmetics and treatments to achieve it.Author Chizu Saeki is a practicing aesthetician and beauty consultant whose dream is to teach ordinary women how to become more beautiful. To this end, she writes books, teaches, and tours Japan, giving demonstrations of the techniques she developed over a career spent in the beauty industry. Her books have sold more than 3 million copies in Japan, and the revolutionary ideas presented in this volume have won the approval of skin doctors within Japan and out.The Japanese Skincare Revolution is Saeki's best-selling skincare title, and her first to be translated into English. It is a distillation of all of her most essential techniques. In it, readers will be introduced to the lotion maska moisturizing treatment for keeping the skin fresh and lustrous; hand techniques for toning the muscles of the face; lymph massages for draining toxins and improving blood flow; natural, no-nonsense remedies for wrinkles, sagging, oiliness, pimples, and blackheads; warm care and cool care for soothing the mind and body; water massages to energize the skin; and much, much more.Throughout the book, Saeki calls on the reader to use her own hands to touch and treat her face, and her own eyes to judge what her skin needs. She leads her toward a wholehearted skincare routine that will have her complimenting herself as her skin responds. By following Saeki's advice, every woman will discover that it's possible to have beautiful skin at any age without - spending a fortune.

    Created by curly hair evangelist Lorraine Massey—the go-to curl expert featured in Allure, InStyle, Lucky, Seventeen, and The New York Times, and founder of several curly salons and curly products in New York City—Curly Girl is the surprising bible for the 65 percent of women with naturally curly or wavy hair and a desire to celebrate it.Curly Girl is packed with unique and fail-proof hair-care methods, inspiration, and an empowering pro-curl attitude. It’s all here: daily routines for Botticelli, fractal, and wavy curls; Lorraine’s no-more-shampoo epiphany—handle your hair as gently as you do your best cashmere sweater; homemade lotions and potions. New to this edition: an illustrated, step-by-step guide to trimming your own hair (remember: it’s not what you take off; it’s what you leave on); a section on the particular needs of wavy hair; Lorraine’s Down-and-Dirty Curly Boy Routine; more fabulous ’dos for weddings and other special occasions; a chapter on multicurltural hair written by an African American specialist. Plus, updated information on green and chemical-free products, 20 new Q&As, and a DVD with tutorials on caring for four different types of curls. From now on, there’s no such thing as a bad hair day.

    You'll make informed decisions, avoid frustrations and save thousands over the life of your home. Here's just a small sample of what's inside: The smartest thing you can do before going on vacationPush a button and save $100Be ready for any natural disasterMake burglars bypass your houseThe most effective way to cut heating and cooling costsClever shortcuts for home maintenance;indoors and outKeep mice, ants and other invaders out of your houseBoost curb appeal without remodelingWhat to do when the power goes outThe most common and costly homeowner mistakesEliminate noises, odors and other household irritationsGrow the best lawn on the blockSecret weapons pros use for easy, instant repairsMake appliances last years longerThe key to drip-free faucetsMake your mower start right up, every timeCures for damp basementsExterminate mold and mildewPick a paint color you'll loveGet faster downloads and better TV qualityStop peeling paintPlus, incredibly easy repairs for appliances, plumbing, flooring, walls, furniture and more!

    Twenty Instructables illustrate just how simple it can be to make your own backyard chicken coop, or turn a wine barrel into a rainwater collector.Illustrated with dozens of full-color photographs per project accompanying easy-to-follow instructions, this Instructables collection utilizes the best that the online community has to offer, turning a far-reaching group of people into a mammoth database churning out ideas to make life better, easier, and in this case, greener, as this volume exemplifies.

    Featuring over 80 self-contained projects, from growing your own food organically, cooking home-grown produce, keeping selected livestock, and leading a more sustainable lifestyle, this down-to-earth, yet practical guide is the perfect start for someone looking to go “green.” Features more than 80 self-contained projects Offers urban, suburban, and rural projects Concerned by the poor quality of food on offer, Sheherazade Goldsmith started up an organic delicatessen that soon began to specialize in home-cooked food for babies and young children.

    This FREE ebook offers 18 DIY gifts for the bookworm, foodie, animal lover, significant other, kid or geek in your life.

    Leonard examines the “stuff” we use everyday, offering a galvanizing critique and steps for a changed planet.The Story of Stuff was received with widespread enthusiasm in hardcover, by everyone from Stephen Colbert to Tavis Smiley to George Stephanopolous on Good Morning America, as well as far-reaching print and blog coverage. Uncovering and communicating a critically important idea—that there is an intentional system behind our patterns of consumption and disposal—Annie Leonard transforms how we think about our lives and our relationship to the planet.From sneaking into factories and dumps around the world to visiting textile workers in Haiti and children mining coltan for cell phones in the Congo, Leonard, named one of Time magazine’s 100 environmental heroes of 2009, highlights each step of the materials economy and its actual effect on the earth and the people who live near sites like these.With curiosity, compassion, and humor, Leonard shares concrete steps for taking action at the individual and political level that will bring about sustainability, community health, and economic justice. Embraced by teachers, parents, churches, community centers, activists, and everyday readers, The Story of Stuff will be a long-lived classic.

    Its user base has expanded exponentially as more people are using aromatherapy to treat both acute and chronic stages of illness or disease. More and more people are turning to regular use of aromatherapy to help boost their immune system and improve their overall health. Others are using essential oils to improve skin and hair health as well as a source of natural cleaning around the home. The benefits and uses of aromatherapy are endless and the aromatherapy community continues to come up with new and innovative recipes. This book will cover: The top essential oils for beginners Essential oils for improved hair Essential oils for skin rejuvenation Essential oils massage Essential oils for stress relief and much, much, more! So download today and learn of these remarkable healing techniques as we explore essential oils that can offer numerous benefits to your mental and physical well-being.

    she inspires a love of sewing itself. A contemporary classic, Power Sewing is clearly written with detailed photos; it guides the reader through every facet of garment construction with ease.

     Can saturated fat be good for you? Natural coconut oil-not the hydrogenated version often found in processed foods-is a saturated fat, but not the kind your doctor has warned you about. Studies have shown that this uniquely curative oil actually has innumerable health benefits ranging from disease prevention to anti-aging. Now, in his revised edition of the first book to describe the therapeutic properties of coconut oil, Bruce Fife offers a nutrition plan with dozens of tasty recipes that will allow anyone to experience the healing miracles of what he deems the "perfect food." When taken as a supplement, used in cooking, or applied to directly to the skin, coconut oil has been found to: - Promote weight loss - Help protect against heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and many other degenerative diseases - Strengthen the immune system - Improve digestion - Prevent premature aging of the skin

    Luckily, twenty-seven-year-old decorating prodigy Kyle Schuneman knows that a paper-thin wallet and four plain walls don’t have to stand in your way, and the ten amazing, real apartments in this book show it.From coast to coast, these fabulous first homes are the perfect balance between cool design and comfort, and they offer plenty of practical ideas for making your apartment feel open, organized, and inviting. Examples include:■ Multifunctional studios■ A loft that was sectioned into livable areas■ Cookie-cutter apartments with one-of-a-kind personality■ Shared spaces that accommodate different decorating tastes■ Fantastic examples of how to display collections, hide unsightly stuff, and manage picky landlordsKyle’s creative solutions reveal how you can make your space feel much larger than it really is—and how it can reflect your passions, your travels, and your location. He will inspire you to use your surroundings for decorating ideas (think taxi-cab-yellow accents in New York or graffiti-like dip-dye curtains in Seattle). Short on time and long on style, the thirty DIY projects here include no-sew pillows and a dresser update using a little glue and decorative paper. Full of bold, vibrant photos, an extensive resource section, and hundreds of big ideas for small spaces, this book proves that there are no limits on how spacious and how cool your first apartment can feel.

    Whether its by making your own toothpaste, converting to renewable energy sources, reducing your consumption of plastic, growing your own herb garden or upcycling old pieces of furniture, there are numerous ways – both big and small – to make a difference. With environmental issues at the forefront of global politics, the desire to make small changes on an individual level is on the rise; this book will guide anyone hoping to make a difference, but who perhaps don’t know where to begin.