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Homegrown Collective October 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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This mysterious package seemed to have gotten lost along the way, but it finally made it to me when we were out in Hawaii. I was really excited to get it and finally see what it had in store. I’m loving how useful all of this is.

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

inside of carbon & clay homegrown collective box with the info sheets on the inner lid contents of the homegrown collective october 2014 box with carbon & clay theme

Project #1, activated charcoal: It seems quite strange to brush teeth with charcoal powder, but I’ll trust them on this one… as soon as I work up the nerves to not freak out that my mouth is black and foaming. I wonder what it will taste like. I’ll have to take a picture of my teeth now (certainly a lot more yellow than they used to be back in my teenage years) and compare after however many number of brushes with this craziness. As for the face mask, I’m far more comfortable with putting charcoal on my face. I love using soaps with it and I’m pretty sure some of the face masks I’ve tried have contained it, so I hope this one is a good formula for me!

the homegrown collective october 2014 project activated charcoal info card the homegrown collective october 2014 products for activated charcoal

Project #2, pacific sea salt: How cool! Smoking my own sea salt?! Where do they come up with these fascinating ideas? I do not have a grill, but Panda does have a set of grilling tools he got as a reward from work, so perhaps these should be compelling reasons for us to get a grill. I’ll have to see what (if any) are allowed in our community, or perhaps there’s a public one somewhere that I can use for a  few hours. That could be a fun thing to do come spring – picnic & grilling! I love how this is an edible project, which is pretty unique so far.

the homegrown collective october 2014 project pacific sea salt info card the homegrown collective october 2014 products for pacific sea salt

Project #3, bentonite clay: While we’ve received bentonite clay beforeqqqqqqqqqq`qqq`, I’m happy that they included new ways of using it for very different purposes. I’ll definitely try it in the bath (I hate those bath soaks that stain the tub, so since this isn’t supposed to stain, that would be awesome) and on my hair and skin too! The recipe for hair is perfect for the coming cold, as hair will dry out more and probably get brittle without intense treatment.

the homegrown collective october 2014 project bentonite clay info card the homegrown collective october 2014 products for bentonite clay

I’m always impressed with the themes that they come up and the creativity they have to offer all types of projects, from personal care to home care and more. I’ve yet to be disappointed by anything from this company, which is just fantastic. It’s totally up my alley both as an environmentally-conscious person and a new homeowner! Now I just need to actually get off my lazy weekend butt and start doing these projects. I even put together a list of what I need to do (and it is plentiful). I should set a goal of doing one each week…

the homegrown collective october 2014 carbon & clay info card

If you want in on this cool stuff, subscribe to the Homegrown Collective now! Your home, your family, and your health will thank you for it.

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Homegrown Collective olive oil & vinegar infusion project

laelene Post in lifestyle glimpses, reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , ,
2

I’ve been meaning to share the infusions I did from the May Homegrown GREENBOX, so here they are! This was a simple project that wasn’t super messy and didn’t require too many components – mostly just time. I chose to do the cold infusion method since it’s easy to let things just sit. I didn’t read their instructions online, so I missed the memo on the apple vinegar at the end, but I still like my results!

olive oil and balsamic vinegar infusion project ingredients

First, I laid out all the ingredients.

balsamic vinegar infusion project ingredients

I decided to infuse the vinegar with the japones peppers and rosemary.

balsamic vinegar infusion in jar with japones peppers and rosemary

I hope I put enough in there!

olive oil infusion project ingredients

I chose the lemon peel and basil leaves for the olive oil.

olive oil infusion in jar with lemon peel and basil leaf

Everything floating happily.

olive oil and balsamic vinegar infusing in jars by window

Infusing time! I let it sit for over three weeks.

infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar with extra flavor in jars

All ready and in their brand new jars. 🙂

The olive oil flavor is more subtle and doesn’t appear too much different, especially when I’m using it as part of cooking. The balsamic vinegar was definitely stronger due to the peppers! Overall I’m happy with the level of infusion for the vinegar and I’d do a second round of infusion for the oil next time to get a stronger flavor since the ones I chose were milder to begin with. This was a nice project and I’ve been using these as my go-to items when I need these ingredients for cooking.

Homegrown Collective September 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , ,
1

I’m super sad I missed out on the August Homegrown Collective box. Mitchell of Homegrown kindly reached out to me when my annual subscription was about to end and offered me a discount. I was waiting for a new credit card I wanted to use to renew my subscription and I guess the payment didn’t make it in in time for last month’s box. I’m happy to be getting boxes again though!

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

inside of melt & pour homegrown collective box with the info sheets on the inner lid contents of the homegrown collective september 2014 box with melt & pour theme

Project #1, charcoal & cedarwood soap: I’m a huge sucker for soaps of all types and I can’t wait to make these! This charcoal one will be particularly useful for me since I’ve recently gone through yet another round of annoyingly large and painful breakouts. I just can’t seem to keep my acne at bay. This soap will be great at helping to calm down all that craziness. Before I knew what the little jar of black charcoal was, I thought it was just an empty jar painted black on the inside. I opened it to look inside and nearly spilled the powder everywhere! Whoops.

the homegrown collective september 2014 project charcoal & cedarwood soap info card the homegrown collective september 2014 products for charcoal & cedarwood soap

Project #2, dead sea salt & lavender soap: This will be a more standard soap and I just love that I’ll get to mix in those dried lavender flowers. That’s going to be fun to use! I think I’ll probably cut the luffa in half and use one piece for this soap so I can get some exfoliation from it too. What fun! I love lathering up in the shower and this soap will certainly make it enjoyable.

the homegrown collective september 2014 project dead sea salt & lavender soap info card the homegrown collective september 2014 products for dead sea salt & lavender soap

Project #3, oatmeal, luffa & tuberose soap: Another great soothing soap that will be good for my skin. I really enjoyed my oatmeal soap from a brand I discovered at Green Festival DC 2012. I hope this soap foams as well as that one did! I’ll be using the other half of the luffa in this soap. I’m also really happy to have a grater, so now I can use it for future kitchen needs if they arise. As always, I love the tools that come with these projects.

the homegrown collective september 2014 project oatmeal, luffa, & tuberose soap info card the homegrown collective september 2014 products for oatmeal, luffa, & tuberose soap

I have a ton of soaps I’m working through but I always want more. These are totally going to have a cool factor because I get to make them myself! I had been meaning to get a soap-making kit and try it out sometime, so this will be a great start. There’s pride in being able to make something!

the homegrown collective september 2014 melt & pour info card

Honestly, you should be getting the Homegrown Collective for yourself, pronto. I’ve been with them a year and I still can’t get enough of the cool home projects they’ve sent to help me live a greener life.

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Homegrown Collective July 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Seriously? Just when I thought the Homegrown Collective boxes couldn’t possibly be cooler, they blow me away again. I mean this is insane – this box has to be the pinnacle of what I want in my home right now. Perfection!

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

inside of diy summer essential home detox homegrown collective box with the info sheets on the inner lid contents of the homegrown collective july 2014 box with diy summer essential home detox theme

Project #1, essential DIY air freshener: I’m so happy that they included a nice stainless steel spray bottle. It feels fancier than a normal plastic one and it’s nice and light. They included four lovely essential oils to choose from. I’ll try the lemongrass first since I like more citrus-based scents and I currently have a really nice Mandarin orange scented spray. This one’s easy-peasy!

the homegrown collective july 2014 project essential diy air freshener info card the homegrown collective july 2014 products for essential diy air freshener

Project #2, essential DIY aromatherapy oil diffusers: My greatest obsession when it comes to helping a room smell a certain way. For months, I was super cheap and refused to buy the $11-13 bottles at Target. Then the one I want disappeared from the shelves and I was so sad. I eventually got super lucky and found one after weeks of searching. Since then, I’ve loosened up on getting reed diffusers I like, lest I miss out again. This is made all the better with this fantastic little glass jar! How freakin’ adorable is that?

the homegrown collective july 2014 project essential diy aromatherapy oil diffusers info card the homegrown collective july 2014 products for essential diy aromatherapy oil diffusers

Project #3, essential oil DIY candle: Candles are classic and a great way to affect the ambiance in addition to the scent of a room. I enjoy the clean burn of soy wax and I look forward to trying the different scents. This project is the more complicated one in the box, but it’s still very simple. It’ll be fun to create my own little candles and play around with the scents.

the homegrown collective july 2014 project essential oil diy candle info card the homegrown collective july 2014 products for essential oil diy candle

For my recent focus on making our home more homey, these make the perfect projects. I’m a fan of all these types of products and why not make my own? It’ll bring a smile to my face every time I use them. 🙂

the homegrown collective july 2014 essential oils info card

Go ahead, subscribe to the Homegrown Collective now! You’re not going to want to miss out on these wonderful boxes.

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Homegrown Collective June 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
3

I am constantly amazed at how the folks over at the Homegrown Collective come up with these awesome projects month after month. This box comes perfectly timed for the summer months and I was so eager I started one of them even as we left for Pittsburgh Thursday night.

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

inside of summertime & the livin's easy homegrown collective box with the info sheets on the inner lid contents of the homegrown collective june 2014 box with summertime & the livin's easy theme

cat sniffing aloe included in homegrown collective june 2014 box with summertime & the livin's easy theme

Smokey was a big fan of this box too.

Project #1, after-sun aloe lotion bars: Ducky molds?!! I LOVE IT. How playful and fun are these? I really look forward to making them and playing around with my little ducky lotions. So adorable! And of course these will be super useful in the summertime to help soothe the bites and scratches that seem inevitable.

the homegrown collective june 2014 project after-sun aloe lotion bars info card the homegrown collective june 2014 products for after-sun aloe lotion barsProject #2, all natural insect repellant: This is the project that I already have underway and just need to finish up today. What perfect timing – Panda and I went out catching fireflies last week and got bites all over, so next time we go out we’ll have protection against those bugs. I sure hope this is super effective at repelling mosquitoes since we both seem to taste extra good to them.

the homegrown collective june 2014 project all natural insect repellant info card the homegrown collective june 2014 products for all natural insect repellant

Project #3, all natural organic sunscreen: Woo hoo, a third project again! I hope they keep this up so I can play around with even more projects. Making my very own sunscreen is fantastic. I wonder if it will have that “sunscreen smell” that we’re all too used to? I doubt it, and that is a very good thing indeed. I had no idea soybean oil could be so useful for bug spray and sunscreen! Fascinating.

the homegrown collective june 2014 project all natural organic sunscreen info card the homegrown collective june 2014 products for all natural organic sunscreen

Can you say summer soothing in a box? This is amazing. I can’t wait to see how effective everything is! And those ducky molds are precious. I feel like making jello with them… 😛

the homegrown collective june 2014 aloe vera info card

You know you want to get in on this action! Just subscribe to the Homegrown Collective and you can enjoy these fantastic projects too. 😀

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Homegrown Collective beeswax wood butter project

laelene Post in lifestyle glimpses, reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , ,
2

About two months ago, I got around to trying the beeswax wood butter project that came as part of the February Homegrown Collective box. I now have some fun wood coasters that we’ve been using. Recently, I found that the sides I chose not to polish up were getting grease marks so I decided to rub in the wood butter to all of them. It’s a full set of wonder wood coasters now. 🙂

ingredients to make wood butter including beeswax and grape seed oil

Making the wood butter required beeswax and grape seed oil.

collage of melting beeswax and adding grape seed oil to make wood butter

Once the beeswax melted, I added the grape seed oil and it coagulated before melting together.

collage of bowl of melted wood butter poured in container

With a nice smooth mixture, I was able to pour it into an empty jar I had. It fit perfectly! The remainder on the glass bowl was used to start the polishing.

collage of wood coasters being polished

And then started the polishing process of rubbing in the wood butter. Check out the difference!

Homegrown Collective May 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , ,
2

Woo hoo, the main projects of this box will be most welcome with some bread! I love carbs of all kinds, but especially a nice piece of bread dipped in olive oil and vinegar. I didn’t realize it at first, but the grapes part of the theme is referring to the balsamic vinegar! I just never made that connection before. These projects are super easy and I can’t wait to outfit my kitchen with more awesome gear.

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

inside of olives grapes herbs oh my homegrown collective box with the info sheets on the inner lid contents of the homegrown collective may 2014 box with olives grapes herbs oh my theme

Project #1, foot soak & scrub: I could totally use a good foot treatment. My poor feet are always abused and achy. I love how this remedy for softer feet is so good it’s basically edible! Using the olive oil and something granular, like salt or sugar, I can scrub my feet and soothe them. Then a combination of herbs and salt in hot water make for a healing soak. They included a pumice stone so I can really smooth out those heels. This is going on my list of things to do this weekend, for sure.

the homegrown collective may 2014 project foot soak and scrub info card the homegrown collective may 2014 products for foot soak and scrub

Project #2, olive oil & vinegar infusion: The focus of these sheets is definitely more towards the oil infusion and I’m more used to seeing infused olive oil. I don’t really know which herbs might work well with vinegar, so I’m hesitant to try that. I’ll have to do some research and see if their blog provides more insight on that front! When it comes to the olive oil, the possibilities are teeming! I don’t want to go crazy mixing too many flavors, but gosh I want to have all sorts of goodies in there. I’ll have to make a few batches and see what combo I enjoy most. [update: check out the completed project!]

the homegrown collective may 2014 project cold infusion info card the homegrown collective may 2014 project hot infusion info card the homegrown collective may 2014 products for olive oil vinegar infusion

Can I just say I was super excited about the adorable strainer and the bottles?! Thank you Homegrown Collective for providing me with all the kitchen extras I could hope for! I don’t know if these count as two or three projects, but I look forward to them all. I get so happy about the knick knacks and the concept of the projects that I don’t even care about the value so much. After seeing the info card about infusion, I wish they’d also included a project for making a salve, ointment, or rub!

the homegrown collective may 2014 infusion info card

Ready to embark on your own green project adventure? Subscribe to the Homegrown Collective now to join in the fun!

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Homegrown Collective April 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

How did the end of the month come up so fast?! Work has really got me off-kilter and I totally didn’t expect this box yesterday. I sure hope I recover enough over the weekend to get one of these projects going. I had no idea that ketchup and mustard were fermented items (though I wonder if the ones with preservatives are still fermented), which I’m kind of fascinated by. I love fermented stuff!!

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

inside of let's get fermented homegrown collective box with the info sheets on the inner lid contents of the homegrown collective april 2014 box with let's get fermented theme the homegrown collective april 2014 fermenting jars info card

Project #1, chipotle ketchup: This is what ketchup is made of?! I’ve been completely clueless this whole time and it never occurred to me that it could be fermented. I’m totally intrigued by this fermentation jar too, which is a funny-looking contraption. I’m not generally a ketchup fan, but chipotle ketchup sounds wonderful and making it myself means I’d totally eat it. It’ll be great to have some around the house to use so we don’t need those packets.

the homegrown collective april 2014 project chipotle ketchup info card the homegrown collective april 2014 products for chiptole ketchup

Project #2, spicy mustard: Well gosh, I learn some much from all this, like how mustard is good for you. I learned to enjoy mustard a couple of years back when I saw my dad always getting it and now I’m a fan too. Panda and I could certainly use some probiotics in our lives, so I’m excited about this and I’ll start with this fermentation process as soon as I figure out how to accomplish this without a blender (or I might just decide to get a blender…). Recipe calls for 4 cloves of garlic, but I only had three left after divvying the other two to the ketchup project, but I have plenty of garlic from my Blue Apron box, so I’ll use that. [Edit: Errr so I totally had a brain fart and thought they meant a head of garlic when they said clove… as I was making the mustard I suddenly realized how preposterous four whole heads of garlic would be for that recipe and it dawned on me that they actually provided way more garlic for future use!!]

the homegrown collective april 2014 project spicy mustard info card the homegrown collective april 2014 products for spicy mustard

This was another month with only two projects. Perhaps this time it was a space issue? Whatever the case, I love the stuff we did get and it’s so cool to learn about condiments I thought I knew. I’ve always wanted to try making my own pickles, kimchi, and other fermented foods. I’ll have to look up some instructions for those too. 🙂 Here’s the info card about fermentation:

the homegrown collective april 2014 fermentation info card

Awaken your inner scientist, crafter, and environmentalist! Get your own fun projects and subscribe to the Homegrown Collective today. It’s totally mind-blowing.

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Homegrown Collective March 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

You know, I’ve been wondering about the dry spell in sub boxes lately and I thought this GREENBOX should have arrived awhile ago. Whatever the case, I’m pleased to have received it today. This month’s cheese theme is very intriguing.

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

inside of slice 'o cheese homegrown collective box with the info sheets on the inner lid contents of the homegrown collective march 2014 box with slice 'o cheese themethe homegrown collective march 2014 spread the word social media and sharing info card

Project #1, knife sharpening: I love this! I’ve never sharpened my own knives before, but I’m sure I could use them better if I did. It’s also nice to get another knife since sharing one with Panda can get tricky when we’re both trying to cook in the kitchen. I’m going to have fun with this one. For some reason it makes me feel like a Japanese sushi chef. I’m sure the gloves and goggles will also come handy in other work around the house in the future.

the homegrown collective march 2014 project knife sharpening info card the homegrown collective march 2014 products for knife sharpening

Project #2, mozzarella cheese-making: I’m generally not that into cheese, but I’ve been getting into it more. This is a perfect chance to explore that type of food and feel like a scientist in the process. I’m also really glad to have a thermometer I can use for food, so I can check the temperature of meat I cook in the future! I’ve never owned this pen-looking type of food thermometer before and I feel so professional just having it. I also had no idea herbs can go into mozzarella cheese, so I’m curious how that will affect the taste.

the homegrown collective march 2014 project mozzarella cheese-making info card the homegrown collective march 2014 products for mozzarella cheese-making

No third project this time (a first). I wonder if it was because it was hard to keep with the theme or if the costs of all this was already reaching the value they could afford to send. No matter! Onto the info card talking about cheese for this month’s theme:

the homegrown collective march 2014 slice 'o cheese info card

To get your own awesome green projects, subscribe to the Homegrown Collective today. You’ll feel so much craftier!

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Homegrown Collective February 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
1

I’m so thrilled about this GREENBOX! Honey is such an awesome theme and this one also incorporates beeswax. Not only are there items for your skin, there’s a really cool wood project too.

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

inside of honey how sweet it is homegrown collective box with the info sheets on the inner lid contents of the homegrown collective february 2014 box with honey how sweet it is theme

Project #1, honey lip balm: This sounds lip-lickingly good. Honey in my lip balm seems like a great idea for soothing, creamy stuff. The honey dipper is so cute! I’m not sure if I want to get it all sticky and wet. For the tubes, I’m thinking I can decorate them and make my own blinged out versions. Sharpies and gems at the ready!

the homegrown collective february 2014 project honey lip balm info card the homegrown collective february 2014 products for honey lip balm

Project #2, honey sugar face scrub: What a simple, wonderful scrub. I’ve known that honey is good for killing bacteria and I could certainly use that for the acne on my face. It’s a strange sensation to put something so gooey on my face and it’s amusing that it’s such a sweet concoction. I’m a sucker for a scrub!

the homegrown collective february 2014 project honey sugar face scrub info card the homegrown collective february 2014 products for honey sugar face scrub

Project #3, beeswax wood butter: Now that I have a home, I am always looking out for ways to add personality to it with home goods. Coasters are certainly a welcome project to make and having a wood butter to help care for wood is fantastic. I’m looking forward to polishing things up! [update: check out the completed project!]

the homegrown collective february 2014 project beeswax wood butter info card the homegrown collective february 2014 products for honey wood butter

Then there’s the info card explaining the bee theme for this box:

the homegrown collective february 2014 honey how sweet it is info card

If you want some of these kinds of projects for yourself, subscribe to the Homegrown Collective now!

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

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