The Simple Things

Taking time to live well
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • SHOP
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Work with us
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • SHOP
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Work with us

Blog

Taking Time to Live Well

  • All
  • Chalkboard
  • Christmas
  • Competition
  • could do
  • Eating
  • Escape
  • Escaping
  • Fresh
  • Fun
  • gardening
  • Gathered
  • Gathering
  • Growing
  • Haikus
  • Interview
  • Living
  • Looking back
  • Magazine
  • magical creatures
  • Making
  • Miscellany
  • My Neighbourhood
  • Nature
  • Nest
  • Nesting
  • outing
  • playlist
  • Reader event
  • Reader offer
  • Shop
  • Sponsored post
  • Sunday Best
  • Think
  • Uncategorized
  • Wellbeing
  • Wisdom
Project & photography: NATMADY/HACKNEYHERBAL

Project & photography: NATMADY/HACKNEYHERBAL

Make | Herbal tea bags

Lottie Storey May 6, 2018

A soothing cuppa is in the bag, when you make your own. The appeal of this project goes beyond having something nice to sip: the touch and smell of choosing your herbs, even before the tastebuds kick in, make it a real sensory experience – something to savour.

Herbal tea bags

You will need:
Unbleached muslin fabric (try souschef.co.uk or johnlewis.com), or you could buy readymade self-fill tea bags from dotboutique.store)
Cotton thread
1 tsp of dried herbs

1 Cut unbleached muslin fabric into squares roughly measuring 10x10cm.
2 Choose between 2 to 4 dried herbs to mix and place in the middle of the square. You need about a teaspoon in total.
3 Gather the corners of the square together and tie the teabag up using cotton thread.
4 Infuse in hot water for five minutes and drink. You can empty out the spent herbs and re-use the muslin again after rinsing it.
         

SOME BLENDS TO TRY

  • Rosemary, peppermint & nettle An uplifting blend to aid focus and concentration.

  • Echinacea, yarrow & sage A restorative blend to sip when you have a sore throat or cold.

  • Lemon verbena, rose & skullcap A relaxing combination to enjoy before bed.

 

  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

 

More from the May issue:

Featured
Titanic in dry dock, c. 1911 © Getty Images.jpg
May 27, 2018
The Titanic | A liner to remember
May 27, 2018
May 27, 2018
SIM71.FORAGING_Elderflower Cleanser a1 .png
May 26, 2018
Elderflower toner
May 26, 2018
May 26, 2018
SIM71.OUTING_219A0080 (1).png
May 25, 2018
The bizarre art of vegetable carving
May 25, 2018
May 25, 2018

More weekend projects to make:

Featured
Lanyard & Key Fob.jpg
Jun 1, 2025
Project | Make a Scrap fabric Key Fob
Jun 1, 2025
Jun 1, 2025
TEA COSY JUMPER.jpg
Jan 25, 2025
How to | Make a Tea Cosy from an Old Jumper
Jan 25, 2025
Jan 25, 2025
Wellbeing.jpg
Feb 11, 2024
Make | Kitchen Face Masks
Feb 11, 2024
Feb 11, 2024
In Making Tags make, weekend project, Make project, issue 70, april, tea, herbal tea, herbs, natural new year
1 Comment
Photography: Amanda Heywood

Photography: Amanda Heywood

Cucumber, matcha and lime face mask

Lottie Storey March 13, 2018

This refreshing, zingy mask can be made with ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen.

Makes approx 380ml
1 green tea bag or 5g (1 tsp) Matcha green tea powder
75g cucumber
2.5g (1⁄2 tsp) vegetable gelatine powder, such as Vegeset
20 drops lime essential oil

1 Pour 300ml hot (not boiling) water on the green teabag or matcha powder in a mug or jug (follow the packet instructions for ratios of tea to water). If using powder, stir to combine or leave the teabag to infuse for 10 mins. Leave to cool a little.
2 Chop slices of cucumber and whizz in a blender with the green tea until cucumber is fully blitzed. When completely cool, add gelatine to the liquid and stir to combine (check the ratios of gelatine powder to water on the packet (typically 1 tsp per 600ml).
3 Place mixture in a pan over a low heat, stirring all the time. Once it has reached boiling point, remove pan from the heat and allow to cool to around 40C. Add the lime essential oil. For 300ml use 20 drops.
4 Pour into a bowl and allow to cool before placing in the fridge to set.
5 Spread mask over face and neck and relax while the antioxidant, anti-ageing green tea and cooling, soothing cucumber get to work. Leave for 5–10 mins before removing with warm water and a muslin cloth.
6 Use straight away ideally, but can be stored in the fridge for up to two days. 

Taken from Handmade Spa by Juliette Goggin and Abi Righton (Jacqui Small).
 

  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here.

 

More from the March issue:

Featured
EGGShell-tealights-the-simple-things.png
Apr 10, 2023
Eggshell tea lights
Apr 10, 2023
Apr 10, 2023
anna-jimenez-calaf-64616-unsplash.jpg
Mar 20, 2021
You know spring has properly arrived when...
Mar 20, 2021
Mar 20, 2021
SIM69.WHATITREASURE_J Hitt What I Treasure Recipe Book Image.JPG
Mar 26, 2018
What I treasure | My hand-written recipe book
Mar 26, 2018
Mar 26, 2018

More homemade remedies:

Featured
Wellbeing.jpg
Feb 11, 2024
Make | Kitchen Face Masks
Feb 11, 2024
Feb 11, 2024
Bathsalts make 2.jpg
Oct 30, 2022
Make | Homemade Bath Salts
Oct 30, 2022
Oct 30, 2022
Rosemary Coconut Scalp .jpg
Feb 6, 2021
Make | Rosemary, Peppermint and Lemon Scalp Rub
Feb 6, 2021
Feb 6, 2021
In Making Tags natural skincare, home remedies, march, issue 69, face pack, tea, natural new year
Comment

Nest | Soak in a spruce needle bath

Lottie Storey January 2, 2018

Don’t throw away your Christmas tree clippings. Spruce needles are an invigorating natural remedy, great for clearing the head. If you feel a cold coming on or are simply exhausted, have a bath with this spruce tree essence and let the scent of a forest work its magic

You will need:

3 fresh twigs from a spruce tree, washed
1 litre water

1 Cut the spruce twigs into small pieces, place them in a saucepan and add the water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
2 Now remove the pan from the heat, cover with a cloth, and let the solution of twigs infuse for another 10 minutes while you run your bath.
3 Strain and add the solution to your bath. Relax in the bath for 20 minutes, breathing in deeply and taking in all the wonderful forest scents.
4 Go to bed immediately and rest!

From Vinegar Socks, Traditional Home Remedies for Modern Living by Karin Berndl and Nici Hofer

More from the January issue:

Featured
Jan 24, 2017
Recipe: Raspberry biscuits with lemon coriander curd
Jan 24, 2017
Jan 24, 2017
Jan 22, 2017
Winter Skin Tonic
Jan 22, 2017
Jan 22, 2017
Jan 20, 2017
Recipe: DIY tortilla chips
Jan 20, 2017
Jan 20, 2017

More natural remedies:

Featured
Dec 26, 2016
Christmas Survival Tummy Tonic
Dec 26, 2016
Dec 26, 2016
Oct 8, 2016
Make: Luxurious Body Butter
Oct 8, 2016
Oct 8, 2016
May 31, 2016
Homemade rose face cream
May 31, 2016
May 31, 2016
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well

 

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here.

In Christmas, Making Tags issue 42, december, christmas, christmas tree, home remedies, natural new year
Comment
Featured
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well
Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

Buy a copy of our latest anthology: A Year of Celebrations

Buy a copy of Flourish 2, our wellbeing bookazine

Listen to our podcast - Small Ways to Live Well

Feb 27, 2025
Join our Newsletter
Name
Email *

We respect your privacy and won't share your data.

email marketing by activecampaign
facebook-unauth twitter pinterest spotify instagram
  • Subscriber Login
  • Stockists
  • Advertise
  • Contact

The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

facebook-unauth twitter pinterest spotify instagram