Get Kamfortable - Page 24 of 26 - A lifestyle blog to make your life beautiful using affordable DIYs and delicious vegetarian recipes

How to DIY the Most Beautiful Holiday Wreath

12.11.16

Last week we went to Downey’s Farm in Caledon and it was beautiful. With the snow and the greenery, everything just looks amazing, if you’re willing to brave the intense cold that is. We were out of there in under 15 minutes, but not before I found a bunch of tree branches with which I have a couple of DIY projects planned, the first being a DIY Holiday Wreath to hang anywhere in your home.

Downey’s actually had Christmas wreaths that were already made for over $30, but I got a huge bundle of branches for $6.99 and then with a quick stop at Michaels for some other supplies, this wreath cost me around $20 and turned out much better than I expected and took around 20 min to put together.

The wire frame for wreaths from Michaels is a good tool to use to make a wreath, however, you can make the wreath without it, using twist ties instead. I will attempt this with the remaining branches. I also bought fake acorns and berries from Michaels, because they were only a couple of bucks each and look just like the real deal. I can reuse them for upcoming years as well.

SUPPLIES

1 bunch of fir tree branches

1 wreath wire frame

pack of fake acorns, berries, or other decorative items

scissors

DIRECTIONS

First, cut single branches from the bundle of fir.

Use the twist ties on the wreath frame to secure the branch onto the frame and continue doing this until you have the entire wreath covered and are happy with how bulky it is. I used a total of 5 single branches to cover the entire wreath.

Next, add in your decorative acorns and berries. Place them where you like and again use the twist ties on the frame to secure onto the wreath.

To hang onto a door, just tie a ribbon onto the the wreath and hang on a hook!

Kamfort Food

Homemade Healthy Vegan Granola Recipe

12.03.16

Okay, so I have a confession to make. I eat chocolate chip cookies for breakfast… every day!!!

Yes, it’s true and it is not something I am proud of. But ever since the Chips Ahoy cookies no longer contain eggs, I can’t restrain myself. They make such a quick breakfast too, paired with a cup of almond milk of course. But this isn’t something I can keep on doing… so what I need to do is come up with a quick and delicious thing I can eat every morning!

Enter homemade granola.

The possibilities are endless in what you can include in your granola and rest assured, I will certainly be posting a TON of recipes on this blog. Particularly, the best of the best. And the one I will be talking about today is no exception. It is AMAZZZING!!!!

And super easy to make!! It lasted us an entire week so I can’t wait to see what we make this weekend.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup almonds, chopped

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 pinch sea salt

3 tbsp coconut oil

1/3 cup agave

1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

In a medium sized bowl, combine the oats, nuts, and salt.

Heat up the coconut oil, agave and vanilla extract for a couple of minutes and then mix into the bowl.

Place onto a baking tray in a thin layer and bake for 20 minutes at 350F.

Then, stir the granola around and bake for another 5 minutes.

Remove the granola from the oven, and let sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before stirring. This helps harden the granola to give it a crunchy texture.

Place into a jar and enjoy with yogurt or some almond milk (my personal fave way to eat granola).

Kamfy Living

DIY Natural Window Cleaner

11.06.16

Working in research, I have to constantly be aware of all the things we use that are carcinogenic and a certain level of safety is always in effect. But, I realize, at home, I am not so aware. I don’t do anything to change the amount of toxins that are present at home that we encounter on a daily basis, the biggest one being cleaning products.

I would like to change that. On this blog, I will be adding recipes for natural, DIY cleaning products, starting off with a DIY Natural Window Cleaner, perfect for mirrors and windows.

Making your own cleaning products has many benefits, including being aware of what is in the product as well as saving a ton of money, since they are fairly inexpensive to make. And for those out there that aren’t into DIY projects, this recipe for a natural window cleaner is fairly quick to make. Less than 1 min to prepare, so give it a go.

Okay, so while researching homemade natural cleaning products, I realized that there a select few ingredients that are commonly used. In today’s recipe, we will be using the following and I did a little research as to how they work and why they are necessary for a natural Window Cleaner.

First up is Vinegar. I always see on Pinterest that vinegar is an effective natural cleaner and I know some of my friends use it as well. Vinegar is effective in removing microbial contamination and is best used as a rinse to help disinfect a surface after you have cleaned it with a soap based cleaner.

Rubbing Alcohol. In research labs, we often use alcohol to precipitate DNA because we know that DNA is insoluble in isopropyl alcohol. But, in household cleaning, we are not interested in this property. Instead, we use it for its ability to disinfect and kill bacteria, fungi, and virus. You can omit this if you would like in this recipe.

Finally, cornstarch is used to prevent streaking. The surfaces of glass are not perfectly smooth so when water is sprayed on, the water molecules get caught in these microscopic holes. Streaking occurs when water clings to itself through hydrogen bonding. Cornstarch works by disrupting these hydrogen bonds to prevent the streaks.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup rubbing alcohol

1 tbsp cornstarch

2 cups water

essential oils of choice (I used lavender, peppermint, and sweet orange)

DIRECTIONS

Mix all ingredients together in a spray bottle.

Shake to mix and spray onto window or glass and wipe clean with a microfiber cloth.

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