11 Benefits of Sandalwood Bead and Gemstone Bracelets
From Southwest styles and festival favorites to diffuser bracelets Boho jewelry has become one of the hottest trends. From tribal statement necklaces and sandalwood and gemstone bracelets to dangly earrings, the boho style encompasses a free-spirited and romantic style.
What is sandalwood?
Indigenous to India and Asia, the aroma of sandalwood helps the mind unwind as well as increases spiritual energy.
11 benefits of sandalwood beads
1. Brings good luck
2. Diminishes negative energies
3. Allows the mind to unwind
4. Promotes energy and enthusiasm to increase self-esteem
5. Aids in relaxation
6. Helps relieve stress
7. Invokes a sense of tranquility
8. Controls aggressiveness and irritability
9. Helps promote peaceful sleep
10. Increases the power of your wishes
11. Stimulates a sense of awareness
Pro tip: During regular meditation using a sandalwood mala bead necklace or bracelet will help you gain perspective, surround you with positive energy as well as help you create just the right balance.
What are gemstones?
A gemstone is a piece of mineral crystal. Each gemstone is said to have unique healing properties.
5 popular gemstones and their healing properties
1. Howlite encourages you to “live and let live”
2. Obsidian clears the aura of negative energy
3. Rose Quartz helps dissolve old hurts and open the heart to trust in love
4. Sunstone supports confidence, creativity, power, and leadership
5. Tigers Eye supports power, courage, and understanding
Pro tip: Amplify the healing properties of your sandalwood bead and gemstone bracelets when you add essential oils. Whether you’re looking to deal with stress, trying to sleep, or just need to be calmed down, simply add the essential oil to the lava beads on your gemstone bracelet.
What are lava beads?
Lava beads are literally made from cooled down molten rock. Lava stone is a grounding stone that is said to strengthen one’s connection with Mother Earth. Lava beads are great for giving us strength and courage as well as providing stability through times of change.
Benefits of essential oils
Essential oils can be used to help alleviate stress, get sleep, ease a stomach ache, soothe tired muscles, keep away mosquitoes, and more.
One of the most popular and well-loved essential oils is lavender. Lavender is known for it’s calming properties and can help soothe you to sleep. While peppermint is wonderful for easing stomach aches and headaches.
Citrus oils (lemon, orange, grapefruit, and lime) are said to be instant mood boosters. They’re also perfect for freshening up any room of your home.
Methods for use and applying oils
1. You can sniff them straight from the bottle
2. Use a diffuser to diffuse them in your home
3. Add oil to lava beads to take oils on-the-go with you
4. Dilute with a carrier oil (coconut or grapeseed oil) in roller bottles to apply to your body
If you’re looking for boho arm candy with a purpose Aspyn Jewelry is your one-stop Etsy shop. Aspyn Jewelry features gorgeous boho-style bracelets that are individually curated by Karah who is based in Colorado with her family (including her ADORABLE twins that I cannot get enough of). Karah creates stunning stacks, her explanations and work prove that she puts thought and effort into each individual bracelet.
Aspyn stacks are much more than sandalwood and gemstone. Karah researches stones handpicks them and puts together combinations with meaning and purpose. Each stack order comes with a handwritten card so you know what stones are in the stack along with their healing properties. If you don’t see what you’re looking for in the Aspyn Jewelry Etsy Shop simply reach out to Karah and she will be more than happy to help you create the perfect sandalwood bead and gemstone bracelets. Don’t see what you are looking for, reach out to me. I make several custom stack orders too!
My current favorite stack in the Aspyn Jewelry shop was The Adventurer (which I recently fell in love with, but it sold out quickly), encourages independence and originality. Dissipates fearfulness alleviates stress and increases vitality. The Adventurer also enhances confidence, willpower, and integrity. I don’t know about you, but The Adventurer seems to be jampacked with all the vibes I could use in my life right now.
Whether you’re getting a custom stack made, buying a ready-made stack, or a single boho bracelet, you’re sure to receive a bracelet packed with healing properties that has been curated with love.
Zee Zees On-The-Go Snacks
If you’ve ever met me before, you know that I do not go anywhere without snacks. You’ll find them in my handbag, coat pocket, car, hiking bag – you get the point. I especially love bringing snacks with me when I go adventuring. I am a big fan of bars, trail mixes, sunflower seeds, and other on-the-go snacks. I especially love snacks that are from Michigan companies and recently discovered Zee Zees and while their snacks are designed with kids in mind, I absolutely love them when I am on the go.
Like I mentioned above, Zee Zees is a Michigan based company – which immediately moved them up on my favorite snack list. Zee Zees is all about having fun and making good foods in good ways with wholesome ingredients. Zee Zees is home to soft baked bars, sunflower kernels, Grahamz, dried fruit, applesauce, and even fruit cups. I always try to have a stash of their sunflower kernels, dried fruit, soft-baked bars, and Grahamz on hand.
Sunflower Kernels
Hands down, these are my absolute favorite Zee Zees snack and I always have them with me, especially for on-the-go adventures. Zee Zees Sunflower Kernels are portable protein power packs, that definitely help keep me going on the trail or while I am out paddleboarding. These sunflower kernels are what I packed in my bag and snacked on during my flight to Colorado back in December. The sunflower kernels come in three different flavors: roasted, honey roasted, and spicy. Currently, you’ll find the spicy sunflower kernels in my hiking bag.
Dried Fruit
You will always find Zee Zees dried fruit boxes in my hiking bag. They make the perfect trail snack no matter what the season is. Each box contains a mixture of raisins, golden raisins, dried pineapple, cranberries, and dried apples. I love pairing the dried fruit boxes with a handful of nuts or some of the Zee Zees sunflower kernels.
Soft Baked Bars
Hello breakfast on the go! I love Zee Zees soft baked bars when Jack and I head out for early morning hikes. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw that I had the cocoa cherry soft baked bars for breakfast yesterday morning, while we were out hiking. These portable bars are great for on the go or you can enjoy them while you’re having a Netflix movie night. Zee Zees soft baked bars are available in cocoa cherry (favorite), cinnamon crisp, berry apple crisp, oatmeal cocoa chip, strawberry crisp, campfire s’mores (favorite), blueberry lemon (need to try) and birthday cake (favorite).
Grahamz
Zee Zees Grahamz is available in four flavors: french toast, original, birthday cake, and strawberry. These Grahamz are a dippable size and I love pairing the original Grahamz at night with yogurt mixed with peanut butter for dessert. The playful packaging makes them a fun snack for kids, so I always make sure I have a couple of bags with me when I go out with friends and their kids.
I love the fact that Zee Zees has created a whole world for children based on where the Zee Zees characters. If you’re like me and do not have children, you’ll still enjoy what Zee Zees has to offer, as the fun branding not only draws in children but adults as well. Don’t forget to follow along on my (snacking) adventures on Instagram to see what I take with me all summer long.
Five Things
Hello Friday! It\’s so nice to see you, even though you have brought frigid temperatures and snow flurries. We have just concluded week 8 of quarantine here in Michigan. While some states are starting to open back up, our governor just extended the stay-at-home order until May 28th, which I am not surprised about. People just aren\’t following protocol here in Michigan, and that has been made clear by the insane numbers that we currently have in regards to Covid-19. Enough about that though, let\’s talk about this week!
Despite temperatures being in the 30\’s right now, this past week was absolutely gorgeous. I spent plenty of time outside soaking up the sun and even met my friend for a socially distanced lunch date from the back of our cars – where we enjoyed takeout from a local favorite.
I have been into vibes lately and was stoked to try out New Wave Soda – you know how much I love sparkling beverages and I am obsessed with all the flavors – grapefruit is my favorite.
On the topic of vibes, I have absolutely been loving the bracelets from Aspyn Jewelry. You can create custom bracelets, buy pre-made stacks as well as singles. Each piece of Aspyn Jewelry features healing properties that are sure to bring you some amazing vibes.
With the nicer weather, Jack and I found ourselves spending plenty of time outside and even discovered some spring flowers popping up.
We hope you have a fabulous weekend and don\’t forget to follow along on Instagram and see what we are up to all weekend.
Zoya Splash Summer 2020 Collection
Zoya just released its Summer 2020 collection, and it is everything I have ever dreamed of in a summer collection and I am ready to dive into this color palette. This new line-up from Zoya titled Splash features a variety of classic creams as well as a few micro-shimmers (obsessed). I think Eclipse just stole my heart. The collection will be available on the Zoya website on May 15, and let me tell you – I seriously cannot wait for this collection to drop. What do you think of Zoya\’s newest collection Splash? I personally cannot wait to try out Eclipse, Jodi, Emma, Maren and Harbor!
Zoya Summer 2020 SPLASH
These are Zoya\’s descriptions of each color, get ready to swoon!
Eclipse can best be described as a glistening silver with holographic rainbow sparkles. Wear her alone for a sheer wash of glimmer, or layer with any Zoya shade to make a colorful splash!
Jodi can best be described as a pale ice-cream pink cream.
Emma can best be described as a starfish coral cream with a touch of pink undertone.
Leilani can best be described as a glistening pink grapefruit with gold micro-shimmer.
Celi can best be described as a sweet cherry red with gold micro-shimmer.
Greta can best be described as a ripe tomato red cream.
Kristie can best be described as a deep magenta popsicle pink cream.
Jessica can best be described as an African violet cream.
Maren can best be described as a vibrant nautical blue cream.
Harbor can best be described as a tropical emerald sea green cream.
Fisher can best be described as a sun-kissed seafoam with a stunning gold micro-shimmer. A shade that is reminiscent of warm days on the beach.
Corinna can best be described as a naked blush with a kiss of golden sheen. A delicate and fresh – yet sexy neutral for Summer.
The Best M&M Cookies
Over the past several years, I have shared a variety of cookie recipes with you and recently realized that I have never shared my M&M Cookie recipes. I have made this recipe numerous times, and it\’s a favorite among friends and family, and with good reason, the crisp chewy edges, soft centers, and the fact that they are loaded with colorful M&M\’s make them absolutely delicious.
M&M\’s is always releasing special holiday colors, which makes these cookies perfect for any party or event. They\’d be perfect for any porch dropoff. Memorial Day is coming up, but since I haven\’t been able to find red, white and blue M&M\’s in stores yet, I decided to use some leftover pastel-colored M&M\’s that I had from Easter so I could share this amazing recipe with you.
Tips and tricks for making M&M Cookies
These cookies came with plenty of trial and error, that\’s why I am sharing all my tips and tricks with you.
1. Butter should be softened, but still cool to the touch. Butter that is too soft will lead to your cookies spreading too much in the oven.
2. Use brown sugar that is soft and fresh. Brown sugar is the key ingredient in helping these cookies be chewy.
3. Do not over bake. The goal with these cookies is crisp edges and soft centers. You do NOT want to wait until the cookies look done to take them out of the oven. Remove them from the oven just prior to them being done and they will finish cooking as they cool on the baking sheet.
4. Mix SOME of the M&M\’s into the batter. Press the rest onto the tops of the cookies right before baking.
Pro Tip: When you are pressing the M&M\’s into the tops of your cookie dough balls, do NOT press so hard that you flatten the dough balls. When you put the cookies into the oven they should still be ball-shaped.
How to Make thick or thin M&M cookies
The amount of cookie dough you scoop will affect whether your cookies come out thicker or thinner.
Thick M&M Cookies or Thin M&M Cookies
How big you scoop your cookie dough affects whether your cookies come out thinner or thicker. Play around until you figure out the perfect cookie for you.
How to make thick cookies
Thick cookies require a generous portion of cookies dough. If I am looking to do thicker cookies I like to do about 2-2.5 tablespoons or something a little larger than a golf ball size amount. As the cookies bake they will spread, but the center will remain thicker than the edges. If you want the cookie to be thicker in general, when you remove them from the oven, gently press the edges of the cookie inward to help thicken them.
Pro Tip: If you want a thicker/puffier cookie refrigerate the dough for one hour before baking.
How to make thin cookiesThin cookies require a small portion of dough. I typically like to use about one tablespoon for my thinner cookies. As they bake they will spread a bit thinner.
Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies
Ingredients
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
dash of salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter; softened but still cool
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed make sure it\’s fresh and soft
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1.5 cups M&M\’s or a mixture of M&M\’s and chocolate chips divided
Directions1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2 Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, beat butter and both sugars for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
5. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until combined.
6. On low speed, add in flour mixture, mix until just combined.
7. Gently stir in M&M\’s.
8. Scoop balls of dough in your desired size onto the prepared baking sheets – leave room for spreading.
9. Press some M&M\’s into the top of each cookie.
10. Bake for 8-11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are set but the center is slightly underbaked. If you want a crispier cookie you will want to bake longer.
11. Place on wire baking racks to cool.
Baking time will need to be adjusted based on the side of your cookies.
Fashion meets Food 