5 Reasons To Make Your Own Spice Mixes

Ever thought about making your own spice mixes? Thought that this was a little too daunting of a task? Think again. Creating herb and spice mixes is easy, inexpensive and efficient, as well as a fun activity you can do together with your kids.

But besides that it is a creative activity, that goes beyond a home economics lesson, it is also a great way to keep artificial by-products out of your families reach.

Do you have family members with food allergies and chronic diseases, like I do? Then you really should consider making your own mixes.

 

Allow me to present to you 5 reasons why you should make your own spice mixes

1. Store bought mixes contain modified starch which is often derived from GMO sources (not always), used a thickening agent

2. There are also hidden sugars – does anyone really need more sugar in their diet? The answer is surely no, especially when you or someone in your family deals with diabetes or other chronic illnesses

3. Store brands as well as national brands contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils – GMO derived trans fats from various sources, such as soybean oil, do I need to say more?

4. They contain MSG – MSG can be hidden under other names.

5. Often contains Hidden gluten – a dangerous situation for anyone with celiac disease

But where to find recipes? You can borrow my “Mixing Spices” book for free on Amazon Kindle Unlimited! A no-nonsense collection of mixes, which contains no fillers, unlike store brand ready-mixes. My recipes range from Taco Season to Goulash, and more adventurous recipes, that are easy to replicate, without the need for weird and crazy ingredients you can find anywhere.

Get it on Amazon now!

 

 

Store your spice creations in these beautiful containers, for an airtight seal.

Magnetic Steel Spice Rack by Home Basics, available on Amazon now! 

 

 

 

If you are looking for a non-expensive, but effective spice grinder, I highly recommend this little powerhouse:

Krups Coffee And Spice Grinder available on Amazon now!

 

 

 

 

The above blog post is a part of the following blog hops:

Share With Me

 

Winter Blues Wednesday

Inspire Me Wednesday

Talk Of The Town

The Creative Board

40 Things That Make Me Happy – And Why You Should Make a Happiness List, Too

There are times in our lives when trying to remember those little things we usually enjoy, becomes a difficult feat. May it be, because we experienced loss, are suffering from depression, going through marital problems or have financial trouble, a list of things that make us happy, can remind us of what we have, and help us for a moment to create a more hopeful state of mind to work from.

Here are 40 Things That Make Me Happy  – No Matter What

1. Hugs from my kids
2. The excitement of my dogs, when I get home
3. Coffee
4. Thumbprint cookies
5. Great, fresh bread
6. the scent of rain
7. Ducks upon a pond
8. the sound of a horse breathing
9. Drama television shows
10. a good romance novel
11. getting a text message from a friend
12. online banking
13. blog groups and link ups
14. taking pictures
15. designing/creating/working on a piece of my art
16. warm socks
17. flannel sheets
18. hibiscus tea
19. the sound of birds in the trees
20. spring time
21. black and white photography
22. inspirational quotes
23. flowers
24. the theater
25. a fresh, new notebook to fill with ideas
26. typing “The End” after a long short story, or a book
27. Jared Leto (yes, I am weird, lol)
28. being “cleaned” by my cat
29. A comfortable sofa
30. Nutella
31. a smooth-writing pen
32. Irish Dance
33. traveling
34. German chocolate
35. strawberry cheesecake
36. Happy Endings in stories
37. thick, white snow
38. trees
39. squirrels eating peanuts
40. my dog barking in her sleep

What do you have on your list? Why not create your own post and share it with us in the comment section below!

 

Check out the following journals for your gratitude and happiness lists:

Flower Power, Ivy by Sophie Gamand
from: Redbubble

Nine by fioski
from: Redbubble

Caterpiano by Jorge Lopez
from: Redbubble

Do What Works – 5 Essentials For Successful Print On Demand Artists

1. Make what you love
So your art does not fit exactly into the current trend. You have a choice to make, create something that you think will fit in, or showcase your unique voice. Please, dear artists, remember that people love your uniqueness and recognize a truth within the representation of your vision, that you created. A well-designed piece of art can become more popular than the one fitting into the masses

2. Pay attention to details
Of course, you pay attention to details when it comes to creating your unique piece of art, but are you also paying attention to how each individual application fits with your art? Some art pieces are just not made for cell phone cases while others will showcase their entire beauty on any application. Choose where you put your creative piece as thoroughly as you do during your creative process.

3. Connect with other artists
When I first started out on RedBubble, I thought of it as a lonely place, until I began connecting with other artists, by commenting on each others projects, or participating in the forums. The exchange of energy with like-minded individuals is very inspiring, as well as a learning experience. Take also advantage of the groups and forums out there outside of your platform, with Facebook groups being one example.

4. Connect with your audience
Reach out to your potential audience by learning how to maneuver throughout the various social media outlets. Learn proper etiquette, by not spamming your followers, and really engage. With the right techniques, you can gather a substantial amount of attention if you learn the tricks of the individual platforms. Marketing your products is just as important as creating them.

5. Be specific in your listings and product description
Write the description as if the customer would have no picture available and you would have to describe your creation to them. Use keywords that are related to your products (watch out for spamming keywords – only use those actually related to what you have done. Platforms like Zazzle frown upon the overuse of misguided keywords), and be specific about mentioning your targeted audience.

Please share your favorite tips and tricks in the comment section. We can all learn from each other!

Blessings

Claudia

P.S. Check out the free Aloha Snack Box Trial – who does not love free!

Stop That Re-Pin! 4 Things You Should Consider Before Hitting That Pin Button

Whether you are a Print On Demand Artist, a writer or have your own business, the power of owning a Pinterest Business Account is great and should be utilized to its fullest potential by everyone. But because it is easy to fall into the trap of spamming your followers, you have to have a certain level of other pins on your boards that are not advertising your products or services. One of many ways to so is to repin what other people have posted.

However, repinning a great infographic without too much thought can be counter-productive. Here are four points you should consider when repinning content to your Pinterest business account (or any Pinterest account):

1. Read the comments to the pin thoroughly. Just because the information is great, does not mean that the pinner’s thoughts on the subject matter fit your needs, the needs of your audience, or are views you want to convey. Better yet, change the description of the pin completely, and include your own information on it.

2. Check the link. A great graphic or image does not make a great re-pin. Make sure the pin does not lead to some questionable content or is a dead link.

3. Get rid off hashtags. While hashtags are wonderful for facebook, twitter, Instagram and a host of other places, Pinterest is not one of them. Get rid of all the cluttering hashtags before re-pinning the pin.

4. Keep your followers in mind. Consider if the majority of your followers of this board would benefit from the content you are about to re-pin. If it is only of  interest to you or is only re-pinned to not look spammy, don’t bother. Every pin you share should have a purpose and bring value to your followers. No exceptions.

Happy re-pinning!

Claudia

P.S. Check out my free Editorial Calender And Marketing Planner – read about it, and download it here! 

 

Stories That Drive Me Crazy

Today, Daily Prompt asked us what habits/acts drive us crazy. Related to books and movies I have a short list of turn offs, which  make me walk away from a book, a TV show or a movie.

1. Weak female characters.
The damsel in distress thing is over and done with. Women do not need a man to defend themselves, let’s stop telling these stories of male saviors who are the hero of the weak female. While we all can use someone to lean on, it does not always have to be the woman who does the leaning. Stop it already.

2. Spin-offs
Do we really need another NCIS spin off? It only worked for Star Trek, and Buffy/Angel. Everyone else should stay away from spin-offs unless they are either written by Joss Whedon, or have a really special story to tell. Most likely they won’t. I am not holding my breath.

3. First person present tense stories
Please don’t, just don’t. Just because “Fifty Shades of Grey” did it, doesn’t mean anyone should.

4. Horror for the sake of guts and gore.
Horror stories, ala Stephen King or the earlier works of Dean Koontz, told a story alongside the scary bits and pieces. That tension is good, really good. But horror with no deep developed plot, that makes us like the characters, and has some dialogue besides screaming and moaning, I will turn off. I want to be entertained. Not just shocked.

5. Bed hopping
Sex is all good, it belongs into stories, some stories, but it has to be believable. Romance novels are often times culprits in bedding the characters too fast, or too many times, just to be explicit. Tell us the story, include sex, but don’t make it the stuff that breaks the flow of the plot.

Enough ranting. What type of stories drive you crazy?